Informational interview Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Informational interview - Article Example She had worked as an academic counsellor at the career centre before she was promoted to the post of associate director. Briana has a professional work experience of ten years. She majored in Psychology in her undergraduate level and later acquired Masters and Ph.D. degrees in Counselling. She had also worked in a bagel shop while in high school. I was motivated to request Briana Randall for an interview because of my interest in the field of academic counselling. Following the interview session, I was able to learn a number of issues that are quite crucial to individual who wants to venture into the field. Although an undergraduate degree is an essential foundation for individuals who want to venture into the career of counselling, it is not adequate. The least educational qualification for an academic counsellor is a Master’s degree in any field. In addition to this, work experience in the field is vital for one to be able to effectively deliver in this field. Because of this reason one should explore available options such as volunteer opportunities and internships so as to gain experience before seeking full-time employment. These opportunities may include counselling children, high school students or even working in a crisis clinic. This will also help one to determine if such a job gives him/her career satisfact ion. Moreover, a number of skills are required to be able to succeed in the field including ability to multitask, supervision skills, management skills and delegation skills. Being a very involving career, one needs to be ambitious so as to be able to handle all the tasks. Duties of a counsellor that probably is the starting post for an upcoming academic counsellor include and are not limited to; appointments with students, answering students emails, preparing for workshops and reading extensively about career and job options. The responsibilities of the high-ranking associate director include leading

The Challenges In Implementing Erp Systems

The Challenges In Implementing Erp Systems ERP is the process of integrating all the business functions and processes in an organization to achieve numerous benefits. First, a single point of data entry helps to reduce data redundancy while saving employees time in entering data, thereby reducing labour and overhead costs. Second, the centralization of information, decision-making, and control leads to increases in efficiencies of operations and productivity, as well as coordination between departments, divisions, regions, and even countries. This is especially true for multinational corporations (MNC), in which global integration could result in better communications and coordination around the world. The global sourcing and distribution of parts and services could also provide appropriate benchmarks for operations around the world. Third, the sharing of a centralized database provides business managers with accurate and up-to-date information to make well informed business decisions. Further, it reduces data redundancy while improving data integrity at the same time. Fourth, functional integration will consolidate all sorts of data, such as financial, manufacturing, and sales, to take advantage of bulk discounts. ERP is especially important for companies who are intimately connected to their vendors and customers, and who used electronic data interchange (EDI) to process sales transactions electronically. Therefore, the implementation of ERP is exceptionally beneficial to businesses such as manufacturing plants that mass-produce products with little changes. Nevertheless, the revolutionary and innovative ERP software system quickly expands into other business areas such as finance and retailing. ERP also provides companies with a competitive advantage over their competitors. But despite these several benefits, there are also certain challenges faced by ERP, especially during the implementation phase. Some of the challenges faced during the implementation of an ERP system are explained in the following sections. Typically ERP systems are very costly, take a lot of time to implement and have a risk associated with implementation, and also affect the job profiles of many employees. Thus the three major dimensions involved are money, time and people involvement. In addition, there is also a requirement to re-engineer existing business practices to match the needs of the new ERP system. AN ERP IMPLEMENTATION PLAN The following flowchart depicts several activities that must be performed before implementing an ERP system. Step 1: Managers must conduct a feasibility study of the current situation to assess the organizations needs by analyzing the availability of hardware, software, databases, and in-house computer expertise, and make the decision to implement ERP where integration is essential. They must also set goals for improvement and establish objectives for the implementation, and calculate the break-even points and benefits to be received from this expensive IT investment. Step 2: The second major activity involves educating and recruiting end users to be involved throughout the implementation process. Step 3: Managers form a project team or steering committee that consists of experts from all functional areas to lead the project. Step 4: After a decision is made to implement ERP, a team of system consultants will be hired to evaluate the appropriateness of implementing an ERP system, and to help select the best enterprise software provider and the best approach to implementing ERP. In most situations, the consultant team also recommends the modules that are best suited to the companys operations (manufacturing, financial, human resources, logistics, forecasting, etc.), system configurations, and Business-to-Business applications such as supply-chain management, customer relationship management, e-procurement, and e-marketplace. Step 5: Adequate employee and manager training must be provided to all business, stakeholders, including managers, end users, customers, and