Sop for Commerce Essay Example for Free

Sop for Commerce Essay I Priyesh Kulkarni completed my Graduation in Bachelor of Commerce (Honors Course) in It taught me how to manage financial affairs, prepare balance sheets, etc. I liked the commerce field so I decided to do masters in that field. In I completed my Masters degree in Commerce. While doing the masters degree I joined our own finance company where my work was totally related to the finance field. Along with that I did Post Graduate Diploma in Management, again specializing in Finance and completed it in While doing the job I thought about getting some acquaintance with the computers so I did Advanced PC Applications from NIIT in and a training program from Indira Gandhi National Open University in C, C++ and JAVA in I am an Oracle Certified Professional (OCP), the certificate provided by Oracle Corporation, USA. I did 2 projects in oracle. One was about Banking System and the second was about the Super Market. The Banking system was small software that handled all the transactions regarding bank, which provides the account holder information, and handling day-to-day transactions. This software automatically updates the account holder’s account mentioning the current balance in his account. The super market was sophisticated software, which stored the information regarding customer, products, vendors and credit card. This software also generated various bills like invoicing bill, receipt bill and customer payment bill. After doing these many courses and 2 projects in computers I found that my interest towards computers has increased further. Moreover, now in every industry knowledge about IT is required. So I discovered that either I have the option to do Masters in Computer Applications (MCA) from India itself or go outside India to get a good Masters degree in computers. As in India, MCA is for three years, which I thought, is not feasible for me. So I decided for the second option i. e. doing MS in Computer Science from USA, which is a two year course. Further, MS in computer science is a professional degree worldwide and it will be easier for me to fulfill my dreams of becoming a software professional and getting a good job in India. Moreover, by doing this course from USA I will get an international l exposure and it will also enhance my overall personal development.

Workers Motivation

Workers Motivation Since this day many theories have been developed trying to identify what lies behind the motivation of workers. What is it that pushes workers to improve their performance, increase their effort and ultimately feel part of an organisation? Motivation is a conscious decision to perform one or more activities with greater effort than other competing activities (Roberts and Corbett, 2009, Understanding Organisational Behaviour IB1230 p.240). It could be interpreted that motivation being a conscious decision cannot be forced, but only be triggered by managers using certain methods. However, even today many managers refuse to give up Taylorism and the use of the scientific management. As a result the idea of the rational economic man still exists and managers still treat the workers as cogs in a machine presumed that they are motivated only by pay. This essay will argue that today job has come to be a way to make a living, and pay is just the mean for a better living but not what motivate s people to work (Gostick and Elton). Pay itself does not motivate people to improve their performance or increase their effort. What people desire beyond their material well-being, that pay can offer, is self-fulfilment and a sense of belonging. To begin with, the effectiveness of the scientific management has been challenged many times but the first blow was the Hawthorne Studies conducted by Elton Mayo in the 1920s. Until then workers had mostly no saying on the decision-making or work process, and based on McGregors Theory X, were seen as genetically lazy, with no real ambitions. With his experiment Mayo wanted to show the relation of productivity and the poor working conditions and how this could be controlled by alternating some factors of the working environment. However, productivity was increasing whatever the working conditions, leading to the conclusion that workers wanted to perform better in return of the interest that the managers had shown to them. The results of this study challenged the established conception of the rational economic man and brought the era of the social man and McGregors Theory Y. Workers are still human beings when they enter the factory door with feelings and ambitions, in search of self-a ctualisation. So this leads to the conclusion that motivation is affected by social factors as well, and sometimes workers place more importance to these than pay itself. Self-actualisation needs were what Maslow considered to be the highest level in his Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow supported the view that people must firstly satisfy each before they can move on to the higher-order needs. It is believed that self-actualisation is what continuously motivate workers as it is never fulfilled but always pursued. However, what managers must understand is that once they offered to workers the taste of self-achievement and freedom it is difficult to then remove them.   Also self-actualisation is not only achieved through work and individuals progress in this pyramid. It is achieved at different times by individuals and using different methods by their managers (Fincham and Rhodes). FIGURE 1.1-Source: Lecture Notes Herzberg further developed this idea in his Two Factor Theory where he presented job satisfaction to be a result of the motivators and job dissatisfaction as a result of the hygiene factors. Therefore it was assumed that different factors let to either job satisfaction or dissatisfaction.   