Arts along with the downward Essay

Due to factors related to funding for the arts along with the downward turning in the United States economy, a proposal was made for the merger of the Utah Symphony along with the Utah Opera companies. The dire situation confronting the arts community became more and more apparent reaching a crisis level in 2001. The Utah Symphony Orchestra was close to a deficit as noted by Scott Parker, â€Å"Speed of action was essential†¦I knew that there was a possibility that we could quickly find ourselves over the edge,† (DeLong & Ager, 2004).There is very little precedence for mergers between a major symphony orchestra and opera companies in the history of the United States. The two examples offered in the history, the merger of the Madison Symphony Orchestra and the Madison Opera in 1963 along with the Chattanooga Symphony and the Chattanooga Opera in 1985, resulted in either the companies remaining intact for a period of time or in them separating due to different ideologies an d methodologies. The two significant characters are Anne Ewers, who was asked to consider the position of CEO of the combined opera and symphony companies, and Keith Lockhart who is the very respected, long-time, music director and conductor of the Utah Symphony Orchestra. Both were invited to lead the merger in December, 2001. Given two very divergent cultures, they faced a very challenging process of uniting the two companies. The symphony environment is slow to change where as the opera was more adept to challenges and change. The executive committee felt ambivalent initially about the merger but due to the need to alleviate some of the financial pressures the organizations faced, they eventually agreed. However, opposition to the merger include members of the community as the audience and the musicians. Lockhart has a very delicate position as the musicians look to him to protect their interests. So he held in tension the trust of the musicians and the viability of the organization as a whole. The musicians came up with some guiding principles they felt the merged entity needed to honor. The community also expressed its concern regarding the possible â€Å"loss of status† of the symphony if merged with the opera. They also questioned Ewers’ ability to manage the new entity due to her lack of experience in running a symphony orchestra. Both Ewers and Lockhart faced a tremendous task as they set out to bring in the reigns on the merger. The board needs to utilize their motivation skills as they help drum up support  for the merger. Ann also needs to understand her power and utilize it to persuade the community and the musicians that a merger would ultimately benefit the future of both entities. We will also explore her influence tactics. Bill Bailey: Motivation is the reason or reasons that a person has for behaving the way he or she does and those reasons are typically a very complex phenomena. One of the most popular explanation for motivation is based upon the needs of the individual. This is also known as the â€Å"basic needs model,† referred to as the content theory of motivation (Cliffs Notes, 2012). Basically, all individuals want their basic needs satisfied. Those needs are either primary such as the biological need for food, sleep, and basic survival; or secondary needs such as those needs of psychological well-being such as the desire for power, success, and love. The identification of the secondary needs are much more complex since they vary in their definition by the individual due to cultural and experiential factors. Several different theories exist to explain the needs of individuals as the source of motivation because unmet needs motivate individuals to pursue and satisfy them. Abraham Maslow has a theory which involve five basic needs (Kreitner & Kinicki, 2010). His list of basic needs include, â€Å"physiological, safety, love, esteem, and self-actualization,† which influence behavior. He ranked these needs in a hierarchical order since there are levels of need which come into play when a lower need has been satisfied. These needs influence a person’s attitudes and behaviors in that they create a compulsion to satisfy the deficiencies. His theory holds to the premise that unsatisfied needs motivate and influence behavior. A satisfied no longer motivates since people do not need to act to fill a deprivation. The physiological needs motivates an individual to find comfort, rest, refreshment and reasonable work conditions. The safety needs motivates an individual to look for job security, adequate compensation and benefits, and safe work conditions. The love/social needs motivates one to find friendly co-workers, a pleasant and supportive supervisor, and good interaction with customers. Esteem needs motivates an individual to seek an important job which may offer a promotion to a higher status level and greater recognition. Self-actualization needs  may cause an individual to seek participation in the decision-making process also with creative and challenging tasks. Leaders may tap into the different needs as described by Maslow to motivate individuals towards a particular agenda. Mr. Bailey is the chairman of the board for the Utah Opera Organization. He may utilize Maslow’s five basic needs theory to raise support for the merger. Both the Utah Opera and Symphony Orchestra want to survive the financial implications of reduced funding and a dire economy which has contracted the patrons’ ability to support the arts. Mr. Bailey could appeal to satisfying their safety needs in that a merger would provide job security with the same amount of vacation for those involved. He could appeal to the social needs of the performers in the Orchestra by letting them know that Lockhart, who has been a trusted  leader, would continue to provide them with supervision as their conductor and leader even after the merger. Many of the musicians also expressed a concern that their artistic excellence would not be protected. Mr. Bailey could could appeal to their high-level needs as a means of motivating them to support their future as performers both individually and corporately. This involves motivation based upon their need for self-actualization. By letting them have autonomy in creativity and a role in decision-making, the performers could find continued challenge in their work. This would overlap with meeting their esteem needs in helping them to realize the importance of their roles. Understanding and utilizing Maslow’s theory can help Mr. Bailey with influencing the