Statistics and Business Research Methods Text and Cases

Question: Discuss about the Statistics and Business Research Methods for Text and Cases. Answer: Introduction Human Resource Management is one of the important resources in the organization. On the contrary, lean HRM is the recent practice that has been evolving in the sector. It is majorly concerned with the cultural dynamics, people and leadership that are needed for the structure of the organization. Lean HRM is the modern trends that introduces cheaper and fast processes and are focused on adding value to the employees (Rajappan, 2011). However, in this research, lean HRM will be examined in a practical context by evaluating the concept of lean HRM and its techniques. Even more, the research will be substantiated if the study is supported by primary data that will be initiated in the research. Nevertheless, as the research is concerned, the study will guided through methodologies as well as plan which will help in guiding through the research outcomes. Literature Review Traditional Human Resource Management Zirar, Radnor Charlwood (2015) recognized human resource management incorporates people related guidelines that are implemented to manage and bring flexibility at the workplace by focusing on the policies, programmes, practices and philosophies. As a function, traditional HRM was more considered with the work in the business that enabled three functions namely providing HR functions that is through recruitment and selection, classification, training followed by regulations on the personnel laws and thirdly, establishing the main role in enhancing organizational performance. Lean Human Resource Management When Lean and continuous Improvement was applied to the organization, it mainly focused on human related issues that promoted the change in organization culture. The lean HRM can only be achieved through use of certain techniques like Six Sigma that not only links the HRM to the organization more effectively but rather lays a base to profitability of the organization. The prerequisite requirements for lean HRM include management commitment, open communication, organizational cultural change, team working and training employees (Sparrow, Hird Cooper, 2014). There are two facets of Lean HRM; firstly, it is evident that it itself is a HR function and secondly, it is an ideal position to be a powerful ally in lean transformation by virtue of interactions. The following diagram below will give an overview of lean HRM. Figure: Lean Human Resource Management Source: (Human Resource: Washington Government, 2016) Importance of Lean HRM The lean HR roles improve when different techniques are applied based on different models and shared results. On the other hand, the improved efforts provide tools and resources for continuous improvement that helps in facilitating cross functional communication and coordinate training. The organizational change is nurtured and monitored by leadership to create a new environment for the staff to perform. In addition, the lean HRM techniques help in ensuring compliance by using minimal time, cost and effort (Aswathappa, 2013). Need of Lean HRM The need of lean operation plan in Human Resource Management is for the firm achieves success based on its value propositions as well as fir targets that not only helps in retention of the employees but also helps in maintaining its target clients (Tyagi, et al., 2015). According to Wealth management, RIA Trent Report, study evaluated on the best practices that can be integrated for profitability, operations and best practices is Lean Six Sigma for Service justifies that 30-80% of servicing costs are a waste and add no value from the perspective of the client. However, to get started the company should ensure profitability on operations plan that deems on companys objectives; gauge ROI of the improvements, timeline and cost (Goldman, 2016). Role of Lean Human Resource Management in Six-Sigma Six-Sigma is a structure method that ensures to improve the business processes that supported by assorted DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improveand Control) by an assortment of statistical tool. However, an organization mindset is based on the decisions that need to be undertaken based on the measured data that not only looks for the problems but also defines defects based on customer rather than internal requirements through the indicator to prevent them from happening (Pyzdek Keller, 2014). The roles and responsibilities of Six Sigma are given using the figure below. Figure: Six Sigma Roles and Responsibilities Source: (Pyzdek Keller, 2014) Research Questions The research questions that highlight the understanding of the study are: What is the substantial role of lean HRM in establishing the financial practicality in any organization? How lean HRM can be termed effective when it comes to an individual or the market as a whole in a business set up? What are the suggested recommendation that needs to be carried out to improve the lean practices undertaken in an organization and the way it can positively impact the profitability of the organization? Although, the research question will help in evaluating the study but to test the relationship between Lean HRM and profitability, following hypothesis is carried out. Ho: Lean HRM does not have any significant impact on the profitability of the organization. H1: Lean HRM have a positive yet significant impact on the profitability of the organization. Research Methodologies The research methodologies adopted for based on certain research inputs that can be effective in predicting the future outcomes of the research. However, the data collected and the methods used will help in determining the relationship between learn HRM and profitability of the organization. Research Approach A deductive research approach is followed in the research as it will help in outlining the phenomenon based on the research hypothesis that needs to be established. Moreover, this approach emphasizes on causality by testing the theory in new emerging area in the discipline (Engel Schutt, 2014). The theory is dealt to provide a pattern in research on the emerging analysis on