A Plan for a Car Garage Business Establishment Work Plan

One of the most feasible businesses in the society today is one that goes with cars. The growing number of cars in the streets has naturally increased the number of cars needing assistance for repair.This is the reason why there is a need for business establishments giving quality service for car repairs and fixing assistance. Being able to create such a type of business would indeed result to a much profitable source of income. However, establishing a car garage business is not that easy.Planning for the Business Everything starts with a vision. From a vision comes plans, and from plans come fulfillment of the vision. Vision and plans are the primary elements for starting any business. An entrepreneur must posses the vision and determination needed for an individual to become successful within the business industry; however, these elements are not solely the needed requirements.Vision and plans are the abstract elements that contribute to business proceedings hence empowering the en trepreneur to continue whatever it is that he has started. The other elements include capital, land [place of business headquarters] and the people force.The elements that were mentioned primarily gives essence to the business itself. The capital is more on the monetary resource needed to start the business. At times, this particular resource comes from a group of entrepreneurs who decide to work together for a certain organization, or on the other hand, it is sourced out from loaning or from the pocket of the entrepreneur himself.At some point, the capital actually determines the scale of the business. Land or the area intended for the business headquarters is depending on what type of business is planned to be established. If the business is supposed to cater to several clients, there should be a place intended for them that would be much convenient for business transactions.However, if the business is online [which is at trend right now] or other home based businesses, the area o f business branch would not be much of a problem since the transactions are to be done at any convenient place possible. The people force also depends on the scale of business that is being established.Whatever type of business is being established, it is necessary that the entrepreneurs see to it that the different sections of the business, especially that of the people force are well taken care of. The success of the business naturally depends on the ability of the entrepreneurs to balance the idealistic mission as well as the activities of the organization as a business entity. This as well includes the legalities of the organization and its close connection with the existing laws for business organizations.Introduction It could be noted that opening or establishing a business organization is not that easy to deal with. The first months of operation towards the first year usually deals with the different challenges of effective strategies created to put the organization within th e existing competition. Entering a certain business organization and trying to make it within the business industry is a great challenge to everyone wanting to create a considerable reputation in the society.However, once this particular challenges have been successfully met by the new entrepreneurs, the continuous progress of the said new established organization could be assured. This though does not mean that developments are already to stop once the business has been established. As for a fact, the establishment should simply mark the beginning of the progressive developments intended to help the whole organization remain within competition as long as it exists within the business industry.Scaling the Business through SWOT Analysis Through the utilization of SWOT analysis basics, the establishment of the Car Garage Business shall be examined as to how it primarily would affect the growth of the business towards future stability and success.  

Wounds, Meds and Complex Care in Nursing Practice

1. The preoperative checklist on what needs to be done to take care of a patient can be found on the patient’s chart, usually under the doctor’s orders and/or the patient’s notes. 2. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence recommends that blood tests should be taken prior to having a surgery regardless of patient’s healthy condition, unless contraindicated. This is done to provide information about conditions that could affect the treatment that a patient would need (Lab Tests Online, 2004). Blood tests to be included in this routine preoperative testing are a full blood count, blood clotting tests, blood typing, blood gasses, blood glucose, and a sickle cell test (Lab Tests Online, 2004). A full blood count will measure haemoglobin and the number of other types of cells in the blood (Lab Tests Online, 2004). Blood typing is for blood transfusion, in case needed. Blood clotting test to determine if blood clots normally and how long it takes to clot (Lab Tests Online, 2004). Blood gasses, measures the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood, as well as its acidity, and blood glucose to check for diabetes. Sickle cell testing if the patient has risk factors. 3. The registered nurse is responsible for reporting any discrepancies in the lab results of the patient to the physician in charge. 4. Preoperative education should include orienting the patient with the surgery that she is going to go through. Ask what she understood from the physician and answer her questions for further clarification. Afterwards, explain the patient what to expect during her recovery period, and what are her postoperative exercises. Also, enlighten the patient on the risks of post-op recovery like pulmonary embolus, DVT and UTI, and the possible ways on how to avoid these, through deep breathing exercises and wearing of anti-embolic stockings (University of South Australia, 2000). Finally, inform her of what other procedures are to be done after the surgery, for example, utilization of catheters and IV therapy. 5. A preoperative shower employs the use of a 2% chlorhexidine gluconate polyester cloth in scrubbing the patient’s body as a preventive preparation aimed at reducing the patient's skin colonization before the incision is made (Bjerke, 2001). . The anaesthesiologist is the one to administer the anaesthesia. 7. A general anaesthesia will make Mary unaware of what is happening during the operation, it will make her not feel anything, it will even put her to sleep (Rashiq, 2007). Penthidine is the analgesic of choice postoperative; to not feel pain (JBC Handbook, 1997). 8. An epidural anaesthesia is called an epidural block and requires the injection of anaesthetics in the epidural membrane that surrounds the spinal cord (Sarafino, 2006). Epidural blocks are most commonly administered during labour and delivery (American Pregnancy Association, 2007). . Marking the legs preoperative is done traditionally by estimating the position of the hip joint by palpation of the greater trochanter (The, 2006). 10. Epidural infection, nerve damage, backache, headache and urinary retention (Faure, 2000). 11. a. Ensure patient’s tag is the same with her chart. b. make sure patient is not wearing any metals, jewelleries, etc. c. ensure is certain about undergoing the operation d. ensure that patient has gone through all the necessary diagnostic tests e. ensure that patient is still on NPO. 12. The patient’s chart, diagnostic test results, patient’s consent. 13. Vital sign assessment has to be done every 15 minutes for the first hour and special attention will be brought to the patient’s respiration, due to the anaesthesia, and circulation and sensation of the extremities especially in the affected areas. Output is also monitored. Patient still on NPO until anaesthesia wears off totally. 14. No, this is a common postoperative effect. Continue monitoring output. 15. Decrease in urine output is common postoperative due to opioid drugs, immobility, and decreased oral intake (Merck, 2005). The physician may order Crede’s manoeuvre to be implemented and Betanechol can be administered (Merck, 2005). 6. Neurovascular checks are important to determine if there was nerve damage or internal bleeding and a circulation problem, or even infection, which could have been caused by the surgery. The neurovascular check is comprised of the five P’s, namely pain, paralysis, paraesthesia, pulses, and pallor (Judge, 2007). Check for thes e in the patient’s limbs. 17. Loss of pedal pulses might mean lack of arterial flow (Judge, 2007). This should be reported immediately to the registered nurse or the physician, whoever is readily available. 18. Any deviation from the normal baseline data regarding neurovascular checks should be reported immediately to the physician to avoid amputation of the affected extremity. 19. Log roll patient with abductor hip in place. To prepare the patient, she should be placed on one side of the bed, and rolled like a log to the unaffected side of the hip replacement. 20. A postoperative wash will make the patient feel comfortable and refreshed, also it will minimize infection. 21. Her pain might increase or decrease and this can signal a change in the source of pain. Also, the narcotic’s infusion rate can be changed if pain is lessened. 2. Two or more nurses to ensure that the correct rate is delivered. 23. As a student nurse, I cannot change infusion rates for narcotic pain relievers because I do not have the license yet that will make me accountable for any unpleasant consequence that might arise from the situation. Even under the watchful eye of my instructor, I cannot do it. 24. Na rcotics have to be watched for their side effects, especially respiratory depression. Observations that can be noted when a patient is with a narcotics infusion include clients respiratory rate, confusion and drowsiness (BP Cancer Agency, 2008). 5. Heparin injections are administered as a prophylaxis for blood clots (Science News, 1988). 26. Bleeding can be a complication of heparin use because it prevents clotting. Be wary of the following signs: black, tarry stools and bleeding from gums when brushing or flossing teeth, continued redness or pain after an injection, nosebleeds, red urine, unusual bruising coughing up blood (Drug Information Online, 2008). 27. Positive nitrate may indicate bacterial contamination, and traces of protein and blood are not alarming (Eccles Health Sciences Library, 2008). 28. Yes. This is because catheter removal will help in eradicating any possible bacterial contamination. 29. A urine specimen should be sent for a culture and sensitivity test to determine what bacteria is infecting the patient’s urinary tract. Sample should be sent to the laboratory immediately. 30. The needed equipment shall be gathered. After washing one’s hands and explaining to the patient what procedure is to be done and what the rationale behind it is, the drainage tubing directly below the aspiration port will be clamped with a rubber band or clamp (Integrated Publishing, 2007). This is to ensure that an adequate amount of urine for a specimen can be taken. A syringe will be used to aspirate the urine specimen. After gathering enough urine, the clamp shall be removed. 31. Inserting an indwelling catheter requires that the equipment needed be gathered first. Then the procedure is to be explained to the patient. She should be placed in a dorsal recumbent position. Using the sterile technique, the patient should be draped with sterile dressings. Sterile gloves will then be worn. Catheter tip is to be lubricated and placed on the sterile catheter tray. The labia are to be separated with the thumb and forefinger and a swipe of a swab with sterile povidone-iodine shall be done from the meatus toward the rectum. This shall be done thrice discarding each swab after one swipe. Catheter is to be inserted two to three inches into the urethra, and an additional inch once there is urine flowing. Balloon will be inflated once it is inside the bladder. Traction is gently applied to the catheter and drainage is taped to Mary’s thigh. (Kaplan, 2007) 32. To remove an indwelling catheter, a small syringe is attached to the inflation port on the side of the catheter and all the fluid is drawn out (Moore et al, 2007). Afterwards, slowly pull the catheter out (Moore et al, 2007). 33. Patients are on strict monitoring of fluid balance because they are receiving fluids through their IV therapies and postoperative patients are still weaning off from their anaesthesia, making urine retention a side effect. A positive fluid balance occurs when intake is greater than output, and a negative fluid balance happens when intake is lesser than output. 34. Fluid overload can bring about fluid and electrolyte imbalance, dysrhythmia, high blood pressure, non-pitting oedema, diarrhoea, projectile vomiting, among many others (Williams, 2008). Osmotic diuretics can be administered per doctor’s orders, patient should be on strict I&O, IV fluids should be checked hourly, fluids should be restricted (Williams, 2008). 35. The medications should also be reflected on the output of Mary if it is working. 36. total intake: 500ml IVF + 2160 ml tea and Milo + 360ml water = 3020 total output: 1400ml urination + bowel The patient is in a positive balance.

