Strategies for Performance Improvement

Strategies for Performance Improvement In a simple way performance means doing something successfully mainly by using the available resources. Performance can be elusive concept. It deals with the outcomes, results, and accomplishments achieved by a person, group or Organisation. (William J. Rothwel, Carolyn K.Hohne Stephen B. King: 2007). In many cases people do define performance based on financial aspects of the business. Focusing only on financial matters does not tell us what should we do and how to do in order to be successful. Performance is the definition and progressive achievement of tangible, specific, measurable, worthwhile and personally meaningful goals. (Darryl D. Enos 2007). We get a clear point in this definition that organisation should have well defined, specific and measurable goals. This serves as the first requisite in assessing the organisations performance. Having vague and general goals without proper measurement, pose a problem in evaluating corporate performance and proposing techniques for imp roving the performance. Michael Milgate 2004 said that, by monitoring performance for each measure and taking appropriate remedial action, improve revenues, business growth, reduced expenses and compliance with sector regulations have resulted. 2.1 PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT There is a clear relationship between performance improvement and change management (discussed in Section 2.5 of this chapter). Many studies concluded that most organisations either fail or achieve very limited success in their efforts to improve performance. Success or failure in performance improvement efforts begins with the reasons why organisational decision makers decide to get involved in the first place. Darryl D.Enos 2007). Personally, I feel that there should be a motivation factor to stir up the process of improving performance. In addition to this Darryl Enos 2007 added that commitment and involvement of leadership is the most critical element for the performance efforts to be successful. Rephrasing Enos unless a leader is motivated by authentic interest and be committed in the process then efforts of performance improvement have little chance to work. Every organisation has problems. A good start is to admit the problem and find what is to be accomplished to solve the problem. Sometimes performance improvement starts with a targeted program for dealing with a problem that is limiting achievement of a worthwhile goal.'(Darryl Enos 2007). As a suggestion, before approaching any technique to boost performance or implementing the efforts, management should identify areas which need improvements. The problem of poor performance or constant/stagnant performance may be caused by the top management itself.( Refer Enrons Scandal 2001).Thus, the areas for performance improvement must be clearly identified and evaluated to avoid investing efforts in areas which are not critical to performance improvement. In trying to adopt efforts and strategies to achieve corporate performance, Organisations face challenges and end up failing. In one of their research Kaplan and Norton found that 9 out of 10 companies fail to implement their strategies. (Bob Paladino 2007). Paladino explains four barriers that contribute to Organisations failure to achieve expected results from their efforts and strategies put in process. There barriers are: Vision barrier (where research shows that only 5 % of companys employees fully understand their companys strategy); Management barrier (where 85 % of executive teams spend far less time discussing strategies and strategic issues than traditional operating results); Resource barrier (where most companies do not link their budgets to strategy): and the fourth barrier being People barrier (where research shows that only 25 % of managers have incentives linked to strategy). 2.2 PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (PMS1) Performance management system (PMS1) is not an end by itself, but its improvement enables an Organisation to perform better. Improving its efficiency ensures the data generated will tell where the Organisation is, how it is performing and where it is going. Effective management depends on the effective measurement of performance and results (Gobal. K. Kanji, 2002). Mohan Nair (2004) argued that Corporations sometimes measure too much of something and too little of others. Contributing to this it is even possible that Organisations unknowingly does not measure some of the business aspects. Moreover many organisations fail to link what they measure with corporate strategy. Nair added that many of these measurements are un-integrated and serve the wrong goals. Many corporations lack an overarching model for monitoring, measuring and managing the business. Balanced Scorecard offers a broad and overarching skin to the structural architecture of the business. (Nair 2004) Gobal K. Kanji (2002) explains the role of PMS1 and how an organisation may achieve business excellence by identifying areas to improve and how it can use its limited resources to reflect the improvement of the system. The design and implementation of a new PMS1 may in one way or another bring questions and tensions to employees. Kanji (2002) stated that, It is important to build a measurement system where measures are used as a management and motivational tool. I personally back this idea as will help in gaining management and employees support during designing and implementing the new system. In this regard, the PMS1 should be clear to employees explaining how each will contribute to the overall strategy. The efficient PMS1 also serves as the communication and rewarding tool. Furthermore, Kanji (2002) explains the past and present performance measurements and their implication on todays business era. Traditionally, performance measurement focuses on financial measures .. that do not match entirely with competencies skills companies require to face todays business environment. In insisting that financial measures of performance are under criticism in todays world, Paul Niven (2003) said that they lack predictive power, reinforce functional silos, may sacrifices long term thinking and are not relevant to many levels of the Organisation.. Kanji then supports the significant contribution by Kaplan Norton (1992) to overcome the shortcomings of traditional PMS1 that employs only financial measures. 2.3 THE BALANCED SCORECARD (BSC) Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton (2005) invented BSC in 1992 due to the fact that traditional accounting measures like Return on Investment and Earning per Share give misleading picture while in todays business environment continuous improvement and innovation is very important. The authors realised that many managers do not depend on single set of measures in isolation of the other. This implied the need of balanced presentation of both financial and non financial measure. Kaplan Norton complemented financial measures by operational measures calling it Balanced Scorecard (BSC). Kaplan and Norton define BSC as, a set of measures that gives top management a fast but comprehensive view of the business. The BSC includes financial measures that tell the results of actions already taken. And it complements the financial measures on customer satisfaction, internal processes, and Organisation innovation and improvement. These (including financial measures) are the four perspectives of BSC as mentioned by the authors. They suggested that for each of the perspective, managers should translate their visions and missions to strategic goals and objectives and these goals should be translated into specific measures. The word Balance in the Balanced Scorecard represents the balance between financial and non financial performance indicators; internal and external elements stakeholders of the Organisation; and lag lead indicators (Paul Niven 2003). Michael Milgate (2004) defines scorecard as a balanced management system in which shared vision and strategy are reference points for the management process; achieving this balance enables synergy and a practical fit with other frameworks. BSC serves as a powerful tool as it focuses on achieving breakthrough performance considering all measures without isolating non financial performance measures (Kanji 2002).Since its creation in 1992 by Drs. Norton Kaplan of Harvard Business School the Balanced Scorecard has been implemented by different business units in the Public as well as in the Private sectors-worldwide.