Hedging Strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hedging Strategies - Essay Example These payments must be made in Euros and hence, Virtual Books is exposed to potential exchange rate risk on these transactions. In order to mitigate and hedge this exchange rate risk, Virtual Books has various alternatives to eliminate this risk. The first alternative is that of Forward Contracts. A forward contract is an agreement between two parties to buy/sell a specified asset at a forward price at a specified date. Forward Contracts are just a commitment to deliver/take delivery of the said asset and at the time of agreement, there is no exchange. Hence the cost of entering into a forward contract is nothing. Other advantages of a forward contract include customization for the customer, and OTC trade. The major drawback is that this contract is an obligation which must be honored. In case it is not honored, the customer can go for or be taken to litigation. In the case of Virtual books, it can enter into a forward agreement with its bank to buy euros at a predetermined forward p rice. By doing so, they can eliminate the potential risk involved in taking a price on the day of the payment. There will obviously be an opportunity cost involved. Assuming that the market is above the forward price on the day of taking up the contract, the customer will be losing out on a potential gain.

Psychology Essays Amnesic Syndrome Amnesia

Psychology Essays Amnesic Syndrome Amnesia Amnesic Syndrome Amnesia Hypothetical amnesic syndrome single case intervention: Clive Wearing Amensia Amnesic Syndrome Amnesia is a general, classically used term essentially to describe the partial or total loss of memory. Due to the complexity of human memory functioning, several different types of amnesia exist, in particular, Amnesic Syndrome (A.S.) which, in its most coherent, is a cluster of amnesic symptoms. Amnesic syndrome is characterised by the permanent memory impairment which can occur in anterograde form the syndrome’s defining feature and retrograde form. Unlike general amnesic condition, the diagnostic origin of A.S. excludes degenerative disorders, for example Parkison’s; transient amnesias; and psychogenic disorders. The aetiology of A.S. include those brought on by (direct or indirect) injury to the brain and damage to any number of neuroanatomical locations responsible for memory functioning, namely subcortical areas the diencephalon, a major region of the brain that includes the third ventricle, thalamus, hypothalamus, and pituitary gland; and also cortical areas covering the medial surfaces of the temporal lobe, especially the hippocampus. Understanding the effects of this damage is possible in no small part to using the modular memory system approach and observing the pattern of preservation and loss in other words, what the patient is and is not capable of. It is understood that long term memory (LTM) is structured as to distinguish declarative memory of what we know to be as ‘fact’ from less explicitly accessible memory functioning such as those implicitly stored and that which is not pertaining to factual information, referred to as non-declarative memory. Aggleton Brown (1999) reported that both the subcortical and cortical locations, as mentioned above, are components of the same memory system concerned with the explicit, declarative memory. This declarative memory is made up of the subcategories episodic personal events one experiences; and semantic relating to vocabulary, language ability and object recognition. It is therefore clear that the damage suffered to part or all of these areas of the brain would largely affect the declarative memory of a patient, whilst leaving the implicit, non-declarative memory relatively unimpaired. This is true in cases of both anterograde and retrograde amnesic syndrome. There are also several non memory related characteristics of amnesia which appear in A.S., degrees of which depend on the origin of the syndrome, for instance the location of injury and which parts of the brain are affected. Characteristics include orientation, intellectual deficit and confabulation. Confabulation, sometimes referred to as ‘islands of confabulation’, describes the attempts made to rationalise memories (or voids in memory) in order to make sense to the self and others, which may involve the production of false information. Single Case: Clive Wearing Clive Wearing is considered by many to be the most sever case of amnesia. Once a renowned and eminent musician and musicologist, Clive was struck by an inflammatory brain infection herpes encephalitis, in March of 1985. An initial CT and subsequent MRI scan reported major and significant damage to the left temporal lobe, also extending into the inferior and posterior frontal lobe as well as damage to the medial side of the right temporal lobe. This was accompanied by indications of involvement of the left lateral ventricle and third ventricle part of the diencephalon, along with the almost complete destruction of the hippocampus. It is believed that these areas of damage are the cause of several behaviours Clive Wearing exhibited and continues to do so today. It is well reported that Clive (CW) has severe episodic memory dysfunction, resulting in retrograde amnesia for virtually the whole of his adult life and much of his childhood along with anterograde amnesia demonstrated by his incapacity for explicit learning. CW has become synonymous for his moment to moment consciousness whereby the period of seconds is lost in a perceptual time void and where perceived information is lost as soon as his eyes close quite literally in a blink only to be confronted with the experience of a completely new ‘awakening’ repeated many times. CW’s semantic memory, though generally preserved in A.S., showed evidence of impairment as he is unable to produce object names, define words and comprehend written material, instead lending himself towards confabulation. CW’s pattern of deficits in declarative memory can be explained by the neurological damage that he suffered. The major damage to the hippocampus (relatively destroying it) is the most likely cause of the severity of his amnesia, whereas the retrograde amnesia is attributed to the diencephalic damage, and semantic memory impairment adheres to the more widespread temporal lobe damage. Functioning and Indications for Intervention Contrary to CW’s deficit in declarative memory, his non declarative memory is left relatively unimpaired. There are many reports of CW’s implicit memory functioning, most notably his procedural memory for reading, playing, conducting and singing music which are practically preserved. Clive has, on more than one occasion, denied seeing a piece of music or even playing the piano, only to (when directed), sit down and play the piece and add â€Å"I remember this one†. Additional evidence for CW’s implicit memory comes from the first few years of his condition where he began to abbreviate his questions, he would only need to ask his wife ‘How long?’ to be understood as to what was meant, ‘How long have I been ill?’ suggesting an awareness, on some level, that the question has been asked before, as well as the knowledge of the fact that she knows what it means. Evidence for implicit learning comes from the report after eighteen months of his new home, where he has been taken for daily walks to feed the ducks, now asks ‘do the ducks want their tea?’ when prompted to put on his coat, ceasing to ask how long he has been ill a seven-year obsessive habit. Though his apparent disorientation, he has also gained other (purely) implicit memories like the layout of his residence where he is able to go to the bathroom, kitchen