A critical analysis of an event contemporary issue

Abstract This paper provides an exploration of branding as interrelated to event management and experiential marketing. Different concepts and ideas are investigated in order to provide a relevant understanding of how adequate branding initiatives can impact future event management decisions. The relationship between brands and customers is emphasised throughout the paper in an attempt to focus on the importance of creating a personalised brand experience to different individuals. Therefore, the paper argues that branding is a fundamental element of ensuring proper event management activities in the contemporary business context. Introduction It has been indicated that brands serve different functions. At the most basic level, brands represent specific markers for the offerings provided by companies. For consumers, brands are associated with simplification of choice, reducing risk and guaranteeing a high quality level. The process of making branding decisions and undertaking particular tasks is important part of events management (Caru and Cova 2007). Brand positioning provides a relevant direction for marketing activities and establishing competitive advantage. Research shows the close relationship between brands and customers. Brand relationship quality has emerged as multidimensional because it consists of different dimensions, including self-concept, commitment, interdependence, etc. (Kotler and Keller 2006). Branding has been linked with the importance of brand experience and experiential marketing. The objective of this paper is to explore the aspects of branding as linked to experiential marketing and how this impa cts future event management decisions. This paper will explore links between branding and experiential marketing from both academic and practical angles. It will also look at how these concepts affect future management decisions (Caru and Cova 2007). The main objective of this paper is to critically review the branding importance in event management and how it impacts event management’s core decisions, how branding adds value to event management by developing a strong brand identity and new methods of linking with contemporary markets and emerging audience needs (Keller and Lehmann 2006). It is important to explore what performance signs could increase its added value for event management. Furthermore, this study focuses on the specificity of event management in terms of investigating how different trends like branding, technology, social media and events can add value to event management and improve the components of event planning. The study also investigates the contribution of branding from the perspective of b rand management research (Kotler and Keller 2006). Strong branding strategy is an essential part of the overall business strategy, as currently many multi-national corporations and event organisers are facing different challenges of achieving a position to strengthen the brand. Specificity of Branding and Its Relevance to Event Management One of the meanings of branding is intangibility, which indicates that a brand is established on intangible relations and values, making brand performance hard to define and measure. There has not been a universal definition of brand management in the literature (Keller and Lehmann 2006). Brand management faces many challenges in the contemporary business world, as companies and consumers are experiencing more products and services. It has been suggested that a strong brand holds various associations and has the capability to shorten the consumer decision making process, reduces the company risk, and sets different expectations (Kotler and Keller 2006). Furthermore, it has been argued that branding plays the same role in event planning. It has been recommended that the power of a brand lies in what audiences have learned, experienced, observed, and listened about the brand as a result of their experiences through an event (Caru and Cova 2007). The strength of a brand mostly reflects in its perception by customers, and thus it is experiential in nature. Successful event management needs to understand how the brand strategy should be executed and communicated with event audiences and how audiences respond to it. Event management companies are expected to recognise the strength of branding and how it can connect with audiences. For instance, if organisations offer a valuable brand experience to customers, they will achieve a substantial competitive advantage. Businesses choose to take part to organise an event for various reasons (Crowther 2010). Small companies may want to experience what live branding can provide. Many large and multi-national corporations prefer face-to-face interaction through different events to receive a quick response. Whether small or large, event companies generally participate for many reasons, for example to strengthen branding and event awareness, generating leads, connecting with future and exist ing audiences and educating event attendees etc. The main reason for companies to participate in an event is to launch or strengthen their brand (Keller and Lehmann 2006). Event management allows the company to grow and express its particular distinctiveness directly. Through event planning, companies normally select the perfect venue to share their ideas, thoughts, and name in the most appropriate for their purposes manner they want to show to people. Companies have been noted for their commitment to support various initiatives that popularise the brands they offer (LeSalle and Britton 2003). Many businesses decide to arrange events based on the branding opportunity offered by the event. The use of different host events is useful to create and showcase the brand of their business, as these could be charitable events or certain volunteering activities. Hosting events also allow different companies to direct the attention of their business and to attract potential audiences, which are considered more cost efficient (Kotler and Keller 2006). Organisations constantly enhance the features of their brands through the improved process of event management. As a result, their customer base grows on a regular basis. Another significant reason companies choose to arrange and participate in an event is to show their potential through brand features and enhancing different methods to improve event management and to recognise a target audience. The introduction of branding initiatives is important for companies to connect more personally with their customers (Crowther 2010). Branding may lead to extensive customer engagement, with a chance for positive personal interaction that establishes loyalty. Furthermore, event managers know that companies can understand the biggest ROI from branding and by retaining and increasing new customers. The main challenge for companies is to gain the attention of their customers accompanied by the disruption of daily work. At events, companies enjoy the chance to increase their brand awareness and revenue by introducing to their audience different types of products or services they may be interested in (Caru and Cova 2007). Branding provides organisations with an opportunity to focus on improving customers’ personal experience of the brand. Accurately planned and implemented branding can generate a huge amount of revenue after the event has ended. In other words, companies increase th e impact of their event by giving audience a reason to share their experience with products and services. Brand management frequently faces many challenges in a highly competitive environment (Keller and Lehmann 2006). In the contemporary unpredictable markets it is particularly important for event managers to monitor attendees’ needs and involvement. The brand is considered an intangible asset that strengthens the value by its strong connection with the associations, ethics and drivers of the audience. Consumers attend events for different reasons, including educational, informative, entertainment, etc. These reasons are influential and have benefits in their own ways (Crowther 2010). The information provided to individuals through branding is important to understand the nature and applicability of different brands. For instance, customers may differentiate the useful characteristics of a particular electrical appliance over another one in the market. If customers attend events for educational or awareness purposes, the branding information should be presented properly and considered the key component of an event. When a company hosts an event, it expects to gain adequate control over the e vent’s branding information and the audience it wants to draw in (Keller and Lehmann 2006). Being in this position provides the company with the authority to define how it wants to be portrayed and what type of audience it wants to attract. If companies are attentive about targeting their attendees, the ROI (Return on Investment) will be accomplished and the audience would show their interest in the company and their brand. However, this is not always the case because customer targeting initiatives may not be successful. Companies have access to an audience that is exposed to their brand and message at every turn. Furthermore, attendees enthusiastically prefer to contribute their skills and expertise in the programs and activities companies tend to provide during the course of the event (Caru and Cova 2007). Branding can be a powerful tool to generate a competitive advantage. A definition of brand culture indicates a focus on a company’s culture in which employees consider the importance of specific brand values (Keller and Lehmann 2006). The brand culture concept helps companies realise why this is so important. Brand cultures are considered important for event management. Branding also refers to aspects of pre dictable knowledge and thus expands the dimensions of brand culture (Crowther 2010). Unless they can experience products and services or encounter exceptional brand stories through events, individuals are generally determined to support the taken-for-granted option to understand the brand. In addition to the aspects of taken-for-granted knowledge, there are two motives for this stability. Psychological research suggests that branding culture is strong because individuals are cognitive (Keller and Lehmann 2006). Sociological research (Keller and Lehmann 2006) also suggests that branding cultures are strong and reliable because brand cultures are collective by including many people and being expressed in a variety of contexts (talk, product experiences, advertisements, etc.). However, there are drawbacks to these studies because branding culture is multidimensional. It cannot be simply perceived as cognitive or collective in nature. Branding normally manages events, brand images, and associations through different marketing networks. Therefore, individuals need to adopt a holistic approach to understand the dimensions of brand management (Kotler and Keller 2006). Importance of Branding and Experience Marketing A particular definition of experience marketing is the introduction of particular marketing activities that are customer-oriented and create a strong connection with customers. Based on this perspective, customer experiences arise from various aspects to include in-store interactions, communication patterns and packaging (Kotler and Keller 2006). Such experiences also take place as a result of both online and offline marketing activities. Experience marketing is viewed as a consistent and systematic approach to measuring the way in which customers feel about the brand (LaSalle and Britton 2003). Thus, the experience concept is quite different from other customer constructs in the field of marketing. Likewise, experience as part of experience marketing is different from motivational and affective factors, such as brand attachment and involvement (Kotler and Keller 2006). Brand attachment usually evokes persistent customer emotions, while involvement shows the perceived significance and personal relevance of a particular brand. Experience in this sense does not emerge as an emotional relationship concept. One of the essential concepts of experience marketing is experiential value that is closely linked with the idea of strengthening consumer bonds in organisations. Undoubtedly, an experience is found to have a much more persistent impact than an exposure to certain products and services offered by companies (Forlizzi and Ford 2000). In this way, the experience marketing concept directly appeals to customers in the sense of helping them feel what it is like to be a part of a particular organisation. Relationships between Brands and Customers Nonetheless, the relationship between brands and customers has been revolutionised to a certain degree. The new marketing era is that of experience marketing, which focuses on providing consumers with a brand experience that adds value to their lives (Caru and Cova 2007). It has been indicated that providing a real experience to individuals is an important part of persuading them about the quality of the offered products. It could be argued that there is nothing genuine about the connections between commercial organisations and customers, rather that they are a way of extracting as much money as possible from them. Experience marketing may provide adequate evidence that marketing practices have continuously evolved in the past several decades, shifting from the focus from products to building strong customer relationships and brands. It is important that positive experiences of customers become institutionalised within the respective marketing system in order to deliver the essence o f a certain brand (Keller and Lehmann 2006). This indicates that there is no gap between the promise presented with the brand and the consequent brand delivery to customers. Personal experiences enable individuals with a relevant opportunity to make informed purchasing decisions. Therefore, an adequate customer experience is more likely to produce high satisfaction in individuals who aim to purchase certain products or services (Caru and Cova 2007). Marketing communication has been identified as an essential aspect in contemporary business sectors. Marketing communication methods include advertising, direct and indirect mail, leaflets, altering the product packaging and sales promotion (Addis and Holbrook 2001). These activities are promoted alongside marketing sponsorship, public relations, and scientific, digital and live brand experiences. Research indicates that selected marketing channels are incorporated with other organisational tools to increase the impact of this strategy and more successfully achieve marketing communication core objectives (Kotler and Keller 2006). The experiential marketing approach is focused on a two-way incorporation in real-time, a live brand experience and thus a considerable deeper consumer relationship process (Prahalad and Ramaswamy 2004). Live brand experiences are typically apparent in the shape of live marketing events that permit the consumer to live, respire and experience or feel the brand through interactive transmitted connections and actions. The actions are typically designed to include value to target audiences in their own atmosphere, during their ordinary existence (Caru and Cova 2007). However, live brand experiences are basically existent in two-way branded experiences. They can be uniformly successful across many interactive scientific technologies and policies that assist marketing communication between customers and brands in real time. For example, consumers can contribute in live brand experiences on television where the TV shows substance is fluid, and they participate and add their contribution in actual time (Keller and Lehmann 2006). Creating a Live Brand Experience Similarly, a live brand experience can be stimulated online in a practical way in order to target more customers. Research shows that live brand experiences are seldom taken part in alone and the sophisticated marketing management tends to incorporate experiential marketing with other marketing tools and techniques to utilise a broad collection of marketing channels (Kotler and Keller 2006). Marketing departments in various multinational corporations prefer to utilise each marketing channel to accomplish different organisational goals and objectives (Maghnati et al. 2012). Advertising is frequently implemented in experiential marketing to achieve brand awareness program and to increase and sustain recognition of the brand or product within big markets. Advertising is normally effective at raising brand awareness; however, it is expensive to implement at a proper level (Schmitt 2010). When used on a larger level in experiential marketing, advertising can have a low cost per thousand (CPT), although generally it is a costly tool and can generally only be used to affect leading brands that can manage to run large advertising campaigns. Digital marketing or E-marketing is one of the fastest growing marketing channels in the current technological era. Consumers are linking with various brands online more than ever before, and E-marketing can also be cost-effective marketing channel for promoting brands online and generating sales and revenue via digital marketing (Maghnati et al. 2012). Viral marketing is also a rising marketing discipline, which is part of the digital range: an effective viral campaign uses a word-of-web to promote brand awareness. However, these marketing channels usually work together; at present, they are delivering successful marketing campaigns internationally for global brands and small businesses equally. Though brands and companies gain benefit from using these marketing channels, marketing departments are searching for new ways to operate and use these channels l in order to connect with their target audiences in a deeper way (Obonyo 2011). The basic idea is to build strong relationships that create brand loyalty and brand sponsorship. Additionally, experiential marketing may transform consumers from shoppers into dependable individuals who perceive the brand in certain terms, and share their personality and core marketing message or features to their families, friends, colleagues and local communities (Schmitt 2010). Experiential marketing is method way of identifying, recognizing and satisfying customer demands or needs and ambitions, engaging them through two-way marketing communications that take brand personalities into real life and include value to the target audience (Maghnati et al. 2012). Research shows that experiential marketing is incorporated into specific methodologies, which always are connected with target audiences and add value through relevant and appropriate brand communication dimensions (Schmitt 2010). The methodology was sound and objective in reaching particular conclusions pertaining to experiential marketing. The experiential marketing movement was established around one concept, involving two-way marketing communication between the brand and the target audience in actual time. As a result, live brand experiences are considered to be the core feature of experiential marketing. Other marketing communications channels are also playing their role in the process (Schmitt 201 0). They are being selected and integrated to increase marketing channels, which strengthen the impact of the big marketing idea known as live brand experience (customer experience). Conclusion This paper has explored the aspects of branding and how they are related to experiential marketing. In addition, emphasis was placed on determining the impact of branding on future event management decisions. It has been suggested that experiential creativity is at least partly concerned with offering a shopping environment that is appropriate to the customers, which can encourage them to the purchasing process (Schmitt 2010). The paper has suggested that experiential marketing provides an adequate way to achieving strong relationships with customers who may have an opportunity to experience different brands in a personal way. Furthermore, experiential marketing is also focused on getting consumer feedback, judgments, thoughts, actions and connections (Kotler and Keller 2006). All these aspects contribute to define and design a live customer experience and thinking about marketing. Experiential marketing has modified the past marketing concept that only focused on customers and custo mer service. Just as branding culture is established collectively through the participation of customers in experiencing brands, dividing branding strategies into different parts is a collective or a single branding decision for companies. It depends on the decision of branding or marketing directors to use one branding strategy over another (Caru and Cova 2007). Powerful branding provides a competitive advantage in an event not only with respect to audiences but also in relation to different brand partners (Kotler and Keller 2006). The paper concluded that a well-built brand culture also provides the firm with considerable influence in configuring event policies and negotiating with other brands. References Addis, M. and Holbrook, M. (2001) ‘On the Conceptual Link between Mass Customisation and Experiential Consumption: An Explosion of Subjectivity’, Journal of Consumer Behavior, Vol. 1 pp 50-66 Caru, A. and Cova, B. (2007) Consuming Experience, London, Routledge Crowther, P. (2010) ‘Strategic Application of Events’, International Journal of Hospitality Management, Vol. 29(2) pp227-235 Forlizzi, J. and Ford, S. (2000) ‘The Building Blocks of Experience: An Early Framework for Interaction Designers’, Proceedings of the DIS 2000 Seminar, Communications of the ACM, pp 419-423 Keller, K. L. and Lehmann, D. R. (2006) ‘Brands and Branding: Research Findings and Future Priorities’, Marketing Science, Vol. 25(6) pp740-759 Kotler, P. J. and Keller, K. L. (2006) Marketing Management, New York, Pearson Prentice Hall LeSalle, D. and Britton, T. A. (2003) Priceless: Turning Ordinary Products into Extraordinary Experiences, Boston, Harvard Business School Press Maghnati, F., Ling, K. C. and Nasermoadeli, A. (2012) ‘Exploring the Relationship between Experiential Marketing and Experiential Value in the Smartphone Industry’, International Business Research, Vol. 5(11) pp169-177 Obonyo, M. (2011) ‘Experiential Marketing, Experiential Value, Purchase Behaviour and Customer Loyalty in the Telecoms Industry’, Dissertation. Makerere University Prahalad, C. K. and Ramaswamy, V. (2004) ‘Co-Creation Experiences: The Next Practice in Value Creation’, Journal of Interactive Marketing, Vol. 18(3) pp5-14 Schmitt, B. H. (2010) ‘Experience Marketing: Concepts, Frameworks and Consumer Insights’, Foundations and Trends in Marketing, Vol. 5(2) pp55-112

