Mr. Mallard’s Story of an Hour Essay

Experimental procedures where destined to be made about the emotion filled story, â€Å"The Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin. The story details Mrs. Mallard’s situation about how she feels about her husband and the result when she finds that he is not dead. Kate Chopin does a great job telling the reader Mrs. Mallard’s feeling’s, but not at all tells the reader about Mr. Mallard’s point of view. I will be creating a point of view for Mr. Mallard to try and get a better understanding of what could have been the situation between the two. Since the very day I laid eyes on her, I knew she was the one for me. Her beautiful smile and her ecstatic personality made me come to realize that, I had to claim what was spiritually mine. Her name was Louis, a creative and ambitious young woman. All throughout my days of monitoring her every motion, I gained the courage to grow out of my shy state, and make my approach towards her. So from that point on we started engaging in conversation and growing closer to each other day after day. It seemed as if time had flown by faster than it had ever done before in my life. It came to the point that I loved this woman so much; all of my hard earned money I made from my small job down at the local grocery store in town, I took it upon myself to buy a wedding ring. So then I asked her for her hand in marriage, and ever so joyously she replied with such excitement in her voice, yes! Immediately, tears started rolling down my face and all of my best memories were erased, in storing the special memory that took place that very day. We had a simple but elegant wedding ceremony in the local chapel that she and I were both attending previously. â€Å"Mr. and Mrs. Mallard, I now pronounce you husband and wife. The moment I heard those very words, is when I knew I had accomplished my life goal at being happy. She had gone all around town screaming to her family that she is married now and that she will forever be happy for as long as she lives. I took it that we would always be united as one, and that nothing could ever come between the love we both shared. Several years went past and Louise and I seemed to be doing very well in our marriage. I had given her all of me and it seemed that she had given me all of her as well, but I would get an internal feeling that she was not happy in our marriage. Adding up reasons of why she may be unhappy with how things were going, it just did not seem to add up. It had dawned upon me that maybe she did not want to be with me anymore. Personality wise, she had become the total opposite. Before we got married she was kind, passionate, and had a smile that was golden; then she started to grow silent and mean towards me and others around her. For a while I blamed myself for reasons that seemed to be undeserving, and thought that I mistreated her in some unknown way. Unfortunately, Louise was found to have a very bad heart problem and often times she would blame me for her misfortune. As a caring man I would just accept the blame and try to do anything possible to try to make her forget about the condition and live her life fully. My plan always appeared to not succeed and I grew tired of the mistreatment that I clearly did not deserve. I took matters into my own hands and came up with a plan that would determine just how much she felt about me. I came across the daily paper and read about a local railroad disaster that left a number of people dead and injured. My good friend Richards was the side kick in the situation, I had him tell Louise’s sister, Josephine, that my name was on the death list and that she should tell Louise immediately. After receiving notice that my plan was fulfilled, I began to observe Louise’s reactions towards the situation. I hid in the main bedroom closet in a secret passage way that I created for emergency situations years ago. I heard Louise come in crying and sobbing about the news, I became excited that she was crying over my so called death and I felt that she did still love me very much. Hours went past and I became comfortable with the results that I got in my little experiment, but little did I know, Louise became happy with my death and stated that she was â€Å"free† numerous times to herself really loud and joyously. Very confused I asked myself how she switched feelings so quickly and how could she be happy about the situation. She would talk to herself very in-depth about how her life is now that she is independent and fantasizing about all of the days and years to herself that she wanted for so long. I felt so crushed inside because I had given her any and everything that she could possibly want. I took care of her when she was sick, made all of her wishes come true, and took it upon myself to do anything to make her smile. Why she would treat me this way, I asked myself over and over until I became fed up with it. When Louise went to the bathroom I snuck over to Richards’s house and told him what all I found out about and wanted to give her the news that I was not dead. Richards and I walked over back to the house to tell Louise that I was mistakenly put on the death list, and that I was indeed very much alive. I waited outside and let Richards go in the house first to make the plan free of suspicion and got ready to make my approach inside. Boom Boom! My heart was beating very loudly as I was nervous to go inside. I opened the door and Josephine is first to see me; she screams very loudly in shock of my appearance. Richards tries very hard to prevent Louise from seeing me, but was too late in the action. Louise dropped to the floor immediately and had no sign of life in her. I ran to her to see if she was ok holding her very tight, screaming for someone to call the doctor. The doctor arrived within twenty minutes, after only observing her for five minutes he pronounced her dead due to a heart attack. Tears ran down my face as if someone had poured a bucket of water on my head. I began to feel guilty for her death thinking maybe she would still be alive if I had never made that stupid plan in the first place. Thought maybe if I had known how she really felt, I would have just let her be free from me and live her life happily instead of me standing in her way. I learned a very important lesson that day; things in life should not be taken for granted no matter how much you want it to go your way.

Belonging: Narrator and Sense

Humans are constantly in search for belonging, it is something vital to our existence. A sense of belonging emerges from our ability to establish connections with place, people and culture. However when these aspects are challenged, we find out if we truly belong or not. Such ideas are explored in the texts, ‘The Ride of Zhu Bao Sheng’, a third person short story by Nick Long, and ‘Big World’, a first person short story by Tim Winton, which both explore the idea of belonging being challenged and how this affects one’s sense of belonging. Our sense of belonging is derived from the connections to the places around us. One’s sense of belonging is challenged when changes or barriers arise between our connection with place, people and culture. In both ‘The Ride of Zhu Bao Sheng’ and ‘Big World’, we see the protagonists’ sense of belonging being challenged. Nick Long asserts that Zhu does not belong in the place he is in by using irony, making it clear Zhu feels a lack of belonging. This idea is shown through the line, â€Å"He was alone in this place. True, the town is full of people†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Here the obvious use of irony is used to emphasize Zhu’s detachment from the rest of the town caused by his sense of belonging being challenged after he moved from his ‘hometown’. Inevitably with effort, he makes a connection to the place. This is evident by the line â€Å"almost drunk with the scent of the acacias, and of the dust, and of this new landscape. † This dreamy state implies that a sense of belonging comes after we establish healthy connections with place. The unnamed narrator in ‘Big World’ tells of the differences between himself and his best high school friend in a confessional tone, saying â€Å"Unlike him, I’m not really from here. It’s not hosing blood that s**ts me off – it’s Angelus itself; I’m going nuts here. Unlike Zhu, the narrator chooses not to build a connection to the place, instead he intends to escape Angelus, evident in the line â€Å"f**k it, we’re outta here†. The use of the hyperbole, ‘I’m going nuts here’ shows that even after spending years in a place, one may never establish a strong connection with place to develop a healthy sense of solidarity with a community. We learn that when one’s sense of belonging is challenged, one can face the challenge and still establish a sense of belonging. A sense of belonging to place is closely intertwined with the people within that place. The relationships formed around an individual are the cornerstones of their sense of community and belonging. A sense of belonging is often reliant of the relationships we build; these connections may determine our own self-perception on how we fit the world around us. We see the importance of relationships in ‘The Ride of Zhu Bao Sheng’ as he felt no sense of belonging. Zhu was challenged by not knowing anyone, evident in the line â€Å"Who will I talk to? There was nobody to answer the questions. † The rhetorical question reinforces the idea that he could only talk to himself. However, after speaking to a girl, he felt a sense of a relationship, which is reinforced by the change in tone and the use of a simile. â€Å"Zhu didn’t understand the words, but was amazed by the sound of them. Her voice was airy and light, like the song of a small bird†. Throughout the text, the language had been pessimistic, this contrast in tone, was the direct result of a relationship formed, in essence, a sense of belonging had been formed. Similarly in ‘Big World’, the importance of connection to people is clear. The narrator felt a strong sense of belonging when around his best friend, Biggie, shown by the constant anaphora of the inclusive pronouns that runs throughout the entire text, ‘we’ and ‘us’. An example of this extensive use is â€Å"We fried. We’re idiots of a different species but we’re both bloody idiots. The repetition of inclusive pronouns shows the narrators strong connection with Biggie, which displays a strong sense of companionship when he is around biggie. It is only when this sense of companionship is challenged, that the narrator will know how strong this companionship actually is. We learn that challenges that arise in many forms and can be overcome to see what lies ahead for one’s sense of belonging. Belonging is derived from our sense of connection with people and place. It is also derived from one’s culture. It is harder for those of a minority in a dominant culture to thrive in terms of their sense of belonging. A minority must conform to the dominant culture in order to establish a healthy sense of belonging with the dominant culture. Zhu’s culture and ethnicity is considered to my a minority. Zhu experiences a barrier to belonging with the dominant culture. It writes, â€Å"But they were not Chinese people, and he could not speak to people who were not Chinese. Nobody ever taught him. † Zhu’s culture has restricted him from communicating with those outside his culture. Being in a situation where one is a minority, one will find it very difficult to build connections with those of the dominant group. Conformity is needed, which Zhu gives in to, eventually attempting to speak English, the dominant language. In contrast to Zhu, the narrator of Big World’ does not have such issues with culture. The narrator’s culture is tightly bonded with that of the dominant culture allowing his sense of belonging to excel. Such connections with culture can be seen through heavy Australian idioms as Winton writes, â€Å"Mag wheels, a lurid spray job like something off a Yes album and a filthy great mattress in the back, a chick magnet, that’s what we want . The heavily idiomatic language suggests a strong sense of association with the dominant culture, in effect, provides a strong sense of belonging. We learn that society will force you to conform in order to belong. When a person conforms to a culture, a sense of belonging to place and people will come with it. From the reading of ‘The Ride of Shu Bao Sheng’, we learn that one’s attachment to place is essential to their sense of belonging due to the human condition to want to form connections with place. This has been reinforced by ‘Big World’, where the narrator is challenged and could not form a connection with the place, resulting in a lack of belonging in that aspect. Both texts have shown me the degree at which the people surrounding and individual will influence their sense of belonging and when barriers arise, with effort, these challenges can be overcome to establish a stronger sense of belonging. In addition to these notions of belonging, both texts have solid but contrasting views on belonging to place, however serve the same purpose as important aspects of belonging. In conclusion, the notions of belonging such as place, people and culture are all intertwined and are thus the cornerstones of ones sense of belonging.