and dining room unsupervised. However, if he stops, gets distracted, or thinks en route he becomes lost. And though not able to describe his residence, his wife Deborah has reported how he will undo his seat belt and offer to get out and open the gate as they draw near. He is unable to explicitly identify the locations but is capable of action. The role of music in CW’s implicit learning is certainly an interesting one, as not only is his procedural memory relatively unimpaired but he is also capable, providing someone puts the music before him to get him into action, of learning and practicing new pieces. It is also reported that he also hummed something which he had not played for half an hour. This discovery is of great relevance to the following section on intervention as it suggests that this is could be down to rehearsal of it subvocally, perhaps reflecting use of the phonological loop process in memory encoding. Broca’s area is a relatively contained section in the inferior frontal gyrus of the frontal lobe and is namely responsible for the production of speech and sounds. There is little evidence to suggest of a deficit in CW’s ability to produce speech and sound and therefore any relative damage to this area, which in turn enables the seeming subvocal rehearsal that has been reported. Seeing as CW appears to have some phonological functioning and fairly preserved implicit memory, this seems a rational starting point for rehabilitative intervention. Proposed Intervention Whereas in previous clinical approaches where rehabilitation was usually based on a broad range of therapies (CBT, psychotherapy, etc), neuropsychological therapy tackles small areas either to test theories or to increase the understanding of a particular subject area. In the case CW, it is the impairment experienced involving disorientation that will be the focal point of this intervention. The intervention will operate at the level of impairment the specific problem being disorientation. In terms of the intervention mechanism restoring or reinstating the original function this seems very unlikely to be possible. The alternative therefore, is to instate an intervention mechanism that will utilise and develop existing capacities with the use of external aids and strategies to overcome the problem. Implicit learning of routes through basic repetition would not be recommended in this case. Instead, it would be preferable to use the available existing/surviving capacities (i.e. subvocal rehearsal and procedural memory) as this approach, if sufficiently effective, could be transferred for other possible applications in different situations. CW’s procedural memory of music lends itself extremely neatly to the notion of journeys and routes due to its formulative and progressive nature. CW’s wife Deborah speaks of the â€Å"momentum of music† where it is said that music, much like any route has steps, phrases, beginnings and ends (Wearing and Wilson, 1995). In an article, author and neurologist Oliver Sacks (2007) provides a compelling narrative of this momentum indicating the link of memory and melody: There is not a process of recalling, assembling, recategorizing, as when one attempts to reconstruct or remember an event or a scene from the past. We recall one tone at a time, and each tone entirely fills our consciousness yet simultaneously relates to the whole. It is similar when we walk or run or swim—we do so one step, one stroke at a time, yet each step or stroke is an integral part of the whole. Indeed, if we think of each note or step too consciously, we may lose the thread, the motor melody. (Sacks, 2007) In normal automatisation of procedural information which can range from making a cup of tea to driving a vehicle, the memory trace of each encounter is encoded and strengthened with each practise so that in future cases relevant information is retrieved quickly. In the case of CW this report suggests that a method of auditory mnemonic reduction encoding be used, set up with vanishing retrieval cues, gradually removed so as to encourage the strengthening of the mnemonic information in an errorless learning environment. Encoding with visual and auditory mnemonics has been shown to be very effective in the development of creating links and encoding memorable retrieval cues (e.g. Burrows Solomon, 1975; Sharps Price, 1991; Haan et al., 2000) and provides a supported approach to the proposal intervention. The use of vanishing cues enables a ‘length’ of information to be divided into a number of relevant cues that are subsequently and gradually removed, thus resulting in a scope of learnt information which may require very few or even no recall cues. Errorless learning has been effective in a number memory-impairment cases (e.g. Tailby Haslam, 2003; Page et al., 2006), where errorless learning employs a 100% correct response technique in strengthening memory traces. Single Case Design Proposal Neuropsychological intervention of any sort would usually naturally happen once the patient starts to demonstrate gaining a sense of normal functioning, that is after the initial period of spontaneous recovering has occurred, as initiating intervention during this time of innate recovery is not suggestible results may show absent or false improvement. In the case of CW however, this is not an area of concern. The intervention will operate with auditory mnemonics and vanishing cues. It will be a tri-level multiple baseline design as to assess its effectiveness across and between situations. Three routes / journeys will be decided upon in relation to CW’s most important or habitual preferences. For the purpose of this proposal the three routes will be that from his room: (a) to the dining room (b) to the hall the location of his piano and (c) outside via fire escape route. The initial phase of the intervention will be reporting the baseline measurement for each route. This will be the amount of time it takes CW to get from his room to the each of the destinations, observations will also be made as of any experiences of disorientation and if so note down where along the route and how often they occur, using several measures maximise the stability of the assessment as they will be compared with the results of the intervention phase. The measurement phase will continue for 1 month before the first-level intervention is employed. The second phase will start with the implementation of the first-level intervention for the first situation (a). The route that CW takes will be marked off using posters showing a coloured symbol (e.g. a green triangle) at significant points. CW will also have accompanied with him a device that allows him to play a single relatively short melody, one that he is familiar with. This will then be set to repeat, although it is assumed that one piece played from start to finish should last for more than sufficient time than it takes him to reach his destination in this case the dinning room. During this time CW is encouraged to hum or sing the melody out loud. This first-level intervention for the first situation will continue for 2 months and measurements will be taken following the same concept as those in the baseline phase. Following this will be the second-level intervention where the visual cues (green triangles) are gradually removed in suitable order so that there are no significantly unequal ‘gaps’ in cues along the route. CW will at this time still be encouraged to play and hum to the chosen melody along the route. This phase will be carried out over a total of 2 months, again, whilst measurements are taken. The third-level intervention will entail CW not having access to the melody playing device, however he will still be encouraged