History 17-a American history Essay Example for Free

History 17-a American history Essay Known as the American experiment in liberty and equality, the Civil War of America is supposed to be a major turning point in American history. Originated due to slavery, this war was first revoke from American citizens to acquire the right of liberty and equality. By the war, slavery was extinguished in America. Beginning of nineteenth century was much different from the eighteenth century; this was a revolutionary era in which industrialism was rising against agriculture, nationalization against state particularization and desire of freedom was heading against slavery. However, this moral idealism is not believed as an appropriate reason for the war. In accordance with some historians, it is also called as the war of power and economical affluence. It is said that South was economically abundant than the North. It was making good money in trade and commerce in comparison of North. North was not ready to accept this fact and this resulted as the Civil War. By the time of war, South occupied an area as large as Western Europe and ‘North’ has a strategic assignment to invade and conquer the southern confederation. In this war, southerners were fighting for independence, self-determination, self-government and preservation of life. Nevertheless, results of this war became the decision points for American history as the war grown the offspring of Nationality in Northerners. Southerners wanted to be separated from the American Union and Northerners were not is the support of that. In the battle against southerners, few incidents worked as the turning points of Civil War and American History as well. As instance, Northern Unions hold on Kentucky and Border States in considered as the first turning point of American civil war. This was of a great importance for Northerners. Even president of the nation, Abraham Lincoln said that ‘I can’t think of loosing Kentucky’, Kentucky was a southern state. Considered as the first modern war, the civil war of America made the nation, which is known as ‘United States of America’. During this war, Abraham Lincoln was mainly focused on Border States. He was not in favor of self-government in these states. Border States were extremely crucial for Northerners, as these states were physically separating Northern Union and Southern Confederacy. Bull Run is taken as another major defining moment in the history of Civil War. This was a land battle. This battle was full of anticipations and both sides were sure about their victory. However, Northerners managed to win this was a Herculean task for them and it was an end of southern hopes to set the self-government. Union capture on Mississippi, Forts Henry and Donelson in February 1862 is also considered as the major turning point in Civil War. It was first significant victory of union. Victories in Battle of Anteitam and Battle of Gettysburg made unions to move more rapidly in the direction of uniting American states. A defeat of Confederacy in the Battle of Chattanooga is taken as one of the most prominent turning point of Civil War. In this war Union reduced Confederacy to the Atlantic coast. This opened the way for Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign. Two incidents that took place in 1864 are taken as the last nail in the coffin of southern confederacy’s desire of self-government, independence and self-determination. These two incidents were Union capture on Atlanta and reelection of Abraham Lincoln. Both incidents respectively took place in September 1864 and November 1864. Civil War: the First Modern War American Civil War is taken as the first modern warfare. Confronted with various viewpoints and issues, this war is marked as the well mobilized war of the modern age. In accordance with historians, it deserves to be the first modern war due to its two important reasons. First reason is its technological advancements and another is a great change in the logistics and tactics applied in the battlefield. Northern generals Ulysses S.  Grant and his sub-ordinates applied strategies those were far ahead from the war approaches applied by the time. The morality war of Northern Americans against Southerners also resulted in many mesmerizing innovations, those helped in nation moving at the forefront from rest of the world. Cannons, rapid fire guns, Gatling gun, telegraphs and aerial warfare are considered as some of the stirring innovations of Civil War period. The civil war also worked as the rapid fire in the growth of American economy. It is also said that this was the beginning of American supremacy. This war was the first war in which army was not involved in killing on one-to-one manner. It was entirely technical. Both Unions and Confederacy army troops were relying on technical weapons instead of traditional ones. This was the first time when air warfare and sea warfare modes were also used. This war was the first war when a strategy of destruction was used and it also boosted he idea of unconditional surrender in the battle-field. In this was Union troops used telescopes and air-balloons to locate the position of enemy. Civil War of American History is known as first war due to it’s a completely foreign planning in accord with the world of nineteenth century. Following reasons the major basis of knowing this was as the first modern war- Railroads: Invention of railroad played a very important role in supplying armies with food, bullets, and soldiers. These cars were armed with weaponry. Hospitals: This was the first time when hospitals were set in battle field. Women s uch as Clara Barton and Dorothea Dix worked in these hospitals to give medical treatments to inured soldiers. Nevertheless, by the time medical knowledge was not advanced as today and mortality rate of soldiers due to disease was greater than their death in battle field. This was the first time in the context of using dogs as armor. Photography and Telegraph- by the time ‘Photography’ and ‘Telegraphy’ science had been introduced. Army troops used the science of photography is taking pictures of enemy position and Telegraph helped them in sending urgent messages. This is considered as a boon created from the devastation of Civil War. Secret Service: Both sides employed highly structured spy service to gain knowledge of army movements. Women and slaves played major role in this. Personnel: Numbers of African Americans fought in the Civil War was not less, most of them participated in the war from the side of Union army. They often fought in regiments those were separated out regiments. This was the first time when they had an identity of soldiers other than slaves. An ambitious win for Abraham Lincoln, civil War was the first time when rights of equality were believed to be a reason of war.

