Fool Chapter 15

FIFTEEN IN A LOVER'S EYE A warm wind blew in from the west, completely cocking up the Yule. Druids like snow round Stonehenge during the festival, and burning down the forest is all the more satisfying if there's a chill in the air. As it was, it looked like we'd have rain for the feast. The clouds rolling over the horizon looked like they'd been born of a summer storm. â€Å"Them look like summer storm clouds,† said Kent. We were hiding in the barbican above the gate, looking out over the walled village of Gloucester and the hills beyond. I'd been hiding since my encounter with Edmund. Evidently the bastard was somewhat put out with me. We could see Goneril and her train entering the outer gates. She rode with a dozen soldiers and attendants, but noticeably, the Duke of Albany was not with her. A sentry on the wall called out the approach of the Duchess of Albany. Gloucester and Edmund appeared in the courtyard, followed by Regan and Cornwall. Regan was working to keep her eyes off of Edmund's bandaged ear. â€Å"This should be interesting,† said I. â€Å"They swarm like vultures over a corpse.† â€Å"Britain's the corpse,† said Kent. â€Å"And we baited her to be torn apart.† â€Å"Nonsense, Kent. Lear's the corpse. But ambitious scavengers do not wait for his death to begin their dining.† â€Å"You've a deeply wicked side, Pocket.† â€Å"Truth has a deeply wicked side, Kent.† â€Å"There's the king,† said Kent. â€Å"No one attends him. I should go to him.† Lear shuffled into the courtyard wearing his heavy fur cape. â€Å"Like looking down on a lubricious chess set, isn't it? The king moves in tiny steps, with no direction, like a drunkard trying to avoid the archer's bolt. The others work their strategies and wait for the old man to fall. He has no power, yet all power moves in his orbit and to his mad whim. Do you know that there's no fool piece on the chessboard, Kent?† â€Å"Methinks the fool is the player, the mind above the moves.† â€Å"Well, that's a scratchy spot of cat wank.† I turned to the old knight. â€Å"But bloody well said. Go to Lear, then. Edmund won't dare molest you, and Cornwall must pretend some contrition for throwing you into the stocks. The princesses will be burning bright for Edmund's eye, and Gloucester – well, Gloucester proffers hospitality before jackals, he is well occupied.† â€Å"What will you do?† â€Å"I seem to have rendered myself undesirable, as impossible as that sounds. I need to find us a spy – someone more stealthy, devious, and underhanded than my own sweet nature allows.† â€Å"Good luck with that,† said Kent. â€Å"I loathe you, I despise you, I curse your existence and the foul demons that spawned you. You sicken me with anger and bilious hatred.† â€Å"Oswald,† said I. â€Å"You're looking well.† Drool and I had intercepted him in a corridor. There is an unwritten edict, that when negotiating with an enemy, one does not reveal his knowledge of that enemy's agenda, even unto death. It's a point of honor, of sorts, but I see it as petty play-acting, and I had no intention of indulging in it with Oswald. Yet, I had need of his spidery talents, so some finesse was required. â€Å"I would give an arm to see you hang, fool,† said Oswald. â€Å"Oh, an excellent starting point,† said I. â€Å"Don't you think, Drool?† â€Å"Aye, Pocket,† said Drool, who loomed between Oswald and me, a thick table leg unsuccessfully concealed behind his back. Oswald might make as to draw his sword, but Drool would have beaten his brains into bloody marmalade before the blade cleared its scabbard. Unspoken, but understood. â€Å"Smashing good start,† said the giant. â€Å"So, Oswald, let us go from there. Say you get what you want. Say you lose an arm, and I am hanged, how then is life better for your fine self? Your quarters more comfortable? Wine taste better, will it?† â€Å"It's unlikely, but let's explore the possibilities, shall we?† â€Å"Very well,† said I. â€Å"You first. Sever an arm and Drool here will hang me. You have my word.† â€Å"You have my word,† said Drool, in my voice. â€Å"Stop wasting my time, fool. My lady is arriving and I need to go to her.† â€Å"Ah, there's the rub, Oswald. What you want. What do you really want.† â€Å"You could never know.† â€Å"Your lady's approval?† â€Å"I have that.† â€Å"Ah, that's right, your lady's love.† Oswald became still then, as if I had taken the breath from the corridor in which we stood. To prove such was not the case, I pressed on. â€Å"You want your lady's love, her respect, her power, her submission, her bottom in the air before you, her begging for satisfaction and mercy – that about it?† â€Å"I am not so base as you, fool.† â€Å"And yet the very reason you hate me is that I have been to that place.† â€Å"You have not. She has not loved you, nor respected you, nor given you power. You were an amusement at best.† â€Å"Yet I know the way there, my coal-hearted friend. I know the way a servant might find such favor.† â€Å"She could never. I am of common blood.† â€Å"Oh, I'm not saying I could make you duke, only that you would be her lord in body, heart, and mind. You know her weakness for scoundrels, Oswald. Did you yourself not pimp your lady to Edmund?† â€Å"I did not. I only delivered a message. And Edmund is heir to an earldom.† â€Å"Just this bloody week he is. And don't act as if you don't know what was in that message. I have the power, Oswald, given me by three witches in the Great Birnam Wood, to put a spell upon your lady so she will adore and desire you.† Oswald laughed, not something he did often. His face was not fit for it and he looked like he had something caught in his back teeth. â€Å"What kind of fool do you think me? Out of the way.† â€Å"And all you have to do is what your lady would have you do anyway, serve her desires,† said I. I needed to make my case quickly. â€Å"She is bewitched already, you know? You were there.† Oswald had been backing away from Drool, off to find another route to the courtyard and Goneril, when he stopped. â€Å"You were there, Oswald. At Albany. Goneril was having a grab at my tackle and you came in. You'd just come through the door, I heard it. I had this purse in my hand.† I held up the silk pouch the witches had given me. â€Å"Remember?† â€Å"I was there.† â€Å"And I handed your lady a letter and said it was from Edmund of Gloucester. Remember?† â€Å"Aye. And she dumped you on your arse.† â€Å"Right you are. And sent you here, to deliver a message to Edmund. Had she ever made a note of the bastard before, Oswald? You are with her nearly every waking moment. Had she noted him before?† â€Å"No. Not once. She gave some notice to Edgar, but not the bastard.† â€Å"Exactly. She is bewitched to love Edmund, and I can do the same for you. You'll die a frustrated toady any other way, Oswald. I've one more spell left.† Oswald took careful steps back to me, like he was walking a wire rather than the stone floor of a castle corridor. â€Å"Why wouldn't you use it for yourself?† â€Å"Well, for one, you would know, and I presume you would not be slow to inform Lord Albany, who would quickly have me hanged. And second, I had three such spells, and I have used one for myself already.† â€Å"Not the Duchess of Cornwall?† I could tell Oswald was aghast at the idea, yet there was an excitement in his eye. I showed him a sly grin and flicked the bells of my hat with Jones. â€Å"I've a rendezvous with her this very night after the Yule feast – midnight, in the abandoned North Tower.† â€Å"You dastardly little monster!† â€Å"Oh sod off, Oswald. Would you have a princess of your own or not?† â€Å"What do I have to do?† â€Å"Almost nothing,† said I. â€Å"But it will take some strength of character for you to see this through. First, you must counsel your lady to keep peace with her sister, and convince her to relieve Lear of the remainder of his force. Then, you must have your lady rendezvous with Edmund at the second bell of the watch.† â€Å"Two in the bloody morning?† â€Å"Watch how she leaps at the chance. She's bewitched, remember. It is critical that she ally herself with the house of Gloucester, even if it is in secret. I know that will be difficult for you, but you must endure it. If you are going to have the lady and her power, someone will have to dispatch the Duke of Albany – someone who will be of no loss when hanged. The bastard Edmund is perfect for the part, is he not?† Oswald nodded, his eyes getting larger with my every word. His whole life he had carried messages and run errands for Goneril, but at last he could see reward in sight for being intrigue's pawn. Fortunately, the possibility blinded him to reason. â€Å"When will the lady be mine?† â€Å"When all is in place, catch-fart, when all is in place. What do you know of a military force coming from France?† â€Å"Why, nothing.† â€Å"Then skulk and eavesdrop. Edmund knows of such a force, or he has constructed a rumor. Find out what you can. Find out, but do not speak to Edmund of his rendezvous with your lady, he thinks it a secret.† Oswald stood to his full height (he'd been bending over to talk face-to-face with me). â€Å"What do you gain from this, fool?† I had hoped he wouldn't ask. â€Å"Like you, even with love, there are those who would stand in the way of my happiness. I need you and those affected by your deeds to help them out of my way.† â€Å"You would kill the Duke of Cornwall?† â€Å"He is one, but no matter who loves me, I am bound to Lear – I am his slave.† â€Å"So you would kill the king, too? No worries, fool, I can do that. You have a deal.† â€Å"Fuckstockings!† said I. â€Å"Jolly good show, Pocket,† said Kent. â€Å"Go looking for a messenger and end up setting a bloody assassin loose on the king. A born diplomat, you are.† â€Å"Sarcasm is very unattractive in the elderly, Kent. I couldn't very well call him off, my sincerity would have been questioned.