Ã‚   Motivators Hygiene Factors Achievement Company Policy Work itself Supervision Responsibility Work conditions Advancement Pay FIGURE 1.2-Source: Lecture Notes It can be argued that there are similarities with Maslows Hierarchy of Needs as motivators satisfy the top needs of the pyramid whereas hygiene factors fulfil the basic human needs. Pay here is assumed to be a factor that leads to job dissatisfaction when is not met and thus included in the hygiene factors. It is broadly believed that workers with a satisfied pay will not necessarily be encouraged to perform better but only manage not to be dissatisfied. On the other hand, if the work itself is challenging and there is a potential of recognition, this is more likely to keep workers motivated and devoted to the organisation. That is why Herzberg talks about job enrichment, a means to encourage motivation by building greater responsibility and variety into a job (Roberts and Corbett, 2009, Understanding Organisational Behaviour IB1230 p.248). After all, as he argued, the very nature of motivators, as opposed to hygiene factors, is that they have a much longer-term effect on employees a ttitudes (Herzberg, 2003, One More Time: How Do You Motivate Employees? p. 70). Therefore it can be assumed that pay is just a short-term solution to the motivation problem since when they reach a satisfies economic position then they will turn their attention to the social factors. However, Herzbergs Theory did not come about without criticisms that compromise its effectiveness in motivating the workers. It is argued that his research was not objective as it only included accountants and engineers, occupations that were considered to be profitable. In addition, as it is clearly illustrated by Heiders Attribution Theory people tend to attach successes to internal factors and externalise any failures. As a result the interviewees blamed the managers for feeling dissatisfied from their job and on the other hand, recognised themselves as the main factor leading to job satisfaction. Another strong criticism involves the fact that the workers may not have been honest of what really motivates them, offering therefore a reason why pay is included as a hygiene factor (Fincham and Rhodes). It was argued that this behaviour may exist because workers want to be socially accepted and thus portrait themselves to be motivated by a more noble factor than pay (Rynes, Gerhart an d Minette). Recent studies still draw the same conclusions as the one carried out by Herzberg more than 50 years ago. Workers are more likely to contribute to the work process if they feel comfortable in the work environment, close to their managers and have a sense of achievement. Once more, pay did not play a major role in motivating people since the pursue of self-actualisation remains the major concern of workers and their ultimate goal (Bassett-Jones and Lloyd). Moreover, pay has a major role in Adams Equity Theory where workers are presented to be motivated by pay   in relative terms rather than in absolute. Money can be measured and thus it allows comparisons to be made leading to the importance of equity and fairness as a factor of motivation. Therefore it is argued that workers are more likely to improve their performance if they consider their pay to be fair relative to the effort they had put and the effort of the others. This idea is supported by the experiment held out by Adams where the students who they receive higher pay relative to their efforts were motivated to work harder in order to restore equity in the exchange (Fincham and Rhodes, 2005, Principles of Organisational Behaviour p.203). However, there is the risk that conflict maybe arise because workers and managers have different perceptions of what the effort the workers must be and the pay that is considered to be fair for that effort.      Beyond the theories the managers can put in practice, they must firstly realise that the workers are individuals with different needs, values, experiences, that have an impact on what finally motivates them. As said before, people are on different levels on the Hierarchy of Needs pyramid and place different value on different hygiene factors and motivators (see figures 1.1 and 1.2). In order for this obstacle to be overcome the managers must concentrate on the individuals who work in the organisation. What drives the motivation of the each worker may change, because of different circumstances. Known the worker on a personal level gives the advantage to change the behaviour towards them. It is true that with the current crisis and the growing fear of the unemployment many workers do not have the feeling of security in their job. Thus this is their motivation for the specific time and what the managers must try to restore. However it could be argued that in this decision-making process the workers must have the chance to be heard and a compromise decision to be reached in order for any organisation to have a brighter future. On the other hand, inter-group conflict may be aroused because of managers expectations concerning certain groups. What managers expect of subordinates and the way they treat them largely determine their performance and career progress (Livingston J.S, 2003, Pygmalion in Management p.176). Therefore if a manager expects a group to perform baldy and not be able to reach a certain target, this demotivates the individuals of the group and their performance is declined as expected. However, this may not always be the case since the individuals desire to prove the manager wrong may drive them to improve their performance and thus raise the expectations which the manager previously had. It could be argued that the conflict is sometimes desirable as it changes the behaviour of the workers to the best which it is in line with the interactionist approach. In this example pay did not play the major part in motivating workers even though it could be claimed that the individuals improve their pe rformance in order to receive a better reward. However Herzbergs followers would argue that what really motivated the group was the job that became more challenging and gave the opportunity of self-achievement and recognition. Of course, the behaviour of the workers is affected by the organisations structure and culture. According to Maslow workers pursue their self-actualisation through work and therefore it could be argued that the organisational performance will depend ultimately on the extent to which individuals are provided with the opportunity to satisfy their own goals by contributing to the goals of the organisation (Mullins J., 2008, Essentials of Organisational Behaviour p.355). People are more