3 Examples of Misplaced Modifiers

3 Examples of Misplaced Modifiers 3 Examples of Misplaced Modifiers 3 Examples of Misplaced Modifiers By Mark Nichol n each of the following examples, placement of a phrase obfuscates the sentence’s narrative flow. Discussion and a revision follow each sentence. 1. Ultimately, it isn’t the strongest or the smartest companies that survive and prosper, but those that successfully adapt to change. Because â€Å"survive and prosper† applies to both the point and the counterpoint, it is best located at the end of the sentence; otherwise, the phrases ending in â€Å"that survive and prosper† and â€Å"that successfully adapt to change† appear to be distinct, whereas the second phrase, as part of the larger phrase beginning with but, is subordinate to the main clause: â€Å"Ultimately, it isn’t the strongest or the smartest companies, but those that successfully adapt to change, that survive and prosper.† 2. Anthony Ervin made history in the men’s 50-meter freestyle by becoming the oldest swimmer to win an individual Olympic gold medal at age thirty-five. This sentence states that of all the individual Olympic gold medalists in swimming who were thirty-five, Ervin was the oldest, but to correctly associate the age with Ervin alone, rather than with all thirty-five-year-old swimmers, the phrase â€Å"at age thirty-five† must be adjacent to Ervin’s name, preferably as an introductory phrase: â€Å"At age thirty-five, Anthony Ervin made history in the men’s 50-meter freestyle by becoming the oldest swimmer to win an individual Olympic gold medal.’ 3. Nevertheless, Neo-Nazis and white supremacists have been perpetuating the myth that the movie has an anti-Semitic message since at least 2008. The sentence could be misread to suggest that the myth is that the movie acquired a particular message in a specific year. To clarify that the year refers simply to the advent of the notion itself and is not integral to the notion, it should be placed near the head of the sentence: â€Å"Nevertheless, since 2008, Neo-Nazis and white supremacists have been perpetuating the myth that the movie has an anti-Semitic message.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Synonyms for â€Å"Leader†10 Types of Transitions10 Writing Exercises to Tighten Your Writing

Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia Onomatopoeia Onomatopoeia By Mark Nichol How do you represent various sounds in writing? The term for vocal (and written) imitation of sounds, onomatopoeia, means â€Å"to make names.† (The word, a Latinization of a Greek word, consists of the term that is also the origin of name, nominal, and the like and the one from which poem and poet are derived.) But making names is complicated by the fact that spelling of sounds is arbitrary. Various languages represent common sounds with uncommonly assorted words. What in English would be spelled chomp or munch is in Indonesian krauk and in Japanese musha-musha. Shh, or hush, is translated as psszt in Hungarian and cht in Spanish. Achoo! is spelled apchix in Bulgarian and achhee! in Hindi. Sometimes for instance, because a frog in one country is a different species from one in another country and therefore may actually make a different sound this variation is logical. But often (look up the various representations for meow around the world) the differences are perplexing. But even within one language, a writer is challenged by the ambiguity of sounds. How, exactly, does one spell a yell? That word itself is onomatopoeic, but â€Å"Yell!† is not a yell. A cry of anger is distinct from one of fear. And an exclamation of pain could be spelled starting with an a (â€Å"Aughhh!†), an o (â€Å"Owww!†), or a y (â€Å"Yeow!†). Some variation from what a reader may be accustomed to is reasonable: If I routinely spelled an archvillain’s triumphant evil laugh â€Å"Bwah-hah-hah!† I would be distracted but not derailed to see it treated as â€Å"Muah-ha-ha!† But â€Å"Myau† would not alert me to the presence of a cat; in English, either the spelling above or the British English preference, miaow (or mew, a variation suggesting a gentler cry) is standard. But how do I know that? The compositional catch-22 â€Å"How can I look something up in the dictionary if I don’t know how to spell it?† may come into play, especially when the word starts with a vowel. But that’s step number one: Look it up. Is a donkey’s bray spelled â€Å"Hee haw†? Type the word into Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, and you’ll learn whether your guess is validated. (In this case, English is in the minority among languages, most of which begin spelling of that sound with a vowel.) Or rely on your reading whether your sources are science journals or comic books, some standard is likely to prevail. Neologisms or words not generally granted legitimacy in writing (fuggedaboudit, anyone?) can be a challenge, but try an online search if you’re not sure. You’ll likely get a response for more than one alternative, but apply the quality test, not the quantity test: Judge the preferred spelling not on which is most frequent, but which is used on the most authoritative (or least questionable) sites. But in the right circumstance, go ahead and take a chance. If you desire, for example, that a character respond to another’s cattiness, a flat utterance of â€Å"Meow† may convey the first person’s cynical understatement, whereas â€Å"Reerrrrrrrrrrr!† will, despite its lack of resemblance to the standard spelling, clearly evoke an unambiguous judgment about the second character’s provocative statement or behavior. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Fly, Flew, (has) FlownFlied?Ten Yiddish Expressions You Should KnowThrew and Through

Breast cancer screening and management in AL Nor Hospital Airport Essay

Breast cancer screening and management in AL Nor Hospital Airport Road, Abu dhabi UAE - Essay Example The hospital also participates in the World Cancer day, so as to create awareness on the management of breast cancer. Al Nor Hospital is based along the Airport road in Abu Dhabi. The hospital is state-of-the-art, and it was developed in 2008. The hospital provides diverse services in the areas of; in-patient and out-patient services, diagnostic services, surgical procedures, and medical services. Most importantly, the hospital boasts of 24 hours GP and emergency procedures or services. The hospital has five operating theaters, with 103 bed capacity that has VIP and royal suits. Staffs of the hospital are highly trained in tope hospitals and medical schools in the USA and Europe. The medical facilities are most advanced, with latest diagnostic and treatment procedures and equipment. The hospital has specialized departments in the areas of surgery, cancer treatment, and nuclear medicine. The hospital thus has competent staffs and superior medical facilities, to handle the treatment of breast cancer. The Al Nor Hospital has put adequate financial investments in the management of cancer. In 2014, the hospital entered into a contract to acquire the Gulf International Centre that is valued at US$21.8 million. The centre is the only cancer treatment facility that is found in Abu Dhabi. The land for the cancer centre was additionally leased at US$2.7 million for 25 years. An extra payment of US$2.2 million was made, and it is based on performance. The acquisition process was accomplished on February 10, 2014 (Al Noor Hospitals Group PLC., 2014). Cancer is a health condition that results from the uncontrolled growth of abnormal body cells. This condition occurs when the body’s control system fails to work properly leading to the persistence of old cells that grow abnormally into new abnormal cells. These new abnormal cells may form a mass of cells called a

Article Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Article Summary - Essay Example Combining these two entities would in fact enable easier analysis of cross-channels due to internal data sharing. Integration of email and Facebook increases the likelihood of reaching the target audience. This integration can be either through creation of email opt-tabs in the Facebook account or by adding a Facebook â€Å"like† request in email messages. A social login that operates through a single click into the individuals website that contain information from social networks such as Facebook can also be used to facilitate the conversion of email opt-in tabs. Such social logins could provide necessary information such as email address or other contact modes. A study has also concluded that this is now the most preferred method as compared to filling tiring registration forms. Such integration of services can also be used to test cross-channel data such as time of the day or day of the week. Metrics used in email operations such as open rate and clickthrough can be applied to posting schedules on Facebook and similarly the interactive windows of Facebook should be incorporated into sending windows of emails. Winning email subject lines and Facebook ads can also be exchanged. Additionally, images having a high clickthrough rate in emails and those which have increased interactive rates on Facebook can be interchanged. In conclusion, the article also stresses that a single editorial calendar could be used by marketers in order to promote action calls in both the channels. By and large the article lays emphasis on breaking the silos of an organization as it only serves to hinder its progress in the current global environment. Kirkpatrick, D. (2013). MarketingSherpa Email Summit 2013: Social Media is email with fresh paint. MarketingSherpa Blog. Retrieved 23 March, 2013, from