to hum or sing what could be referred to at this point as the ‘dinning room melody’. Measurements will be carried out as previously done. This stage will continue for 1 month and then conclude the second phase of the intervention. After which the additional two routes will be initiated in sequence following the example of the first situation. A summarised list of the programme will look as follows. Phase 1 Multiple baseline recording Measurements are taken across all situations (length: 1 month) Phase 2 Intervention of first situation (a) to dinning room Level 1 melody played with cues (length: 2 months) Level 2 cues gradually removed (length: 2 months) Level 3 melody device removed (length: 1 month) Phase 3 Intervention of second situation (b) to hall Level 1 melody played with cues (length: 2 months) Level 2 cues gradually removed (length: 2 months) Level 3 melody device removed (length: 1 month) Phase 4 Intervention of third situation (c) fire escape route Level 1 melody played with cues (length: 2 months) Level 2 cues gradually removed (length: 2 months) Level 3 melody device removed (length: 1 month) Phase 5 Assessment of results The appendix includes graphs that represent three possible outcomes of the intervention. The first in Appendix 1 demonstrates a successful intervention, evaluation of which will be discussed below. The second in Appendix 2 illustrates a clearly unsuccessful intervention whereas the third in Appendix 3 illustrates the possible results of a temporary positive effect of intervention followed by a decline in improved performance. Signs that the intervention is successful will be a significant improvement in performance compare with baseline measurements. That is not necessarily to say that route-taking will be quicker, but that incidence of disorientation would have been significantly reduced. The proposed evaluation of the intervention will consist of checking whether it has been successful in its aim and the reasons behind this outcome. If an improvement has been demonstrated it must be examined as to the source of change. Sources of change vary in terms of the circumstances of the case, for instance spontaneous recovery and innate brain recovery at this stage of the condition is highly unlikely and would have been captured in baseline measurements. General treatment effects i.e. what happens in CW’s home such as care and interactions are also another source of change which, in other cases may be an affect. The length of the intervention may allow changes in circumstance to affect performance. Major changes of this sort are unlikely however it would still be advisable to report any relevant changes. If an improvement has not been affirmed the intervention will be seen as not effective. This doesn’t necessarily that the theoretical basis was at fault, the judgement of available case information may not have been sufficient. Problematic methodology could also be a cause. If the phases (and containing levels of aid) of the intervention were not carried out for long enough, or correctly the effectiveness of the proposed intervention would be compromised. Providing the intervention was successful and improvement was made, it would be critical to examine the genuine extent to which the person’s life had changed for the better. This could take the form of improved functioning, increased independence and improved sense of well-being. It would also be relevant to examine the capacity to generalise the principle for application in other situations. The nature of the proposed multiple baseline design allows, on demonstration of positive results, that the intervention could be applied to similar situations and even for use in other cases of similar patients with A.S. References Aggleton, J. P., and Brown, M. W. (1999) Episodic memory, amnesia, and the hippocampal-anterior thalamic axis. Behavioral and Brain Sciences. 22 (4). pp. 425-440 Burrows, D. and Solomon, B. A. (1975). Parallel scanning of auditory and visual information. Memory and Cognition. 3 (4). pp. 416-420. Haan, E. H. F., Appels, B., Aleman, A. and Postma, A. (2000). Inter-and intra-modal encoding of auditory and visual presentation of material: Effects on memory performance. The Psychological Record. 50 (3). pp. 577-86. Page, M., Wilson, B. A, Shiel, A., Carter, G. and Norris, D. (2006) What is the locus of the errorless-learning advantage? Neuropsychologia. 44 (1). pp. 90-100 Sacks, O. (2007) The Abyss; A Neurologists Notebook. The New Yorker. New York. 83 (28). pp.100. Sharps, M. J. and Price, J. L. (1991). Auditory imagery and free recall. The Journal of General Psychology. 119 (1). pp. 81-87. Tailby. R. and Haslam C. (2003) An investigation of errorless learning in memory-impaired patients: improving the technique and clarifying theory. Neuropsychologia. 41 (9). pp. 1230-40. Wilson, B.A. and Wearing, D. (1995) Prisoner of Consciousness: A state of just awakening following Herpes Simplex Encephalitis, In Campbell, R. Conway, M. Broken Memories: Neuropsychological Case Studies. Oxford: Blackwell. pp. 15-30

The Long and the Short and the Tall by Willas Hall Essay -- Long Short

"The Long and the Short and the Tall" by Willas Hall The play is set in the Malayan Jungle during the Japanese advance on Singapore in 1942. Seven British soldiers have different power due to the ranking hierarchy and they have different attitudes to one another. Sergeant Mitchem is the leader of the soldiers. He is a responsible and good leader which is evident due to him stopping many quarrels among his men and making decisions. For example, when Corporal Johnston and Private Bamforth are having an argument, Mitchem stops the argument by saying ‘Right. Pack it in. Both of you’. Next we have Corporal Johnstone, who is second in power to Sergeant Mitchem. It is obvious that Johnstone does not have the respect that Mitchem has. This is because Bamforth has many arguments with him and does not follow his orders efficiently. One example of a quarrel between the two is when Johnstone tells Bamforth to ‘Get your pack on!’ Bamforth then responds saying ‘you going to inspect us, corp.?’ The next highest in the hierarchy is L/Corporal Macleish. He is a Scotsman and has regular arguments with Bamforth. In one argument Bamforth called Macleish a ‘Scotch Haggis’. Macleish responds telling Bamforth to ‘Watch your mouth’. However this only encourages Bamforth to continue by saying ‘Aw, come off it, son. Where I come from it’s just a name’. Then we have the four Privates. Private Whitaker operates the radio and is very shy. However, at the near end of the play Whitaker shoots the Japanese soldier because he advanced on him. Private Evans is a Welshman and is just as pathetic as Whitaker. When Corporal Johnstone tells him to kill the prisoner as soon as he is captured using the bayonet of the gun, Evans steps back a... ...ho we initially disliked at the beginning of the play, turned out to be the sole form of morality within the group of soldiers. Thus, we later learned to respect him and his defence of a person in a war situation who greatly needed it. However, how do we know whether the Japanese will not treat the English prisoner in the same way that we treated their prisoner. How interesting that Mitchem and Johnstone held back Bamforth from stopping Whitaker killing the prisoner. This means that even after all of Bamforth’s efforts, they still wanted to have the prisoner killed. Eventually, the unity of Sergeant Mitchem’s men is affected because they all turn against Private Bamforth and the soldier. If there was not the presence of the prisoner then the soldiers would operate in their usual way with Bamforth rebelling and not displaying any changes in his character.

