Employee Relations Essay Example for Free

Employee Relations Essay In various business organizations, we find that, many employees are neglected and are most often demoralized, not motivated in performing their duties in the particular organisation, thus encouraging a poor employee relations, but in the United Kingdom, many businesses are flourishing, since they have set up an enabled system that tends to come up with factors that makes the firm to get a frequent and significant recognition of its employees, thus enhancing a good employee relations. The factors that are known to be most influential in the shaping of these employee relations in the United Kingdom are as follows: Communication In this case, we find that, most managers come up with a system to re-examine the performance of their employees. This system normally, include a precise communication system that brings an understanding between the employees and the management team, under which, the employees seem to appreciate the principles on which they are assessed thus, encouraging justice and equal opportunities in the organisation. The firms have an established internal coordination system and structure; this is usually a practical cooperation that helps to build stronger relationships among the employees. Thus there is the recognition of each employee’s contributions. In a firm every department has employees with different skills that are required at different roles. Therefore, the managers bring all these skills together, so that the firms objectives are achieved, and therefore, each employee is meant to understand what these objectives are, and how the different skills and functions within the firm are to contribute in achieving the goals of having a better employee relations, therefore they should know why they need to support each others efforts. Motivation The success of an organisation basically, depends on the employees using their full skills and knowledge in their production, therefore, these employees require motivation, and this motivation can be done in different ways and by different things. The employee Motivation in the United Kingdom normally involves, the compensation system which is the activity of giving the employees what they really want most from work, it therefore makes the manager, get his expectations from the employees, this expectations may include; production of quality goods and services. Motivation will enable the employees to have their goals in the organisation achieved; they will have a positive perspective on their position in the organisation. Motivation also creates the influence to change and build employees self-esteem and capacity to work. The managers have the responsibility of motivating workers, when the organizational structure is experiencing changes, and in this case, we find that the manager comes up with a plan that is used to define the environmental factors that brings an atmosphere of integrity, honesty, and confidence to the employees. Under this, the managers’ plan considers the factors that motivate the employees; this involves the determination of the important factors to the employee in his working life, and how they relate to his productivity. He also finds out what motivates the employees in their work, this is a situation where, we find most employees wanting a privileged compensation, an enhanced working environment, and flexible benefits from the amount of work that they do. This is always done by, asking them during the performance assessment, attitude inspection, and is also retrieved from informal discussion on what the employees want most from their jobs. On the other hand, the managers also spot the de-motivating factors of the organisation to the employees; these factors may be physical factors which include buildings or equipment or psychological factors such as monotony, injustice, barriers to promotion and lack of appreciation which normally affects the employee relations in an organisation. Since most workers in the United Kingdom claim to be working for money, and that their extreme benefit is encouragement; under this, money is always regarded to be a low motivator, and that it is only a short time motivator, after a rise is given to the employees salary, so the managers are always aware that benefits given after a particular performance rarely motivate their employees to use their potential effectively, most of the employees say that, the benefits are only used to motivate the new employees in the organisation but not the existing ones. Change Management Poor employee relations is normally said to be a leading factor to a change in an organizations’ performance; therefore most managers have been seen adopting a policy for managing changes within their organizations. In this case, we find that the introduction of this change is always meant to be motivating to the employees, since it is always used as an entry to the firms’ better achievement of its goals. To achieve a positive change in an organisation in the UK, the managers do not tell or instruct the employees, this does not help, but it only creates ignorance to the doubts and expectations of the employees, therefore the management team in an organization carry out discussions, through which the sharing of a particular problem helps in the creation of a better actions in dealing with the issues that are predicted to affect the productivity of the firm, due to the shared ideas and decision making processes derived from the open discussions, the employees are able to realize a change in the organizational performance. Changes in any organisation in the United Kingdom, normally involve learning, where the managers are able to know the learning capabilities of every employee in the organisation. Under this, one finds that his employees are categorized as follows; activists the manager may find that some of his employees like involving themselves in new ideas, problems, or opportunities meaning that, they do not like being impartial, Theorists, this is the category of learners, who are always comfortable with ideas they do not prefer involving themselves deeply without a reason. The other category is that of reflectors; they like taking time to think through things, thus they do not like being forced to move from one thing to another rashly and lastly the pragmatists they normally prefer to be linked between issues and their job description. Therefore, the manager is always in a position to deal with his employees who have different learning preferences and approaches, who may also respond differently to diverse situations affecting the organisation. In this learning process the manager is expected to give feedback, that plays a major role in motivating the employees, thus he should not leave the employees guessing the progress of their accomplishments, therefore, the managers always give adequate and accurate information on the development. Employee Recognition This is another factor that the employers put into consideration for the organisation to improve its employee relations, this is basically a communication instrument, which strengthens and compensates the most significant production that the employees have created for the organisation. The recognition structure is always made simple, instant, and effectively supportive to the employees’ relations and the organisation at large. Under this, the management team ensures that a principle for performance is established, involving the rewardable behaviour of the employees thus all of them are entitled to the recognition by the employer. This recognition supplies the employees with specific information about the behaviour they are being rewarded for. The management therefore, states that any employee who performs at a specified level receives a reward. Basically recognition occurs hand in hand with performance of the employees, thus it reinforces the employees’ encouragement and thus improving the workforce relations. Culture This is another factor that is most influential in the employee relations in an organisation, culture basically means, the environment surrounding an employee at work. In the United Kingdom we find that, culture is meant to shape the relationship of an employee and his work in an organisation. Culture represents an employee’s personality that carries principles, attitude, fundamental interests, knowledge, background, and behaviour that creates a person’s behaviour. Culture is particularly inclined by the organization’s management team due to the roles in decision making and strategic direction they impose in the organisation. We find the managers put in mind that culture is learned, thus employees are capable of learning how to perform, employees value rewards that are not associated with behaviours, since they have different needs, shared rewards from co-workers or have their most important needs met in their departments or project teams.