Herbert Packer: Crime Control Model

Herbert Packer: Crime Control Model Herbert Packers Crime Control Model and Due Process Model Herbert Packers Crime Control Model of Criminal Justice is More Needed Today Than the Due Process Model of Deterring Crime. In contemporary society, criminal justice is defined as governments policy and legal obligations to ensure the accused and the victim are treated justly by the law enforcement agencies. Criminal justice system, however, varies from government to government depending on the inclination taken by the law enforcers in deterring crime. Indeed the major work of criminal justice is doing justice, controlling crime and preventing crime (Cole, Smith, DeJong, 2012, pg, 126). It is achieved through rules and regulations of justice institutions, arresting, prosecuting and punishing offenders and incorporating the efforts of the citizens in crime prevention. For criminal justice to effectively achieve its goals, the system adopts a model which is constitutionally and procedurally applicable. The most common model is Herbert Packers crime-control model and due process model. Crime Control Model According to Bibas (2012, pg, 30), crime-control model is based on the need to convict the guilty and do so accurately without delay, and at the same breath ensure efficiency. Law enforcers have a duty to avoid to be seen going against the law, since they too cannot escape scrutiny from the legal representatives of the victims. It is aimed at reducing incidence of crime within the society without considering or curtailing accused individuals rights. It increases the prosecutorial powers of law enforcement agencies and believes that crime can be reduced by arresting and punishing the offender. Jaishankar (2009, pg, 261) explains the crime control model as the suppression of criminal activities without any delays, it allows for extrajudicial processes so long as the offender is convicted. In this model, societal comfort overrides individual rights and, therefore, the government is obliged to do anything to protect the society. The failure of the law enforcement agencies to eliminate th e occurrence of criminal conducts is viewed as a lapse in public order and deterioration in human freedom (Jaishankar, 2009, pg, 261). In order for the crime –control model to achieve its intentions, efficiency must be paramount within the criminal justice system. The system should have the capacity to apprehend, try, convict and dispose of criminal of offenders. Unlike the due process model, the crime control model is swift, since it works prior to an actual crime (Purpura, 2011, pg, 164); the governments burden of proof is minimal compared to other models (Hall, 2014, pg, 337). The Due Process Model The due process model places emphasis on the integrity of human rights, factual guilt and the fairness of the process (Hall, 2014, pg, 336). It combines the liberal criminology and the general procedural fairness for the accused, since his arrest, through the prosecution (Siegel, 2008, pg, 478). Generally, this model is founded on the need to adhere to individual justice, treatment and rehabilitation of the guilty. Whenever discretion in the criminal justice exists, then the accused civil rights should be protected in all circumstances (Siegel, 2008, pg, 478). The most important consideration in the due process model is the supreme protection of individual rights; other efficiency factors like cost, speed, identifying and punishing offenders are a secondary consideration. Compared to the crime control model, due process model has a cumbersome process with low efficiency; the conviction standard is legal and factual and, therefore, the burden of proof must be convinced beyond doubt. ( Hall, 2014, pg, 337). Although the government has a high burden of proof, it has a leeway to intrusions; for instance, it requires minimal evidence to institute a search for a property than bind a defendant over to trial (Hall, 2014, pg, 337). Advocates for this model are protectors of civil rights and often view law enforcement officers as violators of constitutional rights (Siegel, 2008, pg, 478). There is a notion that the minority and the poor are subjected to unfair treatment by the law. This perception is triggered by statistical data that indicate the poor and the marginalized groups are the most maltreated in the criminal justice system. It aims at protecting citizens from those who punish and treat them without regarding their constitutional rights. Many situations have been documented showing defendants who lacked resources suffering a wrong conviction only to be exonerated later when DNA is done (Siegel, 2008, pg, 478). In summary the due process model centers on accuracy in freeing the innocent, fairness and rights (Bibas, 2012, pg, 