The Da Vinci Code Chapter 44-47

CHAPTER 44 â€Å"Ten digits,† Sophie said, her cryptologic senses tingling as she studied the printout. 13-3-2-21-1-1-8-5 Grand-pere wrote his account number on the Louvre floor! When Sophie had first seen the scrambled Fibonacci sequence on the parquet, she had assumed its sole purpose was to encourage DCPJ to call in their cryptographers and get Sophie involved.Later, she realized the numbers were also a clue as to how to decipher the other lines – a sequence out of order†¦a numeric anagram.Now, utterly amazed, she saw the numbers had a more important meaning still. They were almost certainly the final key to opening her grandfather's mysterious safe- deposit box. â€Å"He was the master of double-entendres,† Sophie said, turning to Langdon. â€Å"He loved anything with multiple layers of meaning. Codes within codes.† Langdon was already moving toward the electronic podium near the conveyor belt. Sophie grabbed the computer printout and followed. The podium had a keypad similar to that of a bank ATM terminal. The screen displayed the bank's cruciform logo. Beside the keypad was a triangular hole. Sophie wasted no time inserting the shaft of her key into the hole. The screen refreshed instantly. ACCOUNT NUMBER: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ The cursor blinked. Waiting. Ten digits.Sophie read the numbers off the printout, and Langdon typed them in. ACCOUNT NUMBER: 1 3 3 2 2 1 1 1 8 5 When he had typed the last digit, the screen refreshed again. A message in several languages appeared. English was on top. CAUTION: Before you strike the enter key, please check the accuracy of your account number. For your own security, if the computer does not recognize your account number, this system will automatically shut down. â€Å"Fonction terminer,†Sophie said, frowning. â€Å"Looks like we only get one try.† Standard ATM machines allowed users three attempts to type a PIN before confiscating their bank card. This was obviously no ordinary cash machine. â€Å"The number looks right,† Langdon confirmed, carefully checking what they had typed and comparing it to the printout. He motioned to the ENTER key. â€Å"Fire away.† Sophie extended her index finger toward the keypad, but hesitated, an odd thought now hitting her. â€Å"Go ahead,† Langdon urged. â€Å"Vernet will be back soon.† â€Å"No.† She pulled her hand away. â€Å"This isn't the right account number.† â€Å"Of course it is! Ten digits. What else would it be?† â€Å"It's too random.† Too random? Langdon could not have disagreed more. Every bank advised its customers to choose PINs at random so nobody could guess them. Certainly clients here would be advised to choose their account numbers at random. Sophie deleted everything she had just typed in and looked up at Langdon, her gaze self-assured.† It's far too coincidental that this supposedly random account number could be rearranged to form the Fibonacci sequence.† Langdon realized she had a point. Earlier, Sophie had rearranged this account number into the Fibonacci sequence. What were the odds of being able to do that? Sophie was at the keypad again, entering a different number, as if from memory. â€Å"Moreover, with my grandfather's love of symbolism and codes, it seems to follow that he would have chosen an account number that had meaning to him, something he could easily remember.† She finished typing the entry and gave a sly smile. â€Å"Something that appeared random†¦ but was not.† Langdon looked at the screen. ACCOUNT NUMBER: 1123581321 It took him an instant, but when Langdon spotted it, he knew she was right. The Fibonacci sequence. 1-1-2-3-5-8-13-21 When the Fibonacci sequence was melded into a single ten-digit number, it became virtually unrecognizable. Easy to remember, and yet seemingly random.A brilliant ten-digit code that Sauniere would never forget. Furthermore, it perfectly explained why the scrambled numbers on the Louvre floor could be rearranged to form the famous progression. Sophie reached down and pressed the ENTER key. Nothing happened. At least nothing they could detect. At that moment, beneath them, in the bank's cavernous subterranean vault, a robotic claw sprang to life. Sliding on a double-axis transport system attached to the ceiling, the claw headed off in search of the proper coordinates. On the cement floor below, hundreds of identical plastic crates lay aligned on an enormous grid†¦ like rows of small coffins in an underground crypt. Whirring to a stop over the correct spot on the floor, the claw dropped down, an electric eye confirming the bar code on the box. Then, with computer precision, the claw grasped the heavy handle and hoisted the crate vertically. New gears engaged, and the claw transported the box to the far side of the vault, coming to a stop over a stationary conveyor belt. Gently now, the retrieval arm set down the crate and retracted. Once the arm was clear, the conveyor belt whirred to life†¦ . Upstairs, Sophie and Langdon exhaled in relief to see the conveyor belt move. Standing beside the belt, they felt like weary travelers at baggage claim awaiting a mysterious piece of luggage whose contents were unknown. The conveyor belt entered the room on their right through a narrow slit beneath a retractable door. The metal door slid up, and a huge plastic box appeared, emerging from the depths on the inclined conveyor belt. The box was black, heavy molded plastic, and far larger than she imagined. It looked like an air-freight pet transport crate without any air holes. The box coasted to a stop directly in front of them. Langdon and Sophie stood there, silent, staring at the mysterious container. Like everything else about this bank, this crate was industrial – metal clasps, a bar code sticker on top, and molded heavy-duty handle. Sophie thought it looked like a giant toolbox. Wasting no time, Sophie unhooked the two buckles facing her. Then she glanced over at Langdon. Together, they raised the heavy lid and let it fall back. Stepping forward, they peered down into the crate. At first glance, Sophie thought the crate was empty. Then she saw something. Sitting at the bottom of the crate. A lone item. The polished wooden box was about the size of a shoebox and had ornate hinges. The wood was a lustrous deep purple with a strong grain. Rosewood, Sophie realized. Her grandfather's favorite. The lid bore a beautiful inlaid design of a rose. She and Langdon exchanged puzzled looks. Sophie leaned in and grabbed the box, lifting it out. My God, it's heavy! She carried it gingerly to a large receiving table and set it down. Langdon stood beside her, both of them staring at the small treasure chest her grandfather apparently had sent them to retrieve. Langdon stared in wonderment at the lid's hand-carved inlay – a five-petal rose. He had seen this type of rose many times. â€Å"The five-petal rose,† he whispered,† is a Priory symbol for the Holy Grail.† Sophie turned and looked at him. Langdon could see what she was thinking, and he was thinking it too. The dimensions of the box, the apparent weight of its contents, and a Priory symbol for the Grail all seemed to imply one unfathomable conclusion. The Cup of Christ is in this wooden box. Langdon again told himself it was impossible. â€Å"It's a perfect size,† Sophie whispered,† to hold†¦ a chalice.† It can't be a chalice. Sophie pulled the box toward her across the table, preparing to open it. As she moved it, though, something unexpected happened. The box let out an odd gurgling sound. Langdon did a double take. There's liquid inside? Sophie looked equally confused. â€Å"Did you just hear†¦ ?† Langdon nodded, lost. â€Å"Liquid.† Reaching forward, Sophie slowly unhooked the clasp and raised the lid. The object inside was unlike anything Langdon had ever seen. One thing was immediately clear to both of them, however. This was definitely not the Cup of Christ. CHAPTER 45 â€Å"The police are blocking the street,† Andre Vernet said, walking into the waiting room. â€Å"Getting you out will be difficult.