Partnership Accounting Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Partnership Accounting - Assignment Example The company was founded in the year 1994. The company has a global presence and caters to almost all the countries of the world. The company has employee strength of 109 thousand employees as in 2013. Since it is an e-retail company there is requirement for technical as well as staff for supply chain. The company has to depend on the competitive intelligence in form of the consumer data so that the company is being able to understand the needs of the consumers through their browsing history and can stock up their inventory levels as and when required. Thus it is important for the company to have a combination of a good retail supply chain workforce and as technical people who would be available with the company to support the technical aspects of the operations. However the turnover for Amazon is very high. Most of the employees do not stay in the organisation for more than one year. This report is an attempt to find out the reasons for such high rate of turnover. The basis for the s tudy is mainly primary as well as secondary research. The section of the literature review explores the studies that have been made by the authors about this issue of turnover in the business environment. Literature Review The topic of employee turnover has been studies and researched by a huge number of scholars over a very long period of time. In the Human resources framework, the rate of turnover of the employees is the rate at which an employer acquires his employees and loses the employees. The high rate of turnover is an indication of the fact that the employees in an organisation would work in the organisation for a shorter span of time. This is generally a rate that is determined after comparing in the other industries playing in the same market. The turnover metric is determined by dividing the total number of parting workers who have left within a year by the number of employees who were engaged in the company for that particular year (Cascio and Boudreau, 2011, p. 80). Th e same metric has been used by Price in his modelling of turnover (Price, 1977, pp. 10-25). For a particular labour market there are about the same number of employees that rotate around in the different markets. Most of the management practitioners have argued that there are several reasons that contribute to the turnover rate of the companies (Kevin, Joan and Adrian, 2004, pp. 161-166). The event of turnover is time consuming and the management of a company cannot officially stop an employee from leaving the organisation. In most cases the employees are lured away by other organisations operating in the same industry by offering a higher salary. However, it has been found out through intensive research that the employees cite this reason only to disguise some other major reason for which they leave the organisation. Review Findings There are several other reasons for which an employee decides to leave an organisation. Job related stress is one of the causes which contribute to the high rate of turnover among the employees. The level of satisfaction in a particular job is also another major reason for the high rate of turnover. Most of the employees remain dissatisfied with the work that they perform and they feel that it does not meet their self actualisation needs fully. Research has also shown that the level of compensation that the employees get from their present employer is not satisfactory or the perquisites are not up to the industry standards. This forces the employees to shift to a new organisation. On the other hand, in case of mostly the manufacturing organisations or the companies that involves jobs

Censoring Pleas for Help Essay Example for Free

Censoring Pleas for Help Essay In Dwight Lee’s essay, â€Å"Censoring Pleas for Help,† the Georgia-based economics professor notes the strange contradiction between popular opposition to censorship and widespread support of price controls. Lee’s primary contention with this political dissonance is that it is not only ethically inconsistent, but reflects an oversight of how markets help communicate economic needs, particularly with regards to the sudden needs which emerge in the wake of natural disasters. Much of the support for price controls stems from fear of â€Å"price gouging,† which is essentially occurs when suppliers attempt to take advantage of sudden demand by raising prices to maximize profit during the period of demand. Lee notes that in his home state, there exists a price gouging law which is designed to prevent such a situation from happening by forbidding suppliers from charging more for their goods than they did the day before a disaster strikes. Lee notes that: â€Å"[†¦] building contractors and construction supplies from several states had poured into Atlanta immediately after it suffered massive tornado damage. Can anyone seriously believe that this help would have poured in from far away if the â€Å"price gouging† law had been perfectly enforced, or that the help was not reduced by the enforcement that had occurred?† (Lee 1999) The crux of Lee’s argument is that price controls are essentially a form of economic censorship which restricts the ability of prices to communicate market demands. To that end, he argues that prices are better understood as the most efficient means by which markets, such as disaster victims, communicate their need for help in the form of resources and supplies. This is not to devalue the contributions and assistance that some have provided for free, but the economic distinction made above between humanitarian aid and supply-demand response is not a trivial one. While those who provide supplies for free are to be commended, it is important to recognize the potential mistake in relying on altruism and humanitarian sensitivity as the primary forces driving resource redistribution. Such a view presumes that humanitarian aid is an objective force that responds to the needs of disaster victims efficiently. In effect, Lee’s argument is that while high prices should not be raised to wildly disproportionate levels,   allowing them to fluctuate free of price controls ensures that they can communicate needs more efficiently, for â€Å"high prices [†¦] insure that pleas for help will be met with a quick and effective response.† Complementary to his point, Lee observes that price controls censor this economic communication and effectively disrupt the ability of customers to express their needs. He notes that in Charleston, price controls prevented a local hardware store from legally being able to sell generators at a higher price nor could the locals communicate their demand to outside suppliers of generators. The result was that one hardware store owner sold one of only two generators in his possession to a friend, at the expense of groceries with a greater demand in the form of thousands of dollars worth of food that needed refrigeration. Simply put, humanitarian aid relies on the initiative of those with the resources and the sense of philanthropy to contribute to disaster relief, which is all well and good, but does not compare to the efficacy of free moving prices in expressing the demands that emerge in the wake of a natural disaster. As far as economics are concerned, price controls merely censor the ability of these sudden emergent markets to communicate those demands. Works Cited Lee, Dwight R. â€Å"Censoring Pleas for Help.† The Freeman, January 1999. Retrieved online on February 25, 2009 from: http://www.thefreemanonline.org/columns/censoring-pleas-for-help/