30). Parkers crime – control model and the due process model are valuable and enable civil forfeiture to be understood and analyzed (Jaishankar, 2009, pg, 261). However, the two models have teething problems noted, firstly, crime control is the ultimate goal of criminal justice and, therefore, anything contrary to that tempers with this goal (Jaishankar, 2009, pg, 262). Secondly, the due process model should not be compared with crime –control model because the former facilitates the achievement of the latter (Jaishankar, 2009, pg, 262). In the due process model the accused is perceived innocent until proven in a court of law, unlike the crime control model where the arrested should be punished. Supporting Crime – Control Model to Deter Crime Today In the two models, crime control model is more needed now that due process model in deterring crime. Research has indicated that criminal activities are on the rise globally than ever recorded in the history of man. Lynch (2004, pg, 59) indicates an increased incidence of crime reported in the unified crime reports in the United States of America. These statistics can be used to give a global projection of crime rate; increasing rate of crime in the USA can be extrapolated to indicate an increase in crime rates in the world. This is exemplified by the different technology oriented crimes like cyber- bullying, theft of information from the internet, identity theft, credit card fraud, bank fraud, telemarketing fraud, counterfeiting and terrorism all are new types of crime bein experienced globally. In addition, transnational crimes have increased due to relative free movement of people across countries. This scenario indicates a clear need to have efficient and reliable mechanisms of d ealing with this trend; such mechanism can be employed by the criminal justice system by adopting crime- control model. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reports that due to increase in crime the office was established; it helps in capacity building of policy makers, practitioners in the area of crime prevention, experts, civil society and media in fighting the new wave. Indeed, certain individual rights must be sacrificed for the sake of the greater good. Since the inception of the term ‘War on Crime many crime control strategies which include increased patrols in high crime areas, traffic stops, undercover sting operations, aggressive raids and wiretapping surveillance has been employed. All these activities have minimal consideration of individual raids, but ultimately the society benefits more by peaceful existence. Like any other war, the fight against crime has causalities; however, the society eventually lives in peace. The proponents of due process model ignore the fact that the society is greater than an individual is. In any society, the guilty should not be protected at the expense of the innocent. For example, in America after the September 11th terrorist attack, many lives were lost and suffering caused due to the terrorist plans, the government had to make a decision whether it is prudent to protect the rights of a few individuals or to ensure the safety of all Americans. It is important to recognize that on numerous occasions people are faced with ideological challenges to make decisions about. One such issue occurred after September 11th when it was mandatory to identify, search and eliminate terrorists. The society due to increasing crime rates has complained about the polices pace of conducting investigations. This is a weakness of the due process model, particularly if the police are not certain whether a crime was committed (Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2004, pg 78). Sometimes prosecutors face challenges were substantial evidence against the defendant is lacking, but the accused committed the crime; under due process model, such accused should be exonerated (Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2004, pg 78). Most of the accused released due to lack of credible evidence continue perpetrating crime in the society, however, some of them are threatened and intimidated. In the old adage, two wrongs do not make a right one would argue that denial of the accused individual rights is not right even if he indeed has done wrong. Importantly, strategies, crime perpetrators engage in are dynamic (Braga, Flynn, Kelling and Cole, 2011, pg, 22), this requires the criminal justice to be dynamic in its approach including being inhuman in some aspects. The latest crime control mechanism, which involved eavesdropping on Germanys chancellor conversations, was an infringement on her individual rights and freedom of association. It led to an international outcry, however, that was part of the contemporary strategy to control crime in an era when