behavior of those involved in both organizations by appealing to their personal interests. Scott Parker: Scott Parker holds the position as the chairman of the board of the Utah Symphony. As a leader of that organization, he also faces the challenging task of finding influential supporters who would back the merger of the two companies. He could consider applying David McClelland’s theory of motivation (Kreitner & Kinick, 2010). McClelland recognized that each individual prioritizes their needs differently since individuals are not born with innate needs but the needs are learned through one’s life experiences. He identified three specific needs: the need for achievement  which drives one to excel towards accomplishments, the need for power which causes one to exert influence or encouragement for others to achieve, and the need for affiliation which is a desire for close interpersonal relationships. Individuals may have distinct needs demonstrated through their work preferences. Those wanting to motivate these individuals may shape the environment to meet these needs. For example, the high achievers would desire to do things better. Therefore, they find motivation in job situations with personal responsibility, feedback, and a moderate level of risk. Those with a high need for power would want to follow a path of subsequent promotions over time. They would desire to be in charge and have the opportunity to have status. Those with a need for affiliation would seek satisfying interpersonal relationships which would lead to companionship and approval. They would desire relationships with a high degree of mutual understanding and social approval. Mr. Parker identified Mrs. Abravanel as an influential individual who may help him persuade others to vote for the merger if he could motivate her to support this endeavor. Mrs. Abravanel ’s late husband, Maurice, was the maestro and music director for the Utah Symphony Orchestra for 32 years. Therefore, Mrs. Abravanel would be greatly interested in sustaining the prestige and excellence of the Symphony which her late husband had secured during his prime. Several of the musicians felt concerned that the orchestra would become â€Å"the appendage of the opera,† (DeLong & Ager, 2004) if Ewers became the CEO of the merged organization. They felt that Ewers would leave the Symphony with  a less significant role as the Opera. Since the musicians represent the largest internal interest group, Mr. Parker could appeal to Mrs. Abravanel’s desire to keep the Symphony in a place of power and stability for the future. It is said that Maurice Abravanel, â€Å"had a reputation of defending his musicians vociferously,† (DeLong & Ager, 2004). Perhaps Mrs. Abravanel shares her husband’s passion for a position of status for the Symphony. McClelland theorizes that those with a high need of power is likely to want a position of status and influence. Mr. Parker could appeal to Mrs. Abravanel and entrust her with the responsibility of influencing others towards the merger due to her husband’s legacy. Mr. Parker could also appeal to her need for achievement. High achieving individuals, according to  McClelland would want to know whether they are improving the quality of job situations. Maurice Abravanel secured full-year contracts with full-time salaries for his musicians. Mr. Parker could pitch this goal as a potential for the musicians if Mrs. Abravanel became a supporter of the merger. This would provide the Symphony with continued professional status as as achieved by her husband in his fight for the musicians. â€Å"The relationship between orchestra musicians and the Utah Symphony Board and management had not always been amicable. The board members had reopened the collective bargaining agreement and altered it such that the musicians were worse off in terms of their salaries,† (DeLong & Ager, 2004). McClelland in his theory sees each individual prioritizing their needs through learned experiences. Mr. Parker could appeal to Mrs. Abranavel’s desire and possible emotional need for continued affiliation with the Symphony because the success of it’s future is strongly related to her husband’s life endeavors. She would be representing her husband by her defense of the Orchestra’s future. Anne Ewers: Though the term â€Å"power† potentially evokes some negative connotations and strong feelings in some. It is, however, an essential part of effective leadership as managers and leaders need to influence subordinates towards organizational goals. Anne Ewers, as the future CEO of the merged organization has both positional power and personal power. Her positional power is legitimate due to her formal position. Thus, the power that she will use is necessary given her authority as a leader to effectively get things done. However, she could have a legitimate role as a leader and expect her subordinates to comply due to her role as their boss. This legitimate role could be expressed either positively or negatively in getting others to comply. Positive legitimate power would result in constructively improving those she would influence to work more effectively. Having negative legitimate power would influence subordinates to comply out of fear, shame, and intimidation. Anne also has referent power which is a power  which comes from her personality. As a leader, she could use charisma and magnetism to appeal to her followers. An effective leader ideally needs to  utilize all the â€Å"tools of the trade† which would include both positional (legitimate) and personal (referent) powers. A leader could have a legitimate role and lead others by authority because he or she is the â€Å"boss†. However, an employee could have referent power but not be the â€Å"boss† of a company, attracting and inspiring many by a force of personality. If Anne utilized both powers together, she would not only lead by her authority, but also inspire and appeal to her subordinates with charisma. Having a leader who uses both positive legitimate power and referent power together would foster a committed staff. She would make an excellent leader since, â€Å"Commitment is superior to compliance because it is driven by internal or intrinsic motivation,† (Kreitner & Kinick, 2010). We will further discuss Anne’s use of these two powers below. Ewer’s Positional Power: Ewers has positional power as the current director of the opera and the future CEO of the merged entity. Her position as the leader/director gives her legitimate authority thus, positional power is the same as â€Å"legitimate power.