A Dirty Job Chapter 24

24 AUDREY AND THE SQUIRREL PEOPLE Charlie could hear things scurrying under the porch as he walked to the front door of the Buddhist center, but the weight of the enormous pistol he'd stuck down the back of his belt reassured him, even if it was pulling his pants down a little. The front door was nearly twelve feet tall, red, with reeded glass running the length, and there were arrays of colorful Tibetan prayer wheels, like spools, on either side of the door. Charlie knew what they were because he'd once had a thief try to sell him some hot ones stolen from a temple. Charlie knew he should kick down the door, but then, it was a really big door, and although he had watched a lot of cop shows and movies where door kicking had been done, he was inexperienced himself. Another option was to pull his pistol and blast the lock off the door, but he didn't know any more about lock blasting than he did door kicking, so he decided to ring the doorbell. The scurrying noises increased and he could hear heavier footsteps inside. The door swung open and the pretty brunette he knew as Elizabeth Sarkoff – Esther Johnson's fake niece – stood in the doorway. â€Å"Why, Mr. Asher, what a pleasant surprise.† It won't be for long, sister, said his inner tough guy. â€Å"Mrs. Sarkoff, nice to see you. What are you doing here?† â€Å"I'm the receptionist. Come in, come in.† Charlie stepped into the foyer, which opened up to a staircase and had sliding double doors on either side. He could see that straight back the foyer led to a dining room with a long table, and beyond that a kitchen. The house had been restored nicely, and didn't really have the appearance of a public building. The inner tough guy said, Don't try to run your game on me, floozy. I've never hit a dame before, but if I don't get some straight talk quick, I'm willing to give it a try, see. Charlie said, â€Å"I had no idea you were a Buddhist. That's fascinating. How's your Aunt Esther, by the way?† He had her now, didn't even have to slap her around. â€Å"Still dead. Thanks for asking, though. What can I do for you, Mr. Asher?† The sliding door to the left of them opened an inch and someone, a young man's voice, said, â€Å"Master, we need you.† â€Å"I'll be right there,† said the alleged Mrs. Sarkoff. â€Å"Master?† Charlie raised an eyebrow. â€Å"We hold receptionists in very high regard in the Buddhist tradition.† She grinned, really big and goofy, like she didn't even believe it herself. Charlie was totally charmed by the laughter and open surrender in her eyes. Trust there, with no reason for it. â€Å"Good God, you're a bad liar,† he said. â€Å"Guess you could see right through my moo-poo, huh?† Big grin. â€Å"So, you are?† Charlie offered his hand to shake. â€Å"I am the Venerable Amitabha Audrey Rinpoche.† She bowed. â€Å"Or just Audrey, if you're in a hurry.† She took two of Charlie's fingers and shook them. â€Å"Charlie Asher,† Charlie said. â€Å"So you're not really Mrs. Johnson's niece.† â€Å"And you're not really a used-clothing dealer?† â€Å"Well, actually – â€Å" That's all Charlie got out. There was a crashing sound from straight ahead, glass and splintering wood. Then he saw the table go over in the next room and Minty Fresh screamed â€Å"Freeze!† as he leapt over the fallen table and headed toward them, gun in hand, oblivious, evidently, to the fact that he was seven feet tall and that the doorway, built in 1908, was only six feet eight inches high. â€Å"Stop,† Charlie shouted, about a half second too late, as Minty Fresh drove four inches of forehead into some very nicely finished oak trim above the door with a thud that shook the whole house. His feet continued on, his body swinging after, and at one point he was parallel to the floor, about six feet off the ground, when gravity decided to manifest itself. The chrome Desert Eagle clattered all the way through the foyer and hit the front door. Minty Fresh landed flat and quite unconscious on the floor between Charlie and Audrey. â€Å"And this is my friend Minty Fresh,† Charlie said. â€Å"He doesn't do this a lot.† â€Å"Boy, you don't see that every day,† said Audrey, looking down at the sleeping giant. â€Å"Yeah,† Charlie said. â€Å"I don't know where he found raw silk in moss green.† â€Å"That's not linen?† Audrey asked. â€Å"No, it's silk.† â€Å"Hmm, it's so wrinkled, I thought it must be linen, or a blend.† â€Å"Well, I think maybe all the activity – â€Å" â€Å"Yeah, I guess so.† Audrey nodded, then looked at Charlie. â€Å"So – â€Å" â€Å"Mr. Asher.† A woman's voice to his right. The doors on Charlie's right slid open, and an older woman stood there: Irena Posokovanovich. The last time he'd seen her he was sitting in the back of Rivera's cruiser, in handcuffs. â€Å"Mrs. Posokov†¦Mrs. Posokovano – Irena! How are you?† â€Å"You weren't so concerned about that yesterday.† â€Å"No, I was. I really was. Sorry about that.† Charlie smiled, thinking it was his most charming smile. â€Å"I hope you don't have that pepper spray with you.† â€Å"I don't,† Irena said. Charlie looked at Audrey. â€Å"We had a little misunderstanding – â€Å" â€Å"I have this,† Irena said, producing a stun gun from behind her back, pressing it to Charlie's chest and sending a hundred and twenty-five thousand volts surging through his body. He could see animals, or animal-like creatures, dressed in period finery, approaching him as he convulsed in pain on the floor. â€Å"Get them both tied up, guys,† Audrey said. â€Å"I'll make tea.† Tea?† Audrey said. So, for the second time in his life, Charlie Asher found himself tied to a chair and being served a hot beverage. Audrey was bent over before him, holding a teacup, and regardless of the awkwardness or danger of the situation, Charlie found himself staring down the front of her shirt. â€Å"What kind of tea?† Charlie asked, buying time, noticing the cluster of tiny silk roses that perched happily at the front clasp of her bra. â€Å"I like my tea like I like my men,† Audrey said with a grin. â€Å"Weak and green.† Now Charlie looked into her eyes, which were smiling. â€Å"Your right hand is free,† she said. â€Å"But we had to take your gun and your sword-cane, because those things are frowned upon.† â€Å"You're the nicest captor I've ever had,† Charlie said, taking the teacup from her. â€Å"What are you trying to say?† said Minty Fresh. Charlie looked to his right, where Minty Fresh was tied to a chair that made him look as if he'd been taken hostage at a child's tea party – his knees were up near his chin and one of his wrists was taped near the floor. Someone had put a large ice pack on his head, which looked vaguely like a tam-o'-shanter. â€Å"Nothing,† Charlie said. â€Å"You were a great captor, too, don't get me wrong.† â€Å"Tea, Mr. Fresh?† Audrey said. â€Å"Do you have coffee?† â€Å"Back in a second,† Audrey said. She left the room. They'd been moved to one of the rooms off the foyer, Charlie couldn't tell which. It must have been a parlor for entertaining during its day, but it had been converted into a combination office and reception room: metal desks, a computer, some filing cabinets, and an array of older oak office chairs for working and waiting. â€Å"I think she likes me,† Charlie said. â€Å"She has you taped to a chair,† Minty Fresh said, pulling at the tape around his ankles with his free hand. The ice pack fell off his head and hit the floor with a loud thump. â€Å"I didn't notice how attractive she was when I met her before.† â€Å"Would you help me get free, please?† Minty said. â€Å"Can't,† Charlie said. â€Å"Tea.† He held up his cup. Clicking noises by the door. They looked up as four little bipeds in silk and satin scampered into the room. One, who had the face of an iguana, the hands of a raccoon, and was dressed like a musketeer, big-feathered hat and all, drew a sword and poked Minty Fresh in the hand he was using to pull at the duct tape. â€Å"Ow, dammit. Thing!† â€Å"I don't think he wants you to try to get loose,† Charlie said. The iguana guy saluted Charlie with a flourish of his sword and pointed to the end of his snout with his free hand, as if to say, On the nose, buddy. â€Å"So,† Audrey said, entering the room carrying a tray with Minty's coffee, â€Å"I see you've met the squirrel people.† â€Å"Squirrel people?† Charlie asked. A little lady with a duck's face and reptilian hands wearing a purple satin evening gown curtsied to Charlie, who nodded back. â€Å"That's what we call them,† Audrey said. â€Å"Because the first few I made had squirrel faces and hands, but then I ran out of squirrel parts and they got more baroque.† â€Å"They're not creatures of the Underworld?† Charlie said. â€Å"You made them?† â€Å"Sort of,† Audrey said. â€Å"Cream and sugar, Mr. Fresh?† â€Å"Please,† Minty said. â€Å"You make these monsters?† All four of the little creatures turned to him at once and leaned back, as if to say, Hey, pal, who are you calling monsters. â€Å"They're not monsters, Mr. Fresh. The squirrel people are as human as you are.† â€Å"Yeah, except they have better fashion sense,† Charlie said. â€Å"I'm not always going to be taped to this chair, Asher,† Minty said. â€Å"Woman, who or what the hell are you?† â€Å"Be nice,† Charlie said. â€Å"I suppose I should explain,† Audrey said. â€Å"Ya think?† Minty said. Audrey sat down on the floor, cross-legged, and the squirrel people gathered around her, to listen. â€Å"Well, it's a little embarrassing, but I guess it started when I was a kid. I sort of had this affinity for dead things.† â€Å"Like you liked to touch dead things?† asked Minty Fresh. â€Å"Get naked with them?† â€Å"Would you please let the lady talk,† Charlie said. â€Å"Bitch is a freak,† Minty said. Audrey smiled. â€Å"Why, yes; yes, I am, Mr. Fresh, and you are tied up in my dining room, at the mercy of any freaky thing that might occur to me.† She tapped a silver demitasse spoon she'd used to stir her tea on her front tooth and rolled her eyes as if imagining something delicious. â€Å"Please go on,† said Minty Fresh with a shudder. â€Å"Sorry to interrupt.† â€Å"It wasn't a freaky thing,† Audrey said, glancing at Minty, daring him to speak up. â€Å"It was just that I had an overdeveloped sense of empathy with the dying, mostly animals, but when my grandmother passed, I could feel it, from miles away. Anyway, it didn't overwhelm me or anything, but when I got to college, to see if I could get a handle on it, I decided to study Eastern philosophy – oh yeah, and fashion design.† â€Å"I think it's important to look good when you're doing the work of the dead,† Charlie said. â€Å"Well – uh – okay,† Audrey said. â€Å"And I was a good seamstress. I really liked making costumes. Anyway, I met and fell in love with a guy.† â€Å"A dead guy?† Minty asked. â€Å"Soon enough, Mr. Fresh. He was dead soon enough.† Audrey looked down at the carpet. â€Å"See, you insensitive fuck,† Charlie said. â€Å"You hurt her feelings.† â€Å"Hello, tied to a chair here,† Minty said. â€Å"Surrounded by little monsters, Asher. Not the insensitive one.† â€Å"Sorry,† Charlie said. â€Å"It's okay,† Audrey said. â€Å"His name was William – Billy, and we were together for two years before he got sick. We'd only been engaged a month when he was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. They gave him a couple of months to live. I dropped out of school and stayed with him every moment. One of the nurses from hospice knew about my Eastern studies course and recommended we talk with Dorje Rinpoche, a monk from the Tibetan Buddhist Center in Berkeley. He talked to us about Bardo Thodrol, what you know as the Tibetan Book of the Dead. He helped prepare Billy to transfer his consciousness into the next world – into his next life. It took our focus off of the darkness and made death a natural, hopeful thing. I was with Billy when he died, and I could feel his consciousness move on – really feel it – Dorje Rinpoche said that I had some special talent. He thought I should study under a high lama.† â€Å"So you became a monk?† Charlie asked. â€Å"I thought a lama was just a tall sheep,† said Minty Fresh. Audrey ignored him. â€Å"I was heartbroken and I needed direction, so I went to Tibet and was accepted at a monastery where I studied Bardo Thodrol for twelve years under Lama Karmapa Rinpoche, the seventeenth reincarnation of the bodhisattva who had founded our school of Buddhism a thousand years ago. He taught me the art of p'howa – the transference of the consciousness at the moment of death.† â€Å"So you could do what the monk had done for your fianc† Charlie asked. â€Å"Yes. I performed p'howa for many of the mountain villagers. It was a sort of a specialty with me – along with making the robes for everyone in the monastery. Lama Karmapa told me that he felt I was a very old soul, the reincarnation of a superenlightened being from many generations before. I thought perhaps he was just trying to test me, to get me to succumb to ego, but when his own death was near and he called me to perform the p'howa for him, I realized that this was the test, and he was trusting the transference of his own soul to me.† â€Å"Just so we're clear,† said Minty Fresh. â€Å"I would not trust you with my car keys.† The iguana musketeer poked Minty in the calf with his little sword and the big man yelped. â€Å"See,† Charlie said. â€Å"When you're rude it comes back on you – like karma.