† â€Å"You weren't being sincere.† â€Å"Well, conviction then. Just stay by Lear during the Yule feast and don't let him eat anything unless you've eaten it first. If I know Oswald, he'll try to slay the king using the most cowardly means.† â€Å"Or not at all.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"What makes you think Oswald was telling you the truth any more than you were telling it to him?† â€Å"I'm counting on his lying to a degree.† â€Å"But to what degree?† I paced in a circle around our little tower room. â€Å"What a wimpled wagon of nun wank this is. I'd rather juggle fire blindfolded. I'm not built for these dark dealings – I'm better suited for laughter, children's birthdays, baby animals, and friendly bonking. The sodding witches got it wrong.† â€Å"And yet, you've set a civil war in motion and sent an assassin after the king,† said Kent. â€Å"Grand ambition for a children's birthday clown, don't you think?† â€Å"You've become bitter in your dotage, you know?† â€Å"Well, perhaps my duties as food taster will end my bitterness.† â€Å"Just keep the old man alive, Kent. Since the Yule feast is still on, I take it dear Regan didn't tell Lear that she was taking his knights yet.† â€Å"The lady tried to make peace between Goneril and her father. She only served to calm the old man enough that he agreed to come to the feast.† â€Å"Good. No doubt she'll make her move on the morrow.† I grinned. â€Å"If she's well enough.† â€Å"Wicked,† said Kent. â€Å"Justice,† said I. Regan came up the spiral stairs alone. The single candle she carried in a storm lantern cast her shadow tall up the stone wall like the very specter of a shaggable death. I stood outside the solar door, candelabra in one hand, the door latch in the other. â€Å"Happy Christmas, kitten,† said I. â€Å"Well, that feast was complete crap, wasn't it? Bloody Gloucester, pagan twat, calling it the feast of St. Stephen instead of Christmas. There's no presents on the feast of bloody Stephen. Without presents I'd rather celebrate Yule for the winter solstice; at least then you get to sacrifice a pig and build a cracking huge fire.† â€Å"Gloucester was being deferential to your Christian beliefs as it was, love. The holiday is Saturnalia[39] for him and Edmund, proper orgy it is. So perhaps there's a present for you yet to be unwrapped.† She smiled then. â€Å"Perhaps. Edmund was so coy at the feast – barely looking my way. Fear of Cornwall, I suppose. But you were right, his ear was bandaged.† â€Å"Aye, lady, and I'm to tell you that he's a bit modest about it. He may not wish to be fully seen.† â€Å"But I saw him at the feast.† â€Å"Aye, but he's hinted that there may have been other self-punishment performed in your honor and he's shy.† A joyous child at Christmas she suddenly was – visions of a bloke lashing himself dancing in her head. â€Å"Oh, Pocket, do let me in.† And so I did. I opened the door, and slipped the storm lantern from her grasp as she passed. â€Å"Ah, ah, ah, love. No more light than that one candle. He's ever so shy.† I heard Edmund's voice say from behind the tapestry, â€Å"Oh, my sweet lady, Regan, thou art more fair than moonlight, more radiant than the sun, more glorious than all the stars. I must have you or I shall surely die.† I slowly closed and latched the door. â€Å"No, my goddess, undress there,† said Edmund's voice. â€Å"Let me watch you.† I'd been all evening coaching Drool on what to say and exactly how to say it. Next he would comment on her loveliness, then ask her to blow out the single candle on the table and join him behind the tapestry, at which point he was to unceremoniously snog her soggy and shag her silly. It sounded rather like what I'd guess would be the auditory effect of a bull elk trying to balance a wildcat on a red-hot poker. There was no little bit of yowling, growling, squealing, and screeching going on by the time I saw the second light coming up the stairs. I could see by the shadow that the lantern bearer was leading with a drawn sword. Oswald had been true to his treacherous nature, just as I had calculated. â€Å"Put down that blade, you git, you'll put someone's eye out.† The Duke of Cornwall rounded the stairs with blade lowered, a bewildered look on his face. â€Å"Fool?† â€Å"What if a child was running down the stairs?† I said. â€Å"Awkward explaining to Gloucester why his beloved toddler grandson was wearing a yard of Sheffield steel through his gizzard.† â€Å"Gloucester doesn't have a grandson,† said Cornwall, surprised, I think, that he was engaged in this discussion. â€Å"That doesn't diminish the need for basic weapons safety.† â€Å"But I'm here to slay you.† â€Å"Moi?† said I, in perfect fucking French. â€Å"Whatever for?† â€Å"Because you are shagging my lady.† There was a great bellow from the tower room, followed by a female feral screech. â€Å"Was that pain or pleasure, would you say?† I asked. â€Å"Who is in there?† Cornwall raised his sword again. â€Å"Well, it is your lady, and she is most certainly being shagged, by the bastard Edmund of Gloucester, but prudence would have you stay your blade.† I laid Jones across the duke's wrist and pushed his sword hand down. â€Å"Unless you care nothing for being King of Britain.† â€Å"What are you on about, fool?† The duke very much wanted to do some killing, but his ambition was trumping his bloodlust. â€Å"Oh ride me, you great, tree-cocked rhinoceros!† screamed Regan from the next room. â€Å"She still says that?† I asked. â€Å"Well, usually it's ‘tree-cocked stallion,'† said Cornwall. â€Å"She does get good wear out of a metaphor.† I put my hand on his shoulder for comfort. â€Å"Aye, a sad surprise, for you, I'll wager. At least when a man, after looking into his soul, finally stoops to fuck a snake, he hopes at least not to see pairs of boots already lined up outside her burrow.† He shook me off. â€Å"I'll kill him!† â€Å"Cornwall, you are about to be attacked. Even now Albany prepares to take all of Britain for his own. You'll need Edmund and the forces of Gloucester to prevail against him, and when you do, you'll be king. If you go in that room now, you will kill a horn-beast, but you will lose a kingdom.† â€Å"God's blood,† said Cornwall. â€Å"Is this true?† â€Å"Win the war, good sirrah. Then kill the bastard at your leisure, when you can take your time and do it right. Regan's honor is, well, malleable, is it not?† â€Å"You're sure about this war?† â€Å"Aye. It's why you need to take Lear's remaining knights and squires, just as Goneril and Albany took the others. And you mustn't let Goneril know you know. Even now your lady is assuring Gloucester's allegiance to your side.† â€Å"Really? That's why she's shagging Edmund?† It hadn't occurred to me until I'd said it, but it really did work quite nicely. â€Å"Oh yes, my lord, her enthusiasm is inspired by her fierce loyalty to you.† â€Å"Of course,† said Cornwall, sheathing his sword. â€Å"I should have seen it.† â€Å"That doesn't mean you can't kill Edmund when it's over,† said I. â€Å"Absolutely,† said the duke. When Cornwall was gone and some time after the first bell had rung for the watch, I knocked on the door and peeked my head in. â€Å"Lord Edmund,† said I. â€Å"There's a stirring in the duke's tower. Perhaps you should say your farewells.† I held Regan's storm lantern at the crack of the door so she could find her way out, and a few moments later she stumbled out of the solar with her gown on backward, her hair in knots, and a slick of drool running in a river between and over her breasts. Overall, in fact, she looked quite slippery. She was dazed and limping in a way that seemed she couldn't quite figure which side to favor, and she was dragging one shoe by its strap around her ankle. â€Å"Lady, shall I get your other shoe?† â€Å"Sod it,† she said, waving drunkenly, or what seemed like drunkenly, almost falling down the stairs. I steadied her, helped her get her gown turned around, swabbed her down a bit with her skirt, then took her arm and helped her down the stairs. â€Å"He's quite a bit larger close up than he appears across the room.† â€Å"That so?† â€Å"I shan't sit down for a fortnight.† â€Å"Ah, sweet romance. Can you make it to your quarters, kitten?† â€Å"I think so. You're clever, Pocket – start thinking of excuses for Edmund if I'm not able to get out of bed tomorrow.† â€Å"My pleasure, kitten. Sleep well.† I made my way back upstairs where Drool was standing trouserless by the candle, still sporting enough of an erection to bludgeon a calf senseless. â€Å"Sorry, I came out, Pocket, it were dark.† â€Å"No worries, lad. Good show.† â€Å"She were fit.† â€Å"Aye. Quite.† â€Å"What's a rhinoceros?† â€Å"It's like a unicorn with armored bollocks. It's a good thing. Chew these mint leaves and let's get you wiped down. Practice your Edmund lines while I look for a towel.† When the watch rang the second bell, the scene was set. Another storm lantern illuminated the stairs and cast a buxom shadow up the wall. â€Å"Pumpkin!† â€Å"What are you doing here, worm?† â€Å"Just keeping watch. Go in, but leave your lantern with me. Edmund is shy about the injury he has inflicted on himself in your honor.† Goneril grinned at the prospect of the bastard's pain and went in. A few minutes passed before Oswald crept up the stairs. â€Å"Fool? You're still alive?† â€Å"Aye.† I held my hand up to my ear. â€Å"But listen to the children of the night – what music they make.† â€Å"Sounds like a moose trying to shit a family of hedgehogs,† said the scoundrel. â€Å"Oh, that's good. I was thinking more of moo cow being beaten with a flaming goose, but you may have it. Ah, who's to say? We should leave, good Oswald, and give the lovers their privacy.† â€Å"Did you not meet with Princess Regan?† â€Å"Oh, we changed the rendezvous to the fourth bell of the watch, why?†

