Deception Point Page 89

Gabrielle knew Sexton was eagerly awaiting her arrival for a complete rundown on the PODS situation. Unfortunately, she also now realized that Sexton had deftly manipulated her tonight. Gabrielle Ashe did not like being managed. The senator had kept things from her tonight. The question was how much. The answers, she knew, lay inside his office-just on the other side of this restroom wall. â€Å"Five minutes,† Gabrielle said aloud, mustering her resolve. Moving toward the bathroom's supply closet, she reached up and ran a hand over the door frame. A key clattered to the floor. The cleaning crews at Philip A. Hart were federal employees and seemed to evaporate every time there was a strike of any sort, leaving this bathroom without toilet paper and tampons for weeks at a time. The women of Sexton's office, tired of being caught with their pants down, had taken matters into their own hands and secured a supply room key for â€Å"emergencies.† Tonight qualifies, she thought. She opened the closet. The interior was cramped, packed with cleansers, mops, and shelves of paper supplies. A month ago, Gabrielle had been searching for paper towels when she'd made an unusual discovery. Unable to reach the paper off the top shelf, she'd used the end of a broom to coax a roll to fall. In the process, she'd knocked out a ceiling tile. When she climbed up to replace the tile, she was surprised to hear Senator Sexton's voice. Crystal clear. From the echo, she realized the senator was talking to himself while in his office's private bathroom, which apparently was separated from this supply closet by nothing more than removable, fiberboard ceiling tiles. Now, back in the closet tonight for far more than toilet paper, Gabrielle kicked off her shoes, climbed up the shelves, popped out the fiberboard ceiling tile, and pulled herself up. So much for national security, she thought, wondering how many state and federal laws she was about to break. Lowering herself through the ceiling of Sexton's private restroom, Gabrielle placed her stockinged feet on his cold, porcelain sink and then dropped to the floor. Holding her breath, she exited into Sexton's private office. His oriental carpets felt soft and warm. 107 Thirty miles away, a black Kiowa gunship chopper tore over the scrub pine treetops of northern Delaware. Delta-One checked the coordinates locked in the auto navigation system. Although Rachel's shipboard transmission device and Pickering's cellphone were encrypted to protect the contents of their communication, intercepting content had not been the goal when the Delta Force pulse-snitched Rachel's call from sea. Intercepting the caller's position had been the goal. Global Positioning Systems and computerized triangulation made pinpointing transmission coordinates a significantly easier task than decrypting the actual content of the call. Delta-One was always amused to think that most cellphone users had no idea that every time they made a call, a government listening post, if so inclined, could detect their position to within ten feet anywhere on earth-a small hitch the cellphone companies failed to advertise. Tonight, once the Delta Force had gained access to the reception frequencies of William Pickering's cellular phone, they could easily trace the coordinates of his incoming calls. Flying now on a direct course toward their target, Delta-One closed to within twenty miles. â€Å"Umbrella primed?† he asked, turning to Delta-Two, who was manning the radar and weapons system. â€Å"Affirmative. Awaiting five-mile range.† Five miles, Delta-One thought. He had to fly this bird well within his target's radar scopes to get within range to use the Kiowa's weapons systems. He had little doubt that someone onboard the Goya was nervously watching the skies, and because the Delta Force's current task was to eliminate the target without giving them a chance to radio for help, Delta-One now had to advance on his prey without alarming them. At fifteen miles out, still safely out of radar range, Delta-One abruptly turned the Kiowa thirty-five degrees off course to the west. He climbed to three thousand feet-small airplane range-and adjusted his speed to 110 knots. On the deck of the Goya, the Coast Guard helicopter's radar scope beeped once as a new contact entered the ten-mile perimeter. The pilot sat up, studying the screen. The contact appeared to be a small cargo plane headed west up the coast. Probably for Newark. Although this plane's current trajectory would bring it within four miles of the Goya, the flight path obviously was a matter of chance. Nonetheless, being vigilant, the Coast Guard pilot watched the blinking dot trace a slow-moving 110-knot line across the right side of his scope. At its closest point, the plane was about four miles west. As expected, the plane kept moving-heading away from them now. 4.1 miles. 4.2 miles. The pilot exhaled, relaxing. And then the strangest thing happened. â€Å"Umbrella now engaged,† Delta-Two called out, giving the thumbs-up from his weapons control seat on the port side of the Kiowa gunship. â€Å"Barrage, modulated noise, and cover pulse are all activated and locked.† Delta-One took his cue and banked hard to the right, putting the craft on a direct course with the Goya. This maneuver would be invisible to the ship's radar. â€Å"Sure beats bales of tinfoil!† Delta-Two called out. Delta-One agreed. Radar jamming had been invented in WWII when a savvy British airman began throwing bales of hay wrapped in tinfoil out of his plane while on bombing runs. The Germans' radar spotted so many reflective contacts they had no idea what to shoot. The techniques had been improved on substantially since then. The Kiowa's onboard â€Å"umbrella† radar-jamming system was one of the military's most deadly electronic combat weapons. By broadcasting an umbrella of background noise into the atmosphere above a given set of surface coordinates, the Kiowa could erase the eyes, ears, and voice of their target. Moments ago, all radar screens aboard the Goya had most certainly gone blank. By the time the crew realized they needed to call for help, they would be unable to transmit. On a ship, all communications were radio-or microwave-based-no solid phone lines. If the Kiowa got close enough, all of the Goya's communications systems would stop functioning, their carrier signals blotted out by the invisible cloud of thermal noise broadcast in front of the Kiowa like a blinding headlight. Perfect isolation, Delta-One thought. They have no defenses. Their targets had made a fortunate and cunning escape from the Milne Ice Shelf, but it would not be repeated. In choosing to leave shore, Rachel Sexton and Michael Tolland had chosen poorly. It would be the last bad decision they ever made. Inside the White House, Zach Herney felt dazed as he sat up in bed holding the telephone receiver. â€Å"Now? Ekstrom wants to speak to me now?† Herney squinted again at the bedside clock. 3:17 A.M. â€Å"Yes, Mr. President,† the communications officer said. â€Å"He says it's an emergency.† 108 While Corky and Xavia huddled over the electron microprobe measuring the zirconium content in the chondrules, Rachel followed Tolland across the lab into an adjoining room. Here Tolland turned on another computer. Apparently the oceanographer had one more thing he wanted to check. As the computer powered up, Tolland turned to Rachel, his mouth poised as if he wanted to say something. He paused. â€Å"What is it?† Rachel asked, surprised how physically drawn to him she felt, even in the midst of all this chaos. She wished she could block it all out and be with him-just for a minute. â€Å"I owe you an apology,† Tolland said, looking remorseful. â€Å"For what?† â€Å"On the deck? The hammerheads? I was excited. Sometimes I forget how frightening the ocean can be to a lot of people.†

Essay Ine

A GRADE ESSAY SKILLS – â€Å"PEAE† BY TOM LAW Email:[email  protected] com. hk A GRADE ESSAY SKILLS- â€Å"PEAE† FOR HKDSE/HKAL BY TOM LAW A GRADE ESSAY SKILLS – â€Å"PEAE† BY TOM LAW Email:[email  protected] com. hk HKAL BAFS MARKS (25) NUMER OF POINTS MARKS (20) NUMER OF POINTS 8+8+9 3+3+3 8+12 3+4 10+15 4+4 20 7 12+13 4+4 25 8 A GRADE ESSAY SKILLS – â€Å"PEAE† BY TOM LAW Email:[email  protected] com. hk EXAMPLE 1 Nowadays franchising is a common way to go into a business. From the perspective of a franchisee, discuss the major benefits and drawbacks of operating a coffee shop under franchise. (25) , (25) EXAMPLE 2 Explain the major characteristics of an effective control system (10) (10) A GRADE ESSAY SKILLS – â€Å"PEAE† BY TOM LAW Email:[email  protected] com. hk EXAMPLE 3 Describe the different aspects to be considered in setting quality control standards for (i) companies in manufacturing industries a nd (ii) companies in service industries. (13) (i) (ii) (13) EXAMPLE 4 Illustrate with examples the measures that service business in Kong Kong might adopt to manage the quantity of (I) services demanded and (ii) services supplied. 12) , (i) (ii) (12) A GRADE ESSAY SKILLS – â€Å"PEAE† BY TOM LAW Email:[email  protected] com. hk EXAMPLE 5 A jewelry company is considering the use of financial incentives and job enrichment to enhance the job performance of its (I) sales people (ii) jewelry designers Evaluate the effectiveness of using financial incentives to enhance the job performance of these two types of employees (12) (I) (ii) ? (12) A GRADE ESSAY SKILLS – â€Å"PEAE† BY TOM LAW Email:[email  protected] com. k PEAE LIST/ ? P+E DISCUSS/ P+E+A ELABORATE/? ? P+E+A EXPLAIN/ P+E+A DESCRIBE/ P+E+A ILLUSTRATE WITH EXAMPLES/? P+E+A ANALYSE/ P+E+A+E EVALUATE/? ? P+E+A+E A GRADE ESSAY SKILLS – â€Å"PEAE† BY TOM LAW Email:[emai l  protected] com. hk PEAE Point Elaboration Application Evaluation A GRADE ESSAY SKILLS – â€Å"PEAE† BY TOM LAW Email:[email  protected]. com. hk PEAE P: E: + A: E: ( / ) A GRADE ESSAY SKILLS – â€Å"PEAE† BY TOM LAW Email:[email  protected] com. hk PEAE LIST/ ? P+E DISCUSS/ P+E+A ELABORATE/? ? P+E+A EXPLAIN/ P+E+A DESCRIBE/ P+E+A ILLUSTRATE WITH EXAMPLES/? P+E+A ANALYSE/ P+E+A+E EVALUATE/? ? P+E+A+E A GRADE ESSAY SKILLS – â€Å"PEAE† BY TOM LAW Email:[email  protected] com. hk EXAMPLE 5 A jewelry company is considering the use of financial incentives and job enrichment to enhance the job performance of its (I) sales people (ii) jewelry designers a) Evaluate the effectiveness of using financial incentives to enhance the job performance of these two types of employees (12) (I) (ii) a) (12) †¢ 12 marks= 4 points POINT More effective in enhancing the job performance of sales people / ELABORATION Sales performance is more measurable/ APPLICATION Higher sales figures imply better sales performance/ EVALUATION why not applicable to jewelry designers/ the idea of fashion, dignity or beauty is quite abstract and subjective. There are no standards or guidelines to tell exactly what it should be. A GRADE ESSAY SKILLS – â€Å"PEAE† BY TOM LAW Email:[email  protected] com. hk EXAMPLE 5 A jewelry company is considering the use of financial incentives and job enrichment to enhance the job performance of its (I) sales people (ii) jewelry designers a) Evaluate the effectiveness of using financial incentives to enhance the job performance of these two types of employees (12) (I) (ii) a) (12) The use of financial incentives are more effective in enhancing the job performance of sales people than jewelry designers.For sales people, sales performance is more measurable and therefore easier to link with financial incentives. For example, financial incentives can usually be performed by solely considering the sales figures. Higher sales figures imply better sales performance and financial incentives should be distributed to those who perform well. But for jewelry designers, the job of them is difficult to quantify and therefore difficult to link financial incentives with performance. For example, the idea of fashion, dignity or beauty is quite abstract and subjective. There are no standards or guidelines to tell exactly what should be.Even though the sales figure of the new design is optimistic, it may not be the result of the marvelous design but may be the hard work of salespersons. Numerical data can not fully show the value of work done by the designers. Thus, financial incentive is impractical. , , , , ?, ?, , , ,? , , SAMPLE ESSAY EMAIL: [email  protected] com. hk TOM LAW

View point Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

View point - Essay Example It is often seen that individual difference could lead to two people having totally opposing views to a similar topic. One such incidence is seen in the field of magazines. Some magazines analyse and present topics to their readers only showing or highlighting the external view points, in such a magazine the entire package is one which is a bird eye view of all its internal articles as well. On the other hand there can be another magazine which may address the exact same topics however provides its readers with a more holistic and in depth view of all addressed topics. One such example of the above stated phenomenon is Maxim and Cosmopolitan. Maxim is a total Male magazine. It is considered to be an essential part of what the Man of today would require and answers all Male questions doing so in a witty and yet extremely relevant manner which is appealing to the Male society. It provides information about the latest and greatest tools and gadgets to hit the market. It provides men's fashion tips, sex advice and music and movie reviews.