† Audrey smiled at Charlie, put her tea on the floor, and folded her legs into the lotus position, settling in. â€Å"When the Lama passed, I saw his consciousness leave his body. Then I felt my own consciousness leave my body, and I followed the Lama into the mountains, where he showed me a small cave, buried deep beneath the snow. And in that cave was a stone box, sealed with wax and sinew. He told me that I must find the box, and then he was gone, ascended, and I found myself back in my body.† â€Å"Were you superenlightened then?† Charlie asked. â€Å"I don't even know what that is,† Audrey said. â€Å"The Lama was wrong about that, but something had changed me while performing the p'howa for him. When I came out of the room with his body, I could see a red spot glowing in people, right at their heart chakra. It was the same thing I had followed into the mountains, the undying consciousness – I could see people's souls. But what was more disturbing to me, I could see that the glow was absent in some people, or I couldn't see it in them, or in myself. I didn't know why, but I did know that I had to find that stone box. By following the exact path into the mountains that the Lama had shown me, I did. Inside was a scroll that most Buddhists thought – still think – was a myth: the lost chapter of the Tibetan Book of the Dead†¦It outlined two long-lost arts, the p'howa of forceful projection, and one I hadn't even heard of, the p'howa of undying. The first allows you to force a soul from one bein g to another, and the second allows the practitioner to prolong the transition, the bardo, between life and death indefinitely.† â€Å"Does that mean you could make people live forever?† Charlie asked. â€Å"Sort of – more like they just stop dying. I meditated on the amazing gift I'd been given for months, afraid to try to perform the rituals. But one day when I was attending the bardo of an old man who was dying of a painful stomach cancer, I could watch the suffering no longer, and I tried the p'howa of forceful projection. I guided his soul into the body of his newborn grandson, who I could see had no glow at his heart chakra. I could actually see the glow move across the room and the soul enter the baby. The man died in peace only seconds later. â€Å"A few weeks later I was called to attend the bardo of a young boy who had taken ill and was showing all the signs of imminent death. I couldn't bear to let it happen, knowing that there might be something I might be able to do, so I performed the p'howa of undying on him, and he didn't die. In fact, he got better. I succumbed to the ego of it, then, and I started to perform the ritual on other villagers, instead of helping them on to their next life. I did five in as many months, but there was a problem. The parents of the little boy summoned me. He wasn't growing – not even his hair and nails. He was stuck at age nine. But by then the villagers were all coming to me with the dying, and word spread throughout the mountains to other villages. They lined up outside of our monastery, demanding I come see them. But I had refused to perform the ritual, realizing that I was not helping these people, but in fact freezing them in their spiritual progression, plus, you know, kin d of freaking them out.† â€Å"Understandably,† Charlie said. â€Å"I couldn't explain to my fellow monks what was happening. So I ran away in the night. I presented myself to be of service to a Buddhist center in Berkeley, and I was accepted as a monk. It was during that time that I saw, for the first time, a human soul contained in an inanimate object, when I went into a music store in the Castro. It was your music store, Mr. Fresh.† â€Å"I knew that was you,† said Minty. â€Å"I told Asher about you.† â€Å"He did,† Charlie said. â€Å"He said you were very attractive.† â€Å"I did not,† Minty said. â€Å"He did. ‘Nice eyes,' he said,† Charlie said. â€Å"Go on.† â€Å"There was no mistaking it, though – the glow in the CD – it was exactly the same presence that I could sense in people who had a soul. Needless to say, I was freaked out.† â€Å"Needless to say,† Charlie said. â€Å"I had a similar experience.† Audrey nodded. â€Å"I was going to discuss all of this with my master at the center, you know, come clean about what I had learned in Tibet – turn the scrolls over to someone who perhaps understood what was going on with the souls inside of objects, but after only a few months, word came from Tibet that I had left under suspicious circumstances. I don't know what details they gave, but I was asked to leave the center.† â€Å"So you formed a posse of spooky animal things and moved to the Mission,† said Minty Fresh. â€Å"That's nice. You can let me loose from this chair now and I'll be on my way.† â€Å"Fresh, will you please let Audrey finish telling her story. I'm sure there's a perfectly innocent reason that she hangs out with a posse of spooky animal things.† Audrey pressed on. â€Å"I was able to get a job as costumer for a local theater group, and being around theater people, basically a bunch of born show-offs, can put you back into the swing of a life. I tried to forget about my practice in Tibet, and I focused on my work, trying to let my creativity drive me. I couldn't afford to make full-sized costumes, so I began to create smaller versions. I bought a collection of stuffed squirrels from a secondhand store in the Mission, and used those as my first models. Later I made my models out of other taxi-dermied animal parts – mixing and matching them, but I'd already started calling them my squirrel people. A lot of them have bird feet, chicken and duck, because I could purchase them in Chinatown, along with things like turtle heads and – well, you can buy a lot of dead-animal parts in Chinatown.† â€Å"Tell me about it,† Charlie said. â€Å"I live a block from the shark parts store. Never actually tried to build a shark from spare parts, though. Bet that would be fun.† â€Å"Y'all are twisted,† Minty said. â€Å"Both of you – you know that, right? Messin' with dead things and all.† Charlie and Audrey each raised an eyebrow at him. A creature in a blue kimono with the face of a dog skull gave Minty the critical eye socket and would have raised an eyebrow at him if she'd had one. â€Å"All right, go on,† Minty said, waving Audrey on with his free hand. â€Å"You made your point.† Audrey sighed. â€Å"So I started to hit all of the secondhand stores in the City, looking for everything from buttons to hands. And at at least eight stores, I found the soul objects – all grouped together at each store. I realized that I wasn't the only one who could see them glowing red. Someone was imprisoning these souls in the objects. That's how I came to know about you gentlemen, whatever you are. I had to get these souls out of your hands. So I bought them. I wanted them to move on to their next rebirth, but I didn't know how. I thought about using the p'howa of forceful projection, forcing a soul into someone who I could see was soulless, but that process takes time. What would I do, tie them up? And I didn't even know if it would work. After all, that method was used to force a soul from one person to another, not from an inanimate object.† Charlie said, â€Å"So you tried this forceful-projection thing with one of your squirrel people?† â€Å"Yeah, and it worked. But what I didn't count on is that they became animated. She started walking around, doing things, intelligent things. Which is how they came to be these little guys you've seen today. â€Å"More tea, Mr. Asher?† Audrey smiled and held the teapot out to Charlie. â€Å"Those things have human souls?† Charlie asked. â€Å"That's heinous.† â€Å"Oh yeah, and it's better that you have the soul imprisoned in an old pair of sneakers in your shop. They're only in the squirrel people until I can figure how to put their souls into a person. I wanted them saved from you and your kind.† â€Å"We're not the bad guys. Tell her, Fresh, we're not the bad guys.† â€Å"We're not the bad guys,† Minty said. â€Å"Can I get some more coffee?† â€Å"We're Death Merchants,† Charlie said, but it came out much less cheerful-sounding than he'd hoped. He was very desperate for Audrey not to think of him as a bad guy. Like most Beta Males, he didn't realize that being a good guy was not necessarily an attraction to women. â€Å"That's what I'm saying,† Audrey said, â€Å"I couldn't just let you guys sell the souls like so much secondhand junk.† â€Å"That's how they find their next rebirth,† Minty said. â€Å"What?† Audrey looked at Charlie for confirmation. Charlie nodded. â€Å"He's right. We get the souls when someone dies, and then someone buys them and they get to their next life. I've seen it happen.† â€Å"No way,† Audrey said, overpouring Minty's coffee. â€Å"Yep,† Charlie said. â€Å"We can see the red glow, but not in people's bodies like you. Only in the objects. When someone who needs a soul comes in contact with the object, the glow goes out. The soul moves into them.† â€Å"I thought you'd trapped the souls between lives. You're not holding these souls prisoner?† â€Å"Nope.† â€Å"It wasn't us after all,† Minty Fresh said to Charlie. â€Å"She was the one that brought all of this on.† â€Å"What on? What?† Audrey said. â€Å"There are Forces of Darkness – we don't know what they are,† Charlie said. â€Å"What we've seen are giant ravens, and these demon-like women, we call them sewer harpies because they've come out of the storm sewers. They gain strength when they get hold of a soul vessel – and they're getting really strong. The prophecy says they are going to rise in San Francisco and darkness will cover the world.† â€Å"And they are in the sewers?† Audrey said. Both Death Merchants nodded. â€Å"Oh no, that's how the squirrel people get around town without being seen. I've sent them to the different stores in the City to get the souls. I must have been sending them right to these creatures. And a lot of them haven't come home. I thought they just might be lost, or wandering around. They do that. They have the potential of full human consciousness, but something is lost with time out of the body. Sometimes they can get a little goofy.† â€Å"No kidding,† said Charlie. â€Å"So is that why iguana boy over there is gnawing on the light cord?† â€Å"Ignatius, get off there! If you electrocute yourself the only place I have to put your soul is that Cornish hen I got at the Safeway. It's still frozen and I don't have any pants that will fit it.† She turned to Charlie with an embarrassed smile. â€Å"The things you never think you'll hear yourself say.† â€Å"Yeah, kids, what are you gonna do?† Charlie said, trying to sound easygoing. â€Å"You know, one of your squirrel people shot me with a crossbow.† Audrey looked distraught now. Charlie wanted to comfort her. Give her a hug. Kiss her on the top of the head and tell her that everything was all right. Maybe even get her to untie him. â€Å"They did? Crossbow, oh, that would be Mr. Shelly. He was a spy or something in a former life – had a habit of going off on his own little missions. I sent him to keep an eye on you and report back so I could figure out what you were doing. No one was supposed to get hurt. He never came home. I'm really sorry.† â€Å"Report back?† Charlie said. â€Å"They can talk?† â€Å"Well, they don't talk,† Audrey said. â€Å"But some of them can read and write. Mr. Shelly could actually type. I've been working on that. I need to get them a voice box that works. I tried one out of a talking doll, but I just ended up with a ferret in a samurai outfit that cried and kept asking if it could go play in the sandbox, it was unnerving. It's a strange process, as long as there's organic parts, stuff that was once living, they knit together, they work. Muscles and tendons make their own connections. I've been using hams for the torsos, because it gives them a lot of muscle to work with, and they smell better until the process is finished. You know, smoky. But some things are a mystery. They don't grow voice boxes.† â€Å"They don't appear to grow eyes, either,† Charlie said, gesturing with his teacup at a creature whose head was an eyeless cat skull. â€Å"How do they see?† â€Å"Got me.† Audrey shrugged. â€Å"It wasn't in the book.† â€Å"Man, I know that feeling,† said Minty Fresh. â€Å"So I've been experimenting with a voice box made out of catgut and cuttlebone. We'll see if the one who has it learns to talk.† â€Å"Why don't you put the souls back in human bodies?† asked Minty. â€Å"I mean, you can, right?† â€Å"I suppose,† Audrey said. â€Å"But to be honest, I didn't have any human corpses lying around the house. But there does have to be a piece of human being in them – I learned that from experimenting – a finger bone, blood, something. I got a great deal on a backbone in a junk store in the Haight and I've been using one vertebra for each of them.† â€Å"So you're like some monstrous reanimator,† Charlie said. Then he quickly added, â€Å"And I mean that in the nicest way.† â€Å"Thanks, Mr. Death Merchant.† Audrey smiled back and went to the nearby desk for some scissors. â€Å"But it looks like I need to cut you loose and hear how you guys got into your line of work. Mr. Greenstreet, could you bring us some more tea and coffee?† A creature with a beaver's skull for a head, wearing a fez and a red satin smoking jacket, bowed and scampered by Charlie, headed toward the kitchen. â€Å"Nice jacket,† Charlie said. The beaver guy gave him a thumbs-up as he passed. Lizard thumbs.