lean human resource management. The research can be directed as given below. Figure: Deductive Approach Source: (Brymen, 2015) Research Design The deductive research procedure has been adopted to provide intrinsic details on the research study that not only highlights the employee and managers details but also establishes a link between the two. Brymen Bell (2015) perceived that a simple random sampling would be convenient when it comes to choosing the data procedure. Research Strategy The research strategy that have been adopted in the model are based on survey method and interview method. Survey method will help in gathering facts. However, survey method will be serving the study by collecting essential facts on lean human resource management techniques (Rubin Babbie, 2016). On the other hand, interview method will provide valuable information to the employees and managers, it shows how the profitability position of the organization and how lean human resource management techniques have helped in achieving the same. Interview methods were personally taken through face to face conversations or through telephone and the questions were unstructured in nature (Seidman, 2013). Project Plan Task Start Date Duration End Date Literature Review 3-Dec 60.00 3-Feb Data Collection 2-Feb 29.00 2-Mar Data Analysis 2-Mar 30.00 3-Apr Final Report Submission 5-Apr 60.00 5-Jun Research Process The research process will be guided in the following stages: Stage 1 This stage deals provides the base of the research topic by providing suitable literature review. However, the stage is analysed based on the lean human resource management technique that is suitable to assess the performance of the employee as well as the managers in the organization. Stage 2 This stage deals with the carrying out of the research methods that are essential in data analysis and the procedures that will help in acknowledging the results of the research. Stage 3 This stage establishes the data analysis on the research strategies whether it has to be qualitative or quantitative method. Moreover, if qualitative then the interview method and quantitative then the survey method will be analysed on the given questionnaires to the employees as well as managers of different business enterprises. The sample would be structured on 50 middle ranked employees and 6 managers from different organizations for survey method and the interview method. In total, a sample size of 56 respondents would be considered. Stage 4 On the whole, a timeline will be devised that is time as well as cost effective that had been undertaken in carrying out the research h. Stage 5 This is the ultimate stage when the expected outcomes of the research will be evaluated based on the research. Data Collection Methods The data collection method adopted for the research has been both qualitative and quantitative in will be nature. The qualitative method with the help of interview method will be devised based on the interaction with the employees and the managers of the organizations. This will also helps in acknowledging the ideas, knowledge and the attitudes of the employees in the organization (Scheyvens, 2014). However, qualitative research is beneficial for the research to analyse the lean HRM techniques has been one of the part in the organization for maintaining its profitable situations as shown in the annual report. Conversely, quantitative method will be analysed on the questionnaire that would be distributed to get mathematical, statistical yet meaningful analysis. However, the relationship of independent variable profitability and dependent variable lean HRM techniques can provide a methodological outline in establishing a relationship between the two (Davies Hughes, 2014). Both the interview as well as survey design would be based on primary data collection methods as different lean HRM techniques would be applied on different techniques but more emphasis will be given on six sigma approach as it is one of the popular lean approach applied in the organizations (Timans, 2014). Data Analysis The interpretation of the data will help the researcher to draw conclusions to the research study. The research will be evaluated on the responses gathered from the survey as well as interview method and it will be evaluated using MS Excel (Jackson, 2015). However, the analysis will be based on frequency tables, normal probability plots, regression analysis and correlation analysis of the lean HRM techniques applied in the organization. The financial data taken from the annual reports of the organization will hold an important part in data analysis. Expected Outcomes The research outcomes that can be drawn from the research study are respective of the different organization conditions that have undertaken different lean HRM techniques to increase the profitability of the organization. Moreover, these techniques are supported only when the organization is large and there is large inflow and outflow of quantity of goods taking place. However, many manager feel that it has a considerable amount of impact on the profitability of the organization whereas the same cannot be said for all the organizations in Australia. Although, lean HRM techniques has been a prominent development in the human resource development but there is considerable cost and time that has been undertaken at the initial stages which might create a hurdle in the profitability of the organization. However, only those organizations have adopted who are substantially sound and incurring variable costs would not add considerable change in their profitable conditions as there is lot of mechanisms and training of employees involved. References Applying Lean/Continuous Improvement to Human Resources. (2016).Human Resource: Washington Government. Retrieved 7 June 2016, from https://hr.wa.gov/WorkforceDataAndPlanning/LeanHR/Pages/Apply_Lean_HR.aspx Aswathappa, K. (2013).Human resource management: Text and cases. Tata McGraw-Hill Education. Bryman, A. (2015).Social research methods. Oxford university press. Bryman, A., Bell, E. (2015).Business research methods. Oxford University Press, USA. Davies, M. B., Hughes, N. (2014).Doing a successful research project: Using qualitative or quantitative methods. Palgrave Macmillan. Engel, R. J., Schutt, R. K. (2014).Fundamentals of social work research. Sage Publications. Goldman, J. (2016).The Lean Solution to Becoming a More Profitable, High Growth Advisory Firm.Wealthmanagement.com. Retrieved 7 June 2016, from https://wealthmanagement.com/viewpoints/lean-solution-becoming-more-profitable-high-growth-advisory-firm Jackson, S. (2015).Research methods and statistics: A critical thinking approach. Cengage Learning. Pyzdek, T., Keller, P. A. (2014).The six sigma handbook(p. 25). McGraw-Hill Education. Rajappan, P. (2011).Lean HR is a necessity, not an option !.Deccan Herald. Retrieved 7 June 2016, from https://www.deccanherald.com/content/75527/lean-hr-necessity-not-option.html Rubin, A., Babbie, E. (2016).Empowerment Series: Research Methods for Social Work. Cengage Learning. Scheyvens, R. (Ed.). (2014).Development fieldwork: A practical guide. Sage. Seidman, I. (2013).Interviewing as qualitative research: A guide for researchers in education and the social sciences. Teachers college press. Sparrow, P., Hird, M. and Cooper, C. L. (2014) Do We Need HR?: Repositioning People Management for Success. United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan. Timans, J. W. J. (2014).Continuous quality improvement based on Lean Six Sigma in manufacturing small and medium sized enterprises(Doctoral dissertation, University of Groningen). Tyagi, S., Cai, X., Yang, K., Chambers, T. (2015). Lean tools and methods to support efficient knowledge creation.International Journal of Information Management,35(2), 204-214. Zirar, A. A., Radnor, Z. J., Charlwood, A. (2015). The relevance of the human resource management (HRM) to lean in the service sector: evidence from three exploratory case studies.

Race in Recitatif free essay sample

Recitatif is a story written by Toni Morrison. It is about characters Twyla and Roberta and their experiences during and after being put in a shelter. Race can change what a person’s motives are viewed as. Racial stereotyping and racial segregation play a big part in this story. We will write a custom essay sample on Race in Recitatif or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Twyla and Roberta are of a different race/ethnicity which causes strife between the two and they have different opinion on things. It never truly states either characters race, but it says that they look like â€Å"salt and pepper†, indicating that one is white and one is black. Race affects a lot of things in any situation, no matter how much we want it not to. Some statements give you an idea of which is which. Twyla’s ethnicity is indicated by Jimi Hendrix and Roberta’s by the statement, â€Å"you know how it was with black and white back then†. Twyla appears to be white and Roberta appears to be black in this story. Another thing that indicates it is that Roberta is completely against busing but Twyla is not. Plus they both thought that Maggie was of their own race. Twyla thought she was white and Roberta thought she was black. Also, each others attitudes towards each other or toward others also indicates which is white and which is black. Although neither character can remember exactly what happened with Maggie, the mute lady that worked at the shelter, each character had their own attitudes towards it. Roberta that it was more acceptable that Maggie was beaten than Twyla did because Roberta thought Maggie was black, while Twyla didn’t think she was because she thought Maggie was white. Each character has their own viewpoint on exactly what had happened that day due to their race which gave them a different attitude towards the situation. Also, Twyla thought she fell and the older girls laughed at her versus Roberta thinking she was tripped and beaten. The big thing in this story is racial stereotyping. You would never know which character is of which race without it. The writer uses racial stereotyping and a very clever way when writing this story. Instead of outright saying which is which, you figure it out based on racial stereotyping. In most cases we should not racially stereotype or even stereotype at all. But the author uses it in such a way that it is okay in this instance. Without this racial stereotyping, you would never know which is â€Å"salt† and which is â€Å"pepper†. Racial stereotyping gives you the information needed to know from which racial background each character comes from. After everything that happened in the shelter both characters eventually left the shelter. Twyla became a waitress and Twyla did some drugs and became a part of the bad crowd. When they saw each other again, Twyla was happy to see Roberta, but Roberta didn’t feel the same way due to her attitude towards her. They moved on. Both characters got married and had families. They then met in again in a supermarket and Roberta had a good attitude towards Twyla. Depending on whom she was with and what part of her life she was in, Roberta’s attitude towards Twyla would change. This is a racial stereotype. Roberta again had a bad racial attitude towards Twyla when she started picketing and protesting things about the school system and racial issues. While Twyla was okay with segregation in the school system and blacks going to one school while whites went to another, Roberta was not okay with it. She was actually strongly against it. She felt that blacks and whites should have equal opportunities and she was picketing about it. Because of an incident while Twyla was in a car and black women were rocking her car and scaring her, Twyla started picketing against them on the other side of the street. In conclusion, racial stereotyping and racial segregation both have a part in this story. Racial stereotyping helps you figure out which character is black and which is white. This is important because of the racial segregation going on at the time. The schools and bus systems were separating the races and the blacks were trying to change that. They were wanting equal opportunities for themselves and everyone. In the end you never find out the true story about Maggie and never know whether she was black or white, tripped or fell, and whether she was beaten or not.