Analysis of the Development of Enterprise Resource

The overall report mainly includes an effective evaluation of the overall ERP system, which could help Disk4U to support their changing business environment. In addition, the study effectively evaluates the case study and identifies the overall requirements of Disk4U. Furthermore, effective business process is mainly depicted, which could help in understanding the business requirement of Disk4U. After the evaluation of the overall business requirement, effective system requirement could be identified. The identification of system requirement is mainly essential for choosing the appropriate ERP system to support the business process (Arvidsson, Holmstrà ¶m & Lyytinen, 2014). The main identification of the overall ERP system is essential for selecting the adequate software, which might be used by Disk4U. Lastly, the identification of adequate vendor is essential for Disk4U to select an effective accounting system (Becker, Kugeler & Rosemann, 2013). Disk4U is a small family owned business situated in Sydney, which only sells CDs and Vinyl Records. The company previously operated only in four outlets, which was spread around Sydney metropolitan. In addition, the company has effectively adopted the use of phone and email for generating the required level of sales. However, the company has currently adopted the use of online sales from eBay platform, which might increase its overall sales. Furthermore, this expansion into the new market could effectively help the company in generating high revenue, which will require an effective accounting system to support the business process. Furthermore, the change in overall business process has indicated to improve the manual process of accounting, which is been currently being used by Disk4U (Arvidsson, Holmstrà ¶m & Lyytinen, 2014). The company mainly requires depicting the overall latest technologies, which could be used in improving the current accounting system for supporting the onlin e presence in EBay. Moreover, an effective improvement in business accounting and report is need by Disk4U within specified budget of $150,000. Disk4U is a small business operation, which mainly provides products like CDs and Vinyl Records. The company has been effectively operating within the small location in Sydney with four outlets, email, and phones orders (Becker, Kugeler & Rosemann, 2013). Moreover, the company has been using manual accounting process, which was effective for supporting the small business operations conducted within a region. However, the adoption of online sales from EBay platform is effective in improving the current sales of the company. In addition, the company mainly aims is carrying the both online and physical sales. Furthermore, the use of effective online business operation could help the business in generating higher revenue. Nwankpa & Roumani (2014) mentioned that companies are mainly able to generate high revenue by incorporating online sales, which increases its customer reach. Moreover, after the evaluation of business processes certain challenges, which the company might face could be i dentified. In addition, effective use of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) could be utilised by Disk4U for supporting the current change in business environment. Kilic, Zaim & Delen (2014) argued that high end ERP system could reduce the smooth functioning of the business, which in turn reduce its overall profitability. The changing business requirement could effectively help in improving of Disk4U could mainly need an effective ERP system, which could support its accosting needs. The use of online platform could increase the overall needs of an effective accounting system, which might comprehend the change in inventory. Effective monitoring is mainly needed on stock level, financial performance, and supplier quotation, which might be used in new business operations. Chou, et al., (2014) stated that companies to improve the overall performance by implying effective online system mainly use ERP system. On the contrary, Nwankpa (2015) argued that ERP system mainly loses its friction if adequate analysis is mainly not conducted to identify the accurate requirements of the company. The increased accumulation of data, which is mainly provided by the online platform, is satisfied by the ERP system. In addition, ERP system could automatically identify the overall need of inventory and contact the supplier for replenishing the stock. The adequate flow of orders could effectively be comprehended by an ERP system, which could help in flowing adequate information to relative participants (Becker, Kugeler & Rosemann, 2013). Furthermore, implementation of the overall advanced ERP system could effectively help Disk4U for improving its operational ability. Furthermore, the ERP system mainly needs different types of applications, which could improve the overall experience and reduce problems. The Disk4U for suiting the overall needs could effectively customise the ERP system, which could help in improving its business process. Lin, Zhao & Wei (2014) mentioned that companies are mainly able to customise the overall ERP system for supporting the business requirement. Moreover, with the implementation of ERPs system adequate system needs to be required by Disk4U for increasing productivity. In addition, the use of ERP Cloud, Social ERP and Mobile ERP could also be utilised. In addition, the adoption of overall mobile ERP system could effectively help the company in delivery the information to adequate employee in real-time. Kilic, Zaim & Delen (2015) mentioned that due to technological advancements incorporation of ERP system in mobile device mainly easy the flow of information. Furthermore, the use of cloud ERP system could also be effective for Disk4U to reduce the problem of data loss. In addition, the incorporation of both mobile and cloud ERP system could help the company in improving its productivity and accounting system. Furthermore, incorporation of Social ERP system could also help the company in making a social presence, which might attract potential investors. Shukla et al., (2016) argued that high costs incurred in ERP implementation mainly reduces the overall cash balance of companies and hamper its ability to make any new investments. Table 1: Depicting the costing of three different ERP system From the overall evaluation of different ERP system, Accountmate ERP per year could be used as an effective system, which might be cost effective. In addition, other ERP system is mainly costly and might increases expenses of Disk4U. Jinno, Abe & Iizuka (2017) mentioned that use of effectively ERP system is essential for companies to increase their efficiency and information flow. From the case study, it was gathered that AIS or the ERP systems could facilitate the employees of Disk4U in realizing their issues and offering specific solutions (Antero, 2015). It was also realized from the analysis of the case study of Disk4U, that the organization is dealing with problems that requires being decreased through appropriate implementation of information systems. This is also because of the reason that the smooth business operation of the company is ensured (Arvidsson, Holmstrà ¶m & Lyytinen, 2014). Implementation of ERP systems will make sure of the company several effective business processes, preparing business requirements along with deciding the software and vendor selection. The case study is dealing with the concerns specifically for the identified issues experienced by Disk4U. The Disk4U Company intends to reconstruct the business operations through adopting Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) that is required for effective Business Process Management (BPM) (Bansal, 2013). Identifying suitable software and vendor for Disk4U will help in analyzing the current state of business operation affairs and realization of the areas those requires improvement. Implementation of suitable software and vendor in the company will also support in obtaining increased understanding concerning ways that can be adopted for the betterment of overall business operations of Disk4U (Becker, Kugeler & Rosemann, 2013). Management of the Disk4U Company might consider several business operations in order to ensure efficient data structure, networks, mobile computations, algorithms along with optimization of business process along with scheduling process (Bernroider & Mitlohner, 2015). Along with considering the ERP implementation of the system of business process management along with appropriate design of network, the management of the company can make sure of implementation regarding the integration of Application Programming Interface (API). (Bradford, 2015) discovered the fact that implementation of the Application Programming Interface (API) software will signify allowance along with several business processes in order to deliver programs that is aligned with different programs. Additionally, if Disk4U Company considers the implementation of software-to-software interface, it can facilitate ample vendors to communicate with each other devoid of having any previous understanding or intervention. For instance, ample online channels associated with functions can support the process utilization of integration of API software (Chang, 2016). This can further facilitate the process of entering the accurate information in support of credit cards along with application of API for transferring vital information to a distinct isolated application in order to verify provided information. The â€Å"Business Process Management† set can be employed for viewing at different areas of the upcoming analysis techniques (Dumas et al., 2013). In addition, the design of support process facilitates in delivering support for vital activities employed by numerous resources along with the infrastructure in a specific format. This can be deemed as a vital differentiator that considers several primaries along with support techniques for the development of direct value with regard to target consumers in the situation of major processes (Falkenberg, Hesse & Olivà ©, 2016). Certain examples of support services include relevant information technology management along with effective human resource management as well as infrastructure management. Conversely, the processes of support services majorly include cross-functional limits along with the evaluation in the future years. For this reason, it is included in the managerial capability processes along with the direction of value offered to customers in supporting the total capability of the company (Seethamraju, 2015). This can facilitate efficient offering of products along with th e company’s services. The business process management can take into account implementation of software tools those can be employed in order to deal with major business issues of Disk4U Company. Conversely, this also has a considerable role within business process management that has a difference between the flows of work along with the software of Business Process Management (Jain & Sharma, 2016). This can facilitate the automation of work with unaffected process improvement in a better manner. In addition to that, the management of Disk4U Company can also consider the process of advanced technology implementation for the production business operations. This focuses on implementation of advanced systems to deal with product data, automatic process of planning, manufacturing, execution, and scheduling (Savage, Kautz & Clarke, 2016). Moreover, the company production and marketing products can adopt mechanized process of production, scheduling, planning along with implementation. Additionally, the production and marketing products of the company can adopt mechanized technique of data gathering, Compliance administration, lean manufacturing, and planning, scheduling, total quality management along with management of product life cycle (Esteves, 2014). Therefore, it might be ascertained that the functions of business process have entered within a new stage of rapidly tracked transformation to mature along with improved technologies. The cloud based and mobile applications in addition to progressive analytics with collaboration processes can increase the impacts of properly understood functioning model levers such as shared services, global delivery system, and outsourcing as re-engineering process (Rodrigues et al., 2016). Moreover, the application along with the impact of innovative technologies might not be at a great level. Additionally, it is deemed vital to realize certain technology interventions as well as process re-engineering in consideration to organizational re-design. This includes shared services along with business process outsourcing that is combined within the International Business Service (Altamony et al., 2016). The aforementioned process cab directs the business concerns in focusing on the scarce resources that can finally affect the vital business findings. Such process also supports the process of decrease of intricacies of several distinct processes, which significantly encompass various cross-disciplinary squads (Erturk & Arora, 2017). This team can consider it quite difficult in struggling in order to observe conjoint ground along with language. Conversely, the ability to identify various levels for pulling is not increased and relies on experience collected by transformation, designing and functioning business conducts. The most effective tactic can be to identify partners that can have the capability to manage expenditure along with research on consumption. This can finally also result in risk of losing the momentum along with time in a fierce competitive surrounding (Esteves, 2014). Identifying suitable software and vendor for Disk4U Company will help in analyzing the current state of business operation affairs and realization of the areas those requires improvement. Implementation of ERP systems will make sure of the company several effective business processes, preparing business requirements along with deciding the software and vendor selection (Arvidsson, Holmstrà ¶m & Lyytinen, 2014). Net suite, Account mate and Sage 300 are the three most user-friendly and effective ERP software that can be used by the company. However, Account-mate is considered as the best Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software to be implemented by Disk4U Company because of several advantages that this software can offer to the company (Becker, Kugeler & Rosemann, 2013). The advantages that this ERP software implementation can provide to the company are it comes in lowest price, supports multicurrency, effective document management, and superior expense management, or reporting, ef fective LIFO and FIFO process, effective Point-of-Sale option, and integrates with the important business process reports (Bansal, 2013). Moreover, Account-mate ERP software cal also facilitate the company to attain certain benefits associated with its use such as, it integrates with F9, effectively managers sales and tax use, enables effective human resources, consumer relationship management (CRM) and project management (PM). Account-mate ERP software is the most suitable software for Disk4U Company as it facilitates enhanced materials requirement processing (MRP), Supply Chain Management (SCM) and business intelligence (BI) (Dumas et al., 2013). Account-mate ERP software has certain advantageous features such as it is non-profit version along with vertical warehousing, construction and distribution (Frankenberg, Hesse & Olivà ©, 2016). This ERP software can solve the issues faced by Disk4U Company in its business operations though facilitating superior transaction drill down and exceptional â€Å"audit trial report† ability. This software also provides with beneficial features of increased online training and supports functionality along with allowing cut and paste transactions from the spreadsheet of Microsoft excel (Arvidsson, Holmstrà ¶m & Lyytinen, 2014). However, Disk4U Company must also manage few cons associated with implementation of Account-mate ERP software in order to obtain best business operation process advantages from it. These disadvantages include lack of "business process flowchart" navigation, no point-of-sale (POS), or human resource (HR) modules for implementations of ERP. Certain drawbacks of t he ERP software also include limited charting and graphics (Bernroider & Mitlohner, 2015). After implementing Account-mate ERP software for managing its business operations effectively, it must configure the task shortcuts from scratch as no template exists in this ERP software along with no proper dashboards. Implementation of Account-Mate ERP software can support the company’s back-office operations along with financial business processes that encompass inventory, accounting, supply chain, order management, as well as business intelligence (BI). Implementation of this software wholesale distributor is available in several countries that reach out to the new markets and consumer segments through online medium along with decreasing person-to-person administrative expenses (Falkenberg, Hesse & Olivà ©, 2016). Account-Mate ERP Software has self-service vendor centre in which the company offers its self-owned vendors with great access to information that is important to the company’s partnership that encompass purchase orders, data of accounts payable along with major other documents. Account-Mate ERP Software established an international partner network. Purchase and implementation of the software is offered on an on-demand subscription-based service through the web. Moreover, purchase of the software through self-service vendor centre considers no hardware to procure, no high up-front license charges or extremely difficult set-ups (Arvidsson, Holmstrà ¶m & Lyytinen, 2014). With Account-Mate ERP Software’s unified platform, distributors and manufacturers streamline and automate all the major business processes of a company that includes from purchasing the software and manufacturing through to order to cash, fulfillment, multichannel commerce along with effective consumer service that is devoid of complexity and expenses on on-spot IT systems. The overall report mainly included an effective evaluation of the overall ERP system, which could help Disk4U to support their changing business environment. In addition, the study effectively evaluates the case study and identifies the overall requirements of Disk4U. The company mainly requires depicting the overall latest technologies, which could be used in improving the current accounting system for supporting the online presence in EBay. Moreover, the company has been using manual accounting process, which was effective for supporting the small business operations conducted within a region. However, the adoption of online sales from EBay platform is effective in improving the current sales of the company. In addition, the company mainly aims is carrying the both online and physical sales. Furthermore, the use of effective online business operation could help the business in generating higher revenue. Implementation of the overall advanced ERP system could effectively help Disk4U for improving its operational ability. Furthermore, the ERP system mainly needs different types of applications, which could improve the overall experience and reduce problems. Incorporation of Social ERP system could also help the company in making a social presence, which might attract potential investors. The business process management can take into account implementation of software tools those can be employed in order to deal with major business issues of Disk4U Company. Account-mate is considered as the best Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software to be implemented by Disk4U Company because of several advantages that this software can offer to the company. Altamony, H., Tarhini, A., Al-Salti, Z., Gharaibeh, A., & Elyas, T. (2016). The relationship between change management strategy and successful enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementations: A theoretical perspective.  International Journal of Business Management and Economic Research,  7(4), 690-703. Antero, M., (2015). A Multi-case Analysis of the Development of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP) Business Practices. Copenhagen Business SchoolCopenhagen Business School, Institut for IT-LedelseDepartment of IT Management. Arvidsson, V., Holmstrà ¶m, J. & Lyytinen, K., (2014). Information systems use as strategy practice: A multi-dimensional view of strategic information system implementation and use. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 23(1), 45-61. Bansal, V., (2013). 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An Exploratory Study on the Implementation and Adoption of ERP Solutions for Businesses.  arXiv preprint arXiv:1701.08329. Esteves, J. M. (2014). An empirical identification and categorisation of training best practices for ERP implementation projects.  Enterprise Information Systems,  8(6), 665-683. Falkenberg, E.D., Hesse, W. & Olivà ©, A. eds., (2016). Information System Concepts: Towards a consolidation of views. Springer. Jain, D., & Sharma, Y. (2016). Cloud computing with ERP-A push business towards higher efficiency. Jinno, H., Abe, H., & Iizuka, K. (2017). Consideration of ERP Effectiveness: From the Perspective of ERP Implementation Policy and Operational Effectiveness.  Information,  8(1), 14. Kilic, H. S., Zaim, S., & Delen, D. (2014). Development of a hybrid methodology for ERP system selection: The case of Turkish Airlines.  Decision Support Systems,  66, 82-92. Kilic, H. S., Zaim, S., & Delen, D. (2015). Selecting â€Å"The Best† ERP system for SMEs using a combination of ANP and PROMETHEE methods.  Expert Systems with Applications,  42(5), 2343-2352. Lin, R., Zhao, X., & Wei, G. (2014). Models for selecting an ERP system with hesitant fuzzy linguistic information.  Journal of Intelligent & Fuzzy Systems,  26(5), 2155-2165. Nwankpa, J. K. (2015). ERP system usage and benefit: A model of antecedents and outcomes.  Computers in Human Behavior,  45, 335-344. Nwankpa, J., & Roumani, Y. (2014). Understanding the link between organizational learning capability and ERP system usage: An empirical examination.  Computers in Human Behavior,  33, 224-234. pcmag.com. (2016).  PCMag India. Retrieved 12 February 2017, from https://au.pcmag.com/se/?q=SaaS+ERP Rodrigues, J., Ruivo, P., Johansson, B., & Oliveira, T. (2016). Factors for Adopting ERP as SaaS amongst SMEs: The Customers vs. Vendor Point of View.  Information Resources Management Journal (IRMJ),  29(4), 1-16. Savage, C., Kautz, K., & Clarke, R. (2016). Fears and Triggers: A Conceptual Study of Vendor-Supplied Maintenance and Maintenance Deferral of Standard Package Software.  arXiv preprint arXiv:1606.00749. Seethamraju, R. (2015). Adoption of software as a service (SaaS) enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).  Information systems frontiers,  17(3), 475-492. Seethamraju, R. (2015). Adoption of software as a service (SaaS) enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).  Information systems frontiers,  17(3), 475-492. Shukla, S., Mishra, P. K., Jain, R., & Yadav, H. C. (2016). An integrated decision making approach for ERP system selection using SWARA and PROMETHEE method.  International Journal of Intelligent Enterprise,  3(2), 120-147.