likely to be motivated and feel part of an organisation when they share the same values, beliefs and attitudes. Therefore the organisation policy may focus on the pay as a measure to reward better performance and to the individual needs of the workers. It is true that some workers will be motivated through this but for the wrong reasons. The organisations structure encourages them to behave unethical in order to gain a raise in their pay or a promotion (Luecke, 2006). Indeed the ideas that people work for money and that more money rewards mean better performance are only just myths. As argued before, people look for something deeper in doing their work and managers who ignore that and continue to bribe their employees   in fact they pay the price in a lack of loyalty and commitment(Pfeffer J., 2003, Six dangerous myths about pay p.99). Of course the policy of the organisation and its structure depends on which country it operates as there are different perceptions of what motivates people. This is evident from a survey in 2000 where among eight countries   U.K valued good pay the highest. However, this is a result of the different methods used in these countries from which British companies may learn in order to rely less on pay to motivate their workers. In conclusion, pay does motivate people but this will not last in the long-run. Money is the means for a better life but is mostly seen as a condition to work rather than related to particular effort (Handy C., 1993, Understanding organisations p.52). Once the workers achieve their material well-being they will try to satisfy their desire for self-fulfilment. As a result pay does motivate to some extent and mostly at the beginning of someones career but then he/she will pursue recognition, achievement and finally self-actualisation. Therefore managers must strive to learn their workers on a personal level, consider their worries and needs in order to discover what ultimately motivates them to give their best effort. The Tandem Computer took this step, and moved away from offering money for better performance to being more concerned of keeping their workers satisfying through the work itself. Therefore it would not even tell you your salary before expecting you to accept the work (Pfe ffer J., 2003, Six dangerous myths about pay p.93). More organisations must take this difficult step in order to depend less on money and offer their workers greater opportunities for personal growth. Bibliography Roberts, Ashley and Corbett, Martin,2009. Understanding Organisational Behaviour IB1230 Warwick Business School: McGraw-Hill Custom Publishing Fincham, Robin and Rhodes, Peter,2005. Principles of Organisational Behaviour Fourth Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press Mullins Laurie J.,2008. Essentials of Organisational Behaviour Second Edition. Harlow: England; New York: Financial Times/Prentice Hall Timpe Dale. A, 1986. Motivation of Personnel. Aldershot: Gower Publishing Company Limited Gostick Adrian And Elton Chester, 2009. The Carrot Principle. London: Simon Schuster UK Ltd Handy Charles, 1993. Understanding Organisations Fourth Edition.   London: England; Penguin Group Grey Chris, 2009. A Very Short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap Book About Studying Organizations Second Edition London: SAGE Publications Ltd Herzberg Frederick, Mausner Bernard, Snyderman Barbara Bloch, 1993. The motivation to Work Second revised Edition. New Brunswick: New Jersey; Transaction Publishers Latham Gary P., 2007. Work Motivation: History, Theory, Research, and Practice. Thousand Oaks: California; Sage Publications, Inc. USB!!!!!!!!!!! LECTURES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Manville Brook and Ober Josiah, 2003. Beyond Empowerment: Building a Company of Citizens Harvard Business Review, 81(1), pp. 48-53 Fryer Bronwyn, 2003. Moving Mountains Harvard Business Review, 81(1), pp. 41-47 Herzberg Frederick, 2003. One More Time: How to you motivate Employees? Harvard Business Review, 81(1), pp.86-86 Luecke Richard, 2006. Harvard Business Essential: Performance Management. Boston: Massachusetts; Harvard Business School Press Kerr Steve, 2003. The Best-Laid Incentive Plans Harvard Business Review, 81(1), pp.27-37 Nicholson Nigel, 2003. How to motivate your problem employees Harvard Business Review, 81(1) pp.57-65 Livingston Sterling. J, 2003. Pygmalion in Management Harvard Business Review, 81(1) pp.97-106 Levinson Harry, 2003. Management by whose objectives? Harvard Business Review, 81(1) pp.107-116 McClelland David C., Burnham David H., 2003. Power is the great motivator Harvard Business Review, 81(1) pp.117-126 Goleman Daniel, 2000. Leadership that gets results Harvard Business Review, 78(2) pp.78-90 Manzoni Jean-Franà §ois, Barsoux Jean-Louis, 1998. The Set-Up-To-Fail Syndrome Harvard Business Review, 76(2) pp.101-113 Pfeffer Jefferey, 1998. Six Dangerous Myths About Pay Harvard Business Review 76(3) pp.109-119 Goffee Rob, Jones Gareth, 1996. What holds the modern Company together? Harvard Business Review, 74(6) pp.133-148

Describe an object that is important to you and explain why Essay examp

Describe an object that is important to you and explain why      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   My Kelty Redwing backpack is folded up in my closet. Cramped on a shelf next to a box of old textbooks and forgotten letters, my backpack, like me, would rather be elsewhere.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Gloomy New England is no place for an active pack such as mine. There, the pack's buoyant purple, teal, and navy blue colors seem lost in shadow. Helpless, I do likewise, and watch my skin turn from a healthy tan to sickly white. We can hardly wait for the upcoming vacation. I take my pack to and from school with me. Holding up to 5600 cubic inches, my pack feels comfortable on my back even with sixty pounds of gear.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   During winter vacation, I usually take a skiing trip to a cabin in the Washington State Wilderness. Loaded with everything from Monopoly to a waffle iron, my backpack shields me from snow dripped by evergreens. It never actually skis, but my backpack wouldn't dare miss a downhill ski trip in the Rockies of Idaho. I leav...