Sample Essay Citations in APA Format

Sample Essay Citations in APA FormatIf you're wondering what a sample essay citing interviews in APA format can tell you about your essay, the answer is quite simple. It's telling you that it's not as easy as it may sound to come up with an essay citation using an interview. There are some significant considerations that you should keep in mind when writing your essay, and your samples, and I'll explain those below.First of all, before you begin to do any research for your sample essay, or draft one for that matter, you need to understand how APA is written. The English language has six different degrees of complexity, including tense, subject, agreement, directness, and the use of adjectives. Many times when you're reading about someone, such as in the field of medicine, you'll find that they use the pronouns 'he'she' rather than 'they.' That indicates a level of complexity that's beyond the level of the reader. The reason for this is that the reader understands the words the author of the essay is saying, but doesn't necessarily know if they are really saying them.This makes it so that when you're writing your essay, you need to write it with an understanding of what you're trying to accomplish. By knowing how complex each degree of the APA format can be, you can avoid writing your essay on autopilot. That means you'll be able to think about the things you want to say, rather than just rushing through them. And that can save you a lot of time. If you don't take the time to think about what you're trying to say, you may miss a point entirely.Next, you need to realize that people aren't going to be doing information retrieval from their brains. They're not going to be asking questions with their minds. When you go for information retrieval, you want to make sure that the information you're quoting is accurate. But even if you're paraphrasing a true story, you can't completely erase the fact that you are paraphrasing. The personal experiences of others need to b e noted, but you need to also take the liberty of writing something that is reflective of the character of the author, too. You don't want to give a story away by paraphrasing it, so make sure you understand that.Interviewers aren't going to necessarily be looking for the answers to their questions. They're going to be looking for something more, which is why it's important that you keep them in mind when you're writing. There's a difference between what the interviewer is asking and what you're trying to accomplish, and the more that you write about what you're asking, the more you're going to catch themselves off guard.Finally, the last thing to consider when writing your sample essay citing interviews in APA format is that you shouldn't assume that your essay will always be perfect. Sometimes the interview isn't very helpful. When that happens, you need to put aside your passion for the topic and allow your writing to reflect that. You have to allow yourself to think about the wr iter's passion for the topic.As I've said before, APA is a difficult format to master, and it takes time and practice to be able to get it right. You're going to get the results you want, but you're going to have to be willing to put in the time and effort to get them.