Goals and Objectives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Goals and Objectives - Essay Example I was very excited and enthusiastic about this job as it would land me an opportunity to meet new people and learn about their lifestyles. It would also help me to improve my interpersonal, communication skills and confidence. Everyday I used to meet number of people and my interaction with them helped me improve my English language as well. I knew that if I excelled in that job, it would serve as a stepping stone for many greater things ahead in my future. It would make my personality better and make me more presentable in front of people. This job was a good opportunity to get the basic training needed to succeed in this industry. My aim was to gain as much confidence as possible and improve my interpersonal skills from this position and then seek a higher position such as team leader or assistant manager. The nature of my job as a sales advisor, as stated earlier, involved meeting many people during the day. This has taught me many things and has changed me as an individual. I have learned to be more patient in life and how to deal with tensed and stressful situations in a calm, composed manner. For example; I am often faced with the challenge of satisfying many customers’ demands at the same time. These kinds of situations have also taught me to think quickly and respond to difficult situations. I have learned to think fast and say the appropriate thing in difficult situations. This job has given me the opportunity to improve my communication skills. When I started working at Superdrug, the company started organizing seminars for new employees. A personal trainer was appointed to me to guide me through the initial days of my job at the respective company. Around that time, the assistant manager gave me a book that I was supposed to complete and submit by the end of December that year. This book had around 100 pages in it, consisting of questions related to my job, about the company, its products and company policies etc. I carried out this