( Michael E. Nagel- Vice President, BSC Collaborative) Henri .JF (2006) applied the BSC framework in his survey on how top management in a manufacturing company could use PMS to improve the strategic management and Organisational performance. Given its depth as a strategic management system, the BSC principle will continue to be widely adopted and further refined in user Organisation as experiences in its implementation emerge ( Michael A.Milgate 2004). This shows how widely BSC is used to improve the PMS if the Organisation chooses to adopt and implement it. Henri .JF (2006) poses a question that top managers should ask themselves; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"How can we improve our system? .However, the author suggested that the improvement of the PMS is a continuous process that involves changing measures to reflect the new ideas and insights brought to the Organisation through creativity and other development activities. BSC can be successfully implemented in any organisation where the management is committed and devote time to formulate strategy and ready to accept changes. BSC has been implemented many organisations including services business , military units, schools, government institutions and also for profit organisations ( Wikipedia). An important point to note here is that an organisation should design its own BSC as management is knowledgeable of its responsibilities organisations operations rather than adapting another Organisations BSC. David P. Tarantino (2003) complements the work of Kaplan and Norton. He defined BSC, as a performance management tool that is used to provide an integrate perspective of an organisation.He also pointed out the four perspectives of the BSc as, external (how customers views the Organisation; Internal (Look at where the organisation must succeed and improve); Growth learning (examine how organisation grows and learns) and Financial (study financial performance of the organisation).These perspectives depend and influence one another. Tarantino (2003) said, To concentrate on only one, such as financial performance fails to recognise the contribution and balance of the other three perspectives. Of interest from the author is the explanation on how to develop the BSC. The first step he suggested is for the organisation to decide which goals are to be measured that should be included in the four perspectives. Then the organisation should figure out the measures for each of the four BSC pers pectives and determine the weight of each for ultimate evaluation of overall performance. Harvard Management-Update (2000), No need to wait for a companywide initiative-the key principles of this strategic-management system can be put to work in your unit right away.The author of the article tries to convince management to apply BSC reporting system. He is of the views that even if companies take years and spend millions to implement the scorecard across their operations the effects can be dramatic when the system takes root. He said that managers today dont have to wait for a scorecard- inspired corporate transformation before learning- and implementing some of the methods centred ideas. He explained the four lessons from BSC that can be applied right away in virtually any business unit or department. Watch a variety of metrics Connect your metrics to strategy Develop a strategic budget Get everyone involved in tracking metrics The author still insists that BSC is a method that helps managers to develop a well -rounded strategy and then get everyone in the company involved in implementing it. Mohan Nair 2004, arguing in favour of BSC, the changes in the character of business assets has exaggerated the challenges faced by business. In the past company assets would be reflected in the balance Sheet but now 85% of the assets are intangibles.Having the same arguments as previous authors about the inefficiencies of the financial measures, Nair also added that those financial measures are applied only to tangibles, when the intangibles are what fuels the future. According to an online source, www.balancescorecard.org/BSCresources the benefits of BSC are: improve organisation alignment, improve communication, more emphasis on strategy and organisational results, linked strategy and operations, and integrated strategic planning and management. 2.3.1 BSC development Kaplan and Norton explained four steps which many organisations have used to develop their balanced scorecard. The process includes: Define the measurement architecture To a beginner, it is recommended to start with a business unit applying the metrics as designed in the BSC rather than to the corporate level. Specify strategic objectives This step includes deriving strategic objectives for each of the four perspective from corporate goals. Choose strategic measures The third step is to choose related measures for the strategic goals to evaluate the performance so as to achieve the strategic objectives. Develop the implementation plan After selecting measures for each of the perspective, remains implementation process.Target values are assigned to the measures. A link is then established from various metrics from the top to bottom of the BSC. The established scorecard is then incorporated in the organisations management system.. The online source www.balancescorecard.org/BSCresources also recommended nine steps to success develop and deploy BSC framework- In a sequential order these are; Organisation assessment, strategy development, strategic objectives, strategic mapping, performance measures and targets, strategic initiatives, automation, cascading the BSC throughout the organisation and last evaluation. Overall the BSC involves the following steps: Clarify the vision Communicate to middle manager and develop business unit scorecards Eliminate Non-strategic investments and launch corporate change programs Review business unit scorecard Refine the vision Communicate the BSC to the entire company and establish individual performance objectives Update long-range plan and budget Conduct monthly and quarterly reviews Conduct annual strategy review Link everyones performance to the BSC 2.3.2 BSC criticisms The use of the balanced scorecard system may not result to what managers expect. Some professionals spoke some problems that make the BSC under criticisms. It has been noted by professionals that the BSC concept does not guide how the approach can be deployed within an organisation. It is just been viewed as an approach that attracts managers to install and implement without a real sense on how it works, and what should be expected. (Stephen Smith 2006).From his article à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"problem with a balanced scorecard, Smith pointed out some of the key issues that can cause BSC initiatives to fail. These are: Poorly defined metrics These should be relevant ,clear and easily understood Lack of efficient data collection and reporting Smith is concerned with the investments made in collecting metrics data, whether consuming too much time and energy. He then suggests the importance of prioritising key performance indicators to get most relevant information. Lack of formal review structure This is necessary to accommodate any change in metric value. Reviewing is a cross functional activity. No press improvement methodology Many organisation lack basic and standard toolkits and