Effects Of Cyber Bullying Criminology Essay

Effects Of Cyber Bullying Criminology Essay Cyber bullying is known to have some similar effects on victims as traditional bullying. Long term exposure to cyber bullying could lead to a decrease of a persons self-concept, an increased depression/anxiety level and more absence from school (Hines, 2011). Over the years the cyber bullying has received a lot of attention from the media and administration in school settings. Although existing research suggests that new form of bullying have similar negative effects as traditional bullying, additional research is needed to determine the extent of the effects it has on the victims (Hass, 2001). According to Kiriakidis and Kavoura (2010), 42.5% of victims surveyed said they were frustrated after being cyber bullied, 27% said they felt sad, 40% said they felt angry, 26.5% said they were affected at home and 22.1% of victims said it affected them at school (Hass, 2001). Cyber bullying also make some victims feel hopeless and scared to go to school. A number of victims who get cyber bull ied do nothing about it. It pushed some to stay offline more often and other reported it to their parents and siblings. The emotional damage of cyber bullying can be very severe and in some cases it makes victims to isolate themselves due to fear of being bullied again. Over 16,000 students miss school on a daily basis due to fear of bullies, and this diminishes their ability to learn at school (Mason, 2008). There have been cases where victims of cyber bullying have been besieged by chronic illness, suicidal thoughts, eating diasorders and some even ran away from home (Mason, 2008). The negative effects suffered from constant exposure to cyberbullying during school years may result in long term/chronic effects after the school years. Young adults who were former victims of cyber bullying tend to have poorer self esteem and show signs of depression when compared to peers who werent victimized (Mason, 2008). Research suggested that persistent cyber bullying at an early age leaves a n umber of scars that could be carried into adulthood. Hence, it is necessary to control/legislate cyber bullying at schools to help prevent the long and short term negative effects it could have on victims. The actual bullies may also suffer from some chronic negative effects that are related to cyber bullying. For instance, a number of adults who betrothed in anti-social activities later on in life were found to be bullies at school while younger (Mason, 2008). Accoding to Mason (2008), a survey revealed that sixty percent of boys who were bullies between grade six to grade nine have been convicted of one or more crimes by the age of twenty four, compared to twenty three percent of those who werent bullies between grade six to grade nine. Given the facts stated above, it is evident that both victims and buliies are at risk of developmental problems that could carry on into early adulthood and beyond (Mason, 2008). Some existing research on the effects of cyberbullying rely on correlational research which lack standardized measures of measuring the distress that stems from cyber bullying. Therefore, it is important for a more standardized measure to be implemented in future research (Hines, 2011). Age and Gender Differences According to Mason (2008), Girls (58%) are more likely to be the targets of online harassment than boys (42%). Also girls were found to more likely experience distressing harassment than boys (68% compares to 32%). However, 50% of the bullies or harassers were males while only 35% were females. This finding is in contrast with a another study by Kowalski et al. (2005) that found that girls are twice as likely as boys to be victims and culprits of cyber bullying (Mason, 2008). Two different studies by Olweus (1993) found that females are more likely to experience social bullying than males who are more susceptible to physical and direct forms of bullying (Hines, 2011). Health and Human Development sustained a survey that contained a sample of 15,686 students. The results indicated that girls reported to be victims of verbal bullying such as sexual comments and rumours more often than boys (Hines, 2011). Patronizing an individuals speech or looks was common among both sexes, along with negative comments about their race or religion (Hines, 2011). Cyber bullying is perceived to be more harmful to girls than it is to boys because adolescent girls perceive their social status to be of higher importance to their self-concept than adolescent boys do. Studies also reveal that the amount of girls that report bullying is higher than the amount of boys (Hines, 2011). Existing laws/bills Regulating Cyber bullying In criminal Law, Cyber bullying can be addressed under Defamatory Libel or Harassment. Defamatory Libel is considered a crime under the criminal code (section 300 of criminal code) and is punishable for up to five years in prison (Canadian Bar Association, (CBA), 2012). It occurs when a matter is published without lawful justification and it is likely to injure the reputation of another person, exposing them to hate and ridicule. Harassment is considered a crime under the criminal code and can be punished for up to 10 years in prison (CBA, 2012). Harassment occurs when something a person says or does create fear for his or her safety and/or the safety of others. There are cases where the suspect might not have intentions of harassing others but if someone else feels threatened by their actions they could be charged. Back in 2009, The Canadian Liberal government introduced bill C-273 which made it to the second hearing but was not passed into a law. This will be further discussed late r on in the paper. In regards to cyber bullying, there are only two Canadian provinces have developed statues that addresses school bullying. Which are: The Ontario Education Act and the Manitoba Public school Act Part III (Stanton Beran, 2009). Other provinces in Canada address issues related to bullying under their Workplace Acts. Even though it is not specifically designed for schools, these workplace acts do have legislations that govern or pertains to school bullying (Stanton Beran, 2009). Education Act (Ontario) The Ontario Education Act speaks to misbehaviours that may presumably include bullying under section 306 (1), 306 (2) and 306 (3) (Stanton Beran, 2009). Section 306 (1) instructs on mandatory suspension of individuals who commits one of six infractions while at school or while participating in school related activities. These infractions include expressing a threat to inflict serious bodily harm on other individuals, engaging in an act of vandalism that damages school properties, swearing at people in position of authority or a teacher, or partaking in another activity, under policy of the board, is one that calls for a mandatory suspension. Section 306 (2) describes the duration of mandatory suspensions, which could range from one to twenty days. Section 306 (3) outlines that teachers may suspend such individual or refer the issue to the principal (Stanton Beran, 2009). Other section of the Ontario Education Act also touches on appropriate code of conduct while on school premises. Section 301 (2) discusses six main goals of the Code of