Older Adult Interview

I had the privilege of interviewing a 60 year old gentlemen who I will identify as Mr. E to protect his privacy for this assignment. The goal of my interview was to gain insight on aging from an older adult. I interviewed Mr. E in his home on a weekday evening. He expressed appreciation and was surprised that he was the focus of an interview in which his life story and thoughts would be recorded. Mr. E was born in a ranch in Guadalajara, Mexico. He is the youngest son of nine children. His father passed away when he was 1 – year old. He was privileged to attend elementary school from the 1st grade to the 4th grade.Mr. E had the responsibility of helping support the family as there were only two male children in the family and the remaining siblings were female. At 13 years of age he went to the neighboring state of Tepic, Nayarit to work in agriculture. He was 15- years old when he immigrated to the United States by himself. Mr. E lived with friends who helped him find a job 3 weeks after he moved to the United States. He worked as a busboy at a restaurant for 3 months. He left that job to work in the garment industry making jeans, shirts and blouses for 3 years. I was the only man working there at that time† (E. Privacy, personal communication, October 10, 2012). Mr. E observed that years later he saw more males seeking employment in the garment factories because word spread that any undocumented individual could work making clothing regardless of gender. He financially supported   two infant children on those wages. He then worked in a fabric for 7 years making electrical parts for cars. After that he worked as a gardener and left the business to his son when he retired. He was married at the age of 18 and had his first child at the age of 21.Two years later he had a daughter. He became a U. S. Citizen and has helped many family members also obtain their citizenships in the past decades. He is a grandfather of 5 and looks forward to seeing grea t grandchildren in the future. I asked Mr. E (2012) what he best enjoyed about being an older adult. You are a person that sees things for what they are. As if you walked a path and see what you could of done but didn’t. How could you have lived and not lived. You see your errors. Like when you are on a cliff looking down or on the clouds and looking down.When asked about challenges to getting older (2012) Mr. E felt that accepting the challenges and just living the best you can is all you can do. Try to live in peace and love what is on earth. When you think of death you have to accept it. Why fight it you are going in that direction. You have to make a decision. He told me a story of a friend he had who had cancer and she made the choice to stop the chemotherapy. Her arms had scabs and she decided enough was enough. She knew she wasn’t going to get better. She talked about death as if she were going to a party.He described how she appeared to be at peace because she lived a fulfilling life. Mr. E felt that she encouraged and motivated him more than he to her. Mr. E felt that the greatest joys of getting older were family and seeing it grow. He also felt that being loved and having others think highly of you were great achievements. Looking back on his life Mr. E felt that the only thing he could have done differently was to be more patient, smarter, more humane and not make as many mistakes. â€Å"You look back and think that you were not able to see things that are obvious† (E.Privacy, personal communication, October 10, 2012). When asked about fears of getting older Mr. E stated that living with diseases and not being able to pay for medications and hospitalizations was a concern for him. Although, he has insurance he stated it is very expensive and he is worried he might not always be able to pay the high amount. He stated that he worried about leaving family members behind that may not be emotionally and financially stable. ?The fina l thoughts Mr. E left me with were some positive things that he anticipate as getting older. Seeing the world as a paradise, enjoying spending time with horses and seeing family grow older and expand†(E. Privacy, personal communication, October 10, 2012). ?Throughout the interview themes such as family and time arose over and over again. His emphasis on missed opportunities with family has taught me that if I am not careful I will also have the same concerns when I am an older adult. He didn’t mention business as a regret even though when he talked about his personal history the majority of that conversation was on job history.During the interview I was on the edge of my seat because he had a lot of wisdom to share and I knew that I was lucky to get advice from somebody who has lived longer than I have. My perceptions of older adults has not changed as I have always felt that they have bigger wealth of information greater than Google. My new perceptions of aging are tha t healthcare is one of the biggest concerns for older adults. I need to hurry up and start planning for my own health care as I have not really given it priority in my life. This interview has confirmed my desire to work with older adults.