vendors, before the system is implemented. Such training is usually customized and can be provided by either internal or outside trainers. Step 6: The system installation process will address issues such as software configuration, hardware acquisition, and software testing. Step 7: Data and information in the databases must be converted to the format used in the new ERP system and servers and networks need to be upgraded. A post implementation review is recommended to ensure that all business objectives established during the planning phase are achieved. Needed modifications are tackled during this phase too. Issues Faced while Implementing an ERP Although issues faced while implementing an ERP are numerous, but this report classifies them majorly into selection related issues, technical issues, psychological issues, organisational change related issues and time and cost related problems. Selecting an appropriate ERP The first and foremost challenge faced by many organisations is deciding what sort of an ERP system they should select to implement. The managers must decide on the size, type and scope of the ERP system they actually require and how to choose the best solution amongst the existing hundreds of systems in the market. This selection problem arises for all businesses without exception and should be considered as seriously as possible for the reason that ERP system choice defines a companys strategy for at least the following 6 to 10 years and, no doubt, has a major impact on the future success of the entire business. To decide on the implementation of a successful ERP program, the managers should have an in-depth understanding of the organisations current business processes, organisational structure, culture, work environment and financial and economic strength. Due to enormous impact on the competitive advantage of the company, top management must consider the strategic implications of implementing an ERP solution keeping in mind the size of the company and the modules installed. Management must ponder about several topics like:- à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Does the ERP system strengthen the companys competitive position? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ How does ERP affect the organizational structure and the culture? What is the scope of the ERP implementation only a few functional units or the entire organization? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Are there any alternatives that meet the companys needs better than an ERP system? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ If it is a multinational corporation, the management should be concerned about whether it would be better to roll the system out globally or restrict it to certain regional units? Only when all these points have been taken care of, can an ERP system be selected for further implementation. Technical Issues Once the appropriate ERP is selected, the arduous task of implementation has only begun. The next part of implementation issues are related to the technical aspects of the project both hardware and software. These issues include the existing servers and workstations to be updated and new and modern ones to be ordered, purchased, and replaced. The internal network also has to be analyzed and modernized if required; the speed and bandwidth of the existing Internet access should be taken into consideration, along with possible technical concerns about the mobile devices being used. If these questions are underestimated, they can dramatically impact the overall result of the project and easily result in slow performance in the first few weeks, or in some cases months of ERP implementation hence resulting in a slackening of the existing pace of business. However the situation has been changed during the last few years, and plenty of software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications that have shown up on the market now allow the cost and headache of hardware problems to be minimized. More specifically, ERP systems need a Graphical User Interface at the front end, and are based on a client-server technology. They require the ability to access and share data across all applications across different platforms. Some servers and equipment might have a need to be custom built, and that can also cause a time lag in ERP implementation. In short, it can be said that the unique hardware and software needs of an ERP system, along with the continued use of pre existing applications in an organisation can prove to be tricky and are a major consideration while implementing an ERP. Data quality and consistency issues This issue is common in companies that are implementing ERP for the first time and transferring their legacy data into the new system from Excel spreadsheets, manual records, or old disparate applications. Basically, the question is that old data that have been used and stored for years can for many reasons appear approximate or even incorrect in the new ERP system. Integration of data from other older systems with the new ERP system is a major concern while implementing the system. A particular company might have accounting and finance systems operating on different mainframes (say IBM 370 architecture), MRP systems on a high end VAX, and a logistics system on an AS 400. The legacy systems of this company might be coded in COBOL. Thus, the implementation of a new ERP system for such a company needs to be done very carefully and requires technical judgement for the implementation of this new system. People related Psychological Issues This is the most difficult type of issue to resolve. These are the questions and issues that originate from the aspect of human nature that never accepts any change without seeing the visible advantages of it. People-related issues such as corporate philosophy and leadership style can play an important role in the ERP implementation process. Research has concluded that active top management support and commitment are essential to the success of any system implementation. Frequently, executive councils and steering committees consisting