Organisational Learning

If there are images in this attachment, they will not be displayed. Download the original attachment 1. Introduction In order to survive in the rapid changing business environment the organisations need to acquire knowledge and innovate fast enough. This dynamic, complex and globally competitive nature of the business requires learning organisations. CEO of British Petroleum Company John Browne (1995) says â€Å"Learning is at the heart of a company’s ability to adapt to rapidly changing environment. †(p. 148)   Many approaches are being articulated to build learning organisations. In this work, three articles which portray suggestions to build a learning organisation are being reviewed, critically analysed, and compared and contract. 2. The Literature Search Key words: Organisational learning, organisational developments, management learning, continuous learning. Sources: Harvard Business School Review, Emerald journals 3. Review of the articles Article 1: â€Å"Building A Learning Organisation† by David A Garvin In the article Garvin has mentioned about the three dilemmas which are essential for flourishing the execution of the transforming the organisations into learning organisation: Meaning, Management and Measuring. A new approach to learning organisation is being bought into the study. †A learning organisation is an organisation skilled at creating, acquiring, and transferring knowledge, and at modifying its behaviour to reflect new knowledge and insights† (p. 3) To build an organisation into a learning organisation Garvin recommends five building blocks: Solving problems systematically, Experimenting with new approaches to work, and Learning from past experience,  Learning from other companies and from customers, Transferring knowledge throughout organisation. Implementing these activities assists the organisations guarantee continues improvements. In the later part of the article the steps for    measuring the learning are described. The article advice   Half life curves, questionnaires and surveys on behavioural changes comprehensive learning audit to measure the learning instead of using traditional methods like learning and experience curves which focus only on , cost or price. The article put forward a slight shift in focus, away from continuous improvement and toward a commitment to learning. Article 2: â€Å"The Fifth Discipline† By Peter M Senge This article demonstrates how to create a background, where the employees are supported to learn collectively and individually. Senge says in order to withstand the competitors and to excel in the field or market, the organisations have to ensure two conditions: The capability to design the organisation to match with the desired result or outcome, ability to recognise any deviation from the desired outcome and to bring it back to the right track by undertaking the necessary initiatives and steps. He describes five disciplines which creates learning organisations The System thinking, Personal mastery, Mental models, Shared vision and Team learning. The System thinking is considered as the fifth discipline, Senge describes it as the ‘cornerstone’ which underlies other disciplines. The five disciplines have to be learned by the individuals in the organisation and put into the business activities. According to Senge organisations that are capable of learning from their experiences do better than those organisations that simply adopt to their environments. They take advantage of rapidly changing conditions. Their strategies are sufficiently open ended to allow for the unexpected so that their capabilities of organisational learning can deal with external rapidly changing situations Article3: â€Å"Building and sustaining a learning organisation† By Richard Teare and Richard Dealtry   This editorial document discuses how to build a learning background and the implication for Learning organisations. It depicts on the experience and observations of members the organisations which run learning programmes at their work places. It debates on four themes: Modelling the learning process in organisations, organisational readiness, Team working and learning and networked learning . These themes are related to the plan for organisational learning and organisational learning renewal. It claims that effective learning is depends on the environment for learning and the efforts of organisational leaders and managers in creating, nourishing and encouraging the suitable circumstances for learning to occur. 4. Critical Appraisal Article 1: The flow of text is easy to read and it is free from technical terminology. The examples quoted in this article come from both larger and smaller organisations. The examples are, interesting, and generously interspersed throughout the article. The article includes examples of both successful and failed attempts, gives an idea about how corrections can be made when an initial attempt does not work. Garvin has take on a structural approach. His hypothesis gives the guidelines for real time applications and it is loaded with operational advice rather than high objectives. However, structural improvements are only as good as the enthusiasm for learning, so there are limitations to this theory as well. Article2: It is very important that an ensemble could be developed from the five disciplines proposed by Senge . However it is a challenge because it is much difficult to incorporate new tools than simply apply them separately. However the payoffs are gigantic. Senge fails to claim any theoretical or empirical evidence to support his claims. This article is better at perceptions than at the provision of realistic steps for managers. The organisations which consider profit as the bottom line, an essential concern with the culture and development of employees and associates is too unrealistic. There is a question of about the applications of the systems theory. Though he establishes variety of broader appreciations and focus to his hypothesis, it is not fully set in a political or moral framework. Article3: It illustrates a systematic approach to learning organisations, starting from the organisational objectives, diagnosing the need and opportunities, learning organisations support and progress review. It takes the advantage views and experiences of the two real time organisations to portray the real time situations in building the organisation. It gives a brief review on the different concept and the realities about building a learning environment. It is well known that the concept of building learning organisation is been articulated by different scholars and has a disagreement. This article seeks support from various sources and scholars which is likely to have some contradicting arguments in the article. 5. Comparison of articles Article1 is the theoretical approach to build learning organisations and in article2 Garvin renovate this into reality. In article1 Garvin looks at managing behaviour and performance which is an external view while in article2 Senge looks at the mental models that determine behaviour which is an internal view. Article 1, 2 &3 disagree about what conditions promote the creation of learning organisations. Each list different factors that represent or promote learning. However, they approach the learning organisations with a normative or prescriptive orientation. Providing an enhanced understanding is a key issue in learning organisations. Article1 claims mental model and system thinking will facilitate this enhanced understanding. In the case of article2, it is systematic problem solving, experimentation and learning from past experiences. Mental models, Team learning and system thinking disciplines are suggested by Senge(article2) in order to acquire knowledge . In view of Garvin(article1)   knowledge acquisition is   done through learning   from the others and learning from   the past experiences. In order to filter the acquired knowledge Garvin implements systematic problem solving and experiments, and Senge recommends inquiry and dialogue which are discussed in the discipline team learning. Neither article1 nor article2 explicitly mentioned the need to unfreeze organisation before substantial improvements can be achieved. Whereas article3 discuss unfreezing organisational way of thinking and avoiding decision making that is skewed to either extreme. Under some circumstance the Organisational standards have become as a predicament for the organisations which prefer innovation. Article3 uses the same concept to overcome this problem. Article2 says the leaders of a learning organisation â€Å"are designers, stewards, and teachers. They are responsible for building organisations where people continually expand their abilities to understand complexity, clarify vision, and improve shared mental models – that is, they are responsible for learning. † Article3 has the similar approach to leadership. It seen that article3 has followed some influences of Senge’s (article2) recommendations in the process of building a learning organisation. 6. Conclusion Learning organisations create a culture which sustain and encourage continuous learning by its employees. Vital thinking and acceptable risk taking new ideas. The concept of the learning organization has gained increasing attention in the management literature. For a quite long time the organisational theorists have studied about the subject under the discussion and their diversity views imply there is a considerable disagreement. In this work, such of three articles which portray suggestions to build a learning organisation are being reviewed, critically analysed, and compared and contract. To conclude, even though there are disagreement regarding the subject basic foundations such as knowledge acquisition, deeper understanding and improved performance are widely accepted by most of the scholars. . REFERENCE (1) Dealtry,R and Teare,R(1998) Building and sustaining a learning organisation, The Learning organisation 5(1) p 47-60 (2) Garvin,D. (1993). Building a learning organisation. Harvard Business Review (3) Senge,P. (1990) The Fifth Discipline :The art and practice of learning organisation United states,Currency. (4) Steven P. (1995) Unl eashing the power of learning: An interview with British Petroleum’s John Browne. Harvard Business Review, 75(5) p. 148