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Good and Bad Discrimination Essay Example for Free

Good and Bad Discrimination Essay When the word discrimination is brought up there is an automatic negative response, due to the fact that most have this idea that there is only bad discrimination. This comes from people using stereotypes and being prejudice which creates detrimental situations. However, when a person discriminates it does not mean they are trying to be harmful. Discrimination is when one distinctively favors or is against certain groups, categories, people, and classes and or things that may come from them. Discrimination its self is not bad, but the things that can stem from it, are actually what makes people look at it negatively. People discriminate for many reasons such as religion, race, and even for business and employment. It is one thing to have a preference over something else but to actually deny a person over what race, or religion they are is perverse. Now there are some positives when decisions are made about things depending on an individual’s race or religion. There are people who only want to date or marry to the same race, religion, culture, category, class, and things like that. And that does not always mean that they are being racist, stereotypical, prejudice or anything of that nature but that they simple are particular. There are even laws that require for workplaces to accommodate for their employees religion just along their religious practices will not bring problems to the employer. However, in the eyes of the employer they may feel as though if they indeed hire someone with certain beliefs that conflict may arise even if they are unintentional, and a decision maybe made to avoid that. Which is a decent argument but it still is a form of discrimination. One of the biggest reasons people discriminate is that they are actually afraid of what they may or may not understand. â€Å"The fear of that which is different, that which we do not understand, could have been an adaptive strategy early on in our history† (Why Does Discrimination Occur?. Ehow. com ). Instead of learning how to live with something and become more educated about it they cast it out. Especially if it is something that it out of the norm, or different. Such as homosexuality, a lot of people are homophobic. They have an unreasonable fear of homosexuals and which they may have their reasons as to why. Some people take it past the limits to make people are attracted to the same sex feel different, unaccepted, or unwanted all because they are ignorant of that culture. They have no idea what it is like and instead of trying to comprehend, they use negativity. Now there is nothing wrong with not being gay, and disagreeing with it but an opinion does not have to be expressed in a way that may be harmful. Just because a person is not apart of a certain group does not excuse the act of disrespecting another group or category. A lot of individuals will argue that it is simply wrong, and that it should not be permitted due to religious reasoning. Yes, that does make a lot of since, but I am very sure that many people do things that go against their religion all the time, they just happen to be discrete. Some people are afraid or have been brought up to not over step the boundaries so when others do not abide by the same rules they are automatically looked down upon. Society assigns everyone a certain social identity. Which ever category a person is placed they tend to accept others who are from the same group as they are. Prejudice is derived from our tendency to divide world into ‘us’ and ‘them†( Musa, Prejudice Discrimination and Stereotype). This causes great division between people which is one of the reasons why a lot of people categorize other individuals. Being that prejudice, discrimination, and stereotype are in society there are social aspects and effects. â€Å"Exposure to derogatory ethnic labels can elicit conformity pressures with people wanting to fit-in† ( Musa, Prejudice Discrimination and Stereotype). Generally people fear to be outcast so they go with the crowd. Afraid that if they choose not to agree then they might become socially unexpected. â€Å"People can reduce their reliance on stereotypes by consciously saying no to association between stereotypes and specific social groups† ( Musa, Prejudice Discrimination and Stereotype). It would make a lot of since for people to simply not discriminate sadly that simply will not happen. Either way it may go it is up to the person on what they will choose to do, but social impact has a lot to do with the decisions people make. â€Å"Social influence plays a role in both maintenance and reduction discrimination, prejudice, and stereotypes. Evidence suggesting that members of their group hold less prejudiced views are out of line with most people of their group, they may change their views. † ( Musa, Prejudice Discrimination and Stereotype). â€Å"It may be conceived that because someone is guilty of discrimination that she is mean, angry and hateful, which very well may be the case. However, when we understand that within us all lies some form of discrimination, whether passive or aggressive, it should once again lead us to the conclusion that, of course, it is very easy to discriminate. (Why Is It So Easy To Discriminate? , eHow. com). Every person has their preferences, how they choose to go about them is completely their discretion. There are those who are prejudice, stereotypical, and who discriminate negatively acknowledge it and own up to it. â€Å"Each and every one of us stereotype and have a prejudice of something. Every single one of us. I stereotype fat people. I make fun of them, I call them lazy. Is it right? No. Should people suffering from obesity be kept from living their lives because of my prejudice and stereotypes of them? Absolutely not. † (Kriss 2010). Those who do discriminate have a point of view and some respectively explain them. Kriss discriminates against fat people, does she have that right? Yes, she knows that she should not do it, but she still stands by her opinion no matter what anyone else thinks. Everyone discriminates to a center extent because everyone has their own opinions, and make their own decision with different dependents. Yet and still there things that are wrong which happen to be connected to discriminating and even misconceptions. The way a person behaves is by far their own choice. People are raised differently, have different life experiences, and choose to surround themselves with certain crowds that may differ from others. There are exceptions and there are non exceptions, but being close minded will bring nothing but ignorance. There will always be discrimination because everyone will always have a preference. and there is really nothing that can be done about it. Also prejudice and stereotypes that comes with life. Everything has a positive and a negative.

Riordan Process Improvement Plan Essay Example for Free

Riordan Process Improvement Plan Essay Time is always moving forward making it difficult to execute daily processes slowly. Travelling is a daily process that takes much time and resources. Time spent on travelling can be known as waste time as the main goal is to transport from point A to point B without analyzing or performing actions on other tasks. Multitasking is not advisable meaning a high focus should be on the road and other road users plus it is illegal. The process if done as quickly as possible can reduce the cycle time leaving extra time for more profitable processes. The activity to drive from home to office is graphically shown below in the form of a flowchart. Currently time taken to execute the activity is not efficient. Certain processes are occupying heavier proportion from the total cycle time. A process improvement plan is drawn not only to analyze and reduce current time but also not forgetting to achieve a safe trip. Statistical Process Control Data below tabulates five weeks of travelling time from home to office. The next step is to deduce whether the data is efficient by running a test. Statistical process control (SPC) tests random samples from processes to determine the productivity is perfectly efficient (Chase, Jacobs Aquilano, 2006). The test graphically depicts the upper control limit (UCL) and lower control limit (LCL) of each the average mean and average range graphs. Average of time taken and range from each week in combination with the range and average factors are requirements to calculate both limits. Graphs with the limits first, plot the weekly average mean and average range. Observation is made from the graphs to decide on whether or not all sample data is within the control limits. The sample data that either is higher than the UCL or lower than the LCL will be the overuse time. Value of data is not only under observation but also the pattern of the chart is also under monitoring. The pattern of a stable chart is sample data closely plotting around the mean data. Patterns that exhibit an increase toward the UCL or decrease toward the LCL or erratic behavior must undergo investigations (Chase et al., 2006). The both chart depicts that the average of total time and range is within the UCL and LCL. The observation only concludes that the current data is allowable but not perfectly efficient. The pattern of the data in the average mean chart depicts a run of three plots above central line. The practice to avoid the first week’s traffic congestion is to leave from home reaching office exactly at 9.00 a.m. The second and third week changes practice as work is piling up and requires more setup time. The pattern of the data in R chart depicts an increase. The final plot reaches a range nearly to the UCL. The reason is the zero value recording of total cycle time on Monday. Seasonal Factors The data above is in normal tabulation manner meaning no trips involving external variables or environmental factors intervention is taken into consideration. External variables present itself in seasonal or cyclic durations. The latter is easily taken into consideration as the operation time is constant but the former makes it harder to analyze any given length of duration. Seasonal usually associates with duration of the year involving particular activities (Chase et al., 2006). The trip from home to office is  under different seasonal influences. The fasting period of the Muslims is a major influence in the trip. Traffic is much lighter not only for the trip to the office but also from the office especially on the weekends.. Vehicles on the main route and highway are less reducing driving time. The drive is much smoother requiring less petrol eliminating the duration to drive to the petrol station and fill petrol. Holiday’s season is another major influence in the trip. Academic institutes such as schools, colleges and universities are undergoing final examination. Institutes deem holidays reducing the morning. Vehicles belonging to school bus drivers, college or university students and instructors reduce allowing working adults to use the routes and highway freely. The current assumptions are made relying on past personal experience of the last five years. Finally observation relying on past personal experiences has shown that in the initial week traffic is at the highest at peak hours but reduces by the end of the month. Employees tend to stay late at office at the final week of the month mostly because of the need to complete monthly closing reports. Amount of cars reduces as the weeks run in a monthly cycle. Total cycle time needs to be as less and independent as possible. Cycle time that easily reacts under any influences will make decisions harder to conclude as observations are not consistent. Seasonal factor is the adjustable correctional value in a given time series of the season of the year. The table below records the seasonal factor that adjusts the next month’s cycle time to 300 minutes comparing to the current 347.14 minutes. Confidence Intervals Confidence intervals are brackets that the true population occur base on the confidence levels (NIST SEMATECH, n.d., para. 2). 95% is set as the confidence level for the above data. The sample size is below 15 and the chart below depicts the distribution of average mean for the five weeks being normal (University of Phoenix, 2010, Estimation and Confidence Intervals, p. 305). The distribution scale put to use is the t-distribution satisfying the above conditions. The interval that encloses the true population parameter in a 95% confidence level base on the current data is from 61.98% to 79.57%. Conclusion The process undergoing the plan records a nearly stable result from the (SPC) within the control limits, producing seasonal factors for next month forecast and nearly a high confidence interval for its confidence level. The process is still open for modifications as the plan has point out areas for improvements. The SPC pattern’s requires the data to be graphically stable, the average mean are not to be heavily leaning against the seasonal factors and the confidence interval must increase so that the quickest cycle time is achievable. References Chase, R. B., Jacobs, F. R., Aquilano, N. J. (2006). Operations management for competitive advantage (11th ed.). New York: McGraw Hill/Irwin. NIST SEMATECH (n.d.). What are Confidence Intervals? Product and Process Comparisons. Retrieved from http://www.itl.nist.gov/div898/handbook/prc/section1/prc14.htm University of Phoenix. (2010). Statistical Techniques. Retrieved August 21, 2010 from University of Phoenix, QNT 561 – Applied Business Research Statistics