Chapter 28 The Madness of Mr Crouch

Harry, Ron, and Hermione went up to the Owlery after breakfast on Sunday to send a letter to Percy, asking, as Sirius had suggested, whether he had seen Mr. Crouch lately. They used Hedwig, because it had been so long since she'd had a job. When they had watched her fly out of sight through the Owlery window, they proceeded down to the kitchen to give Dobby his new socks. The house-elves gave them a very cheery welcome, bowing and curtsying and bustling around making tea again. Dobby was ecstatic about his present. â€Å"Harry Potter is too good to Dobby!† he squeaked, wiping large tears out of his enormous eyes. â€Å"You saved my life with that gillyweed, Dobby, you really did,† said Harry. â€Å"No chance of more of those eclairs, is there?† said Ron, who was looking around at the beaming and bowing house-elves. â€Å"You've just had breakfast!† said Hermione irritably, but a great silver platter of eclairs was already zooming toward them, supported by four elves. â€Å"We should get some stuff to send up to Snuffles,† Harry muttered. â€Å"Good idea,† said Ron. â€Å"Give Pig something to do. You couldn't give us a bit of extra food, could you?† he said to the surrounding elves, and they bowed delightedly and hurried off to get some more. â€Å"Dobby, where's Winky?† said Hermione, who was looking around. â€Å"Winky is over there by the fire, miss,† said Dobby quietly, his ears drooping slightly. â€Å"Oh dear,† said Hermione as she spotted Winky. Harry looked over at the fireplace too. Winky was sitting on the same stool as last time, but she had allowed herself to become so filthy that she was not immediately distinguishable from the smoke-blackened brick behind her. Her clothes were ragged and unwashed. She was clutching a bottle of butterbeer and swaying slightly on her stool, staring into the fire. As they watched her, she gave an enormous hiccup. â€Å"Winky is getting through six bottles a day now,† Dobby whispered to Harry. â€Å"Well, it's not strong, that stuff,† Harry said. But Dobby shook his head. â€Å"‘Tis strong for a house-elf, sir,† he said. Winky hiccuped again. The elves who had brought the eclairs gave her disapproving looks as they returned to work. â€Å"Winky is pining, Harry Potter,† Dobby whispered sadly. â€Å"Winky wants to go home. Winky still thinks Mr. Crouch is her master, sir, and nothing Dobby says will persuade her that Professor Dumbledore is her master now.† â€Å"Hey, Winky,† said Harry, struck by a sudden inspiration, walking over to her, and bending down, â€Å"you don't know what Mr. Crouch might be up to, do you? Because he's stopped turning up to judge the Triwizard Tournament.† Winky's eyes flickered. Her enormous pupils focused on Harry. She swayed slightly again and then said, â€Å"M – Master is stopped – hic – coming?† â€Å"Yeah,† said Harry, â€Å"we haven't seen him since the first task. The Daily Prophet's saying he's ill.† Winky swayed some more, staring blurrily at Harry. â€Å"Master – hic – ill?† Her bottom lip began to tremble. â€Å"But we're not sure if that's true,† said Hermione quickly. â€Å"Master is needing his – hic – Winky!† whimpered the elf. â€Å"Master cannot – hic – manage – hic – all by himself†¦.† â€Å"Other people manage to do their own housework, you know, Winky,† Hermione said severely. â€Å"Winky – hic – is not only – hic – doing housework for Mr. Crouch!† Winky squeaked indignantly, swaying worse than ever and slopping butterbeer down her already heavily stained blouse. â€Å"Master is – hic – trusting Winky with – hic – the most important – hic – the most secret†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"What?† said Harry. But Winky shook her head very hard, spilling more butterbeer down herself. â€Å"Winky keeps – hic – her master's secrets,† she said mutinously, swaying very heavily now, frowning up at Harry with her eyes crossed. â€Å"You is – hic – nosing, you is.† â€Å"Winky must not talk like that to Harry Potter!† said Dobby angrily. â€Å"Harry Potter is brave and noble and Harry Potter is not nosy!† â€Å"He is nosing – hic – into my master's – hic – private and secret – hic – Winky is a good house-elf – hic – Winky keeps her silence – hic – people trying to – hic – pry and poke – hic -â€Å" Winky's eyelids drooped and suddenly, without warning, she slid off her stool into the hearth, snoring loudly. The empty bottle of butterbeer rolled away across the stone-flagged floor. Half a dozen house-elves came hurrying forward, looking disgusted. One of them picked up the bottle; the others covered Winky with a large checked tablecloth and tucked the ends in neatly, hiding her from view. â€Å"We is sorry you had to see that, sirs and miss!† squeaked a nearby elf, shaking his head and looking very ashamed. â€Å"We is hoping you will not judge us all by Winky, sirs and miss!† â€Å"She's unhappy!† said Hermione, exasperated. â€Å"Why don't you try and cheer her up instead of covering her up?† â€Å"Begging your pardon, miss,† said the house-elf, bowing deeply again, â€Å"but house-elves has no right to be unhappy when there is work to be done and masters to be served.† â€Å"Oh for heavens sake!† Hermione cried. â€Å"Listen to me, all of you! You've got just as much right as wizards to be unhappy! You've got the right to wages and holidays and proper clothes, you don't have to do everything you're told – look at Dobby!† â€Å"Miss will please keep Dobby out of this,† Dobby mumbled, looking scared. The cheery smiles had vanished from the faces of the house-elves around the kitchen. They were suddenly looking at Hermione as though she were mad and dangerous. â€Å"We has your extra food!† squeaked an elf at Harry's elbow, and he shoved a large ham, a dozen cakes, and some fruit into Harry's arms. â€Å"Good-bye!† The house-elves crowded around Harry, Ron, and Hermione and began shunting them out of the kitchen, many little hands pushing in the smalls of their backs. â€Å"Thank you for the socks, Harry Potter!† Dobby called miserably from the hearth, where he was standing next to the lumpy tablecloth that was Winky. â€Å"You couldn't keep your mouth shut, could you, Hermione?† said Ron angrily as the kitchen door slammed shut behind them. â€Å"They won't want us visiting them now! We could've tried to get more stuff out of Winky about Crouch!† â€Å"Oh as if you care about that!† scoffed Hermione. â€Å"You only like coming down here for the food!† It was an irritable sort of day after that. Harry got so tired of Ron and Hermione sniping at each other over their homework in the common room that he took Sirius's food up to the Owlery that evening on his own. Pigwidgeon was much too small to carry an entire ham up to the mountain by himself, so Harry enlisted the help of two school screech owls as well. When they had set off into the dusk, looking extremely odd carrying the large package between them. Harry leaned on the windowsill, looking out at the grounds, at the dark, rustling treetops of the Forbidden Forest, and the rippling sails of the Durmstrang ship. An eagle owl flew through the coil of smoke rising from Hagrid's chimney; it soared toward the castle, around the Owlery, and out of sight. Looking down, Harry saw Hagrid digging energetically in front of his cabin. Harry wondered what he was doing; it looked as though he were making a new vegetable patch. As he watched, Madame Maxime emerged from the Beauxbatons carriage and walked over to Hagrid. She appeared to be trying to engage him in conversation. Hagrid leaned upon his spade, but did not seem keen to prolong their talk, because Madame Maxime returned to the carriage shortly afterward. Unwilling to go back to Gryffindor Tower and listen to Ron and Hermione snarling at each other, Harry watched Hagrid digging until the darkness swallowed him and the owls around Harry began to awake, swooshing past him into the night. By breakfast the next day Ron's and Hermione's bad moods had burnt out, and to Harry's relief, Ron's dark predictions that the house-elves would send substandard food up to the Gryffindor table because Hermione had insulted them proved false; the bacon, eggs, and kippers were quite as good as usual. When the post owls arrived, Hermione looked up eagerly; she seemed to be expecting something. â€Å"Percy won't've had time to answer yet,† said Ron. â€Å"We only sent Hedwig yesterday.† â€Å"No, it's not that,† said Hermione. â€Å"I've taken out a subscription to the Daily Prophet. I'm getting sick of finding everything out from the Slytherins.† â€Å"Good thinking!† said Harry, also looking up at the owls. â€Å"Hey, Hermione, I think you're in luck -â€Å" A gray owl was soaring down toward Hermione. â€Å"It hasn't got a newspaper, though,† she said, looking disappointed. â€Å"It's -â€Å" But to her bewilderment, the gray owl landed in front of her plate, closely followed by four barn owls, a brown owl, and a tawny. â€Å"How many subscriptions did you take out?† said Harry, seizing Hermione's goblet before it was knocked over by the cluster of owls, all of whom were jostling close to her, trying to deliver their own letter first. â€Å"What on earth – ?† Hermione said, taking the letter from the gray owl, opening it, and starting to read. â€Å"Oh really!† she sputtered, going rather red. â€Å"What's up?† said Ron. â€Å"It's – oh how ridiculous -â€Å" She thrust the letter at Harry, who saw that it was not handwritten, but composed from pasted letters that seemed to have been cut out of the Daily Prophet. YOU ARE A WICKED GIRL. HARRY POTTER DESERVES BETTER. GO BACK WHERE YOU CAME FROM MUGGLE. â€Å"They're all like it!† said Hermione desperately, opening one letter after another. â€Å"‘Harry Potter can do much better than the likes of you†¦.' ‘You deserve to be boiled in frog spawn†¦.' Ouch!† She had opened the last envelope, and yellowish-green liquid smelling strongly of petrol gushed over her hands, which began to erupt in large yellow boils. â€Å"Undiluted bubotuber pus!† said Ron, picking up the envelope gingerly and sniffing it. â€Å"Ow!† said Hermione, tears starting in her eyes as she tried to rub the pus off her hands with a napkin, but her fingers were now so thickly covered in painful sores that it looked as though she were wearing a pair of thick, knobbly gloves. â€Å"You'd better get up to the hospital wing,† said Harry as the owls around Hermione took flight. â€Å"We'll tell Professor Sprout where you've gone†¦.† â€Å"I warned her!† said Ron as Hermione hurried out of the Great Hall, cradling her hands. â€Å"I warned her not to annoy Rita Skeeter! Look at this one†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He read out one of the letters Hermione had left behind: â€Å"I read In Witch Weekly about how you are playing Harry Potter false and that boy has had enough hardship and I will be sending you a curse by next post as soon as I can find a big enough envelope.' Blimey, she'd better watch out for herself.† Hermione didn't turn up for Herbology. As Harry and Ron left the greenhouse for their Care of Magical Creatures class, they saw Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle descending the stone steps of the castle. Pansy Parkinson was whispering and giggling behind them with her gang of Slytherin girls. Catching sight of Harry, Pansy called, â€Å"Potter, have you split up with your girlfriend? Why was she so upset at breakfast?