† Those who work under Ewers must comply if they want to keep their job since she has the authority to make decisions and fire those who refuse to comply with her decisions. She could either use this authority in a positive manner as she manages her employees for in a negative manner. If she utilized her power positively, she would improve job performance and morale with her decisions. She could also use her power in a negative way by threatening to fire her employees and coercing them by fear tactics or shaming her employees by publicizing their failures. Ewers would want to call meetings with leaders of the opera and orchestra so that she may utilize her legitimate power to build confidence and commitment. She wants to foster leaders who will be committed to the endeavors of the company rather than merely comply with the new company because they want job security since â€Å"employees who merely comply require frequent ‘jolts’ of power to keep them headed in a productive direction. Committed employees tend to be self-starters†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Kreitner & Kinick, 2010). Anne Ewers would expect that her new team of leaders share her commitment towards forming a successful new company. Ewer’s Personal Power: The use of personal power that Anne Ewers would use to influence managers is necessary as a positive force for the organization. She will need to enlist the support and empower Keith Lockhart by utilizing what Kreitner &  Kinick calls, â€Å"referent power.† This power is gained through a leader’s strong personality and relational skills which influences the follower’s loyalty and admiration. A leader needs to â€Å"organize a group of people to achieve a common goal,† (Wikipedia, 2012). This power becomes an integral part of a leader’s personal power and plays an important role as the leader needs to collaborate and influence the followers’ support. Leading by influence has increasingly replaced leading by coercion and control. If Ewers utilizes her referent power, she could influence Keith Lockhart to towards leading the Symphony towards the merger. Ewer’s relationship to Lockhart is one in need of referent power. Ewers has a talent for reducing debt as she retired a $450,000 debt as the general director of the Boston Lyric Opera. She has a knack for fund-raising as well. She could empower Lockhart with these skills as they work side-by-side. Because Lockhart has the loyalty of those in the symphony, Ewers needs to use referent power in order to secure his commitment. Ewers could have a meeting with Lockhart and promise him the co-leader position in the merger process. He knows the history of the symphony and has the trust of the musicians. She can empower him by helping him to see the benefits of the merger. By appealing to Lockhart and endorsing his support, Ewers has a better chance of diminishing the opposition from the musicians. If she increases in her referent power, then a need for coercion which often necessitates the use of punishment, would decrease. Musician Platforms: The symphony musicians have secured through their union, an annual salary between $50,000 and $85,000 which is above the average salary for a musician. Their salaries, benefits, and payroll taxes, were to increase even more over the next two years due to the union’s bargaining agreement. Given an organization change, their salary agreement would be challenged. More than their concern regarding their salaries, they were concerned about the  future of their artistic excellence and whether the new organization would support them. They also have a felt need for a successful fund-raising effort, an improved budget strategy for the orchestra, and a strong collective bargaining agreement. Having the stability provided by the union with a good salary, support for their artistic excellence, and a strong bargaining agreement, the possibility of a merger comes as a more of a threat than as an opportunity for advancement. If Anne does not address the issues which the musicians raised, the organization would not survive on multiple levels. First, with the faltering economy, the orchestra still had a contractual obligation to pay the above average salaries as secured through their union. The organization would collapse under the financial pressure due to the economy, the high salaries, and the decreased funding for the arts. Second, there needs to be a strong leader with business savvy  who could challenge and revise the bargaining agreement of the musicians since their salaries, benefits, and payroll taxes were scheduled to increase even more over a couple years which would push them over the edge financially. Third, the organization is in dire need of a quality leader who would command their respect but who would also hold to the same standards of artistic excellence. The organization is in jeopardy due to a lack of leadership since the CEO of the symphony would be leaving after 2002. Recommendations: Since the musicians have presented their set of guiding principles through Christine Osborne, the musicians’ chairwoman, Ewers with the support of the board need to provide a response. The support of the musicians in the merging process is paramount to the future of the new organization. The future of the musicians in the newly organized symphony also depends upon Ewer and Lockhart as the future leaders. Ewers has positional power which is legitimate given her authority as the future CEO of the merged organization. The question is how she would utilize her legitimacy. Would she exert a positive or a negative legitimate power? She can use her power as a constructive force to unite the two organizations with a mutual vision for profitability and artistic excellence. Anne could use her referent power to solicit participation in fund-raising efforts. By using her referent power,  she can forge a team built on loyalty and commitment. Given the principles presented by the musicians, Ewers has the opportunity to demonstrate her positive legitimate power, her expert power in fund-raising, and her referent power in fostering commitment. First, Ewers needs to influence the leaders of both the Symphony and the Opera as the legitimate future CEO of the merged organizations. As a leader, she would need to cast her vision for the future and hopefully motivate the support of both organizations. She needs to use her referent power to develop selfconfidence and passion in her managers to lead their subordinates successfully. Secondly, she needs to address the financial implications of a failing