The financial issues behind Christopher Columbus's journey to america Term Paper

The financial issues behind Christopher Columbus's journey to america - Term Paper Example As was the prevailing story of European competition and balance of power politics, the nations that held on tentatively to their nation’s respective crowns were abjectly paranoid about any one of their neighboring states/competitors gaining an advantage. Likewise, each of the nations of Europe hoped to garner a larger share of the ongoing trade with Asia which served to generate such wealth. Had it not been for the fact that a very small possibility existed that Columbus’ plan might succeed coupled with the extreme riches that were related, it is doubtful that any of the European monarchs would have even considered funding such a fanciful mission. In this way, a type of competitive advantage paranoia gripped the Queen of Spain as she and her advisors recommended that even though the trip was one of great uncertainty with regards to the percentage chance it held for success, the gamble may indeed pay off. Prior to approaching the Queen of Spain, Columbus had been on a ti reless quest to obtain funding for this endeavor. Columbus first approached King John II of Portugal in the hopes that the Portuguese would choose to fund the mission. Rather than making a decision on the evidence that Columbus gave to the King, the king turned over the information to his trusted advisors and counselors and had them perform what we might today call a risk assessment of the possible rewards of such an endeavor as compared to its overall costs and risks. King John’s Portuguese advisors soon returned to him with their determination. The advisors noted that the proposal was indeed a risky one; however, they did not turn it down based on this point alone. The reason the advisors/counselors suggested that the trip should not be funded was due to the fact that they considered Columbus’ own calculations with respect to the actual distance that Asia was from the coast of Europe to be fundamentally flawed. Columbus himself noted to the King that he believed Asia was a mere 2,400 miles from the Portuguese mainland.1 As such, by the calculations of the cartographers and contemporaries of Columbus the actual number was far greater. The answer of â€Å"no† from the advisors and counselors of European monarchs would come to be an expected result for Christopher Columbus on his sojourn through the monarchical courts of Europe around the end of the 1480s. Somewhat disheartened by the rejection of the Portuguese, Columbus next turned to the English court in the hopes that they might fund his expedition. It is interesting to note here that Columbus did not necessarily target those wealthiest nations in all of Europe in a quest to fund his exploration; instead, he targeted those that had a long history of sea-faring and navigation. Perhaps in this way, Columbus made it difficult on himself to obtain funding as those advisors of kings and queens oftentimes would deny Columbus’ request based on the fact that he was providing incomplete a nd/or faulty information regarding the total perceived distance in which he would locate the continent of Asia. Eventually, Columbus plied his request with the Spanish court of Queen Isabella her husband Ferdinand. Upon presenting his request to the Spanish court, the response was initially much the same that he had received at various other European courts up until that time. Queen Isabella referred the matter to her advisors/counselors and said that a decision would be initiated and based upon

The Corporate Manslaughter Reform Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The Corporate Manslaughter Reform - Essay Example This is but a logical consequence of the very nature of corporations' artificial personality in connection with what possible penalty they could be made to suffer. But the famous case of R. v. P & O Ferries (Dover) Ltd. 93 Cr App Rep 72 (or the famous Herald of Free Enterprise case) have challenged this idea and the courts' decision was to formally recognise that these corporations can be made criminally liable for manslaughter. This decision is taken to mean as holding the corporation itself directly criminally liable for manslaughter (as if the corporation have acted independently on its own to constitute mens rea and actus reus) aside from the individual liabilities of its directors or officers. The US Supreme Court as well in 1909 (along the same line of thought on corporate criminal liability) held that corporations could be held liable criminally for acts or omissions including failure of an agent acting within the scope of his employment. From here, there were recent cases which have stated that a corporation will be held vicariously liable for the illegal acts of its employees if the employees act within the scope of their authority and intend to benefit the corporation. In both jurisdictions (UK and the United States), corporate criminal liability is without question recognised. The Problem of the Second Element of the Offence in Government's Proposed Draft Bill Reform on Corporate Manslaughter Corporate manslaughter is a homicide for a corporation. This means that a natural person is made to answer for criminal liabilities as if it were a natural person being held to answer for the consequences of a criminal act. Taken from... The researcher of this essay states that it is but proper to mention some basic concepts of corporate criminal liability as a preliminary before taking up the crucial issues involved in the Corporate Manslaughter: The Government’s Draft Bill for Reform. Corporate criminal liability is one of those hotly debated topics. One issue that attracts much attention is whether a corporation should be at "fault" before liability is imposed, and precisely what "corporate fault" means. In other words, what liability standard should be required before imposing liability on the corporation. For example, should liability be imposed when the corporation is negligent, when it acts "knowingly," whenever harm occurs regardless of the "fault" of the corporation, or some other liability standard? This essay addresses this issue and provides some deterrence-based insights into the choice of liability standards for corporate crime. The researcher mentiones that there were recent cases which have sta ted that a corporation will be held vicariously liable for the illegal acts of its employees if the employees act within the scope of their authority and intend to benefit the corporation. In both jurisdictions (UK and US), corporate criminal liability is without question recognised. The proposed Corporate Manslaughter Law aims to tackle the identification principle by providing a new basis - a test that focuses on management failure at senior level within the organization instead of focusing on the negligent act of an individual employee.

Family Violence across the Lifespan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Family Violence across the Lifespan - Essay Example My reading of this chapter has benefited me a lot. I have learned that ethnic minorities should be treated with care to avoid oppressing them. Professionally, this knowledge will help me interact well with such people. Such activities will promote the ethnic diversity in various communities. In the same token, the knowledge will assist in providing professional support to women who go through battering in their homes. Most importantly, I will comfortably offer assistance to my battered sister who is suffering in her marriage in a foreign country. The discussion on domestic violence is grave to the world as it will provide guidelines for the formulation of appropriate legislations to protect women from issues of forced early marriages, rape, and domestic violence among other atrocities women are subjected to by males in the communities. The chapter depicts that family violence affects all professions across the board. It will also serve to enlighten both men and women of the c role women play in our societies. Lawmakers will apply this research to enhance the place of a girl child in the society as well as defend the rights of the homosexuals to salvage them from the aggression of the majority who demean them because of their sexual orientations. In the recent past, homosexuality and equality have elicited heated debates, activists calling for better treatment of such minorities in the communities. Additionally, the knowledge will help societies overcome the extremism we are experiencing today and the massive influx of homos exuals in the communities.

Working Hypothesis Report Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Working Hypothesis Report - Assignment Example Listed below is the interest rate charged on a a) Based on the dataset, we conclude that the Mean of the sample is 48.18. Accepting the given population Mean of 50 and the standard deviation of 3, this sample is within .01 or is included within the 99% range of probability. b) Using a z-statistic is applicable due to the range of data that fall evenly above and below a given mean on a normal distribution. The z-statistic tests to see if the sample follows the expectation of the population. In this case, the sample complies with the population parameters, as the mean falls within 1.918 standard deviations of the population mean. A z-test is appropriate, because the population variance is known. If we did not have this information, then a t-test would be more appropriate. Given the fact that the sample contained an outlier of 55.8, one would expect that the sample is skewed based on that data point. This is true, because if we were to remove the outlier, the new sample mean would be 47.33 and the corresponding z-stat would be -2.67, giving a p-value of 0.0076. This result would lead us to accept Ha, since p-value Variance: This is the average of the sum of squares of the variation from the mean. In English, this means that you take the difference between each data item and subtract the mean. You then square each number. Total them together and divide by the number of data points minus the number of variables. You will see this as ∑(x-u)2 / (n-1) Data point is the average for your sample data, while mean is the population mean and std deviation is the std deviation for the population. You will normally be given these numbers for the population, so you are comparing your

Why did the Soviet Union collapse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Why did the Soviet Union collapse - Essay Example The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was founded in the year of 1922 after the Bolshevik Revolution. The USSR had a great impact on the political affairs of the world ever since but could not maintain this impact after its downfall. The Soviet Union underwent a rapid collapse in the late twentieth century which was inevitable due to the policies and conditions that Russia was undergoing in these times. After the World War II the Soviet Union turned out to be a super power which was becoming a threat for the United States and for this reason many blame the United States to be the main cause of Russian collapse. The Soviet power was never able to expand much under the influence of the U.S agenda. It was under the leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev that Russia began to undergo a political change which could not be handled and thus led to a political turmoil. The United States itself did not play a direct role in the collapse of Soviet Union but it did play an indirect role in the collap se. This essay would further revolve around the factors which led to the collapse of the Soviet Union (Watson 1998; Weiss 2009). To understand the massive collapse of the Soviet Union one has to understand the basic principles on which the country was made. From a historical point of view it can be seen that the Soviet Union consisted of people belonging to different ethnicities and races. The political ideology of the country was based on the principles of communism in accordance to the theories laid down by Karl Marx. The Communist party was leading the government offices in Soviet Union and the leaders in the party were following a level known as ‘nomenklatura’ which helped them to access the resources of the state as they wished to (McCauley 2001 p. 86). A variety of factors led to the fall of the Communist State which have formed a debate amongst the historians. Many believe the sole factor of Afghanistan was enough to collapse the Soviet Union whereas opponents ar gue that a lot of other factors came into play along with the Afghanistan war which led to the collapse of the state. The major reasons for the collapse of the Soviet Union are cited as the Afghan intervention, the role of Poland, the varying prices of oil in the world and the reaction of the minorities to the government (Usitalo & Whisenhunt 2008). It has been found that the Soviet Union always had a conflict of interest with the West and this is the reason because of which the leaders had always aimed to excel from the west. The domestic problems along with the structural problems were the internal problems that the Union was facing because of which it underwent a political unrest. Tilly defines the collapse of the Soviet Union in the following words [O]ne of Europe’s more peculiar revolutions: the shattering of an empire and the dismantling of its central structure without the direct impact of a war . . . the costly stalemate in Afghanistan, itself a product of a hugely ex pensive Cold War with the United States, provided the closest equivalent to those earlier empire-ending wars† (Tilly 1993 p 231). In December 1991 the Soviet Union collapsed into fifteen independent countries. The West was victorious in disintegrating the nation and considered the collapse as a victory of capitalism over socialism. After the creation of Soviet Union it was seen that the leaders were implementing a plan through which they could unite all the nations of the Soviet Republic. To carry out such a plan the assimilation process began and Russian was taught to everyone. However more than fifty percent of the population living in the Soviet Union belonged to non Russian back grounds and it became difficult for them to assimilate with the newly laid principles. The economic policies of the state also failed which can be witnessed in the arms race that they had with the United States. The arms race with United States led to an economic turmoil for the country itself beca use of which they finally collapsed. The last leader of the country