approaches for tracking problems. It therefore consumes a lot of time an efforts to address a problem that is caused by the performance gap. Too much internal focus Smith ranks this as one of the major criticism of BSC. He suggests that Organisation should always start with an external focus through analysing organisations markets, shareholders, competitors, employees and other stakeholders. However Smith assured that all is well with the introduction and the concept of balanced scorecard. This means that the BSC approach is a useful tool and can bring desired results if management knows how to structure it and take the above points in considerations to avoid its initiatives from failing. It has also been learnt that BSC is being criticised by academic society on its practical nature, applicability and functionality. (Wikipedia).They also noted that some of the criticisms focus on technical flaws in the method and design of the original BSC proposed by Kaplan Norton. Supporting the main problem as seen by Smith 2006 other academicians have focused on the lack of citation support. Another criticism is that the BSC does not provide a bottom line score or a unified view with clear recommendations; it is simply a list of metrics. (Wikipedia). Regardless of these criticisms the studies done so far indicated that BSC is a useful tool in strategic performance management in an Organisation. An online source www.netmba.com added to the BSC pitfalls that during implementation managers should avoid the use of generic measures, which are being adopted by successful firms. Management should not take BSC as a guarantee of success in companys operations. It should think clearly the companys strategy and implement the scorecard for improving performance in operational level that derives improved financial performance. Kaplan and Norton said, Even an excellent set of BSC measures does not guarantee a winning strategy. The BSC can only translate a company strategy into specific measurable objectives. They also advised that by combining the four perspectives, the BSC helps managers understand implicitly many interrelationships. The four perspectives relate to each other and the effect on either of the perspective will impact the other. A well designed BSC should describe your strategy through objectives and measures you have chosen. These measures should link together in a chain of cause and effect relationships (Paul Niven 2003). Thus, it is suggested that all have equal importance and neither should be taken in isolation of others. 2.4 COMPARISON BSC AND OTHER PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT TECHNIQUES When we talk of performance improvement in an organisation apart from BSC, Six sigma and Total Quality Management (TQM) come under discussion. Both tools when applied properly work to achieve what management really expects. These tools are contrasted with BSC in the subsequent sections. 2.4.1 Balanced Scorecard (BSC) Vs Six Sigma It has been learnt that BSC and Six Sigma work independently from each other. BSC translates corporate strategy into actions that help to achieve the strategy. Six Sigma aims to solve the problem of poor performance by closely looking at the root cause of performance problem. In this case Six Sigma tries to minimise the errors and reduce other causes of defects in business processes. However, these frameworks are complementary and if used together they offer huge potential value. (Michael E. Nagel). BSC and Six Sigma when used together can deliver great and unexpected business performance (Alastair Horn 2006) . Nagel justifies his idea by clarifying that BSC and Six Sigma are complementary because the former provides the strategic context for targeted improvement initiatives and the latter is a business improvement approach that solve a myriad of performance issues. To make the difference more clearly, Nagel stated that, unlike Six Sigma, BSC is not a solution for closing specific st rategic performance shortfalls. He then concluded that BSC describes the strategy for creating value and aligns resources to ensure the strategy is successfully executed. Six Sigma executes the strategy by using data and process improvement tools. It has been learnt that both BSC and Six Sigma strive for good performance through fixing up the performance gaps. In a clear manner a corporation may choose to implement any of the frameworks but the use of both the approaches would result to high performance according to the way each of them works. Rephrasing Horn, Six Sigma focuses on the best processes that organisation may adopt to improve its performance of products and processes on a continuous basis. while BSC focuses on performance management that translates strategy into executions. In explaining how both BSC and Six Sigma can work together, Henry Killackey (2008) speaks his idea that it is a very common practice to label organisation performance matrix in the BSC with red ( poor performance), yellow ( mixed results),and green ( excellent). If the organisation implements Six Sigma approach then the red ratings alert Six Sigma practitioners the areas which need immediate attention so that they can figure out ways of reversing the poor situation. In simple words, we may say that BSC serves as a communication tool for Six Sigma professionals. It has been learnt that BSC prompts weak and bad performing areas for Six Sigma professionals to act upon. As previously explained, the ultimate aim of both BSC and Six Sigma is to improve the performance of the organisation. In this regard the organisation can simultaneously implement both the approaches. They both rely on accurate data from customers and external stakeholders. Moreover the output indicators in Six Sigma may be used as measures in the BSC framework where by both the BSC and Six Sigma professionals will concentrate on the same goals. (Henry Killackey 2008) However Paul Grizzell (2004) in his article admitted that many authors see Six Sigma as the most effective performance management control system ever. But he cautioned readers that it is important to first consider the assumptions that were used to generate the opinions. Grizzell put forward his opinion that all performance management tools (in his case, Six Sigma, lean, BSC, Baldrige) when used as an integrated approach to maximise performance will lead to breakthrough and not just incremental improvement. 2.4.2 Balanced Scorecard (BSC) Vs. Total Quality Management (TQM) It is argued that the best approach for an organisation between BSC and TQM depends on the organisation itself. When developing a business strategy an organisation must consider multiple factors including leadership, customers ,business processes, financial goals and the structure, culture and the size of the corporation.( Schwartz Jay 2005). Jay continues that TQM and BSC share a common theme of improving communication in an organisation. He also added another shared goal of the BSC and TQM as the reduction of costs and improvement of services of an organisation. Moreover both TQM and BSC need management support to ensure that all employees support the new initiatives. However BSC and TQM differ in other aspects. The difference between TQM and BSC is in the number of people involved in the process; TQM requires full participation, compared with limited involvement for the BSC'(Schwartz Jay 2005).With my little knowledge on the BSC, I think it also requires full participation. This is very important to prevent any possible resistance. Another difference named it major difference by Schwartz is that BSC places more emphasis on finance i.e. using traditional financial objects; TQM while not diminishing the importance of financial solvency, it focuses more on the systems of the organisation, the concept of empowering people and employees involvement. I also raise my concern to Schwartzs views on where the focus is in BSC .i.e. finance!!.Looking at the four perspectives of the BSC ( financial, customer, internal