Job - Specific Orientation Plan (Care Giver) Essay

Job - Specific Orientation Plan (Care Giver) - Essay Example The Plan The first step during the orientation shall involve provision of the employees with a handout; this document shall include all the fundamental knowledge that shall guide the new employees during the orientation. The handout shall cover specifically; basic instructions that the new employee shall be required to acquaint her/him with. Additionally, within the handout there shall be information concerning time schedule of the orientation: That is, time allocated for each activity of the orientation process. Consequently, the handout shall provide the employee with the knowledge on who is responsible for provision of guidance during the orientation. Informative notes on a variety of pertinent topics relating to the job shall be included in the handout in order to facilitate the orientation process. The information contained in the handout shall be arranged I respect to each orientation activity and shall be followed strictly. This will ensure that time is not wasted due to confu sions on which program should be covered. In order to ensure that the employees are equipped with all the necessary knowledge concerning the job, they shall be provided with reference documents. This shall act as the employee handbook. It shall contain information concerning the definition as well as description of the employment status of the new job. Additionally, this document shall contain information concerning the employee’s code of conduct: Service and patient’s concerns, how to handle confidential data, integrity of records and reporting mechanisms. The reference document shall also provide the employee with data related to benefits (workers compensation). Further information shall be provided on the reference document concerning hours of work such as; reporting time and leaving time, absenteeism and specific time to conduct a particular duty. Other information that shall be included in the reference document is: Dress code, punctuality,

Barclays Bank SWOT Analysis

Barclays Bank SWOT Analysis Barclays was started by the British Empire and it characterizes as the British banking from twentieth century. Barclays appeared as the largest bank of Britain in 1950. Due to the ferocious competition in 1980 and because of its lending policies Barclays banking became imprudent. Later on Barclays built its empire in 50 countries. Innovation and adoption of good marketing strategies leaded the Barclays as one of the largest banks all around the world. Main objective of Barclays is to give value to the customers and clients. Barclays has employed almost 135,000 workers in 50 countries. It offers devoted services to small and medium businesses. Barclays income before tax is approximately 7 billion. This profit returns shows the good portfolio management of business. Services that are providing by bank are unique and innovative. Ambition of Barclays is to become one of the leading banks in all over the world and to provide the services to the financial industry globally. Meaning thereby, providing full and innovative retail and wholesale services to the customers. Barclays strategy focuses on the identification of needs of customers and then providing them services accordingly. Barclays follows the principle of making profit, investing that profit and hence growing. BARCLAYS SWOT ANALYSIS Strengths Strength of the company is taken as the internal element. The strength factor represents and focuses those elements within the company that become the strong points of that pertaining company. Barclays is founded in 1896 and it is enjoying benefits from the strong penetration exists in the banking industry. Barclays is providing its services in 50 different countries. Barclays group is one of the leading and rapidly growing groups in the world. Main strength of Barclays is that in banking sector and by asset base it is the third largest bank. And in market capitalization perspective it is third largest bank in United Kingdom. Barclays has the wide customers base and strong growth base in all over the world. Barclays networking for the distribution is very strong and it has multi-channels available for distribution networking. Branches, automatic teller machines, online banking services, on phone banking services and its relationship managers are all considered as its sources and channels of networking. Barclays workers and employees are more innovative and are more passionate towards their work. One of the strength factors of the bank is its operational efficiency. Physical and financial resources available to banks are very good. Its operations are well diversified. Barclays diversified operations include the retail banking, consumer lending, home financing, lending to small and medium enterprises, corporate banking, banking in investments and asset management. Barclays was the first bank that launched and introduced the credit cards in United Kingdom and till then Barclays brand name has embedded in the minds of the customers. Strong brand name has become the strength of the Barclays bank now. Bank has carried out its operations in credit card line with the help of the sponsorship that was provided by the English premier league. Financial performance of Barclays bank is very good. It takes help of technology for improving its banking services as it gives response electronically to the queries of clients. Barclays provides innovative financial services to the clients by using the information technology. It is providing online security so that thefts and frauds will be prevented. For this security Barclays bank is using different software. Fraud cases will be avoided by using the software. Barclays bank is geographically diversified bank and it performs its business operations in different countries. Branches of Barclays are widely spread in all over the worlds. Bank takes the benefit from the geographical diversification and it spreads its risks widely across the countries and gets advantage of the economies of scales. Opening of new branches of Barclays bank and renovation of the branches in different countries will attract the clients and will enhance and boost the performance of Barclays banks. Barclay applies different marketing tools like product mix and gives importance to the services that are provided to clients and hence focuses more on the customer relationship management. Weaknesses Weaknesses are the internal factor of the company. Company is affected adversely because of the presence of these elements. Company should try to eradicate these negative factors in order to enhance its business performance. Impairment charges in Barclays bank are very high. These charges occur due to the impairments of loans, more chances of bankruptcy and poor loan recovery management. Bank efforts for the recovery of loan from businesses and credit cards are not good. Barclays brand image has affected a lot by the unethical activities and wrong promotion of bank through advertisement. Barclays was also fined for these unhealthy and adverse promotions. More controversies and questions arouse due to that brand image. Due to this deteriorating and bad brand image, Barclays performance has affected a lot. Investors give more importance to the ethical issues and after these unhealthy activities many investors drew their investments back from the bank. Banks capital ratio is less than the average industry ratio. Bank can face difficulty in the case of financial crises due to this low capital ratio. Due to the inefficiency of operations, bank has low return on assets and less profit margins. Moreover Barclays cost on income is more as compare to other banks. More cost income ratio of bank represents the inefficiency of the business operations of the bank. Barclays failed to cope up with the integration between information technology, business processes and brand. It did not gain success in the planned synergies and outcomes. Barclays has fewer branches in the region of Asia. Banking industry is emerging and growing in Asia. Barclays did not take these openings in account and this is considered to be the strategic negligence of the bank. Bank can avail opportunity by opening the branches in Asian countries. Bank is paying large bonuses and incentives to its directors and this has become the source of criticism. Banks dividend policy is less attractive to the investors and as Barclays is paying fewer dividends to its investors. Banks marketing strategy is not up to the mark and people are less aware of the bank due to the absence of marketing campaigns and promotions. Barclays are paying less consideration towards the adoption of the modern technology and equipments. Sales promotions of Barclays are not striking the customers attention they need to be improved. Opportunities Opportunities are external factor for the company. As the name indicates this element identifies the opportunities available in the market for the company. Company can gain competitive edge on other companies by availing and utilizing the opportunities available to it. Numerous opportunities are available to Barclays due to the increase trend of globalization. Banks are performing their operations globally and Barclays can take benefit from this positive outlook of globalization. With the growth of the global banking industry Barclays being the leading and well positioned financial institution can exploit the financial market by expanding its deposit base. Barclays can take advantage of emerging economies by strengthening its positions in the retail and commercial banking operations in those growing economies. Diverse opportunities for the growth of revenues are available in United Kingdom for Barclay. Trend of corporate lending is also increasing and Barclays can exploit this opportunities by giving more loans to corporate sector. Operational efficiency of Barclays can be increased by applying the good asset management principles. Increase in mergers, acquisitions and renovations in banking industry give the positive opening to banks. Barclays can utilize this opportunity as investment banking industry is expected to expand and it can increase its operating cash flows by making acquisitions. Due to off shoring of financial institutions cost of investment has decreased. Banks are opening their branches in those countries that are less costly to obtain the cost efficiencies. Barclays can fortify its working in Asian banking industries like in Indian market in order to achieve the cost efficiencies and to gain more profit and return margins. Objective of Barclays is to provide the good services to customer worldwide. This objective provides lots of opportunities to Barclays like cross-selling its products across many countries. Barclays can exploit, expand its branches, avail opportunities and set its operation in the Asian banking industry. Barclays can use high tech-technology by adding more websites that contains sufficient information of Barclays banking. Provision of welfare is also ceased in those countries where the cost to the government has increased but Barclays can make use of the trend of provision by itself. Barclays can attract more investors by formulating good dividend policies and by providing good returns to the shareholders. Use of good marketing strategy like product mix enhances the efficiency of the business and Barclays can use the tools and techniques of good marketing strategies for grabbing the customers attention. Barclay can also take hold of other banks customer by providing good services that conforms to the need of the customer. Cost efficiencies can be gained by Barclays through the opening of branches in the low cost locations like in Asian countries. Integration of business processes with the information technology can provide more synergy and success to the bank. Barclays can strengthen its brand image by conducting more marketing campaigns, advertisements and promotions. Threats Threats are also the external element of the company. Threat factor in the SWOT analysis diverts the attention of the company towards the pertaining risks in market. Company has to avoid these threats by taking precautionary measures against them. Financial markets have become volatile in recent few years. This financial threat affects the investment opportunities in markets. Investors are hesitant to invest in financial institutions due to the financial volatility. Barclays revenues from investments are also affected by this unstable market behavior. Interest rates fluctuations discourage the consumer to take the services of credit cards. When interest rate fluctuates rapidly then consumer becomes conservative and does not take the credit card borrowings. Barclays credit card facilities are also affected by these fluctuations as many consumers are not availing the credit card borrowings now. Barclays has also threat from other foreign banks as these banks can take high proportion and percentage of the total assets within the banking industry and can decrease the market shares of Barclays bank. Barclays has to face many challenges before acquiring the similar size bank or institution as it has failed to acquire the Royal bank of Scotland and there are chances due to this reason that workers of Barclays bank will resist the integration and acquisition of bank. Internet and online banking frauds are increasing with the increase in the awareness of the technology. These frauds are done through system hacking, emails and through telephonic calls. Barclays can suffer a lot from this threat in future. Barclays can be sued as it is famous of making wrong investments from its deposits and from other investments. Barclays has to give proper consideration towards these decisions in future. Bank can go in the state of bankruptcy if these wrong investments decisions of Barclays will continue in the future. More threats are present to bank due to the vicious competition in the banking industry as customers can go to other banks for the same product because of the other banks specialized approach. Customers are demanding more innovative products and it has become difficult for the bank to cope up with these rapid innovations. Bank has to go for online products and different products mix for gaining the customers attention towards its products. Expansion of branches in Asian countries seems to be risky for Barclays and this situation depicts that other financial institutions in banking industry are in more strong positions than Barclays. Barclays is also facing threats from investment as Barclays dividend policy is least attractive to the investors and it is not giving good dividends to investors on their shares. Barclays can face difficulty in gaining the investors attention if it will not amend its dividend policy. Barclays can face threat in terms of its customer service from other competitors like if competitors are advertising their customer services and their care about the customers then Barclays can lose it customers and to retain the customers Barclays has to provide higher level of services than its competitors. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Barclays is one of the largest financial service groups in United Kingdom. Barclays image has become imprudent due to its ineffective policy structure. It was founded in 1896. In market capitalization perspectives and asset base it is third largest bank in United Kingdom. Barclays has good availability of human and financial resources. Barclays has launched and introduced the credit cards first time in United Kingdom. Launching of credit card has embedded the good brand image of Barclays in all over the world. Barclays networking of distribution channels are very strong. Banks branches, online banking services and its customer relationship management are considered as its networking sources. Bank has branches in different countries so it can take benefit of diversifications and can spread its risks widely across these countries. Barclays can take advantage from acquisitions and mergers and can increase its operating cash flows. By off shoring Barclays can gain and enjoy the benefit of cost efficiencies. This cost efficiencies can be availed by opening branches in low cost locations like in Asian countries. Barclays should improve its loan recovery management and should reduce the chances for the loans impairments. Bank should pay heed on its advertisement as its brand image has affected a lot by adverse promotions. Banks should improve its asset management operations and its profit margin ratio. Dividend policy of Barclays in not efficient and its dividend payout ratio is not good. Investors demand good return on their investments and if they do not get good dividends then there is large probability that they will draw out their investments bank. Also sales promotions of Barclays are not grabbing the customer attentions. Barclays investment opportunities have adversely affected due to the high volatility in financial markets. Investors are taking out their money from market due to interest rates rapid fluctuations. Barclays revenues are also affected by this market volatility. Barclays should make use of high and more innovative technologies as fraud cases in banking industry is increasing. Barclays should improve its strategic decisions because it is famous of making wrong investments. Bank can suffer a great loss due to these wrong investment decisions. Bank should provide more innovative products and good services to customers. It should give more importance on the customer relationship management for the retention of loyal customers.