Adaptation Model Theory Analysis

Adaptation Model Theory Analysis Vangilene Shore The theorist I selected is named Lorraine Callista Roy who was born on October 14, 1939, in Los Angeles, California. She was brought up to be raised in a family with solid Catholic bonds. Roy’s father was a truck driver, and her mother was a licensed vocational nurse. Her mother educated her on the significance of caring for people and swayed her choice of career; the one she has chosen permanently. When Roy was fourteen, she started working in the kitchen at a hospital nearby and then came to be a nursing assistant. Description of Roy’s background starts with receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Nursing (BAN) from Mount St. Marys College in Los Angeles, California. Roy then worked as a bedside nurse at St. Marys Hospital in Tucson, Arizona. She then soon began her education to obtain her master’s degree at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in pediatric nursing in 1966. After she earned her degree, she soon returned to Mount St. Marys Hospital as an associate of the faculty, teaching both pediatric and maternity nursing. Roy developed encephalomyelitis and was forced to have to stay in bed soon after she became a part of the faculty at Mount St. Mary’s Hospital. Since she was bedridden, she was required to take a leave of absence. Once things were better, she returned to work in 1968 unaware that years in the future, she would then have an acoustic neuroma taken out. During those early years at Mount St. Marys, Roy began to develop the adaptive theory in which her sickness was crucial because that was the start of her model thinking. With the theory in mind, she organized her course work to involve the persons and families as adaptive systems and developed an integrated nursing curriculum. When Roy was developing her adaptive theory, she used deductive logic. Roy credits the work of Von Bertanlanffys general system theory and Helsons adaptation theory when developing the original root of the scientific assumptions underlying the adaptive model (Parker Smith, 2010). Helsons principles about adaptation helped Roy develop the principle for her theory of the person as an adaptive system and her adaptation model (Parker Smith, 2010). St. Marys College implemented her model as part of the teaching curriculum in 1970. Soon after that, she was chosen as chair of the nursing department in 1971 and stayed in that position until 1982. During her time there, she was continuing to earn a second masters degree from UCLA in sociology and in 1977, a Ph.D. in sociology, also from UCLA. She took postdoctoral studies in neuroscience nursing at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Her interest in this field was provoked by her own involvements with neurological diseases, and she sought to increase her knowledge of the holistic person as an adaptive system. By the time 1981 came around, the adaptive model of nursing practice was known to many. Dr. Roy and her associates turned to thirty other schools in order to show them how to use the model in their associate to doctoral level nursing program. Dr. Roy has also helped to develop a masters of science program in nursing at the University of Portland in Oregon. At B oston College, she was then asked to help develop a Ph.D. program in nursing in 1987. The latest research she is doing focuses on nursing interventions for those who have suffered mild head injuries with the adaptive model. Roy studied with Dr. Dorothy Johnson while at UCLA. Dr. Johnson had developed the Behavior System Model of Nursing. She insisted Sister Roy to develop her concept of adaptation and refine what she has into a theory to define the goal of nursing. Introduction to Nursing: An Adaptation Model, was published in 1976 and has been updated many times during the course of the years. Theory Description Adaptation model addresses the focus of nursing care, the target of nursing care, and the need for nursing care. Dr. Roys perspective of the patient is holistic. According to Parker Smith (2010), Dr. Roy states, â€Å"patients are constantly adapting, and the goal of nursing is to promote that adaptation in both sickness and health.† The four key perceptions and assumptions of the adaptive model in humans are adaptive systems in both individuals and groups, in the environment, health, and also in the goal of nursing. Roy defines the four concepts of the paradigm of nursing as follows: 1. Nursing – The science and practice that expands adaptive abilities and enhances person and environmental transformation. 2. Environment – all conditions, circumstances, and influences that surround and affect the development and behavior of humans as adaptive systems, with particular consideration of person and earth resources. 3. Person – the main focus of nursing, the recipient of nursing care, a living, complex, adaptive system with internal processes acting to maintain adaptation in the four adaptive modes which are physiological, self-concept, role function, and interdependence. 4. Health – a state and a process of being and becoming an integrated and whole human being. According to Parker Smith (2010), assumptions of the theory are as follows: Explicit Assumptions: People are holistic beings. People are continually interacting with their altering environment. People cope with changes by using inborn and learned coping skills that are biological, psychological, and social. Health and illness are a part of everyones life. To adapt, people must have positive responses to changes in their environment. Adaptation depends on a person’s adaptation levels and the stimuli to which they are exposed. Adaptation levels refer to the amount of stimulation that lead to positive responses. The four forms of adaptation are biologic, concept of self, role development, and interaction with others. Nursing values other peoples opinions and points of view. Interaction with others is an essential part of nursing. The ultimate goal of existence is to reach dignity and wholeness. Implied Assumptions: People can be separated into parts for care and study. Nursing is based on cause and effect. Nursing needs to consider and respect a persons opinions and values. When a person adapts, he or she is free to respond to additional stimuli. Nursing Process: Assessment of a patients behavior Assessment of a patients stimuli Nursing diagnosis Goal setting Nursing interventions to meet goals Evaluation Some early critiques point out to the fact that Roy’s theory was only fixated on the holistic aspects of the person and ignored other aspects (Parker Smith, 2010). Dr. Roy reviewed her theory and revised it for the 21st century in the late 1990’s. She depicted her knowledge of philosophy, spirituality, and scientific on the research that she had done. She was seeing individuals as defined by their physical and social environments. She cited nursing scholars who developed a discipline that served to enhance the well-being of people and the earth. Dr. Roy used the phrase â€Å"cosmic unity† to show that people and the earth have common characteristics. Dr. Roys nursing theory is continuously progressing with the findings she has added to the broad base of nursing knowledge and outcomes of nursing practice. Evaluation Roy’s adaption model does a pronounced job in clarifying the role of adaptation in illness and nursing. Dr. Roy included the different types of stimuli, different modes of coping and adapting, and nursing’s role in assisting a patient to adapt (Parker Smith, 2010). The Adaptation model is commonly known by the nursing community. In fact, â€Å"it is one of the most frequently used models to guide nursing research, education, and practice,† claims (Alligood Tomey 2010, p.354). This model is still being taught in several universities in the United States and abroad. Adaption model authenticates considerably in many different nursing disciplines. The model has stimulated the advancement of many middle-range nursing theories. It contains a lot of many major concepts, sub-concepts, and relational statements, which makes the model to be considered as a complex model. The complexity of the adaption model supports the growth of its empirical precision. The adaption model is extensive in the scope and can be used to shape or experiment with nursing theories. This helps to make the model generalizable to all approaches existed in nursing practice. Adaption model is a model that can be researched various ways and can be useful on as a conceptual framework in countless nursing research field ideas. It is beneficial, valid, and essential for nursing practice, nursing education, and development. It is responsible for respected information about individuals adaptation to different environmental stimuli (1). The metaparadigm concepts implanted contained by the adaption model include person, environment, nursing, and health. This is a continuous collaboration on many levels, permitting individuals and groups including families, communities, etc. flexibility and change for better health decisions. Developing the nursing process, nurses can assess to see if there is any maladaptive behaviors and would be able to develop care plans with appropriate interventions that enhance adaptation positively for enhanced conclusions (Kenney, 2013, p.368). An example and evaluation of the adaption model applied is as follows. Mianna, who is a 21 year old female, is seen in the emergency room for a problem of extremely severe lower abdominal pain that also goes along with fever, nausea, and vomiting. Mianna is first escorted by her father, who left as soon as she was taken back to her room. She has a high WBC count and nothing on the ultrasound. The x-ray was negative. Intravenous antibiotics are ordered as treatment for likely pelvic inflammatory disease. Medication for pain helped Mianna to be more at ease regardless of the fever and nausea. Initial calculation of the application of the adaption model will address Mianna’s behavior in four key parts. The physiological state of her adaptation level has been compromised by her health position that includes lower abdominal pain and nausea with fever. Mianna has been having to manage these symptoms of infection, which unfortunately were caused by partaking in unprotected sex. The self-concept group identity in adaption model can determine that the patient has made the decision to come to the hospital for treatment. This is indicating good judgment on behalf of Mianna. Since she reached out to health care when sickness has bestowed upon her indicates that Mianna has some meaning or connection to the world. Recognizing role, meaning Mianna is a twenty one year old who has been in a sexual relationship with multiple partners. She has approximately some relationship with her father, taking in consideration that he is the one that brought her to the hospital. When bearing in mind interdependence mode, we can see that Mianna is a twenty one year old in which her father came with her to the hospital, but he then left, which now leaves Mianna alone looking for treatment of the illness that is compromising her life. The adaption model is pertinent to Mianna and her family, since it shows that her father does know something is wrong with Mianna but does not stay to find out what. Next, the assessment requires collecting further information and linking it to internal and external factors recognized as focal, contextual, and residual that manage adaptive behaviors in persons. Concepts will look at the links between the person and their environment and see how the environment affects adaptive behaviors and level of functioning (Roy’s adaptation model, 2012). The adaptation model supports the nursing process and nursing practice related to holistic and human adaptation (Lee, Tsand, Wong, Lee 2011). Merging the evidence from the two assessments, the nurse can create a care plan founded on the impression that the individual has two coping factors to deal with eventful situations (McEwen Wills, 2011, p. 171-172). Nursing care would be focused on helping patients make modifications to their behavior as a way to cope when illness arises. Preferred patient care conclusions for Mianna’s case study can be based on the same ideologies. Identifying Miannaâ €™s internal and external factors can help start to comprehend how Mianna copes with stress. The interventions that can be utilized would be to educate Mianna on the illness that has affected her and to explain about health promotion and preventing behaviors that can cause this illness. Mianna can validate that she comprehends the instructions by reeducating the nurse on the topic at hand. Referring Mianna to the college clinic or a community based health program will help to make available additional knowledge and management. Mianna, if wanted, can benefit from these referrals. â€Å"In terms of dealing with a chronic illness or disease or even acute conditions, Roy concludes that the goal of nursing care is to provide ways for patient to adapt to their environment.† (need a site) Application I feel the adaption model characterizes the concept of care in my hospital setting. It helps by showing the mind and body are connected and are treated holistically. Working in the emergency room as a nurse who sees death and dying on a daily basis makes it easier to deal with when knowing that the spirituality or the metaphysical certainly come into play when one is dying. When I have patients that are actively dying, they will sometimes request a chaplain, even if he or she was not formerly religious. This makes me believe even more in the adaption model. These individuals are looking for a purposeful and gracious death, which is relating to the self-concept mode, concentrating on the sense of unity, meaning, purposefulness in the universe (McEwen Willis, 2011). Nurses are to maintain our patients’ quality of life and warrant that they have a dignified and peaceful passing, even if it is in the emergency room. Again, Roy’s goal of nursing is promoting adaptation to c ontribute to a person’s health, quality of life, and dying with dignity (McEwen Ellis, 2011). That is why I feel that this model fits perfectly in the hospital that I work at. I am anticipating that I can enhance to better serve my patients, having a better awareness of the adaptation processes and thus a better understanding of the interventions I deliver. In closing, this adaptation model has been established as a guide for nursing practice in a world with developing needs that change daily. When the model is applied, the model delivers a plan for knowledge improvement for the patients. Roy’s theory adds great value to, not only the discipline of nursing practice, but also nursing science, education, research, and administration. This is why I have decided to indulge in Dr. Roy’s adaption model. References Parker, M. E., Smith, M. C. (2010). Nursing Theories and Nursing Practice (3 ed.). Philadelphia, PA: F. A. Davis. Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com