criminal activities have evolved. Around the world, there is a criminal justice shift towards crime control model ( Braga, et. al. 2011,pg, 29). This is a proactive approach where suspects prior to committing a crime are arrested, prosecuted to isolate them from the society. Modern day concentration camps exist in many countries, including but not to Americas Gautama Bay, the essence is isolating crime perpetrators and letting the society continue with normal lives. Conclusion Seemingly, compared to due process model, which is more sympathetic to the innocent; crime- control model is dynamic, proactive and helps maintain order in the society. It is important as it is used in contemporary criminal justice systems to deter many people who may have intentions of committing a crime. The strategies employed will enable many governments to efficiently and affordably deter the occurrence of crime in their areas of jurisdiction. Transnational movement of people influenced by the globalization result to many offenders evading justice where they perpetrated. The Crime – control model is suitable in ensuring fast dispensation of justice. References Bibas, S. (2012). The Machinery in Criminal Justice. Web. Accessed on 15.5.2014. Braga, A. A., Flynn, E., Kelling, G. and Cole, C. (2011). New Perceptive in Policing: Moving the work of Criminal Investigators Towards Crime Control. Web. Accessed on 15.5.2014. Cole, G., Smith, C. and DeJong C. (2012). The American System of Criminal Justice. Web. Accessed on 15.5.2014 Hall, D.E. (2014). Criminal Law and Procedure. Web. Accessed on 15.5.2014. Jainshankar, K. (2009). International Perspectives on Crime and Justice. Web. Accessed on 15.5.2014. Jones and Bartlett Publishers. (2004). (UCR) and National Crime Victimization Survey. Web. Accessed on 15.5.2014. Lynch, A. (2004). Understanding Crime Statistics. Web. Accessed on 14.5.2015 Purpura, P. (2011). Terrorism and Homeland Security: An Introduction with Applications. Web. Accessed on 15.5.2014 Siegel, L. (2008). Criminology. Web. Accessed on 15.5.2014. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (Ned) Crime Congress. Web. Accessed on 15.5.2014

Critique of Weltys A Worn Path Essay -- Eudora Welty, Essays on A Wor

â€Å"A Worn Path† by Eudora Welty, is the tale of an elderly black woman who shows an enormous amount of determination when it comes to helping her unceasingly ill grandson. Phoenix Jackson is the main character in Welty’s â€Å"A Worn Path.† Throughout the story, Miss Phoenix Jackson travels the same path every day overcoming whatever obstacles she encounters as she strives along the path in the contribution of her grandson’s health, for he is whom Phoenix habitually travels this â€Å"worn path.† Furthermore, the story must be noted for its simplicity, and vast metaphoric symbolism. Welty uses the path and its obstacles as a form of inspirational aura, one could even say the path is a mirrored image of the difficulties one endures throughout life’s frightening journey. The obstacles are intended to portray the barriers, the risks, and the setbacks one may encounter from day to day life. Moving onward, one could easily compare â€Å"A Worn Path† to the life of the average person, and in-turn, the obstacles that individual must overcome in order to provide for his or her loved ones. For example, every individual follows the same routine daily in the conquest of life’s necessities and in the pursuit of happiness, just as Phoenix follows her ritual path day after day. Still, despite the prior verity that everyone travels down a habitual path nearly every day, this however, does not constitute the notion that the individual will encounter the exact same c ircumstances and obstacles daily. While some obstacles are there to stay, others may come and go allowing the individual to learn from his or her past experiences. What’s more is that one never knows what to expect from day to day life. Despite the element of surprise, on the other hand ... ...s, Phoenix isn’t a charity case at all, for she is far from this epitome. Phoenix accomplishes more in one day than most individuals could ever even dream of. â€Å"A Worn Path,† is an inspirational tale of the journey of an elderly woman who goes by the name of Phoenix Jackson. Miss Phoenix Jackson inspires all of us that we can endure and overcome life’s difficulties. In the story, Phoenix shows that with an immense amount of hope, sheer determination, and inexhaustible exertion, that anyone despite their physical and mental attributes can overcome and endure whatever obstacles are positioned in their way. Work Cited Welty, Eudora. â€Å"A Worn Path.† 1941. Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts, Ed. Henry E. Jacobs. New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc., 2006. 110-15.