Conflict Resolution Styles in Organizational Behaviour Essay Example for Free

Conflict Resolution Styles in Organizational Behaviour Essay Conflict is a process that every one of us has experienced throughout our lifes. There are various definitions of conflicts as described by different authors but generally, conflict is a process whereby one individual’s interests is opposed or negatively affected by the other party (McShane et al. 2010). Workplace and organisational conflicts are usually more complex. Isenhart and Spangle (2000) points out that at the beginning the conflict may start because of improper placement of workers and their responsibilities in a workplace, but it may get worse if they faces unfair rules, ineffective management, unclear responsibilities or too much work assigned. Organisational conflicts can result in many possible outcomes, the negatives ones such as damaged employee relations, violence, increased tension between bosses and employees but it can have positive outcomes too such as increased employee-cohesiveness and increased motivation. How it will be achieved will be discussed through the elements of conflict and will be listed in greater details. Ways in which people approach conflict Avoiding Avoiding is probably the fastest way of resolving a conflict but at the same time it is not the best way because most of the time the avoider will remain unhappy even after the conflict. It does not permanently resolve the conflict (McShane et al. 2010) and in my opinion it is just ‘postponing’ the problem to have it solved at a later date. McCollum et al. (2009) states that the person who is avoiding thinks that confronting the conflict will bring more trouble than it is worth. The avoider also decides to not deal with the conflict because he or she might not have the confidence to do so. This seems like the more popular choice amongst the five ways in which people approach conflict based on my experiences because people simply do not want unnecessary trouble or aggravate the problem, especially if it is a minor issue. Avoiding pays no attention in concerns of either self or others (Kotthoff Spencer-Oatey 2008). This is the least-sought option amongst the five approach es but however, McCollum et al. (2009) suggests that avoiding can be a tactical approach when the other party has more strength and authority over you; and/or the avoiding the conflict will bring little or no devastating consequences. Problem-Solving I deemed this to be the most effective way in resolving organisational conflicts because both parties will benefit if they manage to find a double-win solution to the problem. This is considered to be the most desirable approach to conflict as there are no negative impacts at all. Only positive results will surface. Runde Flanagan (2009) suggests that there might be a link between avoiding and problem-solving. Because many people tend towards avoidance, they often rush through problem solving and immediately use the first solution that they can think of so as to quickly get over the conflict, without any beneficial solutions. The key in using problem-solving as an approach to resolve conflicts lies in having patience to create multiple potential solutions. Careful reflection and consideration will progress into agreements that are both satisfying and successful (Runde Flanagan 2009). Therefore when undergoing problem-solving, both parties must not rush to a solution immediately or else the solution may backfire or do not satisfy both parties’ needs. Three strategies that help people manage conflict Before discussing about the three different strategies that help people to manage conflict, the strategies used are basically divided into three categories and they are interest-based, rights-based and power-based (Jameson 2001). Three different strategies from the three categories will be discussed respectively. Jameson (2001) advises that all resolutions of disputes and conflicts should start with a interest-based strategy, and if it does not resolves the conflict, it is followed by a rights-based strategy and if conflict persists, power-based strategy is then applied. Mediation (Interest-based) Jameson (2001) suggests that mediation is a form of ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution). Research has shown that interest-based strategies such as mediation had the best long-termed results such as improved relationship between parties, greater commitment to solutions and reduced future conflicts from happening. This is why involved parties in a conflict should use this approach as it reaps the most benefits. Even though there are many theories and various methods underlying mediation, it is generally defined as an intervention by a neutral third party which facilitates the process but allow participants in the conflict to control the outcome (Jameson 2001). Depending on the severity of the conflict, the mediator is to provide useful information in legal issues, help the participants into perspective thinking, provide a guide in finding the most satisfying and realistic settlement, help to improve the working/personal relationship between participants, or engage in some combination of the above methods. Inquisitorial Intervention (Rights-based) This describes intervention by a person of a higher authority; in most cases is the manager, who will make a final decision. Managers who adopt this strategy allow employees more or less control over presentation of their arguments before deciding on an appropriate solution (Jameson 2001). Because the third party(manager) listens to every party’s arguments before making a judgment, the manager acts as a ‘judge’ and this usually results in a win-lose situation, unlike Mediation which results in a win-win situation most of the time. Employees are given the opportunity to present their arguments and influence the final decision and this result in higher amount of fairness and satisfaction with outcomes. Employees involved in the conflict usually agree that the outcome decided by the third party is fair, but it could be better if they are able to retain the outcome control. Restructuring (Power-based) This is the more realistic popular method amongst power-based strategies because they are efficient (at least in the short run) and it follows a problem-solving procedure that is actually part of the managerial role (Jameson 2001). A powerful third party restructures the work and responsibilities of employees in order to solve problems. For example if employees does not see eye-to-eye with one another and it affects efficiency or quality of work produced, restructuring may simply solve this issue even though parties involved are not satisfied but at least they will not be able to see each other, proving restructuring to be a efficient method in the short run. This method may be efficient if time issues are being involved, such as the organisation needs to achieve a certain target by a certain date. Influence of culture in conflict resolution styles The three cultural values dimensions that are popularly discussed are individualism-collectivism, power distance and high-low context (McShane et al. 2010). Low/high context: refers to the amount of information contained in a clearly-expressed message versus implied message (Adair et al. 2004). Low-context culture is direct and negotiations are analytical and fact-based, while high-context culture is indirect and high-context negotiators tend to use an indirect communication method with usually contains implied meanings. An example of a low-context culture would be the United States of America and a high-context culture will be Japan (Adair et al. 2004). Individualism/Collectivism: Individualism refers to a society where the relationships between people are loose and they are expected to look after themselves or their immediate families only. Collectivism which is the opposite, refers to a society that people focus on being harmonious and emphasize on cohesiveness within themselves. In organisational context, individualism means individuals only care about their own goals and prefer to work alone and collectivism means working harmoniously in a teams and it emphasizes on teamwork. Power distance: McShane et al. (2010) defines power distance as the degree of importance that people place on status and power to control. Basically it means that human inequality may occur in many fields such as status, wealth, power, rules etc. In organisational settings it refers between superiors/managers and employees mainly. In a high power distance working environment, employees tend to just do their work without raising doubts or question their bosses, due to fear in the difference of their power, low power distance means otherwise, where employees and their superiors work hand in hand to resolve issues. A few decades ago, managers can spend up to twenty percent of their time in resolving conflicts. Nowadays, conflicts are generally much more complex and take up more time to resolve due to technological advances, world’s exponential growth rate and globalization which led to increase contacts between people of many different cultures (Kotthoff Spencer-Oatey 2008). This suggests that our modern world has an increase of numbers of cultural conflicts and they are usually hard to resolve due to the extreme range of differences in thinking, values, ethics etc between individuals of different cultures. To further elaborate on this point, Brigg (2008) states that most experts in this field now come to an agreement that culture frames the experiences of conflict of people, their reactions and responses to other people in conflict, and the types of strategies they might consider to manage or otherwise address disputes. Therefore when facing against a cultural conflict issue, one must understand that the other party does not grow up in the same environment as him/her, had not been taught the same teachings and values since young. To put in simpler terms, the definition of what is right and what is correct might not be the same between the two parties. This also explains why it is so difficult in applying conflict resolution styles when it comes to cultural conflicts because it is hard to accept the other party’s â€Å"correct† values which may be the â€Å"wrong† values of one as both of them have been gorged those values since young in their growing up environment. Conclusion Two ways of conflict-handling styles were discussed and avoiding can be a good approach sometimes despite many of its negativity and although problem-solving is the best approach, it cannot be rushed and many potential solutions must be raised in order to finding the best solution. Three strategies from three different categories of conflict resolution styles were discussed and despite the major differences in terms of popularity of usage and way of handling, all the three strategies can produce effective results in organisational settings if they were applied in the correct circumstances. Three cultural values dimensions were discussed and it was also explained that influence of culture in conflict resolution styles remains fundamentally significant and it is currently the most challenging in conflict resolution.