The Id, Ego and Superego Shown in Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. H

Frankenstein: the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson both show Freud’s ideas of Id, Ego and Superego as well as of innate desire. Frankenstein: the Modern Prometheus shows Freud's stages of psychosexual development. Collectively both novels should be considered Freudian through these ideas. Jekyll and Hyde works as a symbolic portrayal of the goodness and evil that resides in equal measure within the soul of a man. It pre-empted Freudian psychoanalysis by twenty-five years and yet is similar to some of his theories. In Frankenstein both the monster and Victor exemplify Freud’s developmental stages. According to Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory of personality, personality is composed of three elements. The three elements are the Id, Ego, and Superego and they work together to create complex human behaviors. Freud believed that human beings are powerfully influenced by impulses of which they are not aware of. Dr. Jekyll: a law-abiding doctor, who was raised and who lived like a nature and religion lover in its true perspective was the good character. Mr. Hyde was evil unleashed, and in that he goes to slums and does criminal acts and even commits murder without fear of any apprehension Hyde represented Dr. Jekylls subconscious desire to be freed from his society’s restrictions. These desires come from within man and they represent the Id in Freud’s theory. Mr. Hyde is the outlet for Dr. Jekyll to express his primal desires. Dr. Jekyll learns to give into his inner desires when he is transformed into Hyde. The rational, controlled, civilized part of Jekyl l attempts to repress the Id, and make Hyde controllable. Jekyll even states I swear to G... ...ies and have the same defects. This being you must create.'" (Shelley 129). Here he begs Victor to make him a female companion. Victor after realizing some of the possibilities of creating another monster stops his work. The child meets the conflict between the parent's demands and the child's desires and physical capabilities in one of two ways: Either he puts up a fight or he simply refuses to go. In this case the monster will put up a fight and Victor will suffer. Frankenstein: the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson both show Freud’s ideas of Id, Ego and Superego as well as of innate desire. Frankenstein: the Modern Prometheus also shows Freud's stages of psychosexual development. Both stories exemplify and support many of Freud’s ideas and therefore should be considered Freudian.

Biography of Pele Essay -- History

Biography of Pele Edson Arantes do Nascimento, more widely admired by the world as "Pelà ©", was born on October 23, 1940, in a small village in Brasil called Trà ªs Coraà §Ãƒ µes in the Brasilian state of Minas Gerais. He was baptized in the municipal church called Igreja da Sagrada Famà ­lia de Jesus, Maria e Josà ©. His father, Joà £o Ramos do Nascimento, or Dondinho, as he was known in the soccer world, was also a professional player. He was well-known as one of the best-heading players in his time. He was a center forward for Fluminense until an injury kept him from playing professional division one soccer. His mother Celeste gave Pelà © and the rest of his family attention to their needs and a lot of love. When he was a child, Pelà © and his family moved to Baurà º, in the interior of the Brasilian state of Sà £o Paulo, where he learned to master the art of futebol. One day he himself confessed that he "tinha trà ªs coraà §Ãƒ µes [had three hearts]", referring to the city where he wa s born, Trà ªs Coraà §Ãƒ µes, and to Baurà º and Santos. Pelà ©'s Career Pelà ©'s first job was shining shoes. But he had always dreamed of playing soccer. Pelà ©'s soccer career started early. After playing in a few amateur teams like Baquinho and Sete Setembro, at the age of 11, while playing for an uncoached team called Ameriquinha, he was discovered by a former Brasilian World Cup player named Waldemar de Brito. De Brito recognized Pelà ©'s skills and invited him to join the team he was organizing (Clube Atlà ©tico Baurà º?). When Pelà © was fifteen, in 1956, de Brito took him to the city of Sà £o Paulo to try out for the professional club called Santos Futebol Clube (SFC). That day, de Brito told the team directors that "This boy will be the greatest soccer player in the world." Pelà ©'s first show came on September 7, 1956, when he played in place of the center forward Del Vecchio. He came into the game to score the sixth of the seven goals in the 7-1 Santos victory. He scored his goal on the 36th minute, in a play between Raimundinho and Tite. The ball was given to Pelà © in the box, and even though he was surrounded by defenders, he shot on goal and the ball went under goalkeeper Zaluar's body. Zaluar became famous as the first goalkeeper to take a goal from the great Pelà ©. From there, the trip to the summit was fast. In his first league game with Santos, he scored four goals. The next season, he was a re... ...ht goals in one game against Botafogo of Rio de Janeiro. On November 19, 1969, he scored his famous 1,000th goal from a penalty kick on the 34th minute of the game against Vasco da Gama and dedicated it "...para as criancinhas pobres do Brasil...." (to the poor little children of Brasil) and to the elderly and suffering peoples of Brasil. Pelà © also participated in what is known to be the "Golden Age" of the Libertadores Cup from 1960 to 1963, during which the great Uruguayan team Peà ±arol faced the legendary Santos for the final games. Peà ±arol won in 1960 and 61, while Santos took the championship the other two years. Pelà © defined the role of the playmaker/midfielder type. He led some of the greatest Brasilian players of all time - Vavà ¡, Didi, Garrincha, and others. Many said Pelà © would have been the best in any position he played. Pelà © once insisted to the manager of Santos that he play goalkeeper. On January 19, 1964, he substituted Santos goalkeepr Gilmar, who had been ejected, in the semi-final game of the Brasil Cup. For five minutes, after scoring three goals, Pelà © played with the number one jersey and made two spectacular saves that saved Santos the spot in the finals.

What do you consider are the essential attributes of an interviewer and why?