Owning and Starting a Business :: Business

For some people, being the boss, and which by boss I mean business owner, would be the greatest thing ever. Most think you get to pick your own hours, make the most money, and make everyone do the things you want done. Of course there is work involved and it takes work to make it but the rewards will be better owning a business that succeeds. The ultimate goal is becoming a millionaire and retiring at the age of forty and just drawing money from business production. However they really don’t understand the work it takes to make it a million dollar company. When these people are finally able to own a business they get a rude awakening. I am in no way trying to offend the typical business owner when I say, owning a business can be a challenging task that can cause many complications in your life and if you’re not careful they can change your life entirely. Over the last eight years I have watched my Aunt and Grandfather start a completely new hospice. My aunt is the main boss of the business, my grandfather just put in money so that she was able to actually start the business. Over those last eight years she has had some of the roughest times in her life. Being a single mother is hard enough, but then to start a business from scratch made it much more difficult to not only raise a family by herself. My aunt has had many problems in the last eight years and her business is now getting to the point of choosing what she does. I see some teenagers saying they want to own a business when they get older, but they only think of the money they can earn, the people they can tell what to do, and the fact that they can work when they want to work and no one can tell them otherwise. My aunt has put in more work to her business in the last eight years than I have done homework assignments in my school career. When one owns a business, they must wo rk constantly because there is always something that needs to be done. Whether there is a problem to sort out, bills to pay, or numbers and accounting paperwork to figure out, there is always something that they must do. I can remember staying the night at her house staying up late and playing video games while right down the hall she was in the office still working on paperwork at one and two in the morning.

Life :: essays research papers

A boy comes of age in an Italian-American neighborhood in the Bronx. His father gives him a piece of advice: "Nothing is more tragic than a wasted talent." A street-corner gangster gives him another piece of advice: "Nobody really cares." These pieces of advice seem contradictory, but the boy finds that they make a nice fit. The kid, whose name is Calogero but who is called C, idolizes Sonny. He likes the way Sonny exercises a quiet authority, and talks with his hands, and dresses well. When C is 17, he goes to work for Sonny, against his father's wishes. And in the year when most of the film is set, he learns lessons that he will use all of his life. "A Bronx Tale" was written for the stage by Palminteri, who plays Sonny with a calm grace in the film, but was Calogero in real life. There have been a lot of movies about neighborhood Mafiosos (Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas" was the best), but this movie isn't like the others. It doesn't tell some dumb story about how the bus driver and the mobster have to shoot each other, or about how C is the hostage in a tug of war. It's about two men with some experience of life, who love this kid and want to help him out. Lorenzo, the bus driver, gives sound advice: "You want to see a real hero? Look at a guy who gets up in the morning and goes off to work and supports his family. That's heroism." But Sonny gives sound advice, too. One of the things he tells C is that you cannot live your life on the basis of what other people think you should do, because when the chips are down, nobody really cares. You're giving them a power they don't really have. That sounds like deep thinking for a guy who hangs on the corner and runs a numbers racket, but Son ny, as played by Palminteri, is a complex, lonely character, who might have been a priest or a philosopher had not life called him to the vocation of neighborhood boss. Nine year-old Calogero (Francis Capra) is the streetwise son of Lorenzo Anello (Robert De Niro), a bus driver who takes pride in his work ethic and expects to instill the same values in his son. Calagero, however, is in awe of the local mob boss, Sonny (Chazz Palminteri), and when Calogero keeps his mouth shut after witnessing Sonny do a hit, the boy is taken under Sonny's wing and shown the ways of the wiseguys.