process and learning growth) it is clear that BSC involves both financial and non financial aspects. BSC was established to compliment the fin ancial measures, so it does not put much emphasis on financial matters only but includes also non financial measures. The BNET business dictionary defines BSC as a system that measures and manages an organisations progress towards strategic objectives. Introduced by Kaplan Norton (1992) ,the BSC incorporates not only financial indicators but also other perspectives . To conclude this Schwartz (2005) suggests that before managers decide whether TQM or BSC which fits the organisation they must ask themselves the following questions: What is the organisation structure?, What is the corporate structure? What is the size of the organisation?. He then recommends that for a large and bureaucratic organisation BSC fits best and TQM fits best with small service related organisation. However Schwartz didnt make it clear how to define a large organisation either in terms of capital, employees ,etc. I would rather say that whether using BSC or TQM the most important aspect to consider is whether the organisation is real committed and has a leader to initiate the change including involving all the employees. I would personally recommends the use of BSC as its structure is clear and helps the organisation to put the strategy into measurable goals. 2.5 MANAGEMENT CHANGE Management change involves the process of reducing the chances for resistance done by top management personnel and executives. In many organisations the tendency of management to resist changes, especially in adopting a new system keeps on growing day by day. Thus for the organisation to manage the changes there should be a systematic process, planned properly and which involves the shareholders and other key stakeholders. In this respect a change may be defined as any addition to an existing or modification to an old system or any deletion of an aspect of an old system. Some of the reasons for making changes could be solving problems, growth motives/purposes, improving performance, accommodating technology change, etc. In any organisation for a change to be successful, management should commit itself to make the change operational within a reasonable time. In many organisations this has not been the case as it has been relative difficult to implement changes especially adding a new thing to an existing system. It may be said that the systematic approach to implement changes reduces the negative impact of changes and the possible failure. The researcher will evaluate the performance of the Local Authorities Pensions Fund ( LAPF) using the metrics as structured in the proposed Balances Scorecard (Table 1) which is relevant to the Funds operations. Some metrics may be in use while others may not. In this case LAPF may wish to fully adopt the performance metrics as shown in the proposed BSC. Thus all issues relating to change management should be considered before trying to implement BSC approach to measure and improve the overall performance. This is the essence of analysing how change process may be done, possible challenges and change failure together with suggesting how to maximise chances for successful change process. Improving the performance is a continuous process, that necessitates new measures and approaches to be adopted. This also justifies why changes cannot be avoided by an organisation if it wants to occupy large market share, beat competition and improve the overall performance.( Henry J.F, 2006). Change management means to plan, initiate, realise, control and finally stabilise change process on both corporate and personnel level. In some situation change brings problems for instance disturbing system , staff programs and other development programs that are in progress. ( Oliver Recklies 2001).The author shows much concerns on those management and staff who have negative thoughts and perception on what is change and why change.. Management always fears to be questionable for failure while employees have fears of losing their jobs. Majority of employees tend to put forward resistance to change without considering that change facilitates improvements (Oliver Recklies 2001). The effects of change may be unclear to employees and thus fear something bad may happen that affects their tasks, responsibilities and worse enough even their lives. Management should consider possible aspects that may have negative impact on the change initiative so as to achieve the desired results. The su ccess of change projects depends on the Organisations ability to make all their employees participate in the change process in one way or the other. ( Oliver Recklies 2001). Lawler (1986), viewed from Rob Paton James Mc Calman (2008),said that overall change is not impossible but it is often difficult. The difficult is that most organisations view the concept of change as a highly programmed process which takes as its starting point the problem that needs to be rectified, breaks it down to constituent parts, analyses possible alternatives, select the preferred solution and applies this relentlessly- problem recognition, diagnosis and resolution Recklies (2001) made a significant contribution on how to minimise the negative effects of change to arrive at successful change process. He therefore divided the change process into seven stages it is relative better for management to understand in which stage they should expect what kind of problems. The stages are : shock and surprise, denial and refusal, rational understanding, emotional acceptance, exercising and learning, realisation and last being integration.( diagrammatically presented in figure 2.1) Shock surprise- This involves confrontation with unexpected situations Denial refusal-No need for change, i.e. Change is not necessary Rational understanding- people realised the need for change but unwilling to change own pattern of behaviour Emotional acceptance This is the most important stage characterised by slow pace. Management should succeed in creating willingness for change for the organisation to exploit its real potentials that lie in different aspects. Exercising learning This is the learning stage that will be influenced by peoples willingness. It is a trial for a new system and process. The stage is characterised by failure and success. This leads to the increased perceiveness of people own competence. Realisation This stage highly depends on stage 5 above, as people get more information through learning and allows mind to receive new challenges and experiences, The stage is characterised by flexibility and thus perceived competency increased. Integration At this stage people have acquired new skills and patterns of thinking The introduced change becomes familiar and a routing process. Figure 2.1 .Change process ( adapted from Oliver Recklies 2001) The seven stages simplify the implementation of the new process or change. Those who are responsible to accommodate the changes into the business should understand these stages so as to apply them systematically. John P. Kotter (1996) in his book Leading change explained clearly the most common mistakes done by organisations when adopting change and also he came up with their solutions. As Recklies 2001 (above) Kotter 1996 also explained eight stages for change process. Lets now examine the change mistakes done by management ( by Kotter ) and later we will explain the change stages and contrast them with Recklies change stages. Allowing too much complacency This is one of the biggest mistake as ranked by Kotter. The over confidence attitude of an executive wishing to process change may cause change failure. Having been successful in the past drives the executive to proceed with change plan without establishing and understanding the urgency of

The Return: Nightfall Chapter 29