of top managers are developed to plan and manage the IT initiatives. Employees can be quite wary of any kind of change in the business processes, particularly during periods of economic downturn. Ill-trained employees who fight the changes in the business process tend to be poor performers. Therefore, to increase the chance of a successful ERP implementation and to reduce users resistance to change, employees, especially those who are very knowledgeable with the operations, must be involved in all stages of the implementation process. Employees must also be educated about the ERP installation. Such educational endeavours should include a concise introduction to the basic concepts and architecture of ERP systems, including actual screen shots of the function modules. During these training sessions, it is important to discuss the managerial issues involved and to build a basic understanding of the integration concepts prior to the actual installation of the ERP system. Further, any Business-to- Business initiatives, reengineering projects, alliances, an d the introduction of new technologies should also be addressed. Project managers must take charge of the implementation process at all times. They must oversee the reengineering of the key business processes, reassign job responsibilities, restructure the organizations chart, and redefine work relationships. Further, they must also learn how to manage the software vendors and any outside consultants. Employees working on an ERP implementation project put in long hours (as much as 20 hours per day) including seven-day weeks and even holidays. Even though the experience is valuable for their career growth, the stress of implementation coupled with regular job duties could decrease their morale rapidly. Leadership from upper management and support and caring acts of project leaders would certainly boost the morale of the team members. Other strategies, such as taking the employees on field trips, could help reduce the stress and improve the morale. Organisational Changes ERP implementation brings significant changes into a companys conventional business model and the day-to day practices it has been using for years or even decades. ERP implementation requires organizations to reengineer their key business processes in fundamental ways, revamping old ways of conducting business, redefining job responsibilities, and restructuring the organization. For major multinational corporations (MNC), the ERP systems must be customized to address global issues where different countries have different ways of doing business, and to incorporate country-specific business practices pertaining to accounting, tax requirements, environmental regulations, human resources, manufacturing, and currency conversion into the integrated systems. While integrating the information systems across various countries, three types of misfits (relating to data, process, and output) can occur due to incompatibilities between software functionality and organizational requirements as well as differences in cultural and regulatory environments. The unique context of each country in which an organization operates must be carefully included into the traditionally Western-biased business practices inherent in the ERP systems. Implementation Cost and Time Implementation Cost: Even though the price of prewritten software is cheap compared with in-house development, the total cost of implementation could be three to five times the purchase price of the software. The implementation costs would increase as the degree of customization increases. After training the selected employees, strategies such as bonus programs, company perks, salary increases, continual training and education, and appeals to company loyalty work to retain them. Other intangible strategies such as flexible work hours, telecommuting options, and opportunities to work with leading-edge technologies are also being used. Implementation Time: ERP systems come in modular fashion and do not have to be implemented entirely at once. ERP packages are very general and need to be configured to a specific type of business and may follow a phase-in approach with one module implemented at a time. Some of the most commonly installed modules are sales and distribution (SD), materials management (MM), production and planning, (PP), and finance and controlling (FI) modules. The length of implementation is affected by the number of modules being implemented, the scope of the implementation, the extent of customization, and the number of interfaces with other applications. The more the number of units, the longer the implementation time. Further as the scope of implementation grows from a single business unit to multiple units spread out globally, the duration of implementation increases. Conclusion An ERP implementation is a huge commitment from the organization, causing millions of dollars and can take up to several years to complete. However, when it is integrated successfully, the benefits can be enormous. A well-designed and properly integrated ERP system allows the most updated information to be shared among various business functions, thereby resulting in tremendous cost savings and increased efficiency. When making the implementation decision, management must considered fundamental issues such as the organizations readiness for a dramatic change, the degree of integration, key business processes to be implemented, older applications to be included, and whether or not new hardware needs to be acquired. In order to increase the chance of user acceptance, employees must be consulted and be involved in all stages of the implementation process. Providing proper education and appropriate training are also two important strategies to increase the end user acceptance rate. The o rganization is also going through a drastic change, with changes in the way businesses are conducted, the organization being restructured, and job responsibilities being redefined. And finally, the cost and time of implementation of an ERP system also are a major challenge faced during the implementation process.