Conduct. One goal is to ensure that all school members, especially those in authority positions, are treated with respect and dignity. The second goal is to promote responsible citizenship by encouraging appropriate participation in the civic life of school community. The third goal is to maintain an environment where conflict and differences will be addressed in a manner that is characterized by civility and respect. The fourth goal is to encourage the use non-violent means to resolve conflicts. The fifth goal is to promote the safety of the school members. Lastly, the sixth goal discourages the use of illegal drugs and alcohol (Education Act, section 301(2)) (Stanton Beran, 2009). Public School Act Part III (Manitoba) The Manitoba Public School Act Part III has three different sections that are specific or relate to anti bullying policies. The first section is section 47.1 (1), codes of conduct and Emergency response plans. This section instructs school principals in alliance with school advisory committees to establish a code of conduct for pupils/staffs and an emergency response plan which is reviewed annually at bare minimum. Section 47.1 (2) further stated that the Code of Conduct should include five components. Frist, it must include a statement that pupils and the staffs will behave in a respectable manner and comply with the code (Stanton Beran, 2009). Secondly, it must include a statement indicating that bullying, or abusing any person orally, physically, psychologically, sexually, in writing or by other means is unacceptable. Additionally, unreasonable discrimination on the basis of any characteristic set out in Subsection 9(2) of the Human rights code, as well as possessing, using or be ing under influence of Alcohol or illegal drugs at school is unacceptable (Stanton Beran, 2009). The third component of the Code of Conduct requires that a statement regarding the intolerance of weapon possession and gang involvement should be included. The fourth component is a statement indicating pupils and staffs will abide by school policies and also adhere to appropriate use of electronic materials and the internet, including prohibition of accessing, uploading and/or distributing materials that the school has determined to be unacceptable. The fifth and last component of the code of conduct is a statement outlining the disciplinary consequences, with as much details as reasonably possible, of violating the code and it must also outline the process of appealing the disciplinary decisions. Furthermore, the code of conduct must meet all other regulatory requirements that are prescribed under The Education Administration Act (Stanton Beran, 2009). Section 47.1(3), content of em ergency of response plans, outlines the responsibility of schools to respond to threats that might be posed to them. The three sections list above indirectly touched upon the inappropriateness of bullying at schools by requiring a code of conducts, stating its content and finally, managing emergencies (Stanton Beran, 2009). The Ontario Ministry of Education recently proposed changes to the Education act in attempted to stop cyber bullies from posting online attacks against fellow students and teachers (Stanton Beran, 2009). The minister of education, Kathleen Wayne, explained in a press conference at Queens Park that cyber bullying has been added to the list of offences in the Education Act (Stanton Beran, 2009). The amendments as proposed will implement reconciliatory programs to help re-integrate students back into the classrooms, and that there will be strong consequences for inappropriate behaviours. With the new amendment to the act, the zero tolerance provisions of the act will be eliminated. The elimination resulted from a complaint by the Ontario Human Rights Commission on behalf of students, claiming that the zero tolerance policy was having disproportionate impacts on students with disability and minority students. Even though the government has proposed such changes to the Education Act, Se ction 306(1) discussed above is still in place and applicable on the court of law. Hence, students can still receive mandatory suspension if they choose to violate the Code of Conduct as stated in the Act. During the press conference, the Minister of Education made it known that the government of Ontario allocates approximately over 20 million dollars a year to provide programs for expelled and suspended students. The funds were provided by the government to help develop training programs for both vice principals and principals to effectively discipline students in a non-punitive manner, with the intention of decreasing the amount of expulsion and suspensions. These amendments seem to recognize that punishments such as, expulsion and suspension do not deal with the source of cyber bullying. Therefore, more resources may be allocated in an attempt to resolve/control cyber bullying (Stanton Beran, 2009). In other provinces like Quebec and Saskatchewan, The Occupational Health and Safety Act speak to work place bullying but it can be extended to school jurisdictions. In Quebec, the Act classified bullying as psychological harassment. This can be defined as aggravating behaviour in the form of verbal comments, hostile or unwanted, actions or gestures that affect an employees psychological or physical integrity and that could result in harmful work environment for employees (Stanton Beran, 2009). This act can be to bullying incidents at school because schools are also considered as occupational environments. In Saskatchewan, the Occupational Health and safety act was amended 2006 /2007, to include section 2(1b) which speaks to harassment. The amendment re-defined harass as any inappropriate conduct, action, comment, display or gesture by a person that either (I) race, colour, sex, creed, marital status, disability, family status, physical size or weight, nationality, ancestry, age, and place of origin, or (II) adversely affects workers psychological and/or physical well-being that the person knows or ought to know would cause intimidation or humiliation of the worker, or (III) Constitute a threat to the safety and health of other workers (Bill 66, 2007) (Stanton Beran, 2009). Based on these amendments, it can be inferred that bullies who affect the psychological or physical well-being of other students or teachers by humiliating or intimidate them can be punished under the law or found guilty of a criminal offense (Stanton Beran, 2009). Thus the Occupational Health and Safety Act in Quebec and Saskatchewan can be applicable to individuals who engage in bullying at school. Other provinces in Canada such as Alberta have specified safety and respect measures outlined in their school Act. Bylaws governing bullying According to Stanton and Beran (2009), Edmonton and Regina are the only two big cities in Canada with Bylaws that fines individuals for engaging in bullying. The town council of Rocky Mountain House recently passed an anti-bullying bylaw that targets youths, bystanders and adults (Stanton Beran, 2009). Edmonton (Alberta) was the first big city in Canada to give authority to police officers to fine bullies a minimum of $250. Bylaw fines varies depending on the municipality and jurisdiction. The fines can range from 125 dollars in North Battleford to 1000 dollars for second offence in Rocky Mountain House (Stanton Beran, 2009). According to the bylaws, bullying is perceived as behavious that