A burn injuries

A burn injuries Interpretation Exercise Burn injuries are most often caused when the skin comes in direct contact with a naked flame or a hot surface. Scalding can occur when there is contact with a hot liquid. There are several other types of burns such as chemical, caused by strong acids or bases, and radiation, the most commonly known example being sunburn from UV light. Burns are classified by degree, where severity increases with a higher degree. A newer classification system separates burns into three categories: superficial, partial thickness and full thickness burns. The patient in the scenario has a full thickness third degree burn. This usually results in loss of the outer skin layer (epidermis) causing the patients skin to be numb and feel hard and leathery to the touch. This degree of burn requires immediate medical attention as they do not heal on their own. Proteins at the site of injury denature and cells eventually die, marked by the formation of black eschar at the centre of the wound. Once the skin barrier has been broken, the homeostatic functions of the skin are lost. There is rapid loss of body fluid and blood plasma which can sometimes cause visible swelling. As the skin is the bodys first line of defence, burn wound infections correlate with the size of the burn injury. The epidermis constantly sheds off and takes harmful bacteria with it. Furthermore, the acidic nature of the skin prevents the entry of microorganisms that generally prefer neutral conditions. Burns are also associated with a depressed immune response. Given this information, it is no surprise that infection is the principal cause of death in burn victims. As it is a third degree burn, the patient will have spent some time in hospital where there is a greater risk of infection. Patient to patient contact via hospital equipment and staff allows rapid transmission of pathogenic bacteria. The burn wound is a favourable site for opportunistic colonization by pathogens because the eschar provides a moist, protein rich environment which encourages bacterial growth. The excess of necrotic tissue provides a rich growth medium for the microorganism. In the clinical presentation, the patient complained of fever, chills and an unpleasant smelling discharge from the burn wound. These are all signs of infection so the doctor was correct to prescribe the patient an antibiotic. However, on the basis of the array of microbiology data collected in the laboratory, the doctors choice of antibiotic was incorrect. A two week course of flucloxacillin 500mg was prescribed to the patient to be taken orally 4 times daily. Flucloxacillin is an antibiotic belonging to the penicillin group. It is used to treat infections caused by gram-positive bacteria, most commonly Staphylococcus aureus. In the laboratory, the microscopic slide was examined under a microscope using the oil immersion lens. Rod shaped microorganisms were observed and they were stained a pink/red colour. This indicates the bacteria present in the pus samples is gram negative. Therefore, flucloxacillin would have no therapeutic effect to the patient as it is only bactericidal again st gram-positive cells. The three agar plates were examined and observations on the colour, shape, size and smell of the colonies was noted. There was no visible growth on the Mannitol salt agar (MSA) plate. This type of selective agar is used to isolate Staphylococcus aureus as it inhibits most other bacteria due to its high sodium chloride concentration (7.5 %w/v). The absence of growth on the MSA plate provides further evidence that there is no Staphylococcus aureus colonisation in the patient. The colonies on the cetrimide agar were a pale, cloudy brown colour and gave off the smell of rotting fruit. The use of cetrimide agar as a selective and differential agar allows for the isolation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a gram-negative microorganism. Cetrimide is an ammonia compound which inhibits most bacteria, including some Pseudomonas species (but not P. aeruginosa). It also enhances production of the pigment pyocyanin which results in bright green colonies. However, some strains of P. aeruginosa do not produce the pigment. The growth on this plate confirmed the pathogen present in the patient is Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the colourless colonies indicate it is a non-pigment producing strain. There was also growth on the MacConkey agar where the colonies were somewhat colourless but had an orange tinge. MacConkey agar is a selective differential medium used to identify gram-negative bacteria and determine whether they are lactose fermenters. Fermenters appear as bright red colonies whilst non-fermenters are relatively colourless. As there was growth on this plate, the microorganism is definitely gram-negative but not a fermenter due to the absence of red colonies. P. aeruginosa does not ferment lactose which explains the colour of the colonies. An oxidase test was carried out which gave a positive result, indicated by a deep blue colour at the end of the test stick. An oxidase positive microbe possesses the enzyme required in the final stage of respiration to form metabolic water. Only aerobic or facultatively anaerobic microorganisms give a positive result. This biochemical test presents further evidence that P. aeruginosa is the infection causing bacteria because it is an obligate aerobe and therefore possess the cytochrome oxidase enzyme. Broth bottles containing growth medium, a bacterial culture and an antibiotic at five different concentrations (all in  µg/ml) were observed. Cloudy broth dilutions indicated the bacteria was resistant and was able to grow. Clear broth dilutions showed the bacteria was sensitive to the antibiotic and its growth was inhibited. The bacteria was resistant to erythromycin at all concentrations used (1.25-20 µg/ml). Erythromycin is a macrolide antibiotic related to penicillin. The results indicate it would have no therapeutic effect if prescribed to the patient. Amoxicillin showed antimicrobial activity against the microorganism at concentrations of 20 µg/ml and 40 µg/ml. However, at concentrations above 12 µg/ml, the bacterium is considered resistant to amoxicillin so it has no therapeutic effect to the patient. Penicillins do not seem to have significant antimicrobial effects for this pathogen which shows the doctor was incorrect in his prescription of flucloxacillin as it is too a member of the penicillin group. The dose of 500mg will unlikely be high enough to be beneficial and any therapeutic doses would be at too high a concentration and therefore impractical. Cefuroxime, a second generation cephalosporin, was effective at concentrations of 16 µg/ml and 32 µg/ml. Again, this was above the intermediate concentration range so does not benefit the patient. A newer generation cephalosporin may need to be used as they provide coverage against a broader spectrum of bacteria. The broth dilution containing ticarcillin was clear at concentrations of 8 µg/ml and 16 µg/ml. The intermediate concentration range for this drug is 10-20 µg/ml so the minimum inhibitory concentration is 8 µg/ml. This drug is a carboxypenicillin a sub group of the penicillin family. The bacteria showed moderate sensitivity to the drug but only at fairly high concentrations. Amikacin was also effective below its intermediate range (6-10 µg/ml) and inhibited bacterial growth at concentrations of 4 µg/ml, 6 µg/ml and 8 µg/ml. Amikacin is an aminoglycoside and is a suitable antibiotic to use against this pathogen as it showed high sensitivity to the drug. The doctors choice of antimicrobial therapy will not be beneficial to the patient as flucloxacillin is effective against gram-positive bacteria only and the patient is infected with gram-negative P. aeruginosa. Unnecessary use of this antibiotic could cause bacterial resistance. P. aeruginosa is naturally resistant to a wide range of antibiotics and thus infections where it is the causative agent can be difficult to treat. Broad-spectrum agents are required as they are the only drugs which provide coverage against the bacteria. The patient could be treated with an aminoglycoside such as amikacin. Gentamicin could also be used but the experimental data shows the pathogen is definitely sensitive to amikacin and studies have found that P. aeruginosa is more likely to develop resistance to gentamicin than amikacin. Aminoglycosides are bactericidal and act by interfering with the bacterial ribosome, leading to incorrect reading of messenger RNA. This would be used along with a third gener ation cephalosporin such as ceftazidime. Carboxypenicillins could also be used (e.g. ticarcillin) but they have only moderate activity against Pseudomonas species and research has shown that bacteria quickly develop resistance to them. Third generation cephalosporins provide coverage against P. aeruginosa, unlike 1st and 2nd generation which have a more limited spectrum of activity. They are also bactericidal and exert their effect by interfering with cell wall synthesis. Although there is no significant evidence of the benefits to using the two drugs in combination, it is rational to do so as it prevents the emergence of mutant genes resistant to one of the agents. Both drugs are also thought to have a synergistic effect when used together. Neither of these drugs are absorbed via the gastrointestinal tract so must be administered via the parenteral route. Amikacin is given via intramuscular injection at a dose of 15mg/kg daily in two divided doses. The dose must be decided carefull y as high levels of amikacin in the blood stream can cause damage to the ear (ototoxicity). Ceftazidime is given by intravenous infusion at a dose of approximately 2g every 12 hours, depending on the severity of the infection. In summary, the available microbiology data indicates that the doctors presumptive diagnosis was incorrect and that the patient has a burns infection caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The absence of growth on the MSA plate disproved the idea of a staph aureus related infection. Gram-negative rods observed on the slide and growth on the MacConkey agar clarified that the microorganism was gram-negative. Growth on the cetrimide agar plate confirmed the presence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the patients pus sample. Examination of the broth dilutions helped determine a suitable combination of antibiotics for the patient to take. These would be need therapeutic and possess antimicrobial activity against the pathogen, unlike the doctors prescription of flucloxacillin. Use of a third generation cephalosporin with an aminoglycoside should effectively clear up the infection in the patient following completion of the course of antibiotics.

