School Uniform Free Essays

After a since a long time ago named inquire about at the subject, regardless of whether understudies are happy with the way that they need to wear a school uniform or not we have arrived at the resolution that all the sentiments at this subject are around separated into equal parts. One portion of the talked with understudies was agreeable to class outfits wearing, the subsequent half was against it. In the event that you have gotten an assignment to compose enticing paper on school uniform, you can pick any of the previously mentioned alternatives. We will compose a custom paper test on School Uniform or on the other hand any comparable theme just for you Request Now Therefore, we chose to give in our article the propositions, which you may use in both of the cases for your enticing exposition on school garbs composing. Theories for uniform wearing to make reference to in your enticing paper on school uniform: †¢School uniform makes kids treat the procedure of their examination in a genuine manner, as school uniform orders understudies. As the individual gets dressed every morning while at the same time going to work, understudies likewise put on their regalia, this cause them to believe their examination to be a dependable task. Notice this thought in your powerful article on school uniform. All the understudies are wearing indeed the very same way that is the reason there are no any battles and harassing among the understudies on account of the apparel matters. Reach out on this thought while your influential exposition on school uniform composition. †¢Wearing regalia make kids to be concentrated to their investigation as opposed to b eing gathered at the subject what to wear so as to look better than the young lady sitting close to. †¢School uniform is extremely modest one if to contrast it and the various garments. It is less expensive to purchase the illuminate than to purchase the dress which ought to be changed practically every day. Proposals against wearing uniform which you can make reference to in your powerful paper on school uniform composition: †¢School isn't a jail to wear very much the same uniform. †¢School uniform doesn't let understudies communicate. †¢School uniform slaughters the distinction of youngsters and causes them to be only a piece of unremarkable group. †¢School uniform doesn't fit everybody and makes a portion of the understudies to look mocks. All the previously mentioned postulations are only a few thoughts for your influential article on school uniform composition, reach out on these thoughts, make your own ones while enticing paper on school regalia compos ing. Have a charming work. Step by step instructions to refer to School Uniform, Papers School Uniform Free Essays string(90) each other feel like they are acknowledged and part of an a lot greater picture than just them. School Uniforms Should Students in Public Schools Wear Uniforms? Conceptual One of the most disputable issues in government funded school is the school garbs. In 1996, the issue of school outfits was purchased to the cutting edge in President Clinton State of the Union location. Individuals contend that outfits can make schools more secure and improve participation and increment student’s accomplishment. We will compose a custom paper test on School Uniform or on the other hand any comparative subject just for you Request Now Individuals contradicting school garbs contend that it has not been demonstrated to work with control, participation or the student’s accomplishment. The reason for this examination is to see whether school outfits will work in all rudimentary government funded schools. Do the understudies and their folks need an adjustment in their school region endeavoring to control numerous angles, participation, scholastic accomplishment, confidence, security and brutality? Keen on positive changes in the understudies achievement and accomplishment might need to consider school uniform approach in their school area. School Uniforms in open grade schools can affect the understudies and on the educational system. The understudies can concentrate more on their classes as opposed to social factors that understudies center around when there is no school uniform and the clothing regulation isn't exacting. There is no opposition between friends to exceed each other when wearing garbs. A few guardians grumble that outfits are unreasonably exorbitant for them, yet garbs are in reality progressively moderate and there are less garments to purchase since everybody will be wearing comparable apparel. There are additionally approaches to help low-salary families with the expense. The school can set up subsidizing for low salary families to help pay for the outfits for their youngsters as gifts, attire vouchers, and backing from the colleagues of the networks; this issue can be survived. The second hand shops and uniform gracefully houses likewise lessen the expense for the apparel. These things consolidated can make it far less expensive to buy standard garments than to satisfy the need for planner attire worn at this point. Numerous tuition based schools have required regalia for various years and now state funded schools are receiving the school uniform arrangement. With Long Beach, California being the principal huge urban school area to implement garbs to all understudies in Kindergarten through eighth grade in 1995. In 1999, New York City implemented outfits in 70 percent of their schools. In 2000, Philadelphia authorized the outfits area wide and 60 percent in Miami and 80 percent in Chicago (Konheim-Kalkstein, 2006). From that point forward school garbs in state funded schools are getting progressively mainstream the country over. A few different states have just actualized uniform strategies in Texas, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Los Angeles, Michigan, Florida, Utah, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Tennessee, Virginia, and District of Columbia. Numerous enormous government funded educational systems including Baltimore, Cincinnati, Dayton, Detroit, Los Angeles, Memphis, Milwaukee, Nashville, New Orleans, Phoenix, Seattle and St. Louis have schools with either intentional or required uniform arrangements, for the most part in basic and center schools (Brunsma, 2006). Promoters accept that the uniform strategies have extraordinary advantages. They accept that it takes out clash over costly things of attire and has an efficient air to the school (Darden, p. 36). They additionally believe that the outfits will make schools more secure, improve participation, and an advanced education accomplishment. By wearing regalia in school they will have the option to recognize trespassers and setting a genuine model for the understudies who are not kidding about school work and their investigations, and furthermore debilitates the exercises of group individuals and the pressures that come about because of wearing posse garments clothing (Boutelle, 2008). Rivals feel there isn't sufficient proof to help the connection between the outfits and control or garbs and understudies accomplishment. As indicated by Brunsma (2006, p. 85), he recommend that uniform strategies may just fill in as a bandage in managing the issues of schools and may just give policymakers an approach to abstain from settling on the choices important to change government funded training. Presently the inquiry is, â€Å"Would Delaware open grade schools advantage extraordinarily if thi s approach were received? † Resistance is consistently a factor when attempting to make changes. A few guardians and understudies may not need the school outfits for an assortment of reasons. On the off chance that the guardians and understudies understand that outfits will profit them over the long haul they may adjust their perspectives. There are numerous preferences to class garbs, including scholastic focal points, social results, conduct issues, wellbeing and cost of outfits. Research is required on the grounds that grade schools will profit more in the event that they had a school uniform approach authorized. Writing Review School garbs have been the reason for some jokes and provocation to the individuals who wore them. Previously, state funded schools considered outfits old and out dated patterns, however as of late numerous government funded schools are beginning to actualize and implement a uniform approach. The execution of a school uniform arrangement is significant on the off chance that we are as yet endeavoring to improve our understudies. The contentions against them are blurring while the positive explanations behind advancing school regalia are making progress. A portion of the potential advantages are wellbeing, cost, consistency and brutality in scholastics rather than styles. As per Boutelle (2008), school regalia in today’s society â€Å"promote school wellbeing and upgrade the learning condition, and lessen the dress completion† (p. 3). School regalia bind together a school and help the mixing of the school societies, rather than isolating the understudies. Alongside school regalia there is a lift in scholastic execution. With the United States dropping behind other created country positioning in at number 18 of 24 (Boutelle, 2007), this is low for a country that is spending a ton on instruction consistently. Understudies are losing center around school and are vieing for what the most up to date design or contraption as opposed to concentrating on school nowadays. With the expansion of school garbs in American culture, understudies can concentrate more on their classes as opposed to social factors that understudies center around when there is no school uniform and the clothing regulation isn't severe. With the expansion of school garbs in government funded schools understudies are holding together helping each other feel like they are acknowledged and part of an a lot greater picture than just them. You read School Uniform in class Paper models Everyone wearing regalia additionally makes it extremely simple to perceive individuals who shouldn't be there or can make an interloper catch everyone's eye. The Department of Education gave out manuals to the entirety of the nation’s 16,000 school areas with proposals to make school regalia required and model projects that are in a couple of state funded schools (Brunsma, 119). Explanations behind actualizing outfits included: decrease peer pressure, increment school pride, gear concentrate more to learning, aid discipline issues, and make a more work-like environment with less interruptions and cost. Schools that have huge issues are for the most part prone to have school regalia. Having a decent cover of a zero-resistance strategies and school uniform arrangements don't n

State V. Steele. Police administration Essay Example for Free

State V. Steele. Police organization Essay Julian Steele functioned as a cop. In 2009, a theft occurred and the police were associated with the issue. Following quite a while of examination, the police followed the vehicle associated with the burglary to one Miss Alice Maxton. Julian, being a cop engaged for the situation. Julian captured Maxton’s kids, removing them from school. Julian at that point grilled one of the three children, convincing the child to confess to being associated with the burglary. Julian undermined the child by telling the child that in the event that he didn't admit to the burglary, his mum would be put to prison. Frightened, the child admitted to the wrongdoing and was put to prison. Steele figured out how to persuade Alice to engage in sexual relations with him, so he could anticipate the arrival of his child. Certain examiners scholarly of Steele’s offense and blamed him on justification for terrorizing and grab (Gaines, 2012,). Based on Steele’s conduct, it is right to state that Steele was engaged with police offense. As per the law, officials are allowed to capture individuals. This reality dishonors the charges of snatching. Be that as it may, the law doesn't permit cops to utilize bogus admissions to put individuals to jail. Steele realized that the child couldn't have carried out the wrongdoing, yet he proceeded to detain the minor utilizing the minor’s admission as demonstrate. Terrorizing is a piece of a police officer’s work. This reality ruins the cases of terrorizing against Steele. Nonetheless, cops are not permitted to make dangers during addressing. Steele made dangers. He compromised the child that his mum would be put to jail, and that he (the child) would be isolated from his kin. These dangers constrained the child to admit to a wrongdoing he had not submitted. This was against the police implicit rules (Worrall, 2012,). Steele is an official that conflicted with the police set of accepted rules. Thus, Steele ought not be given another opportunity. Rather, he ought to be approached to deliver an acquiescence letter, before his exchange to jail. This would thus fill in as a notice to different officials. References Gaines, L. K., Worrall, J. L. (2012). Police organization. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar/Cengage. Source archive

Devaluation and Idealization in BPD

Devaluation and Idealization in BPD BPD Print Devaluation and Idealization in BPD By Kristalyn Salters-Pedneault, PhD Kristalyn Salters-Pedneault, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and associate professor of psychology at Eastern Connecticut State University. Learn about our editorial policy Kristalyn Salters-Pedneault, PhD Updated on September 19, 2019 PeopleImages / Getty Images More in BPD Diagnosis Treatment Living With BPD Related Conditions In This Article Table of Contents Expand Idealization Devaluation Defense Mechanisms In Other Personality Disorders When To See a Doctor View All Back To Top Devaluation and idealization  are defense mechanisms that help a person manage their anxiety as well as internal or external stresses. While this subconscious protection system can be found in a few personality disorders, it is most often associated with  borderline personality disorder  (BPD). Idealization Idealization is a psychological or mental process of attributing overly positive qualities to another person or thing. Its a way of coping with anxiety in which an object or person of ambivalence is  viewed as perfect, or as having exaggerated positive qualities. Its common with borderline personality disorder for a person to idealize a friend, family member, or loved one. They feel intense closeness towards that person and place them on a pedestal. This can quickly and unpredictably change to intense anger toward that person, a process called devaluation. Devaluation In psychiatry and psychology, devaluation is a defense mechanism that is just the opposite of idealization. Its used when a person attributes themselves, an object, or another person as completely flawed, worthless, or as having exaggerated negative qualities. Defense Mechanisms Both devaluation and idealization are considered to be on a minor image-distorting level on the Defensive Functioning Scale. This tool  is used by doctors to group patients defense mechanisms into levels of intensity. Like most defense mechanisms or coping strategies, many people are not aware they are engaging in devaluation and idealization. Its done subconsciously as a way to protect themselves from perceived stress. In borderline personality disorder, devaluation often alternates with idealization. For instance, a person with BPD may shift from great admiration for a loved one â€" idealization of that person â€" to an intense anger or dislike towards that person â€" devaluation of that person. This wild shift between idealization and devaluation found in BPD is known as splitting, which signifies a disturbance in both thinking and emotion regulation. Scientific data suggests that this splitting is linked to activation in the prefrontal cortex â€" the front part of your brain associated with personality â€" and the amygdala â€" the part of your brain that controls emotional perception and expression. Devaluation and Idealization in Other Personality Disorders Devaluation is not limited to people with borderline personality disorder. It may be seen in other personality disorders, especially antisocial personality disorder or narcissistic personality disorder. Idealization is sometimes also seen in narcissistic personality disorder, especially towards the self or the treating therapist. Splitting, or the rapid fluctuation between idealization and devaluation, is classically seen in borderline personality disorder. What Does This Mean for Me? Devaluation and idealization are defense mechanisms commonly used in borderline personality disorder. That said, just because you engage in these defense mechanisms does not mean you have BPD â€" its simply a feature of this disorder. Speak with your doctor or a therapist if you are concerned that you use coping strategies like these to deal with emotional conflict or stress. Screening for Borderline Personality Disorder

