Culture and Leadership in a safe Industrial Environment

Culture and Leadership in a safe Industrial Environment Abstract The purpose of this paper was to discuss the role of culture, management leadership, and employee involvement in the process of improving safety in an industrial environment. In this regard, the discussion focused on the development and implementation of an improved environment, health, and safety (EHS) program at GE Aviation. The main goal of the EHS program was to develop measures for protecting the company’s employees from any harm as they work in various manufacturing plants.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Culture and Leadership in a safe Industrial Environment specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The program was also established to enable the company to reduce its ecological footprint. The elements of the company’s culture that facilitated the development of the program included visible leadership, accountability, responsibility, and collaboration between staff and management. Management lead ership facilitated access to the resources and motivation that was required to develop the program. Employee involvement, on the other hand, enabled the company to avert resistance and to utilize the expertise of its staff to develop the program. Introduction The health and safety of workers determine the continued success of any business. Occupational health and safety can be improved through effective management leadership and employee involvement. Effective management involves â€Å"securing the health, safety, and welfare of all staff by reducing risks and ensuring protection from injuries/ harm arising out of work-related activities†. An effective management leadership should provide the motivation and the resources that are needed to improve safety at the workplace. Employee involvement, on the other hand, involves creating an enabling environment in which workers nurture and demonstrate their commitment to health and safety. This paper will focus on the role of managem ent leadership and employee involvement in promoting a safe industrial environment in the aviation industry. Specifically, it will discuss the application of organizational culture, management leadership, and employee involvement to develop an environment, health, and safety (EHS) program at General Electric (GE) Aviation. Employees who were Involved in the Program General Electric Aviation is the â€Å"world’s leading producer of jet engines for commercial and military aircrafts† (GE Aviation, 2014). The company also provides repair and maintenance services for jet engines. In this regard, the production processes of the company are characterized with several health hazards that are likely to endanger the lives of its employees.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Thus, the company decided to enhance the safety of its employees by developing an improved environment, health, and safety program. Apart from reducing occupational safety risks, the program also enables the company to reduce its ecological footprint. The EHS program was developed by a team of 1,000 health and safety professionals (GE Aviation, 2014). The professionals were drawn from various departments in over 500 manufacturing plants that are owned by the company. The role of the professional team was to assess the company’s safety standards and to develop improved measures for reducing exposure to health hazards at the workplace. The company’s management supported the professional team by helping them to define the goals, values, and expectations of the EHS program (GE Aviation, 2014). The management also provided the resources that the professional team required to develop the EHS program. The company’s employees also participated in the development of the EHS program by helping to identify health hazards and suggesting measures that could be tak en to address safety risks. However, the contract workers did not actively participate in the development of the program since most of them worked for the company for less than six months. What the EHS Program was Set Up to Accomplish The EHS program was developed to achieve the following objectives. First, the program was expected to promote a â€Å"culture of operational safety ownership† (GE Aviation, 2014). In particular, the company intended to utilize the EHS program to integrate operational safety ownership in its organizational culture. In this regard, the responsibility of ensuring safety at the workplace was to be accepted as a value that every employee indentified with. Second, the program was expected to develop a framework for reducing or eliminating employees’ exposure to the health/ safety risks associated with chemical operations (GE Aviation, 2014). Specifically, the program was expected to develop solutions that would enable the company to adopt safe operations through strategies such as re-engineering processes and using protective devices. Third, the EHS was set up to enable the company to reduce the accidents and injuries that occur due to human error. The company believes that employees will always make mistakes that are likely to cause injury at the workplace (GE Aviation, 2014). Consequently, the EHS program focused on redesigning the manufacturing processes that often led to human error at the workplace. Fourth, the EHS was developed to improve employee involvement in improving safety at the workplace.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Culture and Leadership in a safe Industrial Environment specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Employees are likely to support a health and safety program that they helped to develop (OSHA, 2014). This explains the company’s decision to involve all its employees in the development of the program. Finally, the EHS program was expected to facilitate organizational learning. It was expected to enable the company to learn from any health or safety incident that would occur in future. The main accomplishment of the EHS program is the health and safety intelligence system that has since been developed to improve compliance with safety requirements. The intelligence system was developed as a web-based software that uses a checklist of 680 questions to assess the company’s compliance with various safety standards (GE Aviation, 2014). It also provides suggestions for improving safety in various manufacturing operations. Where the Program was Developed The EHS program was developed in an institutional setting that promotes a collaborative approach to addressing occupational safety risks. The company believes that managers and employees must collaborate in order to develop effective solutions to the safety challenges that it faces. Accordingly, the company promotes employee involvement by obtaining feedbac k from workers in every department concerning its commitment to safety (GE Aviation, 2014). The feedbacks are often obtained through perception surveys that enable the company to receive suggestions from its employees on how to improve safety. Employees are also involved in conducting site inspections and analyzing routine hazards in order to develop safe work practices. Employee involvement facilitated the development of the EHS program in several ways. To begin with, staff involvement enabled the health and safety professionals to incorporate the expectations of the employees in the goals and objectives of the EHS program. In addition, the values of the program were based on the employees’ needs for safety at the workplace (GE Aviation, 2014). As a result, the employees supported the development and implementation of the program. In this case, employee involvement enabled the company to avoid staff resistance during the development and implementation of the EHS program. In addition, employee involvement promoted the culture of operational safety ownership. This was achieved by improving employees’ commitment to enhancing their safety and that of their colleagues. The success of GE Aviation’s EHS program can also be attributed to the fact that it was developed in an institutional setting that promoted the culture of responsibility and accountability. Accountability leads to a safe industrial environment by enabling companies to measure the performance of managers based on predetermined health/ safety goals and standards.