The Separation of Church and State in America Essay -- Religion Politi

"Prayer has been banished from schools and the ACLU rampages to remove â€Å"under God† from the Pledge of Allegiance. Moreover, â€Å"Separation of Church and State† is nowhere found in the Constitution or any other founding legislation. Our forefathers would never countenance the restrictions on religion exacted today." -- Bill Flax, Forbes, 2011 Church and State seem to be two words which are entirely inseparable from each other. Religion in politics and the government has been present since the federal government was first put into place. The issue of religion is present in such varied topics as the public school system, presidential elections, right down to the National Anthem. The fact of the matter is, Church and State are very far from being separate in the United States. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." These opening words of the First Amendment of the Constitution set forth a guarantee of religious freedom in the United States. The Establishment clause was intended to accomplish this end by, in the words of Thomas Jefferson, creating a "wall of separation between Church and State." The First Amendment prevented the government from interfering in it's citizens religious lives. It did not, however, prevent the federal government from engaging in it's own. The Fourteenth Amendment, Ratified in 1868, states that "No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the Unites States; nor shall any State depri... ...urch and State may be an unattainable goal. But as long as the Church and State have anything to do with one another, the struggle will continue. Bibliography: Flax, Bill. "The True Meaning of Separation of Church and State", July 9, Forbes, 2011 Web. 15 May 2015 http://www.forbes.com/sites/billflax/2011/07/09/the-true-meaning-of-separation-of-church-and-state/ Goldberg, George. Church, State, and the Constitution. Washington, D.C.: Regnery Gateway, 2014. Mueller, Arnold C. "Religion in the Public Schools." In Church and State Under God, ed. Albert G. Huegli. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2004. Lopatto, Paul. Religion and the Presidential Election. Edited by Gerald M. Pomper. New York: Praeger, 2014. Spiritual Answers Online, Church and State, Web. 15 May 2015 http://www.spiritual-answers.com/Questions/church_and_state.htm

Too Many Majors

The Enrollment Management Committee and the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee were asked to investigate the over enrollment issue and to consider avenues for handling the preponderance of communication majors by the chairperson of the communication department, Chelsea McGuire. Each committee dedicated time, effort and energy in their small groups to come up with solutions for this problem. I would characterize the decision-making style of the Enrollment Management Committee (EMC) as a rational decision-making style when considering the enrollment management problem.They began their research with formulation (researched enrollment management systems around campus),then moved to concept development (set a goal to determine the optimal system for stemming the flow of majors into the communication department), and then detailing (conducted a systematic survey of all other campus departments to determine if they had also experienced problems with over enrollment in recent years), followe d by evaluation(inquired about plans and effectiveness, compared characteristics of other campus departments with relevant attributes in considering any other options) and finally, implementation (coming up with three optimal solutions for Communications department to consider).The Undergraduate Curriculum Committee (UCC) used an intuitive decision- making style when considering the enrollment management problem. They based their solution on past experiences in similar contexts- what has worked in the past. This type of decision-making style is very analogical. Before reading this scenario, I thought for sure that intuitive decision making style was something that would be more effective in a real-life situation. After further reading and thinking, I find that the Enrollment Management Committee has come up with some great â€Å"solutions† and I do not think they should be dismissed. Sometimes, it’s difficult to look inward and realize the problem might be that your pr ogram is too easy and that’s why students are choosing it.I would choose any of the solutions given by the EMC. I think that if Chelsea McGuire retains her typical participative decision-making style during the upcoming faculty meeting, she will not walk out with a definitive solution. This type of problem, as we see from the response letters, can have many