Divorce Bill Essay

Underpinning this proposal is a commitment to the policy of the State to protect and strengthen marriage and the family as basic social institutions, to value the dignity of every human person, to guarantee full respect for human rights, and to ensure the fundamental equality before the law of women and men. In the Filipino culture, marriage is regarded as a sacred union, and the family founded on marriage is considered as a fount of love, protection and care. Philippine society generally frowns upon and discourages marital break-ups and so provides cultural and legal safeguards to perserve marital relations. Cultural prescriptions and religious norms keep many couples together despite the breakdown of the marriage. But the cultural prescriptions for women and men differ. Women are traditionally regarded as primarily responsible for making the marriage work and are expected to sacrifice everything to preserve the marriage and the solidarity of the family. While absolute fidelity is demanded of wives, men are granted sexual license to have affairs outside marriage. Yet when the marriage fails, the woman is blamed for its failure. Reality tells us that there are many failed, unhappy marriages across all Filipino classes. Many couples especially from the marginalized sectors, who have no access to the courts, simply end up separating without the benefit of legal processes. The sheer number of petitions that have been filed since 1988 for the declaration of the nullity of the marriage under Article 36 of the Family Code (commonly known as â€Å"annulment†) shows that there are just too many couples who are desperate to get out of failed marriages. Even when couples start out well in their marriage, political, economical and social realities take their toll on their relationship. Some are not prepared to handle the intricacies of the married life. For a large number of women, the inequalities and violence in marriage negate its ideals as the embodiment of love, care and safety and erode the bases upon which a marriage is founded. The marital relations facilitate the commission of violence and perpetuate their oppression. Official figures in 2009 showed that nineteen women were victims of marital violence everyday. Among the different forms of violence and abuse against women committed in 2009, wife battery ranked highest at 6,783 or 72% according to the Philippine National Police (PNP). The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) likewise recorded marital violence as highest among different forms of violence against owmen at 1,933. Previous reports of the PNP about three of ten perpetrators of violence against women were husbands of the victims. Husbands accounted for 28 percent of the violence against women crimes. Given these realities, couples must have the option to avail of remedies that will pave the way for the attainment of their full human development and self-fulfillment and the protection of their human rights. Existing laws are not enough to guarantee and protect these rights. To quote the Women’s Legal Bureau, Inc. , a legal resource NGO for women: â€Å"The present laws relating to separation of couples and termination of marriage are inadequate to respond to the myriad causes of failed marriages. Particularly, the remedies of declaration of nullity and annulment do not cover the problems that occur during the existence of marriage. Legal separation, on the other hand, while covering problems during marriage, does not put an end to marriage. † â€Å"Though both divorce and a declaration of nullity of a marriage allow the spouses to remarry, the two remedies differ in concept and basis. A declaration of nullity presupposes that the marriage is valid from the beginning and the court declares its non-existence†¦ Beyond [the] grounds specified [in the law], declaration of nullity is not possible. † â€Å"In annulment, the marriage of the parties is declared defective from the beginning, albeit it is considered valid until annulled. The defect can be used to nullify the marriage within a specified period but the same may be ignored and the marriage becomes perfectly valid after the lapse of that period, or the defect may be cured through some act. The defect relates to the time of the celebration of the marriage and has nothing to do with circumstances occurring after the marriage is celebrated. In annulment, the marriage is legally cancelled, and the man and woman are restored to their single status. † â€Å"Since August 3, 1988, couples have been given a way out of failed marriages through Article 36 of the Family Code†¦Ã‚  The remedy provides under Article 36 is declaration of nullity of the marriage. The article voids a marriage where one party is â€Å"psychologically incapacitated† to comply with the essentials of marital obligations. Consistent with the concept of void marriages (where the remedy is declaration of nullity), the law requires that the incapacity must have existed at the time of the celebration of the marriage†¦ In practice, Article 36 has become a form of divorce, as valid marriages are declared void every day in the guise of â€Å"psychological incapacity. The innumerable Article 36 cases brought to trial courts is an indication of the elasticity of Article 36 to accommodate the needs of many couples desiring to terminate their marriages. It is proof that divorce is needed in the Philippines. Article 36 provides a remedy only for spouses who can prove â€Å"psychological incapacity†. The concept certainly cannot accommodate all cases where divorce would be necessary. What we need is a divorce law that defines clearly and unequivocally the gr ounds and terms for terminating a marriage. That law will put an end to the creative efforts played daily in courtrooms across the country to accommodate a wide range of cases in order to prove â€Å"psychological incapacity. † (Women’s Legal Bureau, Inc. , The Relevance of Divorce in the Philippines, 1998) Thus, the bill seeks to introduce divorce as another option for couples in failed and irreparable marriages. The bill was crafted in consultation with women lawyers and inspired by the studies and inputs of various women’s groups and the experiences of spouses gathered by GABRIELA from its various chapters nationwide. The bill seeks to introduce divorce in Philippine law with a strong sense of confidence that it will be used responsibly by Filipino couples. This confidence stems from the experiences of Filipino families that show that separation is usually the last resort of many Filipino couples whose marriage has failed. Cases of battered women also support this. Battered women invariably seek separation only after many years of tring to make the marriage work. Separation only becomes imperative for them when they realize that it is necessary for their and their children’s survival. Divorce could actually provide protection to battered women and their children from further violence and abuse. With the predominance of the Catholic faith in the Philippines, the fear that divorce will erode personal values on marriage appears unfounded. The experience of Italy, where the Vatican is located, and Spain, two predominantly Catholic countries which practice divorce, supports this. Those countries have a low rate of divorce. Italy registers a 7% rate while Spain registers 15%. The figures reflect the strong influence of religious beliefs and culture on individuals in deciding to terminate marital relations. Historically, divorce had been part of our legal system. In the beginning of the 16th century, before the Spanish colonial rule, absolute divorce was widely practiced among ancestral tribes such as the Tagbanwas of Palawan, the Gadangs of Nueva Vizcaya, the Sagadans and Igorots of the Cordilleras, and the Manobos, B’laans and Moslems of the Visayas and Mindanao islands. Divorce was also available during the American period, starting from 1917 (under Act No. 710 enacted by the Philippine Legislature), and during the Japanese occupation (under Executive Order No. 141) and after, until 1950. It was only on August 30, 1950, when the New Civil Code took effect, that divorce was disallowed under Philippine law. Only legal separation was available. The same rule was adopted by the Family Code of 1988, which replaced the provisions of the New Civil Code on marriage and the family, although the Family Code introduced the concept of â€Å"psychological incapacity† as a basis for declaring the marriage void. In recognition of the history of divorce in the Philippines, the farmers of the 1987 Philippine Constitution left the wisdom of legalizing divorce to the Congress. Thus, the 1987 Constitution does not prohibit the legalization of divorce. This bill is respectful of and sensitive to differing religious beliefs in the Philippines. It recognizes that the plurality of religious beliefs and cultural sensibilities in the Philippines demand that different remedies for failed marriages should be made available. For this reason, the bill retains the existing remedies of legal separation, declaring of nullity of the marriage and annulment and only adds divorce as one more remedy. Couples may choose from these remedies depending on their situation, religious beliefs, cultural sensibilities, needs and emotional state. While divorce under this proposed measure severs the bonds of marriage, divorce as a remedy need not be fo the purpose of re-marriage; it may be resorted to by individuals to achieve peace of mind and facilitate their pursuit of full human development. This bill also seeks to make Philippine law consistent in the way it treats religious beliefs with respect to termination of marriage. Philippine law through the Code of Muslim Personal Laws of the Philippines (Presidential Decree No. 1083 [1977]) allows divorce among Filipino Muslims, in deference to the Islamic faith which recognizes divorce. Non-Muslim Filipinos should have the same option under Philippine law, in accordance with their religious beliefs. The bill proposes five grounds for divorce. All the five grounds are premised on the irreparable breakdown of the marriage and the total non-performance of marital obligations. Thus, the bill provides that a petition for divorce may be filed when the petitioner has been separated de facto (in fact) from his or her spouse for at least five years at the time of the filing of the petition and reconciliation is highly improbable, or when the petitioner has been legally separated from his or her spouse for at least two years at the time of the filing of the petition and reconciliation is highly improbable. Not all circumstances and situations that cause the total breakdown of a marriage could be defined in this proposed measure. Thus, the bill also provides that divorce may be granted when the spouses suffer from irreconcilable differences that have caused the irreparable breakdown of the marriage. Spouses living in a state of irreparable marital conflict or discord should be given the opportunity to present their marital contrarieties in court and have those differences adjudged as constituting a substantial ground to put an end to the marriage. Another ground for divorce included in the bill is when one or both spouses are psychologically incapacitated to comply with the essential marital obligations. This provision will consequently repeal Article 36 of the Family Code. The bill seeks to include â€Å"psychological incapacity† in the grounds for divorce in the belief that the concept is consistent with the termination of marital ties rather than with a void marriage. This bill seeks to eliminate â€Å"condonation of the act† and â€Å"consent to the act† as grounds for denying a petition for legal separation and, by extension, a petition for divorce. Many spouses especially women ignore the offense because of the social and economic conditions they are in. Many women in the marginalized sectors tend to condone the offense because they are economically dependent on their spouses or because of the stigma attached to failed marriages. Some women who are perceived to be condoning the acts of their husbands actually suffer from the cycle of spousal abuse such that they have become so disempowered to address their situation.

GLOBALIZATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

GLOBALIZATION - Essay Example In the opinion of (Steger 22), in later part of the 20th century, the world found economic growth as ulterior factor for progress and power so, nations standing aloof meant retrogress and backwardness to them. To have a rational analysis of economics in globalization phenomenon, I have structured this essay in two main sections. First section discusses correlation between global environment and local issues. Further, second section exhaustively deals with implications of poverty on global environment as well as on local level. In this section, argumentative approach is taken regarding what poverty literally means to global environment as well as to local one. Finally, this paper ends up with a detailed Globalized world has a logical association with local issues because, local issues profoundly influence global environment. In this highly globalized world local problems become international and international concerns have implications on local level so, there is strong relationship between global environment and local issues. These issues include many things such as: concerns relating to environmentalists, third world countries, and critics of capitalism, business organizations and trade unions of rich countries. Further, health issues, labor rights, cultural issues and issues of national integrity also have nexus with international environment. International arena is more concerned with dealing with these problems as they pose threat to unification of the world driven by communication, transportation and information technology. International scenario is concerned with issues of environmentalists because global world does not seem to have same environmental conditions across the globe. Further, global warming which has serious implications for some countries, but has a sunny side for others, has seriously affected globalization process. In this connection, world

Business Ethics and the Role of the Corporation Essay

Business Ethics and the Role of the Corporation - Essay Example For years, questions are raised on compliance of ethical values whereby many that violate laws, regard to have done so due to a loophole in the law. In this case, their defenses majors on strict compliance with laws that ignores ethical issues of fairness and honesty. Experts such as Dr Michael Novak provide insightful thoughts towards this discussion as he explore on business ethics and the role of the corporation. In examining this, I will answer the following questions as I seek to expound on Dr Novak views on business ethics and the role of the corporation. 1. Why does Dr. Novak have two sets of responsibilities for his definition of business ethics In his thought, Dr. Novak has two sets of responsibilities, which explore on the discussion of business ethics, which involves meeting the responsibilities of small businesses and corporations. The main reason why the Dr. Novak has two sets of responsibilities for his definition of business ethics is because they are vital behaviors t hat augment success. Business ethics regards an individual who has mastered habits required to fulfill his or her objectives. In his discussion, Dr Novak affirms that, a business serves the common good of the community it serves. In other words, it an economic association that seeks to satisfy customers with their commodities, increase profit margin, creates jobs opportunities and new wealth, and create a pleasing working environment where substantial work is rewarded to generate economic growth. It is considerable to discern that a business corporation falls under that category of augmenting economic growth, customer and employee satisfaction, and serving the community in honesty. Accordingly Dr Novak states that, a business ethic entails creating and imaging a World based on values of individuals, community, realism, creativity, and virtues of enterprises. In involves respecting individual rights to their own creativity and economic initiative. In this light, it means having a cul ture worth of the benefit of people, the needy, the business and community, and the maker. In a business set up, Dr, Novak regard ethics as the responsibilities of the small business and corporation to promote virtues of enterprise that initiate on creativity and economic initiative. 2. What does Dr. Novak say about the rule of law and its relationship to businesses? In his discussion, Dr. Novak creates notable insights on the rule of law and its relationship to business. He outlines that, the rule of law demands individuals or participants who have mastered habits required for business imperative. The rule of law of business springs its nature towards increasing customer satisfaction with commodities of values; augment a reasonable return on the Business Corporation and economic growth through economic initiatives such as creating job opportunities. This involves promoting ingenuity, invention, and progress through human enterprise, mind, and invention. Still, the statute of the la w majors on economic interests of citizens, establish a sense of community, respecting individuals rights hence, shaping a business culture that fosters virtues. With this in mind, the imperative of the law demands people in business to encourage their employees, shareholders to perceive policy issues and political ideas seriously, retires, and participating to electoral campaigns to vote. Following this, business cannot exist without the rule of law. Its relationship to the business entails the following. When individual rights are respected this would increase employee satisfaction, which increases work performance, and eventually boost economic growth. For success, businesses depend on individuals ready to work as a team. Contracts depend on the fulfillment of respect

Marketing Strategy of Perfection Foods Assignment

Marketing Strategy of Perfection Foods - Assignment Example The aim of new marketing strategy is make sure that the company is able reach its desired goals. In the process of developing a new marketing strategy, the report will focus on different environmental, industrial and market analysis tool. The report will also highlight background of the company and give a brief overview of the bakery industry. The mission and vision statement of the company has been also underlined. Now in order to analyze the different factors tools such as PESTEL, SWOT, and PORTER’s FIVE Forces have been used. Finally the report will try to put up a marketing mix which will help the company to grab more market share and boost the sales volume. Background Perfection Foods Ltd came into existence in the year 2000. It was established by two brothers called Sukhdev Singh Bath and Balwinder Singh Bath. The company was started in a 4500 sq. ft. factory, from where the cakes and bakery products were supplied to the nearby retail units and locality shops. Due to the high quality of the cakes and bakery products, the company quickly became popular in the industry. As the business grew in size, the company started expansion plans. In order to establish itself nationally and internationally, the company started to supply its products to the direct wholesalers such as Morrison's, Makro, Bestways, Asda, etc. They have become one of most well-known bakery in UK. It has also won several awards for some of its quality offerings in the bakery product market. The company serves 40 different types of freshly baked handmade cakes to the customers of UK. There are two manufacturing sites in UK and the third factory serves for the export orders of the com pany. The company has two sides of its business function: manufacturing and selling cakes in UK and exporting in other parts of the world. The company has also received award for Best Development of international market in the year 2010. The company owns an excellent distribution channel. The logistics team of the company distributes the bakery products all over UK in the company owned vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with latest technology to keep the food items safe and fresh (Perfection Foods Limited, 2009). Market Overview Bread and bakery products form a very important part of the British diet. Cakes form a major part of the household snacks. On special occasions and with afternoon tea usually cake is served with tea. Apart from this, cake is a vital part of the festivities such as Christmas, Easter, Halloween or birthdays. The worth UK bakery industry is ?3.4 billion and it is the largest market in the food industry of the country. The total volume is about 4 billion unit s. This means that about ?11 million loaves and packs are sold in UK every day. There are three main sectors in the UK baking industry. The large baking companies produce 80 percent of the products. The in-store bakeries in the supermarkets produce about 17 percent of the products and the high street retail shops produce the rest of the products (The Federation of Bakers, 2012). It was estimated that about 5 to 10 percent of the bakery

Evaluation and Background to Lean Construction Case Study

Evaluation and Background to Lean Construction - Case Study Example The ambition of the Task Force was to bring about a Radical change in all the industries and by their experience bring about efficiency and improvements within the construction environment which would benefit all. (Paragraphs 15, 16 and 18) Lean Construction, in general, refers to a construction that would help to maximize the customer’s needs whilst satisfying the necessary and required parameters and in doing so, using the minimum amount of resources (Howell 1999). It is actually the â€Å"physics† of construction mainly based on the principles of production management (Howell 1999). It refers to a whole new kind of project delivery system which can be utilized by any type of industry including construction though best suited for complex, uncertain and quick projects (Howell 1999). There are many definitions pertaining to Lean Construction. Some define it as a â€Å"way to design production systems to minimize waste of materials, time and effort in order to generate the maximum possible amount of value† (Koskela et al. 2002). According to Koskela, the construction theory needed to be reviewed to centralize on optimizing the project by taking into account the flow of work between activities and the formation and release of value (Wright 2000). The Lean Project Delivery System (LPDS) and the Last Planner System of Production Control was developed by LCI where the principles pioneered in manufacturing were applied to construction (Pinch 2005). PDS's origins can be traced back to Lean Production Management which is a manufacturing approach brought into the limelight by Toyota Motor Company in the 1980s (Pinch 2005). The term was introduced by the Toyota engineer â€Å"Ohno† (Pinch 2005). His recommendation was to stop the production line instead of delivering a defective part downstream.  This approach resulted in streamlining the workflow, minimizing inventory and obtaining an up-graded end-product of good quality (Pinch 2005).  Ã‚  

Chivalry among men in the novel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Chivalry among men in the novel - Essay Example Despite their difference in origin, the two terms referred so much to a similar class of soldiers with similar ideals in proper behavior and conduct that the terms can now be used almost interchangeably. However, the word ‘chivalry’ still works to connote more of the honor code that was held among these fighters, such as the duty to uphold one’s honor regardless of the cost and the charge to protect a woman’s honor to an even greater extent. The Catholic Encyclopedia offers the most complete definition of what the word came to mean by the time Dumas wrote his novel: â€Å"Chivalry †¦ as an institution is to be considered from three points of view: the military, the social, and the religious† (Moeller, 2006). The ideals contained in these three areas can be traced throughout Alexandre Dumas’ novel The Three Musketeers through the characters of D’Artagnan, Athos, Porthos and Aramis. At the very beginning of the novel, the concept of chivalry is introduced as a principle part of D’Artagnan’s upbringing as the reader is given a glimpse into the young man’s leave-taking of his parents. His father advises him, â€Å"At Court, if you ever go to Court, ... be honest and above board with everyone. Always remember your rank and carry on the tradition of good behaviour which your family has been true to for the past five hundred years. †¦ Stand no nonsense from anyone but the King and the Cardinal. Remember, nowadays it’s only by personal courage that a man can get on in the world† (Dumas, 1982, p. 29). This speech sets the tone very early on by which D’Artagnan’s life is to be characterized. In all of his actions, he is expected to be truthful, honest, above board and courageous, repaying every insult given him with immediate and swift retaliation. It also becomes apparent during this speech that D’Artagnan i s indeed of an ancestral line capable of attaining knighthood and is

Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 20

Economics - Essay Example This is shown in diagram 1. D1 is the least price inelastic demand curve and D3 the most price elastic with D2 lying in between in terms of price elasticity. The initial equilibrium price is assumed to be 10 dollars per unit and the quantity demanded at this price is 3 units. Thus the initial revenue is 30 dollars. Now suppose the unit price falls to 6 dollars. If D1 is the demand curve, then the quantity demanded rises to 4 units. Thus the revenue in this case falls to 24 dollars. If D2 is the demand curve, the quantity demanded rises to 6 units and the revenue increases to 36 dollars. For D3, the quantity demanded rises to 10 units and consequently the revenue jumps to 60 dollars. Similarly, in case of a price rise, we would have observed that the fall in demand being minimal in case of D1 and greatest in case of D3. In the context of Will Bury’s business to appropriately estimate the viability of engaging himself fulltime in pursuit of his plans leaving his present job, the first step is to identify the potential revenue derivable. And to aptly estimate this, and to address other issues like what prices should be charged, whether price cuts can improve sales etc, the importance of identifying the price elasticity of demand for his product surfaces. If there is high price sensitivity in the market in which Will Bury seeks to compete, then his strategy of offering cheaper alternatives to the already present products is likely to be successful. From the fact that the usual clients of digital and audio books come from relatively affluent economic tiers, it can be predicted that the demand is likely to be elastic. This is reinforced by the existence of a number of close substitutes. However, it should be noted that the products that Will is offering actually can be classified into a few segments according to likely buyers and their preferences since these will actually result in different price elasticities for the different groups. Books which are no

Critical Literature Review on Gender In Leadership Essay

Critical Literature Review on Gender In Leadership - Essay Example Broadly speaking, when a leader motivates his subordinates, it means that one structures the work environment in such a way that their drives and needs are brought into play, instead of being neglected. This environment should be conducive to the satisfaction of those drives and needs so that workers may act in desired ways. However, leadership theories and concepts evaluate the effect of gender in leadership in terms of according the same prerogatives and benefits on equal terms. In this regard, the objective of the essay is to proffer a critical literature review on the topic of gender in leadership. Relevant research studies on the subject would be cited and significant points would hereby be highlighted, analyzed and evaluated in terms of presenting supporting or opposing viewpoints on gender in leadership. A study conducted by Christine R. Gedney, Major, USAF, entitled Leadership Effectiveness and Gender aimed to determine a correlationship between leadership effectiveness and gender through secondary sources of authoritative materials while seeking some explanation to her inquiry on identifying â€Å"why there is still a considerable absence in top military leadership by female officers† (Gedney, 1999, v). Initially, she provided essential qualities of effective leaders with the objective of indicating that â€Å"leadership effectiveness is not gender-specific, but there seem to be many attributes that are found in both males and females that lend themselves to becoming an effective leader† (Gedney, 1999, 2). Through her discussion of gender in leadership, the revealed that traditional views content a biased view of leaders to predominantly favor men over women. The author cited Kolb as indicating that â€Å"when we reviewed this literature we were struck by the prejudice against women. Research has demonstrated that there are

Juvenile Rights at Time of Arrest Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Juvenile Rights at Time of Arrest - Essay Example Juveniles that have left their parents’ home without their guardians’ consent and others that are endangered by the surroundings in any way may also be arrested through the Court’s order. However, certain requirements need to be met while arresting the juveniles (Anne Arundel County, 2010, p. 1). Juveniles are to be granted all Constitutional rights that are conventionally meant for adults. The precautions and safety measures laid out for adult prisoner transportation are equally applicable on the juvenile prisoners. The parents of juvenile offender are supposed to be immediately notified of their child’s arrest. If they can not somehow be reached, then the arresting officer needs to inform the Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) (Anne Arundel County, 2010, p. 1). There are also time limits in detention for juvenile offenders. No juvenile is supposed to be held any more than 6 hrs. In case, the detention time exceeds 6 hrs, the DJS again needs to be noti fied of that. This is where juvenile offenders are considerably leveraged as compared to the adult offenders.

The phenomenon is suicide bombing Essay Example for Free

The phenomenon is suicide bombing Essay The phenomenon is suicide bombing more often intrudes into our life from newspapers headlines, TV news and unfortunately even more and more people face it in reality. The understanding of the reasons that cause this phenomenon may considerably assist in preventing its expansion and probably even help to stop it. That is why now we may encounter a great number of various works dealing with this topic which aim at considering suicide bombing from different viewpoints. The herein literature review attempts to focus on the most significant aspects of suicide bombing as well as to present those works which provide the most profound and comprehensive analysis of suicide bombing. Besides the works reviewed here are selected on the base of variety of viewpoints they provide. One of the most substantial works, that touch upon the issue of suicide bombing, is the book New Political Religions, Or an Analysis of Modern Terrorism by Barry Cooper. The analysis given in the book provides understanding of the nature of a suicide mission. That is, in addition to considering such relatively straightforward issues as who did what and how it was accomplished, author is also concerned with interpreting the phenomena of terrorist action as meaningful within the context of sources provided by the terrorists themselves. Author asserts that one of the oldest insights of political science is that all political action is self-interpretive and proves that terrorism is no exception. The very useful aspect of the problem under discussion revealed in the book is the psychological analysis of the suicide’s actions. In particular Cooper argues that they are not necessarily psychopaths. They are not crazy in the commonsense use of the term. They most definitely are, however, â€Å"spiritually disordered†. As author states, the spiritual disorders that are present among contemporary terrorists are expressions of ideology. It is for this reason that one can compare the spiritually disordered suicide bombers to the adherents of modern ideologies in the SS or KGB. The author also discusses the relation between the terrorism and religion. In particular, he observes that Koran condemns any form of suicide; however, the motives of the terrorist acts performers necessarily contain some religious elements. Hence, Cooper concludes that the religion itself cannot be a rational basis for organization of a terrorist act; nevertheless it can be intensifying factor in the reasoning of suicide bombing. The next article under revision is Understanding Suicide Terrorism: Richard Jackson Argues That Terrorism Cannot Be Attributed Solely to Religious Extremism, Hatred or Mental Illness published by Richard Jackson in Journal New Zealand International Review. In this article the author tries to clarify what are the reasons of suicide bombing. After having summarised particular cases the author arrives to conclusion that is very close to that presented in a book reviewed above. Namely, religion is only a factor in a very few cases of suicide terrorism around the world, and even in these instances, religious extremism is almost never the sole cause. Jackson notes that after all, there are many extremists and fanatics in virtually every religion, most of whom will never engage in any form of violence. Nor is suicide terrorism the result of religious brainwashing; in places like Palestine, there are many more volunteers for suicide missions than the terrorist groups require. The author provides a valuable understanding of the fact that suicide bombers and terrorists are almost never motivated primarily by hatred for their victims. In actual fact, many suicide bombers are motivated by more altruistic aims, such as sacrifice for their comrades and their community, or a belief that they are fighting for a good cause. The author also states the arguments used by the organizers of suicide bombing during the planning of the terrorist acts. The strongest among others is tactical advantages. On a tactical level, terrorists believe that their actions can be successful and that powerful governments can be forced to change their policies; in effect, they are making a rational calculation that enough carnage will achieve the desired results. In the work The Underlying Realities of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict after 11 September, published in Arab Studies Quarterly, the author Norton Mezvinsky highlights the chronological development of terrorist acts performed by the suicide bombers after the declaration of Intifada from 28 September 2000. The main purpose of this work is to explore the sway of the events of 9/11 on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The most valuable in this work is the summarising of effects the terrorist acts had both for the Palestinians and the Israelis. Thus the author asserts that from the very beginning Intifada mainly implied the perpetration of suicide bombings. Israel, in its turn, with the purpose to render terrorist centers harmless brought troops into the territory of West Bank. Israels military incursion into the West Bank greatly increased Palestinian hostility. Beginning in the aftermath of 28 September 2000, suicide bombing became the major weapon of armed struggle for Palestinians. Arafat and some other Palestinian political leaders condemned and called for a halt to the suicide bombings. Such statements had little effect. Suicide bombings have instilled fear and hurt the economy in Israel, but Palestinian suffering has nevertheless far surpassed Israeli Jewish suffering. The next paper is the article by Terri Toles Patkin Explosive Baggage: Female Palestinian Suicide Bombers and the Rhetoric of Emotion, published in Women and Language which examines the psychological, social and gender factor in suicide bombing. The author of this work asserts that suicide bombers are not suffering from clinical depression or emotional difficulties; they perceive themselves as fulfilling a holy mission that will make them martyrs. The action is not suicide (as it was mentioned above suicide is prohibited by Koran) but rather martyrdom and thus does not violate religious prohibitions against killing oneself. In particular Terri Patkin studies numerous psychological peculiarities of a woman which may induce them to participate in terrorist groups. The particularly interesting is the point of the author that the peculiar role of a woman in Muslim society can be a significant factor that impel women to participate in suicide bombing. Women have participated in terrorist groups worldwide, but their relatively low numbers and roles often centering on support of their male colleagues have diminished onlooker perceptions of their importance. Women tend to be more actively involved in nationalist/secular terror organizations rather than Islamist/religious groups. Women in Palestinian groups are often enthusiastic about their increased roles. Generally for the western society martyrdom operations represent an odd and abnormal type of violent behaviour. Thus it would be useful to know what is the suicide bombing for a terrorist him-/herself or for the representative of the Muslim belief. This interest can be satisfied by the work A Comparative Study of Lebanese and Palestinian Perceptions of Suicide Bombings: The Role of Militant Islam and Socio-Economic Status conducted by Simon Haddad and presented in International Journal of Comparative Sociology. This work consists of the sociological survey for the attitude of the Lebanese and Palestinian to suicide bombing. The major objective of this article is to provide a general overview of respondents attitudes towards suicide bombings within a comparative perspective. Derived data indicate that for Lebanese and Palestinian, the most important determinant of attitudes toward suicide bombings is political Islam. The greater the attachment to the religious dogma the more likely respondents are to express support for suicide bombings. Certain Muslims commit these acts in the name of Jihad and thus in expectation of a handsome divine reward. Result of this article increase understanding of the phenomena of suicide bombings and pro-suicide attitudes in both Lebanese and Palestinian cases. And finally the book Global Terrorism by Brenda J. Lutz and James M. Lutz provides a general research of the terrorism phenomenon. The work defines the place of suicide bombing among the other methods of terror. Thus, it is stated that in most cases the suicide bombing is used against political regimes (the authors include here the terrorist acts against the foreign troops on the occupied territory), basing on religious motives or ethnical ground. Also there are cases when suicide bombing are performed basing on ideological ground (Kurdish Workers Party). The book is illustrated with the table showing the number of terrorist acts conducted from 1980 to 2000. So we can see that more than a half of acts of suicide bombing (168 out of 280) up till 2000 were organized by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka and India. These terrorist acts were based on the ethnical ground. Unfortunately there are no data following 2000 as it could have helped to find out what is the change in this ratio after the declaration of Intifada. This literature review unfortunately left a number of problems, related to suicide bombings, unconsidered. Thus it would be desirable to pay attention to such problem as children participation in suicide bombing. Also the question of suicide bombings by the Chechens against the Russian government is not discussed in the books and articles reviewed. Many researchers differentiate the Chechen terrorism as a separate branch due to its incredible brutality towards civilians. Bibliography COOPER, Barry. New Political Religions, Or an Analysis of Modern Terrorism. Columbia, MO, University of Missouri Press, 2004. JACKSON, Richard. Understanding Suicide Terrorism: Richard Jackson Argues That Terrorism Cannot Be Attributed Solely to Religious Extremism, Hatred or Mental Illness. New Zealand International Review, 30 (5): 2005: 24+. MEZVINSKY, Norton. The Underlying Realities of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict after 11 September. Arab Studies Quarterly, 25 (1-2): 2003: 197+. PATKIN, Terri Toles. Explosive Baggage: Female Palestinian Suicide Bombers and the Rhetoric of Emotion. Women and Language, 27 (2): 2004: 79+. HADDAD, Simon. A Comparative Study of Lebanese and Palestinian Perceptions of Suicide Bombings: The Role of Militant Islam and Socio-Economic Status. International Journal of Comparative Sociology, 45 (5): 2004: 337+. LUTZ, Brenda J. and LUTZ, James M. Global Terrorism. New York, Routledge, 2004.