Countless interviews are carried out each year by interviewers with the view to eliciting information from interviewees or assessing their suitability for job positions. The duration and cost involved in carrying out these interviews vary greatly (Lamb, Hair and McDaniel, 2000). These interviews are conducted in person or face to face, over the telephone and by email (Evans, Moutinho and Van Raaij, 1996). The ability of these interviews to achieve their desired objectives to a large extent depends on the interviewers employed. Interviewers with excellent attributes for interviewing are able to achieve the objectives they set for themselves, whereas their counterparts without them often fail to reach conclusive outcomes. By the nature of the work, interviewers need to have genuine interest in people, their behaviours, emotions, lifestyles, passions and opinions (McDaniel and Gates, 1999). Without these attributes, interviewers cannot effectively interact with their interviewees. And without effective interaction, it would be difficult for an interviewer to elicit information from the interviewee or to assess them properly. It is therefore essential for interviewers to have people’s skills, if they hope to be successful at interviewing. They also need to sharpen their interpersonal or interactive skills (Lewis, 1989; Hayden, 1991). A study carried out in Australia has revealed that irrespective of the background of interviewers, those who are relaxed, empathetic and warm in nature tend to be more effective than those without these attributes (Wright and Powell, 2007). The same study further established that these attributes were more important than knowledge of legislation, prior job experience, and interviewing techniques. These findings should not be surprising since these attributes enable the interviewer to draw needed information easily from their interviewees. Papadopoulou, Ineson and Williams (1996) also reported that the degree of empathy shown by the interviewer affected the perceptions of the interviewee. The study of Papadopoulou and colleagues also established that the overall satisfaction of interviewee with the interview was a function of the empathetic behaviour of the interviewer. Interviewers need also to possess excellent communication skills. Interviewing is all about communication. Therefore, the ability of an interviewer to express himself in clear terms greatly helps during the interviewing process. When questions are clearly posed, the interviewee is able to understand and respond to them accordingly. On the other hand, if the interviewer is unable to communicate clearly to the interviewee, it unduly drags the interview and elicitation of answers to questions posed becomes difficult. Through the art of communication, the interviewer should be able to gain the cooperation of the interviewee or respondent. Without such cooperation, it would be difficult for the interviewer to make any meaningful headway during the interview. Gaining the cooperation of the interviewee or respondent itself is an art the interviewer must learn. Another essential attribute an interviewer should possess is the ability to listen (Ross and Kimball, 2007). Good listening skills are needed to be able to take in new information. Interviewers with good listening skills make excellent interviewers. Communication is a two way process. To be a successful communicator, one must not only possess the ability to send a message across to another person, but also be able to listen to the feedback received (Van der Zouwen and Smit, 2005). Interviewers with good listening skills are able to hear what is being said and to identify what is not being said (McDaniel and Gates, 1999). From this process, interviewers are able to pose the right type of questions likely to elicit the information most needed. Listening skills are therefore a vital attribute any serious-minded interviewer should possess. With good listening skills, interviewers would be able to hear and understand what interviewees are trying to communicate to them and respond appropriately. Unfortunately, the acquisition of listening skills does not come easily, so an interviewer should be prepared to spend time in acquiring them. For interviewers to be successful at interviewing they must be deeply knowledgeable in the subject matter they are handling. They should invest the time to adequately prepare themselves for the interview. That way, they would be equipped to ask simple and straight forward questions likely to draw the required information from their interviewees. Also, interviewers would be better positioned to assess their interviewees if they prepare themselves for the occasion. Good knowledge of the subject matter by interviewers helps them from being side-tracked in the course of the interview. Interviewers are also able to pan out what is essential information from what is not if they possess adequate knowledge about the subject matter under discussion. The desire to be curious and yet not too smart is an enduring attribute any prospective interviewer should possess (Ross and Kimball, 2007). Such an attribute helps in the preparation for the occasion and also in probing issues to elicit information from interviewees. Interviewers should have interest in a wide range of topics. They should also have the ability to immerse themselves in a topic and acquire the necessary knowledge and language quickly (McDaniel and Gates, 1999). Other essential attributes of interviewers are consistency and discipline (Barclay, 2001). Interviewers sometimes use a guide to direct the discussion or conversation during the interview. The possession of these attributes enables the interviewer to keep the conversation on track, no matter how distracted the interviewee attempts to drive it. It is not uncommon to find interviewees attempting to sway the conversation from the path envisioned by the interviewer. On such occasions, it takes the attribute of consistency on the part of the interviewer to keep the interview on track. Without the attribute of consistency, an interview can drag on for hours without any meaningful outcome being arrived at. Mention has already been made about the importance of prior preparation by the interviewer. This enables a discussion guide to be prepared or where a guide has been given, to be thoroughly studied by the interviewer. Without personal discipline, preparation for interviews would be difficult for the interviewer. The consequences of poor or no preparation on the outcome of an interview have also been stressed. It is therefore incumbent on interviewers to cultivate the habit of preparing before the interview. Interviewers must develop strong work ethics. Individual creativity is another essential attribute needed by interviewers. Often interviewers undertake their tasks without procedures, guides and criteria. Even where such criteria, procedures and guides are provided, the outcome of the conversation in some cases may demand a creative input without altering the guide being used. Without such creative inputs, the interview becomes dry and unrevealing. In extreme cases, the interviewee may even become bored in the process. Creative skills therefore need to be cultivated by interviewers to enable them put life into the interview. Interviewers need to possess good observation skills. This attribute would enable them to interpret accurately body language. Furthermore, these skills would give them the ability to see in detail what is happening and steer the course of the interview accordingly. When the interviewer is able to accurately observe and interpret the turn of events, he is better positioned to tailor his questions to draw information from the interviewee. Without good observation skills, the interviewer may stick rigidly to the interviewing guide when the turn of events demand that some creative changes be introduced to save the interview. Interviewers also need to be objective. This attribute would enable them to set aside their personal ideas and feelings and remain open to ideas and feelings of others. Objectivity on the part of the interviewer enables the wider interest of the interview to be placed higher above personal ideas, interests, whims and caprices. At the end of the day, what the interviewer seeks would be what would enable the goals of the interview to be achieved. Interviewers should also have the ability to have a flexible outlook on the turn of events. This would enable them to allow interesting digressions. As it has already been pointed out, it is not always that the interview would stay on course as planned. Unexpected developments may occur. However, if the interviewer is flexible, he would be able to steer the interview on course. The ability of flexibility enables useful information to be panned out of unplanned developments or unintended digressions. It needs to be stressed that bringing digressing interviews into focus is sometimes not easy. A great deal of skill is required to keep an interview in on course. For example, unintended digressions call for the interviewer to think on his feet and make fast decisions. He should also have the ability to live with uncertainty. Interviewers also need to be patient. It is not uncommon for negative emotions to be expressed by interviewees, especially when the information being sought from them is considered to be sensitive. In such instances, if the negative emotions are met by the interviewer with similar ones, it is likely to disrupt the interview. On the other hand, if the interviewer keeps his cool and patiently keeps the interview on course, it is likely that a more productive outcome would be achieved. It takes a great of patience to tolerate negative emotions and also new information that is not consistent with what one espouses. Interviewers also need to accept and appreciate the differences in people, especially those whose lives greatly differ from their own. McDaniel and Gates (1999) call this attribute an â€Å"unconditional positive regard†. Interviewees differ remarkably in their upbringing, thought patterns, values and norms. These differences need to be taken into account when people are being interviewed. Having an unconditional positive regard would enable interviewers listen intently to their interviewees, irrespective of their background and are able to learn new information from them. Interviewers should be good record keepers. This would enable them to recall information easily in the course of an interview. Being able to recall information, positions the interviewer better to follow the conversation or discussion and to ask intelligent questions. On the hand, interviewers who are easily forgetful are unlikely to be successful at interviewing. This is because they cannot trade information well. Interviewers also need to be polite to their respondents. When interviewers show politeness to their respondents it keeps the door open for them to be contacted once again if it becomes necessary in future. Interviewers should thank respondents for their time after the interview.

Memo Short Report

The recent conflict in FinanceGates Project was definitely harmful to the overall success of the project and the spirit of cooperation InternetGates Company tries to promote among its employees. From my viewpoint as that of a third party, I see the issue as a communication problem created by barriers that often stand between employees from different backgrounds. The solution can action directed at improving communication skills of our employees in various departments. Frank Brown, Marketing Manager for FinanceGates, as it turned out, had long been confident that the course taken by the project is completely wrong and doomed to fail. His impression of the ideas put forward by the Project Manager, Brian Graham, had long been negative, as he believed them to be both ineffective and unrealistic. However, for lack of communication skills expressed in shyness and fear to lose rapport with the boss, Frank was reluctant to share this with him. In this conversation, however, he simply exploded, telling Brian Graham all the negatives he had in mind. I personally witnessed this conversation and can reproduce it fairly precisely as it was etched upon my memory. Frank began by reporting about his findings during the preparation of the marketing plan. As he was sharing his insights, Brian once again expressed his dissatisfaction over delays in Frank’s work. He stated: â€Å"Once again, you are not able to meet the deadline for your marketing plan. I just remind you that our company places special emphasis on meeting deadlines, as I have already told you more than once†. Frank seemed very frustrated by this remark and began to justify himself by saying that facts that would support the current direction of business are very hard to find. In essence, what he has produced so far was a brief study of the market that showed limited opportunities for the kind of product the company expected to sell – and therefore turning it into a plan will be difficult, not impossible. In his speech, Frank complained about the boss â€Å"limiting his initiative† and lacking â€Å"flexibility†. The boss was listening to Frank’s tirade silently, showing signs of anger with his facial expression. However, he did not interrupt Frank who seemed really carried away with his emotions. When Frank seemed done with his speech, Brian said: ‘Okay, I have listened to you, and now you will listen to me. You have to be ready with your plan in three days. If you have nothing to show on Friday at noon, we will have to talk about your prospects in this company. Because one thing I want everybody to follow is take a positive attitude toward work and strive to complete every assignment with maximum quality. You do not seem to have it, but maybe I am wrong.† Both parties in the conversation obviously had their â€Å"skeletons† in the cupboards and reasons why they wanted to conceal part of the information. I know, for example, that Franks is driven by the perceived lack of rewards in this position. He confided in me at one point that in our organization he feels underpaid and misses the trappings of a managerial position, as in the previous job he was head of a marketing department. His past record also involved numerous conflicts with superiors as he sought to defy their authority; this was the way he learned to interact with superiors and it is not easy to abandon. His habits include arguing with the boss, not being cooperative. In turn, Frank expects all superiors to hostile and critical toward him. His barrier to communication can be described as â€Å"stereotyping† that â€Å"causes us to typify a person, a group, an event, or a thing on oversimplified conceptions, beliefs, and opinions† (Erven, n.d., p. 3). Frank stereotypes all superiors as people with enormous amount of power they use to oppress subordinates. His stereotypical, habitual strategy is to offer resistance. Brian’s problem is most probably lack of understanding for human nature. Poor listening skills contribute to communication barriers. In previous conversations, he could have noticed Frank’s unwillingness to support his ideas, but never paid attention. It seems to me frequently that he places too much emphasis on authority and too little on persuasion. In this case, his mistake was forcing an employee to do something in a rude manner, without asking for cooperation and testing willingness to help. To remedy the situation, both Brian and Frank require counselling that will help them change their communicative styles. Instead of showing quick aggression, they should both opt for communication patterns that will provide the room for the other person’s self-esteem instead of being confrontational. Brian, for instance, can change his attitude to subordinates to a more positive one, beginning to see them as people who are inherently good and are trying to accomplish their tasks effectively instead of accusing them of being lazy or inadequate.   For Frank, it can be recommended that he, too, stop seeing the boss as an enemy and rather as one who can provide assistance to him. I also propose that InternetGates organize a training for project managers and, if possible, their teams focusing on communication. The topics could include communication styles, communicative strategies, barriers to effective communication, and how to overcome them. Learning more about differences in cross-cultural communication will also be relevant to our employees since we are an international company. Trainings would provide managers with a background in communication that would help them resolve day-to-day conflicts that arise out of misunderstandings. Sincerely, Peter Black References Erven, B. Overcoming Barriers to Communication. Retrieved August 9, 2006, from http://aede.osu.edu/people/erven.1/HRM/communication.pdf Hampton, J. (2006, May 8). Barriers to Communication. Retrieved August 9, 2006, from http://www.community4me.com/barriers.html