† As he closed the door behind him, Vernet saw the heavy-duty plastic case on the conveyor belt and halted in his tracks. My God! They accessed Sauniere's account? Sophie and Langdon were at the table, huddling over what looked to be a large wooden jewelry box. Sophie immediately closed the lid and looked up. â€Å"We had the account number after all,† she said. Vernet was speechless. This changed everything. He respectfully diverted his eyes from the box and tried to figure out his next move. I have to get them out of the bank! But with the police already having set up a roadblock, Vernet could imagine only one way to do that. â€Å"Mademoiselle Neveu, if I can get you safely out of the bank, will you be taking the item with you or returning it to the vault before you leave?† Sophie glanced at Langdon and then back to Vernet. â€Å"We need to take it.† Vernet nodded. â€Å"Very well. Then whatever the item is, I suggest you wrap it in your jacket as we move through the hallways. I would prefer nobody else see it.† As Langdon shed his jacket, Vernet hurried over to the conveyor belt, closed the now empty crate, and typed a series of simple commands. The conveyor belt began moving again, carrying the plastic container back down to the vault. Pulling the gold key from the podium, he handed it to Sophie. â€Å"This way please. Hurry.† When they reached the rear loading dock, Vernet could see the flash of police lights filtering through the underground garage. He frowned. They were probably blocking the ramp. Am I really going to try to pull this off? He was sweating now. Vernet motioned to one of the bank's small armored trucks. Transport sur was another service offered by the Depository Bank of Zurich. â€Å"Get in the cargo hold,† he said, heaving open the massive rear door and motioning to the glistening steel compartment. â€Å"I'll be right back.† As Sophie and Langdon climbed in, Vernet hurried across the loading dock to the dock overseer's office, let himself in, collected the keys for the truck, and found a driver's uniform jacket and cap. Shedding his own suit coat and tie, he began to put on the driver's jacket. Reconsidering, he donned a shoulder holster beneath the uniform. On his way out, he grabbed a driver's pistol from the rack, put in a clip, and stuffed it in the holster, buttoning his uniform over it. Returning to the truck, Vernet pulled the driver's cap down low and peered in at Sophie and Langdon, who were standing inside the empty steel box. â€Å"You'll want this on,† Vernet said, reaching inside and flicking a wall switch to illuminate the lone courtesy bulb on the hold's ceiling. â€Å"And you'd better sit down. Not a sound on our way out the gate.† Sophie and Langdon sat down on the metal floor. Langdon cradled the treasure wadded in his tweed jacket. Swinging the heavy doors closed, Vernet locked them inside. Then he got in behind the wheel and revved the engine. As the armored truck lumbered toward the top of the ramp, Vernet could feel the sweat already collecting beneath his driver's cap. He could see there were far more police lights in front than he had imagined. As the truck powered up the ramp, the interior gate swung inward to let him pass. Vernet advanced and waited while the gate behind him closed before pulling forward and tripping the next sensor. The second gate opened, and the exit beckoned. Except for the police car blocking the top of the ramp. Vernet dabbed his brow and pulled forward. A lanky officer stepped out and waved him to a stop a few meters from the roadblock. Four patrol cars were parked out front. Vernet stopped. Pulling his driver's cap down farther, he effected as rough a facade as his cultured upbringing would allow. Not budging from behind the wheel, he opened the door and gazed down at the agent, whose face was stern and sallow. â€Å"Qu'est-ce qui se passe?† Vernet asked, his tone rough. â€Å"Je suis Jerome Collet,† the agent said. â€Å"Lieutenant Police Judiciaire.† He motioned to the truck's cargo hold. â€Å"Qu'est-ce qu'ily a la dedans?† â€Å"Hell if I know,† Vernet replied in crude French. â€Å"I'm only a driver.† Collet looked unimpressed. â€Å"We're looking for two criminals.† Vernet laughed. â€Å"Then you came to the right spot. Some of these bastards I drive for have so much money they must be criminals.† The agent held up a passport picture of Robert Langdon. â€Å"Was this man in your bank tonight?† Vernet shrugged. â€Å"No clue. I'm a dock rat. They don't let us anywhere near the clients. You need to go in and ask the front desk.† â€Å"Your bank is demanding a search warrant before we can enter.† Vernet put on a disgusted look. â€Å"Administrators. Don't get me started.† â€Å"Open your truck, please.† Collet motioned toward the cargo hold. Vernet stared at the agent and forced an obnoxious laugh. â€Å"Open the truck? You think I have keys? You think they trust us? You should see the crap wages I get paid.† The agent's head tilted to one side, his skepticism evident. â€Å"You're telling me you don't have keys to your own truck?† Vernet shook his head. â€Å"Not the cargo area. Ignition only. These trucks get sealed by overseers on the loading dock. Then the truck sits in dock while someone drives the cargo keys to the drop-off. Once we get the call that the cargo keys are with the recipient, then I get the okay to drive. Not a second before. I never know what the hell I'm lugging.† â€Å"When was this truck sealed?† â€Å"Must have been hours ago. I'm driving all the way up to St. Thurial tonight. Cargo keys are already up there.† The agent made no response, his eyes probing as if trying to read Vernet's mind. A drop of sweat was preparing to slide down Vernet's nose. â€Å"You mind?† he said, wiping his nose with his sleeve and motioning to the police car blocking his way. â€Å"I'm on a tight schedule.† â€Å"Do all the drivers wear Rolexes?† the agent asked, pointing to Vernet's wrist. Vernet glanced down and saw the glistening band of his absurdly expensive watch peeking out from beneath the sleeve of his jacket. Merde. â€Å"This piece of shit? Bought it for twenty euro from a Taiwanese street vendor in St. Germain des Pres. I'll sell it to you for forty.† The agent paused and finally stepped aside. â€Å"No thanks. Have a safe trip.† Vernet did not breathe again until the truck was a good fifty meters down the street. And now he had another problem. His cargo. Where do I take them? CHAPTER 46 Silas lay prone on the canvas mat in his room, allowing the lash wounds on his back to clot in the air. Tonight's second session with the Discipline had left him dizzy and weak. He had yet to remove the cilice belt, and he could feel the blood trickling down his inner thigh. Still, he could not justify removing the strap. I have failed the Church. Far worse, I have failed the bishop. Tonight was supposed to be Bishop Aringarosa's salvation. Five months ago, the bishop had returned from a meeting at the Vatican Observatory, where he had learned something that left him deeply changed. Depressed for weeks, Aringarosa had finally shared the news with Silas. â€Å"But this is impossible!† Silas had cried out. â€Å"I cannot accept it!† â€Å"It is true,† Aringarosa said. â€Å"Unthinkable, but true. In only six months.† The bishop's words terrified Silas. He prayed for deliverance, and even in those dark days, his trust in God and The Way never wavered. It was only a month later that the clouds parted miraculously and the light of possibility shone through. Divine intervention, Aringarosa had called it. The bishop had seemed hopeful for the first time. â€Å"Silas,† he whispered,† God has bestowed upon us an opportunity to protect The Way. Our battle, like all battles, will take sacrifice. Will you be a soldier of God?† Silas fell to his knees before Bishop Aringarosa – the man who had given him a new life – and he said,† I am a lamb of God. Shepherd me as your heart commands.