† Harry ignored her; he didn't want to give her the satisfaction of knowing how much trouble the Witch Weekly article had caused. Hagrid, who had told them last lesson that they had finished with unicorns, was waiting for them outside his cabin with a fresh supply of open crates at his feet. Harry's heart sank at the sight of the crates – surely not another skrewt hatching? – but when he got near enough to see inside, he found himself looking at a number of flurry black creatures with long snouts. Their front paws were curiously flat, like spades, and they were blinking up at the class, looking politely puzzled at all the attention. â€Å"These're nifflers,† said Hagrid, when the class had gathered around. â€Å"Yeh find 'em down mines mostly. They like sparkly stuff†¦.There yeh go, look.† One of the nifflers had suddenly leapt up and attempted to bite Pansy Parkinson's watch off her wrist. She shrieked and jumped backward. â€Å"Useful little treasure detectors,† said Hagrid happily. â€Å"Thought we'd have some fun with 'em today. See over there?† He pointed at the large patch of freshly turned earth Harry had watched him digging from the Owlery window. â€Å"I've buried some gold coins. I've got a prize fer whoever picks the niffler that digs up most. Jus' take off all yer valuables, an' choose a niffler, an get ready ter set 'em loose.† Harry took off his watch, which he was only wearing out of habit, as it didn't work anymore, and stuffed it into his pocket. Then he picked up a niffler. It put its long snout in Harry's ear and sniffed enthusiastically. It was really quite cuddly. â€Å"Hang on,† said Hagrid, looking down into the crate, â€Å"there's a spare niffler here†¦who's missin? Where's Hermione?† â€Å"She had to go to the hospital wing,† said Ron. â€Å"We'll explain later,† Harry muttered; Pansy Parkinson was listening. It was easily the most fun they had ever had in Care of Magical Creatures. The nifflers dived in and out of the patch of earth as though it were water, each scurrying back to the student who had released it and spitting gold into their hands. Ron's was particularly efficient; it had soon filled his lap with coins. â€Å"Can you buy these as pets, Hagrid?† he asked excitedly as his niffler dived back into the soil, splattering his robes. â€Å"Yer mum wouldn' be happy, Ron,† said Hagrid, grinning. â€Å"They wreck houses, nifflers. I reckon they've nearly got the lot, now,† he added, pacing around the patch of earth while the nifflers continued to dive. â€Å"I on'y buried a hundred coins. Oh there y'are, Hermione!† Hermione was walking toward them across the lawn. Her hands were very heavily bandaged and she looked miserable. Pansy Parkinson was watching her beadily. â€Å"Well, let's check how yeh've done!† said Hagrid. â€Å"Count yer coins! An' there's no point tryin' ter steal any, Goyle,† he added, his beetle-black eyes narrowed. â€Å"It's leprechaun gold. Vanishes after a few hours.† Goyle emptied his pockets, looking extremely sulky. It turned out that Ron's niffler had been most successful, so Hagrid gave him an enormous slab of Honeyduke's chocolate for a prize. The bell rang across the grounds for lunch; the rest of the class set off back to the castle, but Harry, Ron, and Hermione stayed behind to help Hagrid put the nifflers back in their boxes. Harry noticed Madame Maxime watching them out other carriage window. â€Å"What yeh done ter your hands, Hermione?† said Hagrid, looking concerned. Hermione told him about the hate mail she had received that morning, and the envelope full of bubotuber pus. â€Å"Aaah, don' worry,† said Hagrid gently, looking down at her. â€Å"I got some o' those letters an all, after Rita Skeeter wrote abou me mum. ‘Yeh're a monster an yeh should be put down.' ‘Yer mother killed innocent people an if you had any decency you d jump in a lake.'† â€Å"No!† said Hermione, looking shocked. â€Å"Yeah,† said Hagrid, heaving the niffler crates over by his cabin wall. â€Å"They're jus' nutters, Hermione. Don' open 'em if yeh get any more. Chuck 'em straigh' in the fire.† â€Å"You missed a really good lesson,† Harry told Hermione as they headed back toward the castle. â€Å"They're good, nifflers, aren't they, Ron?† Ron, however, was frowning at the chocolate Hagrid had given him. He looked thoroughly put out about something. â€Å"What's the matter?† said Harry. â€Å"Wrong flavor?† â€Å"No,† said Ron shortly. â€Å"Why didn't you tell me about the gold?† â€Å"What gold?† said Harry. â€Å"The gold I gave you at the Quidditch World Cup,† said Ron. â€Å"The leprechaun gold I gave you for my Omnioculars. In the Top Box. Why didn't you tell me it disappeared?† Harry had to think for a moment before he realized what Ron was talking about. â€Å"Oh†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he said, the memory coming back to him at last. â€Å"I dunno†¦I never noticed it had gone. I was more worried about my wand, wasn't I?† They climbed the steps into the entrance hall and went into the Great Hall for lunch. â€Å"Must be nice,† Ron said abruptly, when they had sat down and started serving themselves roast beef and Yorkshire puddings. â€Å"To have so much money you don't notice if a pocketful of Galleons goes missing.† â€Å"Listen, I had other stuff on my mind that night!† said Harry impatiently. â€Å"We all did, remember?† â€Å"I didn't know leprechaun gold vanishes,† Ron muttered. â€Å"I thought I was paying you back. You shouldn't've given me that Chudley Cannon hat for Christmas.† â€Å"Forget it, all right?† said Harry. Ron speared a roast potato on the end of his fork, glaring at it. Then he said, â€Å"I hate being poor.† Harry and Hermione looked at each other. Neither of them really knew what to say. â€Å"It's rubbish,† said Ron, still glaring down at his potato. â€Å"I don't blame Fred and George for trying to make some extra money. Wish I could. Wish I had a niffler.† â€Å"Well, we know what to get you next Christmas,† said Hermione brightly. Then, when Ron continued to look gloomy, she said, â€Å"Come on, Ron, it could be worse. At least your fingers aren't full of pus.† Hermione was having a lot of difficulty managing her knife and fork, her fingers were so stiff and swollen. â€Å"I hate that Skeeter woman!† she burst out savagely. â€Å"I'll get her back for this if it's the last thing I do!† Hate mail continued to arrive for Hermione over the following week, and although she followed Hagrid's advice and stopped opening it, several of her ill-wishers sent Howlers, which exploded at the Gryffindor table and shrieked insults at her for the whole Hall to hear. Even those people who didn't read Witch Weekly knew all about the supposed Harry-Krum-Hermione triangle now. Harry was getting sick of telling people that Hermione wasn't his girlfriend. â€Å"It'll die down, though,† he told Hermione, â€Å"if we just ignore it†¦.People got bored with that stuff she wrote about me last time. â€Å"I want to know how she's listening into private conversations when she's supposed to be banned from the grounds!† said Hermione angrily. Hermione hung back in their next Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson to ask Professor Moody something. The rest of the class was very eager to leave; Moody had given them such a rigorous test of hex-deflection that many of them were nursing small injuries. Harry had such a bad case of Twitchy Ears, he had to hold his hands clamped over them as he walked away from the class. â€Å"Well, Rita's definitely not using an Invisibility Cloak!† Hermione panted five minutes later, catching up with Harry and Ron in the entrance hall and pulling Harry's hand away from one of his wiggling ears so that he could hear her. â€Å"Moody says he didn't see her anywhere near the judges' table at the second task, or anywhere near the lake!† â€Å"Hermione, is there any point in telling you to drop this?† said Ron. â€Å"No!† said Hermione stubbornly. â€Å"I want to know how she heard me talking to Viktor! And how she found out about Hagrid's mum!† â€Å"Maybe she had you bugged,† said Harry. â€Å"Bugged?† said Ron blankly. â€Å"What†¦put fleas on her or something?† Harry started explaining about hidden microphones and recording equipment. Ron was fascinated, but Hermione interrupted them. â€Å"Aren't you two ever going to read Hogwarts, A History† â€Å"What's the point?† said Ron. â€Å"You know it by heart, we can just ask you.† â€Å"All those substitutes for magic Muggles use – electricity, computers, and radar, and all those things – they all go haywire around Hogwarts, there's too much magic in the air. No, Rita's using magic to eavesdrop, she must be†¦.If I could just find out what it is†¦ooh, if it's illegal, I'll have her†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Haven't we got enough to worry about?† Ron asked her. â€Å"Do we have to start a vendetta against Rita Skeeter as well?† â€Å"I'm not asking you to help!† Hermione snapped. â€Å"I'll do it on my own!† She marched back up the marble staircase without a backward glance. Harry was quite sure she was going to the library. â€Å"What's the betting she comes back with a box of / Hate Rita Skeeter badges?† said Ron. Hermione, however, did not ask Harry and Ron to help her pursue vengeance against Rita Skeeter, for which they were both grateful, because their workload was mounting ever higher in the days before the Easter holidays. Harry frankly marveled at the fact that Hermione could research magical methods of eavesdropping as well as everything else they had to do. He was working flat-out just to get through all their homework, though he made a point of sending regular food packages up to the cave in the mountain for Sirius; after last summer, Harry had not forgotten what it felt like to be continually hungry. He enclosed notes to Sirius, telling him that nothing out of the ordinary had happened, and that they were still waiting for an answer from Percy. Hedwig didn't return until the end of the Easter holidays. Percy's letter was enclosed in a package of Easter eggs that Mrs. Weasley had sent. Both Harry's and Ron's were the size of dragon eggs and full of homemade toffee. Hermione's, however, was smaller than a chicken egg. Her face fell when she saw it. â€Å"Your mum doesn't read Witch Weekly, by any chance, does she, Ron?† she asked quietly. â€Å"Yeah,† said Ron, whose mouth was full of toffee. â€Å"Gets it for the recipes.† Hermione looked sadly at her tiny egg. â€Å"Don't you want to see what Percy's written?† Harry asked her hastily. Percy's letter was short and irritated. As I am constantly telling the Daily Prophet, Mr. Crouch is taking a well-deserved break. He is sending in regular owls with instructions. No, I haven't actually seen him, but I think I can be trusted to know my own superior's handwriting. I have quite enough to do at the moment without trying to quash these ridiculous rumors. Please don't bother me again unless it's something important. Happy Easter. The start of the summer term would normally have meant that Harry was training hard for the last Quidditch match of the season. This year, however, it was the third and final task in the Triwizard Tournament for which he needed to prepare, but he still didn't know what he would have to do. Finally, in the last week of May, Professor McGonagall held him back in Transfiguration. â€Å"You are to go down to the Quidditch field tonight at nine o'clock. Potter,† she told him. â€Å"Mr. Bagman will be there to tell the champions about the third task.