Unseen Forces That Pushed A Couple To Trouble Essay Example for Free

Unseen Forces That Pushed A Couple To Trouble Essay A person’s fate is not only said to have been the result of one’s decisions in life; but on a larger perspective, resulted from the influences of societal forces. â€Å"Social forces are shaped by human interaction and have a direct effect on life chances and life experiences. † (Conyers, J. L. ) Such is the case of a couple, named Ted and Zelda. There are several societal forces I’ve seen in this case and among them are: social structure, employment opportunity, education, the healthcare, and the criminal justice system. The first social problem is Ted and Zelda’s place in society, which is their social structure. They both belong to the working class, which is the middle class, neither rich nor poor. I viewed this as a social problem, because it influenced Ted and Zelda’s decision to become doctors one day. It is, indeed, very expensive to pursue medicine yet it became the dream of the couple. Since it is a standard for a middle class couple to pursue medicine, it will be a shame if they can’t pursue that course. They have to pursue it no matter what. The next social problem I’ve seen is the education system. This social problem has been the most prominent all throughout because it greatly affected them in many ways. First, due to the medical course’s very expensive tuition fee, they were compelled to use up their savings after using up the maximum amount for student loans. Probably the reason why their student loans were used up was due to the fact that their present tuition fees kept increasing and they have to pay for it. They are very fortunate, though, that they have the privilege to get student loans to help them with their tuition fees, because other countries don’t have that option. Ted was accepted in three medical schools, while Zelda didn’t. The education standard was forcing Zelda to take up nursing instead. Being a female she is, the education system convinced her that she would be better off as a nurse because since she will be a wife and a mother some day. The next social problem is the employment opportunity. When Ted lost his job, it became a huge obstacle for him to pursue medicine. This forced Zelda to seek a job in order to help Ted. Remember that Zelda is not a college graduate, so that means that her chances of getting a higher wage are poor. Whatever she’s earning from her job wasn’t enough to help Ted. This lack of greater employment opportunity due to outsourcing led the couple to despair. Isn’t it true that when you feel like the world is crushing you, you will tend to seek comfort somewhere? Well, where do you think Ted and Zelda will gather their strength to move on? Of course, they get the comfort from each other. Since both of them are unemployed, they don’t have anything to focus on except themselves. They got more time for each other, thus, more time to have sex. Zelda, of course, eventually got pregnant. This led to another social problem. There was a great stigma to society for her to become pregnant out of wedlock. Instead of getting more help or support from her family, she was disowned. This probably had emotionally tormented Zelda a lot when she was pregnant, which could explain complications in childbirth. Healthcare played a vital role to Ted and Zelda’s life. The complications of birth led them to get huge bills from the hospital. Since Ted and Zelda’s employment doesn’t cover health insurance, this forced Zelda to look for a second job, and eventually led the couple to seek somebody who could take care of their baby. Their baby mysteriously died. Finally, the last social problem they encountered was the criminal justice system. Ted was incarcerated for the assault which led him to become unemployed again. The stigma of this event had greatly affected both their opportunities to get jobs, therefore, in great despair; Zelda chose to commit suicide instead. Things will be different if these social problems weren’t present. If Zelda was accepted into medical school, she would’ve had higher hopes and would’ve pursued it well. On employment opportunity, if Ted’s employer didn’t outsource, then Ted will still have a job enough to pursue his studies and will eventually prevent Zelda from becoming pregnant. Zelda won’t have to be disowned, and the couple would’ve been doctors one day. Conclusively, social factors indeed affect anybody’s decisions. It should not be blamed alone on the individual on whatever happens to his life. Family support and great understanding plays a good role in order to prevent social problems occurring from one stage to another. Works Cited Conyers, J. L. 2003. â€Å"Afrocentricity and the Economy. † Jefferson: North Carolina. McFarland Company, Inc. p. 28. October 11, 2008 [http://books. google. com/books? id=pDE4LXoIcP8Cpg=PA28lpg=PA28dq=social+forces+and+life+chancessource=webots=954jbjCFPAsig=-UlWUATNeIcpp55RjFCHb4oWlW0hl=ensa=Xoi=book_resultresnum=6ct=resulthttp://www. youtube. com/watch? v=139NEANvig4feature=related].