Performance and Human Resource Development Essay

Performance and Human Resource Development - Essay Example Performance management is a process that starts with hiring and continues year after year through planning, task assignment and review, performance evaluation, assessment of potential and recognition. It is a method through which management plans and executes strategy in the most effective way. The aspects that distinguish this process are: †¢Ã‚  PLANNING – Work is planned, keeping in mind objectives of the organization, and goals are set for the teams as well as individuals. A vital part of performance management, it can be made more effective with active participation of the personnel who will be responsible for execution of the plan. †¢Ã‚  MONITIORING – Progress on all activities, assignments and projects is regularly monitored. This takes into account individual and group capability, workload and division of work. Keeping track of trends and corrective action based on progress and employee feedback, norms this part. †¢Ã‚  DEVELOPING – Entails development of skills of employees to enhance their abilities to perform through education and training in existing areas and acquisition of new skills. It also involves simplification and improvement of work processes and methods productivity while simultaneously creating a motivating atmosphere at the workplace. †¢Ã‚  MOTIVATING – Keeping the morale of the employees up and motivating them to perform the given tasks with enthusiasm, care and diligence. The provision of good and friendly working atmosphere, unbiased and fair handling (perceived and actual) of all situations., maintaining good discipline, timely feedback and empowerment are some of the tools used.RATING – Is used for summarizing employees’ performance, it allows for comparison of the performance of the employee over time as well as with other employees. Performance appraisal in a structured manner helps in rating of employees to identify high performers and those who need further inputs to help them achieve targets set. REWARING – Appreciation of good performance and censure of poor performance form this part of the process. Appreciation and censure may take many forms like formal positive reception, salary hikes, promotions, lateral multitasking, demotions and outright termination of employment.Management of performance of employees thus forms the core of efficient and competent organizations. Goals are set and work planned out in detail with time frames established usually with the involvement of the individuals and groups concerned, standards are set while keeping in view skills required and capabilities of the individuals assigned to meet them.Performance AppraisalPerformance assessment or appraisal is a process of audit of the effectiveness of each employee. It may be viewed as a contract between the organization and the employee explicitly

Factors contributing to Greece Financial crisis Dissertation

Factors contributing to Greece Financial crisis - Dissertation Example There was a wide margin of money supply circulated in the economy versus the available increases in money supply that remained in banks. Another major discovery was a wide gap between importations and exports. Imports exceeded exports by the billions of dollars each year. Yet the ECB, EU, and IMF did not recommend drastic reduction in the importations. Instead, these financial organizations recommended retrenchments of government employees. The budget defitis could have been drastically reduced by simply cutting down substantial imports of goods that people in Greece can readily produce. But the financial system needs reforms in the sense that entrepreneurs with feasible business projects should be given priority over Investment Banking activities of banks. This dissertation recommends further impartial investigation into the banking operations in terms of the loans or funding of businesses in order to eliminate the public’s doubt over the banking system of withholding substan tial funds from the needed productivity of the country. Retrenchment of employees should be the last option in finding ways to fix the budget deficit annually. At this point in time, excessive importations valued at 200% of all exports, would be the first priority for the cutting of dollar outflows. And the top positive step should be development of probably profitable businesses such as those beind supplied by other countries into Greece. It is not conclusive that the root causes of the Greece financial crisis is overspending of government, overstaffing, and excessive debt servicing. This is because of the lack of transparency of banks in terms of disclosing where the substantial funds were loaned and how much they earned or lost. Table of Contents Introduction A. Overview of the Greece Financial Crisis B. Problem Statement C. Hypothesis D. Research Limitations Aims, Specific Objectives, & Purposes Significance of the Study Literature Review Methodology Findings Discussion & Analys is of Findings Conclusions Recommendations Appendix References Introduction Overview Greece financial crisis as of the present had just experienced a substantial debt default in March 2012 and a redemption from that default through a debt sale via bidding in August 2012. Mead and Paris (2012) reported the successful auction of bonds representing debts to the ECB wherein $ 5 billion was raised â€Å"to redeem â‚ ¬ 3.1 in bonds held by th ECB† (equivalent to less than $ 4 billion). The Bank of Cyprus had been buying Greek bonds for years with undisclosed or mysterious reasons, according to Kambas et. al. (2013). That redemption from debt default is far from solving the many aspects of financial crisis of Greece, which has lasted for over a decade up to the present. This dissertation looks into the many difficult economic situations of Greece – annual budget deficits, heavy indebtedness, very high unemployment rates, low industrial productivity, low consumer confidence , and more – making the country very popular as a poor performer among members of the European Union. Greece Problem Defined What brought about the financial crisis of Greece over the years? How did the nation get to be heavily indebted with nearly half a trillion dollars worth of bonds payable to some countries, mainly France,

Land law part 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Land law part 2 - Essay Example The property which was habitable in 1997 has deteriorated over the years. It has become very damp, because the gutters are very dilapidated and when it rains water runs down the outside walls of the property rather than down the pipes and into the drains. The sash window frames are rotting and mould is growing in the bathroom where it is impossible to open the window at all. Cracks are appearing in the ceiling and P thinks there could be some loose slates on the roof. He has rung Bridley Housing Association’s offices on a number of occasions this year to tell them about the damp, but no-one from the Association has visited the property or carried out any repairs. In order to be able to advise P and Q it is necessary to examine the law in relation to short term licences. This will involve a discussion on the difference between a lease and a licence, and the different rights given to leaseholders over licence holders. From this it should then be possible to advise P and Q of their rights to insist on the repairs being carried out. In the UK leases can be distinguished from licences in relation to the occupation of the property. With a lease the occupier will enjoy exclusive occupation and the amount paid for the property will not include any services. Landlords cannot terminate leases at short notice. By comparison those who have a licence do not have exclusive occupation and the landlord can allow other persons to move into the property. Where the agreement is deemed to be a lease the lessee would have full ownership rights over the property.1 If the occupier does not have exclusive ownership, than the courts will deem that a licence has been created. In Shell-Mex & B P Ltd v Manchester Garages Ltd [1971]2 the court distinguished between a lease and a licence by examining where the control lay. In this case the court

Environmental Concerns Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Environmental Concerns - Research Paper Example The main consequences of global warming will be natural disasters like floods, famines, reduction in agricultural output, glacier melting, emergence of new diseases, extinction of species etc (Sinn, 2007). The consequences of the global warming are universally recognized and hence serious efforts are made by all nations to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases especially CO2.The main participants in these efforts are governments and people. In this essay, the public policy actions regarding global warming, the participants in the policy actions, the evaluation of policy, political concerns etc are critically analyzed. The excessive emission of greenhouse gases due to manmade activities can result in accumulation of heat in the earth’s atmosphere leading to a rise in global temperature. This phenomenon is called global warming (Cline, 1992). Among the greenhouse gases, all except methane are originated from manmade activities like fossil burning or electricity generation. Thus power plants are one of the main contributors of this phenomenon. The other main contributors of greenhouse gas emissions include deforestation, burning of gasoline in the engine of vehicles, use of fertilizers in agriculture, burning of organic matter, buildings that require lot of fuels etc. Due to the serious repercussions of the global warming problem concerning both developed and developing nations, it is widely recognized that an internationally integrated approach is needed to tackle this issue. The Kyoto Protocol based on the treaty on climate change in the United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro,1992, c alled on both the developed and developing nations to formulate local initiatives to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases in all nations irrespective of the costs involved in these efforts(Hass et al, 1992). Both the governments and people can be the participants in the national and regional programmes in this regard. The historic treaty produced by the United

Regina Company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Regina Company - Case Study Example d went on unidentified for a long period of time and it made the company create a good image of its success but this was not to go on since the company started experiencing losses when it could not keep up with the fraud. The auditors should have checked the financial records and also identify the source documents for every activity of Regina so as to determine if the figures were the same in all the receipts and the records maintained by Regina. 4. Since the auditors detected one ship-in-place transaction they ought to have acted independently and carry out a thorough investigation on the matter even after being told that there was no additional ship-in-place transaction as this is the duty of the auditor to ensure that dig deeper on the issue without trusting the people on the ground as they tend to conceal the truth. 5. The auditor is supposed to place little or no reliance on the client inquiries. The client is only supposed to answer questions when called upon to do so by the auditor and no opinion or suggestion should be taken from the client whatsoever. 6. The statement â€Å"why don’t you write something to get the stock up?† made by Sheelen to his financial analyst is inappropriate in the sense that it amounts to a fraud on the part of the company and also it is a way of conceal the true value of the company’s stocks from the innocent

See Attachment for topic choices Research Paper

See Attachment for topic choices - Research Paper Example Similarly, inflation causes uncertainty about future and this situation will discourage savings and investments. In addition to this, inflation promotes speculation and hoarding since people expect further price rise in future. This worse economic condition causes shortage of goods as well. However, inflation can also contribute some benefits to the economy by enabling the central banks to vary nominal interest rates in order to mitigate the impacts of recession. In contrast, deflation indicates a decline in the general price level of goods and services. A reduction in the supply of money or credit often causes deflation; a decrease in personal, government, or investment spending may also lead to deflation. Generally, deflation occurs when annual inflation rate falls below zero percent (a negative inflation rate). Deflationary spiral is a danger that arises from deflation and this situation would make economic environment worse. This paper will critically evaluate the different aspec ts of zero inflation and moderate inflation. Inflation and its Impacts on Economies According to Feldstein (1998), the inflation always hurts standard of living of people since rising prices force them to pay more for the same goods and services. ... Similarly, if people expect inflation they are more likely to be extravagant as they envisage worse condition in near future. This economic condition turns to be one of the potential challenges as it may lead to further inflation. This adverse economic condition spirals out of control and hence it is known as spiraling inflation. To illustrate, when people get worried about the further price rise, they tend to plan their economic activities such as spending and buying for a short period. Although this short-term focused financial planning may add mobility to the economic performance of the nation, it involves some pitfalls also. For instance, the economic uncertainty regarding future would persuade the entrepreneurs and other business houses to postpone the launch of their new ventures, and that would ultimately impede the economic growth of the nation. Keynes has classified inflation into two; demand pull inflation and cost push inflation. Under demand push inflation, aggregate dema nd exceeds aggregate supply and it leads to adverse conditions such as deficit financing, agricultural backwardness, and labor inefficiency. In the case of cost push inflation, cost highly increases due to decrease in supply. This condition also affects the economy as it happens along with currency devaluation, profit deflation, and wage increases. Sometimes, the difference between demand and supply and resulting inflation may go beyond government control. In such situations, buyers would trim down their day to day expenses in order to vie with the increasing price level. At the same time, producers may cut down their output levels so as to retain minimum profit