Vhdl for Synthesis

ELE591 – VHDL for Synthesis Issue 1. 0: 1st December 2010 The purpose of this laboratory experiment is to familiarise you with the principles of VHDL for synthesis targeted at programmable logic devices. You will observe how various VHDL descriptions result in Register Transfer Level (RTL) implementations and how these can be implemented within specific logic devices. The principles of back-annotation will also be explored and how this can be used to examine performance limitations of specific hardware resource mappings. This lab assumes you are already familiar with Xilinx ISE and ModelSim, given that ELE335 is a prerequisite for this module. If necessary, consult the ELE335 lab guide, which is included in the Coursework section of the ELE591 module webpage. Most of the VHDL files needed for this lab are also available from the same location. Exercise 1: Aim: To compare the results of different architectural descriptions for the same entity Steps: †¢ Create a project named â€Å"exercise1†. Add the file ex1a. vhd as a â€Å"VHDL module† †¢ Select the Spartan3 as the target device Compile and synthesise the VHDL description and examine the design report file, paying particular attention to the resource utilisation summary (and timing path analysis). Also examine the RTL design. †¢ Repeat with the files ex1b. vhd and ex1c. vhd and compare the results. Exercise 2: Aim: To illustrate the use of â€Å"don’t care† values in synthesis Steps: †¢ Create a proje ct named â€Å"exercise2†. Add the file docare. vhd as a â€Å"VHDL module† †¢ Compile and synthesise the design targeting the Spartan3 device †¢ Add the file dontcare. hd as a â€Å"VHDL module† and repeat the synthesis. †¢ Compare the report files. Exercise 3: Aim: To illustrate logic resource requirements for conditional versus mutually exclusive input conditions Steps: †¢ Create a project named â€Å"exercise3†. Add the file cond. vhd as a â€Å"VHDL module† †¢ Compile and synthesise the design targeting the Spartan3 device †¢ Add the file exclusiv. vhd as a â€Å"VHDL module† and repeat the synthesis. †¢ Compare the report files. Also compare the timings at the design logic level and at the place and route level. Exercise 4: Aim: To review resource and timing requirements of a complex reset function Steps: †¢ Create a project named â€Å"exercise4†. Add the file cntpt. vhd as a â€Å"VHDL module† †¢ Compile, synthesise and simulate the design targeting the Spartan3 device †¢ Review the report file paying particular attention to the reset equation. †¢ Now examine the file cntpt2. vhd which employs a synchronous complex reset. †¢ Attempt to simulate the designs and comment on the reset timing in both cases. Exercise 5: Aim: To compare CPLD and FPGA implementations of a FIFO design Steps: Create a project named â€Å"exercise5†. Add the file fifo. vhd as a â€Å"VHDL module† †¢ Compile and synthesise the design targeting the Spartan3 device †¢ Recompile the design for a Coolrunner2. †¢ Compare the report files and the resulting RTL layouts. †¢ Place and route both designs †¢ Compare the design files paying particular attention to the maximum operating frequency and the amount of resources used. Which timing parameter is the limiting factor on the operating frequency in each case? Exercise 6: Aim: To illustrate the effects of implicit memory Steps: †¢ Create a project named â€Å"exercise6†. Add the file memcont. vhd as a â€Å"VHDL module† †¢ Compile and synthesise the design targeting the Spartan3 device. †¢ Examine the report file. †¢ Add the file memcont2. vhd as a â€Å"VHDL module†. In this file the signal assignments for oe, we and addr are removed from under the reset condition. †¢ Compile and synthesise the design targeting the Spartan3 device. †¢ Compare the report file with that of the original design. Verify that implicit memory resulted in the creation of a combinatorial latch. Exercise 7: Aim: To illustrate the advantage of â€Å"one hot† encoding of large state-machines implemented in FPGA architectures Steps: †¢ Create a project named â€Å"exercise7†. Add the file onehot. vhd as a â€Å"VHDL module† †¢ Compile and synthesise the design targeting the Spartan3 device †¢ Place and route the design and record the number of logic cells required, the setup time, clock-to-output delay and maximum operating frequency. †¢ Now employ the file notonehot. vhd. This uses the synthesis tool to assign values to the various enumerated states. Compile and synthesise the updated design targeting the Spartan3 device. †¢ Place and route the design and record the number of logic cells required, the setup time, clock-to-output delay and maximum operating frequency. †¢ Compare the results with the original design. This series of experiments should be written up as an INDIVIDUAL formal lab report. The report will be limited to a maximum of 8 pages of main text (i. e. omitting title page etc). The hand-in date is the 17th December, unless you are informed otherwise.

Healthcare Strategies Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Healthcare Strategies - Research Paper Example The mission of the facility is to honor the Veterans of America via provision of health care to improve their health standards and safety (VA, 2012). According to HPSA (2011), strategic planning involves determining the direction and focus of the organization in terms of delivering services to the patients, in this case the veterans. The plans of VA are based on well-known directives and priorities derived from the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and according to the plan; excellence in a number of goals is to be achieved from now, 2012, to 2016. According to VA (2012), these goals include: This is a process that is cyclical in nature, designed to improve thinking, acting and strategic learning abilities, extending the odds of reaching or exceeding the target goals, and also improve the organizational effectiveness and efficiency (Office, 2010; Baucus, 2009). The plan is reassessed annually which enables VA to keep track of the changing strategic environment, organizational goals and stakeholder requirements. The use of this approach ensures that VA moves the organization forward strategically consequently improving the care given to Veterans (Halasyamani, Kripalani, Coleman, Schnipper, Walraven, Nagamine, Torcson, Bookwalter, Budnitz, Manning, 2006). VA has a plan for achieving the set goals; a plan that needs all organizational efforts to be directed towards the stakeholder experiences, needs, and expectations while maintaining high standards of value and efficiency. The plan is to: i. Build an Improvement Culture. In order to provide quality care to Veterans and establish a system centered on patients, VA established that there need to be constant improvements and innovations. This is to improve safety, quality, and efficiency of VA services while at the same time cementing a working environment that is challenging but rewarding. This is to be achieved through creation of

The Erie Canal and its effects Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Erie Canal and its effects - Research Paper Example The purpose of the canal was to access the West to settlers. It also offered a safe and cheap passage for goods and human traffic. Initially the proposal to build the canal was founded in 1768 and it was to join Hudson River with Lake Ontario. In 1808, a survey was carried out and it was decided that the canal would connect to Lake Erie. Governor Dewitt Clinton led the ground breaking to the construction of the canal in 4 July 1817 (Sadowski). At the time, the canal was known as the â€Å"Clinton big ditch†. Upon completion, the name was changed from Clinton’s big ditch, to the Erie Canal. Its length was 363 miles long. It had a depth of 1.2 meters and a width of 12 meters. There were 85 locks constructed to manage a 150-meter rise in height from the Hudson River to Buffalo. Overhead channels were used in order for streams to pass the canal. The cost of building the canal was high. However, this cannot be compared with the reduction in shipping cost. The ease of conduct ing business along the canal, led to sprouting of farms, development and migration to the Midwest. The link between the east and the west was eased and trade increased in these areas. Due to increased activities on the canal, it was widened in 1862. It was widened to 70 feet and the depth increased to 7 feet. This was to allow more and bigger ships use the canal. In 1882 the tolls for using the canal was scrapped. This was because the money used to construct the canal had been recovered. When the canal was opened, other canals were constructed to link the channel to other lakes. Some of the lakes connected to the canal were Lake Champlain, Finger Lakes and Lake Ontario. Later the Erie Canal and other canals in its vicinity were collectively known as the New York state canal system. These days the canals are used for leisure and as tourist attractions (Rosenberg). How the Erie Canal led to an economic revolution By opening up the west, the Erie Canal is said to be the mother of econo mic revolution. The canal gave people residing in the west (mainly farmers) access to markets in the west. In addition, the transportation was cheaper. Before commissioning of the canal, the cost of transporting grains to the east was 10 times higher than the original cost. When traders started using the canal the price fell by 90%. Total tolls collected in the first full year in operations of the canal almost got to the half million mark. Business continued with this tread making it easy to pay the construction fee in a few years. This allowed anyone to use the canal free. The Erie Canal evoked lots of development along the Hudson canal. New cities sprung out amid Buffalo and Syracuse. All these cities were given names ending with the word port. This indicated new docks and packing facilities along the canal. New factories were set up in these towns. Mainly the factories processed iron, hats and clothes. Especially in Albany and Rochester, these factories succeeded. In Oneida Count y, there were over 16 factories, employing over 700 employees. In the same county there were over 20 cotton mills, employing over 2000 employees. New York City became a strategic port for many foreign countries because of the Erie Canal. New York had an edge over other ports along the Atlantic shoreline. This is because the Erie Canal connected rich lands inside the United States and the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. The link between these two places was not interrupted thus making transportation cost lower. The success attributed to the canal contributed to additional canals being built across the continent. By 1840, the joint lengths of all canals constructed surpassed the length around the continent. The canals were used to unite the east and the west, the north and