threaten and intimidate others. The bylaws were implemented to prevent individuals from engaging in bullying and other harmful behaviours (like assault, harrassment and gand violence). Those who support the bylaws argue that the ability to fine those who intimidate, threathen or humiliate others will deter them and possibly make them abstain from the behaviour. In Regina, the Anti-Bullying and Public fighting bylaw is quite different from the bylaws in Edomonton. It outlines that bullying someone else in a public place or written through electronic devices is illegal. Moreover, recording videos or taking pictures of people fighting and posting online for the public to see is illegal. Bylaw fines in Regina is higher than in Edmonton; it ranges from $100 to $2000. The fines/tickets are issued to parents if the perpetrator is between the ages of 12 and 16. The Anti-Bullying and Public Fighting Bylaw is applicable to bullying incidents in both the community and online (cyber bullying), and as well as to physical fights (Stanton Beran, 2009). This bylaw was implemented to help reduce bullying and the tolerance level for such behaviours. Bylaws give recognition to to psychological and emotional suffering of victims. The thought of having to pay a fine might also serves as a dete rrent for some bullies (Stanton Beran, 2009). Interventions of Cyber bullying In recent years researchers and policy makers have come up with a number of interventions and prevention methods for cyber bullying but some of these proposed interventions are not fully effective or have failed to deter the behaviour (cyber bullying). As such, bullying prevention programs that are incorporated into school curriculums specifically address cyber bullying instead of only traditional bullying. Moreover, Parents and educators should intervene in bullying incidents, because a failure to do so may negatively affect students ability to be successful and happy at school and at home (Hines, 2011). People in position of authority should work in a program/solution that provides the ability to block and monitor slanderous and malicious instant messages and filter online networking comments before they are posted. It should intelligently find threats, categorize them and take the appropriate action as pre-defined by the school or district policy. The program/solution should ensur e that web protection is extended beyond anti-malware, URL filtering, and anti-spam, with integrated ability to scan all outbound and inbound contents and attachments by using granular content controls, such as objectionable content filtering (Hines, 2011). By filtering out or blocking harmful messages or comments, schools can reduce cyber bullying. It is important that the technology being used allows for clear definition and enforcement of acceptable content policies. Slanderous and harmful contents should be rerouted or quarantined. The best solution should be a unified one that enables access control to some websites, provide notification of policy violations, provide consolidated reporting for holistic visibility of cyber bullying actions, monitor webmail traffic, block offensive contents from being uploaded to websites, monitor email usage, and help identify the breaches through which students may try to bypass the system (Hines, 2011). It is evident that incorporation of cybe r bullying laws is failing to keep up with the pace at which incidence of cyber bullying is rising. One may ask, if there are any precautionary methods that could be implemented to protect children before becoming victims of cyber bullying.

DMX song Slippin’ :: essays research papers

DMX- â€Å"Slippin’†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The song â€Å"Slippin’ â€Å" by artist DMX uses tone, theme and imagery. DMX’s purpose for writing this song was to convey the theme how life in the streets is, and how you can over come life with drugs if you give it all you got. The song begins with the speaker talking about problems he is having with his mom, and that’s when he decides to run away from home. Then it moves on to when he is on the streets by himself, and that is when his problems begin to worsen.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the first stanza, the speaker starts talking about the problem he is having with his mom. He then decides to leave his house. When he leaves his house he thinks its going to be easy to live alone in the streets and that is when he uses imagery and says â€Å"I’m gonna be that seed that doesn’t need much to succeed â€Å". He then finds out that life in the streets is not so easy and that’s when he says, â€Å" I’m ready for the world, or at least I thought I was†¦ â€Å"In this stanza he also uses tone when he says, â€Å" DAMN, was it my fault something I did†¦.†? Here he is asking himself if it was his fault that his father had left him at age 7 and why did his father leave.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the chorus the speaker uses the phrase †¦.â€Å"I’m Slippin’ , I’m fallin’, I can’t get up†, which means that the speaker is loosing every hope that will help him survive through all the problems he has. The speaker also uses theme in the chorus when he says, â€Å"See, to live is to suffer, but to survive, well, that’s to find meaning in the suffering.† He uses theme here because he is saying that to him life is nothing but suffering and if you survive the suffering, its just to find meaning in it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the middle of the song the speaker talks about how he hit rock bottom. He says that in three years he started showing signs of stress, that he didn’t care how he looked and he didn’t care about anybody. He says that he â€Å"Would get high to get by† or in other words he would get high to forget about the problems he had.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Finally at the end of the song he talks about how his life started to change with the help of his friends.

Succubus Heat CHAPTER 27

While I'd been pretty confident in telling Seth that Dante had likely skipped town, I nonetheless stopped by his shop the next day. It had never been very prosperous looking to begin with, but now the signs of abandonment were clear. The neon PSYCHIC sign was gone. The blinds were also gone, showing a room even barer than before. The FOR LEASE sign on the door was probably the most telling clue that Dante was gone for good. In the wake of what had happened with Seth, it was hard to know what to think about Dante. My heart almost didn't have the energy for it. I had cared about him, absolutely. He'd suited my decadent phase, and despite his blackened soul, there were parts of him that were likeable. And above all, it appeared that he'd cared about me, misguided or not. I wasn't happy about the deal he'd made with Grace, but I was glad he hadn't been there to face Jerome and Mei's punishment. No one deserved that, not even Dante. I hoped wherever he was, he'd try to start a new life-maybe one that could lighten his soul a little. I well knew, however, that humans with damned souls rarely recovered. Later that evening, I drove over to Capitol Hill. Peter and Cody were hosting a cocktail party to celebrate Jerome's return, though I half-suspected they simply wanted to drink away the sorrows of losing the sun. â€Å"How can we celebrate Jerome being back when he's not even here?