Atheists, Agnostics, and Apostates

Atheists, Agnostics, and Apostates Atheists, Agnostics, and Apostates Atheists, Agnostics, and Apostates By Mark Nichol What’s the difference between an atheist and an agnostic? As with most words, the answer lies in the etymological origins of the words. Atheist stems, through atheism, from the French word athà ©isme, which pertains to a lack of belief in God, or in any deity. (Here, the antonymic a- is linked to theism, which means â€Å"belief in God† or â€Å"belief in gods.†) An agnostic, by contrast, is one who does not know, and perhaps believes it is impossible to know, whether God or gods exist. (Here, the antonymic a- is linked to gnostic, meaning â€Å"one who knows,† ultimately from the Greek term gignÃ… skein, meaning â€Å"to know.†) Agnostic has also developed a nonreligious sense of â€Å"nonspecific† or â€Å"nonaligned,† as when referring to software that operates regardless of which platform of hardware on which it is installed. The central element in atheist is also seen in theology (â€Å"study of religion†) and theocracy (â€Å"rule by religion†) and is the basis of the name Theodore, which means â€Å"god-given,† and the root of agnostic is also seen in gnostic (which refers, when capitalized, to a school of philosophy) and diagnosis and prognosis. A related term is apostate, which denotes someone who renounces a belief; the term can also refer to defection from or abandonment of a political or social group; the origin of the term is the Greek word aphistasthai, which means â€Å"revolt.† (The condition of being an apostate is called apostasy.) Other words pertaining to a lack of belief (or of the â€Å"correct† belief) include gentile, heathen, and pagan. Gentile stems from the Latin root gens, meaning â€Å"nation,† and refers to someone not of the Jewish faith, a non-Mormon, or a nonbeliever in general. (Gentile is cognate with gentle, which literally means â€Å"civilized.†) Heathen, likely ultimately from Gothic, in English came to mean someone living outside of civilization (from heath, meaning â€Å"uncultivated land†) and therefore outside the religion of the civilization, with a connotation of inferiority. Pagan is popularly thought to have derived from the same sense (from the Latin term paganus, meaning â€Å"rustic (person)†), but it probably stems from another meaning of the term, Roman military slang for civilians and clumsy recruits equivalent to the nautical slur landlubber. (An obsolete cognate is paynim, used by Christians during the Crusades in Europe to refer to a follower of Islam.) Then there is infidel, which specifically refers to one who holds religious beliefs different from what is regarded as the true religion (the term, from Latin, means â€Å"unfaithful†- or, more accurately, â€Å"not of the faithful†- and is related to fidelity) and the term giaour, rarely used in English, which is ultimately from Persian by way of French and refers to one who is not Islamic. An idolater, meanwhile, is one who worships idols (or the â€Å"wrong† idols); the word is also used in a secular sense to refer to someone who uncritically reveres a person undeserving of the adulation. (The practice of an idolater is idolatry, and the adjectival form is idolatrous.) Check out our latest YouTube video: Masters Degree or Master’s Degree? Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Computer Terms You Should Know10 Types of TransitionsThe 7 Types of Possessive Case

Cyber Attacks Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Cyber Attacks - Term Paper Example A background of origin of tense environment between America and the world of terrorism sharply identifies foreign variables in defining the current conditions in the country. The implementation gap on effective anti-terrorism policies identifies in detail the nature of evolving terror environment backed by technology and online computer usage to support the magnitude of current terror threats (Saskia, 2011). The nature of legislation and criminal justice system with respect to provisions of the constitution dominate the remaining sections of the discourse, with case laws illustrating the standoff to flawless war on terror. Two classical cases that defined the interaction between the fight against terror and legally supported government polices illustrate the apparent standoff. Finally, opinion is given on different issues touching on the overall global status of US effort in fighting terrorism. The Department of Homeland Security is a constitutional establishment that takes up the task of ensuring that the country wards off crime and potentially harmful actions, in accordance with the requirements of the constitution with regard to provision of protection by national government. The government deploys resources within its control for provision of a safe environment through the Department of Homeland Security. Internal threats precipitated by actions happening within the country or beyond the borders constitute the concerns of the Department at all times. It is increasingly impossible for America to remain safe, with the impact of foreign intrusions dwelling on the country than ever before. In view of the state of threats to national security, America devotes the largest fraction of its national budget to fund departments entrusted with ensuring that America is safe. If the country did not perceive such threats to be as serious, perhaps the proportion of budgetary allocatio n across the other departments would not show such a huge disparity. Aggression against

Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 85