Factors Promoting and Impeding Economic Globalisation

Factors Promoting and Impeding Economic Globalisation 1.1 INTRODUCTION Globalisation has become a profound concept in social sciences; it is hard to discuss the current developmental issues without making any comment on globalization. Globalisation has accelerated rapid changes and the progression towards the development. Furthermore, globalisation connected people to one another. For example, in the previous era the world is connecting to each other through traditional method which is via mail, now, people can connect to each other via internet. Indeed, understanding of globalisation need to be viewed from the four analytical dimensions. Namely, economic, political, cultural and technological globalization (Kiefee and Steve, 2005). This essay is more concern with the economic globalization. Economic globalization is been expressed in what is known as neo-liberal policy supported by Washington Consensus. In fact, neo-liberal policy advocates liberalization of economic, privatization, trade liberalization and deregulation of national economy, which are all part of the factors that promote economic globalisation. Economic globalisation has been a major drive of current era of globalisation. Michael (2000) has claimed that trade and financial institution has been the major drive of economic globalisation (Michael, 2000). However, economic globalisation has been experience critiques which have been led to impediment in its growth in some quarters of the world. The development of economic globalisation cannot be doubted anymore. This development has increasingly growing throughout the years and increases the levels of economic interdependence, besides sharpens struggle between countries. Various actors play an important role in economic globalisation growth, namely; International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, and World Trade Organisation. These organisations perform certain functions to keep economic globalisation works, for example they provides long term loans to developing countries. The WTO act as the body that manage to reduce tax in trade relations that exist among country in the global economy relations. This essay will give answers to the following identified questions below; What factors promote economic growth? What has been the challenge to the growth of economic globalisation? What factors impede it? How can we make economic globalisation workable for all nations? To discuss this, the next section of the essay would be devoted to literature review and theoretical framework. 1.2 LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK Research has been made previously that has discussed the reasons that led to economic globalisation and the reasons impede it as well. Toffler (1980), avert that globalisation is principal an outcome of innovation in technology and that this emergence of technology have bring changes in ones lives, it has led to the more investment in capital and capital mobility .for example the multinational moves their capital to where they hope to reap more profits. Stiglitz (2002) was of the opinion that to understand globalisation, one has to study the three main institutions that govern it. He gave the name of these institutions as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), and World Trade Organizations (WTO). Thus, Stieglitz emphasized being playing by International Financial Institutions in the running of present economic globalisation process. Institutions, such as World Bank is acting as the independent body that provides loans to the developing countries for development process which in turn promote economic globalisation. Stiglitz (2002) said globalization is nor good neither bad thing either. He strongly considered it to be more of division of gains between North and South where global North gain, while South loses. However, the recent development of some newly industrialising countries, such as Taiwan and China is a critique to the above view. One of the renounced pro –globalisation, and the professor of economics, in the person of Martin Wolf (2005) in his book; why globalisations works opined that globalisation is benefit for all. He cited the positive outcome of China, Brazil, India, and Singapore and now South Africa, in their openness to the world market (Wolf, 2005). He said those countries in global south that yet to reap the benefit of globalisation need to open their markets to the outside world and that they should invest in human capital skills. Neo-liberalism theory This theory emphasized the privatisation and liberalisation of the economy with reduction of trade barrier for the economy development which would benefit to all human kind. The states should only provide enabling environment for the business to thrive. That is the multinational enterprise should be given free access to the investment and production without any government policies restriction. Harvey(2005) provides full illustration and explanation of neo liberalism theory of economic globalisation, according to Harvey(2005): Neoliberalism is in the first instance a theory of political economic practices that proposes that human well-being can be advanced by liberating individual entrepreneurial freedoms and skills within an institutional framework characterises by strong private property rights, free markets and free trade. The role of the state is to create and preserve an institutional framework appropriate to such practices †¦The state has to guarantee, for example the quality and integrity of money†¦The state interventions in markets once created must keep to a bare minimum†¦ Applying this theory to the economic globalisation means that, the unrestricted free movement of goods and services, and most importantly in the present era of globalisation, is the movement of capital, will lead to economic growth and development which is benefit to the whole world. However, this theory have been criticised by Marxist school of thought that those who own the means of production all control the state, according to Marx and Engel (1848) every society is divided into two antagonistic class; the bourgeoisies and the working class, the haves and the haves-not, where the bourgeoisie control the means of production, they also control the state policies to continues exploit and subjugate proletariat who have no access to the means of production. The lesson that we can learn from this school of thought (Marxist) is that the position of neoliberal that state have no business in business is a pure political fallacy. But we have witness those who are well known business men and women who do not have interest politics in this present world. For example, Bill Gate, Carlos Slim, and many others. This is not to say that they do not indirect participate in politics. Despite the criticism of neoliberal theory, it’s still stand as major theory to explain economic globalisation growth and development. 1.3 FACTORS THAT PROMOTE ECONOMIC GLOBALISATION There are certain factors that promote economic globalisation growth. Such as regional integration, trade liberalisation, privatisation and deregulation and foreign direct investment, etc. Francis Fukuyama (1992) argues that the breakdown of national barriers through the creation of a single, integrated world market have facilitated mobility of capital, growth in foreign direct investment, and increases important of transnational business corporation (TNCs) (Fukuyama, 1992). Thus the central role of multinational enterprises in the economic globalisation process cannot be rejected. These factors shall be discussed below. A. Regional Integration Regional integration could promote economic globalisation. Given the fact that states within the specific geographical region come together to trade between themselves and establish free trade zone such as North-America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). John McCormick (1999) supported this view when he said that, regional integration is the practice that two or more countries sit together and had a meeting to discuss about the problem. They trying to overcome the economic crisis and promote the development of it. In most cases, this coming together of region may led to establishment of free trade zone between the states and promote economic of particular region the regional integration in Europe immediately after the second world war have a profound influence on trade liberalisation and economic globalisation . This implies that imply that there is link between regional integration and economic globalization. B.Trade liberalisation Trade liberalization is the free flow of trade between countries around the world. It emphasized the removal of the trade barriers such as tariffs and taxes on goods and services. Held and Mcgrew (2007) observed that the level of international trade have since increase significantly in relation to the national income. However they contend that this is more pronounced among the advanced industrialized country. Indeed the fallen of the trade barrier has led to the global nature of economics transaction (Held and Mcgrew 2007). The activities of the transnational corporation owing to the trade liberalization has become more pronounced in the recent era of globalisation ,thus the power of the global finance has become central to economics globalisation(Held and Mcgrew 2007). This means that trade liberalization has been a positive development to the economic globalization. For example it is possible for multinationals to invest more in a country that have liberalised its economy. And thereby promote economic globalisation. Foreign Direct Investment Foreign direct investment has become one of the factors that promote economic globalisation. Multinational Corporation has taken economic globalization to a new level. According to UNCTAD (2001,as quoted in Held and Mcgrew 2007): ‘Multinational corporation account for about 25 percent of the world production and about 70 per cent of the world trade ,while their sales are equivalent to almost half of the world GDP’ The result of this is that investment by the multinational corporations in the form of FDI has increase over the years and this must have led to a more interconnectedness of the world economy, which invariably promote economic globalisation. D.  