Village Volvo Case Study Essay -- Business Analysis Automobile Industr

Village Volvo Case Study 1. Village Volvo is an independent service operation that provides quality repair service on out of warranty Volvo at reasonable cost. The shop was build in suburb in the outskirts of the city. Unfortunately, it is not centrally and conveniently located for all of the customers, however a daily shuttle service is considered, since no alternate transportation is presently available. Village Volvo is based in a new butler building that has four work bays, plus the office, storage and the waiting room. They designed the waiting area with comfortable chairs, with TV sets, coffee, soft drinks, magazines and local newspaper. With 22 years of training and great deal of experience, Volvo is known for their satisfactory service. This operation offers a custom car service that is not normally available at the local service. They consistently maintain the set schedule for the clients who need a quick routine service, but they push clients to make appointments for repair of detailed problem. For example 3-5 PM on Wednesday and 8-10 AM on Thursday for a quick jobs. They don’t do any repairs between 7-8 AM and 5-6 PM. Each appointment is very detailed planned. There is a mechanic assigned to every client who will work on the car as well as discussing the problems and concerns of the client. The mechanic has access to the CCVD, history of the file records on each vehicle it services. After the diagnosis made by mechanic the service manager, who is the main contact provides the owner with all the detail cost and the time frame of the repair. Each repair comes with notes for the client of any potention... ...r issue is their location, perhaps I would choose more centralized place for the next Village Volvo shop. Finally, due to its location and no alternate transportation offered maybe they could think of something like a family package or little entertaining service for the kids. Many parents or single parents may consider and run their â€Å"car errands† on the weekends, when there is no school. The ideal situation would be to drop off the car and have a little time to play or put the kid in the â€Å"car school† where the children can drive a little plastic cars, learn the road rules and the signs, play the bus/ car/ gas station†¦etc. The kids would love it and parents can easily run the errands with their children and spend some more time together. This way the Village Volvo would definitely differentiate from Volvo dealers.

Karl Marx - Capitalist Alienation Essay -- Alienation Capitalist Socie

Karl Marx - Capitalist Alienation THE TERM "alienation" in normal usage refers to a feeling of separateness, of being alone and apart from others. For Marx, alienation was not a feeling or a mental condition, but an economic and social condition of class society--in particular, capitalist society. Alienation, in Marxist terms, refers to the separation of the mass of wage workers from the products of their own labor. Marx first expressed the idea, somewhat poetically, in his 1844 Manuscripts: "The object that labor produces, its product, stands opposed to it as something alien, as a power independent of the producer." Most of us own neither the tools and machinery we work with nor the products that we produce--they belong to the capitalist that hired us. But everything we work on and in at some point comes from human labor. The irony is that everywhere we turn, we are confronted with the work of our own hands and brains, and yet these products of our labor appear as things outside of us, and outside of our control. Work and the products of work dominate us, rather than t... Karl Marx - Capitalist Alienation Essay -- Alienation Capitalist Socie Karl Marx - Capitalist Alienation THE TERM "alienation" in normal usage refers to a feeling of separateness, of being alone and apart from others. For Marx, alienation was not a feeling or a mental condition, but an economic and social condition of class society--in particular, capitalist society. Alienation, in Marxist terms, refers to the separation of the mass of wage workers from the products of their own labor. Marx first expressed the idea, somewhat poetically, in his 1844 Manuscripts: "The object that labor produces, its product, stands opposed to it as something alien, as a power independent of the producer." Most of us own neither the tools and machinery we work with nor the products that we produce--they belong to the capitalist that hired us. But everything we work on and in at some point comes from human labor. The irony is that everywhere we turn, we are confronted with the work of our own hands and brains, and yet these products of our labor appear as things outside of us, and outside of our control. Work and the products of work dominate us, rather than t...