The Formation of Channel and Floodplain Habitats Essay

The Formation of Channel and Floodplain Habitats - Essay Example The abundance of LW in stream channels is an indication of the intimate association of river ecosystems with the surrounding terrestrial environment (Naiman and Bilby 1998, Naiman and Dà ©camps 1997). Understanding this relationship is crucial in river basin management. Large wood abundance in the watershed depends on channel size, channel type, and the surrounding riparian forest. LW is more abundant in small channels on a per unit area basis because LW is easily transported in larger channels; it follows that whilst abundance in large channels is lower, the average LW sizes are bigger (Bilby and Ward 1989). LW is also more abundant where the stream channel is unconstrained and has fine substrate compared to constrained channels with boulder substrate (Bilby and Wasserman 1989). Moreover, LW is more abundant in forests where conifers are dominant compared to forests where hardwoods are dominant because conifers are larger making them less transient (Harmon et al., 1986). The abundance of LW is also more pronounced where the forest is mature than in forest dominated by young stands of small hardwoods (Bilby and Ward 1991). Woodland river ecosystems in their natural and pristine conditions are surrounded by riparian forest and have multiple channels. Over the years, the anthropogenic disturbance has greatly reduced riparian forest cover, the topography graded for agricultural purposes, and rivers were constrained by levees into a single channel (Caroll & Robinson, 2007; Florsheim & Mount, 2002). Other than forest denudation, this also has deleterious effects on the morphological development of stream and the stream biota.  

Treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in children Essay

Treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in children - Essay Example In fact, the diagnosis of this rare disease depends on accurate identification of symptoms. One tool that can be used to diagnose the disease is the 'diagnostic questionnaire' which can help the medical specialist in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. Also, spending time being obsessed with cars, sex and football may be compelling ( or compulsive ) but these pleasurable interests are not considered as clinically termed obsessive compulsive behavior. Further, many patients with the this disease even suffer from more mundane compulsions. And, other symptoms of the disease include repeated and stereotyped checking, counting, ordering or even cleaning. Oftentimes, the disease could generate obsessive thoughts that are sometimes Unhappily though, Obsessive Compulsive disorder sufferers(Beck, 15) carry out compulsive rituals to such abnormal extremes that they interfere with normal living. For example, it is a normal behavior to double-check if the gas fire has been turned off, and the front door locked, before you go to bed. On the contrary, We can psychologically classify a person to be abnormal if he or she washes his or her hands 20 or 30 times a day in a seriously rigid routine. In the same token, it's also abnormal normal to repetitively clean the house so thoroughly for more than an hour because this abnormal action will wear away or literally remove the wallpaper. Additionally, an obsessive repulsive disorder patient may feel he or she MUST meticulously set the table for Christmas dinner even though it is still in late September.Furthermore, there are many features of obsessive compulsive disorder. One of which is that the patient experiences unpleasantly repetitive thoughts, images, or impulses comi ng from the patient's own mind. Normal persons would characterize these thoughts as a silly or, to put it bluntly, symptoms of abnormality. In most attacks, the patient unsuccessfully resists the thoughts and performance of the abnormal acts. A person with obsessive-compulsive disorder has either obsessions, or compulsions or, in worse cases, both(Carr, 1). The obsessions and/or compulsions of this disorder are strong enough factors to cause a significant distress in their employment, schoolwork, or personal and social relationships. It also includes anankastic neurosis, obsessional neurosis and obsessive-compulsive neurosis.I also agree that the patient who has these obsessions(Skinner, 364) does have recurring, persisting thoughts, impulses or images that inappropriately intrude into the person's normal daily routines thereby causing marked distress or anxiety. In fact, these abnormal ideas or thoughts are more than just excessive worries about ordinary problems. In most cases, the person suffering from the disease tries to ignore or suppress these unwelcome thought or to neutralize them by either thoughts or behaviors. I agree that the person who has compulsion has the feeling that he or she feels the need to repeat physical behaviors such as checking the stove to be sure it is off, hand washing) or mental behaviors such as counting things, silently repeating words. And, the obsessive compulsive disorder behaviors occur as a response to an obsession or in

Switzerland Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Switzerland - Research Paper Example Depiction and Delineation Switzerland is considered to be one of those exceptional countries that are found to be the richest nations by both their economy as well as their beauty. This federal republic is situated in the heart of Europe (Middle Europe) and has been circumscribed by countries including Austria, Germany, Italy, and Liechtenstein. The foundation of Switzerland is an outcome of the concordance of people with diverse racial, cultural and religious origins. This fact reveals the secret of diversity observed throughout this country. It was established as an independent state by the Federal Constitution in 1848. Several great and notorious places are fancied by tourists including the Matterhorn, the Eiger, and the Jungfrau for their exclusive allurement subsumes French, Germans and Italians respectively. The major languages which are being used in Switzerland as national languages include French, German, Italian, and Romansh. However, Romansh does not equally match the stat us of other three languages. The hallmark souvenirs of this country are found to be the Swiss cheese and Swiss chocolate. Commerce and Industries Switzerland is found to be one of those exclusive countries that have the most stable economies in the world and has remained a leading financial and business hub. Along with the stability of its own economy, it has also been proved to be a safe harbor for financiers and business groups. The country has served as a safe heaven not only for depositors, but also for investors to place their funds in different businesses. On the basis of this, it is found that the country’s economy, holistically, is based mainly upon foreign investments. There are various kinds of industries which attract entrepreneurs for business progression (Robinson & Schweizer, 2006). The principal industries running in Switzerland are in the manufacturing sector producing either raw material or finished products, or they are involved in producing innovative high quality finished goods, for instance, watches. After manufacturing industries, industries for machineries and chemicals are dominant over other industries by rank. One of the chief as well as the oldest industries found in Switzerland is the food processing industry embodying processed cheese, condensed milk, baby food and, most substantially, the Swiss chocolate products. They are followed by another oldest industrial sector – the textile industry which is found to be mandatory for raw fabrics. However, the paper and plastic industry has also gained substantial elevation in the commerce of Switzerland. If skimmed economically, then Switzerland has achieved the honor to be one of the economic countries with topmost revenues along with the least rate of retrenchment (Switzerland, 2013). Government The government of Switzerland is considered to be divided into three principal levels: †¢ The Confederation. †¢ The Cantons. †¢ Communes. The Confederation, which is a lso been termed as the federal government, principally deals with the administration of taxes, customs, army, foreign relations, lawmaking of currency, and confederacy communication. The government comprises seven associates possessing comparable rights, and each of them is considered to be foremost in their respective departments. However, decisions are supposed to be adjudicated by voting of the seven members. Nevertheless, these associates are not considered permanent as they are customarily reinstated after four years by the Federal

Easy Shop Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Easy Shop - Essay Example This trend has been all the more marked with the emergence of new urban centres that are more or less sub-urban in nature. With the creation of new urban centres and with the rapid expansion in the Indian middle class there is good reason to believe that retail businesses would do well in a country like India. This reasoning has led to the development of new shopping centres and retail businesses throughout India. This report will look into the survivability of Argos’s Easy Shop concept located in a suburb of New Delhi, India’s capital. The nature of the city and the nature of the retailer will be looked into to see the suitability of business. Furthermore, the cash flow statement of the retailer will be presented in order to discern if the retailer would be able to survive the current market conditions. The basic approach will be to contrast earnings from sales and the incurred costs. A worst case scenario or a pessimistic business picture has also been developed in or der to assess the survivability of the business if faced with overwhelming odds in the first year. The major expense areas have been identified realistically along with the local taxation scheme in order to present as realistic a picture as possible. 2. GURGAON CITY’S DEVELOPING ECONOMIC PROWESS 2. Gurgaon City’s Developing Economic Prowess Gurgaon has emerged as the second largest urban centre in the Indian state of Haryana becoming its chief most industrial and financial hub. The urban centre can also be looked at from the perspective of New Delhi’s suburb given that it is only a 30 kilometres ride from New Delhi. As such Gurgaon is considered as one of the four major satellite cities that surround New Delhi (Sustainable Cities Collective, 2011). The city also hosts the third highest per capita income in India (Behl, 2009) making it a particularly attractive place for launching a retail business. Most of the city’s workers are employed by Fortune 500 companies as well as local businesses in and around Gurgaon (Taleja, 2009). This ensures that the local population have high levels of disposable incomes which are essential to the survival of any retailing business. Disposable incomes are particularly higher in the younger generation so there is no dange r of sustainability in terms of business. Also the chances for disposable income to increase are on the rise given that Gurgaon is fast becoming one of India’s largest outsourcing hubs (Government of Gurgaon, 2010). Instead there are chances that operating a retail business in a financial and industrial hub such as Gurgaon would lead to expansion in upcoming years. This fact can also be gauged from the presence of over forty five different malls around Gurgaon that are only set to increase further in upcoming times. 3. Background to Argos Argos is one the largest catalogue merchants being based in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Within the geographic domains of the United Kingdom, Argos is the largest retail brand with over 800 stores around the United Kingdom. Argos is owned and operated along with its sister concern Homebase by the Home Retail Group. Argos relies on catalogue retailing and so offers a wide range of brands that it owns and operates thereby adding greater val ue to both the consumer’s purchase and the business. The more notable brands being operated under Argos include Elizabeth Duke, Chad Valley, Sun Pearl, Challenge, Alba, Schreiber and Bush as well as a number of other brands (Intellectual Property Office, 2012). Argos is now looking to expand into the Indian market using the Easy Shop concept which would serve as a retail outlet for the Indian market. The first retail store is planned for Gurgaon in order to enter the Indian