Case Study Building Shared Services Essay

ABSTRACT The following paper describes the case study of RR Communications from the view point of Vince Patton the CEO who deals with issues like different IT business units mainly Internet, mobile, landline and cable TV services working independently and neglecting the services of other department thus causing a downfall in the company’s valued services for the customers, CIO’s who are involved with IT-Business alignment are only focused on their individual department and strongly oppose the fact of centralized IT systems, Lack of centralized data i.e. because of the opposition face from department CIO’s , the paper discusses decisions made by Vince Patton to benefit RR communications like centralized IT systems , and decision to implement the shared service for customer calls , reduce the number of suppliers and third party vendors. The paper also discusses certain questions to understand the case in much detail and finally a proposed solution on how to implement the sh ared services. INTRODUCTION Issues of the case study The issues of RR communications identified in the case study are as described  below 1. Lack of centralized IT systems and single leadership, currently there are different departments for each vertical and each a CIO who wish to hold on to their department, this division causes lack of coordination and understanding the other service which has an negative effect 2. Failure in leadership has caused great problems for the company as an enterprise, the division presidents do not want to cooperate with the VP of IT to establish a congregation of the IT departments which has caused internal conflict and an upsurge to unite the database and bring a share system service for customer calls. 3. Their absence of single database has problems with managing data from duplication, storing and protection, and so with each division having their own data of customers to manage and provide service for the customers tend to receive four separate bills which is not helping to retain customers for the services provided. 4. Proliferation of unwanted projects because of the presence divisions who might feel the need of an project which in the enterprise point of view is unwanted, hence the VP’s suggestion of a monthly meeting to discuss the enterprise projects , its need, and scheduling them, budgeting , resource allocation was suggested. 5. Lack of information management makes it difficult to manage the business as a whole, makes it nearly impossible to bring in new technology or space of innovation is stifled because each division doesn’t seem to be in sync leading to increase in cost DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1. List the advantages of a single customer service center for RR Communications. Implementing single customer services for RR communications by removal of departmentalized services for each service has the following advantages a. A single system for multiple department of services remove data redundancy like customer calls entry, customer information entry etc. thus expediting the process as for every call since personnel working on them are equally allocated and every person has some knowledge of the other sector information. b. A single system also prevents customers from being transferred from one department to another, and also just one bill can be set up to sent to the customer making it easier for the consumers to understand what c. Company can implement new products and services and  remain competitive in the market d. Common customer data repository which is advantageous for the company to reduce data procurement and maintenance cost e. Reduces complexity of multiple departments running playing by different rules thus making internal operations more effective and efficient f. Customer centric systems results in great customer satisfaction g. Sharing of information amongst many systems provides faster decisions on customer or system issues 2. Devise an implementation strategy that would guarantee the support of the divisional presidents for the shared customer service center. The case study clearly states that the divisional presidents/CIO’s are absolutely not convinced with the idea of integrating business units on the customer service center brining in shared customer services for many reasons stated like; for their own reasons of losing power in their department, their lack of concern on organization benefits whole as an enterprise, their worry on their individual projects not getting the right number of resources or budget. But some of the strategies if put forth rightly could have all the divisional presidents agree on the shared customer service a. Meetings that focus on IT decisions to be made together as an enterprise and allocate budgets and resources accordingly hence not leaving any division project on the loose loop. b. Bringing in the right infrastructure, metrics, enterprise architecture to help IT standardize their operations which brings the organization to have a consistent brand and successfully sell their services and each department president can receive support. c. Bringing IT folks into business discussions so that they understand the business aspect of the shared services and see what benefits their divisions and resources and pitch in their own ideas. d. Identifying business opportunities that matter to the divisions and ensuring any one department is given preference over the other e. The idea of creating a centralized database and a single data architecture that is accessible to all divisions improves customer satisfaction, lower costs, maintain integrity of data and also prevent duplicate data. And with these advantages the division president can see what is in store for their departments with respect to customer satisfaction. f. IT governance mechanism that handles all the department projects through monthly meetings where the division president can be given  an heads up projects that will be handled and that no project will be scrapped or lack budget and resources and those projects when using shared services can benefit maximum to the enterprise. 