organization by coming up with a revised budget which would prevail over the contracting financial resources. She would need to utilize her fund-raising experience to seek other sources of funding. Though the musicians have an agreement through the union for a certain salary, Anne would need to renegotiate a revised salary and benefits contract for all the performers which would fall within the revised budget. Ewer’s appeal for the musicians’ willingness to take a pay cut would pose a great challenge. However, she may place an emphasis on their self-interest and organizational interest to continue with the new organization. In order to succeed, she needs to utilize a political tactic of striking a balance between the musician’s self-interest with the interests of a new organization. Third, Anne needs to develop and empower a team of trusted individuals who she could target for specified needs of the merger. As we discussed earlier, the better outcome is to have subordinates who are internally motivated and committed towards the merger. Hopefully, she would develop a base of support by promoting the interest of the whole. Anne would rely on these individuals through â€Å"consultation, strong rational persuasion, and inspirational appeal,† influence tactics which we will further explore below (Kreitner & Kinick, 2010). Influence Tactics: Research performed in the 1980’s by David Kipnis and his colleagues resulted in him developing nine tactics which could be used in the workplace by managers in order to influence their subordinates (Kreitner & Kinick, 2010).  The first tactic is using rational persuasion which utilizes reason, knowledge, or facts to convince someone to comply. Second, a leader can use inspirational appeals to individuals’ emotions, beliefs, and values in order to build enthusiasm. The third tactic is called â€Å"consultation† which invites others to participate in the process of planning and decision making. The fourth tactic is to use ingratiation which uses flattery, praise, and friendliness to get individuals in a positive mood prior to making a request. The fifth tactic is to make personal appeals as with a friend. The sixth tactic is to make an exchange for a personal trade of a favor. The seventh tactic is to form a coalition by asking others to join and support the effort as a group. The eighth and ninth are negative tactics where by one uses pressure or intimidation to demand compliance. The last tactic is make a request (or demand) based on one’s legitimate authority, position, organizational rules, policies, or the support of the boss. The more effective tactics are the former ones since pressure, instillation of fear, or forcing compliance fosters a greater discontent in subordinates and can backfire. Anne Ewers can develop her power in order to synchronize and collaborate a newly established organization. She can use the influence tactic of inspirational appeal since many of those involved share the goal of wanting an organization which will protect their personal interest of a competitive salary and benefits package. The also want to build an excellent organization which will continue to foster their artistic talents. All involved agree that funding is diminishing and new sources need to be found. Ewers can use rational persuasion as an influence tactic to demonstrate her knowledge and experience in developing an effective fund-raising effort given her background. She could also use the tactic of consultation in order to invite others to join her endeavors. This will also allow her to delegate some of the necessary tasks in order to transition into a new organization. Conclusion: The task of bringing about a merger between the Utah Symphony Orchestra and Opera will involve the key people with the skills, knowledge and charisma. It will require not only a concerted effort from the board and the identified leaders, namely Anne Ewers and Keith Lockhart. Ewers has proven skills as a fund-raiser and a devoted manager. However, she will need to  learn new skills by utilizing her position and power to motivate and influence a teams with different cultures, the community, and challenge the opposition. She realizes that the task is far from easy but she seems to have a handle on the priorities in order to integrate the two organizations. References: Cliffe Notes, (2012). Retrieved from http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/ Motivation-Theories-Individual-Needs.topicArticleId-8944,articleId-8908.html DeLong, T. and Ager, D., (2004). HBS cases are developed solely as the basis for class discussion. President and Fellows of Harvard College. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, call 1-800-545-7685, write Harvard Business School Publishing, Boston, MA 02163, or go to http:// www.hbsp.harvard.edu. This document is authorized for use only in JFT2 — Organizational Management —14 by Faculty at Western Governors University from October 2012 to July 2014. Kreitner, R., Kinicke, A. (2010). Organizational Behavior, 9th Ed., McGraw-Hill Irwin, New York, NY. Wikipedia, (2012). Leadership retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Leadership.

Succubus Shadows Chapter 2

I tossed and turned the rest of the night. Being visited by a weird supernatural force will do that to you. Besides, I had never fully recovered from the time an ber-powerful entity of chaos had merged with me in my sleep and sucked away my energy. Her name was Nyx, and last I'd heard, she was imprisoned. Still, what she'd done to me – and what she'd shown me – had left a lasting impression. The fact that Roman couldn't identify what had happened tonight was a little unnerving. So, I woke up bleary-eyed, sporting a massive headache that was probably equal parts hangover and sleep deprivation. Succubi had the rapid healing that all immortals possessed, which meant I must have seriously screwed myself up to have these lingering effects. I knew the headache would pass soon, but I took some ibuprofen to help the process. The condo was quiet when I shuffled into the kitchen, and despite my efforts to clean up the food last night, I was still surrounded in the tattered and worn-out feel that followed most parties. Godiva, curled up on the back of the couch, lifted her head at my arrival, but Aubrey continued sleeping undisturbed in her spot on an armchair. I started some coffee and then wandered over to my patio, staring out at the sunny day and the Seattle skyline on the other side of the gray-blue water stretching off before me. A familiar sensation suddenly swept me, like brimstone and red-hot needles. I sighed. â€Å"Kind of early for you, isn't it?