Top 17 Exposures Needed to Learn New Words

While technically not a muscle, a students brain benefits from regular daily exercise. Where there are health and fitness  experts who design routines and make recommendations for building specific body muscles using  repetition (reps) in sets, there are U.S. Department of Education experts who recommend the  learning of vocabulary through repetition (reps) or exposure to a word. So, just how many repetitions do these education experts say are necessary?  Research shows the optimum number of repetitions for vocabulary to go into the long-term memory of the brain is 17 repetitions. These 17 repetitions must come in a variety of methods over planned periods of time. The Brain Needs 17  Repetitions   Students process information during the school day into their neural network.  The brains neural networks form, store, and re-form information into long-term memory that can be recalled like files on a computer or tablet. In order for a new vocabulary word to make the journey into the brains long term memory, a student must be exposed to the word in timed intervals; 17  timed intervals to be exact. Teachers need to limit the amount of information presented per unit of time and repeat it cyclically throughout the day. That means students should never be given a long list of vocabulary words for one exposure and then be expected to retain the list for a quiz or test months later.  Instead, a small group of vocabulary words should be introduced or explicitly taught for several minutes at the beginning of a class (first exposure) and then revisited, 25-90 minutes later, at the end of class (second exposure). Homework might constitute the third exposure. In this way, over the course of six days, students can be exposed to a group of words for the optimum number of 17 times. The experts from the U.S. Department of Education  also strongly suggest that teachers  dedicate a portion of the regular classroom lesson to explicit vocabulary instruction. Teachers should also vary this explicit instruction by taking advantage of the way the brain learns, and include multiple instruction strategies that are auditory (hear the words) and visual (see the words). Build Vocabulary Muscles Just like a body workout, a brain workout for vocabulary should not be boring. Doing the same activity over and over will not help the brain develop the necessary new neural connections. Teachers should expose students to the same vocabulary words in a variety of ways: visual, audio, tactile, kinesthetic, graphically, and orally.  The list below of 17 different types of exposures follows the design of the  Six Steps for Effective Vocabulary Instruction, a set of recommendations by education researcher Robert Marzano.  These 17 repeated exposures begin with introductory activities and end with games. 1. Have students start with a sort by having them separate out the words in ways that make sense to them. (Ex: words I know vs. words I dont know or words that are nouns, verbs, or adjectives) 2. Provide students with a description, explanation, or example of the new term. (Note: Having students look up words in dictionaries is not useful for teaching vocabulary. If the vocabulary word list is not associated with or taken from a text, try and provide a context for the word or introduce direct experiences that can give students examples of the term.) 3. Tell a story or show a video that integrates the vocabulary word(s). Have students create their own videos using the word(s) to share with others.   4. Ask students to find or create pictures that explain the word(s). Have students create symbols, graphics or comic strips to represent the word(s).   5. Ask students to restate the description, explanation, or example in their own words. According to Marzano, this is an important repetition that must be included. 6. If applicable, use morphology and highlight the prefixes, suffixes, and root words (decoding) that will help students remember the meaning of the word. 7.  Have students create lists of synonyms and antonyms for the word. (Note: Students can combine #4, #5, #6, #7 into the Frayer model, a  four-square graphic organizer for building student vocabulary.) 8. Offer incomplete analogies for students to complete or allow students to write (or draw) their own analogies. (Ex: Medicine:illness as law:_________). 9. Have students engage in conversation using vocabulary words. Students can be in pairs to share and discuss their definitions  (Think-Pair-Share). This is particularly important for EL students who need to develop speaking and listening skills. 10. Have students create a concept map or  graphic organizer that has students draw an illustration representing vocabulary words to help them think about related concepts and examples. 11. Develop word walls that display vocabulary words in different ways.  Word walls are more effective when they are interactive, with words that can be easily added, removed or rearranged. Use pocket charts, or index cards with peel-and-stick Velcro, or peel-and-stick magnetic strips. 12. Have students use the activities on mobile vocabulary apps: Quizlet; IntelliVocab for SAT, etc. 13.  Cover a wall with paper and have students create  word posters or graffiti  the walls with vocabulary scribbles. 14. Create crossword puzzles or have student design their own crossword puzzles (free software programs available) using vocabulary words. 15. Have students interview a word by  teams as a class or small group activity. Give one team a word and list of interview questions. Have students â€Å"become† the word and write an answer to questions. Without revealing the word, someone acts as the interviewer and asks the questions to guess the word. 16. Organize the activity Kick Me:  Students find answers to blanks on a worksheet by looking at the words that the teacher has put on students’ backs using labels. This encourages movement in the lesson thus increasing student focus, engagement, and retention of information. 17. Have students play games that are adapted for vocabulary words and definitions: Pictionary, Memory, Jeopardy, Charades, $100,000 Pyramid, Bingo.  Games like these help teachers energize students and guide them in the review and use of vocabulary in collaborative and cooperative ways.

Realm of Wonders Union Essay - 1119 Words

Alison felt sick. She could not believe that she had put herself forward by agreeing to take three people to Frinda. A place that if they got caught in, could mean trouble, not only from her mum, but also the queen, who did not wish nosey kids to probe her kingdom before going to war. She got her clothes ready for the adventure and packed her backpack with a torch, food and a bottle of water, and lay on her bed grabbing the picture of Amir. She began staring at the handsome prince. She gazed at his eyes†¦she loved to do that lately. All she thought about was he, morning, noon and night, wishing that she could’ve known him and been his friend. However, staring harder she seemed to go into a trance; everything around her became dark. It was†¦show more content†¦Alison was not sure if it was she, who had urged Amir to wipe his eyes so that she could see what was going on, or that the tears were burning his cheeks and the need to wipe them away was of his free will. His dark green, silk doublet was used as a hankie, as he pulled the thick material roughly over his eyes and cheeks, and looked down sadly. Alison felt herself gasp, as lying on the ground lay a chestnut horse. The light breath of the horse and the nudging of its head made Alison aware that he was dying. The straw that was around the horse was bloodied from the deep wounds on its stomach. Amir stroked its mane, hugging the creature and whispering gently in its ear, then kissed the horse on its temple and watched sadly, as he died, unable to help a creature who had been his only companion in the palace, for as long as Amir could remember. â€Å"Sleep tight Harpo, I’ll miss you,† Amir cried as he closed Harpo’s eyes and continued stroking his mane. â€Å"Oh dear, who could have killed your horse?† a wicked voice behind him sneered. Amir turned around to see his sister standing there laughing by the barn doors. â€Å"Did a nasty person kill your horsey worsy?† she laughed. â€Å"Leave me alone!† Amir shouted, as he quickly stood up and ran at Zantha, his bloodied hands turning into a fist. â€Å"What? And leave you to suffer in peace? I don’t think I could do that. I want to see you suffer. So please, entertain me with your tears. It is soShow MoreRelatedRealm of Wonders Union Essay2737 Words   |  11 Pagesthat. Have you seen your mum?† Sarah asked softly. â€Å"Nope, glad in a way, after her storming off last night, I hope I don’t see her all weekend.† â€Å"Where’d she go?† Sarah asked. â€Å"No idea, but wherever it was, I bet it has to be something to do with the union.† Alison and Sarah walked towards school, the sun was shining brightly in the sky, another sunny day was on the cards. However, Alison did not care, she wanted nightfall to arrive quickly. She knew she had to see her mum sometime today. She wantedRead MoreEssay about Realm of Wonders Union1840 Words   |  8 Pagesthere was nothing false about the queen killing her dad, which to Alison felt real. She had seen it, the fate of her father’s death with her own eyes, and unless Lidah or her mother believed her, then she did not feel any remorse about her mum and the unions’ petty regulations. â€Å"Alison, you have had it easy with me, because I know when you go home your mother will have plenty to say to you—† â€Å"Yes, I get the message,† Alison hissed, butting in before Mrs. Foster could finish her sentence. â€Å"Yes, well,Read MoreSimilarities Between Christianity And Judaism1629 Words   |  7 PagesWith the mystical unions in both Christianity and Judaism, there are many similarities. One of these similarities is the celebration of a wedding. In the Christian tradition, the wedding is between Christ and his people. When a person gets ready to take communion, they wear their Sunday best and they have prepared themselves to receive the Lord and be united with Him. In the Jewish tradition, the wedding that is being celebrated is that of the Shekinah and the Tiferet. This union brings the cosmosRead MoreA Reflection On Confucius s The World s Wisdom 982 Words   |  4 Pagesbeing in union with the Dao which results in health, longevity, and ultimately immortality. In terms of compassion, you do not attach to anything; you are static. Yet you also become like nature, untouched but there is still the sun, the wind, and rain. One must practice patience for the water to clear, to be fr ee of sorrow and confusion. Simplicity teaches that everything comes and goes, we only have the power to observe. Being like nature means being natural, being open to the wonders of the DaoRead MoreGerman Technology And Its Impact On The World891 Words   |  4 PagesSocialist Party and the Cold War Era presence of the Berlin Wall, Germany has once again risen to become one of the most prosperous countries in the World with their competitive persona. Within the cultural domains, Germany remains a leader within the realm of Technology and Material, as well as Economics and Resources, while maintaining strong relations with the United States of America. 2. It comes as no surprise that German technology is amongst some of the most innovative and influential introducedRead MoreNeorealism: War Avoided in Thirteen Days1529 Words   |  6 PagesThe film Thirteen Days chronicles the clash between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Told from the perspective of American Kenny O’Donnell, the movie depicts the discovery of missiles in Cuba, followed by deliberations on an appropriate response and the United States’ decision to enact a blockade. Though relations between the United States and the Soviet Union were precarious for a time during the film, eventual negotiations between the two succeeded in avertingRead MoreThe Value Of Philosophy : Lord Russell1522 Words   |  7 Pagesintellectual imagination and diminish the dogmatic assurance which closes the mind against speculation; but above all because, through the greatness of the universe which philosophy contemplates, the mind is als o rendered great, and becomes capable of that union with the universe which constitutes its highest good. (Palmer 34) Lord Russell suggests that the value of philosophy is in the generation of questions rather than the response to such questions. The value of philosophy is found in the questions itRead MoreThe Mind Body And Body1341 Words   |  6 Pages The Mind-Body problem arises to Philosophy when we wonder what is the relationship between the mental states, like beliefs and thoughts, and the physical states, like water, human bodies and tables. For the purpose of this paper I will consider physical states as human bodies because we are thinking beings, while the other material things have no mental processes. The question whether mind and body are the same thing, somehow related, or two distinct things not related, has been asked throughoutRead MoreAnalysis Of Quran And Its Impact On The Treatment Of Women1563 Words   |  7 Pagesapproved and outlined in Quran represented a significant improvement in the treatment of women. Nevertheless, although the Quran granted the wife some judicial relief from undesirable unions. The strong influence of social customs, especially in the Hanafi School of law, narrowly limited the grounds for that relief. (J.DeLong-Bas, 2001) Defining Religion: In the 1950s and 1960s, many social scientists and historians in the United States argued that Western societies were becoming secularized andRead MoreThe Race that Transformed America1018 Words   |  5 PagesSoviets, since the events of the Cold War and especially the Space Race, Americans have portrayed an extreme respect and wonder in science. â€Å"The idea that American science ever operated in a free zone outside of politics is itself a legacy of the ideological Cold War that held up American science, and scientists, as beacons of freedom in contrast to their peers in the Soviet Union† (Competing with the Soviets). As a result, people give more confidence and respect to scientists, as they have proved