William Goldings Lord of the Flies Essay -- Essays Papers

Lord of the Flies I chose to do one of my book reports on William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. The reason I chose this book is because it deals with many issues that are important to leading a solid Christian based life. It also deals with some issues that were talked about in class, for example discrimination, prayer and civilized behavior. The book starts out with Ralph and Piggy walking through the woods on what appears to be a deserted island. We are told that a plane transporting many young boys between the ages of 5 and 12 crashed on this island and these are the first two characters that we meet. Ralph and Piggy find their way out of the woods and onto a beach where they discover a conch shell that can be played as a horn. Ralph sounds this horn and shortly after a number of young boys emerged from the woods. It is now revealed that no adults are on the island and it is just the boys. They then decide to form a make shift government and piggy appoints Ralph to be the leader since he initiated the meeting. One boy named Jack, a member of a boy’s choir, protests the fact that Ralph was named the leader. So to please Jack, Ralph tells him that he will be in charge of hunting and gathering food, this along with teasing Piggy about his weight pleases Jack. The boys them split up and start to scope out the island and Jack organizes the first hunt, which is unsuccessful. As time goes on Ralph notices that many of the boys aren’t really doing any work and would rather be playing or sleeping instead, this worries him a little. He then goes out to explore the island with a choirboy named Simon, when they came back they called a meeting by signaling the conch. At this meeting Ralph sets up some basic rules. The main ones being that you can only talk at a meeting if you are holding the conch and that a fire must be keep going all the time on top of the mountain in case a ship passed by so that they could be rescued. The other boys like the ideas and rush up the mountain to start a fire. After they gather a bunch of firewood they realize that nobody can start a fire without matches. Piggy then suggests that they use the lenses of his glasses to spark a flame. The fire starts and gets a bit out of hand and Piggy thinks that one of the younger boys has been burned to death. All of the other boys laugh at Piggy and deny the incident. This is the first ... ...ll right. So we see how important parents are and how much they can influence their children. These boys were too young to be stranded alone and they couldn’t distinguish between right and wrong. I’m sure that as adults they would look back and see how hostile and evil they had become. Someone who has a similar view of this book is Kristian Moe who is a teacher in New York. I found this statement at www.malvik.no/engelsk/lordoftheflies.htm, he writes, â€Å"I feel that the book is very sad. In some ways it is even a little grotesque. It portrays human nature in its worst and darkest. It is very scary, and it makes me think about the world wars, and about Hitler’s racism and hatred. I can not believe that we have so many dark sides within us, but maybe we do.† In conclusion, I have to say that I enjoy this book because it is exciting and scary at the same time. I’m sure that everyone at one point in their life has dreamed of being on a deserted island, but I’m also sure that nobody would want their experience to be like the one we see in this book. Unless of course that have no sense of Christian values and are willing to subject themselves to that type of devilish behaviour.

Essay --

To most people ethnicity is shown by values, lifestyles, customs, and rituals that are personal to an individual ethnic group or religion. The feeling of belonging to a certain group is a basic need for mankind. In a sense, ethnicity can be separated into two particular categories, a unique social structure and culture heritage passed down from one generation to the next. I come from a Mexican family. This has shown me the many similarities, as well as differences in a Mexican family compared to an American family. From a young age we are taught that the value of family is the most important thing in the world. Most Americans encourage their children to move out after graduation from either high school or college, Mexicans believe that their children should live with them until they are married or around the ages of 25-30 years old. The most important family member in the Mexican family are the elderly. They are given special treatment and attention. For example our beliefs is that the elders shouldn't go to retirement homes. They are welcome in the family and are cared for until there last days. Grandchildren are taught to be respectful and to aways Listen to the elders, especially if they're your grandparents. Most Mexican families are extremely traditional, with the man as the head of the house hold, and the authority figure. Machismo (masculinity) in all latino countries is a huge problem, not only because women are being deprived of their freedom, but because men abuse their power. I asked five Mexican women how they felt about Machismo in Mexico. Two of the five women told me kind of the same thing; They believe that it is not a bad thing, but it depends on the man. The other three were very against it, and they ... ...ing aspect for Americans, because most Americans have their life planed out on a cellphone or on a planner and too often it doesn't include their family. Mexican food is influenced by the ancient civilization. For examples the Mayans ate corn tortilla with a bean paste that covered the tortilla. The Aztec found out that mixing and squishing different types of vegetables makes a savory appetizer they call salsa. They also learned how to make what are now called tamales. When the Spaniards came they brought over milk, rice and other products that were new to Mexico. But have now remained in the cuisine. Mexico has an amazing culture. It is full of wonders and mystery that are yet to be discuss. Mexico just like any other country has its fall backs, but one day Just like the United States it will rise up and be one of the most powerful countries in the world.