Privatization and Deregulation These are the products of the Washington consensus, the capitalism ideology have led to the ideas of private ownership of means of production with the sole aims of profit maximization and capital accumulation, it was the belief of the capitalist economist that the private ownership of the means of production will lead to unlimited happiness in the society. The collapse of the Soviet Union in Eastern part of the Europe saw to the more achievement of the capitalism, thereby led to the adoption of the privatization and deregulation of most of the world leading economies. These ideas of privatization and government deregulation of the economy do have positive impact on economic globalization. These four factors and many other one that were not discuss fully here, such as ,resources and market ,research and development, technologies and the state political wills promotes the growth of economic globalization, however because of the growing number of sceptic of the globalization ,for example Joseph Stieglitz (2002) in his popular books ‘Globalization and its discontents ‘have exposed some of the injustices and ugly face of the globalisation, he was particularly of the opinion that the economic globalization was never aims to help the people of the developing world, that the three institutions that runs it (IMF,WORLD BANK and WTO) were all instrument of the exploitation in the hands of the elite states of the advanced developed countries. The result of this is the growing number of the impediments to the growth of the economic globalization. I shall discuss this in the next section of this essay. 1.4 FACTORS THAT IMPEDE ECONOMIC GLOBALISATION. There are uncountable factors that may impede the growth of economic globalizations; the most critical aspect of it is the putting in place of the protectionism policies by state to protect her infant industries. Others include; tax, extremely regionalization, lack of technology, lack of political wills, lack of human and capital resources and many more. This essay shall discuses four of the above factors High tax The imposition of high tax by national governments has been described as one of the factors that can impede the growth and process of economic globalization. When a particular national government put in place a high corporate tax on investment ,in this present era of capital mobility ,the investors would in turn move their capital to where they considerate comparative advantage, so wise government should not put high tax on investment . Discussing on the hyper-globalisation thesis, Hay (2013) seems to agree that government should cut tax in order to attract foreign investor, according to Hay (2013): ‘’ Any failure on the part of a state to render its corporate taxation levels competitive in comparative terms through tax cuts will result in a punitive depreciation in net revenue as a capital exercises its mobility to exit.’’ What this means is that high tax is an anti-economic globalisation, it is against trade liberalisation policy. Extreme Regionalisation Regionalisation and globalisation are two sides of the same coin, while regional integration could promote economic globalisation, it can as well impede it. Hirst and Thompson (1996, as quoted in Hay 2013) observed that there is tendency toward regionalisation in the present era than globalisation. They submitted that the process of tridization is currently going on between the North America, East Asia and Europe owing to the series of inter-regional integration that is going on between these three regions. The outcome of which have being excluding most part of the world from economic globalisation process. The lesson that we are learning from this is to check on the regional integration objectives so as not to hinder economic globalisation, indeed regionalisation could be formed as a defence to unequal and imbalance nature of economic globalisation. C.  Protectionism Some states might device a means of protecting their local infants industries from been expose to the unfavourable competitions with foreign firms’ such states may consider certain goods and products that might want to come into her country as contra ban, or give a quota to such goods and products from the foreign firms. Although states might have their own reason for protecting their own national and local firms but it is generally belief that any strategy of protectionism employed by any states is anti-economic globalisation. D. Lack of technological Sophistication The importance of technological innovation is crucial to the development of economic globalisation , the internet make it easier to transact business on a global level within a second, so therefore lack of technology or lack improvement in technology would have severe impact on the economic globalisation. It is difficult to talk about economic globalisation without looking at the technology that have made global financial system more conveniently and reliable. All these abovementioned key points may impede the growth and process of economic globalisation. 1.5 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION Haven explained what the globalisation is all about and especially haven been discussed those factors that may promote and impede economic globalisation. It is my opinion that those states whose action is being have been describe as a threat to economic globalisation have their own reasons for doing so. For instant, Stieglitz (2002) rightly observed that globalisation especially economic globalisation is characterised by unequal exchange in which the rich countries of global north gains at the expense of the global south. This could be reason why they are protecting their economy as a solution to the inhuman and exploitative nature of economic globalisation. However I will go with the position of Martin Wolf (2005) that if the developing world could invest in human capital, technology and open up their economy to outside world, they stand a chance of reaping the benefit of globalisation. Therefore, they should invest in human capital and technology, while open their economy to the outside world. Also the developed countries should carry them (global south) along in the process of economic globalisation. Otherwise, they continue to exact influence on those factors that impede it, became they think they have nothing to gain from it; consequently therefore, stopping it would not have any real impact on them since they are not benefiting from it. References Fukuyama, F. (1992), The End of History and The Last Man. New York: Free Press Harvey, D. (2014). Neoliberalism, politics and society. Retrieved Nov 13, 2014, from: http://www.slideshare.net/suehair/neoliberalism-politics-and-society Harvey,D.(2005) A Brief History Of Neoliberalism. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Hay, C. (2005) ‘Globalisation Impact on State’, in R, John.(ed) Global Political Economy, Oxford: University Press. Held,D and Mcgrew,A. (2007) (eds) Globalization Theory: Approaches and Controversies . Cambridge: Polity Press Kiefer,L.,and Steve, C.(2005) Global Marketing Management :Challenges and New Strategies.London:Oxford University Press Marx, K. and Engel.(1848)The Communist Manifesto. London: Communist League McCormick, J. (1999) The European Union: Politics and Policies. New York: Westview Press Stiglitz, J. (2002) Globalisation and Its Discontents. New York: ww Norton and Company. Toffler A. (1980) Future Shock. London: Pan Book Ltd. Wolf, M. (2005) Why Globalisation works? Yale: Yale University Press.

Comparing Maturity in Separate Peace and All Quiet on the Western Front :: comparison compare contrast essays

Maturity in A Separate Peace and All Quiet on the Western Front      Ã‚  Ã‚   The evolution of a child to adult is a long and complex process. There is another transitional step that goes in the middle of these two periods. In warlike terms, such as those used in the settings of Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front and John Knowles's A Separate Peace, that step could be classified as being a soldier. W.N. Hodgson acknowledges this progression as well, in the poem "Before Action." The speaker begs first for God to "make [him] a soldier" (line 8) and then once he is a soldier he asks God to "make [him] a man" (16). Soldiers aren't quite children anymore; they've seen too much pain, death, and horror to maintain their innocence as children do. However, they aren't really men yet either. In A Separate Peace and All Quiet on the Western Front, the characters all go through this process of growing up, where they begin as children and proceed on to being soldiers, finally emerging as strong, insightful men by the end of the book.    The characters in A Separate Peace are first seen as children. Gene and Phineas (or Finny), the main characters in A Separate Peace, are first portrayed as regular teenage boys, full of life, energy, and humor. Ready to find fun in everything, the boys even make games out of the war, including the "Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session" (Knowles 24) and "blitzball" (Knowles 29). They jump out of trees as a substitute for jumping out of a plane and throw a round ball around, pretending that it's a bomb. People perceive them as "careless and wild" and perhaps even "a sign of the life the war was being fought to preserve" (Knowles 17). They go through things that everyone experiences as a teen: jealousy, peer pressure, and competition. They don't know very much about the war or about life itself. Finny even blatantly denies the existence of the war, saying that "the fat old men who don't want [them] crowding up their jobs" have "cooked up this war fake" (Knowles 107). One of the b oys in their class, Leper, dreams of enlisting in the ski troops, seeing it as a safe, clean way to get involved in the war rather than having to kill and destroy.