Japanese Cartoons as a Cultural Product Essay -- Marketing Business

The cultural product that I will be focusing on is Japanese cartoons. A more colloquial term â€Å"Manga† is used when referring to such comic books. I hereby focus on Manga because of its popularity and ubiquitous nature in Japan. About 35 per cent (Allen & Sakamoto, 2006) of all publications are in serial and paperback formats and they are read by people of all age groups and class (Craig. J, 2000). The prevalence and popularity of such manga suggest that it may be an accurate indicator of social norms and values in the Japanese society. This realm of the fantastic, albeit not to be taken literally in many instances, serve as metaphors for culture itself and speak about the world we live in today (Craig. J, 2000). Hence, this sophistication has allowed manga to spread beyond Japan to places like the other parts of Asia and the western world. As such, I find it imperative for an acute analysis of this cultural product and the crucial actors involved in its production and cons umption. To give a brief introduction to manga, they are story-driven, (audio-) visual narratives, which deal with â€Å"nearly every imaginable subject† (Schodt, 1996). Visually crafted, they exemplify multifarious experiences and can potentially reveal the nuances of contemporary society, like a kaleidoscope. Diverse disciplinary fields are inherent in these narratives and serve as not only pivotal points for modern Japan, but post-modern society as well. Manga evolved from sources like graffiti and picture scrolls in the Edo Period (1602-1868). Although prominent from the Edo period, it was only during the post-war period which socially deemed it as a significant form of artistic expression. Post-war baby boomers and radical experiences of social change defined ... ...rom: http://www.asianlang.mq.edu.au/japanese/documents/Bryce_Davis.pdf. †¢ Cubbison, L. (2005). Anime Fans, DVDs, and the Authentic Text. The Velvet Light Trap, no. 56, Fall. †¢ Craig, J. (2000). Japan pop!: Inside the world of Japanese popular culture. USA, New York: M.E. Sharpe, Inc. †¢ MacWilliams, M.W. (2000). Japanese Comics and Religion: Osamu Tezukas Story of the Buddha. T. J. Craig (Ed.). Armonk, N.Y: M.E. Sharpe †¢ Matsui, T. (2009). Gatekeeping Foreign Cultural Products: The Diffusion of Japanese Comics (Manga) in the US, 1980-2006. Tokyo, Japan: Hitotsubashi University. †¢ Schodt, F.L. (1996). Dreamland Japan: Writings on Modern Manga. Berkeley, California: Stone Bridge Press. †¢ Wong, S.Y. (2007). The Presence of Manga in Europe and North America. Retrieved 25 November, 2010 from: http://www.rthk.org.hk/mediadigest/20070913_76_121564.html.