Fossil Evidence Essay Example for Free

Fossil Evidence Essay 1. A. Fossil evidence has been used to support evolution. Paleontologists have dug up old bones and other things that were preserved in sedimentary rock. All of these things that were found show evidence that there was life long ago, however that’s not the only thing these fossils show. Fossils also show that there have been changes in the organisms that have inhabited this earth. The reason it supports that is once we compare the fossils to another organism, by using many different techniques, we can then see how the fossil from back then has adapted and evolved into this new organism. However it is still the same organism just modified to the environment it lives in during that time period. Just like everything else that has positives, this also has some negatives. One of the weaknesses of fossil evidence is that many organisms that died never got preserved because of where they were located. Not only were some organisms not fossilized, but some fossils were destroyed by geological processes. That leaves only some to be found. Despite these weaknesses the fossil record is still a great tool to show us the biological change that has occurred over vast amounts of time. B. The relationship between many organisms can be traced back to a common ancestor. As time progresses organisms evolve and change from this common ancestor, making it harder to just see the relationships between organisms. There are three types of evidence that explains how organisms can be related and that it just is the organism evolving; comparative anatomy, comparative biochemistry, and comparative embryology. One of the ones I am discussing is comparative biochemistry which is when you compare organisms by the similarity of their DNA, proteins, genes, gene products and their common genetic code. DNA, RNA, the genetic code and proteins are similar in all organisms. When the genetic and molecular similarity between species is great, that means that those two species are closer to sharing a common ancestor. The second one I will explain is comparative anatomy. This also shows that organisms share a common ancestor, but proves it by the similarities of the organism’s anatomical structure. You look at the organism’s body parts and their anatomy and look to see if there is any connection between the organisms. There are two major concepts to comparative anatomy; homologous structures and analogous structures. Homologous is when the structures are  similar due to common descent. While analogous is when structures are similar because they evolved in similar environments. You do this by taking the bone structures and looking the appendages, because that is where you can see if one or multiple organisms have the same bone structure for that particular area.

A Hunger Artist Essay Example for Free

A Hunger Artist Essay Misunderstanding must be exposed and handled accordingly in order for understanding to occur Throughout the short story, â€Å"A Hunger Artist†, misunderstanding often created a separation of artist from society. Franz Kafka uses various literary elements and devices such as symbols and conflict to demonstrate this theme. One way that Franz Kafka explicitly displays misunderstanding in â€Å"A Hunger Artist† is through his use of symbolism. Throughout the work, the hunger artist was locked inside of a cage to isolate himself from the fickle public. This cage represents alienation from society and also a barrier that prevents understanding. The spectators’ positions outside of the cage prevent them from truly appreciating the hunger artist’s feat and often times causes those to misunderstand the concept of â€Å"art† that the hunger artist is attempting to exhibit. In the artist’s case, being an artist means cutting oneself off from the world and this is reflected in the artist’s conscious choice to sequester, or seclude, himself in a cage. The physical separation of hunger artist and spectator that the cage creates mirrors the spiritual separation of the individual artistic ego and public will. This separation in mindset leads to a critical dividend in understanding in which only the hunger artist realizes the importance of his ambitions and accomplishments. In regard to the artist’s behavior, the impresario would apologize as stated, â€Å"He would apologize publicly for the artist’s behavior, which was only to be excused, he admitted because of the irritability caused by fasting; a condition hardly to be understood by well-fed people† (Kafka 3). Spectators often misinterpreted the point that the hunger artist was attempting to portray. The purpose of the cage was to secure him from those who do not understand him. Another way that Kafka demonstrates misunderstanding is through his use of external conflict. The hunger artist’s troubled relationships with his spectators suggest that the artist exists apart from society and must therefore be misunderstood since the spectators do not perceive art in the same sense that the hunger artist does. This conflict ultimately occurs on more than one occasion throughout the text. The artist does not want to be rewarded with materialistic contributions and/or praise from the public; he finds the greatest reward in others’ understanding of art from his perspective. The public pretend to admire the hunger artist’s accomplishments merely because they do not understand the true concept of art that the artist is striving to convey. Kafka states, â€Å"His public pretended to admire him so much, why should it have so little patience with him; if he could endure fasting longer, why shouldn’t the public endure it? † (2). The fickle public that the hunger artist encounters does not pay him as much attention as he expected. The public are glad to finally see the artist stop his fasting so they are able to proceed on with their lives; they don’t show much interest in the art of fasting. In an article, Ian Johnston translates, â€Å"In the last decades interest in hunger artists has declined considerably†¦Back then the hunger artist captured the attention of the entire city. From day to day while the fasting lasted, participation increased† (Franz Kafka A Hunger Artist). This explicitly expresses the reason why the public show no interest in the hunger artist’s fasting. An art that was greatly appreciated before has now died down and is not trendy. The hunger artist’s attempts to gain the public’s recognition of the true concept of the art of fasting have failed. From reading the short story, â€Å"A Hunger Artist†, one can gain the concept of how important it is to expose misunderstanding before true understanding can develop. Whether it be with an in-depth look at art or simply a misunderstanding between two people, developing an understanding is vital. The reason for misunderstanding must be addressed and handled accordingly prior to proceeding in the process of understanding. Works Cited Kafka, Franz. A Hunger Artist. Prague: Twisted Spoon Press, 1996. N. pag. Print. Yancey, Phillip. Good Reads. N. p. , n. d. Web. 20 Mar. 2013. lt;http://www. goodreads. com/quotes/tag/misunderstandinggt;. Understanding. Def. 2a. Merriam-Webster. n. d. N. pag. Web. 20 Mar. 2013. lt;http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/understandinggt;. Johnston, Ian. Franz Kafka: The Metamorphosis, A Hunger Artist, In the Penal Colony, and Other Stories. Arlington, Virginia: Richer Resources Publications, 2009. N. pag. Web. 11 May 2013. lt;http://www. richerresourcespublications. com/Books/Classic_Books/Philosophy/Kafka/Franz_Kafka. pdfgt;.