The Stupidest Angel Chapter 4

Chapter 4 HAVE YOURSELF A NASTY LITTLE CHRISTMAS Josh wiped the tears off his face, took a deep breath, and headed up the walk to his house. He was still shaking from having seen Santa take a shovel in the throat, but now it occurred to him that it might not be enough to get him out of trouble. The first thing his mom would say was, Well, what were you doing out so late anyway? And dumb Brian, who was not Josh's real dad but Mom's dumb boyfriend, would say, â€Å"Yeah, Santa would probably still be alive if you hadn't stayed so long at Sam's house.† So, there on the front step, he decided to go with total hysteria. He started breathing hard, pumping up some tears, got a good whimpering sob going, then opened the door with a dieseling back sniffle. He fell onto the welcome mat and let loose with a full fire-truck-siren wail. And nothing happened. No one said a word. No one came running. So Josh crawled into the living room, trailing a nice fiber-optic string of drool from his lower lip to the carpet as he chanted a mucusy â€Å"Momma,† knowing that it would completely disarm her temper and get her all fired up to protect him from dumb Brian, for whom he had no magic manipulation chant. But nobody called him, nobody came running, dumb Brian was not sprawled across the couch like the great sleepy slug that he was. Josh wound it down. â€Å"Mom?† Just the hint of a sob there, ready to go full bore again when she answered. He went into the kitchen, where the memo light was blinking on Mom's machine. Josh wiped his nose on his sleeve and hit the button. â€Å"Hi, Joshy,† his mom said, her cheerful overtired voice. â€Å"Brian and I had to go out to eat with some buyers. There's a Stouffer's mac and cheese in the freezer. We should be home before eight. Do your homework. Call my cell if you get scared.† Josh couldn't believe the luck. He checked the clock on the microwave. Only seven-thirty. Excellent! Latch-keyed loose like a magic elf. Yes! Dumb Brian had come through with a business dinner. He grabbed the Stouffer's out of the freezer, popped it – box and all – into the microwave, and hit the preset time. You didn't really have to peel the plastic back like they said. If you just nuke it in the box, the cardboard will keep it from exploding all over the microwave when the plastic goes. Josh didn't know why they didn't just put that in the instructions. He went back into the living room, turned on the TV, and plopped down on the floor in front of it to wait for the microwave to beep. Maybe he should call Sam, he thought. Tell him about Santa. But Sam didn't believe in Santa. He said that Santa was just something the goys made up to make them feel better about not having a menorah. That was crap, of course. Goys (a Jewish word for girls and boys, Sam had explained) didn't want a menorah. They wanted toys. Sam was just saying that because he was mad because instead of Christmas they had snipped the tip of his penis off and said mazel tov. â€Å"Wow, sucks to be you,† said Josh. â€Å"We're the Chosen,† said Sam. â€Å"Not for kickball† â€Å"Shut up.† â€Å"No, you shut up.† â€Å"No, you shut up.† Sam was Josh's best friend and they understood each other, but would Sam know what to do about a murder? Especially a murder of an important person? You were supposed to go to an adult in these situations, Josh was pretty sure of it. Fire, an injured friend, a bad touch, you were supposed to tell an adult, a parent, a teacher, or a policeman, and no one would be mad at you. (But if you found your mom's boyfriend lighting a giant chili-dog-and-beer fart in the garage workshop, the police absolutely did not want to know about it. Josh had learned that lesson the hard way.) A commercial came on, and Josh's mac and cheese was still surfing the microwaves, so he debated calling 911 or praying, and decided to go with the prayer. Like calling 911, you weren't supposed to pray for just anything. For instance, God did not care whether or not you got your bandicoot through the fire level on PlayStation, and if you asked for help there, there was a good chance that he would ignore you when you really needed help, like for a spelling test or if your mom got cancer. Josh reckoned it was sort of like cell-phone minutes, but this seemed like a real emergency. â€Å"Our Heavenly Father,† Josh began. You never used God's first name – that was like a commandment or something. â€Å"This is Josh Barker, six-seventy-one Worchester Street, Pine Cove, California nine-three-seven, five-four. I saw Santa tonight, which was great, and thank you for that, but then, right after I saw him, he got killed with a shovel, and so, I'm afraid that there's not going to be any Christmas and I've been good, which I'm sure you'll see if you check Santa's list, so if you don't mind could you please make Santa come back to life and make everything okay for Christmas?† No, no, no, that sounded really selfish. Quickly he added: â€Å"And a Happy Hanukkah to you and all the Jewish people like Sam and his family. Mazel tov.† There. Perfect. He felt a lot better. The microwave beeped and Josh ran to the kitchen, right into the legs of a really tall man in a long black coat who was standing by the counter. Josh screamed and the man took him by the arms, picked him up, and looked him over like he was a gemstone or a really tasty dessert. Josh kicked and squirmed, but the blond man held him fast. â€Å"You're a child,† said the blond man. Josh stopped kicking for a second and looked into the impossibly blue eyes of the stranger, who was now studying him in much the same way a bear might examine a portable television while wondering how to get all those tasty little people out of it. â€Å"Well, duh,† said Josh. The Christmas tree took a wide left onto Cypress Street. Finding that somewhat suspicious, Constable Theophilus Crowe pulled in behind it as he dug the little blue light out of the glove compartment of his Volvo and stuck it on the roof. Theo was relatively sure that there was a vehicle under the Christmas tree somewhere, but all he could see right now were the taillights shining through the branches in the back. As he followed the tree up Cypress, past the burger stand and Brine's Bait, Tackle, and Fine Wines, a pinecone the size of a Nerf football broke loose and rolled off to the