The Empiricist Journey of Young Goodman Brown Essays -- Young Goodman

The Empiricist Journey of Young Goodman Brown  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   In the late 17th century, John Locke was one of the most influential people of his age. He was a renowned philosopher who established radical ideas about the political, social, and psychological ideals of mankind. One of his philosophical ideas, which he is said to be the founder of, is British Empiricism. This idea holds that "all knowledge is derived from experience whether of the mind or the senses" ("Empiricism" 480). In any man’s life, there arises such a point in time where he comes to the realization that there is a sense of evil in the world. Whether it is by something as subtle as locking the door at night before going to bed or being directly confronted at gun point as a man demands your tennis shoes, at some point man will realize that the innocence of his childhood does not last forever. Locke believed that people gain knowledge from their own personal experience. For Young Goodman Brown, this experience comes with his journey into the forest with the fellow traveler as chronicled in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story. Initially, Brown was, as his namesake foretells, a "young, good man" who believes in man’s basic goodness, yet within the inner desires of his heart wishes to see what all the world had to offer. Therefore, he set off on a "journey" into the forest to explore the world of this unknown evil. The story of "Young Goodman Brown" is a classic example of the empiricist ideas of Locke in how the intrigues of the unknown beckoned Young Brown as he experienced the transition between his initial idea of man’s basic goodness to the reality that evil exists in the heart of every man. However, before we can analyze Young Goodman Brown’s journey in the for... ...h he knows little about. Works Cited Brown, Vivenne. "The ‘Figure’ of God and the Limits to Liberalism: A Rereading of Locke’s ‘Essay’ and ‘Two Treatises’". Journal of the History of Ideas 60.1 (1999): 85. "Empiricism." New Encyclopaedia Brittanica. 1998 ed. Volume 4, 480. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "Young Goodman Brown." The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2000. 268-276. Locke, John. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. New York: Penguin, 1974. Meyer, Michael, ed. "A Study of Three Authors: Nathaniel Hawthorne, Flannery O’Connor, and Alice Munro." The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2000. 267. Tritt, Michael. "‘Young Goodman Brown’ and the Psychology of Projection". Studies in Short Fiction. 23 (1996): 113-117.    The Empiricist Journey of Young Goodman Brown Essays -- Young Goodman The Empiricist Journey of Young Goodman Brown  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   In the late 17th century, John Locke was one of the most influential people of his age. He was a renowned philosopher who established radical ideas about the political, social, and psychological ideals of mankind. One of his philosophical ideas, which he is said to be the founder of, is British Empiricism. This idea holds that "all knowledge is derived from experience whether of the mind or the senses" ("Empiricism" 480). In any man’s life, there arises such a point in time where he comes to the realization that there is a sense of evil in the world. Whether it is by something as subtle as locking the door at night before going to bed or being directly confronted at gun point as a man demands your tennis shoes, at some point man will realize that the innocence of his childhood does not last forever. Locke believed that people gain knowledge from their own personal experience. For Young Goodman Brown, this experience comes with his journey into the forest with the fellow traveler as chronicled in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story. Initially, Brown was, as his namesake foretells, a "young, good man" who believes in man’s basic goodness, yet within the inner desires of his heart wishes to see what all the world had to offer. Therefore, he set off on a "journey" into the forest to explore the world of this unknown evil. The story of "Young Goodman Brown" is a classic example of the empiricist ideas of Locke in how the intrigues of the unknown beckoned Young Brown as he experienced the transition between his initial idea of man’s basic goodness to the reality that evil exists in the heart of every man. However, before we can analyze Young Goodman Brown’s journey in the for... ...h he knows little about. Works Cited Brown, Vivenne. "The ‘Figure’ of God and the Limits to Liberalism: A Rereading of Locke’s ‘Essay’ and ‘Two Treatises’". Journal of the History of Ideas 60.1 (1999): 85. "Empiricism." New Encyclopaedia Brittanica. 1998 ed. Volume 4, 480. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "Young Goodman Brown." The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2000. 268-276. Locke, John. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. New York: Penguin, 1974. Meyer, Michael, ed. "A Study of Three Authors: Nathaniel Hawthorne, Flannery O’Connor, and Alice Munro." The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2000. 267. Tritt, Michael. "‘Young Goodman Brown’ and the Psychology of Projection". Studies in Short Fiction. 23 (1996): 113-117.   

The Port Phillip Prison

The Port Phillip Prison is under bad management. The prisoners trashed one of the sections of the prison in frustration to the treatment they are getting, the prisoners caused around $100,000 of damage and nearly killed a guard. This came about because of the lack of staff in the prison and bad management, which meant they had to shorten the visitation time. The visits are what keep most prisoners going. The Prison has had five deaths in custody in the last nine weeks. The Government also has is to blame for part of this problem. The Port Phillip Prison is under bad management at the moment. The prison started receiving men in mid September 1997 and in just five months the prison has proven to have very many serious problems. In the past nine weeks there have been five deaths in custody at the prison. In addition to these deaths in custody there have been reports of at least one incident of self harm and/or suicide since the prison opened. The Port Phillip Prison has been built with intergral hanging points in 580 of their cells. Five people have died because of it. Correctional Services Commissioner, John van Gronigan has stated, after the fifth death in custody at Port Phillip, that he is â€Å"satisfied with the prison's management†. The Government is claiming that because Muirhead Cells (strip cells) have no obvious hanging points, thus they have complied with recommendation 165. This is a distortion of the content, intent and nature of recommendation 165. (Recommendation 165 of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody explicitly states that â€Å"Corrective Services authorities should carefully scrutinize equipment or facilities provided at institutions with a view to eliminating and/or reducing the potential for harm. Similarly steps should be taken to screen hanging points in police and prison cells†.) Numerous coroner findings in Victoria, South Australia and Queensland have also recommended the removal of hanging points in both prison and police cells. Yet the Government is claiming that it has implemented recommendation 165. In Port Phillip prison the shower screens provide additional hanging points – it was from the shower screens that two men (George Drinken and Adam Irwin) were found hanging. It is plainly obvious that if the prison was built without the intergral hanging points there would not have been five deaths in the Prison. These people have died at Port Phillip Prison: – 30 October 1997 George Drinken aged 28 years, on remand, was found hanging from the shower fitting in his cell. This was an unnecessary death if they had of build the Prison without the hanging points. – 16 December 1997 Adam Irwin aged 20 years, on remand, was found hanged with an electrical cord from the shower fitting. This also was an unnecessary death. – 4 January 1998 Vienh Chi Tu aged 20 years, on remand died on Sunday afternoon. Believed to have died of an overdose. This death could have been avoided if the guards enforced the rules. – Another two men have died in the prison allegedly of `natural causes'. How can eight staff control Port Phillip prison during the night. Eight staff to monitor and respond to emergencies in a prison with almost six hundred male prisoners consisting of remand, high security, sentenced, intellectually disabled and vulnerable prisoners and protection prisoners. Is this serious? Unfortunately ‘Yes†, furthermore the vast majority of staff have no related experience in corrections. This is just ridiculous. You could say what the prisoners did was stupid but the prisoners had no other way of showing their anger and frustration of the bad conditions they had to face. Group 4 have even contracted a private detective, John Barclay, Cobra Executive Protection, to undertake an â€Å"independent† investigation into the deaths of the first four men to die in custody at Port Phillip. But this is all pointless if they don†t change the management and get rid of the intergral hanging points. The guards who work there are now taking action to get the Prison fixed up and make the place safer for the workers and the prisoners. Group 4 Correction Services will have to do something to fix the problem, or they will have a real bad name about their company. Which will then cause people to think of them as the bad ones when ever something comes up in the media about them. That will cause a lot of problems for the company if they don†t act. In conclusion I have to say that at the moment Port Phillip Prison is under very bad management. Something must be done to stop the amount of deaths in the prison. They must get rid of all the intergral hanging points in the prison to try and stop some of the deaths. They must change their management also. They must crack down on the prisoners using drugs and the people who bring them into the prisoners must be told that NO drugs are allowed. Port Phillip prison is a sham at the moment and it must be fixed.