† When Aringarosa described the opportunity that had presented itself, Silas knew it could only be the hand of God at work. Miraculous fate! Aringarosa put Silas in contact with the man who had proposed the plan – a man who called himself the Teacher. Although the Teacher and Silas never met face-to-face, each time they spoke by phone, Silas was awed, both by the profundity of the Teacher's faith and by the scope of his power. The Teacher seemed to be a man who knew all, a man with eyes and ears in all places. How the Teacher gathered his information, Silas did not know, but Aringarosa had placed enormous trust in the Teacher, and he had told Silas to do the same. â€Å"Do as the Teacher commands you,† the bishop told Silas. â€Å"And we will be victorious.† Victorious.Silas now gazed at the bare floor and feared victory had eluded them. The Teacher had been tricked. The keystone was a devious dead end. And with the deception, all hope had vanished. Silas wished he could call Bishop Aringarosa and warn him, but the Teacher had removed all their lines of direct communication tonight. For our safety. Finally, overcoming enormous trepidation, Silas crawled to his feet and found his robe, which lay on the floor. He dug his cell phone from the pocket. Hanging his head in shame, he dialed. â€Å"Teacher,† he whispered,† all is lost.† Silas truthfully told the man how he had been tricked.† You lose your faith too quickly,† the Teacher replied. â€Å"I have just received news. Most unexpected and welcome. The secret lives. Jacques Sauniere transferred information before he died. I will call you soon. Our work tonight is not yet done.† CHAPTER 47 Riding inside the dimly lit cargo hold of the armored truck was like being transported inside a cell for solitary confinement. Langdon fought the all too familiar anxiety that haunted him in confined spaces. Vernet said he would take us a safe distance out of the city.Where? How far? Langdon's legs had gotten stiff from sitting cross-legged on the metal floor, and he shifted his position, wincing to feel the blood pouring back into his lower body. In his arms, he still clutched the bizarre treasure they had extricated from the bank. â€Å"I think we're on the highway now,† Sophie whispered. Langdon sensed the same thing. The truck, after an unnerving pause atop the bank ramp, had moved on, snaking left and right for a minute or two, and was now accelerating to what felt like top speed. Beneath them, the bulletproof tires hummed on smooth pavement. Forcing his attention to the rosewood box in his arms, Langdon laid the precious bundle on the floor, unwrapped his jacket, and extracted the box, pulling it toward him. Sophie shifted her position so they were sitting side by side. Langdon suddenly felt like they were two kids huddled over a Christmas present. In contrast to the warm colors of the rosewood box, the inlaid rose had been crafted of a pale wood, probably ash, which shone clearly in the dim light. The Rose.Entire armies and religions had been built on this symbol, as had secret societies. The Rosicrucians.The Knights of the Rosy Cross. â€Å"Go ahead,† Sophie said. â€Å"Open it.† Langdon took a deep breath. Reaching for the lid, he stole one more admiring glance at the intricate woodwork and then, unhooking the clasp, he opened the lid, revealing the object within. Langdon had harbored several fantasies about what they might find inside this box, but clearly he had been wrong on every account. Nestled snugly inside the box's heavily padded interior of crimson silk lay an object Langdon could not even begin to comprehend. Crafted of polished white marble, it was a stone cylinder approximately the dimensions of a tennis ball can. More complicated than a simple column of stone, however, the cylinder appeared to have been assembled in many pieces. Six doughnut-sized disks of marble had been stacked and affixed to one another within a delicate brass framework. It looked like some kind of tubular, multi-wheeled kaleidoscope. Each end of the cylinder was affixed with an end cap, also marble, making it impossible to see inside. Having heard liquid within, Langdon assumed the cylinder was hollow. As mystifying as the construction of the cylinder was, however, it was the engravings around the tube's circumference that drew Langdon's primary focus. Each of the six disks had been carefully carved with the same unlikely series of letters – the entire alphabet. The lettered cylinder reminded Langdon of one of his childhood toys – a rod threaded with lettered tumblers that could be rotated to spell different words. â€Å"Amazing, isn't it?† Sophie whispered. Langdon glanced up. â€Å"I don't know. What the hell is it?† Now there was a glint in Sophie's eye. â€Å"My grandfather used to craft these as a hobby. They were invented by Leonardo Da Vinci.† Even in the diffuse light, Sophie could see Langdon's surprise. â€Å"Da Vinci?† he muttered, looking again at the canister.† Yes. It's called a cryptex.According to my grandfather, the blueprints come from one of Da Vinci's secret diaries.† â€Å"What is it for?† Considering tonight's events, Sophie knew the answer might have some interesting implications. â€Å"It's a vault,† she said. â€Å"For storing secret information.† Langdon's eyes widened further. Sophie explained that creating models of Da Vinci's inventions was one of her grandfather's best-loved hobbies. A talented craftsman who spent hours in his wood and metal shop, Jacques Sauniere enjoyed imitating master craftsmen – Faberge, assorted cloisonne artisans, and the less artistic, but far more practical, Leonardo Da Vinci. Even a cursory glance through Da Vinci's journals revealed why the luminary was as notorious for his lack of follow-through as he was famous for his brilliance. Da Vinci had drawn up blueprints for hundreds of inventions he had never built. One of Jacques Sauniere's favorite pastimes was bringing Da Vinci's more obscure brainstorms to life – timepieces, water pumps, cryptexes, and even a fully articulated model of a medieval French knight, which now stood proudly on the desk in his office. Designed by Da Vinci in 1495 as an outgrowth of his earliest anatomy and kinesiology studies, the internal mechanism of the robot knight possessed accurate joints and tendons, and was designed to sit up, wave its arms, and move its head via a flexible neck while opening and closing an anatomically correct jaw. This armor-clad knight, Sophie had always believed, was the most beautiful object her grandfather had ever built†¦ that was, until she had seen the cryptex in this rosewood box. â€Å"He made me one of these when I was little,† Sophie said. â€Å"But I've never seen one so ornate and large.† Langdon's eyes had never left the box. â€Å"I've never heard of a cryptex.† Sophie was not surprised. Most of Leonardo's unbuilt inventions had never been studied or even named. The term cryptex possibly had been her grandfather's creation, an apt title for this device that used the science of cryptology to protect information written on the contained scroll or codex. Da Vinci had been a cryptology pioneer, Sophie knew, although he was seldom given credit. Sophie's university instructors, while presenting computer encryption methods for securing data, praised modern cryptologists like Zimmerman and Schneier but failed to mention that it was Leonardo who had invented one of the first rudimentary forms of public key encryption centuries ago. Sophie's grandfather, of course, had been the one to tell her all about that. As their armored truck roared down the highway, Sophie explained to Langdon that the cryptex had been Da Vinci's solution to the dilemma of sending secure messages over long distances. In an era without telephones or e-mail, anyone wanting to convey private information to someone far away had no option but to write it down and then trust a messenger to carry the letter. Unfortunately, if a messenger suspected the letter might contain valuable information, he could make far more money selling the information to adversaries than he could delivering the letter properly. Many great minds in history had invented cryptologic solutions to the challenge of data protection: Julius Caesar devised a code-writing scheme called the Caesar Box; Mary, Queen of Scots created a transposition cipher and sent secret communiques from prison; and the brilliant Arab scientist Abu Yusuf Ismail al-Kindi protected his secrets with an ingeniously conceived polyalphabetic substitution cipher. Da Vinci, however, eschewed mathematics and cryptology for a mechanical solution. The cryptex. A portable container that could safeguard letters, maps, diagrams, anything at all. Once information was sealed inside the cryptex, only the individual with the proper password could access it. â€Å"We require a password,† Sophie said, pointing out the lettered dials. â€Å"A cryptex works much like a bicycle's combination lock. If you align the dials in the proper position, the lock slides open. This cryptex has five lettered dials. When you rotate them to their proper sequence, the tumblers inside align, and the entire cylinder slides apart.