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More An effective accountability model must have established performance standards, evaluation system, and the resources that managers need to meet their targets. Moreover, it must be applicable at all levels and provide incentives that promote high performance. Accordingly, GE Aviation’s operations managers bear the greatest responsibility of improving the safety of its staff. The company’s culture of responsibility and accountability enabled the health and safety professionals to develop appropriate goals that each operations manager had to achieve in order to improve the safety of employees (GE Aviation, 2014). The managers were evaluated and rewarded based on the extent to which they achieved their health and safety goals. As a result, the managers focused on inspiring employees to internalize the values of the EHS program. However, delegating too much responsibility to operations managers negatively affected the company’s commitment to promote a culture of occup ational safety ownership. In particular, the employees perceived occupational safety as the responsibility of the managers rather than every worker in the company. Undoubtedly, ownership of the process of improving safety can only be enhanced if responsibilities are distributed equally among employees. Visible leadership is also an important element of GE Aviation’s organizational culture that facilitated the development of the EHS program. Visible leadership involves leading by example and participating actively in safety and health committees at the workplace (OSHA, 2014). Accordingly, the company’s management focused on developing the EHS program without undercutting the authority of the operations managers to steer the program. The operations managers retained the authority to make key decisions concerning the implementation of the program. This devolved system of making decisions enabled the company’s leadership to involve as many employees as possible in d ecision-making processes through consultations between operations managers and their juniors. When the Program was Developed The program’s development life cycle lasted for a period of eighteen months. Origination was the first stage in the development of the EHS program. At this stage, the company’s CEO having recognized the business case for improving employee safety, proposed the idea of developing a comprehensive EHS program (GE Aviation, 2014). The focus of the origination stage was to win employees’ support for the idea of developing an improved EHS program. In this regard, effective management leadership enabled the company’s CEO to create a sense of urgency for change within the company. The CEO focused on inspiring and motivating the employees at various levels to support the proposed EHS program. Having won the support of key change agents within the company, the management officially initiated the process of developing the new EHS program. An E HS program manager was selected to lead the process of overhauling the company’s health and safety system (GE Aviation, 2014). After the initiation, the management proceeded to the planning stage where detailed plans for developing the program were developed. At this stage, effective management leadership enabled the company’s managers to determine the program’s scope, goals, costs, risks, and opportunities (GE Aviation, 2014). Employees were actively involved at this stage in various activities such as cost benefit analysis, reviewing existing safety standards, and making suggestions on the processes that needed re-engineering to improve safety. The rationale of this strategy is that employee involvement leads to high staff commitment and motivation, which in turn improves participation in health and safety promotion initiatives. The feedback from employees enabled the management to identify the solutions that had to be implemented to improve safety. In additio n, the employees provided valuable insights that enabled the company to provide adequate resources for the program. Having developed the plans, the management proceeded to the execution stage where key deliverables were managed. The key deliverables included budgets, implementation schedules, and plans that defined the strategies that were expected to improve safety. At this stage, the focus of the company’s management leadership was to provide the technical expertise that was required to develop and implement the program (GE Aviation, 2014). Consequently, the team of health and safety professionals concentrated on implementing the solutions that had been identified to improve safety. Employees’ involvement at this stage included provision of supportive services such as reviewing budgets, as well as, monitoring and evaluation of the implementation process. In the last stage, the new EHS program was adopted by the company’s management. Currently, the employees an d the management are actively involved in implementing the requirements of the program and reviewing its effectiveness on a regular basis. This is important because reviewing health and safety programs through employee involvement enables managers to address emerging health and safety risks at the workplace in time (AHMP, 2014). Why the EHS Program Came About The EHS program came about due to the following reasons. First, the management of GE Aviation had a goal of reducing occupational hazards in order to improve the safety of its employees. Health and safety conditions are important elements of the industrial environment since they determine the productivity of workers (NOISH, 2014). Employees who feel unsafe are likely to leave the company in order to avoid endangering their lives. Thus, GE Aviation’s management adopted the EHS program to reduce labor turnover and to increase the productivity of its workforce. Second, the EHS program was adopted to help the company to comp ly with the regulations concerning safety in an industrial environment. The program was expected to enable the company to identify viable strategies for achieving or exceeding the workplace safety standards set by organizations such as Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Compliance with occupational safety and health regulations helps companies to avoid penalties and cancelation of their licenses due to poor or unsafe work conditions (OSHA, 2014). Thus, GE Aviation had to establish a new EHS program to help it comply with regulations. Third, the company intended to reduce its impact on the environment through the EHS program. This goal was to be achieved by re-engineering various manufacturing processes in order to reduce the amount of toxic substances that the company discharged to the ambient environment. As a result, the company would reduce the exposure of its employees to toxic substances that are