The Twilight Saga 2: New Moon Chapter 9 THIRD WHEEL

TIME BEGAN TO TRIP ALONG MUCH MORE QUICKLY than before. School, work, and Jacobthough not necessarily in that ordercreated a neat and effortless pattern to follow. And Charlie got his wish: I wasn't miserable anymore. Of course, I couldn't fool myself completely. When I stopped to take stock of my life, which I tried not to do too often, I couldn't ignore the implications of my behavior. I was like a lost moonmy planet destroyed in some cataclysmic, disaster-movie scenario of desolationthat continued, nevertheless, to circle in a tight little orbit around the empty space left behind, ignoring the laws of gravity. I was getting better with my bike, which meant fewer bandages to worry Charlie. But it also meant that the voice in my head began to fade, until I heard it no more. Quietly, I panicked. I threw myself into the search for the meadow with slightly frenzied intensity. I racked my brain for other adrenaline-producing activities. I didn't keep track of the days :hat passedthere was no reason, as I tried to live as much in the present as possible, no past fading, no future impending. So I was surprised by the date when Jacob brought it up on one of our homework days. He was waiting when I pulled up in front of his house. â€Å"Happy Valentine's Day,† Jacob said, smiling, but ducking his head as he greeted me. He held out a small, pink box, balancing it on his palm. Conversation hearts. â€Å"Well, I feel like a schmuck,† I mumbled. â€Å"Is today Valentine's Day?† Jacob shook his head with mock sadness. â€Å"You can be so out of it sometimes. Yes, it is the fourteenth day of February. So are you going to be my Valentine? Since you didn't get me a fifty-cent box of candy, it's the least you can do.† I started to feel uncomfortable. The words were teasing, but only on the surface. â€Å"What exactly does that entail?† I hedged. â€Å"The usualslave for life, that kind of thing.† â€Å"Oh, well, if that's all† I took the candy. But I was trying to think of some way to make the boundaries clear. Again. They seemed to get blurred a lot with Jacob. â€Å"So, what are we doing tomorrow? Hiking, or the ER?† â€Å"Hiking,† I decided. â€Å"You're not the only one who can be obsessive. I'm starting to think I imagined that place† I frowned into space. â€Å"We'll find it,† he assured me. â€Å"Bikes Friday?† he offered. I saw a chance and took it without taking time to think it through. â€Å"I'm going to a movie Friday. I've been promising my cafeteria crowd that I would go out forever.† Mike would be pleased. But Jacob's face fell. I caught the expression in his dark eyes before he dropped them to look at the ground. â€Å"You'll come too, right?† I added quickly. â€Å"Or will it be too much of a drag with a bunch of boring seniors?† So much for my chance to put some distance between us. I couldn't stand hurting Jacob; we seemed to be connected in an odd way, and his pain set off little stabs of my own. Also, the idea of having his company for the ordealI had promised Mike, but really didn't feel any enthusiasm at the thought of following throughwas just too tempting. â€Å"You'd like me to come, with your friends there?† â€Å"Yes,† I admitted honestly, knowing as I continued that I was probably shooting myself in the foot with my words. â€Å"I'll have a lot more fun if you're there. Bring Quil, and we'll make it a party.† â€Å"Quil's gonna freak. Senior girls.† He chortled and rolled his eyes. I didn't mention Embry, and neither did he. I laughed, too. â€Å"I'll try to get hin a good selection.† I broached the subject with Mike in English. â€Å"Hey, Mike,† I said when class was over. â€Å"Are you free Friday night?† He looked up, his blue eyes instantly hopeful. â€Å"Yeah, I am. You want to go out?† I worded my reply carefully. â€Å"I was thinking about getting a group†I emphasized the word†together to go see Crosshairs.† I'd done my homework this timeeven reading the movie spoilers to be sure I wouldn't be caught off guard. This movie was supposed to be a bloodbath from start to finish. I wasn't so recovered that I could stand to sit through a romance. â€Å"Does that sound like fun?† â€Å"Sure,† he agreed, visibly less eager. â€Å"Cool.† After a second, he perked back up to near his former excitement level. â€Å"How about we get Angela and Ben? Or Eric and Katie?† He was determined to make this some kind of double date, apparently. â€Å"How about both?† I suggested â€Å"And Jessica, too, of course. And Tyler and Conner, and maybe Lauren,† I tacked on grudgingly. I had promised Quil variety. â€Å"Okay,† Mike muttered, foiled. â€Å"And,† I continued, â€Å"I've got a couple of friends from La Push I'm inviting. So it sounds like we'll need your Suburban if everyone comes.† Mike's eyes narrowed in suspicion. â€Å"These are the friends you spend all your time studying with now?† â€Å"Yep, the very ones,† I answered cheerfully. â€Å"Though you could look at it as tutoringthey're only sophomores.† â€Å"Oh,† Mike said, surprised. After a second of thought, he smiled. In the end, though, the Suburban wasn't necessary. Jessica and Lauren claimed to be busy as soon as Mike let it slip that I was involved in the planning. Eric and Katie already had plansit was their three-week anniversary or something. Lauren got to Tyler and Conner before Mike could, so those two were also busy. Even Quil was outgrounded for fighting at school. In the end, only Angela and Ben, and, of course Jacob, were able to go. The diminished numbers didn't dampen Mike's anticipation, though. It was all he could talk about Friday. â€Å"Are you sure you don't want to see Tomorrow and Forever instead?† he asked at lunch, naming the current romantic comedy that was ruling the box office. â€Å"Rotten Tomatoes gave it a better review.† â€Å"I want to see Crosshairs† I insisted. â€Å"I'm in the mood for action. Bring on the blood and guts!† â€Å"Okay.† Mike turned away, but not before I saw his maybe-she's-crazy-after-all expression. When I got home from school, a very familiar car was parked in front of my house. Jacob was leaning against the hood, a huge grin lighting up his face. â€Å"No way!† I shouted as I jumped out of the truck. â€Å"You're done! I can't believe it! You finished the Rabbit!† He beamed. â€Å"Just last night. This is the maiden voyage.† â€Å"Incredible.† I held my hand up for a high five. He smacked his hand against mine, but left it there, twisting his fingers through mine. â€Å"So do I get to drive tonight?† â€Å"Definitely,† I said, and then I sighed. â€Å"What's wrong?† â€Å"I'm giving upI can't top this one. So you win. You're oldest.† He shrugged, unsurprised by my capitulation. â€Å"Of course I am.† Mike's Suburban chugged around the corner. I pulled my hand out of Jacob's, and he nude a face that I wasn't meant to see. â€Å"I remember this guy,† he said in a low voice as Mike parked across the street. â€Å"The one who thought you were his girlfriend. Is he still confused?† I raised one eyebrow. â€Å"Some people are hard to discourage.† â€Å"Then again,† Jacob said thoughtfully, â€Å"sometimes persistence pays off.† â€Å"Most of the time it's just annoying, though.† Mike got out of his car and crossed the road. â€Å"Hey, Bella,† he greeted me, and then his eyes turned wary as he looked up at Jacob. I glanced briefly at Jacob, too, trying to be objective. He really didn't look like a sophomore at all. He was just so bigMike's head barely cleared Jacob's shoulder; I didn't even want to think where I measured next to himand then his face was older-looking than it used to be, even a month ago. â€Å"Hey, Mike! Do you remember Jacob Black?† â€Å"Not really.† Mike held out his hand. â€Å"Old family friend,† Jacob introduced himself, shaking hands. They locked hands with more force than necessary. When their grip broke, Mike flexed his fingers. I heard the phone ringing from the kitchen. â€Å"I'd better get thatit might be Charlie,† I told them, and dashed inside. It was Ben. Angela was sick with the stomach flu, and he didn't feel like coming without her. He apologized for bailing on us. I walked slowly back to the waiting boys, shaking my head. I really hoped Angela would feel better soon, but I had to admit that I was selfishly upset by this development. Just the three of us, Mike and Jacob and me, together for the eveningthis had worked out brilliantly, I thought with grim sarcasm. It didn't seem like Jake and Mike had made any progress towards friendship in my absence. They were several yards apart, facing away from each other as they waited for me; Mike's expression was sullen, though Jacob's was cheerful as always. â€Å"Ang is sick,† I told them glumly. â€Å"She and Ben aren't coming.† â€Å"I guess the flu is making another round. Austin and Conner were out today, too. Maybe we should do this another time,† Mike suggested. Before I could agree, Jacob spoke. â€Å"I'm still up for it. But if you'd rather to stay behind, Mike† â€Å"No, I'm coming,† Mike interrupted. â€Å"I was just thinking of Angela and Ben. Let's go.† He started toward his Suburban. â€Å"Hey, do you mind if Jacob drives?† I asked. â€Å"I told him he couldhe just finished his car. He built it from scratch, all by himself,† I bragged, proud as a PTA mom with a student on the principal's list. â€Å"Fine,† Mike snapped. â€Å"All right, then,† Jacob said, as if that settled everything. He seemed more comfortable than anyone else. Mike climbed in the backseat of the Rabbit with a disgusted expression. Jacob was his normal sunny self, chattering away until I'd all but forgotten Mike sulking silently in the back. And then Mike changed his strategy. He leaned forward, resting his chin on the shoulder of my seat; his cheek almost touched mine. I shifted away, turning my back toward the window. â€Å"Doesn't the radio work in this thing?† Mike asked with a hint of petulance, interrupting Jacob mid-sentence. â€Å"Yes,† Jacob answered. â€Å"But Bella doesn't like music.