Analysis of The Lorax Essay Example for Free

Analysis of The Lorax Essay The story, â€Å"The Giving Tree,† is a book written by Shel Silverstein that is about the relationship between a tree and a boy. In the beginning of the story, the boy and the tree spend a lot of time together having fun. For example, they would play hide and seek, the boy would play on the branches, and the boy would play king of the forest with the leaves of the tree. The tree would be very happy because she was interacting with the boy. Throughout the story, the boy would spend less and less time with the tree. As a result, the tree would become sad. Once in a while the boy would come back, asking for certain things, and the tree would be happy to help the boy because she loved the boy so much. Through the story, â€Å"The Giving Tree,† Shel Silverstein relates a lesson of how giving is more important than taking. In the story, the boy takes advantage of the tree by taking everything that the tree has. The tree gives freely without complaining because the tree loves the boy, and wants him to be happy. In the end, all the boy wanted to do was to spend time with the tree once again. If the boy did not continuously take advantage of the tree, the boy did not have to miss, and become unhappy about the old tree that loved him so much. The tree’s love for the boy is a perfect example of what people should be like: giving freely, and unconditionally. If everyone was like the tree, there would be very little unhappiness in the world, and the world would be a better place. If countries started to give freely to one another, there would be fewer wars, there would be no more sadness and devastation, and there would be world happiness and peace. The message from Shel Silverstein is to not be like the boy who ultimately becomes unhappy by taking from the tree. In summary, Silverstein uses the story to expound on the idea that giving is more important than receiving. The story also has a slight reference to the relationship between mother and child. The tree (the mom) was willing to give anything to the boy (the son). The tree sacrifices herself in order to make the boy happy, which any mom would probably do for her son. In the beginning, the tree wanted to sacrifice its time just to play with the boy. This is similar to a parent, which sacrifices time to interact with and provide for their kids. Towards the teenage years, the tree gives up her apples so that the boy could have money. Likewise, many parents sacrifice money to have their children enjoy their teenage years: movies, cars, trips, etc. When the boy becomes an adult, he takes the branches and trunk of the tree away to build a house, and a boat. All of these examples exemplify the ways in which moms make so many sacrifices to make their children happy, but some kids just take them, run with them, and never think about how much it cost their moms. As depicted in the story, the boy never expressed any gratitude to the tree. The boy rarely went back to visit the tree, but only visited the tree to take something away for his own personal benefit. Furthermore, moms also show sadness when their children leave them for college, and adulthood. When the boy does not come back to see the tree for years at a time because of his own issues, the tree becomes sad. In short, Silverstein illustrates the interaction between mother and child by showing the selfless acts of parents and the selfishness of children. The book, â€Å"The Giving Tree,† can strongly connect to our relationship between the environment and humans. Currently, there is an evident problem of global warming. This recent dilemma is caused because of our selfish taking from the environment. The tree can strongly resemble the earth on which we live, and the boy can resemble humans. We constantly take from the Earth, and rarely give back to the environment. For example, during the 20th century, industries took advantage of the Earth without replenishing resources: deforestation, driving animals to extinction, and over-fishing. Furthermore, since global warming has become such a big problem now, we want to go back to live on the lush, non-polluted earth. Likewise, after the boy takes everything away from the tree, the boy wanted the tree to be like it was before. Ultimately, the book elucidates the way in which humans abuse the environment just like how the boy misused the tree. A question that can come to mind when reading Shel Silverstein’s story is, what is the reason for writing the story. Silverstein might have written the book for young children, but it was to teach everyone of the â€Å"give not take,† principle. Moreover, another question can be what is the reason for allowing the boy not to think about his selfishness? Perhaps Silverstein wanted to portray the fact that people are sometimes selfish. Finally, throughout the story, why is the boy referred to as a boy even though he becomes a man. Maybe Silverstein was writing in the perspective of a mother because a mom always calls his son her boy.