side of the street, bouncing and thumping into one of the gas pumps. Theo hit the siren one time, just a chirp, thinking he'd better stop this before someone got hurt. There was no way that the driver under the Christmas tree could see the road clearly. The tree was driving trunk first, so the widest, thickest branches were covering the front of the vehicle. The tree's tires chirped with a downshift. It killed the lights and screeched around the corner on Worchester Street, leaving a trail of rolling pinecones and pine-fresh exhaust. Under normal circumstances, if a suspect tried to elude Theo, he would have called it into the county sheriff's immediately, hoping a deputy in the area might provide backup, but he'd be damned if he was going to call in that he was in hot pursuit of a fugitive Christmas tree. Theo turned the siren onto full shriek and took off up the hill after the fleeing conifer, thinking for the fiftieth time that day that life had seemed a lot easier when he'd smoked pot. â€Å"Boy, you don't see that every day,† said Tucker Case, who was sitting at a window table at H.P.'s Caf, waiting for Lena to come back from freshening up in the rest-room. H.P.'s – a mix of pseudo Tudor and Country Kitchen Cute – was Pine Cove's most popular restaurant, and tonight it was completely packed. The waitress, a pretty redhead in her forties, glanced up from the tray of drinks she was delivering and said, â€Å"Yeah, Theo hardly ever chases anyone.† â€Å"That Volvo was chasing a pine tree,† Tuck said. â€Å"Could be,† said the waitress. â€Å"Theo used to do a lot of drugs.† â€Å"No, really – † Tuck tried to explain, but she had headed back to the kitchen. Lena was returning to the table. She was still in the black tank top under an open flannel shirt, but she had washed the streaks of mud from her face and her dark hair was brushed out around her shoulders. To Tuck she looked like the sexy but tough Indian guide chick in the movies, who always leads the group of nerdy businessmen into the wilderness where they are assaulted by vicious rednecks, bears gone mutant from exposure to phosphate laundry detergent, or ancient Indian spirits with a grudge. â€Å"You look great,† Tuck said. â€Å"Are you Native American?† â€Å"What was the siren about?† Lena asked, sliding into the seat across from him. â€Å"Nothing. A traffic thing.† â€Å"This is just so wrong.† She looked around, as if everyone knew how wrong it was. â€Å"Wrong.† â€Å"No, it's good,† Tuck said with a big smile, trying to make his blue eyes twinkle in the candlelight, but forgetting where exactly his twinkle muscles were located. â€Å"We'll have a nice meal, get to know each other a little.† She leaned over the table and whispered harshly, â€Å"There's a dead man out there. A man I used to be married to.† â€Å"Shh, shh, shh,† Tuck shushed, gently placing a finger against her lip, trying to sound comforting and maybe a little European. â€Å"Now is not the time to talk of this, my sweet.† She grabbed his finger and bent it back. â€Å"I don't know what to do.† Tuck was twisted in his seat, leaning back to relieve the unnatural angle in which his finger was pointing. â€Å"Appetizer?† he suggested. â€Å"Salad?† Lena let go of his finger and covered her face with her hands. â€Å"I can't do this.† â€Å"What? It's just dinner,† said Tuck. â€Å"No pressure.† He had never really dated much – gone on dates, that is. He'd met and seduced a lot of women, but it was never over a series of evenings with dinner and conversation – usually just some drinks and vulgarity at an airport hotel lounge had done the trick. He felt it was time he behaved like a grown-up – get to know a woman before he slept with her. His therapist had suggested it right before she'd stopped treating him, right after he'd hit on her. It wasn't going to be easy. In his experience things went a lot better with women before they got to know him, when they could still project hope and potential on him. â€Å"We just buried my ex-husband,† Lena said. â€Å"Sure, sure, but then we delivered Christmas trees to the poor. A little perspective, huh? A lot of people have buried their spouses.† â€Å"Not personally. With the shovel they killed him with.† â€Å"You may want to keep it down a little.† Tuck checked the diners at the nearby tables to see if they were listening, but they all seemed to be discussing the pine tree that had just driven by. â€Å"Let's talk about something else. Interests? Hobbies? Movies?† Lena tossed her head as if she didn't hear him right, then stared as if to say, Are you nuts? â€Å"Well, for instance,† he pressed on, â€Å"I rented the strangest movie last night. Did you know that Babes in Toyland was a Christmas movie?† â€Å"Of course, what did you think it was?† â€Å"Well, I thought, well – now it's your turn. What's your favorite movie?† Lena leaned close to Tuck and searched his eyes to see if he might be joking. Tuck batted his eyelashes, trying to look innocent. â€Å"Who are you?† Lena finally asked. â€Å"I told you.† â€Å"But, what's wrong with you? You shouldn't be so – so calm, while I'm a nervous wreck. Have you done this kind of thing before?† â€Å"Sure. Are you kidding? I'm a pilot, I've eaten in restaurants all over the world.† â€Å"Not dinner, you idiot! I know you've had dinner before! What, are you retarded?† â€Å"Okay, now everybody is looking. You can't just say ‘retarded' in public like that – people take offense because, you know, many of them are. You're supposed to say ‘developmentally disabled. â€Å" Lena stood up and threw her napkin on the table. â€Å"Tucker, thank you for helping me, but I can't do this. I'm going to go talk to the police.† She turned and stormed through the restaurant toward the door. â€Å"We'll be back,† Tuck called to the waitress. He nodded to the nearby tables. â€Å"Sorry. She's a little high-strung. She didn't mean to say ‘retarded. † Then he went after Lena, snatching his leather jacket off the back of his chair as he went. He caught up with her as she was rounding the corner of the building into the parking lot. He caught her by the shoulder and spun her around, making sure that she saw that he was smiling when she completed the turn. Blinking Christmas lights played red and green highlights across her dark hair, making the scowl she was aiming at him seem festive. â€Å"Leave me alone, Tucker. I'm going to the police. I'll just explain that it was just an accident.