† Tawny wanted to know. She was back to her normal, Amazonian blond self and was holding her martini glass in a precarious way. Peter couldn't take his eyes off it. I was nursing a gimlet out of politeness. The vampires had gone out of their way to get Grey Goose and fresh lime, but truthfully, I was a little burned out on alcohol. It seemed like I'd been perpetually drunk these last four months. I was not burned out on cigarettes yet, but I was trying very hard to break the habit once more. â€Å"Jerome's got plenty to keep himself busy,† I said. â€Å"We're just drinking in his honor.† â€Å"But he is staying, right?† asked Cody. We all turned to Hugh. Like the rest of us, Hugh'd had his abilities restored, and I'd honestly expected him to be a lot happier having his imp vision back. Instead, he seemed very serious, and I could have sworn he was watching me when I wasn't looking. â€Å"Yep. He and Mei schmoozed the corporate guy pretty good and pulled in enough favors to get backing from others. Cedric and Nanette both swore up and down that no one else was better qualified to run Seattle than him.† â€Å"Nanette finally caved, huh?† I swirled the ice around in my glass. â€Å"Of course, knowing Jerome owes her now probably makes her feel secure in her territory.† Cody shook his head. â€Å"Still. Grace went through an awful lot to try to pull this off, between the Canadians and all the wheeling and dealing. And Dante.† He shot me an apologetic look that I waved off. â€Å"I don't know,† said Peter. He finally seemed convinced that Tawny wasn't going to ruin his upholstery. â€Å"She's a middle management demon with so-so power. Doing what she did-seizing the opportunity when she thought Jerome looked weak-was probably the closest she'll ever get to ruling over an area like this.† â€Å"What do you mean? Would she be stuck forever? Never have her own domain?† asked Tawny, frowning. â€Å"She might have eventually gotten assigned control of some nonexistent town in middle America, but I doubt much more.† Hugh still looked oddly speculative. â€Å"Clearly, she didn't want to. Neither does Mei, from the looks of it.† â€Å"So much for it being better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven,† I said, pleased with my own wit. â€Å"Of course, I think we're going to see a lot more in Mei's career. She might be so-so in power, but she's got a plan.† â€Å"Have you noticed how she's a lot less scary alone?† asked Cody. â€Å"It was the matching clothes,† said Peter sagely. â€Å"When they dressed alike, it was too much like those girls from The Shining .† More laughter and conversation ensued, though I eventually grew quiet and simply listened. Maybe I could be the life of the party, like Seth had said, but this group could do okay without me. I took a certain amount of contentment by being back with them and having our lives returned to normal-such as they were. I could never be human again, but these were the people I wanted to be damned with. At one point, I got up to trade my empty glass for water and discovered Hugh had followed me into the kitchen. He still looked troubled. The others were laughing and talking, providing cover for our conversation. â€Å"What's going on?† I asked. â€Å"I thought you'd be happy.† â€Å"I am, I am,† he said. â€Å"Believe me, I am. God, that was miserable.† I couldn't help a smile. Hugh had hit his stride with being a lesser immortal. He was past the novice stages of Cody and Tawny and could fully reap the benefits of his position. However, he wasn't old enough to have acquired all the jaded centuries Peter and I had. Out of all of us, I didn't doubt that Hugh had suffered the most. â€Å"Then what's going on?† He hesitated, and again, I was struck by how out of character he was behaving. â€Å"Georgina, has Seth done anything†¦bad lately? Rob a bank? Cheat on taxes?† â€Å"Of course not,† I said, more confused than ever. â€Å"Has he†¦or well†¦did he do anything, uh, bad with you?† To my chagrin, I blushed. You'd think nothing would make a succubus self-conscious, but I still tried to maintain that line between my private and business sex lives. My silent response was enough for Hugh. â€Å"Fuck.† â€Å"What?† I asked. â€Å"We did it when I was in stasis. I didn't take any of his energy. I didn't shorten his life. And we haven't done it since Jerome came back. It's over. He's back with Maddie.† Hugh raised an eyebrow. â€Å"Oh?† â€Å"I realized how impossible it was for us and convinced him to go back to her. I really laid on the guilt.† Just mentioning what had happened made me ache all over again. â€Å"I'm sure you did,† Hugh said dryly. â€Å"What do you mean?† â€Å"Georgina†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He sighed. â€Å"There's no easy way to explain this. When I first met Seth, his soul was like†¦a supernova. It lit up a room. That guy had such a generous spirit, it was insane.† Had. â€Å"And now?† The answer was slowly creeping in on me. â€Å"Now, there's a shadow on him. A stain on his soul. He cheated on Maddie with you†¦and is back with her, keeping that from her†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The room started swaying, and I forced myself to focus on Hugh. â€Å"What we did, it wasn't sleazy. We are†¦were†¦in love. It was sweet-that is, it meant something.† â€Å"Maybe it did, sweetie. Maybe the planets aligned when you made love. But regardless of what happened between you, he wronged her-and he feels it now. That sin is darkening his soul.† â€Å"How dark?† I asked, my voice almost a whisper now. â€Å"If he were a hit by a car right now†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Hugh's face was both hard and sad. â€Å"He'd head right to Hell.† â€Å"Oh my God.† I collapsed back against the counter. â€Å"I didn't think†¦didn't realize†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Since I hadn't been a succubus, I hadn't been thinking like one. I hadn't worried about shortening his life or exhausting him because there was no need. While I'd known we were both deceiving Maddie and had felt a fair amount of guilt over it, I'd never considered it in terms of damnation. I'd turned off that part of my life, the part of being a succubus that counted and tallied souls-the main part of my job. Which was stupid of me. Humans didn't need us to sin. They did it all the time on their own and did just as good a job-if not better-than we could. I didn't have to be a succubus to make Seth sin. I could have been any woman, any woman he'd had an affair with. Sin was subjective, too, and different people would feel it differently. For someone like Seth, doing what he did would leave a harsh mark-and me making him feel guilty about it hadn't helped. â€Å"This is worse,† I said. I laughed, but it was the kind of hysterical laughter that could segue to tears at any moment. â€Å"It would have been better if we'd had sex when we were dating. I'd have taken years off his life, but his soul would have stayed pure-and that's what matters in the long run. Instead, I was so adamant about refusing to do it†¦and now look. Look what I did.† Hugh caught my hand and squeezed it. â€Å"I'm sorry.† â€Å"Is there†¦is there any way he can undo it?† â€Å"You know the answer as well as me. Sure, he can eventually swing the pendulum the other way. But it's hard. Very hard.† â€Å"He's a good person,† I said stoutly. â€Å"Maybe, but that may not be enough anymore.