Looking At Presales Bid Management Information Technology Essay

Looking At Presales Bid Management Information Technology Essay This topic s not a primary focus of this book but this is included here for greater awareness. The chapter has a major real-time case study at the end. This chapter takes you through the preliminary concepts and then introduces the third party consultants and their role in large deals. Role of onsite relationship managers is also discussed here. What Is Presales Bid Management? Presales involves lead generation follow-ups, solution preparation, final proposals, product demonstrations, proof of concepts (POC), and many other marketing related activities till the customer is acquired. Bid Management is a vital Presales support service that provides copywriting, administrative and technical resources to ensure the quality of proposal documentation and presentations. A bid managers role is to present a proposal to client that meets their business and cost objectives, while minimizing business risks and maximizing profit margins (to her parent organization). Bid manager is the owner of proposal making process. She studies the request for proposal (RFP docs) from the client, which can be very comprehensive and legal in nature. She plans the whole proposal making like any other project and is solely responsible for keeping quality, costs and schedule for the whole bidding process. She needs to work very closely with sales, technical, delivery and commercial teams to co-ordinate the preparation of a winning proposal. The sales, delivery and technical teams can belong to different verticals and might be scattered across the globe, so the effective coordination and inter personal skills are the key here. A bid manager may not have any direct control over any of the teams, she is working with. For participating executives from different verticals, proposal making may be an extra add to their already tight day-to-day schedules, so getting quality time from them can be one of the biggest challenge in the process. The term winning proposal is very important here; because if we dont win, the whole exercise will be just a big overhead to the organization and how many such overheads your organization can absorb without significantly affecting the bottom line? Following are the main functions that can be categorized under presales and bid management. Qualification and prioritization of proposal and tenders. Co-ordination with sales, solutions, delivery and finance departments To ensure the availability of complete and quality information from each source within set timelines. Proposal documentation. Final presentations to the client with sales team that may involve technical consulting and product demonstrations. Who Fits? A good fit here would be a person who knows the company and its offerings inside out. Good communication, co-ordination, presentation, and interpersonal skills are usually required. It will help if the person for the bid manager post has work in similar projects/ products (as required by RFP) and can appreciate their commercial as well as technology aspects. She will be required to do a lot of number crunchings say for schedule, cost and scope and quick what-if computations to deal with variations in these factors. A thorough understanding of industry segment in which she is working will be a big plus. Not to forget stress and round the clock working under extreme pressures of dead lines is an integral part of this job. The Organization For Presales And Bid Management This will vary from company to company. In IT services companies there may be a few people marked working for presales function at each vertical/ department level. Typically it is headed by a manager presales. For large deals there can be a presales group working at corporate level that helps presales managers at different verticals. The corporate level presales group might involve very senior and seasoned professionals as far as the whole process of bid management is concerned. Whenever the organization receives a RFP (Request for Proposal), pre sales group may need to draw people from different verticals as per the expertise required in making proposal. Technical writers, commercial and legal managers are invariably required in case of large deals. There can be a bid manager designated for every individual RFP depending upon the size of the deal. In case of smaller deals, a single bid manager might takeover multiple bids. A bid manager is like a project manager with a responsibility of complete bid process. The bid manager typically belongs to the presales organization but there can be variations; if the stakes in proposal from a particular vertical are more, they may like to appoint the bid manager in consultation with pre sales. Once the bidding process is complete, expert from other verticals may go back to their regular assignments. Role Of Third Party Consultants In Execution Of Bids Companies typically specialize in their line of business; floating a tender and managing the whole process may altogether be a different ballgame. Its true especially when the stakes on the buyer side are high and tenders floated globally. The buyers side may find it an uphill task to manage the whole bidding process and fortunately consultants are there to help. In the whole process of bid management, consultants can be employed by both buyers as well as sellers. On buyers side they help in writing documents for RFP (Request for Proposal) and manage the whole bid process till the right vendor is selected. RFP document is important as it tells exactly what goods and services are required along with location, price, constraints and other terms and conditions. Its a legal document and forms the base for writing proposal on the suppliers side. Similarly on buyers side, third part consults help in evaluating the proposal. Typically they can take the role of a bid manager on the suppliers side and do coordination with verticals as required, and manage the whole bidding process. When third party consultants are engaged by the buying organization, they are the sole contact points for vendors for the whole bid-life-cycle. For buyers, they ensure quality of RFP and supporting documents, the right placement of the RFP (putting to select qualified vendors), the assessment of vendor capabilities and fit, the the documentation is as per agreed standards and finally help the buyers to rate the vendor proposals to conclude the bidding process. They may also monitor the transition and change management for buyer and typically oversee steady stare operations for an agreed period. Role Of Onsite/ Customer Relationship Managers (RM) Its often onsite relationship managers, who are first to know yes! Some thing right is going on there. They may bring in the lead; much before the official tender is floated. They help to ensure, their company is also a party to the bidding process. In many strategic deals the tender may not be floated publicly but the buyers place it to select companies, who they believe, have the capabilities to deliver as per their requirements. Onsite coordinators can bring in vital information about buyer groups, managers and their motivation behind floating such a tender. Some time approximate budget is also known. All this information can be vital in upbringing of a winning proposal, in fine-tuning the commercials and other details in last minutes if required. Post win onsite managers play a lead role in transition and ensure required levels of co-operation from clients end. Its the familiarity of onsite coordinators with client managers and their business (and also on what will fly) that ma kes them a crucial link in the whole process. Section B: Sales marketing of IT Companies Definitions Many of us do not appreciate the fact that sales are an important sub-part of marketing. Marketing is everything you do to promote your business. If you have an apt marketing strategy, most of the job is done. If the customer values your product services, she will herself make an effort to buy them. And you need little or no sales effort at all. The primary job of marketing is to create interest of the customer in your companys products and services. Marketing strategies deal with business development, selling techniques, communication and customer relationships. Marketing creates value for your customers as well as the company. With this, I think we understand the difference between sales marketing. Now; when we talk of IT we are generally concerned with marketing selling our solutions. For the purpose of this discussion; a solution is a mutually agreed-upon answer to a recognized problem that should provide some measurable improvement. So whats different here? We have two processes in any business scenario purchase and sale. The solution sales processes depends more on the buyer, who must feel the need for value from the organization, beyond its standard product or services being sold. The buyer must also perceive the prospective seller as having the credibility to deliver that expertise. At the same time the buyer must feel trust in supplier to discuss a problem share information that may be crucial for his survival. After that only a supplier may be allowed to do due-diligence and offer a solution and associated commercials (to the buyer). So we can make out the difference between a buyer in two situations solutions selling and selling standard products services. Fair enough! Critical Success Factors In Solutions Selling Already so much has been written on this topic in the management literature. We will discuss only a few of key points for the sake of completeness. Believing the emotional value and benefits of solution offerings: It is important to get an emotional understanding of your service offerings along with technical and business aspects. You need integrity and a strong belief in your offerings. For making a sale you should be able to transfer all this into the hands of buyer. Ability to find qualified buyers: Meaningful selling happens when you can find people who have a certain need and you can fill that need. Establish trust: Selling always requires building relationships and determining the buyers true needs. If trust cant be established; selling a solution might be extremely difficult. Match needs/wants to product benefits: It is critical to understand the buyers true needs and be able to match them with the solutions benefits. Ability to ask for the sale and deliver: Simply presenting the benefits of solution isnt enough. You must be able to ask the prospect to take an action in the form of placing an order. Once the order is placed you must be able to deliver on what you proposed. This is directly linked with your credibility to make next sale to the same customer or in the greater market place. How Technical Background Helps? It is very difficult to find people who are well-versed in selling solutions. Companies are investing a lot many $ in training qualified people with relevant technical backgrounds so that they are able to find the right solution for the customers. An effective solutions sales executive should be capable of processing a potential clients business needs, comprehend the technologies available and help designing a solution that delivers desired value to the customer and maximize the profits for her company. Most successful solution sales profiles have good engineering and business backgrounds. They have the right soft-skills, and thorough understanding of market. The key soft-skills that count here are business communication, public speaking, conflict management, and negotiation. Challenges Faced By A Customer Relationship Manager (RM) One of the most important skills RM needs is the ability to multitask and utilize various skill sets depending on the assignment at hand. Each day can bring its own set of unique responsibilities and challenges. For example it is anchoring a series of client meetings to discuss a large proposal for outsourcing their infrastructure ERP maintenance. It can well be a networking event to congregate the important stake holders, both from business and IT for a big project. Managing several different tasks at the same time might be challenging. The variety of responsibilities a RM has, to keep the business and relationship running can be very interesting at times. Back in office, there can be reviews of ongoing projects in onsite- offshore model with a couple of meetings per week. There can be one-on-one meetings with the client and other stake holders. Other meetings can be with the offshore teams late in the evening. Effective presentation and negotiation skills are very important for a RM. It can be periodic presentations to clients CIO on overall engagement or it can be presentation regarding resolution to a major break down in IT services. At times RM is there only to listen and make a compromise or mediate difference of opinion on project scope between project owner and the offshore project manager. One major task for RM is Bids and new initiatives as we have discussed in earlier sections. RM is one of the very few persons present on client side (from vendor) so she is the one who takes the first reaction from the client for both good and bad of offshore teams. She needs to be a true diplomat if you want to say it short! RM vs. BRM We are very much familiar with the role of customer relationship managers (RM) in solutions selling. The role of Business Relationship Manager (BRM) is a relatively new role in IT organizations. The BRM is an important link between IT and the business. The BRM needs to have significant knowledge pertaining to both technology and the commercials. BRM generally talks for the business within an IT organization, without any additional responsibilities to sell products or work on upcoming business deals. BRM role was actually created by CIOs in IT as a solution to what business sees IT as a barrier. Many times business doesnt understand how swiftly IT organization can respond to their fast changing needs or simply doesnt appreciate the capabilities of IT? BRM is supposed to fill this communication gap. BRM needs to know both business and technology to a reasonable level. This position also requires an ability to understand the business adequately to communicate the substance of projects t o the technology teams. On the other hand, BRM also needs to comprehend the technology sufficiently to communicate its complexity in simple terms for the business. Case Study: A Complete Bidding Cycle for a Multimillion $ IT Outsourcing Deal Y Inc. is a US based IT outsourcing company dealing in Information Technology products and services. It has marketing and development offices in more than 50 countries all over the world with sales revenue running in multi billion dollars from services alone. The services IT portfolio covers almost every segment ranging from high end ERP consulting, internet, mainframes to legacy applications. Y Inc. has development centers in all Indian metros with total staff exceeding 40,000 in India alone. ERP services and Web Applications are the most revenue earning activities throughout the globe. Y Inc. had received a request for proposal (RFP) from a European conglomerate (AtoV inc.) for managing their IT operations worldwide. They wanted to outsource their entire IT operations in order to achieve better operational efficiencies, substantially , reduce IT operations costs and get an ability to focus more on their core manufacturing and retail business. AtoV Inc. has diverse interests throughout the world that include heavy engineering, consumer goods, house hold electronic equipment, electric distribution grids, automobiles and retail businesses. They also have a fully owned IT company (IT Ltd.) that is supposed to manage IT operations for all their group companies. The group IT Company (IT