The Vampire Diaries The Fury Chapter Seven Free Essays

â€Å"To cooperate at what?† Meredith asked. â€Å"I’ll explain about that later. But first I want to know what’s been going on in town since I-left. We will write a custom essay sample on The Vampire Diaries: The Fury Chapter Seven or any similar topic only for you Order Now † â€Å"Well, hysteria mostly,† Meredith said, raising an eyebrow. â€Å"Your Aunt Judith’s been pretty badly off. She hallucinated that she saw you-only it wasn’t a hallucination, was it? And she and Robert have sort of broken up.† â€Å"I know,† Elena said grimly. â€Å"Go on.† â€Å"Everybody at school is upset. I wanted to talk to Stefan, especially when I began to suspect you weren’t really dead, but he hasn’t been at school. Matt has been, but there’s something wrong with him. He looks like a zombie, and he won’t talk to anyone. I wanted to explain to him that there was a chance you might not be gone forever; I thought that would cheer him up. But he wouldn’t listen. He was acting totally out of character, and at one point I thought he was going to hit me. He wouldn’t listen to a word.† â€Å"Oh, God-Matt.† Something terrible was stirring at the bottom of Elena’s mind, some memory too disturbing to be let loose. She couldn’t cope with anything more just now, she couldn’t, she thought, and slam dunked the memory back down. Meredith was going on. â€Å"It’s clear, though, that some other people are suspicious about your ‘death.’ That’s why I said what I did in the memorial service; I was afraid if I said the real day and place that Alaric Saltzman would end up ambushing you outside the house. He’s been asking all sorts of questions, and it’s a good thing Bonnie didn’t know anything she could blab.† â€Å"That isn’t fair,† Bonnie protested. â€Å"Alaric’s just interested, that’s all, and he wants to help us through the trauma, like before. He’s an Aquarius-â€Å" â€Å"He’s a spy,† said Elena, â€Å"and maybe more than that. But we’ll talk about that later. What about Tyler Smallwood? I didn’t see him at the service.† Meredith looked nonplussed. â€Å"You mean you don’t know?† â€Å"I don’t know anything; I’ve been asleep for four days in an attic.† â€Å"Well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Meredith paused uneasily. â€Å"Tyler just got back from the hospital. Same with Dick Carter and those four tough guys they had along with them on Founders’ Day. They were attacked in the Quonset hut that evening and they lost a lot of blood.† â€Å"Oh.† The mystery of why Stefan’s Powers had been so much stronger that night was explained. And why they’d been getting weaker ever since. He probably hadn’t eaten since then. â€Å"Meredith, is Stefan a suspect?† â€Å"Well, Tyler’s father tried to make him one, but the police couldn’t make the times work out. They know approximately when Tyler was attacked because he was supposed to meet Mr. Smallwood, and he didn’t show up. And Bonnie and I can alibi Stefan for that time because we’d just left him by the river with your body. So he couldn’t have gotten back to the Quonset hut to attack Tyler-at least no normal human could. And so far the police aren’t thinking about anything supernatural.† supposed to meet Mr. Smallwood, and he didn’t show up. And Bonnie and I can alibi Stefan for that time because we’d just left him by the river with your body. So he couldn’t have gotten back to the Quonset hut to attack Tyler-at least no normal human could. And so far the police aren’t thinking about anything supernatural.† â€Å"Tyler and those guys can’t identify the attacker because they can’t remember a thing about that afternoon,† Meredith added. â€Å"Neither can Caroline.† â€Å"Caroline was in there?† â€Å"Yes, but she wasn’t bitten. Just in shock. In spite of everything she’s done, I almost feel sorry for her.† Meredith shrugged and added, â€Å"She looks pretty pathetic these days.† â€Å"And I don’t think anyone will ever suspect Stefan after what happened with those dogs at church today,† Bonnie put in. â€Å"My dad says that a big dog could have broken the window in the Quonset hut, and the wounds in Tyler’s throat looked sort of like animal wounds. I think a lot of people believe it was a dog or a pack of dogs that did it.† â€Å"It’s a convenient explanation,† Meredith said dryly. â€Å"It means they don’t have to think any more about it.† â€Å"But that’s ridiculous,† said Elena. â€Å"Normal dogs don’t behave that way. Aren’t people wondering about why their dogs would suddenly go mad and turn on them?† â€Å"Lots of people are just getting rid of them. Oh, and I heard someone talk about mandatory rabies testing,† Meredith said. â€Å"But it’s not just rabies, is it, Elena?† â€Å"No, I don’t think so. And neither do Stefan or Damon. And that’s what I came over to talk to you about.† Elena explained, as clearly as she could, what she had been thinking about the Other Power in Fell’s Church. She told about the force that had chased her off the bridge and about the feeling she’d had with the dogs and about everything she and Stefan and Damon had discussed. She finished with, â€Å"And Bonnie said it herself in church today: ‘Something evil.’ I think that’s what’s here in Fell’s Church, something nobody knows about, something completely evil. I don’t suppose you know what you meant by that, Bonnie.† But Bonnie’s mind was running on another track. â€Å"So Damon didn’t necessarily do all those awful things you said he did,† she said shrewdly. â€Å"Like killing Yangtze and hurting Vickie and murdering Mr. Tanner, and all. I told you nobody that gorgeous could be a psycho killer.† â€Å"I think,† said Meredith with a glance at Elena, â€Å"that you had better forget about Damon as a love interest.† â€Å"Yes,† said Elena emphatically. â€Å"He did kill Mr. Tanner, Bonnie. And it stands to reason he did the other attacks, too; I’ll ask him about that. And I’m having enough trouble dealing with him myself. You don’t want to mess with him, Bonnie, believe me.† â€Å"I’m supposed to leave Damon alone; I’m supposed to leave Alaric alone†¦ Are there any guys I’m not supposed to leave alone? And meanwhile Elena gets them all. It’s not fair.† â€Å"I don’t know. Something tremendously strong-but it could be shielding itself so that we can’t sense it. It could look like an ordinary person. And that’s why I came for your help, because it could be anybody in Fell’s Church. It’s like what Bonnie said during the service today: ‘Nobody is what they seem.’ â€Å" Bonnie looked forlorn. â€Å"I don’t remember saying that.† â€Å"You said it, all right. ‘Nobody is what they seem,’ † Elena quoted again weightily. â€Å"Nobody.† She glanced at Meredith, but the dark eyes under the elegantly arched eyebrows were calm and distant. â€Å"Well, that would seem to make everybody a suspect,† Meredith said in her most unruffled voice. â€Å"Right?† â€Å"Right,† said Elena. â€Å"But we’d better get a note pad and pencil and make a list of the most important ones. Damon and Stefan have already agreed to help investigate, and if you’ll help, too, we’ll stand an even better chance of finding it.† She was hitting her stride with this; she’d always been good at organizing things, from schemes to get boys to fundraising events. This was just a more serious version of the old plan A and plan B. Meredith gave the pencil and paper to Bonnie, who looked at it. and then at Meredith, and then at Elena. â€Å"Fine,† she said, â€Å"but who goes on the list?† â€Å"Well, anyone we have reason to suspect of being the Other Power. Anyone who might have done the things we know it did: seal Stefan in the well, chase me, set those dogs on people. Anyone we’ve noticed behaving oddly.† â€Å"Matt,† said Bonnie, writing busily. â€Å"And Vickie. And Robert.† â€Å"Bonnie!† exclaimed Elena and Meredith simultaneously. Bonnie looked up. â€Å"Well, Matt has been acting oddly, and so has Vickie, for months now. And Robert was hanging around outside the church before the service, but he never came in-â€Å" â€Å"Oh, Bonnie, honestly,† Meredith said. â€Å"Vickie’s a victim, not a suspect. And if Matt’s an evil Power, I’m the hunchback of Notre Dame. And as for Robert-â€Å" â€Å"Fine, I’ve crossed it all out,† said Bonnie coldly. â€Å"Now let’s hear your ideas.† â€Å"No, wait,† Elena said. â€Å"Bonnie, wait a moment.† She was thinking about something, something that had been nagging at her for quite a while, ever since- â€Å"Ever since the church,† she said aloud, remembering it. â€Å"Do you know, I saw Robert outside the church, too, when I was hidden in the choir loft. It was just before the dogs attacked, and he was sort of backing away like he knew what was going to happen.† â€Å"Oh, but Elena-â€Å" Soberly, after a moment’s hesitation, Bonnie did. â€Å"Who else?† she said. â€Å"Well, Alaric, I’m afraid,† Elena said. â€Å"I’m sorry, Bonnie, but he’s practically number one.† She told what she had overheard that morning between Alaric and the principal. â€Å"He isn’t a normal history teacher; they called him here for some reason. He knows I’m a vampire, and he’s looking for me. And today, while the dogs were attacking, he was standing there on the sidelines making some kind of weird gestures. He’s definitely not what he seems, and the only question is: what is he? Are you listening, Meredith?† â€Å"Yes. You know, I think you should put Mrs. Flowers on that list. Remember the way she stood at the window of the boarding-house when we were bringing Stefan back from the well? But she wouldn’t come downstairs to open the door for us? That’s odd behavior.† Elena nodded. â€Å"Yes, and how she kept hanging up on me when I called him. And she certainly keeps to herself in that old house. She may just be a dotty old lady, but put her down anyway, Bonnie.† She ran a hand through her hair, lifting it off the back of her neck. She was hot. Or-not hot exactly, but uncomfortable in some way that was similar to being overheated. She felt parched. â€Å"All right, we’ll go by the boardinghouse tomorrow before school,† Meredith said. â€Å"Meanwhile, what else can we be doing? Let’s have a look at that list, Bonnie.† Bonnie held the list out so they could see it, and Elena and Meredith leaned forward and read: Matt Honeycutt Vickie Bennett Robert Maxwell-What was he doing at the church when the dogs attacked? And what was going on that night with Elena’s aunt? Alaric Saltzman-Why does he ask so many questions? What was he called to Fell’s Church to do? Mrs. Flowers-Why does she act so strange? Why didn’t she let us in the night Stefan was wounded? â€Å"Good,† Elena said. â€Å"I guess we could also find out whose dogs were at the church today. And you can watch Alaric at school tomorrow.† â€Å"I’ll watch Alaric,† Bonnie said firmly. â€Å"And I’ll get him cleared of suspicion; you see if I don’t.† â€Å"Fine, you do that. You can be assigned to him. And Meredith can investigate Mrs. Flowers, and I can take Robert. And as for Stefan and Damon-well, they can be assigned to everyone, because they can use their Powers to probe people’s minds. Besides, that list is by no means complete. I’m going to ask them to scout around town searching for any signs of Power, or anything else weird going on. They’re more likely than I am to recognize it.† â€Å"Fine, you do that. You can be assigned to him. And Meredith can investigate Mrs. Flowers, and I can take Robert. And as for Stefan and Damon-well, they can be assigned to everyone, because they can use their Powers to probe people’s minds. Besides, that list is by no means complete. I’m going to ask them to scout around town searching for any signs of Power, or anything else weird going on. They’re more likely than I am to recognize it.† â€Å"Elena. Elena!† Startled, Elena looked up, to see Meredith’s wary dark eyes and Bonnie’s alarmed expression. It was only then that she realized she was crouched close to Bonnie’s wrist, rubbing the biggest vein with her finger. â€Å"Sorry,† she murmured, sitting back. But she could feel the extra length and sharpness of her canine teeth. It was something like wearing braces; she could clearly feel the difference in weight. She realized her reassuring smile at Bonnie was not having the desired effect. Bonnie was looking scared, which was silly. Bonnie ought to know that Elena would never hurt her. And Elena wasn’t very hungry tonight; Elena had always been a light eater. She could get all she needed from this tiny vein here in the wrist†¦ Elena jumped to her feet and spun toward the window, leaning against the casing, feeling the cool night air blowing on her skin. She felt dizzy, and she couldn’t seem to get her breath. What had she been doing? She turned around to see Bonnie huddled close to Meredith, both of them looking sick with fear. She hated having them look at her that way. â€Å"I’m sorry,† she said. â€Å"I didn’t mean to, Bonnie. Look, I’m not coming any closer. I should have eaten before I came here. Damon said I’d get hungry later.† Bonnie swallowed, looking even sicker. â€Å"Eaten?† â€Å"Yes, of course,† Elena said tartly. Her veins were burning; that was what this feeling was. Stefan had described it before, but she’d never really understood; she’d never realized what he was going through when the need for blood was on him. It was terrible, irresistible. â€Å"What do you think I eat these days, air?† she added defiantly. â€Å"I’m a hunter now, and I’d better go out hunting.† Bonnie and Meredith were trying to cope; she could tell they were, but she could also see the revulsion in their eyes. She concentrated on using her new senses, in opening herself to the night and searching for Stefan’s or Damon’s presence. It was difficult, because neither of them was projecting with his mind as he had been the night they’d been fighting in the woods, but she thought she could sense a glimmer of Power out there in the town. When the bulb was finally screwed back in, it revealed Damon sitting casually but precariously on the sill of the open window, one knee up. He was smiling one of his wildest smiles. â€Å"Do you mind?† he said. â€Å"This is uncomfortable.† Elena glanced back at Bonnie and Meredith, who were braced against the closet, looking horrified and hypnotized at once. She herself shook her head, exasperated. â€Å"And I thought I liked to make a dramatic entrance,† she said. â€Å"Very funny, Damon. Now let’s go.† â€Å"With two such beautiful friends of yours right here?† Damon smiled again at Bonnie and Meredith. â€Å"Besides, I only just got here. Won’t somebody be polite and ask me in?† Bonnie’s brown eyes, fixed helplessly on his face, softened a bit. Her lips, which had been parted in horror, parted further. Elena recognized the signs of imminent meltdown. â€Å"No, they won’t,† she said. She put herself directly between Damon and the other girls. â€Å"Nobody here is for you, Damon-not now, not ever.† Seeing the flare of challenge in his eyes, she added archly, â€Å"And anyway, I’m leaving. I don’t know about you, but I’m going hunting.† She was reassured to sense Stefan’s presence nearby, on the roof probably, and to hear his instant amendment: We’re going hunting, Damon. You can sit there all night if you want. Damon gave in with good grace, shooting one last amused glance toward Bonnie before disappearing from the window. Bonnie and Meredith both started forward in alarm as he did, obviously concerned that he had just fallen to his death. â€Å"He’s fine,† said Elena, shaking her head again. â€Å"And don’t worry, I won’t let him come back. I’ll meet you at the same time tomorrow. Good-bye.† â€Å"But-Elena-† Meredith stopped. â€Å"I mean, I was going to ask you if you wanted to change your clothes.† Elena regarded herself. The nineteenth-century heirloom dress was tattered and bedraggled, the thin white muslin shredded in some places. But there was no time to change it; she had to feed now. â€Å"It’ll have to wait,† she said. â€Å"See you tomorrow.† And she boosted herself out of the window the way Damon had. The last she saw of them, Meredith and Bonnie were staring after her dazedly. â€Å"Your cloak,† she said, pleased. For a moment they smiled at each other, remembering the first time he had given her the cloak, after he’d saved her from Tyler in the graveyard and taken her back to his room to clean up. He’d been afraid to touch her then. But, Elena thought, smiling up into his eyes, she had taken care of that fear rather quickly. â€Å"I thought we were hunting,† Damon said. Elena turned the smile on him, without unlinking her hand from Stefan’s. â€Å"We are,† she said. â€Å"Where should we go?† â€Å"Any house on this street,† Damon suggested. â€Å"The woods,† Stefan said. â€Å"The woods,† Elena decided. â€Å"We don’t touch humans, and we don’t kill. Isn’t that how it goes, Stefan?† He returned the pressure of her fingers. â€Å"That’s how it goes,† he said quietly. Damon’s lip curled fastidiously. â€Å"And just what are we looking for in the woods, or don’t I want to know? Muskrat? Skunk? Termites?† His eyes moved to Elena and his voice dropped. â€Å"Come with me, and I’ll show you some real hunting.† â€Å"We can go through the graveyard,† Elena said, ignoring him. â€Å"White-tailed deer feed all night in the open areas,† Stefan told her, â€Å"but we’ll have to be careful stalking them; they can hear almost as well as we can.† Another time, then, Damon’s voice said in Elena’s mind. How to cite The Vampire Diaries: The Fury Chapter Seven, Essay examples