† â€Å"No. I won't let you. You can't.† â€Å"Why can't I?† â€Å"Because I'm your alibi.† â€Å"If I turn myself in, I won't need an alibi.† â€Å"I know.† â€Å"Well?† â€Å"I want to spend Christmas with you.† Lena softened, her eyes going wide, the swell of a tear watering up in one eye. â€Å"Really?† â€Å"Really.† Tuck was more than a little uncomfortable with his own honesty – he was standing like someone had just poured hot coffee in his lap and he was trying to keep the front of his pants from touching him. Lena held out her arms and Tuck walked into them, guiding her hands inside his jacket and around his ribs. He rested his cheek against her hair and took a deep breath, enjoying the smell of her shampoo and the residual pine scent picked up from handling the Christmas trees. She didn't smell like a murderer – she smelled like a woman. â€Å"Okay,† she whispered. â€Å"I don't know who you are, Tucker Case, but I think I'd like to spend Christmas with you, too.† She buried her face in his chest and held him until there was a thump against his back, followed by a loud scratching noise on his jacket. She pushed him back just as the fruit bat peeked his little doggie face over the pilot's shoulder and barked. Lena leaped back and screamed like a bunny in a blender. â€Å"What in the hell is that?† she asked, backing across the parking lot. â€Å"Roberto,† Tuck said. â€Å"I mentioned him before.† â€Å"This is too weird. Too weird.† Lena began to chant and pace in a circle, glancing up at Tuck and his bat every couple of seconds. She paused. â€Å"He's wearing sunglasses.† â€Å"Yeah, and don't think it's easy finding Ray-Bans in a fruit-bat medium.† Meanwhile, up at the Santa Rosa Chapel, Constable Theophilus Crowe had finally caught up to the fugitive Christmas tree. He trained the headlights of the Volvo on the suspect evergreen and stood behind the car door for cover. If he'd had a public-address system he would have used it to issue commands, but since the county had never given him one, he shouted. â€Å"Get out of the vehicle, hands first, and turn and face me!† If he'd had a weapon he would have drawn it, but he'd left his Glock on the top shelf of his closet next to Molly's old nicked-up broadsword. He realized that the car door was actually only providing cover to the lower third of his body, and he reached down and rolled up the window. Then, feeling awkward, he slammed the door and loped toward the Christmas tree. â€Å"Goddammit, come out of the tree. Right now!† He heard a car window whiz down and then a voice. â€Å"Oh my, Officer, you are so forceful.† A familiar voice. Somewhere under there was a Honda CRV – and the woman he had married. â€Å"Molly?† He should have known. Even when she stayed on her meds, as she had promised she would, she could still be â€Å"artistic.† Her term. The branches of the big pine tree shuffled and out stepped his wife, wearing a green Santa hat, jeans, red sneakers, and a jean jacket with studs down the sleeves. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail that trailed down her back. She might have been a biker elf. She rushed out of the branches as if she were ducking the blades of a helicopter, then ran to his side. â€Å"Look at this magnificent son of a bitch!† She gestured to the tree, put her arm around his waist, pulled him close, humped his leg a little. â€Å"Isn't it great?† â€Å"It certainly is – uh, large. How'd you get it on the car? â€Å"Took some time. I hoisted it up on some ropes, then drove under it. Do you think there'll be a flat spot where it dragged on the road?† Theo looked the tree up and down, back and forth, watched the car exhaust boiling out of the branches. He wasn't sure he wanted to know, but he had to ask. â€Å"You didn't buy this at the hardware store, did you?† â€Å"No, there was a problem with that. But I saved a ton of money. Cut it myself. Completely totaled my broadsword, but look at this son of a bitch. Look at this glorious bastard!† â€Å"You cut it down with your sword?† Theo wasn't so worried about what she had cut it down with, but from where she'd cut it. He had a secret in the forest near their cabin. â€Å"Yeah. We don't have a chain saw that I don't know about, do we?† â€Å"No.† Actually they did, in the garage, hidden behind some paint cans. He'd hidden it when her  «artistic » moments had been more frequent. â€Å"That's not the problem, sweetie. I think the problem is that it's too big.† â€Å"No,† she said, walking the length of the tree now, pausing to jump through the branches and turn off the Honda's engine. â€Å"That's where you're wrong. Observe, double doors into the chapel.† Theo observed. The chapel did, indeed, have double doors. There was a single mercury lamp illuminating the gravel parking lot, but he could clearly see the little white chapel, the shadows of gravestones showing dimly behind it – a graveyard where they'd been planting Pine Covers for a hundred years. â€Å"And the ceiling in the main room is thirty feet tall at the peak. This tree is only twenty-nine feet tall. We pull it through the doors backward and stand that baby up. I'll need your help, but, you know, you don't mind.† â€Å"I don't?† Molly pulled open her jean jacket and flashed Theo, exposing his favorite breasts, right down to the shiny scar that ran across the top of the right one, cocked up like a curious purple eyebrow. It was like unexpectedly running into two tender friends, both a little pale from being out of the sun, a tad humbled by time, but with alert pink noses upturned by the night chill. And as quickly as they appeared, the jacket was pulled shut and Theo felt like he'd been shut out in the cold. â€Å"Okay, I don't mind,† he said, trying to buy time for the blood to return to his brain. â€Å"How do you know the ceiling is thirty feet tall?† â€Å"From our wedding pictures. I cut you out and used you to measure the whole building. It was just under five Theos tall.† â€Å"You cut up our wedding pictures?† â€Å"Not the good ones. Come on, help me get the tree off the car.† She turned quickly and her jacket fanned out behind her. â€Å"Molly, I wish you wouldn't go out like that.† â€Å"You mean like this?† She turned, lapels in hand. And there they were again, his pink-nosed friends. â€Å"Let's get the tree set up and then do it in the graveyard, okay?