Ltd.) is seriously short of skilled manpower to support other group companies in a cost effective manner. Also there is a lot of interference in the operations of IT Ltd. itself by the corporate (AtoV Inc.) and its not free to price its services as per market standards. Many a times IT Lt d. is forced to give resources free of cost or at nominal rates to other companies in the conglomerate to manage their IT operations. Appointments at top level in IT Inc. are also dictated by the corporate (AtoV Inc.); and there are many more such reasons, this group IT arm (IT Ltd.) is fast becoming economically not-so-viable for providing IT services to the group. The corporate was forced to look outside for better options (vendors) that are market driven and can be held responsible incase of non performance. This was the first occasion in past several decades where AtoV Inc. had floated a RFP outside to its group empire for outsourcing IT operations. They were extra cautious and are taking every possible effort to make it a success. The RFP was not advertized publicly but only a few major players across the globe were invited to put forward their proposals. AtoV Inc. thought these were the IT services companies who could sale up to their standards in terms of quantity, quality and reliability. Total nine global IT service providers were invited to participate in this prestigious worldwide bidding exercise. Each one of the participants had annual sales revenues well exceeding $ one billion. All were global players. They all had expertise build up over the years in the areas desired by AtoV Inc. These nine service providers were selected based upon a comprehensive research project undertaken as a part of preparing formal RFP documents. The selection of final vendor would depend upon how well these service providers understand the requirements of AtoV and present a customized solution. Pricing and other commercials of the proposal were to play an important role. However the contract could be awarded to a vendor who se quality and solution perfectly suited the needs of AtoV. In that case the pricing could be second or even third best (amongst all the bids submitted). We see therefore, the pricing was not the sole criteria. The total pricing of goods and services asked by AtoV Inc. was likely to run into several hundred million $, spread over the contract period. Depending on the annual performance reviews, the contract was likely to be extended up to 5 years. As expected, this bidding exercise attracted the attention of business press, the worldwide. In India it was in headlines in national business news papers, as much of the contract was likely to be executed from India (that is perceived a low cost region). Almost all the contestants for this contract had major back office presence in India. Executives of AtoV had no prior experience in dealing with the bidding processes of this magnitude and geographical spread. So they engaged a third party consultant (TP Con.), specializing in bid management for large deals, to manage the selection of most suitable vendor for them. TP Cons were given complete responsibility from concept to closure. The selection of a suitable vendor was the closing point of the bidding process. TP Cons were also supposed to monitor the transition and work out a plan for change management. Both AtoV Inc. and TP Cons were headquartered in California. TP Cons started talks to various department heads and CXOs of companies within AtoV group that were likely to be parties in this off shoring exercise. It required almost a months due diligence for TP Cons to figure out the IT needs of various participant companies. It was decided to contract out IT operations in phases. For the first phase Infrastructure Services (IMS) and ERP were chosen. These services ba dly needed an overhaul and they were the ones, consuming the maximum portion of IT budget; almost in all the cases (Companies). After everyone agreed in concept for inviting proposals in order to contract ERP and IMS services, the first step was to write a request for proposal (RFP) document. RFP is a comprehensive document that mainly focuses on the scope of goods and services requirements and conditions governing the bidding process and the contract there after. As stated earlier this was to be a multimillion $ contract spanning over 5 years. The RFP document itself was running close to hundred pages including many annexure. The main document had many sections. The first section included company back ground (AtoV Inc.) and the intentions behind floating the RFP. Various acronyms used in the main RFP document and its annexure were defined. It had contact points for the purpose of proposal from AtoV side. It also had proposal submission timelines and terms and conditions governing the whole process of proposal making. It also had the general requirements that a vendor and its proposal needs to fulfill as a prequalification note. It had executive summary of the overall scope being outsourced. And as main content it had two sections on the detailed scope of goods and servi ces sought from prospective vendors. One section contained detailed description on ERP services and the other one detailed infrastructure service (IMS) outsourcing requirements. It had a NDA (non disclosure agreement) to be signed by prospective vendor as AtoV was sharing a lot of confidential information regarding their applications and infrastructure. All this information was vital to the prospects for an accurate proposal making. The RFP also had a template (an outline format) for proposal and broad guidelines on what proposal would contain terms of solution and commercials. Apart from the said details in the main body of RFP; there was a number of supporting annexure documents in including some detailed spread sheets. They included NDAs, formats for commercials, legal terms and conditions governing proposal, application landscape and their interface details with multiple ERPs in the scope of proposal, details of servers and diagrams of network architecture and many other details to work out the solution and commercials of the proposal as accurately as possible. After issuing RFP, the suppliers were given a chance to raise their questions regarding proposal and bid processes. The proposal was to be submitted by email before a stated due date (fixed) and time that was to be followed very strictly. After two weeks of making proposal, each one of the 9 prospects was to be given a chance of oral presentations to a selection committee comprising of senior executives from AtoV and TP Cons. The period between floating of RFP and final award of contract was approximately 2 months that is typical to deals of this magnitude. After the contract award date, there was a transition period of 3 months to transfer application and Infrastructure services to the bid winner, Y Inc. in our case. TP Cons were to chalk out and execute a plan for transition and change management. During transition all expenses were 50-50 between Y inc. and AtoV. Expenses included salaries for Y Inc. and AtoV, all overheads, software/ hardware and whatever it takes for smooth trans ition of services to Y Inc. The transition was to work under an onsite/offshore model from India as offshore base. Main onsite locations were spread in North America, UK, Germany, Japan, Singapore and Australia. After all transition is done TP Cons were to monitor the steady state operations for an additional quarter. Once Y Inc. officially received the RFP; a RFP response team was to be formed. First member, the bid manager was from presales team as it happens in many cases. He was the project manager for this mega proposal making exercise. The team members were required from infrastructure group and ERP competency. Almost all the elements of IT infrastructure like mobile devices, phones, copiers, PCs, servers, data centres, software, networks and the processes including help desk were involved and IMS was the biggest component of RFP. Three to four senior experts were needed to cover all the areas of IMS required in the proposal. As usual the resources were already busy doing other billable projects. Making a proposal was important to organization but it cant be billed to any client obviously. So taking a project manager out from his billable role for a couple of month was a difficult call for any functional head. For ERP stream we required experts from SAP, Oracle Apps and People Soft HRMS syst ems both technical and domain experts. Though the size in terms of $ value of ERP stream was smaller but we needed many more members there because of diverse nature of functionalities involved and we had 3 core ERPs to support. In ERP stream also the story was the same all designated members for proposal making were busy in billable roles. To start with, the members in both the streams were put in dual roles of working in their regular work and contributing in proposal making s well. All the team members including bid manager were busy in study and analyzing the RFP documents from the client. Legal and finance teams also studied the proposals. Around 35 questions from all the streams were sent to the client for clarifications. Sending too many questions is considered as if you have not done your home work in analyzing information supplied in RFP and at the same time sending too few (of them) may be taken as if you have not studied the RFP in the depth required for making the proposal (so its a fine balancing act). All the nine prospects sent in their list of questions to AtoV for getting more information and clarifications, which they thought were required to make a decent proposal. AtoV executives took about one week to get back with answers. QA from all the 9 prospects was combined and this combined list was circulated to each participant. This is a typical practice to make sure each prospect is benefitted by the questions raised by others and all of them have maximum possible information (right information) before they start working the proposal. AtoV along with TP Cons also hosted a pre-bid face-to-face meeting in whic h all the prospects could discuss the answers and ask on any remaining questions. This was the last chance for all the participants to raise their questions or ask for more information. After closing of this meeting till the submission of final proposals, any officials from the potential vendors (9 prospects) were not supposed to talk to ANYONE from the client (AtoV). Any such attempt could disqualify the prospect from making a proposal. With all this information now it was imperative for Y Inc. to work on proposal on a war footing. They had 40 calendar days time left and team was not in place yet. Except bid manager himself nobody else was confident on content, clauses and scope of the proposal. Y Inc. decided not to engage a third party consultant for writing a proposal. Being an IT services major, making such proposals was routinely done. More over they had a specialized team under presales for such large deals. Even with large deals team, the experts were to come from respective team of ERP and IMS competency verticals. Including bid manager and two members from the large deal group a total of 14 members were identified for making this proposal. All had prior experience in making such proposals. Two technical writers were also included in the team. One of the team members from large deals group was of the level of general manager. The day came when all designated proposal team members were detached from their regular work and they were all packed in a conference hall of the corporate office. No land lines in the conference hall (conf hall) and all mute cell phones only hot discussions! They were sometimes useful and sometimes not so useful. But great, all team members were available in a room to exchange ideas and technical writers standing, to take notes and make things presentable. First bid manager presented a schedule on how to make it who will do what by what date? A net 30 calendar day program no offs; not even weekends. Start by 7:30 or 8:00 AM till half past mid night sometimes but no compulsions. Breaks for tea and smoke; snacks made available inside the room; all make to order. The motto only one, get it done whatever it takes. You can take your offs later. Some model proposals were studied and things start taking shape. 0.1 draft versions was ready first everybody is seen disappointed. A senior member from the large deals wanted everything to be redone. The onsite manager insisted inclusion of everything as per ITIL standards as it was very important from the clients perspective. One ITIL expert and one graphics designer were also added to the team now. First draft was ready. Technical writers had to compile 485 pages for it. But finally things started taking shape. Suddenly a new policy decision came from the client side. Written proposal was OK but more emphasis was now on the oral presentations. So everything was redone on power point slides. Thanks to the timely inclusion of a graphics designer in the team. Commercials, the heart of proposal was still under making. Commercials took about a week but they occupied only two slides in the final proposal. It was close to $300 Million proposal. Real strategic for the company! Need to win it any cost. Nearly 8 to 10 what-if scenarios were worked out using different combinations in schedules, effort, resources, onsite-offshore ratio, scope and rates. Approval for all of them was taken from the corporate and the finance department in advance. These scenarios were for accommodating last minute changes prior to or during live proposal presentations. Excel work sheets were kept ready to work out any more custom scenarios if required. In the last minutes inputs from sales team become very important and y ou might need to change the commercials accordingly. The final day in a San Francisco hotel witnessed three different committees from consisting of client and TP Con officials. And the final presentations made. Written proposals were submitted a couple of days advance in emails and seven print copies in sealed envelopes. All dropped in a designated physical mail box. AtoV wanted a month to study different aspects of the proposals made. They came back in just two weeks. Now its up to you to guess who was the winner? TP Con made evaluation matrices and criteria and the whole process was transparent only to AtoV. Now it was transition of a huge number of applications and infrastructure. TP Con was the boss. They explained the process to transition team. They gave around 30 elaborate templates and forms to be filled for each stream at each step. All this was to be loaded in an orderly fashion on a web portal, designated for this transition. The progress of transition in real time was now available to everyone including top management of Y Inc. and AtoV, one more challenge, probably tougher than making the winning proposal. Main transition sites were offices and plants in Texas and New York. A couple of them added from Germany, UK and other places too. Y Inc. roped in 4 transition managers one each in California, Texas, Chennai and Noida. The transition team structure was 50-50 for offshore and onsite. More onsite presence was required to cover the learning curve and attend face to face learning sessions with AnV subject matter experts. Later the onsite offshore was to be reduced to 80 20 an d finally 90 10 in the long term. TP Cons deployed not more than 3 members from RFP till the transition was over. A total of 6 months; end to end! As it was learned later TP Cons walked away with a handsome consulting fee. Much better than one could have imagined in the starting! Want to manage bids as third party consultant Summary RFI, RFQ, RFP, Bid manager, Large Deals, raising a Team For Proposals, Proposal making, What Ifs, Commercials, legal,