† So at half past eight that night. Harry left Ron and Hermione in Gryffindor Tower and went downstairs. As he crossed the entrance hall, Cedric came up from the Hufflepuff common room. â€Å"What d'you reckon it's going to be?† he asked Harry as they went together down the stone steps, out into the cloudy night. â€Å"Fleur keeps going on about underground tunnels; she reckons we've got to find treasure.† â€Å"That wouldn't be too bad,† said Harry, thinking that he would simply ask Hagrid for a niffler to do the job for him. They walked down the dark lawn to the Quidditch stadium, turned through a gap in the stands, and walked out onto the field. â€Å"What've they done to it?† Cedric said indignantly, stopping dead. The Quidditch field was no longer smooth and flat. It looked as though somebody had been building long, low walls all over it that twisted and crisscrossed in every direction. â€Å"They're hedges!† said Harry, bending to examine the nearest one. â€Å"Hello there!† called a cheery voice. Ludo Bagman was standing in the middle of the field with Krum and Fleur. Harry and Cedric made their way toward them, climbing over the hedges. Fleur beamed at Harry as he came nearer. Her attitude toward him had changed completely since he had saved her sister from the lake. â€Å"Well, what d'you think?† said Bagman happily as Harry and Cedric climbed over the last hedge. â€Å"Growing nicely, aren't they? Give them a month and Hagrid'll have them twenty feet high. Don't worry,† he added, grinning, spotting the less-than-happy expressions on Harry's and Cedric's faces, â€Å"you'll have your Quidditch field back to normal once the task is over! Now, I imagine you can guess what we're making here?† No one spoke for a moment. Then – â€Å"Maze,† grunted Krum. â€Å"That's right!† said Bagman. â€Å"A maze. The third task's really very straightforward. The Triwizard Cup will be placed in the center of the maze. The first champion to touch it will receive full marks.† â€Å"We seemply ‘ave to get through the maze?† said Fleur. â€Å"There will be obstacles,† said Bagman happily, bouncing on the balls of his feet. â€Å"Hagrid is providing a number of creatures†¦then there will be spells that must be broken†¦all that sort of thing, you know. Now, the champions who are leading on points will get a head start into the maze.† Bagman grinned at Harry and Cedric. â€Å"Then Mr. Krum will enter†¦then Miss Delacour. But you'll all be in with a fighting chance, depending how well you get past the obstacles. Should be fun, eh?† Harry, who knew only too well the kind of creatures that Hagrid was likely to provide for an event like this, thought it was unlikely to be any fun at all. However, he nodded politely like the other champions. â€Å"Very well†¦if you haven't got any questions, we'll go back up to the castle, shall we, it's a bit chilly†¦.† Bagman hurried alongside Harry as they began to wend their way out of the growing maze. Harry had the feeling that Bagman was going to start offering to help him again, but just then, Krum tapped Harry on the shoulder. â€Å"Could I haff a vord?† â€Å"Yeah, all right,† said Harry, slightly surprised. â€Å"Vill you valk vith me?† â€Å"Okay,† said Harry curiously. Bagman looked slightly perturbed. â€Å"I'll wait for you. Harry, shall I?† â€Å"No, it's okay, Mr. Bagman,† said Harry, suppressing a smile, â€Å"I think I can find the castle on my own, thanks.† Harry and Krum left the stadium together, but Krum did not set a course for the Durmstrang ship. Instead, he walked toward the forest. â€Å"What're we going this way for?† said Harry as they passed Hagrid's cabin and the illuminated Beauxbatons carriage. â€Å"Don't vont to be overheard,† said Krum shortly. When at last they had reached a quiet stretch of ground a short way from the Beauxbatons horses' paddock, Krum stopped in the shade of the trees and turned to face Harry. â€Å"I vant to know,† he said, glowering, â€Å"vot there is between you and Hermy-own-ninny.† Harry, who from Krum's secretive manner had expected something much more serious than this, stared up at Krum in amazement. â€Å"Nothing,† he said. But Krum glowered at him, and Harry, somehow struck anew by how tall Krum was, elaborated. â€Å"We're friends. She's not my girlfriend and she never has been. It's just that Skeeter woman making things up.† â€Å"Hermy-own-ninny talks about you very often,† said Krum, looking suspiciously at Harry. â€Å"Yeah,† said Harry, â€Å"because were friends.† He couldn't quite believe he was having this conversation with Viktor Krum, the famous International Quidditch player. It was as though the eighteen-year-old Krum thought he. Harry, was an equal – a real rival – â€Å"You haff never†¦you haff not†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"No,† said Harry very firmly. Krum looked slightly happier. He stared at Harry for a few seconds, then said, â€Å"You fly very veil. I vos votching at the first task.† â€Å"Thanks,† said Harry, grinning broadly and suddenly feeling much taller himself. â€Å"I saw you at the Quidditch World Cup. The Wronski Feint, you really -â€Å" But something moved behind Krum in the trees, and Harry, who had some experience of the sort of thing that lurked in the forest, instinctively grabbed Krum's arm and pulled him around. â€Å"Vot is it?† Harry shook his head, staring at the place where he'd seen movement. He slipped his hand inside his robes, reaching for his wand. Suddenly a man staggered out from behind a tall oak. For a moment, Harry didn't recognize him†¦then he realized it was Mr. Crouch. He looked as though he had been traveling for days. The knees of his robes were ripped and bloody, his face scratched; he was unshaven and gray with exhaustion. His neat hair and mustache were both in need of a wash and a trim. His strange appearance, however, was nothing to the way he was behaving. Muttering and gesticulating, Mr. Crouch appeared to be talking to someone that he alone could see. He reminded Harry vividly of an old tramp he had seen once when out shopping with the Dursleys. That man too had been conversing wildly with thin air; Aunt Petunia had seized Dudley's hand and pulled him across the road to avoid him; Uncle Vernon had then treated the family to a long rant about what he would like to do with beggars and vagrants. â€Å"Vosn't he a judge?† said Krum, staring at Mr. Crouch. â€Å"Isn't he vith your Ministry?† Harry nodded, hesitated for a moment, then walked slowly toward Mr. Crouch, who did not look at him, but continued to talk to a nearby tree. â€Å"†¦and when you've done that, Weatherby, send an owl to Dumbledore confirming the number of Durmstrang students who will be attending the tournament, Karkaroff has just sent word there will be twelve†¦.† â€Å"Mr. Crouch?† said Harry cautiously. â€Å"†¦and then send another owl to Madame Maxime, because she might want to up the number of students she's bringing, now Karkaroff's made it a round dozen†¦do that, Weatherby, will you? Will you? Will†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Mr. Crouch's eyes were bulging. He stood staring at the tree, muttering soundlessly at it. Then he staggered sideways and fell to his knees. â€Å"Mr. Crouch?† Harry said loudly. â€Å"Are you all right?† Crouch's eyes were rolling in his head. Harry looked around at Krum, who had followed him into the trees, and was looking down at Crouch in alarm. â€Å"Vot is wrong with him?† â€Å"No idea,† Harry muttered. â€Å"Listen, you'd better go and get someone -â€Å" â€Å"Dumbledore!† gasped Mr. Crouch. He reached out and seized a handful of Harry's robes, dragging him closer, though his eyes were staring over Harry's head. â€Å"I need†¦see†¦Dumbledore†¦.† â€Å"Okay,† said Harry, â€Å"if you get up, Mr. Crouch, we can go up to the-â€Å" â€Å"I've done†¦stupid†¦thing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Mr. Crouch breathed. He looked utterly mad. His eyes were rolling and bulging, and a trickle of spittle was sliding down his chin. Every word he spoke seemed to cost him a terrible effort. â€Å"Must†¦tell†¦Dumbledore†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Get up, Mr. Crouch,† said Harry loudly and clearly. â€Å"Get up, I'll take you to Dumbledore!† Mr., Crouch's eyes rolled forward onto Harry. â€Å"Who†¦you?† he whispered. â€Å"I'm a student at the school,† said Harry, looking around at Krum for some help, but Krum was hanging back, looking extremely nervous. â€Å"You're not†¦his?† whispered Crouch, his mouth sagging. â€Å"No,† said Harry, without the faintest idea what Crouch was talking about. â€Å"Dumbledore's?† â€Å"That's right,† said Harry. Crouch was pulling him closer; Harry tried to loosen Crouch's grip on his robes, but it was too powerful. â€Å"Warn†¦Dumbledore†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I'll get Dumbledore if you let go of me,† said Harry. â€Å"Just let go, Mr. Crouch, and I'll get him†¦.† â€Å"Thank you, Weatherby, and when you have done that, I would like a cup of tea. My wife and son will be arriving shortly, we are attending a concert tonight with Mr. and Mrs. Fudge.† Crouch was now talking fluently to a tree again, and seemed completely unaware that Harry was there, which surprised Harry so much he didn't notice that Crouch had released him. â€Å"Yes, my son has recently gained twelve O.W.L.s, most satisfactory, yes, thank you, yes, very proud indeed. Now, if you could bring me that memo from the Andorran Minister of Magic, I think I will have time to draft a response†¦.† â€Å"You stay here with him!† Harry said to Krum. â€Å"I'll get Dumbledore, I'll be quicker, I know where his office is -â€Å" â€Å"He is mad,† said Krum doubtfully, staring down at Crouch, who was still gabbling to the tree, apparently convinced it was Percy. â€Å"Just stay with him,† said Harry, starting to get up, but his movement seemed to trigger another abrupt change in Mr. Crouch, who seized him hard around the knees and pulled Harry back to the ground. â€Å"Don't†¦leave†¦me!† he whispered, his eyes bulging again. â€Å"I†¦escaped†¦must warn†¦must tell†¦see Dumbledore†¦my fault†¦all my fault†¦Bertha†¦dead†¦all my fault†¦my son†¦my fault†¦tell Dumbledore †¦Harry Potter†¦the Dark Lord†¦stronger†¦Harry Potter†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I'll get Dumbledore if you let me go, Mr. Crouch!† said Harry. He looked furiously around at Krum. â€Å"Help me, will you?† Looking extremely apprehensive, Krum moved forward and squatted down next to Mr. Crouch. â€Å"Just keep him here,† said Harry, pulling himself free of Mr. Crouch. â€Å"I'll be back with Dumbledore.† â€Å"Hurry, von't you?† Krum called after him as Harry sprinted away from the forest and up through the dark grounds. They were deserted; Bagman, Cedric, and Fleur had disappeared. Harry tore up the stone steps, through the oak front doors, and off up the marble staircase, toward the second floor. Five minutes later he was hurtling toward a stone gargoyle standing halfway along an empty corridor. â€Å"Sher – sherbet lemon!† he panted at it. This was the password to the hidden staircase to Dumbledore's office – or at least, it had been two years ago. The password had evidently changed, however, for the stone gargoyle did not spring to life and jump aside, but stood frozen, glaring at Harry malevolently. â€Å"Move!† Harry shouted at it. â€Å"C'mon!† But nothing at Hogwarts had ever moved just because he shouted at it; he knew it was no good. He looked up and down the dark corridor. Perhaps Dumbledore was in the staffroom? He started running as fast as he could toward the staircase – â€Å"POTTER!