The Watergate Scandal Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

The Watergate Scandal - Research Paper Example President Richard Nixon took further steps by forming the ‘White House Plumbers’ to help keep such intentions as hidden as possible. Members of the organization were high-ranking government officials. Some were even members of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and had specific knowledge and abilities that enabled them to carry out their part in the burglary. This scheme was morally wrong for it was a deceitful attempt to re-elect the president. Nixon, by being involved in this scandal, violated his oath. The moral integrity of the CREEP members was already suspect based on their political behavior before the Watergate. Washington, D.C. police had taken into custody five men headed by James W. McCord Jr. on the 17th of June 1972. The five, captured with electronic surveillance equipment, had tried to install listening devices in the Democratic headquarters to find out Democratic campaign preparations (Friedman & Levantrosser 98). The men were discovered to be affiliated to the Republic Committee to Re-Elect the President (CREEP). Papers kept by these men also involved White House advisor E. Howard Hunt and CREEP assistant G. Gordon Liddy. President Nixon openly disproved any allegation that he was involved â€Å"in this very bizarre incident† (Barden 19). The Washington court charged the seven men with eavesdropping, burglary, and conspiracy. Judge John Sirica, the one who presided over the case, believes that other high-ranking government officials were informed of the break-in and the efforts to keep it hidden. Nixon revealed in April 1973 that â€Å"there had been an effort to conceal th e facts,† (Barden 19) and held his personnel responsible. He denied any knowledge of the scheme. Meanwhile, while in prison, McCord revealed that he and the others had been forced by high-ranking Republican Party officers to keep their

Sports and animals Essay Example for Free

Sports and animals Essay This would explain the large quantity of participants remembering Uganda and chimpanzee, for example, as they are very infrequently used and may have stood out from the more generic words in the table. This may also account for why words like China, cow and swimming were frequently forgotten: they are neither very common nor uncommon in their usage in everyday life, nor are they stereotypical of their respective categories. What is meant by this is if the question was asked name a sport, it is unlikely that the answer swimming would be given, whereas football would be a more likely answer, despite swimming being a relatively common word to encounter. This builds on the idea of categories acting as recognition cues for subsequent words. Also interesting was the distribution of recalls by category: colours were recalled the most frequently (85/120), compared with sports and animals (both 77/120) and, least frequently, countries (64/120). There could be several explanations for this, but it appears to constitute primarily of two factors: the frequency of usage, and the size of the categories domains. For example, colours are frequently used words and there are relatively few words that fall under that category; sports and animals are also categories from which often-used words are drawn, but there are many more words that fit into them than there are for colours; and countries are less frequently-used words. Therefore, a decrease in common usage and an increase in size may lead to proactive interference, causing more confusion and, occasionally, incorrect words to be recalled. This is demonstrated, for example, in that the word America was recalled three times despite it not being on any of the lists (see Appendix 1). In the results from Condition B, there is also evidence that primacy and recency may have occurred. Respectively, green and dog are the first and last words on the grid, and they were recalled by 10 and 9, respectively, of the 10 participants in that condition. No such effect was found, however, in Condition A, suggesting that the order in which words are sequenced has little effect if there is a more significant method of organisation present (in this case, categories). These patterns indicate that organisation is the key factor in remembering information, but at any one time there may be several methods of organisation occurring simultaneously, such as the words semantic categories, the order that the words are written down, and the frequency of the words usage, among others.  This study did, however, have limitations; the most prominent of which is the potential lack of population validity as a result of the relatively small sample size used and the highly restricted age group from which participants were drawn. This could be overcome in future research by widening the target population and using a larger sample in order to identify trends in more detail. In terms of ecological validity, the study uses artificial stimuli to test memory, and naturally occurring stimuli could be used instead in order to observe the effects of organisation on learning in a natural setting and thus improve the ecological validity. There are implications of this study for many aspects of life which involve learning, but particularly education. It has shown that information is better learnt when organised, either upon presentation or as a mental process. The implication of this is that pupils and students may learn information more efficiently through teaching methods involving organising information into structures and providing tasks to do so if the information is not already organised. The former would provide explicit organisation, and the latter would allow individual pupils and students to find their own ways to learn greater amounts of information. Future research might aim to investigate further into the effects of categorisation. This could be done by using a larger list of words or by drawing words from more distinct categories, and observing if, how and how much participants categorise these words; and relating this to the amount of information they remember. A wider target population would also be beneficial. It is often cited that children learn information more efficiently than older adults, and giving participants from the two age groups the same task and comparing the results would provide insight into how the process of learning is different between them, if indeed it is different. To conclude, this study has found no significant effect of organisation of information upon the learning of this information, but organisation cannot be ruled out as a significant factor. It may be the case that organisation upon encoding, rather than presentation, is the factor that determines the storage of the information. This organisation may be in the form of categorisation, but individual differences exist with regard to how this information is organised. Other factors may be how commonly the information is experienced in the given context, and how many recognition cues are available for the information to be recalled. References BOUSFIELD, W.A. (1953). The occurrence of clustering in the recall of randomly arranged associates. Journal of General Psychology, 49, pp. 229-240.  BOWER, G.H., CLARK, M.C., LESGOLD, A.M. WINZENZ, D. (1969). Hierarchical retrieval schemes in recall of categorized word lists. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behaviour, 8, pp. 323-343.

Testimony of personal connection with god Essay Example for Free

Testimony of personal connection with god Essay When we talk about a church leader having a testimony, it proofs that God is with the leader and leader is with God. A church leader seeks a leadership ministry in Gods service and discusses his personal experience in the Christ. Sharing of a Christian testimony with others in public is the result of that personal experience. â€Å"The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian† (Genesis 39:2) Private and public life of a church leader, as a Christian, supports his testimony and influences others to become Christian. People expect church leader to be person who follows words and prayers of God. A church leader demonstrates people by giving example of personal closeness to God in his private and public. People judge their weaknesses with the help of purposeful Christian testimony of the leader. A church leader witnesses for Christ through his hands, lips, works and entire life. STRONG CERTAINTY AS A CHURCH LEADER Certainty represents freedom and surety of fact from doubt. It means a church leader is ahead of all other people sent by God. A church leader has a sense of call to be Gods leader so it gives him a special desire for leadership ministry. It also gives him a deep faith that God has His hands in his progress. It helps in making him sure that God wants him to be a church leader. â€Å"†¦. God sent me ahead of you†¦.. to preserve for you a remnant on earth †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. it was not you who sent me here, but God† (Gen 45. 5,7,8). His firm belief gives him inner faith and courage and helps him to go through hard times in his work by staying firmly on the job until finish it according to God’s order. He does his job with dignity and proud character and blessings of the God who asked him to lead and serve. â€Å"Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God† (Romans 1). The ministry requires church leaders to be certain of their calling as Gods leaders. INTEGRITY BEING A PART OF PERSONALITY Integrity is being truthful and honest. It also refers moral excellence and living and doing in a right manner. A church leader is true to him-self and keeps him-self pure and honorable. He knows the importance to keep integrity in front of God and people. Integrity as a needed quality for church leaders, and a church leader is free from any blame. He stands for God before his group and the people inside and outside of the church. A church planter makes a new church healthy when he has integrity in his private and public life. He knows how important it is for him to have authority as a leader, not only for just leadership but a church leader shows it in daily life. People need church leaders having integrity in their personality to teach them the difference between the right and wrong and help them choosing the right. DISTINCT CAPABILITIES. When we talk about capabilities it represents fitness or ability. Distinct capability of a church leader enables him to do his job in a good manner wherever he serves people. Church leaders are good mentors they are wise and trusted persons who give advices. A church leader keeps on improving his talent by using his mentor and measuring obtaining results. People think that the greatest ability of a church leader is that, he depends only on God to avoid making mistakes in delivering his services to both God and people. Ability for church leading or planting is one of the parts of learnt talents of a church leader. USE OF AUTHORITY A church leader should use his authority properly which is given by the God and community. A church leader is not a good leader if no one is following him. People obey him because of his owning authority and their trust on his authority. Church leaders know above all else, that their power as a leader came from God. They receive authority and become God’s witnesses when the Holy Spirit appears on them. A church leader understands that his leadership power comes from the God and understands that those, whom he serves, give him authority as a leader. â€Å"A Christian does not forget that his leadership depends on responsibility that goes with authority† (2-corinthians-5:9) A church leader uses these blessings for establishing of the groups or churches, his position as a leader is to achieve success in carrying out Gods purpose. If a church leader uses his authority in a wrong or bad use then he will definitely suffer for his doings. The church leaders should not forget that their leaderships depend on responsibility and their authority goes with equal responsibility. It means they should be able to believe and precede these authorities in a reasonable manner. ACCOUNTABLE. A church leader is responsible for using church assets and other resources in an appropriate manner – he should be accountable for himself. So Pharaoh said to Joseph, Im putting you in charge of the whole land of Egypt’ (Genesis 41:41). They trusted Joseph because of his self accountability. People who follow and support a church leader do not question about his plans for them. He opens his books for others to see and believes that honesty is a good policy. Church leaders spend their life on good and respected principles, the God and people expect that every church leader must have all of the qualities of Abraham, Noah, etc. A Church leader in leadership position is believed accountable and honest Christian leader. He needs to love the God’s messenger’s reports or reviews and do what they do. The reports or reviews help him to improve from good to a better leader. A church leader makes decisions according to religious possibilities; he accepts responsibility for the obtaining result of his decisions. People usually do not consider religious aspects in their routine they read religious books like open letters. A church leader knows how to make good decisions, he then lives with the decisions that he has made and accepts responsibility for his works.