â€Å"Elena!† Something was bothering her. â€Å"Elena!† Please, no more pain. She couldn't feel it right now, but she could remember†¦oh, no more fighting for air†¦ â€Å"Elena!† No†¦just let it be. Mentally, Elena pushed away the thing that bothered her ears and her head. â€Å"Elena, please†¦Ã¢â‚¬  All she wanted was sleep. Forever. â€Å"Damn you,Shinichi!† Damon had picked up the snow globe with the miniature forest when Shinichi found Elena's smudged glow radiating from it. Inside it, dozens of spruce, hickory, pine, and other trees grew – all from a perfectly transparent inner membrane. A miniature person – given that someone could be miniaturized and placed into such a globe, would see trees ahead, trees behind, trees in every direction – and could walk a straight line and come back to their starting point no matter which way they went. â€Å"It's an amusement,† Shinichi had said sullenly, watching him intently from under his lashes. â€Å"A toy, for children, usually. A play-trap.† â€Å"And you findthis amusing?† Damon had smashed the globe against the driftwood coffee table in the exquisite cabin which was Shinichi's secret hideout. That was when he had discovered why these were games for children – the globe was unbreakable. After that Damon had taken a moment – just one moment – to get hold of himself. Elena had perhaps seconds to live. He needed to be precise with his words. After that single moment, a long flow of words had spilled out from his lips, mostly in English, and mostly without unnecessary curses or even insults. He didn't care about insulting Shinichi. He had simply threatened – no, he hadsworn – to carry out on Shinichi the kind of violence that he had seen sometimes in a long life filled with humans and vampires with skewed imaginations. Eventually, it had gotten through to Shinichi that he was serious, and Damon had found himself inside the globe with a drenched Elena in front of him. She was lying at his feet, and she was worse off than his worst fears had allowed him to picture. She had a dislocated right arm with multiple fractures and a hideously shattered left tibia. Horrified as he had been to imagine her staggering through the forest of the globe, blood streaming from her right arm from shoulder to elbow, left leg dragging behind her like a wounded animal's, this was worse. Her hair had been soaking with sweat and mud, straggling over her face. And she'd been out of her mind, literally, delirious, talking to people who weren't there. And she was turning blue. She had been able to snap exactly one creeper with all her effort. Damon clawed up huge armfuls of them, ripping them from the earth viciously if they tried to fight or wrap around his wrists. Elena gasped in one deep breath just as suffocation would have killed her, but she didn't regain consciousness. And she wasn't the Elena he remembered. When he'd picked her up, he'd felt no resistance, no acceptance, nothing. She didn't know him. She was delirious with fever, exhaustion, and pain, but in one moment of half-consciousness had kissed his hand through her damp, disheveled hair, whispering â€Å"Matt†¦Find†¦Matt.† She didn't know who he was – she scarcely knew whoshe was, but her concern was for her friend. The kiss had gone through his hand and up his arm like the touch of a branding iron, and since then he'd been monitoring her mind, trying to divert the agony she was feeling away – away anywhere – into the night – into himself. He turned back to Shinichi and, in a voice like an icy wind, said, â€Å"You'd better have a way to cure all her wounds – now.† The charming cabin was surrounded by the same evergreens, hickory, and pines as grew in the snow globe. The fire burned violet and green as Shinichi poked it. â€Å"This water is just about ready to boil. Make her drink tea made with this.† He handed Damon a blackened flagon – once beautiful chased silver; now a battered remnant of what it had been – and a teapot with some broken leaves and other unsavory-looking things at the bottom. â€Å"Make sure she drinks a good three quarters of a cup, and she'll fall asleep and wake up almost as good as new.† He dug an elbow into Damon's ribs. â€Å"Or you can just let her have a few sips – heal her partway, and then let her know it's in your power to give her more†¦or not. You know†¦depending on how cooperative she is†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Damon remained silent and turned away. If I have to look at him, he thought, I'll kill him. And I might need him again. â€Å"And if you really want to accelerate the healing, add some of your blood. Some people like to do it that way,† Shinichi added, his voice picking up speed with excitement again. â€Å"See how much pain a human can take, you know, and then when they're dying, you can just feed them tea and blood and start over†¦if they remember you from last time – which they hardly ever do; they'll usually go through more pain just to get a chance to fight you†¦,† he giggled, and Damon thought he sounded not quite sane. But when he had suddenly turned to Shinichi, he had to hold himself very still inside. Shinichi had become a blazing, glowing, outline of himself, with tongues of light lapping from his projection, rather like close-up solar flares. Damon was nearly blinded, and knew he was meant to be. He clutched the silver flagon as if he were holding on to his own sanity. Maybe he was. He had a blank space in his mind – and then there were suddenly memories of trying to find Elena†¦or Shinichi. Because Elena had abruptly been absent from his company, and it could only be the fault of the kitsune. â€Å"There's a modern bathroom here?† Damon asked Shinichi. â€Å"There's whatever you want; just decide before you open a door and unlock it with this key. And now†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Shinichi stretched, his golden eyes half shut. He ran a languid hand through his shiny black hair tipped with flame. â€Å"Now, I think I'll go sleep under a bush.† â€Å"Is that all you ever do?† Damon made no attempt to keep the biting sarcasm out of his voice. â€Å"And have fun with Misao. And fight. And go to the tournaments. They – well, you'll have to come and see one for yourself.† â€Å"I don't care to go anywhere.† Damon didn't want to know what this fox and his sister considered fun. Shinichi reached out and took the miniature cauldron full of boiling water off the fire. He poured the boiling water over the collection of tree bark, leaves, and other detritus in the battered metal teapot. â€Å"Why don't you go find a bushnow ?† Damon said – and it wasn't a suggestion. He'd had enough of the fox, who had served his purpose now anyway, and he didn't care a bit about whatever mischief Shinichi might make for other people. All he wanted was to be alone – with Elena. â€Å"Remember; get her to drink it all if you want to keep her for a while. She's pretty much unsalvageable without it.† Shinichi poured through a fine sieve the infusion of dark green tea. â€Å"Better try before she wakes up.† â€Å"Will you justget out of here ?