† I asked, not needing to turn around to know Jerome, archdemon of the greater Seattle area and my hellish boss, stood behind me. â€Å"It's noon, Georgie,† he replied dryly. â€Å"The rest of the world is up and around.† â€Å"It's Saturday. The laws of time and space are different today. Noon qualifies as early.† I turned around at last, largely because I'd heard the coffee-maker finish. Jerome was leaning against my kitchen wall, immaculately dressed as always in a black designer suit. Also, like always, the demon looked exactly like a circa 1990s version of John Cusack. He could appear as anything or anyone he wanted in this world, but for reasons he kept vague, Mr. Cusack was his preferred shape. I'd gotten so used to it that whenever Say Anything or Grosse Pointe Blank came on TV, I always had to pause and ask myself, â€Å"What's Jerome doing in this movie?† I poured a cup of coffee and held up the pot by way of invitation. Jerome shook his head. â€Å"I suppose,† he said, â€Å"your roommate is also being a sloth and isn't actually out running errands?† â€Å"That'd be my guess.† I doused my coffee liberally with vanilla creamer. â€Å"I used to kind of hope that when he wasn't around, it meant he was out looking for a job. Turns out I was just setting myself up for disappointment.† Honestly, I was glad it was Roman that Jerome had come to see. When Jerome was looking for me, no good ever came of it. It always tended to result in some traumatic, world-threatening event in the immortal underground. I trudged back across the living room, noting that the cats had disappeared upon Jerome's arrival. Coffee still in hand, I headed to Roman's room, knocking once before opening the door. I figured as landlady, I had that right. Also, I'd found Roman had a remarkable ability to ignore knocking for large amounts of time. He was sprawled across his bed, wearing only a pair of navy blue boxers that gave me pause. As I'd noted before, he was terribly good-looking, despite the prickly attitude he'd had since moving in. Seeing him half-dressed always gave me a weird flashback to the one time we'd slept together. Then, I'd have to remind myself that he was probably plotting how to kill me. It went a long way to stifle any residual lust. Roman's arm covered his eyes against the sunlight streaming through his window. He shifted, moving the arm slightly, and peered at me with one eye. â€Å"It's early,† he said. â€Å"Not according to your exalted sire.† A few seconds passed, and then he grimaced as he too sensed Jerome's immortal signature. With a sigh, Roman sat up, pausing to rub his eyes. He looked about as exhausted as I felt, but if there was one force in this world that could drag him out of bed after a late night, it was my boss – no matter Roman's bold claims from last night. He staggered to his feet and moved past me in the doorway. â€Å"Aren't you going to get dressed?† I exclaimed. Roman's only answer was a disinterested wave of his hand as he headed down the hall. I followed him back and discovered Jerome pouring himself a mug of some vodka leftover from last night. Well, it was five o'clock somewhere. He arched an eyebrow when he saw Roman's scantily clad state. â€Å"Nice of you to dress up.† Roman made a beeline for the coffee. â€Å"Only the best for you, Pop. Besides, Georgina likes it.† A moment of heavy silence followed as Jerome's dark eyes studied Roman. I knew nothing about Roman's mother, but Jerome was the demon who had fathered him thousands of years ago. Technically, Jerome had been an angel at the time, but making the moves on a human had got him fired from Heaven and sent off to work for those down below. No severance package. Roman occasionally made snide comments about their familial relationship, but Jerome never acknowledged it. In fact, according to both Heaven and Hell's rules, Jerome should have blasted Roman from the earth ages ago. Angels and demons considered nephilim unnatural and wrong and continually attempted to hunt them to extinction. It was kind of harsh, even with the sociopathic tendencies nephilim tended to have. Roman had been instrumental in saving Jerome recently, however, and the two had struck a deal that allowed Roman to live peacefully in Seattle – for now. If any of Jerome's colleagues found out about this illicit arrangement, there would literally be hell to pay – for all of us. A good succubus would have told on her rule-breaking boss. â€Å"So what brings you here?† asked Roman, pulling up a chair. â€Å"Want to toss the old football around?† Jerome's face remained impassive. â€Å"I have a job for you.† â€Å"Like one that pays the rent?† I asked hopefully. â€Å"Like one that ensures I'll continue to allow him to live in the lifestyle he's accustomed to,† replied Jerome. Roman had an amused, devil-may-care smile on his face that was typical of him, but I wasn't fooled. He knew the threat Jerome represented and also knew that part of their deal involved Roman doing errands for his father. Still, Roman made a good show of acting like he was the one doing Jerome a favor. The nephilim gave an unconcerned shrug. â€Å"Sure. I've got nothing else going on today. What's up?† â€Å"We have a new immortal visitor in town,† said Jerome. If Roman's attitude annoyed him, the demon was just as good at masking his feelings. â€Å"A succubus.† My removed, psychological study of father and son dynamics came to a screeching halt. â€Å"What?† I exclaimed, straightening up so quickly that I nearly spilled my coffee. â€Å"I thought we were set after Tawny.† I'd worked the succubus scene solo around here for years until Jerome had acquired another one several months ago. Her name was Tawny, and while she was annoying and pretty inept as succubi went, there was still something rather endearing about her. Fortunately, Jerome had sent her off to Bellingham, keeping her a comfortable hour-and-a-half drive from me. â€Å"Not that it's any of your business, Georgie, but this one's not here to work. She's here†¦as a visitor. On vacation.† Jerome's lips twisted with bitter amusement. Roman and I exchanged looks. Immortals could certainly take personal vacations, but clearly, there was more to this. â€Å"And?† asked Roman. â€Å"She's really here because†¦?† â€Å"Because I'm sure my superiors want to check up on me after the recent†¦incident.