† â€Å"He'd need a deal with God,† I muttered. I stared at the floor, studying the tiles absentmindedly. What had I done? How could I have been so stupid? Had I been so blinded by love and lust that I'd been oblivious to the principles that had dictated my immortal vocation these long centuries? â€Å"Georgina,† Hugh said hesitantly. I looked at him. â€Å"There's something else†¦just a heads up. You know this as well as I do. When upright people screw up like this†¦they do try to rebound in their way. The guilt's got to be eating him. People like that try to do things to make up for it. Rash things. Something tells me he'll be like that.† â€Å"Thanks for the warning,† I said. â€Å"Though I can't imagine he'd do something that could make this any worse.† The imp cut me a look. â€Å"Sweetie, he's human. Don't underestimate him.† Hugh was right. The next day, I went to the condo builder's office and talked more in-depth with the real estate agent that handled their sales. We chatted for a while and talked numbers, though I still couldn't shake the feeling that I was doing this without thinking it through. The pictures were nice, the floor plan was nice, and the options were nice. Yet, I didn't know if this was just some impulsive reaction to the ups and downs in my life. Then, when he took me to the unit itself and showed me the balcony, I knew. It was a beautiful day, one that wasn't true summer yet but could give us enough hope that winter was just about finished. Puget Sound was deep blue, and the downtown skyline gleamed in the sun against a cloudless sky. To the west, the Olympic Mountains were visible for the first time in over a month, their peaks still heavy with snow. As often happened with this kind of weather, people turned out in droves, treating it like it was high summer. Families came out, shorts came out. This part of Alki didn't have a true beach-that was at a park a little farther down-but the water was still just a stone's throw away from my building, separated only by the small road and narrow strip of grass. I watched the waves break against the shore and realized this was where I needed to be. â€Å"I want to make an offer,† I told him. I knew Maddie would want to know, so I made sure she was the first one I told when I ended up back in Queen Anne later that night. It was early evening, my last day before returning to a real full-time schedule, and I swung by the store to catch her and tell her. Only, she sought me out first, with news of her own. â€Å"Georgina!† I'd barely entered when she grabbed my arm and pulled me off into the cookbooks. â€Å"Hey,† I laughed. â€Å"Glad you're in a good mood. I've got news.† â€Å"Me too!† Her face was radiant, and after all that had happened, it made me happy to see her like this. I couldn't help a return grin. â€Å"What's up?† She glanced around covertly, then lowered her voice. â€Å"You were right.† â€Å"About what?† â€Å"About Seth needing time-about him being preoccupied.† Oh lord. He'd finally slept with her again, now that things had ended with us. I can't say I was happy to have this news delivered to me, but for her sake, I was at least glad she could stop worrying. â€Å"Wow, that's great, Mad-â€Å" â€Å"He was waiting to propose!† She shot her hand up to my face so quickly that for half a moment, I thought she was going to punch me. But, no, there was no impact-unless you counted the brilliant glitter of the engagement ring dazzling my eyes. â€Å"Oh my God. But it†¦it's so soon†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I know,† she said, breathless from her excitement. â€Å"I can't believe it. And I mean, yeah, we've only been going out for about four months, but Seth says we can have a long engagement, that he just wanted to commit things between us.† Of course he did. When upright people screw up like this†¦they do try to rebound in their way. The guilt's got to be eating him. People like that try to do things to make up for it. Rash things. How could I be surprised? I'd become a succubus because I'd cheated on my husband and been caught. I'd sold my soul in an effort to blot that act out, to make him and everyone else I knew forget me. Why was this any different? â€Å"You don't think†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Maddie turned uneasy, once more seeking my approval and advice. â€Å"You don't think it's too fast, do you? Have I made a mistake? I mean, even if we wait awhile for the wedding†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I kept smiling. â€Å"It's fine, Maddie. There's no time frame that's set for everyone. If it's what feels right to you, then you've got to do it.† Her grin lit back up. â€Å"Oh, thank you. I'm so glad to hear you say that. I mean, I said yes, and I've been excited†¦I just didn't want it to seem like I was rushing in.† She glanced back down, admiring the ring. I realized something. â€Å"It's a diamond.† She gave me a curious look. â€Å"Of course. Why wouldn't it be? Most engagement rings are.† Last year, I'd teased Seth about getting married, and he'd said that if he ever did, he'd give his bride-to-be a ruby because he thought diamonds were ordinary, and getting married was extraordinary. I stared into the stone's glittering facets, puzzled. â€Å"Did you pick it out? Had you told him you wanted a diamond?† â€Å"Nope. It had never come up. He just got it for me. Why?† I shook my head and tried to look happy for her. â€Å"No reason. It's beautiful. Congratulations.† I turned to leave. â€Å"I'll see you tomorrow.† â€Å"Georgina, wait.† I paused and looked back. â€Å"What was your news?† â€Å"Wh-oh. Yeah. I'm buying the place in Alki.† â€Å"Seriously?† I swear, she almost seemed more excited about that than the engagement. â€Å"When will it be done?† â€Å"July.† â€Å"Oh, wow. That's great. You could have such great summer parties.† â€Å"Yep. Let's hope it gets finished on time.† She sighed happily and gave me a quick hug. â€Å"Isn't this a great day? Good news for both of us.† â€Å"Yeah,† I agreed. â€Å"Great.† I walked home, too stunned over the engagement news to process it much. Considering Hugh's prediction, there wasn't much to process. I'd convinced Seth that he and I were a fantasy, that he needed to settle into reality and take what good he had with Maddie. Seth had believed me and tried to make it up to her-make it up to himself, even-with this hasty engagement. He was not a rash person usually, but the extreme circumstances had turned him into one. My phone rang about half a block from the store. I could recognize Vancouver's area code by now, but I didn't know the number. For all I knew, Evan wanted me to smuggle them some spray paint across the border. To my relief, it was Kristin. â€Å"Hey,† I said. â€Å"How's it going?† â€Å"Fine. Well, better than fine. Great actually.† There were a few awkward seconds of silence. â€Å"Me and Cedric†¦we're†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The first spark of enthusiasm I'd felt in a while leapt up in me. â€Å"Really? You guys are a†¦thing?† â€Å"Yeah.† There was wonder in her voice, like she could hardly believe it. â€Å"He told me that you were the one who said that he should go out with me.† â€Å"Oh, well. I†¦just suggested he was looking in the wrong places.† â€Å"Georgina, there is no way I can thank you enough for this.† Her voice was brimming with emotion, something I wouldn't have thought possible of the businesslike imp. â€Å"This is†¦I've wanted this for so long. Loved him for so long. And he never noticed me until you made him just pause and look. That's exactly how he said it too. That he'd been so busy chasing everything else that he'd never seen what was in front of him.