Study of Employee Behavior causing Accidents at the Workplace

Study of Employee Behavior causing Accidents at the Workplace Safety behavior is the key for reducing the injuries at the workplace and indirectly influencing the outcomes of the event before the injuries or accidents occurred (Johnson, 2003). There are many studies in occupational safety concluded that the root of the accident causes is human behavior (Geller, 2000; Cooper, 1998, 2000; Johnson, 2003). Therefore, it shows the relationship between the human and their behavior on causing the accident at the workplace. Studies indicate that more than 85% of workplace injuries and accidents can be linked to human error of commission or omission (LaBar, 1996). Granot (1998) also admits it in his review that industrial disaster is truly about people and their behavior. Most of studies in human safety behavior issues concerning only on the concept of safety culture (safety climate), defined as the product of individual and group values, attitudes, perceptions, competencies, and patterns of behavior that determine the organizations safety performance (Health and Safety Commission, 1993, p.23). Rasmussen (1990) expresses concern that despite the growing complexity, size and change in todays technical system, they continue to depend on human involvement for their safe operation. Previous researcher such as Mullen (2002), Subramaniam (2004) and Mahmood, Isa, Mustafa, Aziz Salleh (2009) did study several factors that have direct relationship with safety behavior such as organizational factors, safety commitment and human factors but they did not stressed out any variables that could mediated the relationship between those variables. Therefore, no study conducted to identify whether these relationship could be mediated by another factors such as attitudes, perceptions, knowledge, beliefs and personality. This study will not only help to improve the safety behavior at the workplace but it will also increase Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) knowledge and perception towards safety behavior. The purpose of this study is to investigate what are the main factors that influence human safety behavior among SMEs manufacturing chemical products in Northern Area of Malaysia. It is also seeks to identify the crucial parts in safety and health that is human factors which will influence the safety measures at the workplace. Besides that, it is also to identify the factors that need to be improved to achieve excellent standards of safety management at SMEs. To dig deeper into the causes of accidents at the worksite, one must understand the role of human factors, which are often the cause of human error. It is also to understand the factors that influenced the safety measures at the workplace. Industry Background Small and Medium Enterprise (SMEs), plays a major role in the Malaysian economy. The development of SMEs has received much attention since the implementation of the New Economic Policy (1971 1990). It was then emphasized in the Second Long Term Malaysian Plan (1991-2000). A survey done in 1994 found that there were 12,000 SMEs established in Malaysia made up of 88% small enterprises and 12% medium-sized enterprises. These SMEs employed 33% of the workforce in the manufacturing sector. The importance of small and medium-sized businesses in helping the economic development of our nation cannot be refuted. Besides creating job opportunities, SMEs play a crucial role in contributing to the prosperity of big and multinational corporations. They enhance the industry through their creativity and innovation. In Malaysia, various agencies adopt different definitions of SMEs depending on their business interests. However one common definition is that provided by the Small and Medium Industries Development Corporation (SMIDEC) which defines SMEs according to two main factors i.e. annual sales turn over and number of full time workers. Medium sized business is a business establishment with an annual sales turnover of between RM10 million and RM25 million and which employs more than 150 full-time workers while a small sized business is a business establishment8 with an annual sales turnover of not more than RM10 million and which employs not more than 50 full time workers. SMEs offer different and unique challenges to the manager who is generally the owner of the business. Considering their importance to the countrys economic development agenda, the governments commitment to the development of SMEs has been clearly evident since the early 1970s (Saleh Ndubisi, 2006). Various forms of assistance have been given by the government to ensure the successful development of SMEs. Examples of the assistance are access to market and financial support, RD, the use of ICT, technology to enhance productivity and quality control as well as access to skilled labors (SME Performance Report, 2005). As a result of the growth of SMEs, safety measures should be taken into account seriously. It is because accidents at workplace can be prevented if employers and employees are more sensitive or have good safety behavior (Makin Sutherland, 1994; Christian, Wallace, Bradley, Burke, 2009). Moreover, to get better understanding of safety behavior, employers need to cater the human factors that can contribute to accidents at workplace and the employees to have some responsibility towards their own safety. Accidents at workplace involve monetary cost as the amount of compensation paid out to employees cost more than what it is perceived. The amount has been high in the last few years and this costs a lot of money to the economy, which can otherwise be used for other productive purposes such as an investment in new technology to boost productions. In 2003, compensation due to accidents amounted to a staggering RM 745 million. The amount increased to RM 817 million in 2004 and continued to rise to RM 883 million in 2005 (Labor and Human Resources Statistics 2001-2005, 2009). According to Thye (2009), 70% of all occupational diseases are due to the chemical exposure, which results in problems like skin diseases, poisoning and respiratory disorders. Previous studies showed that the occurrences of diseases and sickness were partly due to the improper use of personal protective equipment, from selection of such equipment to its washing or disposal (Thye, 2009). Therefore, this study will focus on SMEs manufacturing chemical products for agricultural industries and cleaning services. It is because from the data obtained most of the SMEs company at the Northern Region are producing chemical products for the agricultural and cleaning services. Problem Statement One of the topics in human resource management that is gaining attention is safety management. Generally, previous studies on safety focused on areas such as safety and health legislative compliance (Townsend, 1998), OSH implementation (Surienty, Hong Hung, 2010), OSH performance (Surienty, Hong Hung, 2010) safety climate (Zohar, 2000; Flin, Mearns, OConnors Bryden, 2000; Dedobbeleer Belan, 1991) and safety culture (Abd. Aziz, 2008; Clarke, 1999; Cooper, 1998; Cox Flin, 1998). In term of the context of the study, previous research have concentrated more on investigating safety behavior and lifestyle involving employees in construction sites (Aksorn Hadikusumo, 2007; Tam Fung, 1998; Toole, 2002) and less research focusing on manufacturing. Review of related literature revealed studies that emphasized on human factors and safety behavior are relatively spare. For example, Granot (1998) in his review of human factor in industrial disaster comprises that human beings are at the heart of disaster. They frequently play an active role in causing industrial failure through their shortcoming and fallibility. Human error can occur in every stage of industrial activities. Similarly, Yon (2007) states that consideration in studying human factors that influence safety behavior and lifestyle at the workplace has been a crucial reason for the researcher to study further on these matters. Yons (2007) study involved SMEs in Penang which focused on the factors that associated to the chemical safety. The factors are management of chemicals, employees cooperation, training and education, process hazard analysis and hazard identification, safe work procedures and practices, chemical safety data sheets, personal protective equipment progra mmes, emergency measures and first aid, operational control measures, medical surveillance programme, monitoring of workers exposure, warning sign and recordkeeping. Yon (2007) admitted that human is the key factors to ensure safety at the workplace but since her study are not focusing on the human factors, no further discussion was made. Eventhough human factors can be one of the factors on that studies, little consideration had been given. Workers play an important role in causing occupational accident but many researches continue to see human factor in a very narrow perspective. Previous researcher such as Mullen (2002), Subramaniam (2004) and Mahmood, Isa, Mustafa, Aziz Saleh (2009) did study several factors that have direct relationship with safety behavior such as organizational factors, safety commitment and human factors but they did not stressed out any variables that could mediated the relationship between those variables. Therefore, no study conducted to identify whether these relationship could be mediate by another factors such as attitudes, perceptions, knowledge, beliefs and personality. One of the models that emphasized on safety behavior is a model proposed by Subramaniam (2004). According to his model, safety behavior is the outcome of predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing factors. However, his model is lacking because the model did not take into account several important variables such as personality, communication, and knowledge and his model only proposed a direct relationship between human factors and safety behaviors. His study conducted at residential colleges in a local Malaysian university. Therefore, this study will conducted on the working environment because the situations are more expose to the hazard. This study will utilized his model and proposed predisposing factors as intervening variable in order to help gain further understanding of the antecedents of safety behavior at SMEs. In terms of theoretical perspective, Ajzens (1980, 1991) theory of planned behaviour (TPB) appears well-suited to the explanation of the link between human factors and safety behaviour in this study. This theory derived from previous research that started out as the theory of attitude, which led to the study of attitude and behavior. The theory was, born largely out of frustration with traditional attitude-behavior research, much of which found weak correlations between attitude measures and performance of volitional behaviors (Hale, Householder, Greene, 2003, p. 259). The key application of this theory is prediction of behavioral intention, spanning predictions of attitude and predictions of behavior. The subsequent separation of behavioral intention from behavior allows for explanation of limiting factors on attitudinal influence (Azjen, 1980). This theory will help refining the model that will be used to explain variance in the aspect of safety behavior. The TPB draws our attenti on to the role of subjective norms and the intervening construct of intentions, which in this case are the enabling and reinforcing factors as intervened by predisposing factors, which are useful additions to the network of variables that interact to influence safety behaviors. Why human factor should be related to safety behavior? Employee with high level of reinforcing and enabling factors will reflect a highly awareness (predisposing) employee. On the other hand, safety behavior is regarded as desirable among employees. So, we can expect that employees with high level of enabling and reinforcing factors that mediated by predisposing factors should be related positively to safety behavior. Meanwhile, SMEs in Malaysia continue to face many challenges both traditionally and new challenges. Previous studies by Watfa, Awan and Goodson (1998) showed that occupational safety and health conditions at the small medium enterprises (SMEs) were a cause for concern. One of the many challenges that SMEs face is the high workplace accidents rate which may reflect badly to the way safety and workers well-being are being handled by Malaysian SMEs. It is further supported by the Director General of Department Occupational Safety and Health Malaysia (DOSH), Che Man (2010) who estimated about 80 to 90 percent of the accidents reported to workmen compensation scheme (SOCSO) is from SMEs. Also, the Chairman of National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Thye (2009), studies showed that the occurrence of diseases and sickness in workplace were partly due to improper use of personal protective equipment, from selection of such equipment to its washing or disposal. He also s tated that almost 70% of all occupational diseases are due to chemical exposure, which results in problems like skin diseases, poisoning and respiratory disorders (Thye, 2009). The enforcement of applicable occupational safety and health legislation is also often limited to large enterprises due to inadequate inspection capacity of the SMEs by the competent authorities. Thus, millions of workers in SMEs are not sufficiently protected by the existing legislation. In addition, workers in informal sectors are often out of reach of most of safety and health programs. Hence, given the importance of safety behaviors among employees working with SMEs, this study will focuses on examining the effect of human factors; enabling and reinforcing factors mediated by predisposing factor on safety behaviors. This study is relevant in order to investigate the extent of safety implementation in manufacturing setting in particular in SMEs. In focusing on the human factors, the consequences in their aftermath also have to be considered. It is to see how they cope with them when its occurred. Any perspective should not to be overlooked when it deals with human factors because as stated earlier human play an important role in causing an accident at the workplace. Research Questions Whether dimensions of reinforcing factors (communications, societal influences and modeling) are related with safety behavior? Whether dimensions of enabling factors (resources, policies and skills) are related with safety behavior? Whether dimensions of predisposing factors (knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, values, perceptions and personality) mediated the relationship between the reinforcing factors (communications, societal influences and modeling) and safety behavior? Whether dimensions of predisposing factors (knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, values, perceptions and personality) mediated the relationship between the enabling factors (resources, policies and skills) and safety behavior? Research Objectives Generally, the purpose of the study is to find out whether the human factors will influence the safety behavior at SMEs. To identify whether dimensions of reinforcing factors (communications, societal influences and modeling) are related with safety behavior. To study whether dimensions of enabling factors (resources, policies and skills) are related with safety behavior. To examine whether dimensions of predisposing factors (knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, values, perceptions and personality) are related with safety behavior. To examine whether dimensions of predisposing factors (knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, values, perceptions and personality) mediated the relationship between the reinforcing factors (communications, societal influences and modeling) and safety behavior. To evaluate whether dimensions of predisposing factors (knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, values, perceptions and personality) mediated the relationship between the enabling factors (resources, policies and skills) and safety behavior. Scope of the Study The scope of the study is focusing on the human factors that will influence safety measures at SMEs in Northern area. It will focus on two main factors that influenced workers safety behavior mediated by predisposing factors. The factors are predisposing, reinforcing, enabling. Besides, the researcher also found other variables that are communication or co-ordination problems and poor social climates. These variables are not being used in this study because it is unsuitable with the working environment at SMEs in Northern area. The population for this study includes the SMEs in Northern area employees who are working in manufacturing sector. Significance of the study Generally, this study will help to improve the safety behavior at the workplace but it will also increase SMEs knowledge and perception towards safety behavior. Furthermore, it will also help to improve the safety implementation at their company. This research also can help SMEs to understand factors that contribute to the accidents and develop control strategies to prevent accidents happened at the workplace. To ensure the safety environment and culture at the workplace, employees need to be educate about the human factors that related to their behaviors in order to prevent accident and work related injuries. It is important for the employees to aware that accident can be prevented if they are really working forward to it. Finally, it can also contribute to an academic knowledge for future researcher where it is expected to highlight the relationship between human factors and safety behavior. Definition of Key Terms Safety behavior can be defined as personal actions that prevent physical injury to self (Nursing Outcome Classifications, 2009). Human factors is defined as environmental, organizational and job factors, and human and individual characteristics which influence behavior at work in a way which can affect health and safety (Health and Safety Executive, 1999) Predisposing factors are the characteristics of the individual such as belief, attitudes and values that facilitate or hinder self-protective behavior. Predisposing factors are conceptualized as providing the motivation for a specific behavior (Subramaniam, 2004). Reinforcing factors involve any reward or punishment that follows or is anticipated as a consequence of the behavior (Subramaniam, 2004). Enabling factors are defined as factors antecedent to behavior that allow motivation or aspiration that is to be realized (Subramaniam, 2004). Small and Medium Enterprise (SMEs) are separately defined by SMIDEC. Small sized business is a business establishment with an annual sales turnover of not more than RM10 million and which employs not more than 50 full time workers while medium sized business is a business establishment with an annual sales turnover of between RM10 million and RM25 million and which employs more than 150 full-time workers. Conclusion This chapter has placed of introduction, problem statement, companys background, research questions, research objectives, significance of the study, and limitations of the study and organizations of the study. The next chapter will tackle the previous literature related to this study such as safety behavior, predisposing, enabling and reinforcing factors. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW Introduction The literature review discussed about all the variables in this research study, which is predisposing factors, reinforcing factors and enabling factors. It is important in order to study the human factors that will influence the safety measures at the workplace. This is also to provide overview from the past research that related to this study. The researcher is using the secondary data as their resources. The literature reviews are used to develop theoretical framework and hypothesis of the study. It also exists in synthesizing the methodology as well as findings. Safety Behavior Hassan, Basha and Hanafi (2007) stated that safety behavior is reflected by good attitude. They also stressed out that many incidents/accidents that occurred in the workplace especially in the building construction sites were due to inadequate adherence of workers to work procedures. Therefore, the interactive relationship between peoples behavior, their attitudes and perceptions they hold, and the situation or environment in workplace should be taken into account (Dedobbeleer et al, 1991). Much of this literature has focused on the concept of safety culture (safety climate), defined as the product of individual and group values, attitudes, perceptions, competencies, and patterns of behavior that determine the organizations safety performance (Health and Safety Commission, 1993, p.23). Rasmussen (1990) expresses concern that despite the growing complexity, size and change in todays technical system, they continue to depend on human involvement for their safe operation. Granot (1998), stated that industrial disaster is truly about people and their behavior. Hale and Glendon (1987) cited the Confederation of British Industry phrase the root of the problem is human behavior. Human Factors Health and Safety Executive (1999) in its publication Reducing Error and influencing behavior has defined human factors as environmental, organizational and job factors, and human and individual characteristics that influence behavior at work in a way, which can affect health and safety. Attention towards human factors role in accident causation has increased recent years and it can be seen by the evolution of models accident causation (DeJoy, 1990). It is important in order to understand the impact of human factors in causing an accident at the workplace. DeJoy (1996) in his study has developed a human factors model that consists three categories of causal factors that consists predisposing, reinforcing and enabling factors and he also provide a control strategies that include in his model: engineering, self protection, and organizational management. Subramaniam (2004) then, adopt this model to study the relationship between human factors and fire safety behavior and lifestyle at re sidential colleges in a local Malaysian university. Eventhough he is adopted DeJoys human factors model, he does not include the control strategies and only study a direct relationship between human factors and fire safety behavior and lifestyle. Hence this study will modified the model in order to provide a more comprehensive model in understanding the human behavior at the workplace. Predisposing Factors According to Subramaniam (2004), person characteristics such as belief, attitudes and values are predisposing factors that facilitate or hinder self-protective behavior. He also stated that predisposing factors can be conceptualized by providing a motivation for a specific behavior. Predisposing factors consists items such as knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, perceptions (Subramaniam, 2004). Knowledge Knowledge agreed well defined as an organized combination of ideas, rules, procedures and information (Subramaniam, 2004). Safety and health knowledge takes on particular importance to workers, especially for the manual workers. Inadequate safety knowledge, pointing to deficiencies with education and training engaging in unsafe acts and the actions, behavior, capabilities and communication of the work team are affected by or shaped by their attitudes, motivations, knowledge, skills, supervision, health and fatigue (Haslam, Hide, Gibb, Gyi, Pavitt, Atkinson and Duff, 2004). Attitudes Most of the researchers agreed that attitudes are also one of the main roots that cause the way how the individual behave. Glendon and Mc Kenna (1995) suggests that attitudes are related to safe and unsafe behaviors. It is agreed that the attitudes will facilitate on how the individual will react or behave. Ajzen and Fishbein (1980) also agreed that attitudes are learned, involved a tendency to act and are consistent and specific to particular stimuli. The current study found that worker safety attitudes (workers concern for safety conflict between productions and safety) was significantly predictive for unsafe behaviors, but only the latter was predictive of workplace accident (Clarke, 2004). Gellor (2001) has investigated the safety triad theory in which he thought that maintaining a continuous process to three domains, which are environment, person, and behavior. Person will reflect the competency of a worker where as the behavior illustrates the attitudes of workers in carrying o ut job safely (Gellor, 2001). Beliefs Beliefs can be concluded as individual strong feeling that something true and real. Mullen (2004) emphasize that individual tend to believe that it is acceptable to continue to engage in unsafe behavior due to the overly optimistic belief that they are immune to or greatly underestimate (Chapin, 2001) the risks associated with the behavior. It can be indicate that an individual feels secure on the routine they had gone through. The individual beliefs that it wont happen to me has been found to be a reason of the unsafe behavior (Mullen, 2004). Perceptions Granot (1998) emphasize that resignation to fate in certain traditional cultures makes it harder to mitigate dangers in some societies than in others. Individual perceived accidents as fate or it is written in their journey of life in some religion supported by Granot (1998) that event occurred is the role of destiny in some Mediterranean cultures, the will of Allah among Muslims or Karma in Hindu Tradition. Reinforcing Factors Reinforcing factors involve any reward or punishment that follows or is anticipated as consequences of the behavior (Subramaniam, 2004). According to Subramaniam (2004), reinforcing factors involved items such as feedback, societal influences, societal opportunities, modeling, and repercussion. In this study, researcher has considered to analyze only three items that is feedback, societal influences, and modeling. It is because previous study by Mullen (2004) has revealed these factors (feedback, societal influences, and modeling) has become the most influenced factors towards safety behavior (Mullen, 2004) Feedback/Communications Zohar (2002) argues that supervisors who demonstrate greater individualized consideration in their supervisory practices encourage open, informal safety communication, which in turns affects injury rate. Researchers agreed that an open conversation between co-workers, supervisor and management about safety issue will lead to the safety behavior. Ineffective communication regarding safety issues occurs between workers within an organization as well as between workers and subcontractors often found to be a factor in the cause of workplace accidents (Ayers and Kleiner, 2000). Hassan et.al (2007) in his analysis of study stated that line management involvement such as relationship with worker, talk on safety and advice on safety matter is related to the workers safety behavior and motivation. According to Cudworth (2010) in her articles on positive impact of communication on safety at Shell stated that communications within the organization plays the vital role to ensure the safety perfo rmance is at the zero level. Societal influences Many of the relevant definitions of safety culture emphasis share attitudes, values and beliefs and stress the interactions with the organizations safety structures and control systems and appropriate behavioral norms (Reason, 1998; Uttal, 1983). Furnham (1997) explains that in terms of the societal, environmental, and historical influence on the organization or group; for example, the evolution of an organization might have some effect on its culture. It means that the environment of work also give effects towards safety behavior. For example, co-workers, supervisor views on the safety itself whether they are concern or not. Modeling It was perceived by the individual that they had to experience some type of shock or close call that would raise their awareness of safety and make them realize the potential consequences of unsafe behavior (Mullen, 2004). It means that from the events that already occurred, it will develop self-protective behavior to inhibits accidents from happen to themselves. Mullen (2004) again stated that management and co-workers play major roles to the workers whether an individual will engaged in unsafe behavior. It shows that individual action also depends on what they saw on other behave and finally it became their norms of working procedures whether it is safe or unsafe. Enabling Factors Subramaniam (2004)has defined enabling factors as factors antecedent to behavior that allow motivation or aspiration that is to be realized. He has classified enabling factors into four items, which are resources, access, policies, and skills. Therefore, the researcher has adopt three items (resources, policies and skills) from the models for further investigation. Resources The desired goal of a safety program cannot be achieved when resources are lacking. An effective safety program is the result of a commitment by top management to give an appropriate level of resources. Management must consider and allocate sufficient resources to carry out day-to-day activities in order to accomplish short and long-term goals (Aksorn et al., 2007). Resources can be considered as the tools and equipment such as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and machinery provided by the management to help them carry their works properly. All equipment tends to wear out with use and requires careful monitoring. Many industrial disaster result from equipment failure (Granot, 1998). Policies Safety does not have to come at a price. When there are cost implications, regulatory bodies and trade associations need to work to make sure there is a level playing field with respect to tendering (Haslam et al., 2005). Developing a safety policy is one of the crucial tasks faced by the company because all the rules and procedures are dealt with their employees. It is important to make sure that the policy are really works and became one of the agents to prevent accident at the workplace. Clarke (2006) suggests that safety interventions need to focus on how individuals perceive their immediate work environment as well as improving safety policy and procedures. Skills Skills are the most crucial items to be deeply looking to ensure that the risk of workers to get involved in the occupational accident can be reduce and behave towards safety. Goldenhar, Williams, and Swanson (2003) found a significant direct effect between job certainty and self-reported occupational injuries and/or near misses for a sample of construction workers. A lack of job clarity may have a direct effect on injuries as this leads to the individual operating in unfamiliar situations, increasing the likelihood of accidents (Hemingway and Smith, 1999). Relationship between Predisposing Factors and Safety Behavior Predisposing factors as mentioned earlier includes knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, perceptions and personality. According to Subramaniam (2004) in his research findings, predisposing factors significantly are positively correlated with the fire safety behavior. Eventhough the study are focusing on the fire safety behavior, the relationship are still relevant to be measured in the safety behavior. Inadequate education and training contributed to approximately 70 percent of a sample of construction accidents studied as a research report published by the HSE (2003b). Attitudes also play a major role in predispose the safety behavio