† His words were delicate, with a very subtle warning not to elaborate on said incident. It was the one Roman and I had rescued him from – a summoning that had imprisoned Jerome as part of a demonic power play. Letting yourself get summoned was embarrassing for a demon and could call his territorial control into question. Hell sending someone to survey the situation wasn't that crazy. â€Å"You think she's spying to see if you can still run things?† asked Roman. â€Å"I'm certain of it. I want you to follow her around and see who she reports back to. I'd do it myself, but it's better if I don't appear suspicious. So I need to stay visible.† â€Å"Lovely,† said Roman, voice as dry as his father's. â€Å"There's nothing I want to do more than trail a succubus around.† â€Å"From what I hear, you're pretty good at it,† I piped in. It was true. Roman had stalked me invisibly a number of times. Lesser immortals like me couldn't hide the telltale signature that wreathed all of us, but Roman had inherited that ability from Jerome, making him the perfect spy. Roman shot me a wry look, then turned back to Jerome. â€Å"When do I start?† â€Å"Immediately. Her name is Simone, and she's staying down at the Four Seasons. Go there and see what she does. Mei will relieve you off and on.† Mei was Jerome's second-in-command demon. â€Å"The Four Seasons?† I asked. â€Å"Is Hell paying for that? I mean, we're in a recession.† Jerome sighed. â€Å"Hell's never in a recession. And I didn't think your droll commentary started until after you'd finished your coffee.† I showed him my cup. It was empty. Jerome sighed again and then vanished without warning. He apparently had no doubts that Roman would follow his orders. Roman and I stood there for several quiet seconds, during which both cats resurfaced. Aubrey rubbed against Roman's bare leg, and he scratched her head. â€Å"Guess I should shower and get dressed,† he said at last, rising to his feet. â€Å"Don't trouble yourself,† I said. â€Å"And won't you be invisible anyway?† He turned his back to me and walked off down the hallway. â€Å"I was thinking of dropping off some job applications when Mei gives me a break.† â€Å"Liar,† I said. I don't think he heard. It wasn't until the shower kicked on that I realized I should have asked Jerome about that weird sensation last night. It was so odd; I didn't even know how to describe it. The more I pondered it, the more I wondered if it had been alcohol-induced. Admittedly, Roman claimed he'd sensed something, but he'd drank as much as me. And speaking of jobs†¦my kitchen clock was telling me I needed to head off to mine. One thing about this condo was that the skyline view had come at the cost of work convenience. My old apartment had been in Queen Anne, the same neighborhood that Emerald City Books and Caf? ¦ resided in. I used to be able to walk to work, but that was impossible from West Seattle, meaning I had to allow commuting time. Unlike Roman, I had no need to physically shower and change – not that I wouldn't have liked to. I found human routines comforting. A brief burst of succubus shape-shifting cleaned me up, putting me in a work-appropriate peach sundress and arranging my light brown hair into a loose bun. Roman didn't surface before I had to leave, so I grabbed another cup of coffee and left him a note asking if it would kill him to take out the garbage before he went off to play secret agent. My headache and the last effects of the hangover were gone by the time I walked into the store. It was abuzz with late afternoon shoppers, people out running Saturday errands and tourists who had wandered over from the Space Needle and Seattle Center down the street. I dropped my purse off in my office and then did a managerial sweep of the store, satisfied that everything was running smoothly – until I noticed we had a line of eight people and only one cashier. â€Å"Why are you alone?† I asked Beth. She was a long-time employee and a good one, answering my question without even looking up from her customer's order. â€Å"Gabrielle's on break, and Doug isn't†¦feeling well.† Memories of the vodka competition came back to me. I grimaced, feeling both guilty and smug. â€Å"Where is he?† â€Å"Over in erotica.† I felt my eyebrows rise but said nothing as I turned away and walked across the store. Our small erotica section was bizarrely stuffed in between automotive and animals (amphibians, to be precise). And crammed in between the two shelves of the erotica section was Doug, sitting on the floor with his head resting facedown on his knees. I knelt beside him. â€Å"Hair of the dog time?† I asked. He lifted his head and brushed black hair out of his face. His expression was miserable. â€Å"You cheated. You're like half my size. How are you not in a coma?† â€Å"Older and wiser,† I said. If only he knew just how old. I took hold of his arm and tugged it. â€Å"Come on. Let's go to the caf? ¦ and get you some water.† For a moment, he looked like he'd resist, but a valiant effort soon followed. He even managed not to stagger too much as I led him to the store's second floor, which was half books and half coffee shop. I grabbed a bottle of water, told the barista I'd pay for it later, and started to drag Doug to a chair. As I scanned around, I nearly came to a halt, causing poor Doug to stumble. Seth was sitting at a table, laptop spread open in front of him. This was his favorite place to write, which had been nice when we dated and now was†¦awkward. Maddie sat with him, purse in hand and light coat on. I recalled that we started at the same time today. She must have just arrived. They waved us over, and she gave her brother a chastising look. â€Å"Serves you right.† Doug took a long gulp of water. â€Å"Whatever happened to sisterly love?† â€Å"I still haven't forgiven you for the time you shaved my dachshund.† â€Å"That was like twenty years ago. And that little bastard had it coming.