harmful to health. Moreover, the company would be able to reduc e its level of pollution (GE Aviation, 2014). Reducing the level of pollution and improving employees’ safety was expected to improve the company’s image in the countries that it operates in. Furthermore, reducing pollution would enable the company to attain its objective of achieving sustainable production of jet engines. How the EHS Program Functioned Politically, Technically, and Financially Politically, the EHS received adequate support in various departments within the company. The employees welcomed the idea of developing an improved EHS system because it would improve their wellbeing. However, there were divisions at departmental committees on how the EHS program was supposed to be implemented. For instance, the finance committee did not agree with the initial budgetary allocation. According to the finance committee, the EHS program did not deserve a significant budgetary allocation since it did not directly lead to generation of revenues (GE Aviation, 2014). De spite the differences in opinions in various committees, the EHS manager and his team managed to solicit adequate support and resources to develop and implement the program in time. This demonstrates the effectiveness of the company’s management leadership in the process of developing the new EHS program. The technical aspect of the EHS program did not encounter a lot of challenges. At the onset, the company’s management had a clear understanding of the expertise that was needed to develop and implement the program. Consequently, the management employed a team of 1,000 professionals who were qualified in various disciplines to steer the development of the EHS program (GE Aviation, 2014). High employee involvement also enabled the company to utilize the expertise and experiences of its staff who were not directly involved in the development of the program. The financial performance of the EHS program was average. The management intended to implement the program within t he set budgetary allocations. However, there were cost overruns due to minor changes in the original plans (GE Aviation, 2014). For instance, the training of operations managers took longer than was expected, thereby increasing the costs. Nonetheless, the cost overruns were not significantly. Conclusion GE Aviation developed a new EHS program to improve the safety of its employees who work in over 500 manufacturing plants. The main factor that led to the adoption of the new program was the need to improve productivity and to reduce labor turnover by creating a safe working environment. In this regard, the goals of the program included creating a culture of accountability among operations managers, reducing human error, and improving employee involvement in implementing safety measures. In addition, the program was expected to enable the company to learn from future incidents in order to improve its health and safety conditions. The success of the program is mainly attributed to effe ctive management leadership and high employee involvement. The company’s management participated in the development of the program by providing the required resources, setting goals, and soliciting employees’ support. Employee involvement enabled the management to avoid resistance from workers during the implementation of the program. Additionally, the employees collaborated with the management to complete various tasks such as identifying health hazards and suggesting solutions to address them. References AHMP. (2014). Regulatory and management perspectives. Web. GE Aviation. (2014). GE citizenship. Web. Gravel, S., Rheaume, J., Legendre, G. (2011). Strategies to develop and maintain occupational health and safety measures in small businesses employing immigrant workers in metropolitan Montreal. International Journal of Workplace Health Management, 4(2), 164-178. Griffith, A., Bhutto, K. (2008). Improving environemental performance through integrated management syst ems (IMS) in the UK. International Journal of Environmental Quality Management, 19(5), 565-578. Leman, A., Yusof, M., Jung, W. (2010). Environmental quality index (EQI) for industrial ventilation and occupational safety and health evaluation in manufacturing plant. Asian Journal on Quality, 11(3), 210-222. NOISH. (2014). Hazards and exposures. Web. OSHA. (2014). Regulations. Web. Zwetsloot, G., Scheppingen, A., Dijkman, A. (2010). The organizational benefits of investing in workplace healthand safety. International Journal of Workplace Health Management, 3(2), 143-159.

Operations Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Operations Analysis - Assignment Example MacDonald’s is known across the world as a leading chain of fast food restaurants according to Smith (2007). The company approximates that it has a daily serving of over 58 million. The organization sells chicken products, chips, soft drinks and desserts. Other products sold by MacDonald’s apart from hamburgers which are its key specialty include breakfast items, cheeseburgers and shakes. Since the supply chain of the organization is wide and the customer base huge and constantly expanding, there are a number of measures that the company has adopted to track its performance records. Customer Satisfaction One of the performance measures that the company uses is customer satisfaction. This is a measure that many organizations apply with an aim of ensuring that current customers remain loyal, while new ones are also attracted. At MacDonald’s, the customer relations manager is charged with the responsibility of gathering data related to customer satisfaction. Custome r satisfaction in this sense represents the satisfaction of the guests with the kind of service they are offered by the company specifically and in totality. The time taken for guests to get served, the quality of food and drinks offered ads well as the relationship that exists between customers and regular staff all play an important role in the determination of customer satisfaction and loyalty for the organization (Smith, 2007). Once customer satisfaction statistics have been gathered, the organization takes appropriate actions to ensure that the customers’ level of satisfaction is at least maintained, better improved. Based on these statistics, other related performance measures are considered for the overall growth of the organization. In certain cases, MacDonald’s management staff (especially the customer relations manager) may take rounds in the restaurant talking to clients and evaluating the kind of service they are offered by the organization’s staff ( Smith, 2007). This action among others is taken considering that MacDonald’s places a lot of value in customer satisfaction. In order to gather information relating to customer satisfaction, the organization normally goes the extra mile to send mail or fax to customers with a view of getting feedback on their experiences with the company. MacDonald’s management believes that customer satisfaction remains the single most important measure of its performance (Smith, 2007). It therefore seeks at all times to get customers more satisfied that they ever were during their previous visits. When they go round to see customers getting real time service, the managers send a clear message as to how serious customer satisfaction is taken by the company. Essentially, the performance monitoring is done through observation, personal presence and various means of communication. The company’s management, notes that customer satisfaction as they are served within the company†™s premises is an invaluable tool that aids in the making of decisions. As such, the management encourages its staff to remain responsive and to communicate courteously with customers. Customer satisfaction is a vital and most applicable performance measure for McDonald’s considering that the success of the company depends on the existence of a huge customer base. Indeed it has been stated by some quarters that