† Harry skidded to a halt and looked around. Snape had just emerged from the hidden staircase behind the stone gargoyle. The wall was sliding shut behind him even as he beckoned Harry back toward him. â€Å"What are you doing here, Potter?† â€Å"I need to see Professor Dumbledore!† said Harry, running back up the corridor and skidding to a standstill in front of Snape instead. â€Å"It's Mr. Crouch†¦he's just turned up†¦he's in the forest†¦he's asking -â€Å" â€Å"What is this rubbish?† said Snape, his black eyes glittering. â€Å"What are you talking about?† â€Å"Mr. Crouch!† Harry shouted. â€Å"From the Ministry! He's ill or something – he's in the forest, he wants to see Dumbledore! Just give me the password up to -â€Å" â€Å"The headmaster is busy. Potter,† said Snape, his thin mouth curling into an unpleasant smile. â€Å"I've got to tell Dumbledore!† Harry yelled. â€Å"Didn't you hear me. Potter?† Harry could tell Snape was thoroughly enjoying himself, denying Harry the thing he wanted when he was so panicky. â€Å"Look,† said Harry angrily, â€Å"Crouch isn't right – he's – he's out of his mind – he says he wants to warn -â€Å" The stone wall behind Snape slid open. Dumbledore was standing there, wearing long green robes and a mildly curious expression. â€Å"Is there a problem?† he said, looking between Harry and Snape. â€Å"Professor!† Harry said, sidestepping Snape before Snape could speak, â€Å"Mr. Crouch is here – he's down in the forest, he wants to speak to you!† Harry expected Dumbledore to ask questions, but to his relief, Dumbledore did nothing of the sort. â€Å"Lead the way,† he said promptly, and he swept off along the corridor behind Harry, leaving Snape standing next to the gargoyle and looking twice as ugly. â€Å"What did Mr. Crouch say. Harry?† said Dumbledore as they walked swiftly down the marble staircase. â€Å"Said he wants to warn you†¦said he's done something terrible†¦he mentioned his son†¦and Bertha Jorkins†¦and – and Voldemort†¦something about Voldemort getting stronger†¦.† â€Å"Indeed,† said Dumbledore, and he quickened his pace as they hurried out into the pitch-darkness. â€Å"He's not acting normally,† Harry said, hurrying along beside Dumbledore. â€Å"He doesn't seem to know where he is. He keeps talking like he thinks Percy Weasley's there, and then he changes, and says he needs to see you†¦.I left him with Viktor Krum.† â€Å"You did?† said Dumbledore sharply, and he began to take longer strides still, so that Harry was running to keep up. â€Å"Do you know if anybody else saw Mr. Crouch?† â€Å"No,† said Harry. â€Å"Krum and I were talking, Mr. Bagman had just finished telling us about the third task, we stayed behind, and then we saw Mr. Crouch coming out of the forest -â€Å" â€Å"Where are they?† said Dumbledore as the Beauxbatons carriage emerged from the darkness. â€Å"Over here,† said Harry, moving in front of Dumbledore, leading the way through the trees. He couldn't hear Crouch's voice anymore, but he knew where he was going; it hadn't been much past the Beauxbatons carriage†¦somewhere around here†¦. â€Å"Viktor?† Harry shouted. No one answered. â€Å"They were here,† Harry said to Dumbledore. â€Å"They were definitely somewhere around here†¦.† â€Å"Lumos,† Dumbledore said, lighting his wand and holding it up. Its narrow beam traveled from black trunk to black trunk, illuminating the ground. And then it fell upon a pair of feet. Harry and Dumbledore hurried forward. Krum was sprawled on the forest floor. He seemed to be unconscious. There was no sign at all of Mr. Crouch. Dumbledore bent over Krum and gently lifted one of his eyelids. â€Å"Stunned,† he said softly. His half-moon glasses glittered in the wandlight as he peered around at the surrounding trees. â€Å"Should I go and get someone?† said Harry. â€Å"Madam Pomfrey?† â€Å"No,† said Dumbledore swiftly. â€Å"Stay here.† He raised his wand into the air and pointed it in the direction of Hagrid's cabin. Harry saw something silvery dart out of it and streak away through the trees like a ghostly bird. Then Dumbledore bent over Krum again, pointed his wand at him, and muttered, â€Å"Ennervate.† Krum opened his eyes. He looked dazed. When he saw Dumbledore, he tried to sit up, but Dumbledore put a hand on his shoulder and made him lie still. â€Å"He attacked me!† Krum muttered, putting a hand up to his head. â€Å"The old madman attacked me! I vos looking around to see vare Potter had gone and he attacked from behind!† â€Å"Lie still for a moment,† Dumbledore said. The sound of thunderous footfalls reached them, and Hagrid came panting into sight with Fang at his heels. He was carrying his crossbow. â€Å"Professor Dumbledore!† he said, his eyes widening. â€Å"Harry – what the -?† â€Å"Hagrid, I need you to fetch Professor Karkaroff,† said Dumbledore. â€Å"His student has been attacked. When you've done that, kindly alert Professor Moody -â€Å" â€Å"No need, Dumbledore,† said a wheezy growl. â€Å"I'm here.† Moody was limping toward them, leaning on his staff, his wand lit. â€Å"Damn leg,† he said furiously. â€Å"Would've been here quicker†¦what's happened? Snape said something about Crouch -â€Å" â€Å"Crouch?† said Hagrid blankly. â€Å"Karkaroff, please, Hagrid!† said Dumbledore sharply. â€Å"Oh yeah†¦right y'are, Professor†¦Ã¢â‚¬  said Hagrid, and he turned and disappeared into the dark trees, Fang trotting after him. â€Å"I don't know where Barty Crouch is,† Dumbledore told Moody, â€Å"but it is essential that we find him.† â€Å"I'm onto it,† growled Moody, and he pulled out his wand and limped off into the forest. Neither Dumbledore nor Harry spoke again until they heard the unmistakable sounds of Hagrid and Fang returning. Karkaroff was hurrying along behind them. He was wearing his sleek silver furs, and he looked pale and agitated. â€Å"What is this?† he cried when he saw Krum on the ground and Dumbledore and Harry beside him. â€Å"What's going on?† â€Å"I vos attacked!† said Krum, sitting up now and rubbing his head. â€Å"Mr. Crouch or votever his name -â€Å" â€Å"Crouch attacked you? Crouch attacked you? The Triwizard judge?† â€Å"Igor,† Dumbledore began, but Karkaroff had drawn himself up, clutching his furs around him, looking livid. â€Å"Treachery!† he bellowed, pointing at Dumbledore. â€Å"It is a plot! You and your Ministry of Magic have lured me here under false pretenses, Dumbledore! This is not an equal competition! First you sneak Potter into the tournament, though he is underage! Now one of your Ministry friends attempts to put my champion out of action! I smell double-dealing and corruption in this whole affair, and you, Dumbledore, you, with your talk of closer international wizarding links, of rebuilding old ties, of forgetting old differences – here's what I think of you!† Karkaroff spat onto the ground at Dumbledore's feet. In one swift movement, Hagrid seized the front of Karkaroff's furs, lifted him into the air, and slammed him against a nearby tree. â€Å"Apologize!† Hagrid snarled as Karkaroff gasped for breath, Hagrid's massive fist at his throat, his feet dangling in midair. â€Å"Hagrid, no!† Dumbledore shouted, his eyes flashing. Hagrid removed the hand pinning Karkaroff to the tree, and Karkaroff slid all the way down the trunk and slumped in a huddle at its roots; a few twigs and leaves showered down upon his head. â€Å"Kindly escort Harry back up to the castle, Hagrid,† said Dumbledore sharply. Breathing heavily, Hagrid gave Karkaroff a glowering look. â€Å"Maybe I'd better stay here. Headmaster†¦.† â€Å"You will take Harry back to school, Hagrid,† Dumbledore repeated firmly. â€Å"Take him right up to Gryffindor Tower. And Harry – I want you to stay there. Anything you might want to do – any owls you might want to send – they can wait until morning, do you understand me?† â€Å"Er – yes,† said Harry, staring at him. How had Dumbledore known that, at that very moment, he had been thinking about sending Pigwidgeon straight to Sirius, to tell him what had happened? â€Å"I'll leave Fang with yeh. Headmaster,† Hagrid said, staring menacingly at Karkaroff, who was still sprawled at the foot of the tree, tangled in furs and tree roots. â€Å"Stay, Fang. C'mon, Harry.† They marched in silence past the Beauxbatons carriage and up toward the castle. â€Å"How dare he,† Hagrid growled as they strode past the lake. â€Å"How dare he accuse Dumbledore. Like Dumbledore'd do anythin' like that. Like Dumbledore wanted you in the tournament in the firs' place. Worried! I dunno when I seen Dumbledore more worried than he's bin lately. An' you!† Hagrid suddenly said angrily to Harry, who looked up at him, taken aback. â€Å"What were yeh doin', wanderin' off with ruddy Krum? He's from Durmstrang, Harry! Coulda jinxed yeh right there, couldn he? Hasn' Moody taught yeh nothin'? ‘Magine lettin him lure yeh off on yer own -â€Å" â€Å"Krum's all right!† said Harry as they climbed the steps into the entrance hall. â€Å"He wasn't trying to jinx me, he just wanted to talk about Hermione -â€Å" â€Å"I'll be havin' a few words with her, an' all,† said Hagrid grimly, stomping up the stairs. â€Å"The less you lot ‘ave ter do with these foreigners, the happier yeh'll be. Yeh can trust any of 'em.† â€Å"You were getting on all right with Madame Maxime,† Harry said, annoyed. â€Å"Don' you talk ter me abou' her!† said Hagrid, and he looked quite frightening for a moment. â€Å"I've got her number now! 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Theory-to-Practice Paper - Essay Example The project is very successful, because the staffs continuously strive towards achieving goals. The organization effectively applies the motivation techniques and also the motivation theories. The motivation techniques that enhance the performance of the workers include; job design, rewards, employee participation, and good quality of work life. The motivation theory that is effectively applied at the project’s work environment is the Herzberg’s motivation theories. One of the key internship objective involved understanding how the motivational techniques and theories is applicable at the work place. Art Shanty Project has adopted appropriate measures to improve performance, career advancement, and loyalty of the employees. One key technique is job design. The organization has adequately embraced job simplification, through the adoption of modern and superior technology at during production processes. The technical staffs are only required to key in instructions in the computerized system, and the production process will proceed automatically. The organization also gives appropriate rewards to the employees who succeed at the workplace. The intrinsic and extrinsic rewards increased staff morale and loyalty. The extrinsic rewards offered to high achieving staffs of the organization include compliments and financial bonus depending on profitability levels. Intrinsic rewards applicable at the project involve autonomy. The key staffs in management, marketing and innovation are given the opportunity to formulate their decisions and implement them (Hackman 451). The project values staff participation at the work place. Participation is effective due to the adoption of the quality control circles. The circles involve a team of employees who work together to address work related challenges like minimizing costs, improving production processes, and improve quality. The quality control circles also involve the students on internship and thus they are able to