† I smiled out of habit. Doug and Maddie's bantering was usually must-see TV for me. Today, Seth held my attention. It had been easier to ignore him last night while in the throes of alcohol, easy to pretend I'd grudgingly accepted him moving on to Maddie. But now, in the cold light of sobriety, I felt that old ache stir within my chest. I swore I could smell the scent of his skin, his sweat mingled with the woodsy apple soap he used. Sunlight from the caf? ¦'s large windows infused his messy brown hair with copper, and I could perfectly recall what it had been like to stroke the lines of his face, the smooth skin of his upper cheek and stubble on his chin. Looking up to his eyes, I was surprised to see his attention on me as the siblings continued their playful bickering. I'd almost convinced myself last night that he only thought of me as a friend, but now†¦now I wasn't so sure. There was something warm there, something considering. Something I knew shouldn't be there. I suddenly had a sneaking suspicion that he might be remembering the handful of times we'd had sex. I was thinking of it too. My powers had been shut off when Jerome disappeared, and Seth and I had been able to have â€Å"safe† – by which I meant, no succubus side effects – sex. Except for one. He'd still been dating Maddie at the time, and cheating on her had tainted his soul with sin. That was worse than if I'd sucked his energy away. As of this moment, Seth was a Hell-bound soul. He didn't realize that, but regret for betraying her was part of what had spurred him to a hasty engagement. He felt he owed her. The guilt forced me to look away from him, and I noticed then that Maddie and Doug had stopped their arguing. Maddie was glancing over at the coffee counter, but Doug's eyes were on me. They were bloodshot and weary, with heavy dark circles. But in the midst of that miserable, hungover look†¦there was a glint of something puzzled and surprised. â€Å"Work time,† said Maddie cheerfully, standing up. She poked her brother's shoulder, making him wince and turn his attention from me. I was glad. â€Å"You going to survive your last couple hours?† â€Å"Yeah,† he muttered, drinking more water. â€Å"Go count inventory in the back,† I told him, standing as well. â€Å"I don't want customers thinking our staff can't hold their liquor. They'd be over at the chain stores so fast, it wouldn't even be funny.† Maddie's lips quirked into a smile as her brother wearily rose to his feet. â€Å"Hey, Georgina. Do you mind if Doug and I switch shifts on Tuesday? I need to go run some wedding errands during business hours.† Doug cut her a look. â€Å"When were you going to ask if I minded?† â€Å"Sure,† I said, trying not to wince at the word â€Å"wedding.† â€Å"You can work the night shift with me.† â€Å"You want to come along?† she asked. â€Å"You said you would.† â€Å"I did?† â€Å"Last night.† I frowned. God only knew how many promises I'd made and had now forgotten, thanks to vodka and weird magical forces. Vaguely, I recalled her showing me wedding pictures. â€Å"I think I have some errands of my own to run.† â€Å"One of the places is right around the corner from you,† she urged. â€Å"Maddie,† said Seth hastily, clearly as uncomfortable with this change of topic as I was. â€Å"If she's busy – â€Å" â€Å"You can't be busy all day,† Maddie begged. â€Å"Please?† I knew it was disastrous, knew it would be courting heart-ache and trouble. But Maddie was my friend, and the pleading look in her eyes did something to my insides. It was guilt, I realized. Guilt over how Seth and I had betrayed her. Her expression now was full of such faith and hope in me – me, the best friend she had in Seattle and the only one she believed could help her plan this wedding. Which is why I found myself agreeing, just as I had last night. Only this time, I had no alcohol to blame. â€Å"Okay.† Guilt was probably the worst culprit of all when it came to stupid behavior.

Divorce and the Issue of Reforms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Divorce and the Issue of Reforms - Essay Example ich represents the most novel policy departure for it explicitly rejects long accepted wisdom that the divorce process can only bury and not save marriages. However, the marriage preserving effectiveness of these twin divorce reforms is limited by the fact that the marriage support interventions occur only after significant deterioration in the quality of the marital relationship has already taken place. In other words, the policies are reactive rather than preventive. An example of the latter approach is to use the school curriculum to teach appropriate communication and parenting skills that strengthen (future) marriages and make them more robust to unexpected shocks. This principle has been implemented in Florida's Marriage Preparation and Preservation Act of 1998 which will be discussed after outlining and evaluating both Louisiana's covenant marriage legislation and the English Family Law Act in greater detail. The key point is not that the couple will know more about their future lives, though there may well be some information acquisition, but that the future consequences of marital dissolution become more salient and less remote in their minds and decision making. Given evidence that many couples subsequently regret divorce, the effect may be marriage preserving. (Becker, 1988, 2) Conclusions At first blush, recent divorce reforms in the United States and England and Wales appear to be adopting different trajectories. The greatest social costs of divorce are usually incurred by children, especially when the divorce process is bitter and acrimonious. In an attempt to minimize unnecessary hostility, the Family Law Act places stress on the role of mediation rather than litigation in resolving disputes over asset division and child custody. However, evidence... The researcher of this essay was aimed to discuss the issues and the history of divorce as well as the reforms, that are related to it. Historically, family law either imposed a prohibition on divorce or adopted a fault approach in which divorce is only permitted on specific and restricted grounds such as adultery and desertion. Under fault, the presumption is that one spouse is guilty of a matrimonial offence which is responsible for the failure of the marriage and the law makes provision for its dissolution by the innocent party in adversarial court proceedings. The greatest social costs of divorce are usually incurred by children, especially when the divorce process is bitter and acrimonious. In an attempt to minimize unnecessary hostility, the Family Law Act places stress on the role of mediation in resolving disputes over asset division and child custody. However, evidence from the US suggests that divorce education which functions to equip parents with communication skills and reduces the exposure of children to conflict may be more effective in ameliorating some of the negative effects of divorce on the life chances of children. In summary, there is a hesitant trend in recent initiatives in family law to recognize that a good marriage and a good divorce both require mastery of basic relationship skills. It is concluded that better in the long run is to adopt a preventive rather than a reactive approach which teaches personal communication skills as an integral component of the school curriculum.