Human Function: Aristotle’s Basis for Ethical Value Essay -- Philosoph

Human Function: Aristotle’s Basis for Ethical Value I. Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics Depend on the Human Function Aristotle presents a system of virtue ethics in Nicomachean Ethics. This work presents a prescriptive theory with the aim of showing how humans may reach a proper state of happiness in which the natural human end is fulfilled. This end is regarded as an end in itself to which subordinate ends are related. This master end itself is understood as a type of activity rather than a state that can be achieved with a limited series of actions, and this activity is described as a general practice of acting well in accord with reason. The Ethics launches an inquiry into what makes human happiness, or eudaimonia, possible, and Aristotle believes this is the highest good for mankind. Aristotle expresses this good as being the highest end that action reaches for, which is something self-sufficient, and he suggests that to understand action we should understand function. He presents his concept of the human function and says that humans must function well in order to reach the highest good. Funct ioning well is what is understood as virtue, and so his system of virtue ethics is overall concerned with humans functioning well. Functioning well is seen as aiming at a mean between excess and deficiency. The virtue of a thing is understood in terms of its function. A function fulfills a need, and a need is met by being provided the right amount of something but not too much or too little. This is why a craftsman designs goods without excess or deficiency — so that they will function well — and likewise human virtue must be understood as aiming between excess and deficiency. So the Nicomachean Ethics develops a system where all val... ...ve. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 1998. Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics. Trans. David Ross. New York: Oxford University Press, 1925. Irwin, Terence. Aristotle’s First Principles. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988. Kraut, Richard. Aristotle on the Human Good. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1989. MacIntyre, Alasdair. After Virtue. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1981. Plato. Protagoras. Trans. Stanley Lombardo and Karen Bell. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 1992. Reeve, C. D. C. Practices of Reason: Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992. 1 C. D. C. Reeve, Practices of Reason: Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics (New York: Oxford University Press, 1992) 124. 2 Richard Kraut, Aristotle on the Human Good (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1989) 313-16. 3 Reeve 125-26.

The Fate of a Hero in Beowulf Essay -- Epic of Beowulf Essays

The Fate of a Hero â€Å"For a brief while your strength is in bloom/ but it fades quickly; and soon there will follow/ illness or the sword to lay you low†¦ and death will arrive, dear warrior, to sweep you away†(1761-8). Hrothgar bestows his wisdom onto Beowulf after Beowulf has defeated Grendel and his mother. Hrothgar reminds him not to let pride overcome him for everything is eventually defeated due to the power of fate. This exemplifies a theme woven throughout the story of Beowulf. Beowulf is presented as a valiant hero, slaying beasts with his mighty strength and demonstrating the importance of the balance between wisdom and strength, but as the story unfolds Beowulf slowly loses his vitality until eventually he is defeated. This shows the power of fate has on everyone; no exceptions. This paper will demonstrate the heroic qualities of Beowulf and show his gradual decline through the approaches and outcomes of his three battles with the monsters. In the beginning of the story, Beowulf’s journey brings him to the land of the Danes where he is first intruded upon by a coast guard. Immediately upon seeing Beowulf the coast guard remarks on his impressive appearance. â€Å"Nor have I seen/ a mightier man-at-arms on this Earth/ than the one standing here: unless I am mistaken,/ he is truly noble† (247-50). A warrior named Wulfgar, impressed by Beowulf and his men, delivers his request for passage into the land of Denmark from King of the Danes, Hrothgar. His family background and reputation are familiar to Hrothgar, and he eagerly welcomes them to Denmark. Wulfgar reports back to Beowulf, â€Å"My lord, the conquering king of Danes, bids me announce that he knows you ancestry: also that he welcomes you here to Herot†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (391-3). This scene shows the importance of appearance and reputation, without which Beowulf may never have been admitted to the land of the Danes at all. Once he gains passage into Denmark, Beowulf talks with Hrothgar and his closest followers in the mead hall about how he will destroy this beast or die trying. â€Å"I meant to perform to the uttermost what your people wanted or perish in the attempt, in the fiend’s clutches. And I shall fulfill that purpose, prove myself with a proud deed or meet my death here in the mead-hall† (634-8). His speech to Hrothgar shows Beowulf’s courage and confidence in his abilities. He also chooses not use any weapons or ar... ...e failed his people. His choice to conquer this dragon seems to be the obvious choice for a warrior. He must protect his people. But Beowulf seems so caught up in the surreal threats such as, monsters and dragons, he fails to realize the real peril he has left his people in. Beowulf is aware of his age and uneasy feeling toward his success yet he chooses to take on the dragon anyways. Although the dragon is defeated the Geat people are presented with even greater danger of the Sweds who will surely pounce on their nation. Therefore, throughout the story Beowulf is presented as the ultimate hero; demonstrating the strength of thirty men in his grasp while also using his powerful insight to avoid unnecessary conflict. His surreal strength and wisdom allow Beowulf to accomplish great feats within his time. He not only saves the land of the Danes form the terrorizing monsters but serves and protects his own people as well. Despite his heroic qualities, his humanity is proven by showing his eventual downfall; expressing that even the greatest heroes cannot live forever. Beowulf’s heroic qualities can only hold him above the rest until fate takes its toll and he too becomes defeated.