† When Shinichi stepped through the dimensional crack, taking care to turn just the right way so as to reach the real world, and not some other globe, he was steaming. He wanted to go back and thrash Damon within an inch of his life. He wanted to activate the malach inside Damon and cause him to†¦well, of course, notquite kill sweet Elena. She was a blossom with nectar untasted, and Shinichi was in no hurry to see her buried underground. But as for the rest of the idea†¦yes, he decided. Now he knew what he would do. It would be simply delicious to watch Damon and Elena make up, and then, during the Moonspire Festival tonight, to bring back the monster. He could let Damon go on believing they were â€Å"allies,† and then, in the middle of their little spree – let the possessed Damon loose. Show that he, Shinichi, had been in control all along. He would punish Elena in ways she had never dreamed about and she would die in delicious agony†¦at Damon's hand. Shinichi's tails quivered a little ecstatically at the thought. But for now, let them laugh and joke together. Revenge only ripened with time, and Damon was really quite difficult to control when he was raging. It hurt to admit that, just as his tail – the physical one in the center – hurt from Damon's abominable cruelty to animals. When Damon was in a passion it took every ounce of Shinichi's concentration to control him. But at Moonspire Damon would be calm, would be placid. He'd be pleased with himself, as he and Elena would undoubtedly have laid some absurd plot to try to stop Shinichi. Thatwould be when the fun would begin. Elena would make a beautiful slave while she lasted. With the kitsune gone, Damon felt that he could behave more naturally. Keeping a firm grasp on Elena's mind, he picked up the cup. He tried a sip of the mixture himself before trying it on her and found it tasted just slightly less nauseating than it smelled. However, Elena really had no choice, she could not do anything of her own volition, and little by little, the mixture went down. And then a dose of his blood went down. Again, Elena was unconscious and had no choice in the matter. And then she'd gone to sleep by herself. Damon paced restlessly. He had a memory that was more like a dream floating around in his head. It was of Elena trying to throw herself out of a Ferrari going about 100 kilometers an hour, to get away from – what? Him? Why? Not, in any case, the best of beginnings. But that wasall he could remember! Damn it! Whatever came right before it was a total blank. Had he hurt Stefan? No, Stefan was gone. It had been the other boy with her, Mutt.What had happened? Damn it tohell ! He had to figure out what had happened so he could explain it all to Elena when she woke up. He wanted her to believe him, to trust him. He didn't want Elena as a one-night bleeder. He wanted her tochoose him. He wanted her to see how much better suited she was to him than to his mousy, milksop brother. His princess of darkness. That was what she wasmeant to be. With him as king, consort, whatever she wished. When she saw things more clearly, she would understand that it didn't matter. That nothing mattered except them being together. He viewed her body, veiled under the sheet, with dispassion – no, with positiveguilt .Dio mio – what if he hadn't found her? He couldn't get the picture out of his mind of how she'd looked, stumbling forward like that†¦lying there breathless†¦kissing his hand†¦ Damon sat down and pinched the bridge of his nose. Why had she been in the Ferrari with him? She'd been angry – no, not angry. Furious was closer but so frightened†¦ofhim . He could picture that clearly now, the moment of her throwing herself out of the speeding car, but he couldn't remember anything before it. Was he going out of his mind? What had been done to her? No†¦Damon forced his thoughts away from the easy question and made himself ask thereal question. What hadhe done to her? Elena's eyes, blue with golden flecks, like lapis lazuli, were easy to read even without telepathy. What had†¦he†¦done to her that was so frightening that she would jump out of a speeding car to get away from him? He'd been taunting the fair-haired boy. Mutt†¦Gnat†¦whatever. The three of them had been together, and he and Elena had been†¦damn! From there to his awakening at the steering wheel of the Ferrari, all was a shimmering blank. He could remember saving Bonnie at Caroline's house; he could remember being late for his 4:44A.M . meeting with Stefan; but after that, things began to fragment.Shinichi , maledicalo! That fox! He knew more about this than he was telling Damon. I have always†¦been stronger†¦than my enemies, he thought. I have always†¦remained†¦in†¦control. He heard a slight sound and was by Elena in an instant. Her blue eyes were shut, but the lashes were fluttering. Was she waking up? He made himself turn down the sheet by her shoulder. Shinichi had been right. There was a lot of dried blood, but he could sense that the blood flow itself was more normal. But there was something horribly wrong†¦no, he wouldn't believe it. Damon barely kept himself from screaming in frustration. The damn fox had left her with a dislocated shoulder. Things were definitely not going well for him today. Now what? Call for Shinichi? Never. He felt he couldn't look at the fox again tonight without wanting to murder him. He was going to have to put her shoulder back in the socket alone. It was a procedure usually only attempted by two people, but what could he do? Still keeping Elena in an iron mind-grip, making sure shecouldn't awaken, he grasped her by the arm and began the painful business of dislocating the humerus even farther, pulling the bone away so that he could finally release pressure and hear the sweetpop that meant that the long arm bone had slipped back into the socket. Then he let go. Elena's head was tossing from side to side, her lips parched. He poured some more of Shinichi's magical bone-knitting tea into the battered cup, then lifted her head gently from the left side to put the cup to her lips. He let her mind have some freedom, then, and she started to lift her right hand and then dropped it. He sighed and tilted her head, tipping the silver flagon so that the tea trickled into her mouth. She swallowed obediently. It all reminded him of Bonnie†¦but Bonnie hadn't been so terribly hurt. Damon knew he couldn't return Elena to her friends in this condition; not with her camisole and jeans shredded, and dried blood everywhere. Maybe he could do something about that. He went to the second door off the bedroom, thought, bathroom – modern bathroom, and unlocked and opened the door. It was exactly what he'd imagined: a pristine, white, sanitary place with a large heap of towels piled, ready for guests, on the bathtub. Damon ran warm water over one of the washcloths. He knew better by now than to strip Elena and dump her in warm water. It was what she needed, but if anyone ever found out, her friends would have his beating heart torn out of his chest and staked on a pike. He didn't even have to think about that – he simply knew it. He went back to Elena and began to gently stroke dried blood off her shoulder. She murmured, shaking her head, but he kept it up until the shoulder at least looked normal, exposed as it was by torn cloth. Then he got another washcloth and went to work on her ankle. This was still swollen – she wasn't going to be running away anytime soon. Her tibia, the first of the two bones in the lower leg, had grown properly together again. It was more evidence that Shinichi and theShi no Shi had no need for money, or they could simply put this tea on the market and make a fortune. â€Å"We look at things†¦differently,† Shinichi had said, fixing Damon with those strange golden eyes. â€Å"Money doesn't mean much to us. What does? The deathbed agonies of an old rogue who fears he's going to hell. Watching him sweat, trying to remember encounters he's long forgotten. A baby's first conscious tear of loneliness. The emotions of an unfaithful wife when her husband catches her with her lover. A maiden's†¦well, her first kiss and her first night of discovery. A brother willing to die for his brother. Things like that.