Leadership And Communication: Law Enforcement Agencies

Leadership And Communication: Law Enforcement Agencies Beginning with the studies and writings of Aristotle and Plato, communication has been dated back to the receiving of different means (talk, signals, writing, gestures, etc.). This is when it was determined that communication can be verbal or non-verbal. When communication is broken down to its main components, it is comprised of the source, transmitter, channel, receiver, and destination with noise occurring in the transmitter and receiver points. Noise is the interference of accurately sending information through the communication flow chart. How often does someone think about these components of communication? Once these components are studied and understood, the sender and/or receiver can see where the problem is in the order and find a resolution. Communication is essential when it comes to large organizations when there are a large number of employees to be reached. Interpersonal communication skills are critical when it comes to training and teaching others new skills. Basic c ommunication can function as a method to influence the actions, behaviors, even beliefs of people. As noted before, communication can be non-verbal. Use of body gestures, posture, visual aids, and using someone elses personal space can also be used to communication the message effectively. In verbal and non-verbal communication, different messages with the same method of sending it can be misinterpreted (Interpersonal Communication, 2004). For example, a pat on the shoulder from a boss may mean that person is in trouble or they are doing a good job. The basics of communication are crucial to understand in order to effectively send messages and receive the correct message. Going further in depth on the concept of communication, the sender and receiver both have roles they need to fulfill in order to successfully relay the correct message. In this context, organizations have a role in compiling the correct message and choosing the appropriate channel through which to send it, and the employee has the responsibility of receiving and properly decoding that message. Each organization must explore their means of communication and see which ones are most effective. The occurring problem with this is what can be called the active sender and the passive receiver in the communication process. When the receiver is passive in their receiving the message, they either do not want to hear what is being communicated or just listening to the message, not decoding it. This is when it is critical that the organization find out what methods will be most effective in sending a message. Once the organization finds the right means of communication that works for them, then the employees will be able to receive and decode the message correctly-thus, producing the desired outcome of the employee and better service from their organization. Once the correct means of communication is established, negotiating is the next step in the communication process. Through a well-established communication system, the organization and its employees can resolve conflicts or problems more effectively. For law enforcement agencies that are looking to share information with the public, this method of communication can also be utilized. With technology becoming more advanced and prevalent, there are much more options to be used when communicating with the public. Law enforcement organizations can accomplish much through both of these types of communication (Woerkum Aarts, 2008). The previously mentioned types and methods of communication can apply not only to law enforcement agencies, but to daily communication between strangers. Even on a horizontal chain of communication, these communication techniques can be utilized to more effectively receive and send a message. Think about the last time someone gave the wrong change for a transaction at the store. Was the message communicated? If so, how was it communicated? How was it received? The situation can take many different, unnecessary, turns if right means of communication are not used. There are many aspects to taking into account when analyzing the communication process. Leadership Leadership relies on communication in order to be effective. There are many ways and methods communication can be integrated to become a better leader. It is essential to differentiate managers and leaders. Influence and power are important when assessing the characteristics of a manager versus a leader. While acknowledging power and authority have roles in leadership, it is also important to note that ethics and morals more strongly define a better leader (Walker, 2004). One of the most important roles of a leader is to teach. To begin with the basics of leadership, a leader must teach their learners how to test their mental reality and discover how to change it. Next, the most crucial part of leadership and learning is for the teacher (leader) to ask the learners questions that help them explore their thoughts and ideas. This will help the learners develop better reasoning skills and more accurately convey their thoughts. A successful method of developing deeper and more critical t hought is simply asking the question, Why? When why is asked to answer an open-ended answer, there is a deeper level of thinking and even cognitive dissonance that will cause the learner to better critique their thought process. Other methods such as telling stories help engage the learner, we well as engaging reciprocating dialogue. The more important of these two, engaging in dialogue, is given guidelines in order to keep the leader/learner relationship healthy: 1. Suspend assumptions and certainties, 2. Observe the listener, 3. Listen to your listening, 4. Be aware of thought, and 5. Befriend polarization (of opinions) (Karathanos, 1998). Observing the listener is critical for the leader in order for them to be sure that the learner is accurately receiving the correct message. This can be detected by body language, facial expressions, and any speech/thought given. Listen to your listening means paying attention to what you are hearing and processing it correctly. Some people mere ly listen to others. Leaders need to ensure they are listening, not just hearing. Being aware of the learners thought and feedback is the most crucial part of the leadership/learner process. When the learner expresses thought or any other communication, the leader needs to be very aware, listening, and ready to help expound on the learners thoughts. Lastly, everyone has opinions. It is important for the leader to embrace these opinions so further discussion can possibly bring about other thoughts. When the basics of communication in the leader/learner relationship regard are taken into account, it can be applied to many concepts, especially organizations and hierarchy. One of the aspects of the previous passage that strikes most interest is asking the question why? That simple word can bring about a huge discussion of many things. It also allows for more complex thought and further discussion and exploration of a certain topic. Listening versus hearing is also pertinent to leadership and communication. Children always hear their parents say that it is time for them to get up. How many of those children are really listening to their parents when they say it is time to get up? Not many because most children remain in the bed to squeeze out a few extra minutes of shut-eye. When it comes to a law enforcement agency, it is imperative for the higher levels on the hierarchy to listen to the lower hierarchy, not just hear them. In order for any organization to meet their goals and needs, everyone must work together. This means that goals, concerns, and ideas must be communicated effectively, and listened to attentively, rather than just heard in passing. Different Types of Leadership The organizational hierarchy of an organization is an essential part of the organizations successfulness. Every organization has some type of matrix organizational hierarchy-meaning that there is a type of chain of command. Within this structure, there are teams and groups that have leaders, whether appointed or naturally emerging. One of the most important aspects of a team is that each member feels needed, feels like they belong, and feels like they are contributing to the team. The three key points of an organizational team are accountability, authority, and responsibility. Authority is power over others to coerce them into doing certain tasks. Responsibility is the fact that one person knows they must answer to another regarding certain tasks. Accountability is taking on the responsibility of getting a task done due to the responsibility that person has. There are also different types of leaders: the explorer, the coordinator, the driver, and the administrator. The explorer is th e type in which the person is very confident and adventurous and tends to assign daily problems to others rather than taking them upon themselves. The coordinator tends to be very conscientious of team members thoughts and opinions and is good in resolving team discourse and developing compromise. The driver type of leader is realistic, good at doing what they can with what little they have, and are very resourceful. Lastly, the administrator is very organized and is meticulous in the way their work is done. Everything must be done methodically and in a reasonable fashion according to the administrator (Organizational Design, 2004). Communication and Leadership in Law Enforcement Law enforcement agencies include all types of individuals, including the ones listed in the previous paragraph. There are many various types of hierarchy, chains of command, and leadership in law enforcement agencies. Let us first discuss how communication has been improved in law enforcement agencies. When people are asked to think about communication, most think of just speech and their verbal actions. It goes much deeper than that. One law enforcement agency saw it as so important to bring in a 40-hour class for its employees. The class aim was to help police officers better understand and handle those with special needs. This training class educated the officers on how to be more aware of others behavior, actions, and especially what they are saying. This, in turn, would help the officer better pick up on the small things that would help the situation on a whole (detecting drunkenness, mental illness, miscommunications, etc.) (Shafa, 2009). Training law enforcement employees on the differences of people and their disabilities, cultures, mental state, etc. is extremely important. Police officers very often have to make a split-second decision on the scene as to who is the hostile one, who is the victim, who is a danger, who is in danger, etc. This type of training discussed in the previous paragraph can definitely help law enforcement become more aware of their surroundings. More specifically, it will help them learn how to become more understanding and patient when it comes to communicating with different types of people. There are many different traits that build a good leader. Argumentativeness versus argumentative behavior is found to be traits in leaders. Argumentativeness is harmful to a group when it comes to communication. An argumentative person is just that by nature. Rarely is a decision unanimously voted upon when presented by an argumentative person. When a person is argumentative, they are verbally aggressive and destructive to productivity and the group. Yet, this verbal aggressiveness can be changed into something else to be productive. When it comes to argumentative behavior, this has shown to be very productive in leaders. The argumentative behavior can help bring about certain points that would not be brought up normally by a non-aggressive, assertive, or argumentative person. Once that point is brought up, the group can discuss it. But it takes someone with a certain trait, such as argumentative behavior, to bring about these points (Limon France, 2005). Argumentativeness versus argumentative behavior is a fine line to discuss. Someone with argumentativeness is more likely to be verbally aggressive, overpowering, and very opinionated, not accepting of the views of others. A person with argumentative behavior can actually benefit a group. When the argumentative behavior occurs, certain points are brought up that normally would not have been brought up. Once this window is opened, the group can discuss the issue. But the argumentative behavior has to be present in order to bring about this point. Let us consider that there is no one in the group with argumentative behavior. How will issues arise in order to be discussed? There may be the possibility that one person may speak up. Everyone has different traits. There is likely to be at least one person in the group that will disagree with someone elses view point and voice that. Although they may try to be very nice about it, the conflicting view is still brought up. Some officers who are new to the force feel they have an image to fulfill. They will often abuse their authority and act differently than they normally would in a different role. Attitude is everything when it comes to communication. When trying to improve upon ones communication skills, individually or as a group, much offense can be taken. They may see that they are being attacked because they are not communication well enough or they are just doing something wrong. Law enforcement has been given a bad label when it comes to bad cops, even regular cops, due to their communication skills. Awareness and training classes have been implemented in order to help officers better communicate with the public. These classes focus on paralanguage, hearing versus listening, kinesics, proxemics, and cultural considerations. Paralanguage is basically all other voice characteristics that accompanies the spoken language. Tone, volume, rate, and pitch all can convey different messages. If someone i s speaking in a fast, high-pitched tone, very loudly and fast, it can be easily concluded that they are excited, upset, or anxious. If they are quiet, speaking slowly at a low volume, things such as sadness, depression, shock, and other emotions can be detected. As spoken of before, hearing versus listening is a key factor in communication. Listening is the art of decoding what a person is saying rather than just merely letting their words