Case Study Example For this reason, it was essential to adopt an advertising strategy totally different from the prevailing ones. b) The first campaign of Axe made use of the broadcast media as the central element of advertising. This media was chosen to captivate the audience after having reached them. The ‘dirty message’ that was part of this campaign was targeted to reach the intended audience by airing the commercials during telecast of television programs that were famous in the age-group that was being targeted. Program like Baywatch, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, The Real World were chosen for this purpose. In addition to the broadcast media, Axe also made use of the print media to display luring ads in magazines like Playboy, Maxim and Sports illustrated swimsuit issue. An additional line of action was targeting spring break destinations that were favorite among college boys. The walls of these places were covered with posters and pictures of the products manufactured by Axe. One last media used for advertisement was the internet; a website by the name of www.theaxeeffect.com served to entertain the target audience i.e. young boys. c) The second campaign made use of the ‘storytelling power’ of television and cinema combined. Since the issue was to promote the ‘detailer’ and ‘shower gel’ collectively, it was essential to promote the use of detailer using multiple media channels, as it was a novel concept at that time. In addition to the cinema and television, digital media was employed and various means like videos promoted through YouTube were used for the purpose. The idea was to promote the novel â€Å"Axe Detailer: The Manly Shower Tool†, which served just one purpose i.e. â€Å"Clean Your Balls†. In my opinion, this effort was driven by reach. d) Instead of using the traditional forms of promotion, Axe should now focus on promotion through direct interaction with the public. This may include

The Lord of the Rings Essay Example for Free

The Lord of the Rings Essay To begin describing my unlikely hero’s we first have to ask ourselves what makes a hero. Is it always a big, strong alpha male with a square jaw and cocky attitude? I hardly think so. I feel that a hero is someone who puts others needs in front of their own to complete whatever task is set before them, even though they may have to give their life in the process, they keep going. Once in a while you come across a story where the hero not only does not fit into the stereotypical hero status but is as far away from what you expect as you can get. The unlikely hero†¦ The unlikely hero is a hero who never wanted to be a hero. The unlikely hero proves that anyone can make it as a hero. This diamond in the rough disguises his true potential until tough times call for his aid. He is greatly unsure of himself and often unsure on what to do. He just knows that something has to be done. The odds are usually greatly in favor of the villains and there is much to overcome, both mentally and psychically. My unlikely heroes are Frodo from the Lord of the Rings (Tolkien) and Pug from the Riftwar Saga. Both of these unlikely heroes must overcome great odds to complete quests that are thrust upon them. One, a small hobbit with little knowledge of the world outside of his home in the Shire, the other, a small orphan boy from the rustic town of castle Crydee. Neither is aware of the dangers that await them or that their lives are about to change forever. Frodo Baggins is a hobbit. Hobbits are short and stocky and do not go out very often. Life outside the Shire does not concern them too much and they are very content on staying on their own land doing what pleases them. Frodo lives with his uncle Bilbo in his hobbit hole Bags End, a house carved into the side of a hill. Frodo is usually quiet and reserved and does not like to cause a scene. (Tolkien) While living with his uncle Bilbo, Frodo is left in the Shire as heir to Bags End and all of the possessions. This included a magic ring. All Bilbo knew about the ring is that it turned the wearer invisible; the true nature of the ring had become lost to history. After keeping the ring hidden for 17 years the wizard Gandalf came to Frodo to tell him that it is The One Ring of the Dark Lord Sauron and that his agents are searching for it. Gandalf informs Fordo he must take the ring to Rivendell, home of the house of Elrond, an elf lord in order to keep it out of the hands of the Nazgul, Sauron’s agents. (Tolkien) At the start of his journey Frodo is joined by his friend and gardener Samwise Gamgee, and his cousins Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took. They leave the shire for Rivendell and almost instantly they are tracked by the Nazgul, barely escaping. They make it to an inn in the town of Bree where they are joined by Aragorn who helps them escape their next attack and guide them to Rivendell. Once in Rivendell there is a meeting on what to do about the ring. There are representatives from each race at the meeting. They come to the conclusion that the ring is to be destroyed but an argument ensues on who will take possession of it to destroy it. Then Frodo volunteers for the task and everyone else takes an oath to protect him on his journey to Mordor to destroy the ring in the fires of Mount Doom. (Tolkien) There are many things that Frodo must overcome in order to complete his task. The ring drives the humans around it mad and they will eventually try to kill Frodo for it. Frodo is also hunted at every turn by Orcs and every other being that Sauron has under his control. Frodo eventually has to leave all of his companions behind with the exception of Sam in order to protect the ring from