The Twilight Saga 3: Eclipse Chapter 6. SWITZERLAND

AS I DROVE HOME, I WASN'T PAYING MUCH ATTENTION TO the road that shimmered wetly in the sun. I was thinking about the flood of information Jacob had shared with me, trying to sort it out, to force it all to make sense. Despite the overload, I felt lighter. Seeing Jacob smile, having all the secrets thrashed out . . . it didn't make things perfect, but it made them better. I was right to have gone. Jacob needed me. And obviously, I thought as I squinted into the glare, there was no danger. It came out of nowhere. One minute there was nothing but bright highway in my rearview mirror. The next minute, the sun was glinting off a silver Volvo right on my tail. â€Å"Aw, crap,† I whimpered. I considered pulling over. But I was too much of a coward to face him right away. I'd been counting on some prep time . . . and having Charlie nearby as a buffer. At least that would force him to keep his voice down. The Volvo followed inches behind me. I kept my eyes on the road ahead. Chicken through and through, I drove straight to Angela's without once meeting the gaze I could feel burning a hole in my mirror. He followed me until I pulled to the curb in front of the Webers' house. He didn't stop, and I didn't look up as he passed. I didn't want to see the expression on his face. I ran up the short concrete walk to Angela's door as soon as he was out of sight. Ben answered the door before I could finish knocking, like he'd been standing right behind it. â€Å"Hey, Bella!† he said, surprised. â€Å"Hi, Ben. Er, is Angela here?† I wondered if Angela had forgotten our plans, and cringed at the thought of going home early. â€Å"Sure,† Ben said just as Angela called, â€Å"Bella!† and appeared at the top of the stairs. Ben peered around me as we both heard the sound of a car on the road; the sound didn't scare me – this engine stuttered to a stop, followed by the loud pop of a backfire. Nothing like the purr of the Volvo. This must be the visitor Ben had been waiting for. â€Å"Austin's here,† Ben said as Angela reached his side. A horn honked on the street. â€Å"I'll see you later,† Ben promised. â€Å"Miss you already.† He threw his arm around Angela's neck and pulled her face down to his height so that he could kiss her enthusiastically. After a second of this, Austin honked again. â€Å"‘Bye, Ang! Love you!† Ben shouted as he dashed past me. Angela swayed, her face slightly pink, then recovered herself and waved until Ben and Austin were out of sight. Then she turned to me and grinned ruefully. â€Å"Thank you for doing this, Bella,† she said. â€Å"From the bottom of my heart. Not only are you saving my hands from permanent injury, you also just spared me two long hours of a plot-less, badly dubbed martial arts film.† She sighed in relief. â€Å"Happy to be of service.† I was feeling a bit less panicked, able to breathe a little more evenly. It felt so ordinary here. Angela's easy human dramas were oddly reassuring. It was nice to know that life was normal somewhere. I followed Angela up the stairs to her room. She kicked toys out of the way as she went. The house was unusually quiet. â€Å"Where's your family?† â€Å"My parents took the twins to a birthday party in Port Angeles. I can't believe you're really going to help me with this. Ben's pretending he has tendonitis.† She made a face. â€Å"I don't mind at all,† I said, and then I walked into Angela's room and saw the stacks of waiting envelopes. â€Å"Oh!† I gasped. Angela turned to look at me, apologies in her eyes. I could see why she'd been putting this off, and why Ben had weaseled out. â€Å"I thought you were exaggerating,† I admitted. â€Å"I wish. Are you sure you want to do this?† â€Å"Put me to work. I've got all day.† Angela divided a pile in half and put her mother's address book between us on her desk. For a while we concentrated, and there was just the sound of our pens scratching quietly across the paper. â€Å"What's Edward doing tonight?† she asked after a few minutes. My pen dug into the envelope I was working on. â€Å"Emmet's home for the weekend. They're supposed to be hiking.† â€Å"You say that like you're not sure.† I shrugged. â€Å"You're lucky Edward has his brothers for all the hiking and camping. I don't know what I'd do if Ben didn't have Austin for the guy stuff.† â€Å"Yeah, the outdoors thing is not really for me. And there's no way I'd ever be able to keep up.† Angela laughed. â€Å"I prefer the indoors myself.† Angela rolled her eyes at me. â€Å"See you at school,† I said with a nervous laugh. She sighed. â€Å"See you.† I was jumpy on the way out to my truck, but the street was empty. I spent the whole drive glancing anxiously in all my mirrors, but there was never any sign of the silver car. His car was not in front of the house, either, though that meant little. â€Å"Bella?† Charlie called when I opened the front door. â€Å"Hey, Dad.† I found him in the living room, in front of the TV. â€Å"So, how was your day?† â€Å"Good,† I said. Might as well tell him everything – he'd hear it from Billy soon enough. Besides, it would make him happy. â€Å"They didn't need me at work, so I went down to La Push.† There wasn't enough surprise in his face. Billy had already talked to him. â€Å"How's Jacob?† Charlie asked, attempting to sound indifferent. â€Å"Good,† I said, just as casual. â€Å"You get over to the Webers'?† â€Å"Yep. We got all her announcements addressed.† â€Å"That's nice.† Charlie smiled a wide smile. He was strangely focused, considering that there was a game on. â€Å"I'm glad you spent some time with your friends today.† â€Å"Me, too.† I ambled toward the kitchen, looking for busy work. Unfortunately, Charlie had already cleaned up his lunch. I stood there for a few minutes, staring at the bright patch of light the sun made on the floor. But I knew I couldn't delay this forever. â€Å"I'm going to go study,† I announced glumly as I headed up the stairs. â€Å"See you later,† Charlie called after me. If I survive, I thought to myself. I shut my bedroom door carefully before I turned to face my room. Of course he was there. He stood against the wall across from me, in the shadow beside the open window. His face was hard and his posture tense. He glared at me wordlessly. I cringed, waiting for the torrent, but it didn't come. He just continued to glare, possibly too angry to speak. â€Å"Hi,† I finally said. His face could have been carved from stone. I counted to a hundred in my head, but there was no change. â€Å"Er . . . so, I'm still alive,† I began. A growl rumbled low in his chest, but his expression didn't change. â€Å"No harm done,† I insisted with a shrug. He moved. His eyes closed, and he pinched the bridge of his nose between the fingers of his right hand. â€Å"Bella,† he whispered. â€Å"Do you have any idea how close I came to crossing the line today? To breaking the treaty and coming after you? Do you know what that would have meant?† I gasped and his eyes opened. They were as cold and hard as night. â€Å"You can't!