American Well Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

American Well - Assignment Example This leads to resolving medical issues early hence a better quality of life for the patient and reduced costs in the end. Also, a patient can choose a physician of their liking in quick fashion (Internet health care, 2). Apart from physicians and specialists, patients can access services of pharmacists and NPs. The biggest disadvantage of using this platform is that often the doctor will be communicating with the patient via phone or chat and may not obtain all the facts. The result can be offering advice or prescription that is erroneous. Also, the ease with which patient access drugs may not be safe for them since they may omit some information either knowing or unknowingly. Physicians would have preliminary information before they finally meet their patients. This generally means a lot of time being saved hence the physician could attend to more patients. With this system, patient visits are expedited hence improved hospital efficiency. Physicians who are in low demand geographical areas can work with patients elsewhere (Putnam, 34). What this means is more work for them hence better pay. On the down side, data that the physician accesses about a patient may be erroneous because of editing of the same by unreliable persons. This can present serious legal and health issues. Insurance companies can improve their reputation by having such a service. Overall, people are distrustful to insurance companies (Kabbes, 21). By providing a service that is cheap and reliable, some form of goodwill is developed between the insurer and the public. Also, the insurance firms can align their financials with those of the physicians. The results would be better margins for the insurance company. One drawdown, the insurance may encounter logistical problems in incorporating this platform into their already complex system. If not properly streamlined this platform could lead to

Scopes Monkey Trial Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Scopes Monkey Trial - Essay Example ospital and spent most of his time there making observations of the professors during his stay at Baltimore and wrote informative opinions on the four famous doctors and being a famous journalist of his times his writings are considered important especially in the field of sciences. (Roberts, 2010) John Scopes was the teacher convicted in Scopes Monkey trial for teaching evolution in school going against the Bulter Act. Scopes being a learned man believed in Darwin’s theory and taught the theory of evolution to the general science students. His contribution to science especially among the schools in Tennessee was that his trial became the first ever trial to be broadcasted on the radio and hence the helped in spreading the popularity of Darwin’s theory .It helped consider the legitimacy of teaching evolution theory to students (Frazzetto, 2004). Darrow was a well known lawyer. He joined the Scope’s Trial as defendant lawyer particularly because the prosecutor was W.J. Bryan and Darrow considered it once in a life time opportunity to defend a case that was immense importance in those times. Darrow was considered an amateur scientist and he grew up reading and indulging in science was never against the theory of evolution which helped him defend the case. However, one of most famous role of Darrow’s in science was his movement against eugenics. His idea of eugenics was rather sceptical and he wrote several articles aimed against the idea of Eugenics which he believed was doom for the human society (Darrow, 1926). W.J. Bryan was a politician and was concerned with teaching of evolution in the schools. He was the main prosecutor in the Scope’s Monkey Trial. He looked upon scientific theories with suspicion a nd considered science was responsible for weak moral standards of students (Linder, 2004).During the trial he handed out pamphlets which talked against Darwin’s evolution theory. However he contributed to the field of medical sciences by

Beauty Cuts More Than Skin Deep Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Beauty Cuts More Than Skin Deep - Essay Example In the article, the author tends to indicate that the practice of beautifying oneself is more or less a recent trend. Though this is not expressed directly but the indication and focus on more recent techniques such as Botox indicate that the author is analysing the situation in a recent perspective only. People have been in the race to beautify themselves from ancient times. There are indications to suggest that cosmetics were utilised by affluent men and women alike in the ancient Egyptian civilisation (Winter, 2005). Not only this, the practice of denying the usage of cosmetics and other beautification agents has been just as strong. In her article, Cannold (2012) suggests that the onus of using makeup or beautification agents and denying it falls squarely on women. However, this may not necessarily be true. The denial of using beautification agents is just as rampant in men as in women. Studies have indicated that the usage of cosmetics is more of a personal or individual affair than a gender related affair. The author indicates that women use Botox and other beautification agents but deny it in front of other women. She also implies that women are not concerned with Botox usage in men but instead are concerned with the use of such agents by other women. However, if this phenomenon is looked at in detail, it could be recognised that none of us, whether men or women, want to admit our fallibility to age. As indicated before, the use of beautification agents is not associated to gender anymore (Robertson, Fieldman, & Hussey, 2008). Instead, the old values are being replaced by new values where men and women alike want to deny the usage of any beautification agents. The author further develops her argument by presenting weight as a means of differentiating between women’s social groups. Cannold (2012) suggests that women of one weight category will socialise with each other only in order to justify their own weight. This serves as a weak argument since this argument can be generalised to nearly any gender and their socialisation patterns. It is relevant to note that men will only socialise with other men who share common physical characteristics. For example, body builder men will socialise with others who are conscious about their physical well being. This argument can also be extended further to espouse the third gender. Members of the third gender will only socialise with members of the third gender since they resemble physically. Hence, it could be concluded that physically similar people will socialise with each other whether you talk about men, women or about the third gender. The author extends her argument to indicate that women utilise beautification agents in order to fit into their social groups where 50 year olds seem like 40 year olds. Again, it could be argued that men tend to be just as choosy about their appearance and this can be demonstrated by looking at the corporate sector. Restricting the argument’s sc ope to women alone is rather lope sided since male corporate managers do their best to look and as fresh as a cucumber (Gimlin, 2002). Present-ability is one of the most esteemed characteristics of the corporate world especially at the higher levels. This applies across the board to men and women operating in those domains (Low, 2008). The author’

Corporate Governance in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Dissertation