The Ethical Imperative free essay sample

A global ethic is only practicable as a personal commitment, says the author, Dalla Costa. He explains that for businesspeople, this does not mean valuing profit less, but instead valuing people more. Throughout the article, the author shows that business reflects who we are as a society and the beliefs that we live by as individuals. He uses several examples of organizations that have been hurt by unethical behavior to support his statement. Business leaders must assess their values and make appropriate changes since they operate in a global economy where market forces have left the human aspect weaker and the profit element skyrocketed. Dalla Costa attempts to convince businesses to pursue moral and ethical policies. He addresses the principle of right and wrong but emphasizes the importance of ethical behavior to long-term survival and profit. The article dissects the different characteristics attributed to those optimistic and pessimistic. It describes the institutional pessimism of business, and explains how it is a product of fear – the fear of making mistake and of trying something new. We will write a custom essay sample on The Ethical Imperative or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The author argues that todays universal interdependence requires a global ethic – concern for the consumers, workers, and the environment of the overall community. He also discusses the pressures that lead to unethical behavior by individuals and organizations. He develops on five core fallacies that ground the pessimists antipathy and prevent correction. In the article, Dalla Costa outlines the process for incorporating ethical principles to the direct benefit of customers, shareholders, employees and profits. The author makes clear why corporate ethics must be a fundamental component of any firm. As managers and consumers, many people are concerned about issues like discrimination in the workplace, and are struggling to integrate their beliefs into their jobs. The Ethical Imperative links these personal values to business performance. ’Costly though they may be, ethics are not an expenditure but an investment’’ (Dalla Costa, 1998). This article can be related to any business. [From Tesco’s point of view] as trust is essential among network actors, we believe to be optimistic is the best way to achieve ethical practices and reach trust between the firm and the market. Since industry, employer, and peer pressure are important factors influencing employees’ decisions, and since they do what they think is expected from them, we will work on modifying our business culture to build ethic and trust. Teams will be built to assess unethical issues, gather feedbacks and comments. This will in turn create a positive feedback loop. Also, Tesco will co-create supply chain transparency by 1. Demanding full transparency from its suppliers, 2. Working together with Tesco-Motorola-Food suppliers-Customers, and 3. Allowing customers to be true to their respective code of ethics.

Free Essays on Environmental Justice

Environmental justice has been broadly defined as â€Å"the pursuit of equal justice and equal protection under the law for all environmental statutes and regulations without discrimination based on race, ethnicity, and /or socioeconomic status† and also as one of four related concepts including environmental equity, environmental racism, and environmental classism. Environmental justice seeks to protect minority and low-income communities from bearing a disproportionate share of pollution. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits federally funded programs and activities from discriminating on the basis of race, color, or national origin. Because many state programs are delegated by federal law, Title VI complaints have been brought against some state environmental permitting decisions that involve pollution sources near minority and low-income communities. Environmental racism can be defined as the intentional sitting of hazardous waste sites, landfills, incinerators, and polluting industries in communities inhabited mainly by African-American, Hispanics, Native Americans, Asians, migrant farm workers, and the working poor. Minorities are particularly vulnerable because they are perceived as weak and passive citizens who will not fight back against the poisoning of their neighborhoods in fear that it may jeopardize jobs and economic survival. Studies The landmark study, Toxic Wastes and Race in the United States, described the extent of environmental racism and the consequences for those who are victims of polluted environments. The study revealed that: Race was the most significant variable associated with the location of hazardous waste sites. The greatest number of commercial hazardous facilities were located in communities with the highest composition of racial and ethnic minorities. The average minority population in communities with one commercial hazardous waste facility was twice the average minor... Free Essays on Environmental Justice Free Essays on Environmental Justice Environmental justice has been broadly defined as â€Å"the pursuit of equal justice and equal protection under the law for all environmental statutes and regulations without discrimination based on race, ethnicity, and /or socioeconomic status† and also as one of four related concepts including environmental equity, environmental racism, and environmental classism. Environmental justice seeks to protect minority and low-income communities from bearing a disproportionate share of pollution. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits federally funded programs and activities from discriminating on the basis of race, color, or national origin. Because many state programs are delegated by federal law, Title VI complaints have been brought against some state environmental permitting decisions that involve pollution sources near minority and low-income communities. Environmental racism can be defined as the intentional sitting of hazardous waste sites, landfills, incinerators, and polluting industries in communities inhabited mainly by African-American, Hispanics, Native Americans, Asians, migrant farm workers, and the working poor. Minorities are particularly vulnerable because they are perceived as weak and passive citizens who will not fight back against the poisoning of their neighborhoods in fear that it may jeopardize jobs and economic survival. Studies The landmark study, Toxic Wastes and Race in the United States, described the extent of environmental racism and the consequences for those who are victims of polluted environments. The study revealed that: Race was the most significant variable associated with the location of hazardous waste sites. The greatest number of commercial hazardous facilities were located in communities with the highest composition of racial and ethnic minorities. The average minority population in communities with one commercial hazardous waste facility was twice the average minor...

French Love Vocabulary

French Love Vocabulary French is often called the language of love. Here is some love related French vocabulary. To know how to say I love you in French - its more complicated than what it seems and not knowing exactly what you are saying could lead to a huge embarrassment, I suggest you check out my lesson about How To Say I Love You in French. French Love Vocabulary Lamour - loveLamitià © - friendshipMon amour - my love (could be used as a French term of endearment, either for a man or a woman)Mon chà ©ri, ma chà ©rie - darling (note the i sound at the end)Je taime - I am in love with youJe laime - I am in love with him/herJe suis amoureux / amoureuse de toi, lui, elle, vous... - I am in love with you, him, her, you (formal or... plural !)Tomber Amoureux / amoureuse - to fall in love (not tomber en amour which is used in Canadian French but not in France)Est-ce que tu veux sortir avoir moi - would you like to go out with me ?Est-ce que tu veux bien mà ©pouser - would you marry me? The bien here means are you willing to marry me, but its what we traditionally say.To kiss - embrasser, sembrasser. WATCH OUT !!! Not baiser... Im sorry to be vulgar but you need to be aware that un baiser is fine, it a kiss, but baiser as a verb nowadays means to f..k.A kiss - un baiser, un bisou - I wrote a whole article on the subject of  French kisses.Les fia nà §ailles - engagement Se fiancer - to get engagedUn fiancà ©, une fiancà ©e - someone you are engaged to. But sometimes used to say someone you are just dating.Le mariage - marriage, wedding (only one R in French)Se marier avec qqun - to get married with someoneÉpouser quelquun - to marry someoneLa lune de miel  - HoneymoonUn mari - a husbandUne femme - a wifeUn petit-ami - a boyfriendUne petite-amie - a girlfriend If you liked this article, I suggest you take a look at my  French terms of endearment audio article, and also the  French dating system explained  on my own site French Today. You may also like: Dialogue About Kissing - Easy Bilingual StoryHow To Say I love You in FrenchFrench Canadian Love ExpressionsFrench Valentines Day Traditions and Vocabulary - Easy Bilingual Story

Personal testimony Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Personal testimony - Term Paper Example I am now saved through faith. And this faith I have according to Ephesians 2:8, did not even come from me, it came from God. In retrospect, everything about my salvation, my decision to receive Jesus in my heart, my humility to repent and all that led me to this salvation I now enjoy, all came from God as a gift so I have nothing to boast about. Works are nothing when we do not have Jesus. They do not bring us to heaven as most people think it is the way things work so that they spend much money in doing good things for others. Looking at such a perspective, people who do so are like buying their own salvation, which of course is a futile endeavor. Works matter when Jesus is in a person’s life because works are the manifestations of the fruit of the Spirit of God in man, showing the love of God to all men who are the very reason why Jesus came to this earth. Salvation is a gift, however, a Christian also has the responsibility of working out his salvation as Paul encouraged hi s disciples in Philippi (Philippians 2:12). As a soldier enlists in the Army, he has a responsibility to carry out his duties to be worthy of his profession. No one enlists in the Army and runs away and does whatever he likes to do, otherwise he is not a true soldier. The same is true in Christianity, once a person receives Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, a contract is made which is sort of a marriage contract, sealed by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13). Enlisting in the Christian Army, one expects to be in the battlefield where Satan is the enemy (Matthew 13:39, Luke 10:19, Acts 13:10). The enemy’s job is to steal, kill and to destroy (John 10:10) thus, it is encouraged of the Christian to exercise his faith, waging war against evil and not giving in to it. When temptations come our way, Satan is there to steal our peace, destroy our relationship with God and kill our love to the Lord. The Christian fights by overcoming temptations, silencing the evil whispers of Satan and standing by the Word of God. My Testimony ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢, this very popular verse found in the book of John 3:16 seemed to me like just another literary piece of work that Sunday school teachers teach to children to augment one’s appreciation to literature. Growing up in a Christian family; going to church, opening the Bible, singing in the choir and joining other church activities was not at all different to me than what we do in school. They all seemed to me a part of living, a responsibility that I needed to do without truly understanding. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, another well known verse on love, helped me understand the love of God. Of course it is easy to understand that when I think of God’s love because He is God, I know He is able to be so patient, kind, not keep records of wrongs, to always protect, always hope, always persevere and never fail. It is so easy to say ‘I love you’ to God because everyone in church says so and soon it becomes a fixture, one says the words without even thinking about it. Yet when it comes to my self, I find it so disappointing for me to be unable to love others as I should. 1 John 4:20 slapped me awake to the profound truth that I was a liar, saying I love God when in fact I do not love my fellow men according to the Bible’s definition of love. Getting into a relationship with God, I am able to relate with how I am supposed to live a Christian life through the life of Hosea. Reading the prophet’