Engine

Assignment 1. 1 Communication Process Model 1. 1 Communication Process Model A misunderstanding I experienced communicating with a co-worker at work. Misunderstanding 1 Who was the sender? Myself Who was the receiver? Another co-worker What was the message? Was to lack and inspect the Air plane lack system that holds the cargo pallets. What channel was used to send the message? Verbal face to face communication What was the misunderstanding that occurred? Coworker didn’t understood my instructions because of the commotion, loudness and the amount of cargo that need to be loaded as we were doing everything fast and there was not enough time.How could the misunderstanding have been avoided? We should have had a time to stop and listen to each other to convey the message. Cite meaningful understanding rather than a general or less material misunderstanding. Use business- or work-related examples. Identify the roles of the sender and receiver, such as manager, peer, subordinate, c lient, vendor, and so forth. 1. What did you learn about the communication process from this activity? What I learned from this activity was that the when communicating to someone the process is not as easy as it looks when relaying the message to a received correctly.My position was to stop and ask the coworker to just regroup to have meeting which allowed me to tell him to correct any problems or issue that he can make when inspecting the lacks as this is critical to an aircraft can cause a major problems. It also give me understanding that when you give directions as to what and how something works you need to send a message clearly to a receiver. The coworker because of the time and commotion he did not inspected and didn’t receive my message clearly. The communication needed more time an understanding. 2.What seemed to be the main causes of the misunderstandings? The main cause of the misunderstanding was all the commotion in the ramp where all aircrafts are park as we h ave many people assigned to a plane. Neither one of us took the time to stop and listen to each other which created difficulties to the loading of the aircraft. At the end we came to a conclusion that we needed to communicate more within the employees and management to have a meeting or PCM every morning before everything start to have a communication process and eliminated a great deal of problems and misunderstandings.Misunderstanding 2 Who was the sender? Manager Who was the receiver? Myself What was the message? Promotion with same schedule. What channel was used to send the message? Verbal communication What was the misunderstanding that occurred? That I was being promoted to lead loader but would still need to have to work on the weekends as many departures took place, but as I had spoke to him before I need it the weekends off for my Family. How could the misunderstanding have been avoided?My Manager did not quite understand my point. He also needed to explain his communicati on more clearly. 1. What did you learn about the communication process from this activity? This activity taught me that people need to communicate properly and clearly. I was promoted to lead loader from just coordination of loading since I was the last person to be promoted then, discovered that I was expected to keep working on the weekends so other team could schedule off. 2.What seemed to be the main causes of the misunderstandings? The main cause of the misunderstanding was management communication was not clear to me since before I had asked for the weekends off to be with my family even dough I was being promoted. It took me more talks with HR and upper management to resolve this issue. The problem could have been avoided if manager could have been more clearer and explain why he wanted me to work on the weekends this could have avoided me to talk to other upper managers