Corporate Governance in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - Dissertation Example ance and the Role of Auditors in the KSA 26 Synthesis of the Review 28 Chapter 3: Methodology 30 Introduction 30 Research Approach 30 Research Design 30 Specification of Variables 31 Hypotheses 33 Sampling Technique 35 Methods and Materials 36 Reliability and Validity 36 Data-Collection Procedure 36 Ethical Considerations 37 Method of Data Analysis 37 Conclusion 38 Chapter 4: Results and Discussion 39 Introduction 39 Results 39 Discussion 60 Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations 65 Conclusions 65 Recommendations 67 List of Tables Table 1. Independent and Dependent Variables 31 Table 2. Demographic Traits 32 Table 3. Research Questions with Corresponding Alternative Hypotheses 33 Table 4. Descriptive statistics: Evaluations of corporate governance (Internal Auditors) 40 Table 5. Descriptive statistics: Facets of the auditor’s role influenced by corporate governance (Internal Auditors) 42 Table 6. T-test: Facets of the auditor’s role influenced by corporate governanc e (Internal Auditors) 43 Table 7a. Coefficient of determination: Evaluations of corporate governance vs. overall success of corporate governance as regards the auditor’s role (Internal Auditors) 44 Table 7b. One-way ANOVA: Evaluations of corporate governance vs. overall success of corporate governance as regards the auditor’s role (Internal Auditors) 45 Table 7c. Beta coefficients: Evaluations of corporate governance vs. overall success of corporate governance to the auditor role (Internal Auditors) 46 Table 8. Descriptive statistics: Evaluations of corporate governance (External Auditors) 47 Table 9. Descriptive statistics: Facets of the auditor’s role influenced by corporate governance (Internal Auditors) 50 Table 10. T-test: Facets of the auditor’s role influenced by corporate governance... Following the major recent scandals involving accountants and their tendency to restate earnings, as well as the collapse of Enron and WorldCom, various calls for reform have been made, particularly in the field of management, external auditing and corporate governance (Brown 2005; Deakin & Konzelmann 2004). Research that delves into the matter at hand has highlighted the importance of the so-called â€Å"corporate governance mosaic†, which generally emphasises the critical role of the interactions among the important parties involved in financial reporting (Ali 1999). Moreover, researchers have given attention to how the corporate governance initiative of organisations significantly affects the processes related to financial reporting and auditing. It has likewise been argued that the auditors, together with the board of directors, must work hand in hand towards the betterment of the auditing process in accordance with the principles of corporate governance (Cohen, Krishnamoo rthy & Wright 2007; Dewing & Russell 2004). Strong corporate governance positively affects the quality of financial reports in a sense that it minimizes the incidence of fraud, fewer restatements and lower earnings of the management (Cohen et al. 2007). The nature and strength with which organisations carry out their initiatives pertaining to corporate governance significantly affect the audit process. Furthermore, actors involved in the advancement of corporate governance initiatives are also likely to be more responsible in ensuring that financial reporting is of high quality (Abbott, Parker & Peters 2004). Finally, it is also through the proper adoption of the principles of corporate governance that auditors are enabled to solve their disputes with clients. The relationship of corporate governance and the role of the auditors has indeed been the subject of many studies (Abbott, Parker & Peters 2004; International Organisations of Securities Commissions). Additionally, researchers who have undertaken studies in relation to the topic have all underscored the fact that the corporate governance system helps in preventing the collapse of corporations. The relationship between the two is also based on the role of auditors in ensuring the quality of the financial reports (Krishnan n.d.). In view of this, this research aims to look into how corporate governance influences the role of the auditors in the context of companies in the KSA.

Article review Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Article review - Assignment Example As a result, knowledge management is being widely acknowledged for its positive role in the success of organizations. A vast body of research in the past has shown that leadership behaviors and organizational culture serve as hurdles in the creation and leveraging of knowledge. Effective knowledge management depends upon an organization’s social ecology along with IT platforms. This imparts the need for exploring the cultural and human aspects of business and articulating the way leadership styles and organizational culture influence the tendency of an organization to develop and apply knowledge. This article is about investigation of the relationship between behaviors of leadership and the practices of knowledge management. This article particularly tends to study the influence of the behaviors of transformational and transactional styles of leadership on knowledge management as well as the moderating impact that the culture of the Australia based small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) organizations has on this relationship. To achieve this, the authors proposed four hypotheses in total to test. The conceptual model used in the research consisted of four constructs; transformational leadership, transactional leadership, organizational culture, and practices of knowledge management. A questionnaire survey was conducted to empirically examine the four hypotheses. Validity and reliability of the data was checked using pre-tested measures and constructs. The questionnaire consisting of 17 items was given to the participants to realize the frequency of use of the different processes of knowledge management in their organizations. The authors measured the leadership styles and the associated behaviors using 36 item Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire. The authors measured the organizational culture using the 36 item Denison’s Organizational Cultural Survey. Although 1000 surveys were mailed to the middle managers of the SMEs in Australia, yet with the res ponse rate being only 15.7 per cent, the sample size was 157. Most of the respondents belonged to the middle and senior management level. Middle managers were 44.9 per cent of the total while senior managers were 32.5 per cent. Line managers accounted for 21.7 per cent of the total. This methodology provided the authors with an opportunity to concisely review the basics of knowledge management related to the research, the relationship between knowledge management and leadership as well as that between leadership and the culture of organization. As a result of the research, it was found that transactional leadership and transformational leadership are both related to the practices of knowledge management positively. It was also found that the behaviors of contingent reward leadership and charismatic leadership greatly impact all dimensions of the practices of knowledge management. An unexpected yet interesting finding of the research was that contingent reward leadership has apparent ly a slightly stronger contribution on all dimensions of the practices of knowledge management compared to the impact of charisma attributed behaviors. Hierarchy and mission organizational culture moderated the relationship between practices of knowledge management and transactional leadership. The most effective behaviors of leadership for the practices of knowledge management were found to be charisma and contingent reward. Development of a successful system of knowledge mana

Project breif Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Project breif - Literature review Example This research proposal concerns the conduct of a dissertation involving the investigation, assessment and analysis of various challenges involved in the management of government projects in Saudi Arabia and the provisioning of appropriate recommendations for their successful management. As a means of reducing inefficiency and maximizing productivity, stakeholders throughout the business world have come to appreciate the power of timely and relevant project management theory (Al-Otaibi et al., 2013). As such, globalization has created a situation in which firms from around the globe integrate with businesses and projects in other countries. Therefore, engaging in a deeper and more efficient means of globalised project management is a step towards modernization and development; a goal towards which this proposal is fundamentally directed. While the implementation of infrastructural projects is undoubtedly increasing in the developing and emerging economies, project management in these countries is associated with a number of specific challenges (Frame, 2002). Such challenges increase when projects are undertaken for governmental organisations and departments (Frame, 2002). Extensive project work is occurring in Saudi Arabia, with the Kingdom’s government focusing on building infrastructure in areas of power generation, transportation, roads and medical facilities (Meed Media, 2013). Whilst project activity in the country does provide strong opportunities for project management organisations, the successful execution of such projects involves the anticipation, recognition and overcoming of diverse types of challenges with specific political, bureaucratic and legal ramifications (Meed Media, 2013). The proposed research study aims to examine the various challenges associated with management of government projects in Saudi Arabia and the providing of appropriate recommendations for overcoming