in one ear and out the other (hearing). Kinesics is any communication that is nonverbal. Communication can be completely nonverbal. Gestures, facial expressions, posture, etc. can give a better clue as to what the person is feeling or what they are trying to communicate. Proxemics is the defining area around a person that would be considered as their comfort zone. A person will become much more alert to the other party once their comfort zone is impeded upon and they are made uncomfortable. When taking into account cultural differences, the most i mportant thing that we can remember is physical touching. Some cultures do not allow it, other encourage it, and what one action means to us may not mean the same thing to a person in a different culture (Pritchett, 1993). These five aspects of communication are crucial when encountering others, especially in law enforcement. Paralanguage is very often used in law enforcement. When an officer asks if a person has anything on them that they should know about, when that person says no, there is a lot of paralanguage happening that clues the officer in that the person is really saying yes. In law enforcement, hearing versus listening is somewhat hit-and-miss. If a police officer is dealing with a drunk man that is about to be locked up for the night anyway, how much listening is the officer going to practice? On the other hand, if the officer pulls up to a murder scene, how much listening is the officer going to practice? He will definitely be practicing a lot in order to gather as much evidence as he can, as opposed to the drunken guy. Kinesics is also a good tool for police officers to use when trying to get down to the real story. Kinesics is basically body language accompanied by speech. One can easil y say that they do not have any marijuana on them, but while they are saying they do not, they are fidgeting, putting their hands in their pockets and walking around. Proxemics is a good tool to use to get someone to talk. Each person has their personal space (usually around one foot from their body). Once that personal space is invaded, their self-confidence and security decreases. When the person sees that the police officer has invaded their personal space, they know they are probably going to search them anyway. Cultural considerations are a difficult concept to keep up-to-date on. Law enforcement and police officers would have to do research if they find themselves encountering many different cultural positions. For example, in the American culture, waving hello or good-bye is a good thing. In other countries, waving is seen as a serious insult. The same goes for the things we say. Therefore, we must be careful in what we say, do, and the way we act around those of a different culture. Inter-Organizational Communication When it comes to inter-organizational communication, a study shows that smaller agencies have the tendency to communicate better with larger agencies. The population and size of an organization depends on the type of communication and with whom to communicate. The studies presented in this case show that organizations tend to communicate with the same type and size of organizations as themselves (Roberts J. Jr., 2007). When speaking of law enforcement agencies today, this seems to ring true. Why would the Federal Bureau of Investigation communicate with the city police of a city with a population of 2,000 people for help, information, or ideas? Let us also look at it this way-why would the city police department of a city of 2,000 people contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation for help, information, or ideas? Placing these studies in the real world today seems to be accurate. We see many organizations of the same size and on the same level communicating and working together, but they rarely go outside of their comfort zone in this regard. For example, after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, how often did people see the local city police sitting with the state police and military guard to block off roads? How many local organizations were seen getting their feet dirty along with the National Guard? There were more volunteers than this case. It can be guaranteed that it was not seen too often, if any. The success of an organizations communication system depends on effective means of communication, relaying the message, and considering the receiving party of the message. When it comes to productivity and communication within law enforcement agencies, there is little face-to-face contact with those who are sending a message and those who are receiving the message. Let us focus on the managing powers of the organization and communications in that regard. If higher management was to become lax, what would happen to the lower hierarchy? If higher management tightens up and significantly increases communication with the lower hierarchy, what would happen? One study suggests that managers or administrators who monitor progress and work-productivity run the risk of having those being studied turn to more malfeasance in their position. Therefore, the study concludes that trust is imperative when it comes to the managing relationship-in both horizontal and vertical lines of communication. Horizontal communication is two street patrol officers (on the same level of the hierarchy) communicating. Vertical communication would be a street patrol officer bringing c oncerns to the Chief of Police (the Chief being higher on the hierarchy). Being that police work is somewhat discretionary for the police officer, trust is definitely vital in both vertical and horizontal lines of communication. The Chief of Police is rarely able to be in a patrol car, seeing exactly what his officers are doing. Therefore, the Chief of Police must have a certain amount of trust in his officers, as well as the officers for their Chief, trusting him to do what he says he will do. Let us take a look on the other side of things. As stated before, officers have a certain amount of discretion over how to conduct their job. Everyone knows that a police officer will get a free drink from the local gas station or a free meal from the local breakfast restaurant. What would happen if communication and trust all of the sudden became tightened up and enforced? Not only would these little acts be affected, the productivity of the police officer would also be affected. If a police officer is, so to speak, micro-managed, there is more likely to be more backlash than welcoming of the communication. This can cause the officer to become insecure or frustrated at the focus being more on them and cause less productivity in his work (Langbein Jorstad, 2004). Women as Leaders While focusing on what characteristics comprise a good leader, let us also discuss how women emerged in their positions throughout the law enforcement organization to become effective leaders. Women were first introduced to the criminal justice system basically to handle female inmates due to abuse and mistreatment by male employees. Women were eventually moved to mainly work social work and had separate work environments, pay scales, dress code, and duties. Once the economy struggled through the 1930s and 1940s, women were battling for employment positions, or bread winners for the family and were eventually demoted back to being housewives. Despite stereotypical roles, struggles, and sexism, women have proved successful in rising to leadership positions in law enforcement among other types of organizations. Most of this can be contributed to the Fourteenth Amendment and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, both of which grant rights and equal protection to minorities. The factual stories of most successful women in leadership positions mainly include their past of lawsuits of discrimination, struggles with promotions, etc. Yet, these women have proved themselves worthy to be promoted to a high leadership position. While women have not yet met their goal in being treated equally as others, there has been a huge improvement over the years and many women successfully fulfilling leadership positions (Rienerth, 2001). Women have naturally integrated into the law enforcement scene. They have risen to leadership positions just as men have. Our country has made a lot of progress since the 1930s when women were suppressed from working and having household titles other than housewife or homemaker along with many other improvements in other regards. Today, there are many laws that protect the rights of not only women, but other minorities that have face hardships in gaining employment throughout our history. Nevertheless, something throughout all of this has proven successful due to our currently thriving and successful law enforcement agencies we have today. Groups and communication are a critical contribution when it comes to what comprises a healthy, successful, and thriving organization. Continually coaching, involving others, motivating, rewarding, and promoting teamwork can universally help organizations achieve their goals on the small scale and the large scale. In law enforcement agencies, there are many different departments that help the organization function on a daily basis. It is believed that authority or leadership is the reason for the failure or success of the agency. In this regard, leadership is believed to be the solution that can help stop unethical behavior. When a law enforcement agency has much more unethical behavior than others, management and higher leadership in the organization are usually to blame. When management is not consistent in carrying out their duties, communicating concerns, and especially when other employees see that they are not handling unethical employees the way they should, employee performan ce and productivity goes down and risk for unethical behavior rises. The whole organization suffers-tension mounts, low morale, lack of strife to achieve the same goal, and fragmentation of the organization can all occur (Wright, 1999). Suggested Further Research Further research should be conducted regarding the effectiveness of current practices by law enforcement agencies. We can only improve upon what we know we are already doing wrong. First, studies should be conducted on the current practices by different types of law enforcement agencies. These results should be studied then compared to the practices of successful agencies. Once these studies results are gathered, it should be further researched and calculated as to what the agency can do differently or more accurately pinpoint their weak points. Without duplicating the other agencys practices, further action should be taken in order to help what the agency is doing wrong. This can be done through policy and procedure, training, employee performance evaluations, and even staff meetings. Conclusion Established organizations and law enforcement agencies have policy and procedure in place. There should be more in place for each agency that outlines the chain of command and communication procedures. This should start from the bottom with training of new officers. Communication should be emphasized through a well-taught course during training. There should also be refresher courses at least yearly for those who have been with the agency for more than one year. Communication training should also be given to those who normally do not come in to contact with the public also. This training would be for administrative personnel, dispatchers, and office workers. This would be effective because even though these people do not interact with the public on a daily basis, communication still needs to be enforced and improved across the board in order for the organization to run smoothly. With the discussion given on leadership, training could help, but not in the same way communication traini ng would. In order to improve leadership skills and communication in that regard, ethical and equal treatment training would be beneficial. It is very unlikely that a 65-year-old Chief of Police veteran is going to change much just by watching a video. But the training would be very beneficial to those who are just coming into the agency. The same goes for this training also-it should be re-iterated every year to ensure all employees, new and old are staying fully trained in all regards. In summary, communication is the root of all beginnings of any organization. First, the organization must be established. Then the hierarchy must be constructed. From there, communications among leadership and those on the lower part of the hierarchy must be effective in order to achieve the organizations goals. If they are not being met, the solutions or methods discussed in this paper should be applied. Remembering there is a sender, receiver, and a channel through which a message is sent is essen tial to remember. The channel is they pivotal point in which the message can be effectively sent or effectively lost. The passive receiver concept must also be taken into account. When this is detected, either the channel for the message needs to be changed or the receiver needs to be addressed. Listening versus hearing impedes much progress due to party not fully understanding the message of the other. When leading a group of people, it is important for the teacher to effectively utilize their methods. One of the most important methods of ensuring the message is effectively conveyed is asking the question why? This opens up the listener to much more broad thinking to come to other, possibly alternative, ideas. A law enforcement officer dealing with a mentally handicapped person would communicate with that person differently than a sober, belligerent, 250 pound man. Understanding the other partys situation is very important when dealing with law enforcement. Leadership plays a role in everything that is discussed in this paragraph. Whether it is training, on the job work, or providing awareness, leaders are responsible for their employees performance regarding communication. This is where trust is fundamental for law enforcement agencies-vertically and horizontally in the hierarchy. If there is no trust between police officers and their Chief of Police, work-productivity will suffer due to low morale. This low morale will come from the officers thinking, If the Chief doesnt care, then why should we? Thus, leadership and communication go hand-in-hand when it comes to managing an organization and keeping that organization thriving and successful.