Planning and Threat Assessment Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Planning and Threat Assessment Paper - Essay Example Since the case involves heavy racial undertones, the composition and characteristics of the security detail is a critical issue and should be analyzed. Every individual must be cross-checked to determine any conflicting issues as internal threats must be eliminated before effectively managing possible external threats. First, it would be appropriate to have all men come from the white profile as having others from other races would present a conflict of interest. No matter how much training the security personnel has received, there is still the probability of reacting negatively to the blatant and controversial statements made by the client. Secondly, any affiliations and correspondences made by each security personnel should be analyzed to determine any pathways for leakage of information and breach of confidentiality. It should be stressed upon each individual that no information regarding the operation shall be discussed in any way to other people no matter how close or innocent they are. This group shall be comprised of 6 individuals and shall provide the escort and guarding of the client during the trip and case hearing. 1 person shall be the designated driver and shall guard the automobile against any threat. 2 individuals shall be responsible for crowd control and the remaining shall provide close security. Monitoring and securing of property in the absence of the client shall be undertaken by 2 individuals. 1 individual should have been enough to scare away any intruder or alert the authorities regarding any unusual activities but from the given case, it should be expected that only minimal assistance shall be provided by the community who hates the client. This situation makes 2 individuals appropriate for the job. Preliminary Information Gathering Activities Security and threat assessment necessitates that intensive and exhaustive information regarding the risk associated with the activity shall be provided. In the case given, the client is required to be present in a highly controversial hearing and safely return to his residence after it. It shall be assumed that the itinerary would not only be limited to going to the court and back but shall also consider any variety of functions requested by the client during the course of the trip. This shall include meetings, invitations for meals at restaurants, other personal activities or a trip to the hospital. Thus, the necessary information shall include the following: Transportation method There shall be two vehicles for transport of the client, the nurse and the security personnel. The first vehicle shall be occupied by three security individuals while the second one would contain the other three security detail including the team leader, the client and the nurse. When the vehicle containing the client is damaged, he shall be transferred to the other car. Designated drivers shall be skilled enough for driving in stressful situations. The client's protection is the priority but the nurse shall also be provided enough protection to be able to function in case medical treatments become necessary. As

Overview Of Company And Pharmaceutical Market Commerce Essay

Overview Of Company And Pharmaceutical Market Commerce Essay GSK is one of the leading pharmaceutical players in the world whose operations span 117 countries globally and it markets to 140 countries around the world. (Source: www.gsk.com) It is primarily organised along product and regional divisions, including Prescription Medicines, Vaccines and Consumer Healthcare. In recent times it has undergone a major streamlining of its operations in order to better respond to the environments in which it operates. Clearly, its environment is characterized by a great deal of change and uncertainty and hence it is extremely important that the structure in place is one which allows for information flow and knowledge exchange between subsidiaries and operations throughout the world in order to achieve its objectives and also to anticipate change and turn it to its advantage as a Marketing opportunity, rather than be surprised by it when it occurs and perceive it as a threat. (Baker, 1992) It is primarily structured on a regional basis covering Europe, No rth America, Central and South America, Caribbean, Asia and Australasia, Southeast Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The nature of the industry and the varying legal and regulatory environments which govern the industry makes this necessary as the environments are highly variable with different stakeholders and interest groups participating at different levels with varying degrees of authority and influence, though convergence is increasingly evident. Although primarily involved in pharmaceuticals and healthcare, the company also produces a variety of consumer products with some leading brands such as Lucozade, Aquafresh and Ribena. This implies that the company is rather varied in terms of its product portfolio and thus, the structure needs to be adapted according to the markets it serves which are clearly varied on a global basis. In recent times, the pharmaceutical sector became increasingly consolidated on a global level as a number of notable mergers took place throughout the latter part of the 20th Century as companies sought to gain competitive advantage by combining skills and assets and to achieve scale economies in research, development and production. One of the main characteristics of the industry is that it is intensely competitive and the overriding goal of the majority of players is to provide innovative and speedy responses to market. The industry has also come under the spotlight for certain unethical practices, reflective of the nature of the industry as a whole and particularly the fact that its success is very much dependent on the purchasing power of nations. Hence, there has also been much criticism voiced, especially in developing and poorer countries where access to medication and treatment is clearly not as available as in the developed West. As a result, recent years have seen many of t he larger players becoming much more involved in issues of Corporate Social Responsibility, integrating the concept into the overall strategic framework of the company. (Katsoulakos Katsoulacos, 2007) The pharmaceuticals sector has been affected by the enormous speed of change in its operating environment, one of the principal being that of the development of the Internet and other communications technologies. In the past 20 years or so, the industry has undergone major upheaval and consolidation has been prevalent. In order to survive, business models and organisational structures have had to be adapted to cope with the wider external forces or contingencies and the complexities which exist within the industry. The high number of mergers and acquisitions which have take place has also clearly impacted on the subsequent structures in place, especially relevant in the case of cross border deals where cultures vary at both organisational and national level. This has been a major factor in the development of the structure within GSK as the company has had to deal with 2 major mergers within a relatively short space of time and has massive implications for the management of the variou s cultures, both at organisational and at national level, which it subsequently had to deal with. Hence, the creation of a uniform GSK culture across its many divisions became of paramount importance for the leadership of the company. This is obviously a major area of concern, especially in post-merger management as the correct structures and cultures need to be put in place if synergies are to be realised and was a problem area initially for the Greek subsidiary. If we look back to the 1960s as the time when the Pharmaceuticals Industry began to evolve, the business models adopted by companies then were primarily based on innovation and the creation of new and effective drugs. Many were organised along functional lines, which arguably, were appropriate at the time. Much in line with the Contingency theorists, particularly Burns and Stalker (1961), environmental factors have had an astounding impact on the way organisations in the sector are structured and subsequently managed. The 1960s were characterised by rapid growth in economic terms in most developed countries, and this new prosperity clearly brought advantages to many market sectors, the pharmaceutical industry being one such benefactor. At the same time, the regulatory environment was considered to be much less rigid than that we know today and consequently it was easier for drugs companies to bring products to market and secure patents to ensure sole distribution. Differentiation bec ame a key strategy which thus affected the structures in place (Lawrence Lorsch, 1967) which tended to focus on the distinct competencies and specialisations within the firm. Up until the 1980s, research and development was still an integral part of the value chain and the product offering, but costs were continually rising and the returns were gradually being eroded. Some might say that consolidation was inevitable, but this alone was not enough. Companies had to rationalize their manufacturing procedures and many opted to locate operations in just several markets around the world, to gain both financial savings and create hubs of specialists who would contribute to the continued drive for innovation in the market. The structures in place were no longer fitting to the environmental factors at play nor did they facilitate the execution nor realization of objectives, which had also altered radically. In the case of GSK, it was able, due to its sheer size and consequently, resources, to take advantage of technology so as to create competitive advantage in its market, much in line with the resource dependency view as advocated by Pfeffer and Salancik (1978) as opposed to the view of Hannan and Freeman (1977) who tended to see the environment as being constraining to organizations, rather than looking at how companies can benefit or exploit what others may view as contingent factors. One of the most significant developments affecting all players in the industry was the development of the Internet. This ultimately offered up choice to the end user, increased distribution efforts as well as facilitating negotiations and alliances between suppliers in the market, but ultimately, it made consumers more informed and automatically made them part of the purchasing process. This ultimately called for new structures to be put in place which could satisfy all stakeholders in the chain while still retaining and concentrating on core competencies of research and development, though the pressure to innovate has become much more intense. All of the top 15 pharmaceutical companies have undergone senior executive-level changes within the last two years, bringing in an influx of new C-suite talent that includes many individuals from industries that have successfully tackled the challenges now confronting Pharma,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦These leadership changes should help innovative companies to transform their finance function, organizational design, and business models in ways that enable them to continue to prosper in a challenging time. (Carolyn Buck Lane, Global Pharmaceutical Leader, Ernst Young, available at http://www.pharmaceuticalonline.com/article.mvc/Pharmaceutical-Industry-Needs-To-Speed-Up-0001?VNETCOOKIE=NO) Organizational Structure For most companies, organization design is neither a science nor an art; its an oxymoron. Organizational structures rarely result from systematic, methodical planning. Rather, they evolve over time, in fits and starts, shaped more by politics than by policies. (Goold Campbell, 2002) Globally, the company is organised along regional and product lines and also involves a structure which encompasses the different functions of the company. As research and development is so high on the priority of the organisation, and the industry in general, this part of the company appears to operate almost independently, though with links to the other areas of the business. As the company has evolved over time, and obviously as a result of its merger with Smithkline in the 1990s, the power structures within the company have also changed somewhat and is much more widespread and less centralised. It is evident that the company has attempted to capture the essence of Druckers information-based organisation (1988) recognising that information must be distributed throughout in order to capitalise on the existing expertise within the company and to promote further learning and development of individuals within, promoting cross-collaboration and knowledge exchange which shall in turn produce creativity and innovation, much in line with Quinns theory of the learning Organization (1980) . This is viewed as a key to achieving competitive advantage and obviously, the quest for finding new and innovative solutions for the market at all levels. It also recognises how distinct and separate functions must work together so that there is cross-collaboration, communicati on and knowledge exchange as propagated by the likes of Drucker (1988) and Handys notion of federalism (1992), The states of federation stick together because they need one another as much as they need the center. (Pg. 65) One of the major problems for GSK in terms of structure is that it not only operates across different and unique functional lines, but also across various national environments. Contingency factors are therefore also varied across legal, political, economic and social spectrums, requiring different approaches to different environments. Bartlett and Ghoshal (1990) looked to the matrix structure as a response to this problem which essentially required a degree of centralised control but also national responsiveness to the different contingency factors at play. In theory, the matrix structure should have been able to deal with the complexities, but as argued by Bartlett and Ghoshal (1990), the failure of such a structure was due to the fact it had not been created in the minds of management and they had continued to operate at local or national level. This was evident within the Greek operations as well as evident in other operations worldwide, who essentially felt isolated and independ ent of HQ at the end of the 1990s, and much was done to overcome this problem through improved communication networks and attempts at promoting an organisational-wide philosophy and mission which ultimately translated into a more uniform culture, while still retaining a degree of local responsiveness. The requirement for the effectiveness of the matrix structure is that it required a specific mindset and a major shift in organisational culture and values. Trans-nationality was a new management mentality; one that essentially attempted to recognise and deal with complexity rather than attempt to remove it. Within such an organisation, the anatomical structure of the organisation itself matters less, and the psychological element, the people element has become the most important factor of doing business globally, hence the quest to shape organisational culture and mindset. In line with the overall evolution of strategic management, the people element and the organisational culture ele ment, became more important in subsequently shaping both strategy and structure within organisations and has been the path pursued by GSK. Within the GSK, combining control and responsiveness has been problematic as employees are geographically dispersed, such as with the Greek subsidiary, operating within different socio-economic environments, whereby it is impossible and inadvisable to assume that they will share common values and be motivated by the same things. Consistency was highlighted by Bartlett and Ghoshal who saw that many corporate objectives were not being achieved as individual country subsidiaries were too concerned with the attainment of national targets, rather than overall