† She jumped a little for emphasis and Theo nodded, following the recoil. He suspected that he was being manipulated, enslaved by his own sexual weakness, but he couldn't quite figure out why that was a bad thing. After all, he was among friends. â€Å"Sweetheart, I'm a peace officer, I can't –  » â€Å"Come on, it will be nasty.† She said nasty like it meant delicious, which is what she meant. â€Å"Molly, after five years together, I'm not sure we're supposed to be nasty.† But even as he said it, Theo was moving toward the big evergreen, looking for the ropes that secured it to the Honda. Over in the graveyard, the dead, who had been listening all along, began to murmur anxiously about the new Christmas tree and the impending sex show. They'd heard it all, the dead: crying children, wailing widows, confessions, condemnations, questions that they could never answer; Halloween dares, raving drunks-invoking the ghosts or just apologizing for drawing breath; would-be witches, chanting at indifferent spirits, tourists rubbing the old tombstones with paper and charcoal like curious dogs scratching at the grave to get in. Funerals, confirmations, communions, weddings, square dances, heart attacks, junior-high hand jobs, wakes gone awry, vandalism, Handel's Messiah, a birth, a murder, eighty-three Passion plays, eighty-five Christmas pageants, a dozen brides barking over tombstones like taffeta sea lions as the best man gave it to them dog style, and now and again, couples who needed something dark and smelling of damp earth to give their sex life a jolt: the dead had heard it. â€Å"Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah!† Molly cried from her seat astraddle the town constable, who was squirming on an uncomfortable bed of plastic roses a few feet above a dead schoolteacher. â€Å"They always think they're the first ones. Ooooo, let's do it in the graveyard,† said Bess Leander, whose husband had served her foxglove tea with her last breakfast. â€Å"I know, there are three used condoms on my grave from this week alone,† said Arthur Tannbeau, citrus farmer, deceased five years. â€Å"How can you tell?† They heard everything, but their vision was limited. â€Å"The smell.† â€Å"That's disgusting,† said Esther, the schoolteacher. It's hard to shock the dead. Esther was feigning disgust. â€Å"What's all the racket? I was sleeping.† Malcolm Cowley, antique book dealer, myocardial infarction over Dickens. â€Å"Theo Crowe, the constable, and his crazy wife doing it on Esther's grave,† said Arthur. â€Å"I'll bet she's off her meds.† â€Å"Five years they've been married and they're still at this kind of thing?† Since her death, Bess had taken a strong antirelationship stance. â€Å"Postmarital sex is so pedestrian.† Malcolm again, ever bored with provincial, small-town death. â€Å"Some postmortem sex, that's what I could use,† said the late Marty in the Morning, KGOB radio's top DJ with a bullet – a pioneer carjack victim back when hair bands ruled the airwaves. â€Å"A rave in the grave, if you get my meaning.† â€Å"Listen to her. I'd like to slip the bone to her,† said Jimmy Antalvo, who'd kissed a pole on his Kawasaki to remain ever nineteen. â€Å"Which one?† Marty cackled. â€Å"The new Christmas tree sounds lovely,† said Esther. â€Å"I do hope they sing ‘Good King Wenceslas' this year.† â€Å"If they do,† spouted the moldy book dealer, â€Å"you'll find me justly spinning in my grave.† â€Å"You wish,† said Jimmy Antalvo. â€Å"Hell, I wish.† The dead did not spin in their graves, they did not move – nor could they speak, except to one another, voices without air. What they did was sleep, awakening to listen, to chat a bit, then, eventually, to never wake again. Sometimes it took twenty years, sometimes as long as forty before they took the big sleep, but no one could remember hearing a voice from longer ago than that. Six feet above them, Molly punctuated her last few convulsive climactic bucks with, â€Å"I – AM – SO – GOING – TO – WASH – YOUR – VOLVO – WHEN – WE – GET – HOME! YES! YES! YES!† Then she sighed and fell forward to nuzzle Theo's chest as she caught her breath. â€Å"I don't know what that means,† Theo said. â€Å"It means I'm going to wash your car for you.† â€Å"Oh, it's not a euphemism, like, wash the old Volvo. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge?† â€Å"Nope. It's your reward.† Now that they were finished, Theo was having a hard time ignoring the plastic flowers that were impressed in his bare backside. â€Å"I thought this was my reward.† He gestured to her bare thighs on either side of him, the divots her knees had made in the dirt, her hair played out across his chest. Molly pushed up and looked down at him. â€Å"No, this was your reward for helping me with the Christmas tree. Washing your car is your reward for this.† â€Å"Oh,† Theo said. â€Å"I love you.† â€Å"Oh, I think I'm going to be sick,† said a newly dead voice from across the woods. â€Å"Who's the new guy?† asked Marty in the Morning. The radio on Theo's belt, which was down around his knees, crackled. â€Å"Pine Cove Constable, come in. Theo?† Theo did an awkward sit-up and grabbed the radio. â€Å"Go ahead, Dispatch.† â€Å"Theo, we have a two-oh-seven-A at six-seven-one Worchester Street. The victim is alone and the suspect may still be in the area. I've dispatched two units, but they're twenty minutes out.† â€Å"I can be there in five minutes,† Theo said. â€Å"Suspect is a white male, over six feet, long blond hair, wearing a long black raincoat or overcoat.† â€Å"Roger, Dispatch. I'm on my way.† Theo was trying to pull his pants up with one hand while working the radio with the other. Molly was on her feet already, naked from the waist down, holding her jeans and sneakers rolled up under her left arm. She extended a hand to help Theo up. â€Å"What's a two-oh-seven?† â€Å"Not sure,† said Theo, letting her lever him to his feet. â€Å"Either an attempted kidnapping or a possum with a handgun.† â€Å"You have plastic flowers stuck to your butt.† â€Å"Probably the former, she didn't say anything about shots fired.† â€Å"No, leave them. They're cute.†

Elementary Education Essay