† I said too loudly. I worked to modulate the volume of my voice so Charlie wouldn't hear, but I wanted to shout the words. â€Å"Edward, they'd use any excuse for a fight. They'd love that. You can't ever break the rules!† â€Å"Maybe they aren't the only ones who would enjoy a fight.† â€Å"Don't you start,† I snapped. â€Å"You made the treaty – you stick to it.† â€Å"If he'd hurt you -â€Å" â€Å"Enough!† I cut him off. â€Å"There's nothing to worry about. Jacob isn't dangerous.† â€Å"Bella.† He rolled his eyes. â€Å"You aren't exactly the best judge of what is or isn't dangerous.† â€Å"I know I don't have to worry about Jake. And neither do you.† He ground his teeth together. His hands were balled up in fists at his sides. He was still standing against the wall, and I hated the space between us. I took a deep breath, and crossed the room. He didn't move when I wrapped my arms around him. Next to the warmth of the last of the afternoon sun streaming through the window, his skin felt especially icy. He seemed like ice, too, frozen the way he was. â€Å"I'm sorry I made you anxious,† I muttered. He sighed, and relaxed a little. His arms wound around my waist. â€Å"Anxious is a bit of an understatement,† he murmured. â€Å"It was a very long day.† â€Å"You weren't supposed to know about it,† I reminded him. â€Å"I thought you'd be hunting longer.† I looked up at his face, at his defensive eyes; I hadn't noticed in the stress of the moment, but they were too dark. The rings under them were deep purple. I frowned in disapproval. â€Å"When Alice saw you disappear, I came back,† he explained. â€Å"You shouldn't have done that. Now you'll have to go away again.† My frown intensified. â€Å"I can wait.† â€Å"That's ridiculous. I mean, I know she couldn't see me with Jacob, but you should have known -â€Å" â€Å"But I didn't,† he broke in. â€Å"And you can't expect me to let you -â€Å" â€Å"Oh, yes, I can,† I interrupted him. â€Å"That's exactly what I expect -â€Å" â€Å"This won't happen again.† â€Å"That's right! Because you're not going to overreact next time.† â€Å"Because there isn't going to be a next time.† â€Å"I understand when you have to leave, even if I don't like it -â€Å" â€Å"That's not the same. I'm not risking my life.† â€Å"Neither am I.† â€Å"Werewolves constitute a risk.† â€Å"I disagree.† â€Å"I'm not negotiating this, Bella.† â€Å"Neither am I.† His hands were in fists again. I could feel them against my back. The words popped out thoughtlessly. â€Å"Is this really just about my safety?† â€Å"What do you mean?† he demanded. â€Å"You aren't . . .† Angela's theory seemed sillier now than before. It was hard to finish the thought. â€Å"I mean, you know better than to be jealous, right?† He raised one eyebrow. â€Å"Do I?† â€Å"Be serious.† â€Å"Easily – there's nothing remotely humorous about this.† I frowned suspiciously. â€Å"Or . . . is this something else altogether? Some vampires-and-werewolves-are- always-enemies nonsense? Is this just a testosterone-fueled -â€Å" His eyes blazed. â€Å"This is only about you. All I care is that you're safe.† The black fire in his eyes was impossible to doubt. â€Å"Okay,† I sighed. â€Å"I believe that. But I want you to know something – when it comes to all this enemies nonsense, I'm out. I am a neutral country. I am Switzerland. I refuse to be affected by territorial disputes between mythical creatures. Jacob is family. You are . . . well, not exactly the love of my life, because I expect to love you for much longer than that. The love of my existence. I don't care who's a werewolf and who's a vampire. If Angela turns out to be a witch, she can join the party, too.† He stared at me silently through narrowed eyes. â€Å"Switzerland,† I repeated again for emphasis. He frowned at me, and then sighed. â€Å"Bella . . . ,† he began, but he paused, and his nose wrinkled in disgust. â€Å"What now?† â€Å"Well . . . don't be offended, but you smell like a dog,† he told me. And then he smiled crookedly, so I knew the fight was over. For now. Edward had to make up for the missed hunting trip, and so he was leaving Friday night with Jasper, Emmett, and Carlisle to hit some reserve in Northern California with a mountain lion problem. We'd come to no agreement on the werewolf issue, but I didn't feel guilty calling Jake – during my brief window of opportunity when Edward took the Volvo home before climbing back in through my window – to let him know I'd be coming over on Saturday again. It wasn't sneaking around. Edward knew how I felt. And if he broke my truck again, then I'd have Jacob pick me up. Forks was neutral, just like Switzerland – just like me. So when I got off work Thursday and it was Alice rather than Edward waiting for me in the Volvo, I was not suspicious at first. The passenger door was open, and music I didn't recognize was shaking the frame when the bass played. â€Å"Hey, Alice,† I shouted over the wailing as I climbed in. â€Å"Where's your brother?† She was singing along to the song, her voice an octave higher than the melody, weaving through it with a complicated harmony. She nodded at me, ignoring my question as she concentrated on the music. I shut my door and put my hands over my ears. She grinned, and turned the volume down until it was just background. Then she hit the locks and the gas in the same second. â€Å"What's going on?† I asked, starting to feel uneasy. â€Å"Where is Edward?† She shrugged. â€Å"They left early.† â€Å"Oh.† I tried to control the absurd disappointment. If he left early, that meant he'd be back sooner, I reminded myself. â€Å"All the boys went, and we're having a slumber party!† she announced in a trilling, singsong voice. â€Å"A slumber party?† I repeated, the suspicion finally settling in. â€Å"Aren't you excited?† she crowed. I met her animated gaze for a long second. â€Å"You're kidnapping me, aren't you?† She laughed and nodded. â€Å"Till Saturday. Esme cleared it with Charlie; you're staying with me two nights, and I will drive you to and from school tomorrow.† I turned my face to the window, my teeth grinding together. â€Å"Sorry,† Alice said, not sounding in the least bit penitent. â€Å"He paid me off.† â€Å"How?† I hissed through my teeth. â€Å"The Porsche. It's exactly like the one I stole in Italy.† She sighed happily. â€Å"I'm not supposed to drive it around Forks, but if you want, we could see how long it takes to get from here to L.A. – I bet I could have you back by midnight.† I took a deep breath. â€Å"I think I'll pass,† I sighed, repressing a shudder. We wound, always too fast, down the long drive. Alice pulled around to the garage, and I quickly looked over the cars. Emmett's big jeep was there, with a shiny canary yellow Porsche between it and Rosalie's red convertible. Alice hopped out gracefully and went to stroke her hand along the length of her bribe. â€Å"Pretty, isn't it?† â€Å"Pretty over-the-top,† I grumbled, incredulous. â€Å"He gave you that just for two days of holding me hostage?† Alice made a face. A second later, comprehension came and I gasped in horror. â€Å"It's for every time he's gone, isn't it?