global company objectives. Subsequently, advances in technology have facilitated and improved communication and reporting lines overcoming some of the obstacles and hurdles, yet psychological barriers remain the most difficult to deal with and shall undoubtedly be a major hurdle. The analysis has shown that GSK chose this as a suitable structure as it allowed, concentration on specific projects or special efforts and essentially it a llowed for a combination of the previously presented functional and product structure (Held et al, 2009, Pg.58) while still retaining responsiveness to specific situations or markets as required. Although some principal functions are still essentially centralised from the company HQ in the UK Finance, HR, Legal, Communications, Ethics and Compliance and IT, they work closely and in unison with the companys various divisions and regions across the globe, including Greece. It is deemed necessary to have these areas to be centralised to a certain degree in order to exert a degree of control and allow for consistency. However, there is also a great deal of emphasis on autonomy of the various units while still allowing for a unified vision and the pursuit of common objectives. As Huczynski and Buchanan described, By having a power structure, the group avoids continued power struggles which can disrupt its functioning (1991). This is much in line with Handys view of the Federalist Organisation, and the subsequent structure which has been created is simultaneously a reaction to the environments as well as being predetermined by individual opinions and the objectives of the company, as the Strategic Choice perspective of organisations advocated and reinforces Chandlers notion that structure follows strategy. One of the difficulties for GSK is the expanse of its operations globally which makes control and co-ordination difficult, but necessary. As Bartlett and Goshal argued in the 1990s, top-level managers à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ are losing control of their companies. The problem is not that they have misjudged the demands created by an increasingly complex environmentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦nor even that they have failed to develop strategies appropriate to the new challenges. The problem is that their companies are organisationally incapable of carrying out the sophisticated strategies they have developed. GSK have attempted to create a structure which is in part evolutionary, a reaction to its environment and markets, thus following a contingency view of the organisation, and has also been predetermined by management, as highlighted by Thompson and McHugh (2002) . As later commentators observed, the contingency theorists did not take into account the fact that organisations as entities could actually alter the contingency factors deliberately or unintentionally through their actions. Introducing new products or new ways of doing business, can actually alter and in many instances shape their environment, as argued by Moss Kanter (2002). GSK wanted to push accountability to all levels of the organisation, seeing this as necessary to capitalise on the internal assets available to them as well as recognising the diversity of its divisions, its markets and its employees. There is a great sense of urgency surrounding the notion of a common and unified vision and the creation of a structure which allows a positive and unified culture throughout the company, while still allowing for a degree of autonomy throughout the different divisions and functions regionally. For so long structures had been very mechanistic with clear reporting lines and lines of authority in place. Such organisations are now generally referred to as bureaucracies. It is now recognised that power must also be coordinated and integrated in some way and GSK recognised that by pulling together the overall power of the organisation is increased at a global level. They have attempted to apportion the same degree of power to different divisions, recognising that they all have a valuable and strategic role to play in the organisations overall success. Again, in line with Handy and Druckers predictions, employees are now viewed as assets, and although technology has taken on an extremely dominant role in all organisations, in essence, it is viewed as a facilitator to fully take advantage of the skills and assets a company may have in its possession, that is its people. Hence GSK fosters a learning approach, investing substantially in its people at both a functional and personal l evel and recognises that without them, it shall not achieve its objectives. Organisational Goals and Mission Strategic Fit Prahalad and Hamels (1989) view of strategic intent being the necessary ingredient of success is highly relevant to GSK. The authors saw that the Empowerment of the Strategic Intent was key to the effectiveness of strategy process and that it was, a matter that involves everybodyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..to challenge the traditional downward communication style to an upward communication stream of new ideas coming from all the organization. (Source:http://www.valuebasedmanagement.net/methods_hamel_prahalad_strategic_intent.html, accessed 11/11/09) The fostering of an open communication system while still maintaining central control and direction should facilitate the exchange of ideas across the company, thus enhancing knowledge as well as market insight from specific customer markets, and thus promoting and inciting creativity and innovation which is one of the most important goals of the company. At the same time, it develops not only a sense of common purpose across the organisation but makes employees feel part of the overall strategic plan, thereby increasing motivation and productivity levels which have knock on effects across the board as employees feel empowered (Kotter, 1995). GSK has realised that much more important than the anatomical structure in place, there is a sense of common purpose across the company and its divisions which are characterised by diversity in functional, people and cultural terms. The important element of the new structure is that it revolves around the markets it serves rather than around functional areas, though these are still of great importance, especially the RD function. There are much fewer reporting lines to allow for the free flow of information and communication throughout the company. Flexibility and 360 degree feedback are built into the system and an open network of communication is encouraged to aid in the innovation process. As Barr (2005) concedes, According to Tidd, Bessant and Pavitt, (2005), innovative organisations are those that are flexible, adoptive, learning, characterised by organic culture, with capabilities of networking and team-working. (pg.1) Although the overall objectives have remained largely the same over the years, there has clearly been a shift in emphasis, particularly a renewed importance placed on innovation, in light of increasing competitive intensity as well as the expiration of many patents globally. In addition, there has also been a greater importance attached to the notion of people as assets and the recognition of the diversity of its workforce, its operations and the differing needs of its markets. This is particularly relevant given the emphasis on new and emerging economies of China and India who shall become increasingly important strategically in the very near future, as well as the concerns surrounding access to medication and healthcare in developing countries. In this respect, the environment and the external drivers which impact upon it, have an overriding influence on the strategy and structure adopted by the company. It could, however, also be argued that the companies themselves have also had an amazing impact on the environmental landscape due to the sheer size of some of the big players as well as the innovations they have brought to market which have ultimately shaped the industry, particularly with respect to consolidation. This is likely to continue, so structures and strategies shall be part evolutionary in line with external developments, but also determined by individual organisations through their activities. In summary, the main objectives of the company are as follows: Grow a diversified global business Deliver more products of value and Simplify the operating model. The mission is: We have a challenging and inspiring mission to improve the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. By focusing our business around our strategic priorities, were confident that we can fulfil this promise. Source: GSK Annual report, 2008 Conclusion and Recommendations The dictum Structure follows strategy refers specifically to the historical shift in the strategy and structure of large firms, first documented in the development of American industry (Chandler 1962). This shift involved the transition in strategy from single to multiple product lines and the concomitant structural innovation, the introduction of divisional structure, which made it possible to overcome the inefficiencies of functional structure (in particular, decision overload at the top of the organizational hierarchy). (Source: www.le.ac.uk/ulsm/doc/suhomlinova_organizational.pdf, accessed, 02/07/09) GSK have worked extremely hard at creating an organisation which is responsive to its environments and also one which allows it to shape the environments in which it operates. While many view the opinions of Burns and Stalker as being outmoded for business in the 21st Century, the analysis has shown that many of their assumptions still hold true today according to both firm and industry context and are particularly relevant to the pharmaceuticals industry and GSK in particular. The overriding thrust of the analysis undertaken in light of looking at the company from the perspective of the contingencies affecting it, is that an overwhelming emphasis of the structure which it has created is one that is fluid enough to facilitate innovation and the exchange of knowledge, and also one which recognises the diversity of its workforce, its markets and its operations, thus it essentially takes the best elements from the contingency school and the resource dependency theory which ultimately tr anslates into the strategic choice perspective . In this respect, it is attempting to achieve an organic structure which is flexible enough to respond to the uncertainty and unpredictability of the sector while simultaneously actually taking action which ultimately shapes the environment in which it operates. It appears that diversity is now a challenge of all business today, particularly those involved in global operations, and it appears that GSK has attempted to use this diversity as a key to its competitive advantage rather than seeing it as a problem which has to be overcome. Simultaneously, although it recognises that a certain degree of flexibility is required in its structure, it is also extremely important for the organisation to exert control and power, particularly given the intensity of competition and the fact that much of its business is of a particularly sensitive nature, both socially and politically. Power is dispersed throughout the organisation so that individuals , units and functions, can be exploited to their full potential. As Moss Kanter (1989) highlighted, to add value, managers think and work across boundariesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦every manager must think cross-functionally because every department has to play a strategic role. Hierarchies appear no longer to be a source of power in terms of both expertise, knowledge and success in the marketplace. GSK appears to be in an excellent position to capitalise on the opportunities available to it in the markets it serves globally. Its continued investment in learning and its support of staff, should allow it to recruit and retain the best skills available to it in its market. Clearly, more work and undoubtedly, changes to structure may be needed as the market changes further, particularly with regard to emerging economies, but its recognition that it is both a product of its environment as well as a shaper of its environment, should allow it to make the best possible strategic decisions going forward. Organisational structures are no longer used as a means to exert control and no longer operate in the same mode as political systems. This would be too rigid and would be at odds with the increasingly dynamic nature of the global business environment we know today. There shall be a continued emphasis on alliances and networks, internally and externally and the structure in place should be one which facilitates the pursuit of objectives but not be too rigid as to make changes, when required, impossible to achieve. As objectives change over time, the structure which accompanies it, may need to be altered as a result. As Kim and Mauborgne (2009) concede, There are three factors that determine the right approach: the structural conditions in which an organization operates, its resources and capabilities, and its strategic mind-setà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Even in a not-so-attractive industry, the structuralist approach can work well if a company has the resources and capabilities to beat out the competition. In either case, the focus of strategy is to leverage the organizations core strengths to achieve acceptable risk-adjusted returns in an existing market. In summary, our analysis of the industry has highlighted the importance and relevance of external events on a companys business model and strategic offering to the market. The nature of the industry across the value chain has changed substantially, with new entrants to the market and new and more demanding consumers of the end product. Differentiation strategies are much more difficult to create and certainly, even more difficult to maintain, hence many have formed partnerships or mergers in a bid to improve their competitive position. Price is extremely important, as we have seen from the success of the generic companies, but this alone will not suffice in such a competitive environment where stakeholders demands and expectations are constantly increasing, and the quest for innovation will continue to be important. As Daft and Marcic (2007) contend, The right structure is designed to fit the contingency factors of strategy, environment, and production technology. (Pg. 273) The chall enge is to define a business model which permits research and development to continue and succeed, while ensuring that returns are adequate and the market accepts a fair price. Over time, business models have also changed to become more focused on key competencies and strategic capabilities of the firm, much in line with the post-entrepreneurial model advocated by Kanter (2002), with many non core functions being outsourced in a quest to obtain a sustainable competitive advantage, others have opted for strategic partnership, seeing collaboration with apparent competitors as a viable option to outstripping the competition and obtaining market leadership. The contingency School of Thought, many argue, was a response to these new demands being placed on companies. Additionally, many also argued that it was in essence an extension of the Systems School, which focused more on the internal subsystems and interdependent functions within organizations. The challenge now, was to find a new a nd improved organization that fitted with its environment, which arguably calls for elements of each school of thought according to both external factors and internal capabilities (resource view). The important point is that there is no uniform answer to this problem as different industries and different companies need different responses. What may work well in one company will not necessarily translate across industry or organizational boundaries. What has become more important is that if strategy changes, for whatever reason, (internal or external), organizations must revisit structure to ensure that there is a fit between the two.