Employee Relations Activities

Employee relations activities are those whose objective is to create an atmosphere of trust, respect and cooperation. The typically objective is to provide an atmosphere in which all employees can perform their jobs to the best of their abilities and creatively contribute to the organization. All Human resources decisions should by goal – directed. Consequently, employee relations activities should be designed and managed to help achieve specific objectives. Employee relations activities affect efficiency, in that potential reasons for performance problems are confronted and help is offered to remove them. When the problem is an individual employee†s behavior, employee assistance and conflict resolution system seek constructive solutions. If the problem is the organization†s behavior, employee management committees or other two – way communication forums can identify possible changes that will remove the problem. Much employee relations is designed to send the message that the organization is a concerned institution that will help protect, assists, and deal fairly with all it members. The typical decisions that managers face in designing employee relations programs include: Communication – How best can we convey our philosophy to employees and solicit their opinions/suggestions on work issues? Protection – Are there aspects of the workplace that threaten the wellbeing of employees? Assistance – How shall we respond to special needs of specific employees? Cooperation – To what extent should decision making and control be shared? Discipline and conflict – How shall we deal with it? An employee handbook is a necessary part of communication an employee relations program. The handbook sets out the rules and policies within which employees and managers must operate. How the organization sets wages, allocates training, and promotions opportunities, what services it provides, and what it expect from employees is discussed in the handbook. Obviously, merely writing a handbook is not enough. It must by continuously updated, publicized to employees, and supervisors must be thoroughly familiar whit it, since they are the ones who translate policy into action. Handbook provide communication in only one direction. Many organizations have formats for providing communication from employees to supervisors and managers. These can range from â€Å"speak – up† and open – door policies, work improvement suggestions systems, to â€Å"sensing† sessions, opinion surveys, or conflict resolution procedures. Unfortunately, there is evidence that there is a growing communications gap between employees and top management. Messages that managers think they are sending aren†t being received by employees. Every managers and employee wants a healthy and safe work environment. Prevention programs take many forms. They include redesigning jobs to diminish hazardous conditions, conducting, safety training programs, even offering pay bonuses for good safety records. Safety hazard: are those aspects of the work environment, which have the potential for immediate and sometimes violent harm to employee. Examples are lost of hearing, or eyesight, cuts, sprains, bruises, broken bones, burns and electric shock. Health hazard: are those aspects of the work environment that slowly and cumulatively lead to deterioration of an employee†s health. Typical causes include physical and biological hazards, toxic and cancer – causing dusts and chemicals, and stressful working conditions. Many of the policies and programs discussed in this chapter can go a long way to prevent discipline issues from arising. Prevention should be the objective of all organizations. However, when problems arise, having procedures in place to deal with infraction can help safeguard the rights of all concerned. There are four elements to assure adherence to generally acceptable work rules of such a system.

The Indigo Spell Chapter Ten

THE NEXT MORNING, I sought out Ms. Terwilliger before class to give her a recap of yesterday's adventures. She leaned against her desk, sipping a cappuccino as I spoke. Her expression grew darker as the story progressed, and she sighed when I finished. â€Å"Well, that's unfortunate,† she said. â€Å"I'm glad you were able to find the Stone girl, but that kills our lead on Veronica until the next full moon. It could be too late by then.† â€Å"You're sure there's no other scrying spell?† I asked. She shook her head. â€Å"Most that I could attempt would alert her that I was looking for her. There is one that might mask me while I'm using it . . . but it also might not be able to penetrate any shielding she's using to hide herself.† â€Å"It's still worth a try, isn't it?† I asked. The warning bell rang, and students began trickling into the classroom. She shot me a smile as she straightened up. â€Å"Why, Miss Melbourne, I never thought I'd hear you suggesting such things. But you're right. We'll talk about it this afternoon. It's something I'd like you to see.† That anti-magic gut instinct started to rear its ugly head . . . and then stopped. Somewhere, against my wishes, I'd gotten caught up in all of this. I was too concerned now about Veronica's other victims to pay attention to my usual worries. In Alchemist eyes, using magic was bad. In my eyes, leaving innocents in danger was worse. With no other critical situations to contend with, I found that the day flew by. When I rejoined Ms. Terwilliger for our independent study, I found her packed up and waiting for me to arrive. â€Å"Field trip,† she told me. â€Å"We need to work on this at my place.† A wistful look crossed her features. â€Å"Too bad we can't stop at Spencer's.