† â€Å"And inside?† â€Å"Once the cylinder slides apart, you have access to a hollow central compartment, which can hold a scroll of paper on which is the information you want to keep private.† Langdon looked incredulous. â€Å"And you say your grandfather built these for you when you were younger?† â€Å"Some smaller ones, yes. A couple times for my birthday, he gave me a cryptex and told me a riddle. The answer to the riddle was the password to the cryptex, and once I figured it out, I could open it up and find my birthday card.† â€Å"A lot of work for a card.† â€Å"No, the cards always contained another riddle or clue. My grandfather loved creating elaborate treasure hunts around our house, a string of clues that eventually led to my real gift. Each treasure hunt was a test of character and merit, to ensure I earned my rewards. And the tests were never simple.† Langdon eyed the device again, still looking skeptical. â€Å"But why not just pry it apart? Or smash it? The metal looks delicate, and marble is a soft rock.† Sophie smiled. â€Å"Because Da Vinci is too smart for that. He designed the cryptex so that if you try to force it open in any way, the information self-destructs. Watch.† Sophie reached into the box and carefully lifted out the cylinder. â€Å"Any information to be inserted is first written on a papyrus scroll.† â€Å"Not vellum?† Sophie shook her head. â€Å"Papyrus. I know sheep's vellum was more durable and more common in those days, but it had to be papyrus. The thinner the better.† â€Å"Okay.† â€Å"Before the papyrus was inserted into the cryptex's compartment, it was rolled around a delicate glass vial.† She tipped the cryptex, and the liquid inside gurgled. â€Å"A vial of liquid.† â€Å"Liquid what?† Sophie smiled. â€Å"Vinegar.† Langdon hesitated a moment and then began nodding. â€Å"Brilliant.† Vinegar and papyrus, Sophie thought. If someone attempted to force open the cryptex, the glass vial would break, and the vinegar would quickly dissolve the papyrus. By the time anyone extracted the secret message, it would be a glob of meaningless pulp. â€Å"As you can see,† Sophie told him,† the only way to access the information inside is to know the proper five-letter password. And with five dials, each with twenty-six letters, that's twenty-six to the fifth power.† She quickly estimated the permutations. â€Å"Approximately twelve million possibilities.† â€Å"If you say so,† Langdon said, looking like he had approximately twelve million questions running through his head. â€Å"What information do you think is inside?† â€Å"Whatever it is, my grandfather obviously wanted very badly to keep it secret.† She paused, closing the box lid and eyeing the five-petal Rose inlaid on it. Something was bothering her. â€Å"Did you say earlier that the Rose is a symbol for the Grail?† â€Å"Exactly. In Priory symbolism, the Rose and the Grail are synonymous.† Sophie furrowed her brow. â€Å"That's strange, because my grandfather always told me the Rose meant secrecy.He used to hang a rose on his office door at home when he was having a confidential phone call and didn't want me to disturb him. He encouraged me to do the same.† Sweetie, her grandfather said, rather than lock each other out, we can each hang a rose – la fleur des secrets – on our door when we need privacy.This way we learn to respect and trust each other.Hanging a rose is an ancient Roman custom. â€Å"Sub rosa,†Langdon said. â€Å"The Romans hung a rose over meetings to indicate the meeting was confidential. Attendees understood that whatever was said under the rose – or sub rosa – had to remain a secret.† Langdon quickly explained that the Rose's overtone of secrecy was not the only reason the Priory used it as a symbol for the Grail. Rosa rugosa, one of the oldest species of rose, had five petals and pentagonal symmetry, just like the guiding star of Venus, giving the Rose strong iconographic ties to womanhood.In addition, the Rose had close ties to the concept of† true direction† and navigating one's way. The Compass Rose helped travelers navigate, as did Rose Lines, the longitudinal lines on maps. For this reason, the Rose was a symbol that spoke of the Grail on many levels – secrecy, womanhood, and guidance – the feminine chalice and guiding star that led to secret truth. As Langdon finished his explanation, his expression seemed to tighten suddenly. â€Å"Robert? Are you okay?† His eyes were riveted to the rosewood box. â€Å"Sub†¦rosa,†he choked, a fearful bewilderment sweeping across his face. â€Å"It can't be.† â€Å"What?† Langdon slowly raised his eyes. â€Å"Under the sign of the Rose,† he whispered. â€Å"This cryptex†¦ I think I know what it is.†

Manager Role-Henry Mintzberg’s Management Roles Essay

There are three type levels of managers which are top level manager, middle manager, and first-line manager. Managers carry out functions, roles and skills. Management functions are planning, organizing, leading and controlling as stated by Henri Fayol. However, Henry Mintzberg defined management roles into three parts which are interpersonal roles, informational roles, and decisional roles. Besides, Robert L. Katz states that managers need three essential skills or competencies which are technical skills, human skills, and conceptual skills. The objective of this essay is to discuss the roles of manager in practice relate to Henry Mintzberg’s management roles. Based on the interview, it was found that the manager actually put into practice the skill introduced by Henry Mintzberg. Following discussion will be relates the manager interviewed with Mintzberg’s management roles. Description of the manager interviewed The manager interviewed (Ms. Ong) is thirty-five years old and has a marketing degree. She had been involved in managerial position for nine years. Now, she is the Corporate Affairs Manager in her current company, which is a position of middle manager. This company relates to communications technology. It is a multinational company which operate local and internationally. Instead, she has to plan and organize events to enhance relationship with business partners and customers. This is to ensure the company keeps on track with the suppliers and buyers from time to time on the updated products and services. Besides, she plan and organize the customer’s satisfaction survey to ensure customers satisfaction maintained at all times. Due to the survey, it is to improve and maintain the company’s reputation among customers. Her greatest achievement in the company is developed a new website for the group. She is maintaining the website to ensure the news is up to date. Definition and introduction to Mintzberg’s management roles The term management roles refers to specific categories of managerial behaviour (Robbins et al, 2006). From this sagacity, it shows the different roles have different behaviours are expected in different position. In Mintzberg’s ten management roles, he grouped the roles in three categories. First, those who concerned with interpersonal relationships (Interpersonal), follow up with those who concerned with the transfer information (Informational), and those who concerned with decision making (Decisional). Firstly, interpersonal roles required to perform duties that involve people and other duties that are ceremonial and symbolic in nature (Robbins et al, 2006). There are three interpersonal roles, which are figurehead role, leader role, and liaison role. These interpersonal roles are primarily concerned with provide information. Secondly, informational roles are managerial roles that involve receiving, collecting and disseminating information (Robbins et al, 2006). There are three informational roles, which are monitor role, disseminator role, and spokesperson role. It is primarily concerned with the information process with the information aspects of managerial works. Thirdly, Mintzberg identified decisional roles which revolve around making decisions (Robbins et al, 2006). This is the unique access of using information to the organizational decision making. There are four decisional roles, which are entrepreneur role, disturbance handler role, resource allocator role, and negotiator role. The top managers will make the decisions for the organization as a whole, while the supervisor makes decisions for his or her particular work unit. Henry Mintzberg’s management roles with manager interviewed As described above, Ms. Ong is a middle level manager. Middle managers included all levels of management between the first-line level and the top level of the organization who manage the work of first-line managers (Robbins et al, 2006). Ms. Ong as a middle level manager is responsible to attain the goals set by the top management. The first roles, which is the interpersonal roles is implemented much in the manager management roles. The manager interviewed mentioned that she uses very much interpersonal skills to ensure the ability to work with individuals and groups. This helps the manager to communicate with first-line and top management to process the information. The manager takes the responsibility to motivate members of the organization and ensure the organization keep on track with their goals to be attained. In the liaison role, the manager interacts with media on publicity for the organization to maintain the reputation. The leader role helps the manager to maintain relationship on developing network with the subordinates and media. This role gives the manager a unique position to collect information for her job. Secondly, the informational roles is the role the manager uses very much in managerial roles. In the monitor role, the manager receives and collects information. The information collected will processes and hand to the top management for decisions making. As an example, the manager will develop the Marketing Communication plans, promotional strategies and communication programmes to improve customers’ relationship. Yet, these plans need approval from the top management before it launch in the market. In the role of disseminator, the manager will produce monthly and quarterly newsletters and all other company’s publications into the organization. Besides, the manager plays the role of spokesperson by compile corporate information for release to press or public. Instead, the manager liaise with business partners on events or promotions pertaining to each products and services. As a corporate affairs manager, the manager plays her informational roles very well in the organization. Thirdly, as a middle level manager, the manager involves moderate little amount in decisions making. The manager accesses the information to the top management while the top level management will analyse and decide the best undertakings for the organization. Yet, as the corporate affairs manager, she has the responsible to review and approve selection of promotional media and agencies, then evaluate the cost effectiveness of the advertising programmes and campaigns to ensure maximum publicity for the organization. This shows how the manager captures the role of disturbance handler. It shows the manager will do the decisions making for her particular job unit not other than that. Overall, the manager interviewed has good social communication skills to communicate with the customers and business partners. These will ensure the organization’s reputation is well protected. The manager plays her roles well by applying Mintzberg’s management roles in her job. A manager should always apply the ten roles in Mintzberg’s management roles to handle their job. In addition, the manger mentioned that human skills stated in Katz theory is very much needed to deal with subordinates and business partners. By having the best performance of the subordinates, the manager will take action on giving some motivation rewards. Somehow, the manager thinks that rewards lead motivation in the overall performance in their group. This will ensure the overall group performance to be more efficient and effectively. Two stakeholders that impacts on the work of the manager interviewed Stakeholders are any constituencies in the organisation’s external environment that are affected by the organisation’s decisions and actions (Robbins et al, 2006). From the manager interviewed, there are many stakeholders such as employees, customers, business partners, media, and others. In this case, two important stakeholders chosen are employees and media. The manager states, employees are the important stakeholders in the organization. Employees are the subordinate that will contribute a lot in the organization. Each employee contribute one information or data, meanwhile the manager will collect and analyse the information or data. In the end of the day, it will process as an important document in the organization. To ensure the good relationship between employees, the manager will organize a party when they had done their project. This is to motivate the employees due to the organization goals are attained. Other than that, the manager will provide subordinates a cup of coffee or tea during the tea time break. Without a good relationship with the employees, the manager’s work will be futile. In the same time, the employees will willing to sacrifice and support the manager when the manager making decisions. Secondly, as a corporate affairs manager, the manager deals a lot with the media. Media plays an important role in helping the organization to achieve the goals. Meanwhile, it may create bias to the organization as well. In brief, media divided to two which are mass and electronic. In mass media, the manager deal with the editors to prevent bad press. Additionally, the manager will build good relationship with the editors in mass media to do advertising on new product releases or successful projects in the mass media. In electronic media, the manager will post all press articles on organization in the company website. This is to keep the company’s stakeholders update information. In conclusion, keeping a good relationship with stakeholders, the manager can achieve the organizational goals effectively and efficiently. The stakeholders will fully co-operate with the manager in the decisions making. They will serve or obey the order in advance. Conclusion The main objective of this essay is to understand the work of a manager in practice relates to Mintzberg’s management roles. Based on the interview of a corporate affairs manager in a multinational organization, it was found that Mintzberg’s ten management roles are being applied in the organization. In brief, Mintzberg’s management roles is categorized in three groups which are interpersonal roles, informational roles, and decisional roles. Besides Mintzberg’s management roles, in real life manager should apply other skills and theories to be more effective and efficient. References List McShane, V. G. (2003), Organizational behaviour, 2nd edn, McGraw-Hill, New York. Robbins,S. P. , Bergman,R. , Stagg,I. & Coulter, M. (2006), 4th edn, Prentice Hall, Sydney.