† I stared at Jacob, surprised. I'd never told him that. â€Å"Bella?† Mike asked, annoyed. â€Å"He's right,† I mumbled, still looking at Jacob's serene profile. â€Å"How can you not like music?† Mike demanded. I shrugged. â€Å"I don't know. It just irritates me.† â€Å"Hmph.† Mike leaned away. When we got to the theater, Jacob handed me a ten-dollar bill. â€Å"What's this?† I objected. â€Å"I'm not old enough to get into this one,† he reminded me. I laughed out loud. â€Å"So much for relative ages. Is Billy going to kill me if I sneak you in?† â€Å"No. I told him you were planning to corrupt my youthful innocence.† I snickered, and Mike quickened his pace to keep up with us. I almost wished that Mike had decided to bow out. He was still sullennot much of an addition to the party. But I didn't want to end up on a date alone with Jacob, either. That wouldn't help anything. The movie was exactly what it professed to be. In just the opening credits, four people got blown up and one got beheaded. The girl in front of me put her hands over her eyes and turned her face into her date's chest. He patted her shoulder, and winced occasionally, too. Mike didn't look like he was watching. His face was stiff as he glared toward the fringe of curtain above the screen. I settled in to endure the two hours, watching the colors and the movement on the screen rather than seeing the shapes of people and cars and houses. But then Jacob started sniggering. â€Å"What?† I whispered. â€Å"Oh, c'mon!† he hissed back. â€Å"The blood squirted twenty feet out of that guy. How fake can you get?† He chuckled again, as a flagpole speared another man into a concrete wall. After that, I really watched the show, laughing with him as the mayhem got more and more ridiculous. How was I ever going to fight the blurring lines in our relationship when I enjoyed being with him so much? Both Jacob and Mike had claimed the armrests on either side of me. Both of their hands rested lightly, palms up, in an unnatural looking position. Like steel bear traps, open and ready. Jacob was in the habit of taking my hand whenever the opportunity presented itself, but here in the darkened movie theater, with Mike watching, it would have a different significanceand I was sure he knew that. I couldn't believe that Mike was thinking the same thing, but his hand was placed exactly like Jacob's. I folded my arms tightly across my chest and hoped that both their hands fell asleep. Mike gave up first. About halfway through the movie, he pulled his arm back, and leaned forward to put his head in his hands. At first I thought he was reacting to something on the screen, but then he moaned. â€Å"Mike, are you okay?† I whispered. The couple in front of us turned to look at him as he groaned again. I could see the sheen of sweat across his face in the light from the screen. Mike groaned again, and bolted for the door. I got up to follow him, and Jacob copied me immediately. â€Å"No, stay,† I whispered. â€Å"I'll make sure he's okay.† Jacob came with me anyway. â€Å"You don't have to come. Get your eight bucks worth of carnage,† I insisted as we walked up the aisle. â€Å"That's okay. You sure can pick them, Bella. This movie really sucks.† His voice rose from a whisper to its normal pitch as we walked out of the theater. There was no sign of Mike in the hallway, and I was glad then that Jacob had come with mehe ducked into the men's bathroom to check for him there. Jacob was back in a few seconds. â€Å"Oh, he's in there, all right,† he said, rolling his eyes. â€Å"What a marshmallow. You should hold out for someone with a stronger stomach. Someone who laughs at the gore that makes weaker men vomit.† â€Å"I'll keep my eyes open for someone like that.† We were all alone in the hallway. Both theaters were halfway through the movie, and it was desertedquiet enough for us to hear the popcorn popping at the concession counter in the lobby. Jacob went to sit on the velveteen-upholstered bench against the wall, patting the space beside him. â€Å"He sounded like he was going to be in there for a while,† he said, stretching his long legs out in front of him as he settled in to wait. I joined him with a sigh. He looked like he was thinking about blurring more lines. Sure enough, as soon as I sat down, he shifted over to put his arm around my shoulders. â€Å"Jake,† I protested, leaning away. He dropped his arm, not looking bothered at all by the minor rejection. He reached out and took my hand firmly, wrapping his other hand around my wrist when I tried to pull away again. Where did he get the confidence from? â€Å"Now, just hold on a minute, Bella,† he said in a calm voice. â€Å"Tell me something.† I grimaced. I didn't want to do this. Not just not now, but not ever. There was nothing lett in my life at this point that was more important than Jacob Black. But he seemed determined to ruin everything. â€Å"What?† I muttered sourly. â€Å"You like me, right?† â€Å"You know I do.† â€Å"Better than that joker puking his guts out in there?† He gestured toward the bathroom door. â€Å"Yes,† I sighed. â€Å"Better than any of the other guys you know?† He was calm, sereneas if my answer didn't matter, or he already knew what it was. â€Å"Better than the girls, too,† I pointed out. â€Å"But that's all,† he said, and it wasn't a question. It was hard to answer, to say the word. Would he get hurt and avoid me? How would I stand that? â€Å"Yes,† I whispered. He grinned down at me. â€Å"That's okay, you know. As long as you like me the best. And you think I'm good-lookingsort of. I'm prepared to be annoyingly persistent.† â€Å"I'm not going to change,† I said, and though I tried to keep my voice normal, I could hear the sadness in it. His face was thoughtful, no longer teasing. â€Å"It's still the other one, isn't it?† I cringed. Funny how he seemed to know not to say the namejust like before in the car with the music. He picked up on so much about me that I never said. â€Å"You don't have to talk about it,† he told me. I nodded, grateful. â€Å"But don't get mad at me for hanging around, okay?† Jacob patted the back of my hand. â€Å"Because I'm not giving up. I've got loads of time.† I sighed. â€Å"You shouldn't waste it on me,† I said, though I wanted him to. Especially if he was willing to accept me the way I wasdamaged goods, as is. â€Å"It's what I want to do, as long as you still like to be with me.† â€Å"I can't imagine how I could not like being with you,† I told him honestly. Jacob beamed. â€Å"I can live with that.† â€Å"Just don't expect more,† I warned him, trying to pull my hand away. He held onto it obstinately. â€Å"This doesn't really bother you, does it?† he demanded, squeezing my fingers. â€Å"No,† I sighed. Truthfully, it felt nice. His hand was so much warmer than mine; I always felt too cold these days. â€Å"And you don't care what he thinks.† Jacob jerked his thumb toward the bathroom. â€Å"I guess not.† â€Å"So what's the problem?† â€Å"The problem,† I said, â€Å"is, that it means something different to me than it does to you.† â€Å"Well.† He tightened his hand around mine â€Å"That's my problem, isn't it?† â€Å"Fine,† I grumbled. â€Å"Don't forget it, though.† â€Å"I won't. The pin's out of the grenade for me, now, eh?† He poked me in the ribs. I rolled my eyes. I guess if he felt like making a joke out of it, he was entitled. He chuckled quietly for a minute while his pinky finger absently traced designs against the side of my hand. â€Å"That's a funny scar you've got there,† he suddenly said, twisting my hand to examine it. â€Å"How did that happen?† The index finger of his free hand followed the line of the long silvery crescent that was barely visible against my pale skin. I scowled. â€Å"Do you honestly expect me to remember where all my scars come from?† I waited for the memory to hitto open the gaping hole. But, as it so often did, Jacob's presence kept me whole. â€Å"It's cold,† he murmured, pressing lightly against the place where James had cut me with his teeth. And then Mike stumbled out of the bathroom, his face ashen and covered in sweat. He looked horrible. â€Å"Oh, Mike,† I gasped. â€Å"Do you mind leaving early?† he whispered. â€Å"No, of course not.† I pulled my hand free and went to help Mike walk. He looked unsteady. â€Å"Movie too much for you?† Jacob asked heartlessly. Mike's glare was malevolent. â€Å"I didn't actually see any of it,† he mumbled. â€Å"I was nauseated before the lights went down.† â€Å"Why didn't you say something?† I scolded as we staggered toward the exit. â€Å"I was hoping it would pass,† he said. â€Å"Just a sec,† Jacob said as we reached the door. He walked quickly back to the concession stand. â€Å"Could I have an empty popcorn bucket?† he asked the salesgirl. She looked at Mike once, and then thrust a bucket at Jacob. â€Å"Get him outside, please,† she begged. She was obviously the one who would have to clean the floor. I towed Mike out into the cool, wet air. He inhaled deeply. Jacob was right behind us. He helped me get Mike into the back of the car, and handed him the bucket with a serious gaze. â€Å"Please,† was all Jacob said. We rolled down the windows, letting the icy night air blow through the car, hoping it would help Mike. I curled my arms around my legs to keep warm. â€Å"Cold, again?† Jacob asked, putting his arm around me before I could answer. â€Å"You're not?† He shook his head. â€Å"You must have a fever or something,† I grumbled. It was freezing. I touched my fingers to his forehead, and his head was hot. â€Å"Whoa, Jakeyou're burning up!† â€Å"I feel fine.† He shrugged. â€Å"Fit as a fiddle.