The Dark Side of Customer Analytics

HBR CASE STUDY AND COMMENTARYHow can these companies leverage the customer data responsibly? The Dark Side of Customer Analytics Four commentators offer expert advice. by Thomas H. Davenport and Jeanne G. Harris Reprint R0705A An insurance company finds some intriguing patterns in the loyalty card data it bought from a grocery chain—the correlation between condom sales and HIV-related claims, for instance. How can both companies leverage the data responsibly? HBR CASE STUDY The Dark Side of Customer Analytics COPYRIGHT  © 2007 HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL PUBLISHING CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. by Thomas H. Davenport and Jeanne G. Harris Laura Brickman was glad she was almost done grocery shopping. The lines at the local ShopSense supermarket were especially long for a Tuesday evening. Her cart was nearly over? owing in preparation for several days away from her family, and she still had packing to do at home. Just a few more items to go: â€Å"A dozen eggs, a half gallon of orange juice, and—a box of Dip & Dunk cereal? † Her sixyear-old daughter, Maryellen, had obviously used the step stool to get at the list on the counter and had scrawled her high-fructose emand at the bottom of the paper in brightorange marker. Laura made a mental note to speak with Miss Maryellen about what sugary cereals do to kids’ teeth (and to their parents’ wallets). Taking care not to crack any of the eggs, she squeezed the remaining items into the cart. She wheeled past the ShopSense Summer Fun displays. â€Å"Do we need more sunscreen? † L aura wondered for a moment, before deciding to go without. She got to the checkout area and waited. As regional manager for West Coast operations of IFA, one of the largest sellers of life and health insurance in the United States, Laura ormally might not have paid much attention to Shop-Sense’s checkout procedures—except maybe to monitor how accurately her purchases were being rung up. But now that her company’s fate was intertwined with that of the Dallas-based national grocery chain, she had less motivation to peruse the magazine racks and more incentive to evaluate the scanning and tallying going on ahead of her. Some 14 months earlier, IFA and ShopSense had joined forces in an intriguing venture. Laura for years had been interested in the idea of looking beyond the traditional sources of customer data that insurers ypically used to set their premiums and develop their products. She’d read every article, book, and Web site she HBR’s cases, whic h are ? ctional, present common managerial dilemmas and offer concrete solutions from experts. harvard business review †¢ may 2007 page 1 H BR C A SE S T UDY †¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ †¢T he Dark Side of Customer Analytics Thomas H. Davenport ([email  protected] babson. edu) is the President’s Distinguished Professor of Information Technology and Management at Babson College, in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and the director of research for Babson Executive Education. Jeanne G. Harris (jeanne. g. [email  protected] com) is an executive research fellow and a director of research at the Accenture Institute for High-Performance Business. She is based in Chicago. Davenport and Harris are the coauthors of Competing on Analytics (Harvard Business School Press, 2007). page 2 could ? nd on customer analytics, seeking to learn more about how organizations in other industries were wringing every last drop of value from their products and processes. Casinos, credit card companies, even s taid old insurance ? rms were joining airlines, hotels, and other service-oriented businesses in gathering nd analyzing speci? c details about their customers. And, according to recent studies, more and more of those organizations were sharing their data with business partners. Laura had read a pro? le of ShopSense in a business publication and learned that it was one of only a handful of retailers to conduct its analytics in-house. As a result, the grocery chain possessed sophisticated data-analysis methods and a particularly deep trove of information about its customers. In the article, analytics chief Steve Worthington described how the organization employed a pattern-based approach to issuing coupons. The marketing department understood, for instance, that after three months of purchasing nothing but WayLess bars and shakes, a shopper wasn’t susceptible to discounts on a rival brand of diet aids. Instead, she’d probably respond to an offer of a free doughnut or pastry with the purchase of a coffee. The company had even been experimenting in a few markets with what it called Good-Sense messages—bits of useful health information printed on the backs of receipts, based partly on customers’ current and previous buying patterns. Nutritional analyses of some customers’ most recent purchases were eing printed on receipts in a few of the test markets as well. Shortly after reading that article, Laura had invited Steve to her of? ce in San Francisco. The two met several times, and, after some fevered discussions with her bosses in Ohio, Laura made the ShopSense executive an offer. The insurer wanted to buy a small sample of the grocer’s customer lo yalty card data to determine its quality and reliability; IFA wanted to and out if the ShopSense information would be meaningful when stacked up against its own claims information. With top management’s blessing, Steve and his team had agreed to provide IFA with ten ears’ worth of loyalty card data for customers in southern Michigan, where ShopSense had a high share of wallet—that is, the supermarkets weren’t located within ? ve miles of a â€Å"club† store or other major rival. Several months after receiving the tapes, analysts at IFA ended up ?nding some fairly strong correlations between purchases of unhealthy products (highsodium, high-cholesterol foods) and medical claims. In response, Laura and her actuarial and sales teams conceived an offering called Smart Choice, a low-premium insurance plan aimed at IFA customers who didn’t indulge. Laura was ? ing the next day to IFA’s headquarters in Cincinnati to meet with members of the senior team. She would be seeking their approval to buy more of the ShopSense data; she wanted to continue mining the information and re? ning IFA’s pricing and marketing efforts. Laura understood it might be a tough sell. After all, her industry wasn’t exactly known for embracing radical change—even with proof in hand that change could work. The make-or-break issue, she thought, would be the reliability and richness of the data. â€Å"Your CEO needs to hear only one thing,† Steve had told her several days earlier, while they were comparing notes. Exclusive rights to our data will give you information that your competitors won’t be able to match. No one else has the historical data we have or as many customers nationwide. † He was right, of course. Laura also knew that if IFA decided not to buy the grocer’s data, some other insurer would. â€Å"Paper or plastic? † a young boy was asking. Laura had ? nally made it to front of the line. â€Å"Oh, paper, please,† she replied. The cashier scanned in the groceries and waited while Laura swiped her card and signed the touch screen. Once the register printer had stopped chattering, the cashier curled the long strip of aper into a thick wad and handed it to Laura. â€Å"Have a nice night,† she said mechanically. Before wheeling her cart out of the store into the slightly cool evening, Laura brie? y checked the total on the receipt and the information on the back: coupons for sunblock and a reminder about the importance of UVA and UVB protection. Tell It to Your Analyst â€Å"No data set is perfect, but based on what we’ve seen already, the ShopSense info could be a pretty rich source of insight for us,† Archie Stetter told the handful of executives seated around a table in one of IFA’s recently renovated conference rooms. Laura nodded in agreement, silently cheering on the insurance harvard business review †¢ may 2007 T he Dark Side of Customer Analytics †¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ †¢H BR C A SE S T UDY company’s uberanalyst. Archie had been invaluable in guiding the pilot project. Laura had ? own in two days ahead of the meeting and had sat down with the chatty statistics expert and some members of his team, going over results and gauging their support for continuing the relationship with ShopSense. â€Å"Trans fats and heart disease—no surprise there, I guess,† Archie said, using a laser pointer to direct the managers’ attention to a PowerPoint slide projected on the wall. How about this, though: Households that purchase both bananas and cashews at least quarterly seem to show only a negligible risk of developing Parkinson’s and MS. † Archie had at ? rst been skeptical about the quality of the grocery chain’s data, but ShopSense’s well of informati on was deeper than he’d imagined. Frankly, he’d been having a blast slicing and dicing. Enjoying his moment in the spotlight, Archie went on a bit longer than he’d intended, talking about typical patterns in the purchase of certain over-the-counter medications, potential leading indicators for diabetes, and other statistical curiosities. Laura noted that as Archie’s presentation wore on, CEO Jason Walter was jotting down notes. O. Z. Cooper, IFA’s general counsel, began to clear his throat over the speakerphone. Laura was about to rein in her stats guy when Rusty Ware, IFA’s chief actuary, addressed the group. â€Å"You know, this deal isn’t really as much of a stretch as you might think. † He pointed out that the company had for years been buying from information brokers lists of customers who purchased speci? c drugs and products. And IFA was among the best in the industry at evaluating external sources of data (credit histories, demographic studies, analyses f socioeconomic status, and so on) to predict depression, back pain, and other expensive chronic conditions. Prospective IFA customers were required to disclose existing medical conditions and information about their personal habits—drinking, smoking, and other high-risk activities—the actuary reminded the group . The CEO, meanwhile, felt that Rusty was overlooking an important point. â€Å"But if we’re ?nding patterns where our rivals aren’t even looking, if we’re coming up with proprietary health indicators—well, that would be a huge hurdle for everyone else to get over,† Jason noted. arvard business review †¢ may 2007 Laura was keeping an eye on the clock; there were several themes she still wanted to hammer on. Before she could follow up on Jason’s comments, though, Geneva Hendrickson, IFA’s senior vice president for ethics and corporate responsibility, posed a blue-sky question to the group: â€Å"Take the fruit-and-nut stat Archie cited. Wouldn’t we have to share that kind of information? As a bene? t to society? † Several managers at the table began talking over one another in an attempt to respond. â€Å"Correlations, no matter how interesting, aren’t conclusive evidence of causality,† someone said. Ev en if a correlation doesn’t hold up in the medical community, that doesn’t mean it’s not useful to us,† someone else suggested. Laura saw her opening; she wanted to get back to Jason’s point about competitive advantage. â€Å"Look at Progressive Insurance,† she began. It was able to steal a march on its rivals simply by recognizing that not all motorcycle owners are created equal. Some ride hard (young bikers), and some hardly ride (older, middle-class, midlife crisis riders). â€Å"By putting these guys into different risk pools, Progressive has gotten the rates right,† she said. â€Å"It wins all the business with the safe set by offering low remiums, and it doesn’t lose its shirt on the more dangerous set. † Then O. Z. Cooper broke in over the speakerphone. Maybe the company should formally position Smart Choice and other products and marketing programs developed using the Shop-Sense data as opt in, he wondered. A lot of people signed up when Progressive gave discounts to customers who agreed to put devices in their cars that would monitor their driving habits. â€Å"Of course, those customers realized later they might pay a higher premium when the company found out they routinely exceeded the speed limit—but that’s not a legal problem,† O. Z. noted. None of the states that IFA did business in had laws prohibiting the sort of data exchange ShopSense and the insurer were proposing. It would be a different story, however, if the company wanted to do more business overseas. At that point, Archie begged to show the group one more slide: sales of prophylactics versus HIV-related claims. The executives continued taking notes. Laura glanced again at the clock. No one seemed to care that they were going a little over. â€Å"Exclusive rights to our data will give you information that your competitors won’t be able to match. No one else has the historical data we have. † page 3 H BR C A SE S T UDY †¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ †¢T he Dark Side of Customer Analytics Data Decorum â€Å"Customers find out, they stop using their cards, and we stop getting the information that drives this whole train. † page 4 Rain was in the forecast that afternoon for Dallas, so Steve Worthington decided to drive rather than ride his bike the nine and a half miles from his home to ShopSense’s corporate of? ces in the Hightower Complex. Of course, the gridlock made him a few minutes late for the early morning meeting with ShopSense’s executive team. Lucky for him, others had been held up by the traf? c as well. The group gradually came together in a lightly cluttered room off the main hallway on the 18th ? oor. One corner of the space was being used to store prototypes of regional instore displays featuring several members of the Houston Astros’ pitching staff. â€Å"I don’t know whether to grab a cup of coffee or a bat,† Steve joked to the other s, gesturing at the life-size cardboard cutouts and settling into his seat. Steve was hoping to persuade CEO Donna Greer and other members of the senior team to approve the terms of the data sale to IFA. He was pretty con? dent he had majority support; he had already spoken individually with many of the top executives. In those one-onone conversations, only Alan Atkins, the grocery chain’s chief operations of? cer, had raised any signi? cant issues, and Steve had dealt patiently with each of them. Or so he thought. At the start of the meeting, Alan admitted he still had some concerns about selling data to IFA at all. Mainly, he was worried that all the hard work the organization had done building up its loyalty program, honing its analytical chops, and maintaining deep customer relationships could be undone in one fell swoop. â€Å"Customers ? nd out, they stop using their cards, and we stop getting the information that rives this whole train,† he said. Steve reminded Alan that IFA had no interest in revealing its relationship with the grocer to customers. There was always the chance an employee would let something slip, but even if that happened, Steve doubted anyone would be shocked. â€Å"I haven’t heard of anybody canceling based on any of our other card-driven marketing p rograms,† he said. â€Å"That’s because what we’re doing isn’t visible to our customers—or at least it wasn’t until your recent comments in the press,† Alan grumbled. There had been some tension within the group about Steve’s contribution to everal widely disseminated articles about ShopSense’s embrace of customer analytics. â€Å"Point taken,† Steve replied, although he knew that Alan was aware of how much positive attention those articles had garnered for the company. Many of its card-driven marketing programs had since been deemed cuttingedge by others in and outside the industry. Steve had hoped to move on to the ? nancial bene? ts of the arrangement, but Denise Baldwin, ShopSense’s head of human resources, still seemed concerned about how IFA would use the data. Speci? cally, she wondered, would it identify individual consumers as employees of particular companies? She reminded the group that some big insurers had gotten into serious trouble because of their pro? ling practices. IFA had been looking at this relationship only in the context of individual insurance customers, Steve explained, not of group plans. â€Å"Besides, it’s not like we’d be directly drawing the risk pools,† he said. Then Steve began distributing copies of the spreadsheets outlining the ? ve-year returns ShopSense could realize from the deal. â€Å"‘Directly’ being the operative word here,† Denise noted wryly, as she took her copy and passed the rest around. Parsing the Information It was 6:50 pm, and Jason Walters had canceled his session with his personal trainer— again—to stay late at the of? ce. Sammy will understand, the CEO told himself as he sank deeper into the love seat in his of? ce, a yellow legal pad on his lap and a pen and cup of espresso balanced on the arm of the couch. It was several days after the review of the ShopSense pilot, and Jason was still weighing the risks and bene? ts of taking this business relationship to the next stage. He hated to admit how giddy he was— almost as gleeful as Archie Stetter had been— about the number of meaningful correlations the analysts had turned up. Imagine what that guy could do with an even larger data set,† O. Z. Cooper had commented to Jason after the meeting. Exclusive access to ShopSense’s data would give IFA a leg up on competitors, Jason knew. It could also provide the insurer with proprietary insights into the food-related drivers of disease. The deal was cer tainly legal. And even in the court of public opinion, people understood that insurers had to perform risk analyses. It wasn’t the same as when that harvard business review †¢ may 2007 T he Dark Side of Customer Analytics †¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ †¢H BR C A SE S T UDY online bookseller got into trouble for charging ustomers differently based on their shopping histories. But Jason also saw dark clouds on the horizon: What if IFA took the pilot to the next level and found out something that maybe it was better off not knowing? As he watched the minute hand sweep on his wall clock, Jason wondered what risks he might be taking without even realizing it. †¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Donna Greer gently swirled the wine in her glass and clinked the stemware against her husband’s. The two were attending a wine tasting hosted by a friend. The focus was on varieties from Chile and other Latin American countries, and Donna and Peter had yet to ? nd a sample they didn’t like. But despite the lively patter of the event and the plentiful