Analysis of Nursing Ideologies: Leg Ulcers and COPD Case

Analysis of Nursing Ideologies: Leg Ulcers and COPD Case Professional Studies Essay The aim of this essay is to address various professional nursing ideologies and how they can be applied to nursing practice. This will be undertaken in order to assess the author’s knowledge and understanding of the various themes of the Professional Studies module. In order to assess knowledge and understanding this essay will answer three questions, each pertaining to particular strands of professional studies. These include factors that can influence the promotion of evidence-based care, the philosophy of caring and managing the delivery of care. Examples of practice used in this assignment will be from published research. The answers given will be supported by research pertaining to the treatment of venous leg ulcers and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It is suggested that evidence-based practice (EBP) or evidence-based care is a high point on political and professional agendas (Wright, 2001, p198) having gained popularity in health care following concerns over the continued use of practices based on tradition or habit, rather than evidence of their efficacy (Flaherty, 2001, p4). EBP contrasts with this in that it intends to promote treatment and care that is based on systematic evaluation of the evidence of the effectiveness of interventions. It is suggested that the Department of Health (1998, p17) has adopted the principles of EBP, changing the focus from individual staff seeking to identify the best course of action in given clinical situations to national initiatives to minimize variations in healthcare provision across regions, developing national standards of health care and debatably determining what is deemed the most effective use of finite NHS resources. However, it is argued that the implementation of the national stand ards of health care which are in the form of guidelines issued by organisations such as the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) are often delayed (Shannon, 2003, p1368). Debatably, this is a result of various factors such as lack of finances, time, inclination to change and lack of conviction that change will be beneficial. Having said that, it is important that nurses understand what theoretical knowledge is needed in accessing and selecting evidence for use in supporting practice. It is recommended that nurses, who employ evidence-based care, recognize the distinction between EBP and research-based practice. EBP acknowledges that even where there is an absence of empirical research, evidence in the form of case studies or expert opinion might exist that can inform practice (Hewitt-Taylor, 2003b, p43). In addition, arguably not all research is of high quality, and practices may be described as â€Å"researched-based†, even where the research upon which they are based is not of a good standard, or not intended to be applied in a particular setting. Theoretically, EBP is concerned with gathering all the available evidence, evaluating the evidence and deciding what would constitute the best approach to a particular aspect of care in a given clinical situation (Hewitt-Taylor, 2003b, p44). The evidence that can be used includes research, consensus expert opinion, cost and patient preferences (NICE 2003, p3). It is suggested that as well as taking into account a variety of sources of evidence, the use of EBP with health care involves the ability to evaluate the quality of all these forms of evidence and there application to certain clinical circumstances. Therefore, it is proposed that nurses need to be able to critically analyse all of the proposed evidence that is to be used before employing evidence-based care to practice. It is also suggested that nurses need to have knowledge of the individual component skills of evidence based-practice. These include research and information technology skills, awareness of major information types and sources, as already mentioned, the ability to analyse critically evidence against set standards, dissemination of new ideas about care to colleagues and the ability to review own practice (Cranston, 2002, p39). As previously mentioned, nurses need to have the knowledge and skills to be able to identify and analyse which evidence is most appropriate for a given clinical situation. Therefore when implementing EPB in a care situation it is important to understand that research evidence is only one part of the picture when considering clinical decision making. For instance, at present there is good quality research evidence which indicates that the most effective treatment for uncomplicated venous leg ulcers is the application of compression bandaging (RCN Institute, 1998, p7). It is suggested however that research evidence cannot yet point to the best type and method of bandaging to apply. Therefore, individual nurse clinical experience and the patient’s preference in terms of comfort of bandaging will come into play when making a decision about the best way to treat the leg ulcer. It is debated that it is essential for nurses to understand that arguably very few treatment interventions or nursing practices have a purely research evidence base from which to direct practice (Cranston, 2002, p40). Therefore, it is argued that nurses must also be able to draw on all aspects of evidence, including patients’ and families’ perspectives, the results of research, and their own and colleagues’ expertise to reach the best holistic, person-centred care for each patient (Howitt Armstrong, 1999, p1324). Apart from the importance of holistic care and person-centred care, the theory of caring is also a key issue relevant to the advancement of nursing. It is proposed that in recent years several issues pertaining to the development of nursing knowledge have been addressed. Debatably, these include uncovering phenomena considered central to nursing and nursing theories and models that have emanated from them (Chinn Kramer, 1995, p24). One important concept within nursing that is gaining increasing attention in nursing literature is that of caring (Kyle 1995, p506). A range of theories have been presented in nursing literature that have caring as a central concept and are based on a human science perspective. One of these theories is that of Simone Roach’s (1992) theory on caring. In her writings she discusses the uniqueness of caring, arguing that caring is not unique to nursing but it is unique in nursing. Furthermore, she presents the idea that this one concept includes the â€Å"essential characteristics of nursing as a helping discipline† (Roach, 1992, p12). The main concepts of this theory are the attributes of c aring, or the five Cs. Roach perceived the five Cs as â€Å"a broad framework suggesting categories of human behaviour within which professional caring may be expressed† (Roach, 1992, p69). The five Cs are defined as compassion, competence, confidence, conscience and commitment (Roach, 1992, p19). It is acknowledged that it has been difficult to find any practical examples of Roach’s work. This could be due to the fact that it is not formally considered a theory for nursing. Debatably, while the five Cs including are essential to caring within nursing, it is proposed that the third C, confidence is required to enable the nurse to deliver holistic care. (Roach, 1992, p63) defines confidence as â€Å"the quality which fosters trusting relationships†. In Roach’s writings she accentuates the need for a ‘caring confidence’ between the nurse and patient that promotes a trusting, truthful, equitable and respectful relationship that happens without any attached conditions, misrepresentations, anxiety or subjection (Roach, 1992, p64). In a practice setting, it is suggested that if patients cannot feel that the staff are being truthful and candid in their contact with them they will not trust or believe in them. Debatably, at the center of patients’ making informed choices is that nurses are honest and give truthful information, therefore, if they do not perceive honesty the patients’ cannot be sure they are making the right decisions. It is essential that nurses trust in their own abilities and they need to possess confidence in their own skills and judgements and as well as knowing their limitations (Fry, 1989, p9, Pusari, 1998, p6). With this in mind it is proposed that nurses could use the Johns’ Model of Structured Reflection (1994, pp71-75). Arguably, this model can help the nurse reflect on the above factors that constitute confidence in caring. The model asks questions that allow nurses to reflect on their abilities, actions and what they tried to achieve in a given clinical setting. It helps nurses to reflect on how they responded as they did in a care setting and if they could have dealt better with the situation. On reflection the model might help nurses to have the confidence to care in a holistic, person-centred, knowledgeable and reflective manner. It is suggested that in order to manage the delivery of holistic, patient-centred care, that care needs to be of high quality and performed within current policy guidelines. Delivery of healthcare can be undertaken on three levels: primary, secondary and tertiary care (Royal College of Physicians (RCP), 2001, p292). It is proposed that the delivery of COPD care can be undertaken at all levels of care; however, it is argued that COPD care is normally managed within primary and secondary care settings. Patients suffering from COPD can access primary care from there General Practitioner (GP). Some GPs might have an interest and an expertise in the management of COPD and therefore could provide specialist nurse-led clinics within their surgeries. Secondary care for COPD sufferers is normally a hospital-based service whereby patients have accessed this level of care either from a referral from their GP of through Accident and Emergency. It is proposed that most district general hospitals have a highly trained respiratory medicine team (RCP, 2001, 292). One example of managing the delivery of COPD within primary care is that of the introduction of Quality Outcome Framework (QOF) practitioners. Arguably, this is a major incentive to improve primary care COPD management and the QOF for COPD became part of the General medical Services Contract (Booker, 2005, p33). Debatably, the QOF targets can form the basis of good COPD management as in most cases; evidence-based rationales were used for the inclusion of particular targets such as smoking cessation advice. However, it appears that in some areas the QOF and the NICE guidelines disagree on the management of COPD care. The NICE guideline suggests that reversibility testing is not routinely necessary for initial diagnosis (NCCCC, 2004, p1), but the QOF requires spirometry testing plus reversibility testing as a premise for diagnosis. Evidence suggests that reversibility testing to a single, â€Å"acute† dose of bronchodilator is not reproducible and can be misleading. It is sugges ted that the majority of COPD cases can be accurately diagnosed from the clinical history and then confirmed with spirometry testing (Calverley, 2003, p659). Debatably, despite the disagreements between NICE guidelines and QOF, the QOF scheme is a good starting point and arguably, has served to increase the profile of COPD in primary care. Nurses need to understand and become knowledgeable about professional nursing theories and ideologies. Person-centred holistic care is often based on clinical evidence and research. It is important therefore that nurses can appreciate the usefulness of evidence but also be conscious of the relevance of the evidence in everyday practice. Nurses need to be able to critically analyse any evidence-based research or guidelines for its effectiveness in practice. Knowledge of the theories of nursing can help enhance practice by understanding key concepts pertaining to care and delivery of care. Reflection as a concept within care is important for developing safe, quality, holistic, patient-centred care. In contemporary nursing managing the delivery of care is often guided by current policy. Nurses need to be aware of the current care guidelines that plan their care actions. It is important to note that clinical care guidelines can enhance patient care by providing rules on ethical, safe and quality care. However, it is important to note that guidelines are there for the safety of the healthcare profession as well as the patients. References Booker R (2005) COPD, NICE and GMS: getting quality from QOF, Primary Care, 15, 9, 33-36 Calverley PMA (2003) Bronchodilator reversibility testing in COPD, Thorax, 58, 8, 659-664 Chinn PL Kramer MK (1995) Theory and Nursing: A Systematic Approach, 4th edn, St Louis, Mosby year Book Press Cranston M (2002) Clinical effectiveness and evidence based practice, Nursing Standard, 16, 24, 39-43 Department of Health (1998) A First Class Service: Quality in the new NHS, London, HMSO Flaherty R (2001) Medical Myths: today’s perspectives, Patient Care, 15 September: 4–10 Fry ST (1989) Toward a theory of nursing ethics, Advances in Nursing Science, 11, 4, 9-22 Hewitt-Taylor J (2003b) Reviewing evidence, Intensive Critical Care Nursing, 19, 43-9 Howitt A Armstrong D (1999) Implementing evidence based medicine in general practice: audit and qualitative study of antithrombotic treatment for arterial fibrillation, British Medical Journal, 318, 7194, 1324-1327 Johns C (1994) Clinical notes: nuances of reflection, Journal of Clinical Nursing, 3, 2, 71-75 Kyle TV (1995) The concept of caring: a review of the literature, Journal of Advanced Nursing, 21, 506-514 NCCCC (2004) Chronic obstructive disease: NICE Guideline for management of COPD in adults in primary care, Thorax, 1, 1-232 NICE (2003) Factsheet: General Information About Clinical Guidelines, NICE, London Pusari N (1998) Eight ‘Cs’ of caring: a holistic framework for nursing terminally ill patients. Contemporary Nurse, 7, 3, 156-160 RCN Institute (1998) The Management of Patients with Venous leg Ulcers, London, RCN Publishing Roach S (1992) The Human Act of Caring, Ottawa, Ontario: Canadian Hospital Association Press Royal College of Physicians (2001) Consultants physicians working for patients, 2nd edition, London, RCP Shannon C (2003) Money must be available for NICE guidance, minister says, British Medical Journal, 327, 1368 Wright SM (2001) Contribution of a lecturer-practitioner in implementing evidence-based health care, Accident Emergency Nursing, 9, 3, 198-203

Comparing Imagery in Flying a Red Kite and The Lamp at Noon :: Comparison Compare Contrast Essays

Imagery in Flying a Red Kite and The Lamp at Noon Imagery is used by many authors as a crucial element of character development. These authors draw parallels between the imagery in their stories and the main characters' thoughts and feelings. Through intense imagery, non-human elements such as the natural environment, animals, and inanimate objects are brought to life with characteristics that match those of the characters involved. Sinclair Ross uses vivid imagery of nature to reflect and influence the emotions of his characters in his short story The Lamp at Noon. The wind is a powerful force that changes with the emotions of Ellen and Paul. Sinclair describes the wind as two separate winds: "the wind in flight, and the wind that pursue[s]" (Atwood/Weaver, 74). Like the wind in flight which cannot escape the wind that pursues it, Ellen cannot escape her isolation. The wind in flight always returns to "quake among the feeble eaves, as if in all this dust-mad wilderness it knew no other sanctuary" (74). Ellen is also forced to seek refuge within her small home, which is also the place where she feels the most secluded. The wind outside often contrasts the silence that is encased inside. During an argument between Paul and Ellen, there is an uncomfortable silence, "a deep fastness of it enclosed by rushing wind and creaking walls"(76). This noise around them makes the silence within even more uncomfortable. Paul later finds the silence comforting when he is in the stable. It is described as a "deep hollow calm within, a vast darkness engulfed beneath the tides of moaning wind" (78). The silence protects him and brings him relief from the dangerous world outside. Unfortunately, the walls seem to weaken against the powerful wind, and "instead of release or escape from the assaulting wind, the walls [are] but a feeble stand against it" (78). Paul begins to understand what Ellen is feeling, and the wind screams like Ellen's cries. As he thinks of ways to restore the land and make Ellen happy, the wind starts to slacken. For a short moment, he feels relief. When he returns to the house, he realizes that Ellen is gone. At this point, the wind whimpers and moans as if it knows Ellen's isolation and Paul's despair. The imagery of the wind is used by Sinclair to intensify the characters' emotions and help the reader understand what the characters are experiencing.