Thesis: Elementary teachers may not have highest income, but they have one of the most fulfilling careers. Introduction: When thinking back to elementary school, what most people remember the best, are the teachers they had along the way. Elementary teachers not only introduce their students to the basic concepts of core subjects, they also help pave the path to each student’s future success. While the income may not be the highest available, watching students develop a new skill or grow an appreciation for learning can be very rewarding. I. What is the role of an elementary school teacher? a. Elementary teachers play an important part in not only the intellectual development but also the social development of their students. What students learn at a young age can affect the way they see themselves, others, and the world later in life. b. Elementary teachers have the responsibility of introducing their students to the core subjects of mathematics, language, science, and social studies. II. Education, Training, and Certification c. The normal route to becoming a teacher involves receiving a bachelor’s degree from a teacher education program, then obtaining a license. Teachers in private schools are not required to be licensed. d. Each state honors its own individual certifications. However, The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards offers a voluntary national certification, which is also honored by each state. Having a National Boards certification usually results in a higher income. III. Salary and Employment e. Teaching salaries vary by state, experience level, and location. f. Elementary teachers hold about 1. 5 million jobs. Employment is projected to grow about as fast as average, increasing 7-13% from 2008 to 2018. Elementary Education: Shaping the Minds of the Future When thinking back to elementary school, what most people remember the best, are the teachers they had along the way. Elementary teachers not only introduce their students to the basic concepts of core subjects, they also help pave the path to each student’s future success. Education to become a teacher is long and tedious, and while the income may not be the highest available, watching students develop a new skill or grow an appreciation for learning can be very rewarding. Because there will always be a need for education, even with the recent budget cuts, teaching jobs will always have to be available somewhere. Elementary teachers play an important part in the intellectual development as well as the social development of their students. The education of young children can affect the way they view themselves, other people, and the world, and their success throughout life. Usually, one elementary teacher will teach several subjects to one class, of about 20 students. However, some will work in teams with other teachers, depending on the type of school (â€Å"Career Information: Elementary School Teachers. †). Teachers are faced with the responsibility of nurturing their students as well as their education. In the early years of elementary school, teachers introduce their students to the concepts of reading, writing, and counting. In the later years of elementary, teachers have the task of introducing the concepts of mathematics, language, science, and social studies. Teachers also have multiple behind-the-scenes duties. Teachers have the duty of creating daily lesson plans based on state requirements, assigning homework and making tests. They must keep records of grades made on homework assignments and tests. Teachers develop the materials that help students learn solving and reasoning. They also meet with parents of their students to discuss progress, lack of progress, and any discipline problems that may be occurring (â€Å"Elementary School Teachers. â€Å"). The traditional education route to becoming an elementary teacher involves earning a bachelor’s degree from a teacher education program, and then earning a license. A teacher’s education program normally includes courses such as the general mathematics, physical science, social science, music, art, and literature, as well as prescribed professional education courses, such as psychology of learning, and teaching methods. Normally, 4-year school schools require students to wait until their sophomore year before applying for admission to teacher education programs. Teacher education programs also require students to perform a student-teaching internship. It is not required to graduate from an accredited teacher education program to become a teacher, but it will make fulfilling license requirements easier. After receiving a bachelor’s degree, one should obtain a license from a teacher education program. The State Board of Education or a licensure advisory committee grants licensure. Teachers earn their degree in five different categories: the early childhood grades (preschool through third grade), the elementary grades (grades one through six or eight), the middle grades (grade five through eight), a specific secondary subject, or a special subject, such as music. Teaching in private schools does not require a license. The requirements for regular licenses vary by state. Each state individually issues and honors their teaching licenses. However, The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards offers a national certification. All 50 states honor this certification, and in some cases, teachers will receive special benefits for this certification. These benefits can include higher salaries, and reimbursement for continuing education and certification fees (â€Å"Teachers – Kindergarten, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary. â€Å"). The salaries of teachers can vary by school location, teacher experience, and level of education. Public school teachers in elementary schools earn an average of $47,602. Private school teachers earn anywhere between $43,580 and $48,690. However, there are a few ways to increase a salary. Teachers have the option to teach summer school, sponsor or coach extra-curricular activities, or take on other extra duties at the school. Despite being on the lower end of income, teachers do have a non-monetary compensation of fulfillment, while watching their students develop new skills and learn new concepts (â€Å"Teacher Career Salary Expectations. †). Elementary teachers hold around 1. 