3. Is it possible to achieve an enterprise vision with a decentralized IT function? Working in the organization keeping in mind that the work is focused on the business as a whole and not concentrated to any particular department is the way a company needs to grow, but having many divisions and division of labor makes it difficult to envision company’s values, profitability and sustenance. Hence, decentralization of IT into smaller department causes confusion among the department makes information management a huge challenge. And with many departments and leaders for each miscommunication is bound to happen as each division leader is bound to think of his own department much more than work on the vision of the whole company thus causing chaos, disorganization of the project work to progress in the fast lane. And a decentralized IT in a company makes it difficult to track legacy customers or bring in new ones thus a loss in profit for the organization is sure to happen. 4. What business and IT problems can be caused by lack of common information and an enterprise IM strategy? Lack of a centralized information/data repository in any enterprise means lack of clear coordination among the various departments because of lack of communication and in all possibilities each department would not have access to their information if need be which can cause data redundancy. And with multiple silos of data storage and maintenance cost can considerably increase ultimately wasting financial and personnel resources. 5. What governance mechanisms need to be put in place to ensure common customer data and a shared customer service center? What metrics might be useful? To push forwards the implementation of shared services and encourage common customer data certain governance mechanism such as converging IT and Business, Involve IT in business meetings and being apart in making business decisions for the projects, once the shared system is established along with centralized data system each department can be regulated with the new data  which enhances performance. With systems in place, certain metrics can be developed to assess the risk involved, cost incurred, and weak areas in the department that requires immediate attention technically. CONCLUSION From the discussion above with issues, and answers discussing solutions, required governance, metrics and proposed plan it is understood that what RR communication requires is a centralized customer service that shares information amongst different divisions, and single data repository. Along with these, division presidents hindrance to these tasks needs to be put to an convincing end and let them know how well they can be involved in getting these systems in place with advantages to their department. Also uniting different divisions into one is an idea being thought over which will reduce auditing costs of each division, less cost to maintain data individually and makes sure the information transition is smooth and regulated. With this consolidated information, the company’s vision of maintaining its brand can be achieved through cross sales as each division will work with each other leading to faster and effective services rendered to the customers and thus achieving the vision for the enterprise as a whole. REFERENCES 1. Bakos, Treacy. (June 1986).Information technology and Corporate Strategy. Retrieved from http://people.stern.nyu.edu/bakos/itandcs.pdf 2. Nilles, Jack. The Impact of It on organizations. Retrieved from http://www.skyrme.com/insights/5itorg.htm 3. Kokemuller, Neil. Decentralized Company Business Structure. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/decentralized-company-business-structure 20629.html 4. IT Policy and Strategy, Wilmington University. Boston, MA. Pearson learning Solutions

Stefan’s Diaries: The Craving Chapter 25

Anger was all I had left, and I let rage fuel me the way human blood had in my first weeks as a vampire. I couldn't believe Damon's indifference, couldn't understand who he'd become. But him not helping didn't change what I needed to do: save Lexi. Across the street a gentleman upon a coal-black mare was talking amiably down to a shopkeeper. The moment the shopkeeper went in to get something I grabbed the horse's reins and, breaking my vow for the second time in twenty-four hours, I compelled the rider to dismount and enjoy a nice long walk back home. Though normally I'd be faster than a horse, I was hungry and drained, so with gentle whispers and a crack of the reins I was off uptown, loudly galloping upon the New York City streets. She was a fine beast and responded to my every gentle nudge, the slightest clench of my knees. With the wind in my hair and the leather in my grip, I almost felt like my old self again. But the sky was beginning to lighten, in that hushed crystal blue of early morning, and I had to urge every last bit of speed out of the horse. Lexi's life might depend on it. As we mounted the long drive up to the Richards' and took the small path to the family chapel on the right, I knew I had made the right decision. I could smell the old one's presence, the miasma of old blood, death, and decay that followed around him like a shadow. My horse whinnied in terror. I leaped off the horse before she had really stopped and gave her a gentle spank. â€Å"Go home,† I ordered. She reared up, as if unwilling to give up her newfound freedom, then turned and galloped away. I ran into the great hall where I was wed, pushing aside a lone servant who stood in my way. Lexi was there, tied to the altar like an ancient sacrifice. The smell of vervain burned my nose – her ropes had clearly been soaked in it. The sun had risen, and its presence came in the form of a bloodred puddle from an east-facing stained glass window. As the light slowly moved toward her feet she squirmed and gasped, trying to pull her legs out of the way. A wisp of smoke rose up where the deadly sun had just begun to touch her toes, and the strange smell of burning flesh filled the room. â€Å"Lexi!