† I thought I might get choked up too. â€Å"I'm glad for you, Kristin. Really. You deserve it.† She laughed. â€Å"Most would say us damned souls don't deserve anything.† â€Å"We're like anyone else, deserving both good and bad. I'm not sure being damned has anything to do with it.† She was quiet for a moment, and when she spoke again, her voice was low, almost hard to hear. I actually stopped walking and stepped off down a side street to get away from the din of traffic. â€Å"It's funny you mention that,† she said slowly. â€Å"Because†¦well, I did something for you.† I suddenly had an image of Tim Horton's donuts showing up on my doorstep. â€Å"Er, that's really not necessary. I didn't do that much.† â€Å"You did, though. To me, at least. And so†¦I wanted to do something just as big for you. I, uh, went and looked at your contract.† I caught my breath. â€Å"What?† â€Å"We've had a lot of paperwork to file, and I managed to work in a corporate trip.† â€Å"Corporate trip† was a nice way of saying she'd visited the inner offices of Hell. â€Å"Kristin†¦if you'd been caught†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I wasn't,† she said proudly. â€Å"And I found your contract and read it.† I'd come to a complete stop now. The world around me didn't exist. â€Å"And?† â€Å"And†¦nothing.† â€Å"What do you mean nothing?† â€Å"I mean, there's nothing wrong with the contract. I went over and over it. Everything's in order.† â€Å"It can't be! Niphon was trying so hard to mess with me†¦to get me recalled. Hugh was certain it meant he was trying to shift attention from the contract.† â€Å"I don't know about any of that,† said Kristin, sounding truly sympathetic. â€Å"All I know is what I read. You sold your soul and took on standard succubus servitude in exchange for every mortal you knew forgetting who you were. That sound right?† â€Å"Yeah†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"That's what it said. All the language was exactly as it should be.† I didn't really have any response, so I gave none. â€Å"Georgina, are you still there?† â€Å"Yeah†¦I'm sorry. I just thought†¦I'd been so certain†¦Ã¢â‚¬  It had been a foolish hope, that maybe somewhere there was a loophole for me. But then, I seemed to fall for those things all the time, just like I had with Nyx's dream and the impossible chance of getting pregnant while in stasis. I was as naà ¯ve as Dante had said. â€Å"Thanks. I really appreciate you looking.† â€Å"I'm sorry you didn't get what you wanted. If there's anything else I can do for you-that doesn't involve breaking into records-let me know.† â€Å"Thanks. I will.† We disconnected, and I stared bleakly at my surroundings, at the quiet residential block I'd stepped off onto. â€Å"There is no way,† I said out loud, â€Å"that this day can get any worse.† A rustle behind me made me jump, and I spun around. I had thought I was alone and now felt like an idiot getting caught talking to myself. I saw no one, though. Then, a bush by the sidewalk twitched a little. I took a few steps toward it and knelt down. Yellow eyes peered out at me, followed by a piteous meow. I made the clicking sound that's universal to cat owners, and after a few moments, my observer emerged. It was a cat, a very scraggly one-and a cat I was pretty sure I'd seen before. It was smaller than Aubrey, maybe younger, and I could see its ribs poking out underneath the fur, which was matted and dirty. When I petted the cat's head, I noticed a dry texture to the fur that often indicated fleas. The cat seemed unsure of me-but not enough that it ran away. It mostly seemed curious for now, like it was trying to figure me out-and maybe score some food. Which was fine, because I was trying to figure it out too. Clearly, this cat had no owner, or if it did, that ownership needed to be revoked. I studied its yellow eyes and every frail line of its body. The cat looked so different and yet†¦I was certain it was the one. And in a musing that was worthy of Carter, I suddenly wondered if the universe might not be done with me after all. I let the cat sniff my hand a bit longer, and then I reached out and picked it up. It was a she. She didn't fight me as I held her to my chest and walked home. In fact, she started purring. Maybe she knew me. Maybe she was just weary of fighting all the time too. When I shouldered open my door, Aubrey's head immediately jerked up from where she'd been napping. She made no noise, but all the fur on her back stood on end as she studied our new visitor with narrowed eyes. Roman, lying on the couch as usual, also studied us. He looked at the cat, taking in her orange and brown patched coat. Then, he looked up and met my eyes. I'm not sure what he saw, but it made him smile. â€Å"Let me guess. That's a tortie.† â€Å"Yes,† I agreed. â€Å"This is a tortie.†

Impact of Globalization on Development

Globalization is the buzzword of today. The phenomenon of globalization rapidly swept across the world forcefully and powerfully. Economies of the world are being increasingly integrated as new technology and communication has brought people together. We often hear the phrase that the ‘world has become a global village' – which itself signifies how much has changed in the world in the past few decades. Financial and industrial globalization is increasing substantially and is creating new opportunities for both industrialized and developing countries. The largest impact has been on developing countries, who now are able to attract foreign investors and foreign capital. This has led to both positive and negative effects for those countries. Economically new parts of the world have opened to capitalist activities. The spread of capitalist activities has been part of globalization process which ties up well with the liberals believe in the possibility of progress (Baylis, J. , et al. (2008, p. 110). Free trade is the reduction or removal of commercial barriers between countries. This allows a freer flow of labor and goods between member countries in a trade pact. As free trade agreements become more common around the globe, the positive impact on developing countries has been touted as one of their greatest successes. There are several advantages to developing countries that participate in free trade. Free trade is an economic practice whereby countries can import and export goods without fear of government intervention. Government intervention includes tariffs and import or export bans or limitations. Free trade offers several benefits to countries, especially those in the developing stage. According to a widely used definition, a developing country is a nation with low levels of economic resources and/or low standard of living. Developing countries can often advance their economy through strategic free trade agreements. Increased Resources Developing countries can benefit from free trade by increasing their amount of or access to economic resources. Nations usually have limited economic resources. Economic resources include land, labor and capital. Land represents the natural resources found within a nations borders. Small developing nations often have the lowest amounts of natural resources in the economic marketplace. Free trade agreements ensure small nations can obtain the economic resources needed to produce consumer goods or services. By using a country’s comparative advantage, or what they can produce at a lower opportunity cost than other countries, they can get all the benefits of trade. If every country