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 10

Chapter 10 The angel and I had been watching a movie about Moses. Raziel was angry because there were no angels in it. No one in the movie looked like any Egyptian I ever met. â€Å"Did Moses look like that?† I asked Raziel, who was worrying the crust off of a goat cheese pizza in between spitting vitriol at the screen. â€Å"No,† said Raziel, â€Å"but that other fellow looks like Pharaoh.† â€Å"Really?† â€Å"Yep,† said Raziel. He slurped the last of a Coke through a straw making a rude noise, then tossed the paper cup across the room into the wastebasket. â€Å"So you were there, during the Exodus?† â€Å"Right before. I was in charge of locusts.† â€Å"How was that?† â€Å"Didn't care for it. I wanted the plague of frogs. I like frogs.† â€Å"I like frogs too.† â€Å"You wouldn't have liked the plague of frogs. Stephan was in charge. A seraphim.† He shook his head as if I should know some sad inside fact about seraphim. â€Å"We lost a lot of frogs. â€Å"I suppose it's for the best, though,† Raziel said with a sigh. â€Å"You can't have a someone who likes frogs bring a plague of frogs. If I'd done it, it would have been more of a friendly gathering of frogs.† â€Å"That wouldn't have worked,† I said. â€Å"Well, it didn't work anyway, did it? I mean, Moses, a Jew, thought it up. Frogs were unclean to the Jews. To the Jews it was a plague. To the Egyptians it was like having a big feast of frog legs drop from the sky. Moses missed it on that one. I'm just glad we didn't listen to him on the plague of pork.† â€Å"Really, he wanted to bring down a plague of pork? Pigs falling from the sky?† â€Å"Pig pieces. Ribs, hams, feet. He wanted everything bloody. You know, unclean pork and unclean blood. The Egyptians would have eaten the pork. We talked him into just the blood.† â€Å"Are you saying that Moses was a dimwit?† I wasn't being ironic when I asked this, I was aware that I was asking the eternal dimwit of them all. Still†¦ â€Å"No, he just wasn't concerned with results,† said the angel. â€Å"The Lord had hardened Pharaoh's heart against letting the Jews go. We could have dropped oxen from the sky and he wouldn't have changed his mind.† â€Å"That would have been something to see,† I said. â€Å"I suggested that it rain fire,† the angel said. â€Å"How'd that go?† â€Å"It was pretty. We only had it rain on the stone palaces and monuments. Burning up all of the Jews would sort of defeated the purpose.† â€Å"Good thinking,† I said. â€Å"Well, I'm good with weather,† said the angel. â€Å"Yeah, I know,† I said. Then I thought about it a second, about how Raziel nearly wore out our poor room service waiter Jesus delivering orders of ribs the day they were the special. â€Å"You didn't suggest fire, initially, did you? You just suggested that it rain barbecued pork, didn't you?† â€Å"That guy doesn't look anything like Moses,† the angel said. That day, thrashing in the sea, trying to swim to catch the merchant ship that plowed through the water under full sail, I first saw that Raziel was, as he claimed, â€Å"good with weather.† Joshua was leaning over the aftrail of the ship, shouting alternately to me, then to Titus. It was pretty obvious that even under the light wind that day, I would never catch the ship, and when I looked in the direction of shore I could see nothing but water. Strange, the things you think of at times like that. What I thought first was â€Å"What an incredibly stupid way to die.† Next I thought, â€Å"Joshua will never make it without me.† And with that, I began to pray, not for my own salvation but for Joshua. I prayed for the Lord to keep him safe, then I prayed for Maggie's safety and happiness. Then, as I shrugged off my shirt and fell into a slow crawl in the direction of the shoreline, which I knew I would never see, the wind stopped. Just stopped. The sea flattened and the only sound I could hear was the frightened cries of the crew of Titus's ship, which had stopped in the water as if it had dropped anchor. â€Å"Biff, this way!† Joshua called. I turned in the water to see my friend waving to me from the stern of the becalmed ship. Beside him, Titus cowered like a frightened child. On the mast above them sat a winged figure, who after I swam to the ship and was hoisted out by a very frightened bunch of sailors, I recognized as the angel Raziel. Unlike the times when we had seen him before, he wore robes as black as pitch, and the feathers in his wings shone the blue-black of the sea under moonlight. As I joined Joshua on the raised poop deck at the stern of the ship, the angel took wing and gently landed on the deck beside us. Titus was shielding his head with his arms, as if to ward off an attacker, and he looked as if he were trying to dissolve between the deck boards. â€Å"You,† Raziel said to the Phoenician, and Titus looked up between his arms. â€Å"No harm is to come to these two.† Titus nodded, tried to say something, then gave up when his voice broke under the weight of his fear. I was a little frightened myself. Decked out in black, the angel was a fearsome sight, even if he was on our side. Joshua, on the other hand, seemed completely at ease. â€Å"Thank you,† Josh said to the angel. â€Å"He's a cur, but he's my best friend.† â€Å"I'm good with weather,† the angel said. And as if that explained everything, he flapped his massive black wings and lifted off the deck. The sea was dead calm until the angel was out of sight over the horizon, then the breeze picked up, the sails filled, and waves began to lap at the bow. Titus ventured a peek from his cowed position, then stood up slowly and took one of the steering oars under his arm. â€Å"I'm going to need a new shirt,† I said. â€Å"You can have mine,† Titus said. â€Å"We should sail closer along the coast, don't you think?† I said. â€Å"On the way, good master,† Titus said. â€Å"On the way.† â€Å"Your mother eats the fungus from the feet of lepers,† I said. â€Å"I've been meaning to speak to her about that,† Titus said. â€Å"So we understand each other,† I said. â€Å"Absolutely,† Titus said. â€Å"Crap,† Joshua said. â€Å"I forgot to ask the angel about knowing women again.† For the rest of the journey Titus was much more agreeable, and strangely enough, we didn't have to man any of the huge oars when we pulled into port, nor did we have to help unload or load any cargo. The crew avoided us altogether, and tended the pigs for us without our even asking. My fear of sailing subsided after a day, and as the steady breeze carried us north, Joshua and I would watch the dolphins that came to ride the ship's bow wave, or lie on the deck at night, breathing in the smell of cedar coming off the ship's timbers, listening to the creaking of rope and rigging, and trying to imagine aloud what it would be like when we found Balthasar. If it hadn't been for Joshua's constant badgering about what sex was like, it would have been a pleasant journey indeed. â€Å"Fornication isn't the only sin, Josh,† I tried to explain. â€Å"I'm happy to help out, but are you going to have me steal so I can explain it to you? Will you have me kill someone next so you can understand it?† â€Å"No, the difference is that I don't want to kill anyone.† â€Å"Okay, I'll tell you again. You got your loins, and she's got her loins. And even though you call them both loins, they're different – â€Å" â€Å"I understand the mechanics of it. What I don't understand is the feeling of it.† â€Å"Well, it feels good, I told you that.† â€Å"But that doesn't seem right. Why would the Lord make sin feel good, then condemn man for it?† â€Å"Look, why don't you try it?† I said. â€Å"It would be cheaper that way. Or better yet, get married, then it wouldn't even be sin.† â€Å"Then it wouldn't be the same, would it?† Josh asked. â€Å"How would I know, I've never been married.† â€Å"Is it always the same for you?† â€Å"Well, in some ways, yes.† â€Å"In what ways?† â€Å"Well, so far, it seems to be moist.† â€Å"Moist?† â€Å"Yeah, but I can't say it's always that way, just in my experience. Maybe we should ask a harlot?† â€Å"Better yet,† Joshua said, looking around, â€Å"I'll ask Titus. He's older, and he looks as if he's sinned a lot.† â€Å"Yeah, well, if you count throwing Jews in the sea, I'd say he's an expert, but that doesn't mean – â€Å" Joshua had run to the stern of the ship, up a ladder to the raised poop deck, and to a small, open-sided tent that acted as the captain's quarters. Under the tent Titus reclined on a pile of rugs, drinking from a wineskin, which I saw him hand to Joshua. By the time I caught up with him Titus was saying, â€Å"So you want to know about fucking? Well, son, you have come to the right place. I've fucked a thousand women, half again as many boys, some sheep, pigs, a few chickens, and the odd turtle. What is it you want to know?† â€Å"Stand away from him, Josh,† I said, taking the wineskin and handing it back to Titus as I pushed Joshua back. â€Å"The wrath of God could hit him at any moment. Jeez, a turtle, that's got to be an abomination.† Titus flinched when I mentioned the wrath of God, as if the angel might return to perch on his mast any second. Joshua stood his ground. â€Å"Right now let's just stick with the women part of it, if that's all right.† Joshua patted Titus's arm to reassure him. I knew how that touch felt: Titus would feel the fear run out of him like water. â€Å"I've fucked every kind of woman there is. I've fucked Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Jews, Ethiopians, and women from places that haven't even been named yet. I've fucked fat ones, skinny ones, women with no legs, women with – â€Å" â€Å"Are you married?† Joshua interrupted before the sailor started into how he had fucked them in a box, with a fox, in a house, with a mouse†¦ â€Å"I have a wife in Rome.† â€Å"Is it the same with your wife and, say, a harlot?† â€Å"What, fucking? No, it's not the same at all.† â€Å"It's moist,† I said. â€Å"Right?† â€Å"Well, yes, it's moist. But that's not – â€Å" I grabbed Joshua's tunic and started to drag him away. â€Å"There you have it. Let's go, Josh. Now you know, sin is moist. Make a mental note. Let's get some supper.† Titus was laughing. â€Å"You Jews and your sin. You know if you had more gods you wouldn't have to be so worried about making one angry?† â€Å"Right,† I said, â€Å"I'm going to take spiritual advice from a guy who fucks turtles.† â€Å"You shouldn't be so judgmental, Biff,† Joshua said. â€Å"You're not without sin yourself.† â€Å"Oh, you and your holier-than-thou attitude. You can just do your own sinning from now on if that's how you feel. You think I enjoy bedding harlots night after night, describing the whole process to you over and over?† â€Å"Well, yeah,† Joshua said. â€Å"That's not the point. The point is, well†¦the point is†¦well. Guilt. I mean – turtles. I mean – † So I was flustered. Sue me. I'd never look at a turtle again without imagining it being molested by a scruffy Phoenician sailor. That's not disturbing to you? Imagine it right now. I'll wait. See? â€Å"He's gone mad,† Titus said. â€Å"You shut up, you scurvy viper,† Joshua said. â€Å"What about not being judgmental?† Titus said. â€Å"That's him,† Josh said. â€Å"It's different for me.† And suddenly, having said that, Joshua looked as sad as I had ever seen him. He slouched away toward the pigpen, where he sat down and cradled his head in his hands as if he'd just been crowned with the weight of all the worries of mankind. He kept to himself until we left the ship. The Silk Road, the main vein of trade and custom and culture from the Roman world to the Far East, terminated where it met the sea at the port city of Selucia Pieria, the harbor city and naval stronghold that had fed and guarded Antioch since the time of Alexander. As we left the ship with the rest of the crew, Captain Titus stopped us at the gangplank. He held his hands, palm down. Joshua and I reached out and Titus dropped the coins we'd paid for passage into our palms. â€Å"I might have been holding a brace of scorpions, but you two reached out without a thought.† â€Å"It was a fair price to pay,† Joshua said. â€Å"You don't have to return our money.† â€Å"I almost drowned your friend. I'm sorry.† â€Å"You asked if he could swim before you threw him in. He had a chance.† I looked at Joshua's eyes to see if he was joking, but it was obvious he wasn't. â€Å"Still,† Titus said. â€Å"So perhaps you will be given a chance someday as well,† Joshua said. â€Å"A slim fucking chance,† I added. Titus grinned at me. â€Å"Follow the shore of the harbor until it becomes a river. That's the Onrontes. Follow its left bank and you'll be in Antioch by nightfall. In the market there will be an old woman who sells herbs and charms. I don't remember her name, but she has only one eye and she wears a tunic of Tyran purple. If there is a magician in Antioch she will know where to find him.† â€Å"How do you know this old woman?† I asked. â€Å"I buy my tiger penis powder from her.† Joshua looked at me for explanation. â€Å"What?† I said. â€Å"I've had a couple of harlots, I didn't exchange recipes.