Dissertation-Methodology Part Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Dissertation-Methodology Part - Essay Example Data collection methods and tools utilized for analysis are also discussed. With the positivistic paradigm, the emphasis is on using measurement to find out the relationships between facts and causes of the phenomenon. This is â€Å"an essential element of the research process under this paradigm† (Collis & Hussey, 2003, p. 57). This approach is useful when there is a need to conduct statistical analysis (Collis & Hussey, 2003, p. 56). A positivistic approach will be used and the researcher will be independent, will not be influenced by the subject of research, and will take â€Å"the role of an objective analyst† (Saunders & Lewis & Thornhill, 2000, p. 85). The major reason for this method as a choice for the study is because, quantitative researchers focus on the measurement and analysis of facts and causes. According to Denzin & Lincoln (cited in Silverman 2005), â€Å"qualitative investigators think they can get closer to the actor’s perspective through detailed interviewing and observation† (p. 10). With qualitative researchers, the emphasis is on the close relationship between the subject of research and the researcher where the value is in the social reality and the meaning of the social event or phenomenon. The qualitative approach relies on the quality and depth of data and does not focus on the â€Å"measured (if measured at all) in terms of quantity, amount, intensity, or frequency † (Denzin & Lincoln, 2000, p. 8). In addition, as Waters (2001) explains, the quantitative approach is based on â€Å"simplified representations of reality where real features are depicted by symbols† (p. 8). The main benefits of choosing a quantitative approach to this research are as discussed below. Firstly, this method allows stating of the research problem in very specific and clear terms. Also there is a clear possibility to follow the original research objectives that have been set down and to arrive at more conclusive conclusions. Also this

Social work Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Social work - Personal Statement Example f social assistance and responsibility, work to enhance practices of social work in developing countries, and successfully educate my audiences and patients on ways to empower themselves and pursue a healthy lifestyle. I enjoy helping people in need. Making a difference in people’s lives is the main reason for choosing a career in social work. I acquired some understanding in the field of family and child social care while growing up in a foster care ran by my aunt. I valued the intense hard work put into caring for the children individually. I realised from an early age that I would like knowing more about this field. I also volunteered at a child services centre to gain a better insight into the kind of skills and resources required to support needy children. I learned more about the role of a social worker in terms of working on multidisciplinary care reviews that helped the child services centre determine their current necessities and wishes. In the process, the centre recognized its future aims and preferred outcomes. Eventually, I helped the children become enabled, independent, realise their civil liberties, responsibilities, identity, and build on their self-worth. I enjoy dealing with children. At the social services centre, I offered constant emotional support to the children, especially during challenging events and development stages. This supports involves learning ways to communicate with children regarding sensitive more embarrassing issues in an appropriate way. As a result, I understood and was ready to support their responses to my social working skills and therapy methods. This post significantly enhanced my communication skills, patience with children, and initiative to offer social support. I needed this enhancement considering I only had experience with children going back to the foster care ran by my aunt when I was 12 years old. I enjoy helping children come more aware of newly learned principles and beliefs while expressing respect for

Examine the extent to which children have rights in a particular area Essay

Examine the extent to which children have rights in a particular area of law and provision (Abortion) - Essay Example The UK is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on Children’s rights held in the month of December in the year 1991. The Convention acts as a basis for protection of children’s rights in all member states. (Every Child Matters, 2008) The convention provides that all children have the right to life. This brings up a vital question; can a foetus be considered as a child? The United Kingdom recognises viable foetuses as those ones who have exceeded twenty four weeks. (Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, 2004) This is why the Abortion Act of 1967 allows abortions before a pregnancy has reached that stipulated time. In relation to this, the UK only allows abortion in cases where the unborn child will affect his mother’s health both physically and mentally. By providing such a restriction, the unborn child’s right to life is protected because mothers may not terminate their pregnancies for minor reasons. This ensures that unborn children’s rights are protected in the most viable way possible. The Abortion Act of 1967 also provides that abortions should only be carried out after obtaining consent from two medical practitioners. (Abortion right, 2007) The purpose of this stipulation is to further ascertain that abortions are only carried out in extreme conditions and that a child’s best interests are protected even before they are born. However, certain human rights groups like the Society for the protection of the unborn child claims that these laws are not doing enough to protect the unborn child. They argue that all abortions should be made illegal through repealing of the abortion acts relevant to women in the UK today. (Arthur, 2007) Experts agree that the United Kingdom’s abortion laws are quite severe to women but protect unborn children through its restrictions. In comparison to other countries in that area, unborn children take precedence over women. In countries like

Dieting in America and Obesity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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