The Russian Avant Garde and the Bolshevik Revolution Essay -- Art Russ

The Russian Avant Garde and the Bolshevik Revolution The Russian Avant Garde began in Russia in about 1915 It was the year that Malevich revealed his Suprematist compositions that reduced painting to total abstraction. and rid the pictures of any reference whatsoever to the visual world. He is credited with being the first artist to do this; that is, forsake the visual world for a world of pure feeling and sensation. This was the first movement originated by Russians and the birth of several other Avant Garde movements. Probably the most popular piece at his 1915 exhibition was â€Å"BLACK SQUARE† (real name â€Å"suprematist composition†. It’s basically a black square on a slightly larger white square that forms a border around it. It was hung in the exhibition in the way an icon would be hung in a peasant’s home; ie top corner of the room. Malevich saw Suprematism as representing a yearning for space, an impulse to break free from the globe of the earth. It a spirit, a spirituality that went beyond anythin g before it. Among Malevich’s students and contemporaries were such names as El Lissitzsky, Alexsandr Rodchenko and Vladimir Tatlin who were, of course, to lead the Constructivist movement which started in the same year as Malevich’s exhibition. Tatlin had returned from studying art in Paris in 1913 where he had seen a series of relief constructions by Picasso. Tatlin became very interested in form and message rather than representation and so he himself made a series of constructions. They were in the same vein as Picasso, but they were framed within a space and jutted out of the picture plane into the space of the observer. They created a lot of interest and he coined the term Constructivism. Tatlin and Malevich, who had been ... ...er had a base. A few caved in and became correct thinkers. A few escaped to other countries in Europe. Some stayed in Europe and some ended up in America. They have developed and grown. Along with Gabo and Rothko and Kandinsky and numerous others, they are still having a profound influence on art. There were many parallels between the Russian Avant Garde and the two revolutions in 1915. The big difference between them in 2001, is that the art survives and grows stronger; while the other is seen for what it is, a pathetic pseudo despotism run, for a lot of years by a sociopathic mortophile. BIBLIOGRAPHY Russian Constructivism. Christina Lodder. Yale University Press. 1983. Art Spoke. Robert Atkins. Abbeville Press. 1993. Art and Revolution. John Berger. Pantheon Books. 1969. The Struggle for Utopia. Victor Margolin. University of Chicago Press. 1997.

The Harlem Renaissance :: The Black Intelligencia

During the Harlem Renaissance a new feeling of racial pride emerged in the Black Intelligencia. The Black Intelligencia consisted of African-American writers, poets, philosophers, historians, and artists whose expertise conveyed five central themes according to Sterling Brown, a writer of that time: â€Å"1) Africa as a source of race pride, 2) Black American heroes 3) racial political propaganda, 4) the â€Å"Black folk† tradition, and 5) candid self-revelation.† Two of the main people responsible for this new consciousness were W.E.B. Du Bois and Alain Locke. Du Bois laid a foundation for this dawn of racial pride in his essays. Locke took Du Bois’ initial idea one step further with his writings and aiding younger writers and artists that appeared during the Harlem Renaissance. Langston Hughes was one of the writers that Locke mentored. Hughes was a devote believer of exhibiting pride in the Black race; this theme was often exhibited in his writing. These three men have each contributed and advanced the sentiment of racial pride in their own unique way during the Harlem Renaissance. In order to fully understand the contributions of W.E.B. Du Bois, Alain Locke, and Langston Hughes it is imperative to know their backgrounds. William Edward Burghardt Du Bois was born on February 23rd, 1868, in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. He enrolled at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee where he was an editor for the school newspaper. Du Bois was admitted to Harvard in 1888, and in 1891 he received his M.A. in History. After Harvard, Du Bois traveled to Europe and studied in Berlin for a year. In 1894, he went to Wilberforce University and worked as a Professor of Classics. In 1895, Du Bois acquired his Ph.D. from Harvard thus becoming the first African-American to earn a doctorate. The following year Du Bois married Nina Gomer. In 1897, unable to find an academic position anywhere in the North, Du Bois and his new wife moved to Georgia where Du Bois taught at Atlanta University for over a decade. They had two children together: a son named Burghardt Gomer, who died when he was two years old, and a daughter, NinaYolande. Between the years of 1897 and 1914 while Du Bois was a professor at Atlanta University he published sixteen research monographs analyzing the sociological conditions of African-Americans in America. He also published The Philadelphia Negro, a Sociological Study in 1899, the first case study done in the United States about an African-American community.