† And many other things that couldn't be mentioned in polite company, Damon thought. A lot were about pain. They were emotional leeches, sucking up the feelings of mortals to make up for the emptiness of their own souls. He could feel the sickness inside him again as he tried to imagine – to calculate – the pain Elena must have felt, leaping out of his car. She must have expected an agonizing death – but it was still better than staying with him. This time, before entering the door that had been a white-tiled bathroom, he thought,Kitchen, modern, with plenty of ice packs in the freezer. Nor was he disappointed. He found himself in a strongly masculine kitchen, with chrome appliances and black-and-white tiling. In the freezer: six ice packs. He took three back to Elena and put one around her shoulder, one at her elbow, and one around her ankle. Then he went back into the kitchen's spotless beauty for a glass of ice-cold water. Tired. So tired. Elena felt as if her body were weighted with lead. Every limb†¦every thought†¦lapped in lead. For instance, there was something she was supposed to be doing – or not doing – right now. But she couldn't make the thought come to the surface of her mind. It was too heavy. Everything was too heavy. She couldn't even open her eyes. A scraping sound. Someone was near, on a chair. Then there was liquid coolness on her lips, just a few drops, but it stimulated her to try to hold the cup herself and drink. Oh, delicious water. It tasted better than anything she'd ever had before. Her shoulder hurt terribly, but it was worth the pain to drink and drink – no! The glass was being pulled away. She tried, feebly, to hang onto it, but it was pulled out of her grasp. Then she tried to touch her shoulder, but those gentle, invisible hands wouldn't let her, not until they had washed her own hands with warm water. After that they packed the ice packs around her and wrapped her like a mummy in a sheet. The cold numbed her immediate feelings of pain, although there were other pains, deep inside†¦. It was all too difficult to think about. As the hands removed the ice packs again – she was shivering with cold now – she let herself lapse back into sleep. Damon treated Elena and dozed, treated and dozed. In the perfectly appointed bathroom, he found a tortoiseshell hairbrush and a comb. They looked serviceable. And one thing he knew for certain: Elena's hair had never looked like this in her life – or unlife. He tried to stroke the brush gently through her hair and found that the tangles were much harder to get out than he'd imagined. When he pulled harder on the brush, she moved and murmured in that strange sleep-language of hers. And, finally, it was the hair brushing that did it. Elena, without opening her eyes, reached up and took the brush from his hand and then, when it hit a major tangle, frowned, reached up to grasp a fistful and try to get the brush through it. Damon sympathized. He'd had long hair at times during his centuries of existence – when it couldn't be helped, and though his hair was as naturally fine as Elena's, he knew the frustrated feeling that you were ripping your hair out by the roots. Damon was about to take the brush from her again, when she opened her eyes. â€Å"What – ?† she said, and then she blinked. Damon had tensed, ready to push her into mental blackout if it were necessary. But she didn't even try to hit him with the brush. â€Å"What†¦happened?† What Elena was feeling was clear: she didn't like this. She was unhappy about another awakening with only a vague idea of what had been going on when she slept. As Damon, poised for fight or flight, watched her face, she slowly began to put together what had happened to her. â€Å"Damon?† She gave him that no-holds-barred lapis gaze. It said,Am I being tortured, or treated, or are you just an interested bystander, enjoying somebody's pain while drinking a glass of cognac? â€Å"Theycook with cognac, princess. Theydrink Armagnac. And I don't drink†¦either,† Damon said. He spoiled the entire effect by adding hastily, â€Å"That's not a threat. I swear to you, Stefan left me as your bodyguard.† This was technically true if you considered the facts: Stefan had yelled, â€Å"You'd better make sure nothing happens to Elena, you double-dealing bastard, or I'm going to find a way to come back and rip off your – † The rest had been muffled in the fight, but Damon had gotten the gist. And now he took the assignment seriously. â€Å"Nothing else will hurt you, if you'll allow me to watch over you,† he added, now getting into the area of the fictitious, since whoever had frightened or pulled her out of the car had obviously been around when he had. But nothing would get her in the future, he swore to himself. However he had blundered this last time, from now on there would be no further attacks on Elena Gilbert – or someone would die. He wasn't trying to spy on her thoughts, but as she stared into his eyes for a long moment, they projected with total clarity – and utter mystery – the words: I knew I was right. It was someone else all along. And he knew that under her pain, Elena felt a huge sense of satisfaction. â€Å"I hurt my shoulder.† She reached up with her right hand to grip it, but Damon stopped her. â€Å"You dislocated it,† Damon said. â€Å"It's going to hurt for a while.† â€Å"And my ankle†¦but someone†¦I remember being in the woods and looking up and it wasyou . I couldn't breathe but you tore the creepers off me and you picked me up in your arms†¦.† She looked at Damon in bewilderment. â€Å"Yousaved me?† The statement had the sound of a question, but it wasn't. She was wondering over something that seemed impossible. Then she began to cry. A baby's first conscious tear of loneliness. The emotions of an unfaithful wife when her husband catches her with her lover†¦ And maybe a young girl's weeping when she believes that her enemy has saved her from death. Damon ground his teeth in frustration. The thought that Shinichi might be watching this, feeling Elena's emotions, savoring them†¦it was impossible to bear. Shinichi would give Elena her memory back again, he was certain of that. But at a time and place most amusing to him. â€Å"It was my job,† he said tightly. â€Å"I'd sworn to do it.† â€Å"Thank you,† Elena gasped between her sobs. â€Å"No, please – don't turn away. I really mean it. Ohhh – is there a box of tissues – or anythingdry ?† Her body was heaving with sobs again. The perfect bathroom had a box of tissues. Damon brought it back to Elena. He looked away as she used them, blowing her nose again and again as she sobbed. Here there was no enchanted and enchanting spirit, no grim and sophisticated fighter of evil, no dangerous coquette. There was only a girl broken by pain, gasping like a wounded doe, sobbing like a child. And undoubtedly his brother would know what to say to her. He, Damon, had no idea of what to do – except that he knew he was going to kill for this. Shinichi would learn what it meant to tangle with Damon when Elena was involved. â€Å"How do you feel?† he asked brusquely. No one would be able to say he'd taken advantage of this – no one would be able to say he'd hurt her only to†¦to make use of her. â€Å"You gave me your blood,† Elena said wonderingly, and as he looked quickly down at his rolled-up sleeve, she added, â€Å"No – it's just a feeling I know. When I first – came back to Earth, after the spirit life. Stefan would give me his blood, and eventually I would feel†¦this way. Very warm. A little uncomfortable.† He swung around and looked at her. â€Å"Uncomfortable?† â€Å"Too full – here.† She touched her neck. â€Å"We think it's a symbiotic thing†¦for vampires and humans who live together.† â€Å"For a vampire Changing a human into a vampire, you mean,† he said sharply. â€Å"Except I didn't Change when I was part spirit still. But then – I turned back human.† She hiccupped, tried a pathetic smile, and used the brush again. â€Å"I'd ask you to look at me and see that I haven't Changed, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She made a helpless little motion. Damon sat and imagined what it would have been like, taking care of the spirit-child Elena. It was a tantalizing idea. He said bluntly, â€Å"When you said you were a little uncomfortable before, did you mean thatI should take some of your blood?† She half glanced away, then looked back. â€Å"I told you I was grateful. I told you that I felt†¦too full. I don't know howelse to thank you.† Damon had had centuries of training in discipline or he would have thrown something across the room. It was a situation to make you laugh†¦or weep. She was offering herself to him as thanks for rescue from suffering that he should have saved her from, and had failed. But he was no hero. He wasn't like St. Stefan, to refuse this ultimate of prizes; whatever condition she was in. He wanted her.