† Then I looked to Titus. â€Å"Should I have?† â€Å"It's for my knees,† the sailor said. â€Å"They hurt when it rains.† Joshua took my shoulder and started to lead me away. â€Å"Go with God, Titus,† he said. â€Å"Put in a good word with the black-winged one for me,† Titus said. Once we were into the wash of merchants and sailors around the harbor, I said, â€Å"He gave us the money back because the angel scared him, you know that?† â€Å"So his kindness allayed his fear as well as benefiting us,† Joshua said. â€Å"All the better. Do you think the priests sacrifice the lambs at Passover for better reasons?† â€Å"Oh, right,† I said, having no idea what one had to do with the other, wondering still if tigers didn't object to having their penises powdered. (Keeps them from chafing, I guess, but that's got to be a dangerous job.) â€Å"Let's go find this old crone,† I said. The shore of the Onrontes was a stream of life and color, textures and smells, from the harbor all the way into the marketplace at Antioch. There were people of every size and color that I had ever imagined, some shoeless and dressed in rags, others wearing expensive silks and the purple linen from Tyre, said to be dyed with the blood of a poisonous snail. There were ox carts, litters, and sedan chairs carried by as many as eight slaves. Roman soldiers on horseback and on foot policed the crowd, while sailors from a dozen nations reveled in drink and noise and the feel of land beneath their feet. Merchants and beggars and traders and whores scurried for the turn of a coin, while self-appointed prophets spouted dogma from atop the mooring posts where ships tied off along the river – holy men lined up and preaching like a line of noisy Greek columns. Smoke rose fragrant and blue over the streaming crowd, carrying the smell of spice and grease from braziers in the food booths whe re men and women hawked their fare in rhythmic, haunting songs that all ran together as you walked along – as if one passed his song to the next so you might never experience a second of silence. The only thing I had ever seen that approached this was the line of pilgrims leading into Jerusalem on the feast days, but there we never saw so much color, heard so much noise, felt so much excitement. We stopped at a stand and bought a hot black drink from a wrinkled old man wearing a tanned bird carcass as a hat. He showed us how he made the drink from the seeds of berries that were first roasted, then ground into powder, then mixed with boiling water. We got this whole story by way of pantomime, as the man spoke none of the languages we were familiar with. He mixed the drink with honey and gave it to us, but when I tasted it, it still didn't seem to taste right. It seemed, I don't know, too dark. I saw a woman leading a nanny goat nearby, and I took Joshua's cup from him and ran after the woman. With the woman's permission, I squirted a bit of milk from the nanny goat's udder onto the top of each of our cups. The old man protested, making it seem as if we'd committed some sort of sacrilege, but the milk had come out warm and frothy and it served to take away the bitterness of the black drink. Joshua downed his, then asked the old man for two more, as well as handing the woman wi th the goat a small brass coin for her trouble. Josh gave the second drink back to the old man to taste, and after much grimacing, he took a sip. A smile crossed his toothless mouth and before we left he seemed to be striking some sort of deal with the woman with the goat. I watched the old man grind beans in a copper cylinder while the woman milked her goat into a deep clay bowl. There was a spice vendor next door and I could smell the cinnamon, cloves, and allspice that lay loose in baskets on the ground. â€Å"You know,† I said to the woman in Latin, â€Å"when you two get this all figured out, try sprinkling a little ground cinnamon on it. It just might make it perfect.† â€Å"You're losing your friend,† she said. I turned and looked around, catching the top of Joshua's head just as he turned a corner into the Antioch market and a new push of people. I ran to catch up to him. Joshua was bumping people in the crowd as he passed, seemingly on purpose, and murmuring just loud enough so I could hear him each time he hit someone with a shoulder or an elbow. â€Å"Healed that guy. Healed her. Stopped her suffering. Healed him. Comforted him. Ooo, that guy was just stinky. Healed her. Whoops, missed. Healed. Healed. Comforted. Calmed.† People were turning to look back at Josh, the way one will when a stranger steps on one's foot, except these people all seemed to be either smiling or baffled, not annoyed as I expected. â€Å"What are you doing?† I asked. â€Å"Practicing,† Joshua said. â€Å"Whoa, bad toe-jam.† He spun on his heel, nearly turning his foot out of his sandal, and smacked a short bald man on the back of the head. â€Å"All better now.† The bald guy turned and looked back to see who had hit him. Josh was backing down the street. â€Å"How's your toe?† Joshua asked in Latin. â€Å"Good,† the bald guy said, and he smiled, sorta goofy and dreamy, like his toe had just sent him a message that all was right with the world. â€Å"Go with God, and – † Josh spun, jumped, came down with each hand on a stranger's shoulder and shouted, â€Å"Yes! Double healing! Go with God, friends, two times!† I was getting sort of uncomfortable. People had started to follow us through the crowd. Not a lot of people, but a few. Maybe five or six, each of them with that dreamy smile on his face. â€Å"Joshua, maybe you should, uh, calm down a little.† â€Å"Can you believe all of these people need healing? Healed him.† Josh leaned back and whispered in my ear. â€Å"That guy had the pox. He'll pee without pain for the first time in years. ‘Scuse me.† He turned back into the crowd. â€Å"Healed, healed, calmed, comforted.† â€Å"We're strangers here, Josh. You're attracting attention to us. This might not be safe†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"It's not like they're blind or missing limbs. We'll have to stop if we run into something serious. Healed! God bless you. Oh, you no speak Latin? Uh – Greek? Hebrew? No?† â€Å"He'll figure it out, Josh,† I said. â€Å"We should look for the old woman.† â€Å"Oh, right. Healed!† Josh slapped the pretty woman very hard in the face. Her husband, a large man in a leather tunic, didn't look pleased. He pulled a dagger from his belt and started to advance on Joshua. â€Å"Sorry, sir,† Joshua said, not backing up. â€Å"Couldn't be helped. Small demon, had to be banished from her. Sent it into that dog over there. Go with God. Thank you, thank you very much.† The woman grabbed her husband by the arm and swung him around. She still had Joshua's handprint on her face, but she was smiling. â€Å"I'm back!† she said to her husband. â€Å"I'm back.† She shook him and the anger seemed to drain out of him. He looked back at Joshua with an expression of such dismay that I thought he might faint. He dropped his knife and threw his arms around his wife. Joshua ran forward and threw his arms around them both. â€Å"Would you stop it please?† I pleaded. â€Å"But I love these people,† Josh said. â€Å"You do, don't you?† â€Å"Yeah.† â€Å"He was going to kill you.† â€Å"It happens. He just didn't understand. He does now.† â€Å"Glad he caught on. Let's find the old lady.† â€Å"Yes, then let's go back and get another one of those hot drinks,† Joshua said. We found the hag selling a bouquet of monkey feet to a fat trader dressed in striped silks and a wide conical hat woven from some sort of tough grass. â€Å"But these are all back feet,† the trader protested. â€Å"Same magic, better price,† said the hag, pulling back a shawl she wore over one side of her face to reveal a milky white eye. This was obviously her intimidation move. The trader wasn't having it. â€Å"It is a well-known fact that the front paw of a monkey is the best talisman for telling the future, but the back – â€Å" â€Å"You'd think the monkey would see something coming,† I said, and they both looked at me as if I'd just sneezed on their falafel. The old woman drew back as if to cast a spell, or maybe a rock, at me. â€Å"If that were true,† I continued, â€Å"I mean – about telling the future with a monkey paw – I mean – because he would have four of them – paws, that is – and, uh – never mind.† â€Å"How much are these?† said Joshua, holding up a handful of dried newts from the hag's baskets. The old woman turned to Josh. â€Å"You can't use that many,† the hag said. â€Å"I can't?† asked Joshua. â€Å"These are useless,† said the merchant, waving the hind legs and feet of two and a half former monkeys, which looked like tiny people feet, except that they were furry and the toes were longer. â€Å"If you're a monkey I'll bet they come in handy to keep your butt from dragging on the ground,† I said, ever the peacemaker. â€Å"Well, how many do I need?† Joshua asked, wondering how his diversion to save me had turned into a negotiation for newt crispies. â€Å"How many of your camels are constipated?† asked the crone. Joshua dropped the dried newts back into their basket. â€Å"Well, uh†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Do those work?† asked the merchant. â€Å"For plugged-up camels, I mean.† â€Å"Never fails.† The merchant scratched his pointed beard with a monkey foot. â€Å"I'll meet your price on these worthless monkey feet if you throw in a handful of newts.† â€Å"Deal,† said the crone. The merchant opened a satchel he had slung around his shoulder and dropped in his monkey feet, then followed them with a handful of newts. â€Å"So how do these work? Make them into tea and have the camel drink it?† â€Å"Other end,† said the crone. â€Å"They go in whole. Count to one hundred and step back.† The merchant's eyes went wide, then narrowed into a squint and he turned to me. â€Å"Kid,† he said, â€Å"if you can count to a hundred, I've got a job for you.† â€Å"He'd love to work for you, sir,† Joshua said, â€Å"but we have to find Balthasar the magus.† The crone hissed and backed to the corner of her booth, covering all of her face but her milky eye. â€Å"How do you know of Balthasar?† She held her hands in front of her like claws and I could see her trembling. â€Å"Balthasar!† I shouted at her, and the old woman nearly jumped through the wall behind her. I snickered and was ready to Balthasar! her again when Josh interrupted. â€Å"Balthasar came from here to Bethlehem to witness my birth,† said Joshua. â€Å"I'm seeking his counsel. His wisdom.† â€Å"You would hail the darkness, you would consort with demons and fly with the evil Djinn like Balthasar? I won't have you near my booth, be gone from here.† She made the sign of the evil eye, which in her case was redundant. â€Å"No, no, no,† I said. â€Å"None of that. The magus left some, uh, frankincense at Joshua's house. We need to return it to him.† The old woman regarded me with her good eye. â€Å"You're lying.† â€Å"Yes, he is,† said Josh. â€Å"BALTHASAR!† I screamed in her face. It didn't have the same effect as the first time around and I was a little disappointed. â€Å"Stop that,† she said. Joshua reached out to take her craggy hand. â€Å"Grandmother,† he said, â€Å"our ship's captain, Titus Inventius, said you would know where to find Balthasar. Please help us.† The old woman seemed to relax, and just when I thought she was going to smile, she raked her nails across Joshua's hand and leapt back. â€Å"Titus Inventius is a scalawag,† she shouted. Joshua stared at the blood welling up in the scratches on the back of his hand and I thought for a second that he might faint. He never understood it when someone was violent or unkind. I'd probably be half a day explaining to him why the old woman scratched him, but right then I was furious. â€Å"You know what? You know what? You know what?† I was waving my finger under her nose. â€Å"You scratched the Son of God. That's your ass, that's what.† â€Å"The magus is gone from Antioch, and good riddance to him,† screeched the crone. The fat trader had been watching this the whole time without saying a word, but now he began laughing so hard that I could barely hear the old woman wheezing out curses. â€Å"So you want to find Balthasar, do you, God's Son?† Joshua came out of the stunned contemplation of his wounds and looked at the trader. â€Å"Yes, sir, do you know him?† â€Å"Who do you think the monkey's feet are for? Follow me.† He whirled on his heel and sauntered away without another word. As we followed the trader into an alley so narrow that his shoulders nearly touched the sides, I turned back to the old crone and shouted, â€Å"Your ass, hag! Mark my words.† She hissed and made the sign of the evil eye again. â€Å"She was a little creepy,† Joshua said, looking at the scratches on his hand again. â€Å"Don't be judgmental, Josh, you're not without creepiness yourself.† â€Å"Where do you think this guy is leading us?† â€Å"Probably somewhere where he can murder and kill us.† â€Å"Yeah, at least one of those.†