† Caffeine and magic didn't mix, which was another good reason for staying away from the arcane. I started to point out that since I wasn't working any magic, I didn't have the same restrictions. A moment later, I decided that would be mean. Ms. Terwilliger had enough going on with a bloodthirsty sister on the loose. She didn't need to be taunted too. The cats were waiting at the door when we arrived at her house, which was slightly terrifying. I'd never seen all of them at once and counted thirteen. I had to assume that number was by design. â€Å"I have to feed them first,† she told me as they swarmed at her feet. â€Å"Then we'll get to work.† I nodded wordlessly, thinking her plan was a good one. If those cats weren't fed soon, it seemed likely they would turn on us. I didn't like our odds. Once they had food to distract them, Ms. Terwilliger and I went to her workshop. There was little I could do except observe. Magic often required that the person doing the spell be the one to put in all the labor. I assisted with a little measuring, but that was about it. I'd seen her do a couple of quick, flashy spells in the past but never anything of this magnitude. It was clear to me that this was a very, very powerful feat. She had nothing to link her to Veronica, no hair or picture. The spell required the caster to use the image in her mind of the person being sought. Other components, herbs and oils, helped enhance the magic, but for the most part, the work was all on Ms. Terwilliger. Watching her prepare triggered a mix of emotions in me. Anxiety was one, of course, but it was paired with a secret fascination at seeing someone with her strength cast a spell. When everything was in place, she spoke the incantation, and I nearly gasped as I felt power surge up in the room. I'd never sensed it from another person before, and the intensity nearly knocked me over. Ms. Terwilliger was staring at a spot a few feet in front of her. After several long moments, a glowing dot appeared in the air. It grew bigger and bigger, turning into a flat, shimmering disc, which hung there like a mirror. I stepped backward, half-afraid the disc would keep expanding and consume the room. Eventually, it stabilized. Tense silence surrounded us as she stared at that glowing surface. A minute passed, and then the oval began to shrink and shrink until it was gone. Ms. Terwilliger sank with exhaustion and caught the side of her table for support. She was sweating heavily, and I handed her some orange juice we'd had ready. â€Å"Did you see anything?† I asked. There'd been nothing visible to me, but maybe only the caster could see what the spell revealed. She shook her head. â€Å"No. The spell was unable to touch her mind. Her shielding must be too strong.† â€Å"Then we can't do anything until next month.† I felt my stomach drop. I hadn't realized until that moment how much I'd been hoping this spell would work. So much of my life involved problem solving, and I felt lost when I ran out of options. â€Å"You and Adrian can keep warning the other girls,† said Ms. Terwilliger. Color was starting to return to her face. â€Å"At the very least, it might slow Veronica down.† I looked at the time on my cell phone. This spell had taken longer than I thought. â€Å"I don't think we can do a round trip to Los Angeles today. I'll get him tomorrow, and we'll see if we can finish off the list.† Once I was convinced she wouldn't pass out from magical exertion, I made motions to leave. She stopped me as I was about to walk out the door. â€Å"Sydney?† I glanced back, suddenly uneasy. The problem with having so many people call me by nicknames was that when someone called me by my actual name, it usually meant something serious was happening. â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"We keep talking about warning others, but don't forget to look after yourself as well. Keep studying the book. Learn to protect yourself. And keep the charm on.† I touched the garnet, hidden under my shirt. â€Å"Yes, ma'am. I will.† Marcus's promised text came as I was driving back to school, telling me to meet him at a nearby arcade. I knew the place and had actually been to its adjacent mini-golf course once before, so I had no difficulty heading over there. Marcus was waiting for me just inside the door, and thankfully, Sabrina wasn't around wielding a gun. I hadn't spent a lot of time in arcades and didn't really understand them. They hardly meshed with my father's style of education. For me, it was a mass of sensory overload that I wasn't quite ready for. The smell of slightly burnt pizza filled the air. Excited children and teenagers darted back and forth between games. And everywhere, everything seemed to be flashing and beeping. I winced, thinking maybe my dad had been on to something in avoiding these places. â€Å"This is where we're going to discuss covert activities?† I asked in disbelief. He gave me one of his movie star smiles. â€Å"It's not an easy place for people to spy on you. Besides, I haven't played Skee-Ball in years. That game is awesome.† â€Å"I wouldn't know.† â€Å"What?† It was kind of nice to catch him by surprise again, even if it was for something so trivial. â€Å"You've been missing out. Spot me some money for tokens, and I'll show you.† Apparently, being an on-the-run renegade leader didn't pay well. He found the Skee-Ball machines instantly. I bought him a cupful of tokens and handed them over. â€Å"Have at it.† He promptly put a token in and threw his first ball. It landed completely outside of the rings, making him scowl. â€Å"You don't waste any time,† I remarked. His eyes were on the game as he made his second throw, which again missed. â€Å"It's a survival tactic. When you spend enough time on the run . . . hiding out all the time . . . well, you take advantage of these moments of freedom. And when pretty girls spirit you away.