5 million jobs. As well as affecting a teacher’s salary, the subjects and grade levels one is capable of teaching, and location can affect job opportunities. Jobs in inner cities and rural areas will be easier to find compared to the suburban districts. Minority teachers will be in higher demand because of an increase in minority enrollment, and the lack of minority teachers. Due to a greater public interest in education as well as better pay prospects, the supply of teachers is expected to grow, and employment is expected to grow as fast as average, increasing 7-13%, in the next six years (â€Å"Career Information: Elementary School Teachers. †). Teachers will always be able to find jobs due to the fact that there will always be a demand for learning. Elementary teachers make a huge impact on the lives of young children. Some teachers are remembered as role models; some are remembered as more of a parental figure, and some may just provide fond memories. Either way, they are an important part of each student’s life. They help their students develop important skills that will lead them to success in their future. Works Cited â€Å"Career Information: Elementary School Teachers. † Campus Explorer. 2012. Web. 15 Jan. 2012. . â€Å"Elementary School Teachers. † Oklahoma Career Information Center. 2011. Web. 12 Jan. 2012. . â€Å"Teachers – Kindergarten, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary. † U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 17 Dec. 2009. Web. 12 Jan. 2012. . â€Å"Teaching Career Salary Expectations. † EduDecisions. com. Web. 12 Jan. 2012. .

Cyber Bullying Essay

Cyber bullying has become an increasing issue in the last few years in the United States. The reason why this type of bulling is the worst because the bully could come from someone anonymous as well as it could come from any place and at any time. As a result, the victim that is being bullied will suffer some short and long term problems such as: mistrusting of others, anxiety, depression, poor performance at school, and can result in suicide. Due to the increasing number of teenagers being cyber bullied, it should be a criminal, punishable offense in the United States in order to protect the Nation’s children and teenagers. What is Cyber Bullying? In the rapid development in technology, there have been some issues that have come to light about the use of these products in the hands of adolescences. It has been found through some research that cyber bullying is a new form of violent behavior (Bendixen, Endresen, and Olweus, 2003). Cyber bullying behavior is described as violent behavior that is against an individual or group that is demonstrated through the usage of internet and mobile phones (Vandebsch and Cleemput, 2008). This type of violent behavior includes an individual hacking onto another individual’s personal website, leaking out damaging information through the use of communication technology such as: mobile phone, email, and sending messages. The Effects of Cyber Bullying Although cyber bullying does not occur in person, it can still have the same emotional and psychological effects of regular bullying. A child that has been bullied/cyber bullying more than likely to experience loneliness, unhappiness, anxiety, depression, and problems sleeping (Keith & Martin, 2005). Many times the effects of bullying often go unnoticed due to the fact the victim feels embarrassed and/or afraid the bullying will continue. Often times, the victim tends to act anxious, less confident, and become very quiet in class (Keith & Martin, 2005). As a result, the child has a significant hurdle in their development and it also can be a hindrance in their academic success. They have a fear that anything they put on any social site may be used against them by individual they know or don’t know. Punishing Cyber Bullying Cyber bullying has become a serious widespread problem that has become more savage than a schoolyard bullying (Vandebsch & Cleemput, 2008). The adolescents lack the maturity to understand the consequences of their actions and feel that it is okay to retaliate without being caught (Vandebsch & Cleemput, 2008). The increase stories of tragedies where children being bullied over social media sites have also increased in awareness. Stories such as Amanda Todd are coming out more and more in which the child has been bullied and the child commits suicide. Such tragic stories and nothing was ever done to the bullies or the bully was never found. As a result to the recent deaths of these children that have been bullied, many parents have pushed the government officials to do something and to criminalize cyber bullying. Amanda Todd’s mother is one that has established the Amanda Todd Trust Fund in which the donations is used to support and educate anti-bullying awareness. Many states like California has a law that makes it a misdemeanor to impersonate anyone through the web on social sites with the intent to threaten, harm, or intimidate other individuals (U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013). It is very difficult to make cyber bullying a federal crime in which the bullied committed suicide. The legal system is built to where the punishment fits the crime. Although cyber bullying does have its consequences and some cases do end in suicide we as a society, we must find a way to punish those that commit these crimes. Conclusion There are many different ways in how they’re exposed to the harsh life lessons of this world from predators to scam artists. Cyber bullying has come to light and it has many parents worried. One thing is for sure, it’s important for parents to be aware and learn how to navigate social media in order to help their children avoid cyber bullying and to be safe. The reason is that in the adolescence’s life, the most important stage is the period in where they develop relationships among their peers. They become more aware f issues in trying to have a place in their social world. This has a huge effect on their psychological development. Therefore, if adolescence has a positive relationship will lead to them having a successful identity and live in harmony with society (Sahin, Aydin, & Sari, 2012). On the other hand, if the adolescence has a negative relationship such as bullying from their peers will harm their emotional, social, and psychological development (Sahin, Aydin, & Sari, 2012). Therefore, as a society we should try the punishment that fits the crime.