has a comparative advantage that means that everyone can gain from trade. There is remarkable evidence that globalization is helping countries expand and achieve higher incomes or a higher GDP Improved Quality of Life Free trade usually improves the quality of life for a developing nations citizens. They can import goods that are not readily available within their borders. Importing goods may be cheaper for a developing country than attempting to produce consumer goods or services within their borders. Many developing nations do not have the production processes available for converting raw materials into valuable consumer goods. Developing countries with friendly neighbors may also be able to import goods more often. Importing from neighboring countries ensures a constant flow of goods that are readily available for consumption. In countries with a higher degree of globalization, policies tend to support more accountability in the private and public sectors. These nations are more likely to maintain courts that recognize property rights and enforce the rule of law. Their governments are more effective and less corrupt. Policies in these more globalized countries tend to be more stable, essential for long-term planning by business. (Fisher, 2006) Better Foreign Relations Better foreign relations is usually an unintended result of free trade. Developing nations are often subject to international threats. Developing strategic free trade relations with more powerful countries can help ensure a developing nation has additional protection from international threats. Developing countries can also use free trade agreements to improve their military strength and their internal infrastructure, as well as to improve politically. This unintended benefit allows developing countries to learn how they should govern their economy and what types of government policies can best benefit their people. Production Efficiency Developing countries can use free trade to improve their production efficiency. Most nations are capable of producing some type of goods or service. However, a lack of knowledge or proper resources can make production inefficient or ineffective. Free trade allows developing countries to fill in the gaps regarding their production processes. Individual citizens may also visit foreign countries to increase education or experience in specific production or business methods. These individuals can then bring back crucial information about improving the nations production processes (Yutzis, 2001) Increased Standard of Living Economic globalization gives governments of developing nations access to foreign lending. When these funds are used on infrastructure including roads, health care, education, and social services, the standard of living in the country increases. If the money is used only selectively, however, not all citizens will participate in the benefits. Access to New Markets Globalization leads to freer trade between countries. This is one of its largest benefits to developing nations. Homegrown industries see trade barriers fall and have access to a much wider international market. The growth this generates allows companies to develop new technologies and produce new products and services. Higher Employment Rates As developed countries are able to move their operations into developing countries, new job opportunities open up for local workers. Increased levels of employment lead to a higher standard of living and more consumer purchasing. This ultimately sparks the country's economy and may help to develop locally owned business. Research was conducted on national incomes around the world during the 1990s and results showed that the income of rich globalized countries increased by 2% each year. The results also show that poor, more globalized countries have a higher increase in income per year than poor, less globalized countries. Actually according to this research the poor, more globalized countries have had an increase in income of 5% ach year while the poor, less globalized countries had a decrease of 1% per year. Less Child Labor Child labor occurs in developing countries for many reasons but one of the main reasons is lack of technology. Children are used as a cheap substitute for manufacturing equipment. In developing countries, sending their children to work is the only way a family can survive. Usually there is no t an abundance of schools and medical care like in the wealthier countries, and even if education and proper health care is available it is only available to the wealthier families who can afford it. Through globalization, households will make higher incomes which may eventually enable a family to send their children to school and provide some type of health care. In another article by Jagdih Bhagwati he states, â€Å"child labor will certainly diminish over time as growth occurs, partly due to globalization. † (Bhagwati). Free trade allows companies to invest in equipment and pay higher wages to adult workers through foreign investment. With higher family incomes, children are able to attend school rather than work. Access to New Markets Not only does free trade allow foreign-owned companies to establish themselves in developing countries, it also allows native companies to sell to foreign markets. This expands their customer base and leads to new products and services and the viability of investing in innovation. This is particularly true for small businesses in developing countries. These companies no longer have to worry about absorbing the costs of tariffs and other barriers to market entry and can sell their products freely. Higher Levels of Investment Capital Most free trade agreements also reduce restrictions on foreign investment. With new capital entering a developing country, it begins an upward productivity cycle that stimulates the entire economy. An inflow of foreign capital can also stimulate the banking system, leading to more investment and consumer lending. Increased Life Expectancy An increase in employment levels, incomes, and the general standard of living alleviates hunger and lack of medical care in developing countries. Preventative medical care including checkups and vaccinations are available to more of the population. It also increases the number of children who are educated and attend school regularly. The ultimate result is an increase in the average life span and a reduction in infant deaths. Widening Disparity in Incomes While an influx of foreign companies and foreign capital creates a reduction in overall unemployment and poverty, it can also increase the wage gap between those who are educated and those who are not. Over the longer term, education levels will rise as the financial health of developing countries rise, but in the short term, some of the poor will become poorer. Not everyone will participate in an elevation of living standards. Decreased Employment The influx of foreign companies into developing countries increases employment in many sectors, especially for skilled workers. However, improvements in technology come with the new businesses and that technology spreads to domestic companies. Automation in the manufacturing and agricultural sectors lessens the need for unskilled labor and unemployment rises in those sectors. If there is no infrastructure to help the unemployed train for the globalized economy, social services in the country may become strained trying to care for the new underclass.