The Return: Midnight Chapter 11

When M. le Princess Jessalyn D'Aubigne had drunk her fil of Damon's blood – and she was thirsty for such a fragile thing – it was Damon's turn. He forced himself to remain patient when Jessalyn flinched and frowned at the sight of his ironwood knife. But Damon teased her and joked with her and played chasing games up and down the enormous bed, and when he final y caught her, she scarcely felt the knife's sting at her throat. Damon, though, had his mouth on the dark red blood that wel ed out immediately. Everything he'd done, from pouring Black Magic for Bonnie to pouring out the star bal ‘s liquid at the four corners of the Gate to making his way through the defenses of this tiny gem of a castle had been for this. For this moment, when his human palate could savor the nectar that was vampire blood. And it was†¦heavenly! This was only the second time in his life that he'd tasted it as a human. Katerina – Katherine, as he thought of her in English – had been the first, of course. And how she could have crept off after that and gone, wearing just her short muslin shift, to the wide-eyed, inexperienced little boy who was his brother, he would never understand. His disquiet was spreading to Jessalyn. That mustn't happen. She had to stay calm and tranquil as he took as much as he could of her blood. It wouldn't hurt her at al , and it meant al the difference to him. Forcing his consciousness away from the sheer elemental pleasure of what he was doing, he began, very careful y, very delicately, to infiltrate her mind. It wasn't difficult to get to the nub of it. Whoever had wrenched this delicate, fragile-boned girl from the human world and had endowed her with a vampire's nature hadn't done her any favors. It wasn't that she had any moral objections to vampirism. She'd taken to the life easily, enjoying it. She would have made a good huntress in the wild. But in this castle? With these servants? It was like having a hundred snooty waiters and two hundred condescending sommeliers staring her down as soon as she opened her mouth to give an order. This room, for instance. She had wanted some color in it – just a splash of violet here, a little mauve there – natural y, she realized, a vampire princess's bedchamber had to be mostly black. But when she'd timidly mentioned the subject of colors to one of the parlor maids, the girl had sniffed and looked down her nostrils at Jessalyn as if she'd asked for an elephant to be instal ed just beside her bed. The princess had not had the courage to bring up the matter with the housekeeper, but within a week three baskets ful of black-and-off-black throw pil ows had arrived. There was her â€Å"color.†And in the future would her highness be so good as to consult her housekeeper before querying the staff as to her household whims? She actually said that about my â€Å"whims,† Jessalyn thought as she arched her neck back and ran sharp fingernails through Damon's thick soft hair. And – oh, it's no good. I'm no good. I'm a vampire princess, and I can look the part, but I can't play it. You're every bit a princess, your highness, Damon soothed. You just need someone to enforce your orders. Someone who has no doubts about your superiority. Are your servants slaves? No, they're all free. Well, that makes it a little trickier, but you can always yell louder at them. Damon felt swol en with vampire blood. Two more days of this and he would be, if not his old self, then at least almost his old self: a ful vampire, free to walk about the city as he liked. And with the Power and status of a vampire prince. It was almost enough to balance out the horrors he'd gone through in the last couple of days. At least, he could tel himself that and try to believe it. â€Å"Listen,†he said abruptly, letting go of Jessalyn's slight body, the better to look her in the eye. â€Å"Your glorious highness, let me do one favor for you before I die of love or you have me kil ed for impudence. Let me bring you ‘color' – and then let me stand beside you if any of your menials grumble about it.† Jessalyn wasn't used to this kind of sudden decision, but couldn't help but be carried along with Damon's fiery excitement. She arched her head back again. When he final y left the bijoux palace, Damon went out the front door. He had with him a little of the money left over from pawning the gems, but this was more than enough for the purpose he had in mind. He was quite certain that the next time he went out, it would be from the flying portico. He stopped at a dozen shops and spent until his last coin was gone. He'd meant to sneak in a visit to Bonnie as wel while doing his errands, but the market was in the opposite direction from the inn where he'd left her, and in the end there just wasn't time. He didn't worry much as he walked back to the bijoux castle. Bonnie, soft and fragile as she seemed, had a wiry core that he was sure would keep her inside the room for three days. She could take it. Damon knew she could. He banged on the little castle's gate until a surly guard opened it. â€Å"What do you want?†the guard spat. Bonnie was bored out of her mind. It had only been a day since Damon had left her – a day she could only count by the number of meals brought to her, since the enormous red sun stood forever on the horizon and the blood-red light never varied unless it was raining. Bonnie wished it was raining. She wished it was snowing, or that there would be a fire or a hurricane or a smal tsunami. She had given one of the star bal s a try, and found it a ridiculous soap opera that she couldn't understand in the least. She wished, now, that she had never tried to stop Damon from coming here. She wished that he had pried her off before they had both fal en into the hole. She wished that she had grabbed Meredith's hand and just let go of Damon. And this was only the first day. Damon smiled at the surly guard. â€Å"What do I want? Only what I already have. An open gate.†He didn't go inside, however. He asked what M. le Princess was doing and heard that she was at a luncheon. On a donor. Perfect. Soon there came a deferential knock at the gate, which Damon demanded be opened wider. The guards clearly didn't like him; they had properly put together the disappearance of what turned out to be their captain of guard and the intrusion of this strange human. But there was something menacing about him even in this menacing world. They obeyed him. Soon after that there came another quiet knock and then another, and another and so on until twelve men and women with arms ful of damp and fragrant brown paper had quietly fol owed Damon up the stairs and into M. le Princess's black bedchamber. Jessalyn, meanwhile, had had a long and stuffy post-luncheon meeting, entertaining some of her financial advisors, who both seemed very old to her, although they had been changed in their twenties. Their muscles were soft with lack of use, she found herself thinking. And, natural y, they were dressed in ful -sleeved, wide-legged black except for a fril at their throats, white inside by gaslight, scarlet outside by the eternal blood-red sun. The princess had just seen them bow out of her presence when she inquired, rather irritably, where the human Damon was. Several servants with malice behind their smiles explained that he had gone with a dozen†¦humans†¦up to her bedchamber. Jessalyn almost flew to the stairs and climbed very quickly with the gliding motion that she knew was expected of proper female vampires. She reached the Gothic doors, and heard the hushed sounds of indignant spite as her ladies-in-waiting al whispered together. But before the princess could even ask what was going on, she was engulfed in a great warm wave of scent. Not the luscious and life-sustaining scent of blood, but something lighter, sweeter, and at the moment, while her bloodlust was sated, even headier and more dizzying. She pushed open the double doors. She took a step into her bedchamber and then stopped in astonishment. The cathedral-like black room was ful of flowers. There were banks of lilies, vases ful of roses, tulips in every color and shade, and riots of daffodils and narcissus, while fragrant honeysuckle and freesia lay in bowers. The flower peddlers had converted the gloomy, conventional black room into this fanciful extravaganza. The wiser and more farsighted of M. le Princess's retainers were actively helping them by bringing in large, ornate urns. Damon, upon seeing Jessalyn enter the room, immediately went to kneel at her feet. â€Å"You were gone when I woke!†the princess said crossly, and Damon smiled, very faintly. â€Å"Forgive me, your highness. But since I am dying anyway, I thought that I should be up and securing these flowers for you. Are the colors and scents satisfactory?† â€Å"The scents?†Jessalyn's whole body seemed to melt. â€Å"It's†¦ like†¦an orchestra for my nose! And the colors are like nothing I've ever seen!†She burst into laughter, her green eyes lightening, her straight red hair a waterfal around her shoulders. Then she began to stalk Damon back into the gloom in one corner. Damon had to control himself or he would have laughed; it was so much like a kitten stalking an autumn leaf. But once they got into the corner, tangled in the black hangings and nowhere near a window, Jessalyn assumed a deadly serious expression. â€Å"I'm going to have a dress made, just the color of those deep, dark purple carnations,†she whispered. â€Å"Not black.† â€Å"Your highness wil look wonderful in it,†Damon whispered in her ear. â€Å"So striking, so daring – â€Å" â€Å"I may even wear my corsets on the inside of my dress.†She looked up at him through heavy lashes. â€Å"Or – would that be too much?† â€Å"Nothing is too much for you, my princess,†Damon whispered back. He stopped a moment to think seriously. â€Å"The corsets – would they match the dress or be black?† Jessalyn considered. â€Å"Same color?†she ventured. Damon nodded, pleased. He himself wouldn't be caught dead in any color other than black, but he was wil ing to put up with – even encourage – Jessalyn's oddities. They might get him made a vampire faster. â€Å"I want your blood,†the princess whispered, as if to prove him right. â€Å"Here? Now?†Damon whispered back. â€Å"In front of al your servants?† Jessalyn surprised him then. She, who had been so timid before, stepped out of the curtains and clapped her hands for silence. It fel immediately. â€Å"Everyone out!†she said peremptorily. â€Å"You have made me a beautiful garden in my room, and I am grateful. The steward† – she nodded toward a young man who was dressed in black, but who had wisely placed a dark red rose in his buttonhole – â€Å"wil see to it that you're al given food – and drink – before you go!†At this there was a murmur of praise that made the princess blush. â€Å"I'l ring the bel pul when I need you† – to the steward. In fact, it wasn't until two days later that she reached up and, a little reluctantly, rang the bel pul . And that was merely to give the order that a uniform be made for Damon as quickly as possible. The uniform of captain of her guard. By the second day, Bonnie had to turn to the star bal s as her only source of entertainment. After going through her twenty-eight orbs she found that twenty-five of them were soap operas from beginning to end, and two were ful of experiences so frightening and hideous that she labeled them in her own mind as Never Ever. The last one was cal ed Five Hundred Stories for Young Ones, and Bonnie quickly found that these immersion stories could be useful, for they specified the names of things a person would find around the house and the city. The sphere's connecting thread was a series about a family of werewolves named the Dz-Aht-Bhi'iens. Bonnie promptly christened them the Dustbins. The series consisted of episodes showing how the family lived each day: how they bought a new slave at the market to replace one who had died, and where they went to hunt human prey, and how Mers Dustbin played in an important bashik tournament at school. Today the last story was almost providential. It showed little Marit Dustbin walking to a Sweetmeat Shop and getting a sugarplum. The candy cost exactly five soli. Bonnie got to experience eating part of it with Marit, and it was good. After reading the story, Bonnie very careful y peeked through the edge of the window blind and saw a sign on a shop below that she'd often watched. Then she held the star bal to her temple. Yes! Exactly the same kind of sign. And she knew not only what she wanted, but how much it should cost. She was dying to get out of her tiny room and try what she had just learned. But before her eyes, the lights in the sweetshop went dark. It must be closing time. Bonnie threw the star bal across the room. She turned the gas lamp down to just the faintest glow, and then flung herself on her rush-fil ed bed, pul ed the covers up†¦and discovered that she couldn't sleep. Groping in ruby twilight, she found the star bal with her fingers and put it to her temple again. Interspersed with clusters of stories about the Dustbin family's daily adventures were fairy tales. Most of them were so gruesome that Bonnie couldn't experience them al the way through, and when it was time to sleep, she lay shivering on her pal et. But this time the story seemed different. After the title, The Gatehouse of the Seven Kitsune Treasures, she heard a little rhyme: Amid a plain of snow and ice There lies kitsune paradise. And close beside, forbidden pleasure: Six gates more of kitsune treasure. The very word kitsune was frightening. But, Bonnie thought, the story might prove relevant somehow. I can do this, she thought and put the star bal to her temple. The story didn't start with anything gruesome. It was about a young girl and boy kitsune who went on a quest to find the most sacred and secret of the â€Å"seven kitsune treasures,†the kitsune paradise. A treasure, Bonnie learned, could be something as smal as a single gem or as large as an entire world. This one, going by the story, was in the middle range, because a â€Å"paradise†was a kind of garden, with exotic flowers blooming everywhere, and little streams bubbling down smal waterfal s into clear, deep pools. It was al wonderful, Bonnie thought, experiencing the story as if she were watching a movie al around her, but a movie that included the sensations of touch, taste, and smel . The paradise was a bit like Warm Springs, where they sometimes had picnics back at home. In the story, the boy and girl kitsune had to go to â€Å"the top of the world†where there was some kind of fracture in the crust of the highest Dark Dimension – the one Bonnie was in right now. They managed somehow to travel down, and even farther down, and passed through various tests of courage and wit before they got into the next lowest dimension, the Nether World. The Nether World was completely different from the Dark Dimension. It was a world of ice and slippery snow, of glaciers and rifts, al bathed in a blue twilight from three moons that shone from above. The kitsune children almost starved in the Nether World because there was so little for a fox to hunt. They made do with the tiny animals of the cold: mice and smal white voles, and the occasional insect (Oh, yuck, Bonnie thought). They survived until, through the fog and mist, they saw a towering black wal . They fol owed the wal until final y they came to a Gatehouse with tal spires hidden in the clouds. Written above the door in an old language they could hardly read were the words: The Seven Gates. They entered a room in which there were eight doorways or exits. One was the door through which they had just entered. And as they watched, each door brightened so they could see that the other seven doors led to seven different worlds, one of which was the kitsune paradise. Yet another gate led to a field of magical flowers, and another showed butterflies flittering around a splashing fountain. Another dropped to a dark cavern fil ed with bottles of the mystical wine Clarion Loess Black Magic. One gate led to a deep mine, with jewels the size of a fist. And then there was a gate which showed the prize of al flowers: the Royal Radhika. It changed its shape from moment to moment, from a rose to a cluster of carnations to an orchid. Through the last door they could see only a gigantic tree, but the final treasure was rumored to be an immense star bal . Now the boy and girl forgot al about the kitsune paradise. Each of them wanted something from another of the gates, but they couldn't agree on what. The rule was that any party or group who reached the gates could enter one and then return. But while the girl wanted a sprig of the Royal Radhika, to show that they'd completed their quest, the boy wanted some Black Magic wine, to sustain them on the way back. No matter how they argued they couldn't reach an agreement. So final y they decided to cheat. They would simultaneously open a door and jump through, snatch what they wanted, and then jump back out and be out of the Gatehouse before they could be caught. Just as they were about to do so, a voice warned them against it, saying, â€Å"One gate alone may you twain enter, and then return from whence you came.† But the boy and the girl chose to ignore the voice. Immediately, the boy entered the door that led to the bottles of Black Magic wine and at the same instant the girl stepped into the Royal Radhika door. But when each turned around there was no longer any sign of a door or gate behind them. The boy had plenty to drink but he was left forever in the dark and cold and his tears froze upon his cheeks. The girl had the beautiful flower to look at but nothing to eat or drink and so under the glowing yel ow sun she wasted away. Bonnie shivered, the delicious shiver of a reader who had gotten what she expected. The fairy tale, with its moral of â€Å"don't be greedy†was like the stories she'd heard from the Red and the Blue Fairy Books when she was a child sitting on her grandmother's lap. She missed Elena and Meredith, badly. She had a story to tel , but no one to tel it to.