Competitive Bids vs Sealed Proposals Essay

The government often uses contracts to acquire needed products or services. Every government purchase uses public funds. Contracting officials are tasked with ensuring that government purchases use public funds responsibly. When awarding contracts, contracting officials must be sure to use the best method possible to acquire goods and service at the best price possible. Two ways in which contracting officials do this is by using sealed bids and competitive proposals. Each form of awarding contracts has its own specific benefits and pitfalls while sharing some characteristics with the other. Sealed bids are a form of awarding contracts that uses competitive bids and public opening of the sealed bids which leads to the final award of the contract. In order to award a contract through sealed bids, a few things must occur. First a solicitation for bids must be drafted. The solicitation must include the government’s requirements in a detailed enough fashion to avoid misunderstandings from potential bidders. Sealed bidding and competitive proposals are both approved methods for awarding contracts according to federal regulation. When deciding whether or not to use sealed bidding, contracting officers should consider the time that will be required for bids to be solicited, submitted, and evaluated. The evaluation process for sealed bids may be lengthy especially if bidders are not prescreened to reduce the pool to only qualified firms. When all bids are received from qualified firms, sealed bidding can make an award decision quite simple. The lowest bidder is awarded the contract.. Unfortunately, sealed bidding depends on competitive pricing. Competitive pricing cannot be insured unless more than one bid is received. Competitive proposals are best used when a contracting officer determines that the nature of the contract makes it difficult to establish exact specifications or methods of performance. Often, the means of contract performance cannot be easily defined and the offeror’s proposal may need to include an explanation of how the contract will be performed. Unlike sealed bid contracts, competitive bids do not have to be awarded to the firm with the lowest price. Other considerations may be considered to determine the best firm. This determination may be made based on a firm’s performance of previous contracts, the proposed method of performance for the existing contract, or a firm’s specific capabilities in relation to other firms. While sealed bidding results in a fixed price or one with economic adjustments, competitive proposals allow for various kinds of contract types. http://www. governmentbids. com/cgi/en/bidding. advice. articles/Article/federal-contract-opportunities-for-your-business

Franchise Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Franchise - Research Paper Example The agreement is based on the periodic loyalty payments made by the franchisee to the franchise, in regards to the revenue generated from the business operation (Rupert et al, 2008). In the context of selecting the appropriate franchise, various factors are considered, which include the requirements, its market viability, competition among other factors. Therefore, as a started, it is financially rational to select a franchise with reasonable investment requirement (Mendelsohn, 2010, p.120). In Richmond, Indiana, there are numerous franchises already operating. One of the rarely seen but viable business opportunities is the Archive IT franchise. This is one of the potentially profitable franchises with many suitable features. Archive IT is in a category comprising the emerging industry franchises. Archive IT franchise’s deals with the provision of document archiving and digital scanning among other computer related services. Their systems allow for record conservations, secure cloud access and the option of searching text stored. The mission of the company is to enable other businesses to handle the issue of data and information storage in a more advanced manner. The operating philosophy of the franchise is that in the near past, most companies have been struggling with the aspect of data storage in paper work. Considering the next few years, many companies will go paperless. Therefore, this franchise aims at providing the best solution to the older resource intensive data handling methods. This corporation began franchising in 2011. This franchiser is currently selling franchises throughout the US. The total investment required from the franchisee ranges between $66, 350- $196, 300. The exact amount of the investment depends on many factors including the geographical location of the franchisee and the infrastructure proximity of the business. Franchise fee is $ 25, 000, with a periodic royalty fee of 5% of the total revenue