Poetry explication paper ( literture ) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Poetry explication paper ( literture ) - Essay Example Both the mother and the baby are anonymous throughout the poem. Going along with the rest of the poem, the father of the baby is also seldom mentioned, only in passing as the mother points out that he has no part in either of their lives. The mother spends much of the poem dwelling on the fact that her child is a bastard child, as is evident in the line â€Å"I hold you and name you bastard in my arms.† It is also made clear throughout the poem that the responding doctors and nurses do not approve of the fact that no father is being named for the child. Judging by the fact that the mother gets to spend only certain amounts of time with the infant, it can be assumed that there is an underlying medical factor with the mother, whether it be physical or mental. It seems that the mother only gets the child when the child needs feeding, a task the only the mother can perform. After the feeding is over with, the child is taken from its mother and is brought to another room until it n eeds feeding again. There are numerous dramatic situations taking place throughout the poem. The absence of a father for the infant seems to be the situation that the rest of the situations are formed and gathered around. As the tone of the poem is that of anger and sadness, it is clear that the father just decided that he wanted no part in raising a child, therefore abandoning both mother and child. It may be due to this abandonment that the mother does not seem too attached to her newborn child, which may also be the reason that the mother does not get to spend all of her time with the baby. Abandonment is the main theme in this poem, and it seems to be coming from every direction. The father abandoned the mother and his baby, the mother is losing touch with the baby, and the nurses and doctors are not getting too close to the mother in her time of need and confusion. It can even be said that the mother was

Romeos character Essay Example for Free

Romeos character Essay The repetition of words and phrases is another effective device used by Shakespeare to communicate Romeos mood at different points in the play. The constant repetition of the word love tightens the tension of the plot as the two families are enemies and gives an extra insight into Romeos character. This shows that Romeo is adamant and once he has made is mind up, then it cannot be changed. In addition, Romeo communicates in an affectionate manner towards the start, but as tension builds up and everything seems to get serious, words like night and murder are used. These words build up tension and show to the audience that something bad is about to happen. Later in Act 3, Scene 3, this takes place at the Friar Lawrences cell. Romeo gets the bad news from Friar Lawrence about his banishment. Friar Lawrence opens his speech with Romeo, come forth, come forth, thou fear ful man, this shows that Romeo is frightened and knows that he didnt mean to kill Tybalt. As Romeo enters the scene he is shocked and scared, as he opens his speech he uses the word sorrow, which shows what else does he have to see. Friar Lawrence uses the quote, Not bodys death, but bodys banishment. This shows the audience that if Romeo dies his soul will still live on. Romeo has just realised that he has done something, which he will regret as he says, Be merciful say deathmuch more than death. Romeo is angry at hearing about is destiny. Friar Lawrence then moves on as Romeos anger rises as Friar says, Be patient, for the world is broad and wide. This sows that he world is a large place able to live somewhere else. Romeos anger is still rising as he thinks about Juliet, There is no world without Verona walls; this is where Juliet hides in the streets of Verona. Romeo continues on madly and angrily and soon Friar Lawrence gets frustrated and says, O deadly sin! O rude unthankfulness, here Friar is trying to calm Romeo down and him to have respect for Friar, as Romeo is just babbling on. However, Romeo still talks about the heaven which is Juliet as he thinks what life would be without Juliet in his life. Here the audience will have a shock in that Romeo will lose Juliet and also that he will be banished. Romeos mood here is high tempered as he is already suffering the effects of banishment. Romeo refuses to be comforted as he is going through to much pain and anger. However, Shakespeare uses the nurse as a dramatic device and dramatically Romeos mood changes Nurse! Romeo feels comforted as the nurse tells Romeo how Juliet is feeling O she says nothing, sir, but weeps and weeps.and then Romeo cries, and then down falls again. Romeo feels the pain that Juliet is going through and tries to stab himself, Tell me, that I may sack the hateful mansion (destroy my body). However, the nurse snatches the dagger away, as he feels guilty of killing Tybalt and doesnt want Juliet to hate him and not to see him as a murderer. Shot from the deadly level of gun, did murder her, as that names cursed hand murdered her kinsman. However, the audience feel the same way as Romeo does; angry and feeling sympathetic of what Romeo has done to be hatred by Juliet. Romeos mood is comforted when the nurse give Romeo the ring from Juliet, Here, sir, a ring she bid me give you, sir. Romeo replys How well my comfort is revived by this. This shows that his mood is changing time to time and now he is being relaxed instead of highly tempered as he was in the beginning of the scene. Friar Lawrence rebukes Romeo for his lack of manliness, love and intelligence. He reminds Romeo of his good fortune and plans how he can eventually be recalled from exile. Friar Lawrence delivers his long speech, first rebuking Romeo, then seeking to cheer him, then setting out a plan of action this keeps the audience interested in the scene. Romeo is trying to seek hope as he is anxious of meeting Juliet and afraid of losing her. Friar Lawrence sends Romeo to Juliet, warning him to leave early for the Mantua and await news. Sojourn (stay, wait) in Mantua: Ill find out your man, and he shall signify from time to time every good hap to you that chances here. Romeo is calm as Friar settles him down with his plan and he ends the scene with some hope for the future. William Shakespeares romantic tragedy Romeo and Juliet is a play full of dramatic devices, body language, facial expressions and especially Romeos mood changes. Romeo in the play uses facial expressions, voice tone and body language to express his feelings and use the correct tone of voice to emphasise the anger and pain that he is going through. Shakespeare shows Romeos change of mood and situation trough his choice of language, such as, when Romeo is feeling passionate he uses the word bright, sun and kill the envious moon to express his feelings towards Juliet as well as the audience/reader. However, when Romeo is in a critical state he uses words such as, murder, banishment and death to express his feelings as this indicates that the situation in the story has become serious, which creates tension towards the audience and builds up the atmosphere.