† I frowned and touched his head again. His skin blazed under my fingers. â€Å"Your hands are like ice,† he complained. â€Å"Maybe it's me,† I allowed. Mike groaned in the backseat, and threw up in the bucket. I grimaced, hoping my own stomach could stand the sound and smell. Jacob checked anxiously over his shoulder to make sure his car wasn't defiled. The road felt longer on the way back. Jacob was quiet, thoughtful. He left his arm around me, and it was so warm that the cold wind felt good. I stared out the windshield, consumed with guilt. It was so wrong to encourage Jacob. Pure selfishness. It didn't matter that I'd tried to make my position clear. If he felt any hope at all that this could turn into something other than friendship, then I hadn't been clear enough. How could I explain so that he would understand? I was an empty shell. Like a vacant housecondemnedfor months I'd been utterly uninhabitable. Now I was a little improved. The front room was in better repair. But that was alljust the one small piece. He deserved better than thatbetter than a one-room, falling-down fixer-upper. No amount of investment on his part could put me back in working order. Yet I knew that I wouldn't send him away, regardless. I needed him too much, and I was selfish. Maybe I could make my side more clear, so that he would know to leave me. The thought made me shudder, and Jacob tightened his arm around me. I drove Mike home in his Suburban, while Jacob followed behind us to take me home. Jacob was quiet all the way back to my house, and I wondered if he were thinking the same things that I was. Maybe he was changing his mind. â€Å"I would invite myself in, since we're early,† he said as we pulled up next to my truck. â€Å"But I think you might be right about the fever. I'm starting to feel a little strange.† â€Å"Oh no, not you, too! Do you want me to drive you home?† â€Å"No.† He shook his head, his eyebrows pulling together. â€Å"I don't feel sick yet. Just wrong. If I have to, I'll pull over.† â€Å"Will you call me as soon as you get in?† I asked anxiously. â€Å"Sure, sure.† He frowned, staring ahead into the darkness and biting his lip. I opened my door to get out, but he grabbed my wrist lightly and held me there. I noticed again how hot his skin felt on mine. â€Å"What is it, Jake?† I asked. â€Å"There's something I want to tell you, Bella but I think it's going to sound kind of corny.† I sighed. This would be more of the same from the theater. â€Å"Go ahead.† â€Å"It's just that, I know how you're unhappy a lot. And, maybe it doesn't help anything, but I wanted you to know that I'm always here. I won't ever let you downI promise that you can always count on me. Wow, that does sound corny. But you know that, right? That I would never, ever hurt you?† â€Å"Yeah, Jake. I know that. And I already do count on you, probably more than you know.† The smile broke across his face the way the sunrise set the clouds on fire, and I wanted to cut my tongue out. I hadn't said one word that was a lie, but I should have lied. The truth was wrong, it would hurt him. I would let him down. A strange look crossed his face. â€Å"I really think I'd better go home now,† he said. I got out quickly. â€Å"Call me!† I yelled as he pulled away. I watched him go, and he seemed to be in control of the car, at least. I stared at the empty street when he was gone, feeling a little sick myself, but not for any physical reason. How much I wished that Jacob Black had been born my brother, my flesh-and -blood brother, so that I would have some legitimate claim on him that still left me free of any blame now. Heaven knows I had never wanted to use Jacob, but I couldn't help but interpret the guilt I felt now to mean that I had. Even more, I had never meant to love him. One thing I truly knewknew it in the pit of my stomach, in the center of my bones, knew it from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet, knew it deep in my empty chestwas how love gave someone the power to break you. I'd been broken beyond repair. But I needed Jacob now, needed him like a drug. I'd used him as a crutch for too long, and I was in deeper than I'd planned to go with anyone again. Now I couldn't bear for him to be hurt, and I couldn't keep from hurting him, either. He thought time and patience would change me, and, though I knew he was dead wrong, I also knew that I would let him try. He was my best friend. I would always love him, and it would never, ever be enough. I went inside to sit by the phone and bite my nails. â€Å"Movie over already?† Charlie asked in surprise when I came in. He was on the floor, just a foot from the TV. Must be an exciting game. â€Å"Mike got sick,† I explained. â€Å"Some kind of stomach flu.† â€Å"You okay?† â€Å"I feel fine now,† I said doubtfully. Clearly, I'd been exposed. I leaned against the kitchen counter, my hand inches from the phone, and tried to wait patiently. I thought of the strange look on Jacob's face before he drove away, and my fingers started drumming against the counter. I should have insisted on driving him home. I watched the clock as the minutes ticked by Ten. Fifteen. Even when I was driving, it took only fifteen minutes, and Jacob drove faster than I did. Eighteen minutes. I picked up the phone and dialed. It rang and rang. Maybe Billy was asleep. Maybe I'd dialed wrong. I tried again. On the eighth ring, just as I was about to hang up, Billy answered. â€Å"Hello?† he asked. His voice was wary, like he was expecting bad news. â€Å"Billy, it's me, Belladid Jake make it home yet? He left here about twenty minutes ago.† â€Å"He's here,† Billy said tonelessly. â€Å"He was supposed to call me.† I was a little irritated. â€Å"He was getting sick when he left, and I was worried.† â€Å"He was too sick to call. He's not feeling well right now.† Billy sounded distant. I realized he must want to be with Jacob. â€Å"Let me know if you need any help,† I offered. â€Å"I could come down.† I thought of Billy, stuck in his chair, and Jake fending for himself â€Å"No, no,† Billy said quickly. â€Å"We're fine. Stay at your place.† The way he said it was almost rude. â€Å"Okay,† I agreed. â€Å"Bye, Bella.† The line disconnected. â€Å"Bye,† I muttered. Well, at least he'd made it home. Oddly, I didn't feel less worried. I trudged up the stairs, fretting. Maybe I would go down before work tomorrow to check on him. I could take soupwe had to have a can of Campbell's around here somewhere. I realized all such plans were canceled when I woke up earlymy clock said four thirtyand sprinted to the bathroom. Charlie found me there a half hour later, lying on the floor, my cheek pressed against the cold edge of the bathtub. He looked at me for a long moment. â€Å"Stomach flu,† he finally said. â€Å"Yes,† I moaned. â€Å"You need something?† he asked. â€Å"Call the Newtons for me, please,† I instructed hoarsely. â€Å"Tell them I have what Mike has, and that I can't make it in today. Tell them I'm sorry.† â€Å"Sure, no problem,† Charlie assured me. I spent the rest of the day on the bathroom floor, sleeping for a few hours with my head on a crumpled up towel. Charlie claimed that he had to work, but I suspected that he just wanted access to a bathroom. He left a glass of water on the floor beside me to keep me hydrated. It woke me up when he came back home. I could see that it was dark in my roomafter nightfall. He clumped up the stairs to check on me. â€Å"Stillalive?† â€Å"Sort of,† I said. â€Å"Do you want anything?† â€Å"No, thanks.† He hesitated, clearly out of his element. â€Å"Okay, then,† he said, and then he went back down to the kitchen. I heard the phone ring a few minutes later. Charlie spoke to someone in a low voice for a moment, and then hung up. â€Å"Mike feels better,† he called up to me. Well, that was encouraging. He'd only gotten sick eight hours or so before me. Eight more hours. The thought made my stomach turn, and I pulled myself up to lean over the toilet. I fell asleep on the towel again, but when I woke up I was in my bed and it was light outside my window. I didn't remember moving; Charlie must have carried me to my roomhe'd also put the glass of water on my bedside table. I felt parched. I chugged it down, though it tasted funny from sitting stagnant all night. I got up slowly, trying not to trigger the nausea again. I was weak, and my mouth tasted horrible, but my stomach felt fine. I looked at my clock. My twenty-four hours were up. I didn't push it, eating nothing but saltine crackers for breakfast. Charlie looked relieved to see me recovered. As soon as I was sure that I wasn't going to have to spend the day on the bathroom floor again, I called Jacob. Jacob was the one who answered, but when I heard his greeting I knew he wasn't over it. â€Å"Hello?† His voice was broken, cracking. â€Å"Oh, Jake,† I groaned sympathetically. â€Å"You sound horrible.† â€Å"I feel horrible,† he whispered. â€Å"I'm so sorry I made you go out with me. This sucks.† â€Å"I'm glad I went.† His voice was still a whisper. â€Å"Don't blame yourself. This isn't your fault.† â€Å"You'll get better soon,† I promised. â€Å"I woke up this morning, and I was fine.† â€Å"You were sick?† he asked dully. â€Å"Yes, I got it, too. But I'm fine now.† â€Å"That's good.† His voice was dead. â€Å"So you'll probably be better in a few hours,† I encouraged. I could barely hear his answer. â€Å"I don't think I have the same thing you did.† â€Å"Don't you have the stomach flu?† I asked, confused. â€Å"No. This is something else.† â€Å"What's wrong with you?† â€Å"Everything,† he whispered. â€Å"Every part of me hurts.† The pain in his voice was nearly tangible. â€Å"What can I do, Jake? What can I bring you?† â€Å"Nothing. You can't come here.† He was abrupt. It reminded me of Billy the other night. â€Å"I've already been exposed to whatever you have,† I pointed out. He ignored me. â€Å"I'll call you when I can. I'll let you know when you can come down again.† â€Å"Jacob† â€Å"I've got to go,† he said with sudden urgency. â€Å"Call me when you feel better.† â€Å"Right,† he agreed, and his voice had a strange, bitter edge. He was silent for a moment. I was waiting for him to say goodbye, but he waited too. â€Å"I'll see you soon,† I finally said. â€Å"Wait for me to call,† he said again. â€Å"Okay Bye, Jacob.† â€Å"Bella,† he whispered my name, and then hung up the phone.