† She nodded. I slammed my door and stomped toward the house. She danced along next to me, still unrepentant. â€Å"Alice, don't you think this is just a little bit controlling? Just a tiny bit psychotic, maybe?† â€Å"Not really.† She sniffed. â€Å"You don't seem to grasp how dangerous a young werewolf can be. Especially when I can't see them. Edward has no way to know if you're safe. You shouldn't be so reckless.† My voice turned acidic. â€Å"Yes, because a vampire slumber party is the pinnacle of safety conscious behavior.† Alice laughed. â€Å"I'll give you a pedicure and everything,† she promised. It wasn't so bad, except for the fact that I was being held against my will. Esme brought Italian food – the good stuff, all the way from Port Angeles – and Alice was prepared with my favorite movies. Even Rosalie was there, quietly in the background. Alice did insist on the pedicure, and I wondered if she was working from a list – maybe something she'd compiled from watching bad sitcoms. â€Å"How late do you want to stay up?† she asked when my toenails were glistening a bloody red. Her enthusiasm remained untouched by my mood. â€Å"I don't want to stay up. We have school in the morning.† She pouted. â€Å"Where am I supposed to sleep, anyway?† I measured the couch with my eyes. It was a little short. â€Å"Can't you just keep me under surveillance at my house?† â€Å"What kind of a slumber party would that be?† Alice shook her head in exasperation. â€Å"You're sleeping in Edward's room.† I sighed. His black leather sofa was longer than this one. Actually, the gold carpet in his room was probably thick enough that the floor wouldn't be half bad either. â€Å"Can I go back to my place to get my things, at least?† She grinned. â€Å"Already taken care of.† â€Å"Am I allowed to use your phone?† â€Å"Charlie knows where you are.† â€Å"I wasn't going to call Charlie.† I frowned. â€Å"Apparently, I have some plans to cancel.† â€Å"Oh.† She deliberated. â€Å"I'm not sure about that.† â€Å"Alice!† I whined loudly. â€Å"C'mon!† â€Å"Okay, okay,† she said, flitting from the room. She was back in half a second, cell phone in hand. â€Å"He didn't specifically prohibit this . . . ,† she murmured to herself as she handed it to me. I dialed Jacob's number, hoping he wasn't out running with his friends tonight. Luck was with me – Jacob was the one to answer. â€Å"Hello?† â€Å"Hey, Jake, it's me.† Alice watched me with expressionless eyes for a second, before she turned and went to sit between Rosalie and Esme on the sofa. â€Å"Hi, Bella,† Jacob said, suddenly cautious. â€Å"What's up?† â€Å"Nothing good. I can't come over Saturday after all.† It was silent for a minute. â€Å"Stupid bloodsucker,† he finally muttered. â€Å"I thought he was leaving. Can't you have a life when he's gone? Or does he lock you in a coffin?† I laughed. â€Å"I don't think that's funny.† â€Å"I'm only laughing because you're close,† I told him. â€Å"But he's going to be here Saturday, so it doesn't matter.† â€Å"Will he be feeding there in Forks, then?† Jacob asked cuttingly. â€Å"No.† I didn't let myself get irritated with him. I wasn't that far from being as angry as he was. â€Å"He left early.† â€Å"Oh. Well, hey, come over now, then,† he said with sudden enthusiasm. â€Å"It's not that late. Or I'll come up to Charlie's.† â€Å"I wish. I'm not at Charlie's,† I said sourly. â€Å"I'm kind of being held prisoner.† He was silent as that sunk in, and then he growled. â€Å"We'll come and get you,† he promised in a flat voice, slipping automatically into a plural. A chill slid down my spine, but I answered in a light and teasing voice. â€Å"Tempting. I have been tortured – Alice painted my toenails.† â€Å"I'm serious.† â€Å"Don't be. They're just trying to keep me safe.† He growled again. â€Å"I know it's silly, but their hearts are in the right place.† â€Å"Their hearts!† he scoffed. â€Å"Sorry about Saturday,† I apologized. â€Å"I've got to hit the sack† – the couch, I corrected mentally – â€Å"but I'll call you again soon.† â€Å"Are you sure they'll let you?† he asked in a scathing tone. â€Å"Not completely.† I sighed. â€Å"‘Night, Jake.† â€Å"See you around.† Alice was abruptly at my side, her hand held out for the phone, but I was already dialing. She saw the number. â€Å"I don't think he'll have his phone on him,† she said. â€Å"I'll leave a message.† The phone rang four times, followed by a beep. There was no greeting. â€Å"You are in trouble,† I said slowly, emphasizing each word. â€Å"Enormous trouble. Angry grizzly bears are going to look tame next to what is waiting for you at home.† I snapped the phone shut and placed it in her waiting hand. â€Å"I'm done.† She grinned. â€Å"This hostage stuff is fun.† â€Å"I'm going to sleep now,† I announced, heading for the stairs. Alice tagged along. â€Å"Alice,† I sighed. â€Å"I'm not going to sneak out. You would know if I was planning to, and you'd catch me if I tried.† â€Å"I'm just going to show you where your things are,† she said innocently. Edward's room was at the farthest end of the third floor hallway, hard to mistake even when the huge house had been less familiar. But when I switched the light on, I paused in confusion. Had I picked the wrong door? Alice giggled. It was the same room, I realized quickly; the furniture had just been rearranged. The couch was pushed to the north wall and the stereo shoved up against the vast shelves of CDs – to make room for the colossal bed that now dominated the central space. The southern wall of glass reflected the scene back like a mirror, making it look twice as bad. It matched. The coverlet was a dull gold, just lighter than the walls; the frame was black, made of intricately patterned wrought iron. Sculpted metal roses wound in vines up the tall posts and formed a bowery lattice overhead. My pajamas were folded neatly on the foot of the bed, my bag of toiletries to one side. â€Å"What the hell is all this?† I spluttered. â€Å"You didn't really think he would make you sleep on the couch, did you?† I mumbled unintelligibly as I stalked forward to snatch my things off the bed. â€Å"I'll give you some privacy,† Alice laughed. â€Å"See you in the morning.† After my teeth were brushed and I was dressed, I grabbed a puffy feather pillow off the huge bed and dragged the gold cover to the couch. I knew I was being silly, but I didn't care. Porsches as bribes and king- sized beds in houses where nobody slept – it was beyond irritating. I flipped off the lights and curled up on the sofa, wondering if I was too annoyed to sleep. In the dark, the glass wall was no longer a black mirror, doubling the room. The light of the moon brightened the clouds outside the window. As my eyes adjusted, I could see the diffused glow highlighting the tops of the trees, and glinting off a small slice of the river. I watched the silver light, waiting for my eyes to get heavy. There was a light knock on the door. â€Å"What, Alice?† I hissed. I was on the defensive, imagining her amusement when she saw my makeshift bed. â€Å"It's me,† Rosalie said softly, opening the door enough that I could see the silver glow touch her perfect face. â€Å"Can I come in?†