President Reagan’s Diplomacy Essay Example for Free

President Reagan’s Diplomacy Essay Ronald Reagan is ranked highly as amongst the greatest presidents the United States has ever seen. His achievements silenced critics who had earlier decried his lack of administrative experience during the race to the Whitehouse. His prowess and masterly of effective foreign policy has left scholars and analysts baffled.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ronald Reagan was born in 1911 and served as the president of the United States in a delicate period between 1981 and 1989. It is termed as a rather delicate period as it was the climax of the cold war. During this period too, the public’s confidence in the presidency and its ability to unify and inspire Americans had been shattered by the Richard Nixon’s tenure in office. Ronald Reagan came on to the public limelight by capturing the attention of the media as a Hollywood star. He emerged from the entertainment industry having cut for himself an insurmountable personal profile. His popularity was from the conservative wing that saw him as representing conservative traditional values. His leadership in the workers unions and rather strong sentiments against communism plunged him into politics. His charisma played well with the public who were inspired by his calls for a free enterprise system. He ran for governor in 1966 winning with a landslide. He ran for presidential nomination in 1968 on a Republican ticket but lost, he also lost to Gerald Ford in 1976. He successfully ran for president in 1980, be coming the 40th president of the United States. His tenure in office had notable achievements in both foreign and domestic policies, though still riddled with controversies and scandals; the hall mark of his presidency was his prowess in diplomacy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   President Ronald Reagan was an avowed anti communist, his rhetoric’s and campaigns against communism had led to the rise in his popularity with people seeing him a president who would restore a sense of patriotism and reassert the position of the United States in the global scene. By the time be assumed office dà ©tente was in place. Reagan exhibited rather a radical shift from his predecessors; his views on dà ©tente and the reigning foreign policy of isolationism and appeasement were in the negative. He had an inner drive to cripple communism on the mere ground that it was repressive and immoral. His diplomacy was driven by the need to achieve this (John P. D., 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The hallmark of Reagan diplomacy was in thawing the relationship with the Soviet Union through his close interaction with the then General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. This is rather ironic considering Reagan was committed to undermining the Soviets interests and influence in the world. His denouncement of dà ©tente policy was seen as having aggravated the already sour relations with the Soviet, this however was not to be as the end would justify him. Shifting form dà ©tente, Reagan immediately ordered a massive military build up and running any stalled military program that would have demonstrated the undeniable military might of the United States; it is the Strategic Defense Initiative Program (SDI) that would remain controversial and box the Soviet Union to a corner readying it for open diplomacy. The Strategic Defense Initiate was a controversial project that was supposed to step up the United States military defense in its ability to defend itself against any ground or space missile attacks. The program was dubbed â€Å"Star Wars† and was led by Reagan’s belief that with such a program in place the United States would fend it self off any nuclear attacks. Russia was quite apprehensive of this program and these concerns were certainty voiced by the then Russian leader Yuri Andropov.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Before the coming of Mikhail Gorbachev into power President Reagan’s attitude to the USSR was rather lacking in any hint of diplomacy. His policy towards USSR and its cahoots was one of open hostility and filled with imperialistic tendencies. Many Analysts referred to him as a warmonger. He had rather harsh words for USSR referring to it as an evil empire. A shift in policy and attitude was however witnessed as the USSR began also to shift towards the ideas of free market under Gorbachev, moves that would bring the cold war to a close. In achieving this, Reagan did not apply diplomacy solely; rather it was a multifaceted approach that included even arms building. Reagan was optimistic that the Soviet Union would not match the United States in an all out arms race. True to his words, the economic crisis that later faced USSR impeded on its ability to compete in the race. USSR was going through a tough time in its economic backyard as a result of both its own undoing and the overbearing influence of the United States (Paul Kengor, 2006).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One outstanding fact that comes up is the willingness of Ronald Reagan to meet with the leader of an enemy faction. Many had scoffed at such as an idea but Reagan was particularly interested in meeting Gorbachev, who was coming up as more accommodating to the western values than his predecessors. He was also younger than the earlier leaders and had initiated reforms towards free enterprise to cope with the economic crisis facing the nation. Reagan’s strategy had been to strengthen the military so that he could have an elevated position in the diplomatic talks (Michael S., Gale W., and Lila F., 1987)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   His skills emerge clearly as the talks were not held during the usual summit sessions only but also after. According to Edwin Meese, an attorney general during Reagan’s tenure, Reagan waited to â€Å"establish a personal relationship and to break what he viewed as the barriers of mistrust that divided our countries.† (http://www.heritage.org/Press/Commentary/ed061404c.cfm) When finally Reagan and Gorbachev met, a cordial relationship was founded and would blossom signifying the start of the end of the cold war and history took a new shape. The first meeting between the two leaders came in November 1985, in Geneva; it was later to be followed by a series of meetings in Washington and Moscow. In these meetings, these two most powerful leaders then did not exhibit arrogance and bitterness rather they displayed tact and skills. What he was able to achieve silenced critics. It is Margaret Thatcher who puts his achievements in diplomacy more accurately when she said that Reagan â€Å"won the cold war without firing a shot† (LaFeber, Walter, 2002)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In 1987 for example, President Reagan and Gorbachev were able to negotiate their way to the destruction of all intermediate range nuclear missiles as well as agreeing on the need for inspections.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The whole diplomatic turnaround of President Ronald Reagan is though full of contradictions. He came into office on a bedrock of demonization of communism having referred to it as an â€Å"evil empire† discouraging any diplomatic ties between the two nations, as Michael s. et al. (1987) notes his administration could not offer to â€Å"review the official cultural exchange programs, denied visa to many would be Soviet visitors and increased restrictions on the movement and activities of the Soviets it did allow to visit.† This changed however in 1985 (Matlock, Jack, 2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One key fact that emerges in the analysis of Reagans diplomatic skills is how he had a well mapped out strategy of combining negotiations with military strength. The congress stepped up military spending; this though could not happen after 1984 as congress declined further increases halting the military buildup initiatives. Negotiations with the soviets after that become quite inevitable.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Reagans diplomatic skills stemmed from his earlier positions he held. He had refined his charismatic skills as an entertainer and media personality. He was also the president of the Screen Actors’ Guild and had toned up his negotiating skills especially as he sought to strike better deals for those he represented.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Carnes Lord and Helle C. (2007) in their article Public Diplomacy and the Cold War: Lessons Learnt, notes how the public diplomacy was re-invigorated under the presidency of Ronald Reagan. Prior to Reagan’s regime, few presidents had perfected the institutionalization of public diplomacy as an effective tool of winning the cold war. Canes and Helle note that â€Å"reagan placed renewed emphasis on psychological operations and public diplomacy† in tandem with his military build up. Reagan gave impetus to the public diplomacy with an intention of publicizing the ideological flaws of the Soviet Union. Skeptics were expecting little from this strategy but it is hailed for having hastened the end of cold war. Public diplomacy according to these two scholars is the multifaceted approach of promoting a countries ideals and superior attitudes to both within its citizenry and across the borders.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In addition to personal diplomacy, Ronald Reagan had perfected the art of public diplomacy having brought together a think tank comprising of competent propagandists and foreign policy makers. He combined aptly both propaganda and diplomacy hoping to win public and international support. Reagan formed what came to be known as â€Å"project truth† and â€Å"project democracy†. This was a combination of both domestic and international policies aimed at winning the support of the citizen at the domestic level as well as at the international front.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Despite the fact that Ronald reagan is hailed for having brought diplomacy to a new level by agreeing earlier in his governor days to meet with the USSR leaders, his administration was not without a number of diplomatic breaches and scandals that would taint his established image. For example he failed to initiate diplomacy in negotiating with the air controller workers in 1968 instead he relieved them of their duties. Reagan went against his political advisors opinion and sacked all the striking workers presenting to the public another face of his administration.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   His diplomatic skills also failed to see him wriggle his way out of the Iran Contra Affair. Iran Contra Affair is a scandal that involved top level government officials who oversaw the selling of weapons with an intention of funding insurgents. The International Court of Justice highly criticized Reagan’s administration for participating in the covert operations. Reagan pleaded ignorance claiming that the scandal was going on without his consent. A commission was set up to investigate the ongoing. They could not find a direct link to Reagan’s involvement, but he was highly criticized for his hands off style of staff management. He was also criticized for his handling of the affairs and of his intention to attack other countries driven by his sheer hate for communism. The Iran-Contra Affair became the biggest scandal of the 1980s. This scandal would lead to a number of his high profile staff being charged and convicted.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   President Ronald Reagan had a special interest in the countries Latin Central America not only due to its proximity but also due to the encroachment of communism in the region. This was the reason the Iran Contra Affairs scandal got there in the first place. Reagan’s representatives claimed that the help accorded to the insurgents was to stop the flow of weapons to the wrong hands in Nicaragua. The handling of the Iran Contra Affair not only put Reagan on a bad spotlight but also his diplomacy team. His public diplomacy efforts were seen as aiming at misrepresenting information especially in regard to the Iran Contra Affair, with an intention of influencing the opinion of the public. Reporters and congress members were in constant attack from his diplomacy team. Carla Binion (1990) notes this team â€Å"did not limit their attacks to out of step members of congress, they also attacked journalists who wrote anti contra stories†   This however is how President Reagan worked, he believed in diplomacy and strength. The diplomacy that he helped built stands up to today and has helped the United States stand where it is today. His diplomatic strategies in Latin America and central Europe have been consistently followed almost three decades later.   His regime though was largely criticized for selective application of diplomacy. His administration infringed on the sovereign rights of nations especially in the third world especially those with despotic leaders and leaning towards the east. His diplomatic tact was not seen when it came to the small and non strategic states. A bit of diplomacy was seen in some of the Latin American countries though most of them tasted the wrath of the United States military which assisted topple some of third world regimes. In spite of these flaws in his administration, his charisma and negotiating skills helped elevate his profile compared to that of those in power during the cold war era, the likes of Jimmy carter and Lyndon Johnson. When Ronald Reagan won the presidential elections in the early 1980s not many would have thought he would make great strides in both domestic and foreign policy. By the time his tenure came into completion, he had made a name for himself mostly due to his prowess in both personal and public diplomacy. He came to power at the height of cold war. His first move was to make it clear that his administration would not pursue Dà ©tente and isolationism rather it would go on a military build up. With such a policy in place, the US relations with USSR became more strained. His diplomatic skills would be demonstrated when he was able to negotiate the scaling down of nuclear weapons and missiles in the historic summit meeting with the then USSR leader Mikhail Gorbachev. These negotiations would put an end to a war that had been ranging on for years highlighting his diplomatic skills to the world.   References Paul Kengor, 2006. The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism. New York: Regan Books, an imprint of HarperCollins publishers. John Patrick Diggings, 2007. Ronald Reagan: Fate, Freedom, and the Making of History (New York: W.W. Norton Company. Michael Shuman, Gale Warner, and Lila Forest, 1987. Citizen diplomacy: what it is, how it began, and where he it is going. Retrieved on 13/ 04/ 2007 from http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC15/Shuman.htm Carnes Lord and Helle C. 2007. Public Diplomacy and the Cold War: Lessons Learnt. HarperCollins publishers Carla Binion. George H. W. Bushs many lies. Retrieved on 13/ 04/ 2007 from http://www.onlinejournal.com/archive/01-20-00_Binion-Pt_4.pdf. LaFeber, Walter, 2002. America, Russia, and the Cold War, 1945–1971. New York: Wiley. Matlock, Jack, 2004. Reagan and Gorbachev: How the Cold War Ended. New York: Random House. Edwin Mesee, June 2004. The Personal Diplomacy of Reagan. Heritage foundation. Retrieved on 13/ 04/ 2007 from http://www.heritage.org/Press/Commentary/ed061404c.cfm

Product life cycle Essay Example for Free

Product life cycle Essay Identify and assess the relevance of the ‘product life cycle’ to the notion of employee engagement. Employee engagement can be viewed through the four stages of the product life-cycle Step one is the introduction of the concept of employee engagement, its principles, strategy for enhancing engagement and involving employees, process of change to ensure engagement is fully embedded into the organisation. Step two is growth and growing the concept of engagement through a number of mechanisms: * Support from senior and line managers * Development of line managers in engaging staff * Clear communication and involvement strategy * Involving staff in organisational and job design * Encouraging self and career development planning * Identifying mechanisms for continuous staff feedback * Evaluating and adapting engagement strategies. Step three is reaching maturity and embedding and maintaining the above factors through continuous involvement, participation, communication, evaluation and action And finally, step 4 is the inevitable decline, even though there is a decline it is still important to retain key employees, and their skills and knowledge, and therefore to continuously involve them in managing the change and future strategy. The employee engagement life cycle is an important tool for HR professionals to use to assess how the engagement product fits with the business’s objectives and strategy. Evaluate the future for employee engagement in the UK and global economic context. Future action plans include: * Involving workers in identifying factors that will engage them further * Consideration of the demographic data and identification how to engage staff from all backgrounds at different levels * Further evaluation of the link between engagement practices and performance * Development of managers that can motivate and inspire staff Monster (2011) the online job advertising website conducted an international survey on employees’ views of their line managers and uncovered the following results: * Only 10% described their manager as ‘brilliant’ * 73% feels their manager does not invest in their self-development * 70% believe that they could do their manager’s job to a higher standard * 41% of UK workers felt their managers were totally incompetent Line managers are pivotal to enhancing engagement through empowering, motivating, inspiring, coaching and helping the employee develop themselves to enhance performance. Key areas where managers require further development include: * Responding to grievances and confronting issues * Empowering and involving workers on decisions that impact on them * Treating all team members equitably and with respect and providing constructive feedback * Recognising and appreciating efforts (particularly discretionary effort) * Being driven to deliver on commitments and promises made. Assess the future role of the HR professional and the HR function so far as the sustainable implementation of employee engagement practices is concerned. In order for HR to become more strategic, they need to ensure the HR strategies and the business strategies are aligned and both contribute to the overall business aim and objectives. If this is achieved then HR can be a driving force for creating an organisational strategy for competitive advantage. HR practitioners can determine organisation capability and engagement levels to flexibly adapt to changing environmental and customer needs through an evaluation of: the current resources in terms of skills, knowledge and behaviours; and organisation design and development. Once the HR practitioner is vertically integrated within the business, they will be able to take advantage of future opportunities by becoming a key player in the strategic decision making process through providing extensive knowledge in terms of organisational capability in taking the opportunity to grow into new markets, or determining future strategies and actions required.