† I yelled. â€Å"Stefan!† she sobbed in pain and relief. I thought fast. It would take me far too long to figure out how to remove the vervain-soaked ropes, and there was nothing I could cover the windows with, no tapestries or easily pulled-up rugs or runners. Without thinking of my own safety, I ran over and grabbed her small white hand, slipping my ring over her finger. â€Å"But, Stefan,† Lexi protested. â€Å"You need it if you're going to keep chasing after and saving me,† I said, pulling all her ropes off. The vervain burned my fingers raw, but preserved her until she was free. Despite the pain in my fingers, I felt light and hopeful. I had done it. I'd saved Lexi. â€Å"Now let's get you – â€Å" But at that moment, a vervain-soaked net fell on us both, searing every inch of my body. â€Å"Run!† I shouted, pushing Lexi out of the way. She rolled to the floor, then reached for the edge of a pew to help right herself. As she extended her arm, though, it passed through a shaft of sunlight. Her eyes widened in wonder, clearly shocked that no smoke appeared and her skin didn't burn. And then she disappeared, blurring with vampire speed away from the scene. I put up my hands, trying to keep the netting off my face, but I twisted and cried out wherever the poisoned rope touched me. The ancient vampire appeared, giant leather gloves on his hands and a big grin on his pale face. â€Å"Hello.† The corners of his mouth pulled back too far, revealing a set of strong white teeth wedged in decaying gums. â€Å"So predictable, coming to rescue a damsel in distress.† That foul odor of a slaughterhouse enveloped me like a hot wind in August: inescapable, absolute, and horrible. Despite the burning nets, I tried to turn away from it. That only made him chuckle. â€Å"Where is the one who is always near you and just out of your grasp, like a shadow? Where is your brother?† I clenched my jaw. Knowing Damon, he was swilling his third whiskey, preparing to feast on a saloon girl or two. Lucius studied my silent face, seeming to mistake it for bravado. â€Å"Well, it is no matter. I will get him eventually. Your brother is more like a real vampyr than you, no interest in anything outside his little world, no desire to do good. He may survive for a trifle longer.† â€Å"What do you plan to do with me?† I demanded. Though in truth, now that Lexi was safe, I didn't fear for my own safety. I wished only to have the chance to kill the monster, to stop him from exacting further revenge and preying on more humans. But the vervain was drawing out my Power like a siphon, and I knew even scratching the old one would be a small victory. The beast grabbed the net and threw me over his shoulder like I was nothing more than a bag of mice or feathers. â€Å"My plans are not particularly spectacular,† he said as he lumbered down the church's aisle. There were still rose petals on the floor, I noted, drying away into thin scraps of nothing. The flowers in vases were wilted, everything left to wither after the murder of the brides. â€Å"But they will be enduring. Vampires can survive a very, very long time. Without food. Slowly starving over the centuries and still not dying.† The net shifted as he shrugged. â€Å"Well, eventually, perhaps. I've never seen it happen, but I suppose we'll find out.† He took a sudden left into the private chapel, stopping in front of a set of double doors – the crypt, I suddenly realized with mounting dread. Although the doors were solid, carved marble, Lucius had no problem throwing them open, dumping me out of the net, and tossing me into a tiny stone room, barely larger than the dozen coffins interred there. For one brief moment, I relished the feel of the cool air rushing over my burned skin. But then he let out a low growl. â€Å"When your hunger for blood eats you from the inside and makes you go mad, do not worry – I will be there, listening. Watching. And laughing.† My last sight was of the ancient standing, outlined in a bright halo of the living world, waving. Then he threw the doors closed with a slam that echoed to the very heavens, and I was in utter darkness. I raced to the doors and threw my weight against them. They didn't even rattle. Trying to quell my rising hysteria, I took in the dank, musty room, searching for an opening, a secret exit, an out, even though a voice at the back of my mind screamed, â€Å"It's a crypt, Stefan! Death is the only way out!† I wove through the maze of coffins and sarcophagi. Even in my panic I noticed the ornate carvings and brass hinges. One of the marble tombs had the portrait of a young girl engraved in high relief. She had wide eyes and bow-shaped lips. I slumped over the carving, as though I could hug the girl resting beneath it. At least Lexi was safe, I told myself. If nothing else, at least I could spend the centuries knowing that she was out there somewhere, living her life – protected by my ring. And maybe, just maybe, trying to find me. â€Å"So long,† I whispered to Lexi in the silence of the tomb. As if on cue, the doors to the crypt opened one last time, and a petite blonde came hurtling through, landing with a thud at my feet. â€Å"Lexi!† I cried as the doors slammed shut behind her, plunging us into darkness again. â€Å"Hey there,† she said weakly. â€Å"Fancy meeting you here.†