those that wish to use the rings power. Frodo and Sam made their way through Emyn Muil, followed by the creature Gollum. As they finally reached Mount Doom, Gollum reappeared and attacked Frodo, who beat him back. He continued on while Sam fought with Gollum. Having finally reached the Sammath Naur, or Crack of Doom, however, Frodo lost the will to destroy the Ring, and instead put it on, claiming it for himself. Gollum got past Sam and attacked the invisible Frodo, biting off his finger, and finally regained his precious. As he danced around in elation, Gollum lost his balance and fell with the Ring into the lava. The Ring was thus destroyed, Saurons power lost and his realm ended. Frodo and Sam were rescued by Great Eagles as Mount Doom erupted. (Tolkien) Pug is the child of unknown parents, an orphan abandoned at a monastery near Crydee, a town on the north-west coast of the Kingdom of the Isles. As a boy, he is sent to Castle Crydee and is adopted by Megar, the castle keeps cook. He grows up there, becoming the closest friend of Megars son, Tomas, becoming almost a brother to him. While gathering shellfish at age 13, Pug is caught in a storm, his ankle is sprained, and he is charged by a wild boar. He is saved by a franklin named Meecham, who is in the service of the court Magician Kulgan. (Fiest) Kulgan discovers Pugs talent for magic and takes him as his apprentice on Choosing Day. Under Kulgans tutelage, Pug makes satisfactory progress in the theory of magic, but finds himself unable to cast spells in the traditional way. Pug appears to suffer some form of mental block. Kulgan decides that as a foil to Pugs very logical mind, Pug is to be taught equestrian skills. This leads to Pug being selected to accompany Princess Carline (daughter of the Duke of Crydee) into the countryside on a ride. During the course of this ride, they are attacked by two trolls; Pug manages to defend the princess demonstrating skill first with a sling and then with his unexpected success in casting a spell, his first of any power. The spell causes the trolls excruciating pain and they drown. Kulgan voices to Pug that this is a skill unheard of in Midkemian magic. Casting this particular spell without a device to focus the power was impossible. Casting the spell in the manner in which Pug did should have caused great pain to himself instead of the Trolls. Upon return to Crydee, Pug earns the gratitude of the Duke and the affection of Carline, Duke Borrics beautiful, but willful, daughter. As a reward for this feat, Pug is made a squire and was granted land, to be held by the crown until the age of majority. Then, mysteriously, the Tsurani invade Crydee. A bitter nine year war ensues at the start of which, Pug is captured while helping Kulgan get safely away from a skirmish and taken to Kelewan, kept at first as a swamp slave, cutting timber and pulp for the Tsurani. He is liberated from the swamps by Clan of Tsurani nobles, and instructed to tutor their sons in the ways of the Kingdom. Pug is respected but never allowed to forget that he is nothing but a slave. During this time Pug meets and falls for Katala, a slave girl of great beauty and wit, and Laurie, a former Troubador from the Kingdom, most recently a friend and confidant of Pug. However, one day Pugs former training is recognized by a Tsurani Great One. Pug is trained as a Greater Path Magician, and is remarkable in many ways. His outworld status (as well as his former status as slave, enemy and lesser path apprentice) makes him something of a celebrity. Pug is renamed Milamber. Fiest) Pug becomes instrumental in bringing the Riftwar to an end, by destroying the planetary rift between Kelewan and Midkemia, in an effort to stop the return of the enemy to Midkemia. When the Riftwar ends, Pug is rewarded with the title to the island of Stardock, previously gifted to him by Duke Borric for saving his daughter. It is also revealed that after he had been considered dead, the Duke gave him a name in memorial, adopting him into the ConDoin family, effectively making him an adopted member of the royal family. Fiest) Midkemia is very similar to Earth in climate, and its flora and fauna. It has three continents: Triagia, Novindus and Winet. It has two oceans, though there are various names for them depending on the continent or nation. The Endless Sea is west of Triagia and is east of Novindus where it is called the Blue Sea. The Sea of Tears is east of Triagia and west of Novindus where it is called the Green Sea. (Fiest) Tolkien prepared several maps of Middle-earth and the regions of Middle-earth in which his stories took place. Some were published in his lifetime, though some of the earliest maps were not published until after his death. The main maps were those published in The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales. Most of the events of the First Age took place in the subcontinent Beleriand, which was later engulfed by the ocean at the end of the First Age; the Blue Mountains at the right edge of the map of Beleriand are the same Blue Mountains that appear on the extreme left of the map of Middle-earth described in the Second and Third Ages. Tolkiens map of Middle-earth, however, shows only a small part of the world; most of the vast lands of Rhun and Harad are not shown on the map, and there are also other continents. (Tolkien) The two unlikely heroes are a lot alike as well as being very different. Pug has many powers he can use later on in the books to help him do what needs to be done. Frodo just has his will and the help of Sam. No matter how hard things became, they both pressed on in order to save their world.