How To Deal With A Person Who Essay -- essays research papers

How to deal with a person who is angry? We are taught to control our emotional feelings when we are young. We learn to be polite, patient, and hide our anger to people in everyday life. Most of us express our feelings indirectly: slamming doors, sullen silence, or snubbing others. Therefore, it is important to learn how to release anger in safe but effective ways. Unexpressed anger can smolder, causing stress and affecting physical health. After all, anger can escalate into violence. So, when we are dealing with a person who is angry, here are some strategies we can use: understand his/her anger, communicate with him/her, and help him/her to express the anger. First of all, when we are dealing with someone who is angry, try to understand what his/her anger is. If we are talking with an angry person, the first thing we have to do to control ourselves is not to be involved in his/her strong emotions. So, calm down, and ask why he/she is mad and listen to what he/she wants to say to us. Understanding the elements and the background that make this person angry makes it easier for us to communicate with him/her. Do not try to ask someone who is already angry to calm down; it is the same as asking someone who is sobbing not to cry. Secondly, try to communicate with him/her. It is possible to deal with anger by talking with someone. So, when we are trying to help an angry person, try to talk with positive manners. For example, avoid blaming, or accusing him by putting him on the ...

Night World : Spellbinder Chapter 9

I he shoe was so incongruous that for an instant Thea thought her eyes must be playing tricks on her. It was the atmosphere here-the dim, echoing room with all its macabre booths. If she looked away and then looked back†¦ It was still there. I should wait, I should call somebody. This could be something terrible. There are human authorities; I should at least wait for Eric†¦. Thea found herself moving in dreamlike, slow speed. She took the edge of the oilcloth between finger and thumb and lifted it just an inch or so. There was a leg attached to the shoe. A blue-jeaned leg. Not part of a dummy. And another shoe. Horror and adrenaline washed over Thea. And, strangely, that helped. Her first thought was. It's a person and she may be hurt. She went into emergency mode, slamming a wall between herself and her fear. Hang on, are you okay, just let me see†¦ She pulled the rest of the oilcloth off, tugging to get it free. She saw legs, a body, curled fingers clutching the sleeve of a black-dressed witch dummy†¦ Then she saw the head and she reeled backward, both hands pressed over her mouth. She'd only gotten a glimpse, but the picture was burned into her mind. Blue-gray face, hideously swollen. Grotesquely bulging eyes. Tongue like a sausage protruding from between black lips†¦ Thea's knees gave out. She'd seen the dead before. She'd been to leave-taking ceremonies where the mortal remains of witches were returned to the earth. But those had been natural deaths, and the corpses had been peaceful. While this†¦ I think it was a boy. It had short hair and a flat chest. But there was no way to recognize the face. It was so distorted-didn't even look human†¦. He died violently. May his spirit be released; not held here by the need for revenge. Oh, Sekhmet, lion-headed goddess of Egypt; Mistress of Death, Opener of Ways, Sekhmet Who Reduceth to Silence†¦ Her disjointed thoughts were interrupted as sunlight fanned into the room. At the door, Eric shouted, â€Å"I'm back!† Thea stood up. Her legs wanted to cave again. She opened her mouth, but what came out was a whisper. â€Å"Eric-â€Å" He was hurrying toward her. â€Å"What's wrong? Thea?† â€Å"It's somebody dead.† She saw his eyes widen in absolute disbelief-and then he looked past her. He took a step toward the thing on the floor, stopped, crouched, and stared for a second. Then he whirled back and grabbed her as if he could somehow protect her from what he'd seen. â€Å"Don't look at it; don't look over there,† he gasped. â€Å"Oh, God, it's bad.† * â€Å"I know. I saw it.† â€Å"It's bad; it's so bad†¦.† They were both holding on to each other. It was the only safety in this nightmare. â€Å"He's dead. That guy is dead,† Eric said. It was obvious, but Thea understood the need to babble. â€Å"There's nothing we can do for him. Oh, God, Thea, I think it's Kevin Imamura.† â€Å"Kevin?† Black dots danced in front of Thea's eyes. â€Å"No, it can't be-â€Å" â€Å"I've seen him wearing that shirt before. And the hair†¦ And he's on the committee to decorate this place. He must have been setting up that dummy.† Thea's mind showed her a terrible picture. A crusted dark line on that bloated face-like the wound made by a slashing razor. And the soft black hair†¦ Yes, it could have been Kevin. And that meant- Blaise. â€Å"Come on,† Eric was saying, his voice dazed and quenched. â€Å"We've got to tell the office.