Homelessness The United States - 1214 Words

One regularly encounters homeless people everyday, avoiding them or looking at them in disgust. However, does her or she ever wonder how those people got to where they are and became homeless? Does that person ever realize that, in contrast to being lazy and ignorant fools, those homeless people are humans just like him or her who just so happened to run into bad luck and end up on the streets? Homeless people do not ask to live on the streets without a home to which to return and mostly are without homes because they cannot make enough money to pay to live in their previous homes. Homelessness occurs when people or households cannot afford housing. 3.5 million people yearly experience homelessness in the United States, and it is time to†¦show more content†¦One out of seven people in the United States is in danger of facing hunger (The National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness, â€Å"Overview of Homelessness in America†). People living in poverty are the ones most at risk of homelessness, and those who are most likely to experience poverty are also more likely to face homelessness. These people include the elderly, youth, families, individuals, and others. Homelessness is significantly caused by the lack of affordable housing and the few housing assistance programs. Housing wages are higher than the hourly wages earned by renters. Poor people are often unable to pay for housing, food, child care, health care, and education altogether. Because of the limited resources they have, they can only pay for some necessities. As a result, housing is given up since it takes up a large portion of their incomes. Minimum wage has decreased since the late 1960s, and minimum and low wage workers cannot afford food and shelter. The high unemployment rates have resulted in jobs being hard to find and obtain; and even if jobs are found, that does not mean those people automatically escape poverty. â€Å"The declining value and availability of p ublic assistance is another source of increasing poverty and homelessness and many families leaving welfare struggle to get medical care, food, and housing as a result of loss of benefits, low wages, and unstable employmentâ€Å" (National Coalition for the Homeless, â€Å"Homelessness in

Apply for a Canada Old Age Security Pension

Canadas Old Age Security (OAS) pension is a monthly payment available to most Canadians 65 or older, regardless of work history. Its not a program that Canadians pay into directly, rather it is funded out of the Canadian Governments general revenues. Service Canada automatically enrolls all Canadian citizens and residents who are eligible for pension benefits and sends a notification letter to these recipients a month after they turn 64. If you have not received this letter, or you receive a letter informing you that you could be eligible, you must apply in writing for Old Age Security pension benefits. Old Age Security Pension Eligibility Anyone living in Canada who is a Canadian citizen or legal  resident at the time of applying and who has resided in Canada for at least 10 years since turning 18 is eligible for an OAS pension. Canadian citizens living outside of Canada, and anyone who was a legal resident the day before leaving Canada, might also be eligible for an OAS pension if they resided in Canada for at least 20 years after turning 18. Note that anyone who lived outside Canada but worked for a Canadian employer, such as the military or a bank, can have their time abroad counted as a residence in Canada, but must have returned to Canada within six months of ending employment, or must have turned 65 while abroad. OAS Application Up to 11 months before you turn 65, download the application form (ISP-3000)  or pick one up at a Service Canada office. You can also call a toll-free number to receive the  application, which requires basic information such as Social Insurance Number, address, bank information (for deposit), and residency information. For assistance with completing the application, call the same number. If you are still working and wish to put off collecting benefits, you can delay your OAS pension. Indicate the date you want to start collecting benefits in section 10 of the OAS pension form. Include  your  Social Insurance Number in  the space provided at the top of each page of the form, sign and date the application, and include any required documentation before sending it to the regional  Service Canada office nearest you. If you are filing from outside of Canada, send the application to the Service Canada office nearest to where you last resided in Canada. Required Information The ISP-3000 application requires information about certain eligibility requirements, including age, and asks applicants to include certified photocopies of documents to prove two other requirements: Certificate of citizenship, immigration documents, or temporary residents permit to prove Canadian legal status, unless you have lived in Canada your entire life.Stamped passport pages, visas, customs declarations, or other documents to prove Canadian residence history. Photocopies of documents proving your legal status and residence history can be certified by certain professionals, as outlined in the Information Sheet for Old Age Security Pension, or by staff at a Service Canada Centre. If you dont have proof of residency or legal status, Service Canada might be able to request the necessary documentation on your behalf. Fill out and include the ​Consent to Exchange Information with Citizenship and Immigration Canada with your application. Tips If you have already turned 65, send your application as soon as possible so you dont miss any more payments. If you have already supplied the documents when applying for a Canada Pension Plan retirement pension, you do not need to supply them again. If you are incarcerated, you can still apply for a pension but the benefits will be suspended until your incarceration ends. If your application is denied, you must submit a request for reconsideration in writing within 90 days of receiving the notification. The appeal should include your name, address, telephone number, Social Insurance Number, and the reason for your appeal, including any new information that would affect the application, and be sent to the address on the notification letter.