† â€Å"How do you know we're free? How can you be so sure the Alchemists haven't been watching me?† I asked. I was pretty sure I wasn't being watched and mostly wanted to test him. â€Å"Because they would've showed up on that first day.† He had a point. I put my hands on my hips and tried to be patient. â€Å"How long are you going to play? When can we talk?† â€Å"We can talk now.† His next ball hit the ten-point ring, and he whooped with joy. â€Å"I can talk and throw. Ask away. I'll give you as many shocking secrets as I can.† â€Å"I'm not easily shocked.† But I wasn't going to waste this opportunity. I glanced around, but he was right. No one was going to eavesdrop in this noisy place. We could barely hear each other as it was. â€Å"What'd you do to get kicked out of the Alchemists?† â€Å"I didn't get kicked out. I left.† This round ended, and he put in his next token. â€Å"Because of a Moroi girl.† I froze, unable to believe what I'd heard. Marcus Finch had started his great rebellion . . . because he'd been involved with a Moroi? It rang too close to my own situation. When I didn't say anything, he glanced over and took in my expression. â€Å"Oh. Oh. No, nothing like that,† he said, realizing my thoughts. â€Å"That's not a line even I would cross.† â€Å"Of course not,† I said, hoping I was doing a good job at hiding my nervousness. â€Å"Who would?† He returned to the game. â€Å"We were friends. I was assigned to Athens, and she lived there with her sister.† That derailed me. â€Å"Athens . . . you were in Athens? That was one of the places I wanted to be assigned. I went to St. Petersburg instead, but I always kept hoping that, maybe, maybe, I'd get reassigned to Greece. Or even Italy.† I was nearly babbling, but he didn't seem to notice. â€Å"What's wrong with St. Petersburg? Aside from the high Strigoi count.† â€Å"What's wrong is that it wasn't Athens or Rome. My dad specifically requested that I not be assigned to either place. He thought it'd be too distracting.† Marcus paused again to give me a long, level look. There was sympathy in his expression, as though my entire history and family drama were playing before his eyes. I didn't want him to feel sorry for me and wished I hadn't said anything. I cleared my throat. â€Å"So tell me about this girl in Athens.† He took the hint. â€Å"Like I said, she was a friend. So funny. Oh, man. She cracked me up. We used to hang out all the time – but you know how that's kind of frowned upon.† I almost laughed at his subtle joke. Kind of? That was an understatement. Field Alchemists weren't supposed to interact with Moroi unless it was absolutely necessary for some business matter or related to stopping and covering up Strigoi. My situation was a little unique, since my mission actually required me to talk to her on a daily basis. â€Å"Anyway,† he continued. â€Å"Someone noticed, and I got a lot of unwelcome attention for it. Around the same time, I started hearing all these rumors . . . like about Alchemists holding Moroi against their will. And even some Alchemists interacting with the Warriors.† â€Å"What? That's impossible. We would never work with those freaks.† The idea of Moroi prisoners was outlandish, but it was that second part that truly stumped me. I couldn't even process it. He might as well have said the Alchemists were working with aliens. â€Å"That's what I thought.† He threw another ball, looking supremely pleased when it scored thirty points. â€Å"But I kept hearing whispers, so I started asking questions. A lot of questions. And, well, that's when things really went bad. Questions don't always go over so well – especially if you're a nuisance about them.† I thought about my own experience. â€Å"That's certainly true.† â€Å"So that's when I walked. Or, well, ran. I could see the signs. I'd crossed a line and knew it was only a matter of time before I had a one-way ticket to re-education.† Another new round started, and he gestured me forward. â€Å"Want to give it a try?† I was still stunned enough by his earlier words that I stepped forward and took a ball. The Alchemists were logical, organized, and reasonable. I knew there were Alchemists who wished we could do more to fight the Strigoi, but there was no way our group would work with trigger-happy zealots. â€Å"Stanton told me we only tolerate the Warriors. That we're just keeping an eye on them.† â€Å"That's what I was told too.† He watched me line up a shot. â€Å"There's kind of a learning curve to this, by the way. It may take you a few – â€Å" I threw and hit the fifty-point ring. Marcus could only stare for a few seconds, his earlier smirk vanishing. â€Å"You said you'd never played!† he exclaimed. â€Å"I haven't.† I threw another fifty pointer. â€Å"Then how are you doing that?† â€Å"I don't know.† Fifty points again. â€Å"You just base your force on the ball's weight and distance to the ring. It's not that hard. This is kind of a boring game, really.† Marcus was still dumbstruck. â€Å"Are you some kind of super-athlete?† I nearly scoffed. â€Å"You don't need to be an athlete to play this.† â€Å"But . . . no . . .† He looked at the rings, then at me, and then back to the rings. â€Å"That's impossible. I've been playing this since I was a kid! My dad and I used to go to our town's carnival over and over in the summer, and I'd spend at least an hour playing this each time.† â€Å"Maybe you should have made it two hours.† I tossed another ball. â€Å"Now tell me more about the Warriors and the Alchemists. Did you ever get any proof?