† Numbly, Thea let him guide her. Her mind was in another place. Blaise. Did Blaise know†¦ could Blaise have†¦ She didn't want to form the thought even to herself, but she couldn't help it. †¦ finally gone all the way? Not just spilled blood, but taken a life? It was forbidden to witches. But the Harmans were part lamia, and vampires sometimes killed for power. Could Blaise have gone that far into the darkness? After they got to the office, things happened fast, but Thea couldn't really take it in. Activity whirled around her. The secretaries. The principal. The police. She was grateful for Eric, who kept telling the story over and over so she didn't have to. I need to find Blaise. They were back at the gym. The police were cordoning off the whole building with yellow tape. A throng of students and teachers was watching. Thea's eyes skimmed the crowd, but she didn't see Blaise anywhere. Voices rose around her. â€Å"I heard it was Kevin Imamura.† â€Å"Somebody said that guy from the dance came back and got him.† â€Å"Eric! Eric, did you really see him?† Then one voice outshouted the others. â€Å"Hey, Mrs. Cheng, what about the Halloween party? Is the gym gonna be open by then?† The principal, who had been huddled with a couple of police officers, turned around. Black hair riffling over her forehead in the breeze, she addressed the entire crowd. â€Å"I don't know what is going to happen with the gym. There's been a tragedy, and now there's going to be an investigation. We'll just have to wait and see what comes of that. Now, I want everybody to go back to their classes. Teachers, please take your students back to your classrooms.† â€Å"I can't go back,† Thea whispered. She and Eric were standing at a little distance from the thinning crowd. Everyone seemed to have forgotten about them. â€Å"I'll take you home,† Eric said immediately. â€Å"No-I need to find Blaise. I have some things to ask her.† She tried to make her stupefied brain work. â€Å"Eric, I should have told you this before. You've got to be careful.† â€Å"Of what?† â€Å"Of Blaise.† He looked incredulous. â€Å"Thea†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He glanced at the old gym. â€Å"You can't think she had anything to do with-what happened to Kevin.† â€Å"I don't know. She could have had somebody do it-or made him do it himself.† Thea kept her voice low. She looked straight into Eric's face, willing him to believe her. â€Å"Eric, I know you don't understand, but it's like I told you before. She's like Aphrodite. Or Medea. She laughs when she destroys things. Especially when she gets mad†¦ and she's mad at you.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Because you picked me instead of her-because I like you-lots of things. That doesn't matter. The point is that she may come after you. She may try to†¦ seduce you. And†-Thea glanced at the bobbing yellow tape surrounding the old gym-â€Å"she may try to hurt you. So will you just be careful if you see her? Will you promise me that?† Eric looked windblown and bewildered, but he nodded slowly. â€Å"I promise.† â€Å"Then I'll see you later. We still have things to talk about-but I have to find Blaise first.† She walked toward the crowd, leaving Eric standing there in the wind. She knew he was watching her. . A waving hand caught Thea's eye. It was Dani, her face full of sympathy and concern. â€Å"Thea, are you all right?† â€Å"Sort of.† Thea gave a laugh she didn't recognize. â€Å"Have you seen Blaise around?† Dani's soft little hand crept into hers. â€Å"She and Vivienne went home-I mean, to your place. I'll go back with you, if you want. You shouldn't be alone.† Thea squeezed her hand. â€Å"Thanks. I'd appreciate it.† She was grateful-and relieved that Dani didn't hate her. â€Å"Dani-about the way I acted earlier†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Forget it. I don't know what I said, but I didn't mean to make you mad.† She added gently, â€Å"Thea, are you really okay? Really? Because I don't want to upset you more†¦.† â€Å"Why?† And then: â€Å"What, Dani?† â€Å"Your grandma's sick. That's why Blaise and Vivienne went home-Vivienne's mom paged her. She's a healer-Vivienne's mom, I mean-and I think she's taking your grandma to her house.† Thea was disturbed. Gran hadn't moved to Las Vegas for the same reason other Night People did. Lamia and made vampires came because so many of the humans here were transients-the kind that wouldn't be missed if they disappeared. Other witches came because of the power vortexes in the desert. But Gran had come because of the warm, dry climate. Her lungs had been bad since she was a kid. Please don't let it be serious, Thea kept thinking as Dani drove her home. She felt as if her skin had been rubbed too thin all over her body. When they got to the shop, Gran was already gone. Tobias and Vivienne were downstairs. â€Å"Is she okay?† Thea asked. â€Å"Is it something bad?† â€Å"Not too bad,† Tobias said. â€Å"She just kept getting dizzy today, and then she had a coughing fit and couldn't stop. She finally decided maybe she'd better get somebody to sing it out. So she called Ms. Morrigan.† Oh, great-chanting. Just what Gran loved. But she must have been really sick to ask to have it done. â€Å"Can I call her?