Employee engagement Essays

Employee engagement Essays Employee engagement Essay Employee engagement Essay Employee engagement nowadays plays a more and more crucial role in workplace, as a powerful measurement of individual performance. Engaged employees are able to fully understand organizations objectives and goals, align with its interest, maximize their productivity. Regardless its importance, the literature theories of employee engagement are only been developed over the past two decades. Therefore, how to better apply the theories and link them to practice In workplace gets more and more concerns. The aim of this article is to explore different factors that are able to significantly affect employee engagement through the studies of nine long-term care (LET) facilities in Italy and the delivery business of New Zealand Post, moreover the study of FMC Company In India helps to support the arguments statistically. Furthermore, we will seek corresponding strategies to improve employee engagement. In particular, effective leadership and developing opportunity have direct effects on increasing work engagement. Furthermore, positive work environment and other factors also play a significant positive role in stimulating work performance. Employee engagement Is defined as a partnership relationship twine employees and organization, which requires an Individuals Involvement and enthusiasm for work, as well as active support from organization. The concept of employee engagement was first published by Kahn (1990) who suggesting engagement is affected by meaningfulness, safety and availability, which is in relation to Machs definition as high levels of activation and pleasant (2001). Sing the available positive psychology framework, engagement was further conceptualized as an individuals involvement, satisfaction with as well as enthusiasm for work (Harder et al. , 2002, p. 417). Moreover, Asks Multidimensional approach suggests that Job engagement significantly differs from the organizational engagement on various Job-related factors such as Job characteristics, organizational commitment and fai rness. Defining employee engagement still remains problematic, In the limited research on this topic these four approaches form a basic framework for the concept of work engagement from physical, emotional and cognitive aspects. As what suggested In the statistical results from FMC study, the following variables all contribute positively and significantly to employee: supervisor support, developing opportunities, positive work environment, decision authority, job characteristic. The maintenance of high level of employee engagement largely depends on effective leadership support O. Aristocrats J. Parker, 2013). As the models suggested, activation (Miasmal, 2001) and employee involvement (Harder, 2002) are positively associated with the degree of supervisor support. In the current workforce, the complexity for employees on meeting Job criteria and handing interpersonal relationship requires managers to manage workforce performance, deal with employee relations and deliver consistent results. This strategy was applied on the poesies successfully and got favorable results. Regular face-to-face talk with employees helps Individuals to be better Involved, activated and forming a stronger bond between Individual and organization. Therefore, as a mean to Improve employee engagement, organization is expected to offer a range of management management. Opportunity offer plays a key role in boosting active role performances and individual motivation. Room to develop enables employees to continuously increase their own professional abilities in carrying out their work. The accumulation f skills avoids people from stress and fears to challenges, prevent exhaustion that erodes engagement (Miasmal, 2001), and boost labor productivity. Opportunity also refers to the availability of organizational resources such as budge and manpower. So it is essential to encourage employees to make good use of provided learning resources in workplace such as structured learning on the Job, workshops, courses, library resources, etc. Positive work environment is recognized as an organizational culture that promotes individual rights, respect, fairness, trust and a balance of work and fun 0. Aristocrats J. Parker, 2014). This is an effective means to sustain high performance. It also refers to a high degree of cognitive commitment. It is obvious that managers play a key role in the function of providing such a positive work environment. Decision authority is considered to be one of the most important drivers in account for employee engagement. Taking employees perspective into consideration shows appreciation to their abilities and allows them to take ownership of their roles. This greatly stimulates employees motivation, activation and involvement and enthusiasm with their Jobs, as well as Job satisfaction. Differ from the statistical result from FMC, the L ETC contexts suggested decision authority plays a negative role in explaining work engagement (Sari, 2014) due to potential Job complexity. This expects managers to provide employees with decision-making authority when appropriate. Job characteristic refers to Job autonomy, Job pay and job definition. Job autonomy ultimately makes employee feel a sense of responsibility of their own choices, which positively brings energy, motivation and effort to work, and contributes to a higher self-efficacy. New recruitment is a mean to better match people to Jobs and help to clarify their own roles. So introduction of new rules and work design may be a good idea. Engaged employees nowadays are increasingly needed by organizations for the purpose of better meet desired organization outcomes as an individual, at the same time ensure their own sense of well-being. In particular, engagement is two-way: individual add value to the organization and the organization helps people to realize their own potential and worth, they reinforce each other. With the great significant of maintaining a high level of employee engagement, the development of the unclear concept of engagement is now further explored and developed in HARD landscape at a fast pace. The studies demonstrate that there is a bundle of Job resources able to explain individuals degree of engagement in their work, particularly, the most significantly affective drivers of employee engagement are supervisor support, development and growth opportunity and work environment, decision authority and Job characteristics. Among all, effective leadership is the most essential issue to guarantee the successful implementation of other strategies.

Do Third-Party Social Media Tools Impact Facebook Organic Reach

Do Third-Party Social Media Tools Impact Facebook Organic Reach â€Å"So, does Facebook penalize posts from your tool?† This is a common question we get asked. Typically, it’ll be sparked by underperforming posts. Or, a curious marketer will stumble upon rumor claiming posts third-party tools receive diminished organic reach. It’s easy to see why this issue causes concern. You put a lot of work into building your social media presence. While scheduling posts manually is very nearly impossible at scale, you don’t want to risk your business with tools that hurt more than help. Let’s answer this question once and for all. What You Need to Know about Social Media Tools and Facebook Organic ReachCan I Get a Yes Or No Answer? If you’re busy, the short answer is no. Facebook does not penalize posts from third-party tools. The posts you create with (or any other tool) will perform as well as those posted manually. While it’s true that Facebook used to penalize such tools, that changed in 2011. When that announcement came out, the folks at Buffer had it covered. Here’s what Facebook development consultant Matt Trainer had to say: â€Å"†¦we recently made a fix that added more signals to detect good quality posting behavior. This should improve the situation with the distribution of posts coming from third-party apps in the News Feed.† *cue deep sigh of relief* And with that, we’ll let you get back to work. *cue deep sigh of relief* And with that, we’ll let you get back to work. The Source of the Problem Facebook organic reach has been declining on brand pages for a long time. That much isn’t a secret. In fact, Marketing Land reported back in August of 2016 that organic reach was down 52%  for brands at that time. It certainly hasn’t gotten any better since then, either. What brands can actually do about it, though, is another matter. The fact is there are no easy solutions for marketers to succeed on Facebook. It takes strategy, creativity, and a lot of hard work. No short cuts. When it comes time to report metrics though, marketers need answers for their organizations. â€Å"Reach is down, and we don’t know why† isn’t something any business owner wants to hear. Even if your organic reach is hitting the slopes, you still need two things: A compelling answer for what’s going on. A plan to mitigate the technical challenges to marketing on Facebook. In trying to address the issue, the tools involved are bound to be questioned. Sometimes, rumors die hard. The old yarn about Facebook penalizing third-party tools refuses to go away. And as long as reach declines, it’ll likely remain in the discussion. The truth is that Facebook has explicitly said posts from third-party tools aren’t penalized. In fact, data from Buffer  and this report from AgoraPulse supports this. So, If My Reach Still Looks Low, What’s the Real Issue? There could be at least a couple factors at play. Everyone’s situation is different, though. It’s tough to guess at why one page may underperform while another excels. But, here are two different areas where we’d recommend taking a look. Do People Like Your Content? Engagement (likes, clicks, and shares) can help give your reach a post. Facebook wants to reward content people enjoy, after all. If people aren’t interested in your posts, engagement is naturally going to drop. In this case, it might be worth reassessing your Facebook content strategy. Mixing it up with different types of messaging, or different forms of content  might help. For example, you might try posting more videos. Or, perhaps multi-image posts might be more appealing. These are just some examples. Of course, there could be other intangible elements of your content to investigate, too. Here are some things to consider: Are my images strong?  Visual content is important on Facebook. Analyze images that have done well in the past, and reverse-engineer your own success. Is my copy off-target?  It’s possible your messaging might not be resonating with your audience, either. Try approaching this the same way you would with your visuals. Take a look at posts that have done well in the past, and see if you can identify any common themes. Do all of my posts include links? Facebook is an important platform for driving traffic back to your blog or website. However, not every post necessarily needs to have a link. Facebook wants you to spend more time on their own platform, right? So, feed Facebook creative content that can stand on its own without a link. You might not always get referral traffic, but you can still reinforce your brand message. Are You Posting At the Best Times? If reach is partially influenced by engagement, then you need to be posting when your audience is most active. So, if your social posts are underperforming, it could be that your posting times aren’t optimized for your audience. mitigates this problem with our Best Time Scheduling feature, which intelligently schedules posts at the best times for your audience. Take a look at your Facebook Insights and see which times appear to perform best. Or, if you’re setting times manually for your posts in , take a look at your Social Engagement Reports. Dig through your past 20 or 30 posts or so (to have a decent sample size), and make note of which times appeared to perform best. You might learn your audience is more active at certain times, or on certain days. Recommended Reading: What 16 Studies Say About the Best Times to Post on Social Media How to Use Social Media Analytics to Create the Best Content How to Make the Best Social Media Images the Easy Way (+84 Free Images) How to Write for Social Media to Create the Best PostsIs your #Facebook #reach declining? Heres what to do about it.Are Your Posts Overly Promotional? Facebook cracked down on promotional posts back in late 2014. What is a promotional post exactly? Promotional posts are most easily categorized as organic posts that sound like ads. If your posts Include hard calls-to-action (ex: Buy Now, Read This, etc.). Incorporate dollar signs or other dead giveaways that youre directly selling something. Promote contests without creative context (ex: Like this post to win a free iPad) then you can expect your posts to be demoted in the newsfeed. Heres the official word from Facebook: According to people we surveyed, there are some consistent traits that make organic posts feel too promotional: Posts that solely push people to buy a product or install an app Posts that push people to enter promotions and sweepstakes with no real context Posts that reuse the exact same content from ads And heres an example of what Facebook considers a promotional post: So, whats a marketer to do? Put your users first. Think, What would my audience want to see on Facebook? Get creative. Create Facebook content thats entertaining and connects with your audiences interests. Pay to promote posts or run Facebook ads. If you want to directly push products on Facebook, then pay for those posts. If youre just getting started with Facebook advertising, check out this guide from Neil Patel. We also recommend this guide from Convince And Convert on promoting posts, too. There You Have It, Another Case Closed You now know that third-party tools aren’t penalized by Facebook. In addition, you now have some starting points to help you improve your organic reach on the platform, too. If you have any lingering questions, comments, or concerns, drop us a comment below!