food. Donna couldn’t keep her mind off the IFA deal. â€Å"The big question is, Should we be charging more? † she mused to her husband. ShopSense was already selling its scanner data to syndicators, and, as her CFO had reminded her, the company currently made more money from selling information than from selling meat. Going forward, all ShopSense would have to do was send IFA some tapes each month and collect a million dollars annually harvard business review †¢ may 2007 of pure pro? t. Still, the deal wasn’t without risks: By selling the information to IFA, it ight end up diluting or destroying valuable and hard-won customer relationships. Donna could see the headline now: â€Å"Big Brother in Aisle Four. † All the more reason to make it worth our while, she thought to herself. Peter urged Donna to drop the issue for a bit, as he scribbled his comments about the wine they’d just samp led on a rating sheet. â€Å"But I’ll go on record as being against the whole thing,† he said. â€Å"Some poor soul puts potato chips in the cart instead of celery, and look what happens. † â€Å"But what about the poor soul who buys the celery and still has to pay a fortune for medical overage,† Donna argued, â€Å"because the premiums are set based on the people who can’t eat just one? † â€Å"Isn’t that the whole point of insurance? † Peter teased. The CEO shot her husband a playfully peeved look—and reminded herself to send an e-mail to Steve when they got home. What if IFA took the pilot to the next level and found out something that maybe it was better off not knowing? How can these companies leverage the customer data responsibly? †¢ Four commentators offer expert advice. See Case Commentary page 5 T he Dark Side of Customer Analytics †¢ H BR C A SE S T UDY C ase Commentary by George L. Jones How can these companies leverage the customer data responsibly? The message coming from both IFA and ShopSense is that any marketing opportunity is valid—as long as they can get away with it. page 6 Sure, a customer database has value, and a company can maximize that value in any number of ways—growing the database, mining it, monetizing it. Marketers can be tempted, despite pledges about privacy, to use collected information in ways that seem attractive but may ultimately damage relationships with customers. The arrangement proposed in this case study seems shortsighted to me. Neither company seems to particularly care about its customers. Instead, the message coming from the senior teams at both IFA and ShopSense is that any marketing opportunity is valid—as long as they can get away with it legally and customers don’t ? gure out what they’re doing. In my company, this pilot would never have gotten off the ground. The culture at Borders is such that the managers involved would have just assumed we wouldn’t do something like that. Like most successful retail companies, our organization is customer focused; we’re always trying to see a store or an offer or a transaction through the customer’s eyes. It was the same way at both Saks and Target when I was with those companies. At Borders, we’ve built up a signi? cant database through our Borders Rewards program, which in the past year and a half has grown to 17 million members. The data we’re getting are hugely important as a basis for serving customers more effectively (based on their purchase patterns) and as a source of competitive advantage. For instance, we know that if somebody buys a travel guide to France, that person might also be interested in reading Peter Mayle’s A Year in Provence. But we assure our customers up front that their information will be handled with the utmost respect. We carefully control the content and frequency of even our own ommunications with Rewards members. We don’t want any offers we present to have negative connotations—for instance, we avoid bombarding people with e-mails about a product they may have absolutely no interest in. I honestly don’t think these companies have hit upon a responsible formula for mining and sharing cust omer data. If ShopSense retained control of its data to some degree—that is, if the grocer and IFA marketed the Smart Choice program jointly, and if any offers came from ShopSense (the partner the customer has built up trust with) rather than the insurance company (a stranger, so to speak)—the relationship could work. Instead of ceding complete control to IFA, ShopSense could be somewhat selective and send offers to all, some, or none of its loyalty card members, depending on how relevant the grocer believed the insurance offer would be to a particular set of customers. A big hole in these data, though, is that people buy food for others besides themselves. I rarely eat at home, but I still buy tons of groceries—some healthy, some not so healthy— for my kids and their friends. If you looked at a breakdown of purchases for my household, you’d say â€Å"Wow, they’re consuming a lot. † But the truth is, I hardly ever eat a bite. That may e an extreme example, but it suggests that IFA’s correlations may be ? awed. Both CEOs are subjecting their organizations to a possible public relations backlash, and not just from the ShopSense customers whose data have been dealt away to IFA. Every ShopSense customer who hears about the deal, loyalty card member or not, is going to lose trust in the company. IFA’s customers might also think twice about their relationship with the insurer. And what about the employees in each company who may be uncomfortable with what the companies are trying to pull off? The corporate cultures suffer. What the companies are proposing here is ery dangerous—especially in the world of retail, where loyalty is so hard to win. Customers’ information needs to be protected. George L. Jones is the president and chief executive officer of Borders Group, a global retailer of books, music, and movies based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. harvard business review †¢ may 2007 T he Dark Side of Customer Analytics †¢ H BR C A SE S T UDY C ase Commentary by Katherine N. Lemon How can these companies leverage the customer data responsibly? Customer analytics are effective precisely because firms do not violate customer trust. harvard business review †¢ may 2007 As the case study illustrates, companies will o on be able to create fairly exhaustive, highly accurate pro? les of customers without having had any direct interaction with them. They’ll be able to get to know you intimately without your knowledge. From the consumer’s perspective, this trend raises several big concerns. In this ? ctional account, for instance, a shopper’s grocery purchases may directly in? uence the availability or price of her life or health insurance products—and not necessarily in a good way. Although the customer, at least tacitly, consented to the collection, use, and transfer of her purchase data, the real issue here is the nintended and uncontemplated use of the information (from the customer’s point of view). Most customers would probably be quite surprised to learn that their personal information could be used by companies in a wholly unrelated industry and in other ways that aren’t readily foreseeable. If consumers lose trust in ? rms that collect, analyze, and utilize their information, they will opt out of loyalty and other data-driven marketing programs, and we may see more regulations and limitations on data collection. Customer analytics are effective precisely because ? rms do not violate customer trust. People believe that retail and other organizations will use their data wisely to enhance their experiences, not to harm them. Angry customers will certainly speak with their wallets if that trust is violated. Decisions that might be made on the basis of the shared data represent another hazard for consumers—and for organizations. Take the insurance company’s use of the grocer’s loyalty card data. This is limited information at best and inaccurate at worst. The ShopSense data re? ect food bought but not necessarily consumed, and individuals buy food at many stores, not just one. IFA might end up drawing rroneous conclusions—and exacting unfair rate increases. The insurer’s general counsel should investigate this deal. Another concern for consumers is what I call â€Å"battered customer syndrome. † Market analytics allow companies to identify their best and worst customers and, consequently, to pay special attention to those deemed to be the mo st valuable. Looked at another way, analytics enable ? rms to understand how poorly they can treat individual or groups of customers before those people stop doing business with them. Unless you are in the top echelon of customers— those with the highest lifetime value, say—you ay pay higher prices, get fewer special offers, or receive less service than other consumers. Despite the fact that alienating 75% to 90% of customers may not be the best idea in the long run, many retailers have adopted this â€Å"top tier† approach to managing customer relationships. And many customers seem to be willing to live with it—perhaps with the unrealistic hope that they may reach the upper echelon and reap the ensuing bene? ts. Little research has been done on the negative consequences of using marketing approaches that discriminate against customer segments. Inevitably, however, customers will ecome savvier about analytics. They may become less tolerant and take their business (and information) elsewhere. If access to and use of customer data are to remain viable, organizations must come up with ways to address customers’ concerns about privacy. What, then, should IFA and ShopSense do? First and foremost, they need to let customers opt in to their data-sharing arrangement. This would address the â€Å"unintended use of data† problem; customers would understand exactly what was being done with their information. Even better, both ? rms would be engaging in trust-building—versus trust-eroding—activities with customers. The esult: improvement in the bottom line and in the customer experience. Katherine N. Lemon (kay. [email  protected] edu) is an associate professor of marketing at Boston College’s Carroll School of Management. Her expertise is in the areas of customer equity, customer management, and customer-based marketing strategy. page 7 T he Dark Side of Customer Analytics †¢ H BR C A SE S T UDY C ase Commentary by David Norton How can these companies leverage the customer data responsibly? Would customers feel comfortable with the data-sharing arrangement if they knew about it? page 8 Transparency is a critical component of any loyalty card program. The value proposition must be clear; customers must know what they’ll get for allowing their purchase behavior to be monitored. So the question for the CEOs of ShopSense and IFA is, Would customers feel comfortable with the data-sharing arrangement if they knew about it? ShopSense’s loyalty card data are at the center of this venture, but the grocer’s goal here is not to increase customer loyalty. The value of its relationship with IFA is solely ? nancial. The company should explore whether there are some customer data it should exclude from the transfer—information that could be perceived as exceedingly sensitive, such as pharmacy and lcohol purchases. It should also consider doing market research and risk modeling to evaluate customers’ potential reaction to the data sharing and the possible downstream effect of the deal. The risk of consumer backlash is lower for IFA than for ShopSense, given the information the insurance company already purchase s. IFA could even put a positive spin on the creation of new insurance products based on the ShopSense data. For instance, so-called healthy purchases might earn customers a discount on their standard insurance policies. The challenge for the insurer, however, is that there is no proven correlation between the urchase of certain foods and fewer health problems. IFA should continue experimenting with the data to determine their richness and predictive value. Some companies have more leeway than others to sell or trade customer lists. At Harrah’s, we have less than most because our customers may not want others to know about their gaming and leisure activities. We don’t sell information, and we don’t buy a lot of external data. Occasionally, we’ll buy demographic data to ? ne-tune our marketing messages (to some customers, an offer of tickets to a live performance might be more interesting than a dining discount, for example). But we think the internal transactional data are much more important. We do rely on analytics and models to help us understand existing customers and to encourage them to stick with us. About ten years ago, we created our Total Rewards program. Guests at our hotels and casinos register for a loyalty card by sharing the information on their driver’s license, such as their name, address, and date of birth. Each time they visit one of our 39 properties and use their card, they earn credits that can be used for food and merchandise. They also earn Tier Credits that give them higher status in the program and ake them eligible for differentiated service. With every visit, we get a read on our customers’ preferences—the types of games they play, the hotels and amenities they favor, and so on. Those details are stored in a central database. The company sets rules for what can be done with the information. For instance, managers at any one of our properties can execute th eir own marketing lists and programs, but they can target only customers who have visited their properties. If they want to dip into the overall customer base, they have to go through the central relationship-marketing group. Some of the information captured in ur online joint promotions is accessible to both Harrah’s and its business partners, but the promotions are clearly positioned as opt in. We tell customers the value proposition up front: Let us track your play at our properties, and we can help you enjoy the experience better with richer rewards and improved service. They understand exactly what we’re capturing, the rewards they’ll get, and what the company will do with the information. It’s a win-win for the company and for the customer. Companies engaging in customer analytics and related marketing initiatives need to keep â€Å"win-win† in mind when collecting and andling customer data. It’s not just about what the information can do for you; it’s about what you can do for the customer with the information. David Norton ([email  protected] com) is the senior vice president of relationship marketing at Harrah’s Entertainment, based in Las Vegas. harvard business review †¢ may 2007 T he Dark Side of Customer Analytics †¢ H BR C A SE S T UDY C ase Commentary by Michael B. McCallister How can these companies leverage the customer data responsibly? When the tougher, grayarea decisions need to be made, each person has to have the company’s core principles and values in ind. harvard business review †¢ may 2007 Companies that can capitalize on the information they get from their customers hold an advantage over rivals. But as the ? rms in the case study are realizing, there are also plenty of risks involved with using these data. Instead of pulling back the reins, organizations should be nudging customer analytics forward, keeping in mind one critical point: Any collection, anal ysis, and sharing of data must be conducted in a protected, permission-based environment. Humana provides health bene? t plans and related health services to more than 11 million embers nationwide. We use proprietary datamining and analytical capabilities to help guide consumers through the health maze. Like IFA, we ask our customers to share their personal and medical histories with us (the risky behaviors as well as the good habits) so we can acquaint them with programs and preventive services geared to their health status. Customer data come to us in many different ways. For instance, we offer complimentary health assessments in which plan members can take an interactive online survey designed to measure how well they’re taking care of themselves. We then suggest ways they can reduce their health risks or treat their existing conditions more effectively. We closely monitor our claims information and use it to reach out to people. In our Personal Nurse program, for example, we’ll have a registered nurse follow up with a member who has ? led, say, a diabetes-related claim. Through phone conversations and e-mails, the RN can help the plan member institute changes to improve his or her quality of life. All our programs require members to opt in if the data are going to be used in any way that would single a person out. Regardless of your industry, you have to start with that. One of the biggest problems in U. S. health care today is obesity. So would it be useful for our company to look at grocery-purchasing patterns, as the insurance company in the case study does? It might be. I could see the upside of using a grocer’s loyalty card data to develop a wellness-based incentive program for insurance customers. (We would try to ? nd a way to build positives into it, however, so customers would look at the interchange and say â€Å"That’s in my best interest; thank you. †) But Humana certainly wouldn’t enter into any kind of datatransfer arrangement without ensuring that our customers’ personal information and the ntegrity of our relationship with them would be properly protected. In health care, especially, this has to be the chief concern—above and beyond any patterns that might be revealed and the sort of competitive edge they might provide. We use a range of industry standard security measures, including encryptio n and ? rewalls, to protect our members’ privacy and medical information. Ethical behavior starts with the CEO, but it clearly can’t be managed by just one person. It’s important that everyone be reminded often about the principles and values that guide the organization. When business opportunities come along, they’ll be screened according to those standards—and the decisions will land right side up every time. I can’t tell people how to run their meetings or who should be at the table when the tougher, grayarea decisions need to be made, but whoever is there has to have those core principles and values in mind. The CEOs in the case study need to take the â€Å"front page† test: If the headline on the front page of the newspaper were reporting abuse of customer data (yours included), how would you react? If you wouldn’t want your personal data used in a certain way, chances are your customers wouldn’t, either. Michael B. McCallister ([email  protected] com) is the president and CEO of Humana, a health benefits company based in Louisville, Kentucky. 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