† â€Å"I wouldn't,† Vivienne put in. Her green eyes were kind, her voice reassuring. â€Å"I'm sure Mom's working on her by now, and when she does a singing, it takes all night. You shouldn't disturb them. But don't worry, Thea-my mom's really good.† â€Å"Yes-it's not that I'm worried about.† Thea looked around distractedly, finally coming back to Vivienne's face. â€Å"Did you hear about what happened at school?† â€Å"No.† Vivienne looked mildly curious. â€Å"What happened?† Instead of answering, Thea said, â€Å"Where's Blaise?† â€Å"Upstairs packing. She's going to stay overnight at ray house. You can come, too-Thea?† Thea was already racing up the stairs. She burst into the bedroom she and Blaise shared. Blaise had a small suitcase open on her bed. Thea didn't waste words. â€Å"Did you kill Kevin Imamura?† Blaise dropped a black silk teddy. â€Å"Did I what? What are you talking about?† â€Å"He's dead.† â€Å"And you thought I did it? Thanks a lot, but it's not him I want to kill.† Blaise narrowed her eyes and Thea felt cold. Then she tilted her head. â€Å"So how did he die?† â€Å"He was strangled. Somebody murdered him.† Blaise just raised her eyebrows and murmured, â€Å"Hm. I wonder where Randy is?† She held a shirt up, considered it, and added, â€Å"Do you want to come stay at Viv's with me? It's better than staying here by yourself.† â€Å"I don't know. Do I have to watch you to make sure Eric doesn't end up like Kevin?† Blaise gave her a scorching look. â€Å"When I go after a boy, I get him first. I don't strangle him before the fun begins.† She slammed her suitcase closed and stalked out. Thea sat on the bed. In spite of her sharp words, Thea now knew Blaise hadn't done it. Her cousin had been genuinely surprised. And Randy? I suppose it could have been, if he somehow got out of wherever they've taken him. He had a reason to hate Kevin. But†¦ The alternate explanation slid into place so quickly that Thea realized it must have been in her mind all along. The spirit. She sat there for an endless time, trying to think. It was like trying to find her way through a thick fog. Gran's gone†¦ and if she's sick I can't bother her anyway†¦ of course, Blaise won't help†¦ but I need to trust somebody†¦. Dani gently pushed the door open. â€Å"Can I come in?† When Thea nodded, she walked in and sat down on Blaise's bed. â€Å"They left. I told Tobias to go too-he had a girlfriend he wanted to see. I'll stay here tonight, if you want.† Thea took a shaky breath. â€Å"Thanks, Dani.† â€Å"Look, Thea, I don't want to pry, but†¦ are you okay? I mean, you're as pale as a corpse-† Dani bit her lip. â€Å"Sorry, bad choice of words. But I am your friend, and if there's anything I can do, I'd like to help.† Another breath. Then Thea made her decision. â€Å"I worked a forbidden spell.† Dani looked shocked, but not appalled. â€Å"Which one?† â€Å"Calling back the spirits.† When Dani didn't scream or faint, Thea told the whole story. All about her summoning-everything except why she'd been doing it. â€Å"And now I'm scared,† she finished. â€Å"I let something out yesterday, and today Kevin gets murdered. Blaise didn't kill him. She thinks Randy may be involved, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Thea shook her head. â€Å"But, Thea, be logical. Why should it have anything to do with your spell?† Dani's rational voice was soothing. â€Å"You let someone out, not something. The elders summon the ancestors all the time without anything bad happening. You just feel guilty because you know you weren't supposed to be doing it.† â€Å"No. Dani, I can't explain it, but the thing I let out-it wasn't friendly. It knocked Blaise and me down. None of the spirits I saw the elders summon ever did that.† â€Å"Well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Dani looked doubtful. â€Å"But why would one of the ancestors went to murder a human?† â€Å"I don't know.† Somehow talking about it had cleared Thea's mind. She said slowly, â€Å"But†¦ maybe the book would tell us.† Ten minutes later, they were sitting side by side on Thea's bed, with the iron chest on the floor and the book between them. â€Å"First, could you tell anything about the amulet that fell in the fire?† Dani asked in scientific tones. â€Å"Like, if the hair was gray, it could mean-â€Å" â€Å"The witch was old.† Thea caught on immediately. â€Å"No, it wasn't gray or white. It was dark-sort of like mahogany.† She closed her eyes, trying to remember. â€Å"It all happened so fast-but I think it was long. It was doubled up lots of times in the clay.† â€Å"So maybe a woman.† â€Å"Yes.† Thea read for several minutes. â€Å"Wait a minute. Look at this.† † ‘Suzanne Blanchet,' † Dani read with difficulty. † ‘Bom sixteen thirty-four in Esgavans on the day that they made bonfires for the peace between France and Spain. Tried sixteen fifty-three at Ron-chain, prisoner at the court of Rieux.' â€Å" â€Å"And listen to the charges,† Thea said grimly. † ‘Bewitching men's corn, killing cattle, bringing hunger into the country, and strangling babies at night with her long hair.' â€Å" â€Å"Strangling,† Dani breathed. â€Å"She denied it, so they tortured her. Listen: ‘Being a little stretched on the rack, she screamed ceaselessly that she was not a witch, but being more tightly stretched, said that it was true.' â€Å" â€Å"And then they tortured her family,† Dani said, her finger skimming the lines. â€Å"Oh, Isis, look at this. She had a ten-year-old brother named Clement and a six-year-old sister named Lucienne. They tortured them both.