† It took him several moments to tune back into the conversation. â€Å"No. I tried. I even got cozy with the Warriors for a while – that's how I met Clarence. My group has found a few dark secrets about the Alchemists and saved other Moroi from the Warriors, but we were never able to make a connection between the two groups.† He paused dramatically. â€Å"Until now.† I picked up the next ball. This mundane activity was helping me analyze his startling words. â€Å"What happened?† â€Å"It was a fluke, really. We've got a guy working with us now who just left the Alchemists and broke his tattoo,† he explained. He said it like it was no big deal, but I still couldn't shake how uneasy â€Å"breaking the tattoo† made me feel. â€Å"He'd overheard something that matched up to something Sabrina uncovered. Now we've just got to get the evidence linking it all.† â€Å"How are you going to pull that off?† â€Å"Actually, you're going to pull it off.† He spoke just as I was releasing another ball. My shot went wide, missed the rings and even the machine entirely. The ball bounced off the wall and landed at the feet of some startled girls. Marcus retrieved the ball and gave them an apologetic smile, which made them gush about how it was no problem at all. As soon as they were gone, I leaned toward Marcus. â€Å"What did you say?† â€Å"You heard me. You want to join our group? You want to break your tattoo?† He looked annoyingly smug. â€Å"Then this is all part of the process.† â€Å"I never said I wanted to do any of those things!† I hissed. â€Å"I just wanted to find out more about them.† â€Å"And I bet you'd really love to know if there are factions in the Alchemists working with the Warriors.† He was right. I did want to know that. He caught hold of my hand. â€Å"Sydney, I know this is a lot to take in. I don't blame you for doubting, and that's exactly why we need you. You're smart. You're observant. You question. And just like me, those questions are going to get you in trouble – if they haven't already. Get out now while you can – on your own terms.† â€Å"I just met you! I'm not breaking away from the group that raised me.† I pulled my hand back. â€Å"I was willing to hear you guys out, but now you've gone too far.† I turned and headed toward the door, unwilling to listen anymore. Yet as I walked away, his words crawled over me. Even though I'd been forgiven for my involvement with Rose, my record still probably had a black mark. And even though I hadn't pushed hard about Marcus Finch, had even bringing him up raised Stanton's suspicions? How long until little things added up? I pushed open the doors and stepped out into bright sunlight. It chased away the darkness of what I'd just heard. Marcus was right behind me and touched my shoulder. â€Å"Sydney I'm sorry. I'm not trying to scare you.† That cocky attitude was gone. He was deadly earnest. â€Å"I just sense something about you . . . something that resonates with me. I think we're on the same side, that we want the same things. We've both gotten close to the Moroi. We want to help them – without being lied to or used.† I eyed him warily. â€Å"Go on.† â€Å"Please, hear us out.† â€Å"I thought I just did.† â€Å"You heard me out,† he corrected. â€Å"I want you to meet the others and hear their stories. They'll tell you more about what they went through. They'll tell you about this.† He tapped his tattoo. â€Å"And when you hear more about that task . . . well, I think you'll want to do it.† â€Å"Right. The big, mind-blowing thing that's going to unveil an Alchemist-Warrior conspiracy.† He remained serious, which bothered me more than if he'd suddenly revealed this to be one big joke. â€Å"So, what? You're going to get the others, and we'll all have an arcade day?† He shook his head. â€Å"Too dangerous. I'll gather them in some other place and then tell you where to meet us, but it's got to be last minute again. Can't risk detection.† â€Å"I can't go on some epic road trip,† I warned. â€Å"No one cares much about LA trips, but traipsing all over the state is going to get that unwanted attention you were talking about.† â€Å"I know, I know. It'll be close. I just have to make sure it's secure.† He was back to his excited, cheery self. â€Å"Will you do it? Come join us?† In spite of myself, I was curious. Even though I refused to believe in any connection between the Warriors and the Alchemists, I wanted to find out what leads this group thought they had. I also just wanted to see this mysterious group of his, period. What had Adrian called them? Marcus's Merry Men? And, of course, there was the tattoo. Marcus kept alluding to its secrets but still hadn't given me the details. â€Å"I'll do it,† I said at last. â€Å"On one condition.† â€Å"Name it.† â€Å"I want to bring someone with me,† I said. â€Å"You can trust him, I swear. But after Sabrina pulled a gun on me, you have to understand why I'd be a little nervous about walking into your clique.† Marcus looked like he might almost consider it but then suddenly recoiled. â€Å"Not Adrian?† â€Å"No, no. This guy's a dhampir. No one who'd be interested in turning you over to the Alchemists, especially if you really are working to protect Moroi. You say you've got a good feeling about me? Then trust me that you have nothing to worry about with him. He'd just be there to make me feel a little safer.† â€Å"You have nothing to worry about with us,† Marcus said. â€Å"We won't hurt you.† â€Å"I want to believe you. But I don't quite have that same good feeling you have yet.† He didn't say anything right away and then burst into laughter. â€Å"Fair enough. Bring your friend.† He shook my hand, as though we were sealing some great bargain. â€Å"I'll be in touch later with the details. You won't regret it, Sydney. I swear it.†