Managed innovation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Managed innovation - Essay Example Managed innovation Competition brings in the need for companies to be innovative so as maintain and improve their market position. For a company to achieve all this, it must know how to identify the correct innovation management tools, which are of exceptional significant in realizing its goals. The key to a better innovation process is management of the innovation process. What is innovation? Does managed innovation promote innovation process? What are the gains and losses of managed innovation? The term innovation refers to a process of transforming plans into products to increase customer’s value. Innovation process is the key to success of a company. The need to rise to the top is the main reason why many American companies have ended up falling in love with the innovation idea. It is notable that there are vast dangers that arise with the innovation process. Majority of the companies view innovation as an idea that only benefits the company and thus causing them to keep innovating in all fi elds of the company. However, innovation is a costly process, disruptive and difficult. It is essential to consider both the cost of innovation and the benefits that it will bring so as to place innovation and innovators at the right places. For a company like Google, it took years to gain its current status in the world. Good management strategies have enabled Google to be on the forefront in innovation. An example of strategy that the management has embarked on is strategic patience and endurance. Strategic patience is strategies of letting time take care of at least part of the process. Throughout the years, Google has remarkably shown strategic patience in all its sectors (Lyer and Davenport 126). Through this strategy, Google has managed to achieve a lot by embarking on ventures involving television and radio advertising, social networking, online productivity, online payments, mobile phone operating systems, blogging, and many more information domains. There are numerous manag ement tools that Google has not yet developed, but through this strategy it has managed to acquire such tools from other companies. These tools include YouTube for online video, Picasa for photo management, DoubleClick for web ads, urchin for web analytics; now Google Analytics, Keyhole for satellite photos; now Google earth. If it were not for its strategic patience, Google would still be dragging behind. The short term goal of the company is not as necessary as the long term goal. It will take approximately three hundred years to reach its goal of organizing the world’s information. Rewarding of employees is another managerial concept that has enabled many companies to scale higher than expected. Financial reward and honorary are some of the ways that different companies uses to motivate upcoming entrepreneurs and innovators (Ireland and Hoskisson 78). What most of the innovative employee want is to see their idea nurtured to become a reality and their effort rewarded. The top most companies have been on the forefront in rewarding outstanding entrepreneurial achievements hence motivating them to work extra hard to achieve more. All these achievements made are for the better of the company. On the other hand, it is of concern to note that not all innovations that succeeds. Some fail and how the company handles those cases are as relevant as dealing with success. Innovative companies and any other upcoming company should emulate such managerial strategies to improve the status

How the employee motivation techniques and theories currently being Dissertation

How the employee motivation techniques and theories currently being used in different organisations can be changed or improved t - Dissertation Example By examining the factors that lead to job satisfaction and dissatisfaction, the report intends to establish employee motivation techniques and strategies that organizations can employee for long term employee retention. Qualitative data was collected from employees of Standard Chartered and CO-Operative banks in the United Kingdom. The factors that made employees have job satisfaction and be motivated were explored in detail. The main focus of this study is on what sustainable measures organizations can use to motivate their employees in order to reduce employee turnover. The study was based on different motivation theories that were used to guide data collection and analysis. Table of Contents Acknowledgements 2 Abstract 3 CHAPTER ONE 1 1.0 Introduction 1 1.1Background of the Study 2 1.3 Statement of the Problem 3 1.4 Purpose of the Study 3 1.5 Research Questions 3 1.6 Research Objectives 4 CHAPTER TWO 4 2.0 Literature Review 4 2.1 Employee Retention 5 2.2 Motivation 6 2.3 Employee Motivation 6 2.4 Need Theories of Motivation 7 2.4.1 Maslow’s hierarchy of needs 7 2.4.2 Herzberg’s two factor theory 8 2.5 Equity Theory 9 2.6 Vroom’s Expectancy Theory 10 2.7Job Design 12 2.7.1 Job characteristics model 12 CHAPTER THREE 15 3.0 Research Methodology 15 3.1Research Philosophy 15 3.1.1 Positivism 15 3.1.2 Interpretivism 16 3.2 Research Design 16 3.3 Research Strategy 17 3.3.1 Case study 17   3.4 Population 18 3.5 Data Collection and Instrumentation 18 3.6 Data Analysis 19 3.7 Ethical Considerations 20 3.8 Limitations and De-limitations 21 CHAPTER FOUR 22 4.0 Data Presentation and Analysis 22 4.1 Participant Demographics 22 4.2 Job Satisfaction Factors 23 4.3 Case Study Analysis 25 CHAPTER FIVE 26 5.0 Conclusion and Recommendations 26 5.2 Recommendations 27 5.2.1 Work-life balance consideration 27 5.2.2Transformational leadership and management 27 Works Cited 28 List of Figures Figure 1: Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (Maslow, 54)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦..8 Figure 2: Vroom’s theory of expectancy model (Vroom, 1964)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..10 Figure 3: Job Characteristics Model of Work Motivation (Hackman & Oldham, 78).................14 Figure 4: Factors for employee motivation...................................................................................25 List of Tables Table 1: Issues to Address Concerning Employees with Regard to Expectancy Theory†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.....11 Table 2: Demographics of the study participants..........................................................................23 Table 3: Response of Participants on Factors for Employee Motivation.....................................23 CHAPTER ONE 1.0 Introduction It is the goal of every organization and business to be successful and have competitive advantage in its industry. In the contemporary b usiness environment, characterized by globalization and changing demographics such as Generation Y, organizations face many challenges in their quest to remain competitive. Additionally, advances in information and communications technologies (ICT) and changing consumer patterns have driven organizations globally to adopt new organizational structures and methods of production that have greatly enhanced the mobility of people, and in turn, facilitated the rate of employee turnover. An organization’s human capital is its greatest resource and crucial to its success or failure. In most cases, qualified and well-trained staff who are committed and motivated can be a source of competitive advantage. Losing competent employees can be detrimental to the productivity of an organization. With regard to this, recruiting the right employees is a challenge, but retaining these employees is