† â€Å"And burned them.† Thea had begun to tremble involuntarily. The room wasn't cold, but she had a feeling like ice deep inside her. â€Å"Look. ‘The children having been promised the mercy of being strangled before burning, but the executioner not having been paid, they were committed alive to the flames†¦'.† She couldn't finish. † ‘†¦ before the eyes of their sister,' † Dani whispered. She was shaking, too, and huddling close to Thea. â€Å"How could they do that?† â€Å"I don't know,† Thea said flatly. â€Å"I mean, no wonder Night World laws are so strict. No wonder we have to keep ourselves a secret-look at what they do to us when they find out.† | Thea swallowed-she didn't want to think about Night World rules. â€Å"And then they burned Suzanne,† she said quietly, keeping her eyes on the book. † ‘Being consigned to the fire, she uttered several exclamations, crying out upon revenge.' â€Å" â€Å"I would too,† Dani said, her soft voice threaded with steel. â€Å"I'd come back and kill them.† She stopped and she and Thea looked at each other. â€Å"And maybe that's just what she did,† Thea said slowly. â€Å"Only she couldn't get to her torturers. But she found something that looked similar-a reproduction torture chamber. And there was Kevin, doing something to a witch dummy-hanging it, maybe. Maybe treating it in some way that reminded her of†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Thea nodded toward the book. â€Å"Anyway, doing something that made her lose it.† â€Å"And kill him. By strangling him-what she'd been accused of doing. Thea?† Dani grimaced, then went on. â€Å"When you saw Kevin's body-was there anything around his neck?† Thea stared at the window curtains, trying to remember. That awful bloated face†¦ the protruding tongue†¦ and dark bruises on the throat. â€Å"No,† she said softly. â€Å"There were marks-but whatever strangled him was gone.† â€Å"She took it with her.† Dani shivered, then put both hands on the book. â€Å"Or maybe not. Look, Thea, this may make a great bonfire story, but, really, it's all speculation.† Thea was staring at the yellowed page beneath Dani's fingers. â€Å"I don't think so,† she said quietly. â€Å"See this symbol by Suzanne Blanchet's name? I recognize it. I saw it for just a second-on the amulet in the fire.† â€Å"You're sure?† Thea looked away. â€Å"Yeah. It's her, Dani. And it's my fault. I let her out†¦ and now she's killing people. Because of me, somebody's dead.† It was only when she said it that the full realization hit-as if forming the words had somehow made it true. Kevin was dead. He wasn't going to school anymore, he wasn't going to get a chance to repair his Porsche. He wouldn't ever smile at a girl again. He'd lost everything a person had to lose. â€Å"And I just-I just feel so bad,† Thea said. The ache in her throat rose up in a sort of spasm, as if she were going to be sick. But what came out was tears. Dani held her while she sobbed. And at last, when Thea was crying more quietly, she said, â€Å"You didn't know. You didn't mean to do anything bad. You were just playing around and it went wrong. You didn't know.† â€Å"It doesn't matter.† Thea wiped her face on her sleeve, sitting up. The ache in her chest was duller now, and she was slowly realizing that something else was there, something that felt hot and bright. A need to act. â€Å"It doesn't matter,† she said again. â€Å"I still made it happen. But I'll tell you one thing-I'm not going to let it keep happening. I've got to stop her. Which means I've got to send her back.† â€Å"I'm with you there,† Dani said, her small jaw set in determination. â€Å"But how?† Thea stared at the wall a moment, then said, â€Å"I have an idea.†

Australia s Parliamentary Democracy And If It Is Effective

Australia, a country with a population of more than 22 million has quite the complex governmental system. Australia is known as a federation, a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy all in one. As a result, Australia has a queen, who resides in the United Kingdom, but is represented by a Governor-General in Australia. Following, a Prime Minister governs the country. In addition, there is a two-chamber Commonwealth Parliament that makes the laws. This diverse government is often referred to as the Westminster System. The goal of this paper is to examine Australia’s representative parliamentary democracy and if it is effective. Australia’s parliamentary democracy consists of the Queen, the Prime Minister, the Senate and the House of Representatives. The parliament is the foundation of Australia’s government. The parliament makes laws and holds the government and ministers accountable. First, the Queen is known as the ‘head of state’. 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