A Game of Thrones Chapter Twelve

Eddard The summons came in the hour before the dawn, when the world was still and grey. Alyn shook him roughly from his dreams and Ned stumbled into the predawn chill, groggy from sleep, to find his horse saddled and the king already mounted. Robert wore thick brown gloves and a heavy fur cloak with a hood that covered his ears, and looked for all the world like a bear sitting a horse. â€Å"Up, Stark!† he roared. â€Å"Up, up! We have matters of state to discuss.† â€Å"By all means,† Ned said. â€Å"Come inside, Your Grace.† Alyn lifted the flap of the tent. â€Å"No, no, no,† Robert said. His breath steamed with every word. â€Å"The camp is full of ears. Besides, I want to ride out and taste this country of yours.† Ser Boros and Ser Meryn waited behind him with a dozen guardsmen, Ned saw. There was nothing to do but rub the sleep from his eyes, dress, and mount up. Robert set the pace, driving his huge black destrier hard as Ned galloped along beside him, trying to keep up. He called out a question as they rode, but the wind blew his words away, and the king did not hear him. After that Ned rode in silence. They soon left the kingsroad and took off across rolling plains dark with mist. By then the guard had fallen back a small distance, safely out of earshot, but still Robert would not slow. Dawn broke as they crested a low ridge, and finally the king pulled up. By then they were miles south of the main party. Robert was flushed and exhilarated as Ned reined up beside him. â€Å"Gods,† he swore, laughing, â€Å"it feels good to get out and ride the way a man was meant to ride! I swear, Ned, this creeping along is enough to drive a man mad.† He had never been a patient man, Robert Baratheon. â€Å"That damnable wheelhouse, the way it creaks and groans, climbing every bump in the road as if it were a mountain . . . I promise you, if that wretched thing breaks another axle, I'm going to burn it, and Cersei can walk!† Ned laughed. â€Å"I will gladly light the torch for you.† â€Å"Good man!† The king clapped him on the shoulder. â€Å"I've half a mind to leave them all behind and just keep going.† A smile touched Ned's lips. â€Å"I do believe you mean it.† â€Å"I do, I do,† the king said. â€Å"What do you say, Ned? Just you and me, two vagabond knights on the kingsroad, our swords at our sides and the gods know what in front of us, and maybe a farmer's daughter or a tavern wench to warm our beds tonight.† â€Å"Would that we could,† Ned said, â€Å"but we have duties now, my liege . . . to the realm, to our children, I to my lady wife and you to your queen. We are not the boys we were.† â€Å"You were never the boy you were,† Robert grumbled. â€Å"More's the pity. And yet there was that one time . . . what was her name, that common girl of yours? Becca? No, she was one of mine, gods love her, black hair and these sweet big eyes, you could drown in them. Yours was . . . Aleena? No. You told me once. Was it Merryl? You know the one I mean, your bastard's mother?† â€Å"Her name was Wylla,† Ned replied with cool courtesy, â€Å"and I would sooner not speak of her.† â€Å"Wylla. Yes.† The king grinned. â€Å"She must have been a rare wench if she could make Lord Eddard Stark forget his honor, even for an hour. You never told me what she looked like . . . â€Å" Ned's mouth tightened in anger. â€Å"Nor will I. Leave it be, Robert, for the love you say you bear me. I dishonored myself and I dishonored Catelyn, in the sight of gods and men.† â€Å"Gods have mercy, you scarcely knew Catelyn.† â€Å"I had taken her to wife. She was carrying my child.† â€Å"You are too hard on yourself, Ned. You always were. Damn it, no woman wants Baelor the Blessed in her bed.† He slapped a hand on his knee. â€Å"Well, I'll not press you if you feel so strong about it, though I swear, at times you're so prickly you ought to take the hedgehog as your sigil.† The rising sun sent fingers of light through the pale white mists of dawn. A wide plain spread out beneath them, bare and brown, its flatness here and there relieved by long, low hummocks. Ned pointed them out to his king. â€Å"The barrows of the First Men.† Robert frowned. â€Å"Have we ridden onto a graveyard?† â€Å"There are barrows everywhere in the north, Your Grace,† Ned told him. â€Å"This land is old.† â€Å"And cold,† Robert grumbled, pulling his cloak more tightly around himself. The guard had reined up well behind them, at the bottom of the ridge. â€Å"Well, I did not bring you out here to talk of graves or bicker about your bastard. There was a rider in the night, from Lord Varys in King's Landing. Here.† The king pulled a paper from his belt and handed it to Ned. Varys the eunuch was the king's master of whisperers. He served Robert now as he had once served Aerys Targaryen. Ned unrolled the paper with trepidation, thinking of Lysa and her terrible accusation, but the message did not concern Lady Arryn. â€Å"What is the source for this information?† â€Å"Do you remember Ser Jorah Mormont?† â€Å"Would that I might forget him,† Ned said bluntly. The Mormonts of Bear Island were an old house, proud and honorable, but their lands were cold and distant and poor. Ser Jorah had tried to swell the family coffers by selling some poachers to a Tyroshi slaver. As the Mormonts were bannermen to the Starks, his crime had dishonored the north. Ned had made the long journey west to BearIsland, only to find when he arrived that Jorah had taken ship beyond the reach of Ice and the king's justice. Five years had passed since then. â€Å"Ser Jorah is now in Pentos, anxious to earn a royal pardon that would allow him to return from exile,† Robert explained. â€Å"Lord Varys makes good use of him.† â€Å"So the slaver has become a spy,† Ned said with distaste. He handed the letter back. â€Å"I would rather he become a corpse.† â€Å"Varys tells me that spies are more useful than corpses,† Robert said. â€Å"Jorah aside, what do you make of his report?† â€Å"Daenerys Targaryen has wed some Dothraki horselord. What of it? Shall we send her a wedding gift?† The king frowned. â€Å"A knife, perhaps. A good sharp one, and a bold man to wield it.† Ned did not feign surprise; Robert's hatred of the Targaryens was a madness in him. He remembered the angry words they had exchanged when Tywin Lannister had presented Robert with the corpses of Rhaegar's wife and children as a token of fealty. Ned had named that murder; Robert called it war. When he had protested that the young prince and princess were no more than babes, his new-made king had replied, â€Å"I see no babes. Only dragonspawn.† Not even Jon Arryn had been able to calm that storm. Eddard Stark had ridden out that very day in a cold rage, to fight the last battles of the war alone in the south. It had taken another death to reconcile them; Lyanna's death, and the grief they had shared over her passing. This time, Ned resolved to keep his temper. â€Å"Your Grace, the girl is scarcely more than a child. You are no Tywin Lannister, to slaughter innocents.† It was said that Rhaegar's little girl had cried as they dragged her from beneath her bed to face the swords. The boy had been no more than a babe in arms, yet Lord Tywin's soldiers had torn him from his mother's breast and dashed his head against a wall. â€Å"And how long will this one remain an innocent?† Robert's mouth grew hard. â€Å"This child will soon enough spread her legs and start breeding more dragonspawn to plague me.† â€Å"Nonetheless,† Ned said, â€Å"the murder of children . . . it would be vile . . . unspeakable . . . â€Å" â€Å"Unspeakable?† the king roared. â€Å"What Aerys did to your brother Brandon was unspeakable. The way your lord father died, that was unspeakable. And Rhaegar . . . how many times do you think he raped your sister? How many hundreds of times?† His voice had grown so loud that his horse whinnied nervously beneath him. The king jerked the reins hard, quieting the animal, and pointed an angry finger at Ned. â€Å"I will kill every Targaryen I can get my hands on, until they are as dead as their dragons, and then I will piss on their graves.† Ned knew better than to defy him when the wrath was on him. If the years had not quenched Robert's thirst for revenge, no words of his would help. â€Å"You can't get your hands on this one, can you?† he said quietly. The king's mouth twisted in a bitter grimace. â€Å"No, gods be cursed. Some pox-ridden Pentoshi cheesemonger had her brother and her walled up on his estate with pointy-hatted eunuchs all around them, and now he's handed them over to the Dothraki. I should have had them both killed years ago, when it was easy to get at them, but Jon was as bad as you. More fool I, I listened to him.† â€Å"Jon Arryn was a wise man and a good Hand.† Robert snorted. The anger was leaving him as suddenly as it had come. â€Å"This Khal Drogo is said to have a hundred thousand men in his horde. What would Jon say to that?† â€Å"He would say that even a million Dothraki are no threat to the realm, so long as they remain on the other side of the narrow sea,† Ned replied calmly. â€Å"The barbarians have no ships. They hate and fear the open sea.† The king shifted uncomfortably in his saddle. â€Å"Perhaps. There are ships to be had in the Free Cities, though. I tell you, Ned, I do not like this marriage. There are still those in the Seven Kingdoms who call me Usurper. Do you forget how many houses fought for Targaryen in the war? They bide their time for now, but give them half a chance, they will murder me in my bed, and my sons with me. If the beggar king crosses with a Dothraki horde at his back, the traitors will join him.† â€Å"He will not cross,† Ned promised. â€Å"And if by some mischance he does, we will throw him back into the sea. Once you choose a new Warden of the East—† The king groaned. â€Å"For the last time, I will not name the Arryn boy Warden. I know the boy is your nephew, but with Targaryens climbing in bed with Dothraki, I would be mad to rest one quarter of the realm on the shoulders of a sickly child.† Ned was ready for that. â€Å"Yet we still must have a Warden of the East. If Robert Arryn will not do, name one of your brothers. Stannis proved himself at the siege of Storm's End, surely.† He let the name hang there for a moment. The king frowned and said nothing. He looked uncomfortable. â€Å"That is,† Ned finished quietly, watching, â€Å"unless you have already promised the honor to another.† For a moment Robert had the grace to look startled. Just as quickly, the look became annoyance. â€Å"What if I have?† â€Å"It's Jaime Lannister, is it not?† Robert kicked his horse back into motion and started down the ridge toward the barrows. Ned kept pace with him. The king rode on, eyes straight ahead. â€Å"Yes,† he said at last. A single hard word to end the matter. â€Å"Kingslayer,† Ned said. The rumors were true, then. He rode on dangerous ground now, he knew. â€Å"An able and courageous man, no doubt,† he said carefully, â€Å"but his father is Warden of the West, Robert. In time Ser Jaime will succeed to that honor. No one man should hold both East and West.† He left unsaid his real concern; that the appointment would put half the armies of the realm into the hands of Lannisters. â€Å"I will fight that battle when the enemy appears on the field,† the king said stubbornly. â€Å"At the moment, Lord Tywin looms eternal as Casterly Rock, so I doubt that Jaime will be succeeding anytime soon. Don't vex me about this, Ned, the stone has been set.† â€Å"Your Grace, may I speak frankly?† â€Å"I seem unable to stop you,† Robert grumbled. They rode through tall brown grasses. â€Å"Can you trust Jaime Lannister?† â€Å"He is my wife's twin, a Sworn Brother of the Kingsguard, his life and fortune and honor all bound to mine.† â€Å"As they were bound to Aerys Targaryen's,† Ned pointed out. â€Å"Why should I mistrust him? He has done everything I have ever asked of him. His sword helped win the throne I sit on.† His sword helped taint the throne you sit on, Ned thought, but he did not permit the words to pass his lips. â€Å"He swore a vow to protect his king's life with his own. Then he opened that king's throat with a sword.† â€Å"Seven hells, someone had to kill Aerys!† Robert said, reining his mount to a sudden halt beside an ancient barrow. â€Å"If Jaime hadn't done it, it would have been left for you or me.† â€Å"We were not Sworn Brothers of the Kingsguard,† Ned said. The time had come for Robert to hear the whole truth, he decided then and there. â€Å"Do you remember the Trident, Your Grace?† â€Å"I won my crown there. How should I forget it?† â€Å"You took a wound from Rhaegar,† Ned reminded him. â€Å"So when the Targaryen host broke and ran, you gave the pursuit into my hands. The remnants of Rhaegar's army fled back to King's Landing. We followed. Aerys was in the Red Keep with several thousand loyalists. I expected to find the gates closed to us.† Robert gave an impatient shake of his head. â€Å"Instead you found that our men had already taken the city. What of it?† â€Å"Not our men,† Ned said patiently. â€Å"Lannister men. The lion of Lannister flew over the ramparts, not the crowned stag. And they had taken the city by treachery.† The war had raged for close to a year. Lords great and small had flocked to Robert's banners; others had remained loyal to Targaryen. The mighty Lannisters of Casterly Rock, the Wardens of the West, had remained aloof from the struggle, ignoring calls to arms from both rebels and royalists. Aerys Targaryen must have thought that his gods had answered his prayers when Lord Tywin Lannister appeared before the gates of King's Landing with an army twelve thousand strong, professing loyalty. So the mad king had ordered his last mad act. He had opened his city to the lions at the gate. â€Å"Treachery was a coin the Targaryens knew well,† Robert said. The anger was building in him again. â€Å"Lannister paid them back in kind. It was no less than they deserved. I shall not trouble my sleep over it.† â€Å"You were not there,† Ned said, bitterness in his voice. Troubled sleep was no stranger to him. He had lived his lies for fourteen years, yet they still haunted him at night. â€Å"There was no honor in that conquest.† â€Å"The Others take your honor!† Robert swore. â€Å"What did any Targaryen ever know of honor? Go down into your crypt and ask Lyanna about the dragon's honor!† â€Å"You avenged Lyanna at the Trident,† Ned said, halting beside the king. Promise me, Ned, she had whispered. â€Å"That did not bring her back.† Robert looked away, off into the grey distance. â€Å"The gods be damned. It was a hollow victory they gave me. A crown . . . it was the girl I prayed them for. Your sister, safe . . . and mine again, as she was meant to be. I ask you, Ned, what good is it to wear a crown? The gods mock the prayers of kings and cowherds alike.† â€Å"I cannot answer for the gods, Your Grace . . . only for what I found when I rode into the throne room that day,† Ned said. â€Å"Aerys was dead on the floor, drowned in his own blood. His dragon skulls stared down from the walls. Lannister's men were everywhere. Jaime wore the white cloak of the Kingsguard over his golden armor. I can see him still. Even his sword was gilded. He was seated on the Iron Throne, high above his knights, wearing a helm fashioned in the shape of a lion's head. How he glittered!† â€Å"This is well known,† the king complained. â€Å"I was still mounted. I rode the length of the hall in silence, between the long rows of dragon skulls. It felt as though they were watching me, somehow. I stopped in front of the throne, looking up at him. His golden sword was across his legs, its edge red with a king's blood. My men were filling the room behind me. Lannister's men drew back. I never said a word. I looked at him seated there on the throne, and I waited. At last Jaime laughed and got up. He took off his helm, and he said to me, ‘Have no fear, Stark. I was only keeping it warm for our friend Robert. It's not a very comfortable seat, I'm afraid.' â€Å" The king threw back his head and roared. His laughter startled a flight of crows from the tall brown grass. They took to the air in a wild beating of wings. â€Å"You think I should mistrust Lannister because he sat on my throne for a few moments?† He shook with laughter again. â€Å"Jaime was all of seventeen, Ned. Scarce more than a boy.† â€Å"Boy or man, he had no right to that throne.† â€Å"Perhaps he was tired,† Robert suggested. â€Å"Killing kings is weary work. Gods know, there's no place else to rest your ass in that damnable room. And he spoke truly, it is a monstrous uncomfortable chair. In more ways than one.† The king shook his head. â€Å"Well, now I know Jaime's dark sin, and the matter can be forgotten. I am heartily sick of secrets and squabbles and matters of state, Ned. It's all as tedious as counting coppers. Come, let's ride, you used to know how. I want to feel the wind in my hair again.† He kicked his horse back into motion and galloped up over the barrow, raining earth down behind him. For a moment Ned did not follow. He had run out of words, and he was filled with a vast sense of helplessness. Not for the first time, he wondered what he was doing here and why he had come. He was no Jon Arryn, to curb the wildness of his king and teach him wisdom. Robert would do what he pleased, as he always had, and nothing Ned could say or do would change that. He belonged in Winterfell. He belonged with Catelyn in her grief, and with Bran. A man could not always be where he belonged, though. Resigned, Eddard Stark put his boots into his horse and set off after the king.