solutions that are subjective. Although I do not believe the UCC to be incorrect in their findings, I do think that some people and groups are not as comfortable with change. A well respected member of the UCC that has held her position for thirty years might not see an issue, but that does not mean there is not an issue. The staff should not feel overwhelmed.If the staff is overwhelmed, how can they perform their best and give each student the focus and attention they deserve? If there are no budget constraints, another option might be to hire additional faculty. The advantage to using participative decision-making is tha t everyone feels included and motivated. There is a possibility that people will come together and agree on a solution for the greater good. The disadvantage to this kind of style is that you may risk the lack of motivation when one group did not â€Å"win† the solution. It would be difficult to feel that the energy, time and effort going into finding the best solution did not â€Å"pay off. † I think it would be helpful for Chelsea to use the Cognitive Model of PDM.Using this model would allow the faculty to see the possible decisions provided by the EMC and UCC (allowing all faculty to feel the participation and also giving acknowledgement and credit to each team for their efforts), and allowing an open discussion forum for faculty to speak about what they think would be the best solution, and then voting. This allows for all voices to feel heard and will hopefully involve less disappointment when a solution has been decided. The communication behaviors I would watch for in the upcoming meeting to assess whether an effective decision-making process is being used would be the level of participation and dialogue.If the majority of the faculty seems engaged in the decision making, I would consider the choice of decision-making style a success. Although I might feel that the most effective solution involves change, if the faculty and staff participating in the faculty meeting come together and support the â€Å"no change† solution, I would determine a solution based on the group. A â€Å"bona fide group† perspective on the way the group is embedded in organizational structures (e. g. , the department, the university, professional (institutions) might influence my assessment of the situation in a positive way. It is important for a group to feel unity because a unified group builds an internal strength and motivation.

“Freeze!” – Creative Writing

The loaded fork stopped short of the man's mouth. His eyes scanned the room to find out where the shout came from, his eyes followed to the door of the room and stopped. There in the doorway he could make out four officers, guns ready should he move unexpectedly. â€Å"Put your hands where we can see them!† A moment passed as the man wondered whether or not to eat his last forkful before doing as he was told. He thought better of it and put the fork, still loaded on to his plate. Slowly he raised his arms in the air. Officers streamed into the cramped room, surrounding the man there were as many as could fit with space enough to raise a gun. Some officers were what seemed to be too close to the table, but they could not retreat for the officers behind them. One man passed out from the sight, he was dragged out before he caused a commotion. The seated man smiled at the officer's weakness and followed his limp body out of the room with his eyes. There continued a small bustle as the man was arrested, read his rights, cuffed, masked and shackled. He was walked out of the room, up the flight of stairs that led from the basement flat and out in to the street, where he could see how important he was. Squad cars, and two SWAT vans littered the already dark street. The man could just make out the head of the police department sat comfortably in his black, government car. The man was shoved into the back of an armoured van which already contained three well built men. They were fully equipped with batons and cattle prods. The man decided it best to sit quietly and enjoyed the ride in the windowless van. He shut his eyes and dreamed as he swayed with the jolts the dirt road gave the van. What seemed like hours had passed when the van finally stopped. A minute later, the doors opened and the man was pulled out, still cuffed, masked and shackled. He was escorted into a large important looking building filled with blue uniformed men. The man was led through a maze of corridors and pass checks. They came to a narrow, brightly lit, warm corridor with sound proofed walls and bullet-proof Perspex panels and doors that opened in on to neat holding cells. He was taken down to the last cell on the left, even though all the other nine cells were empty. His cuffs and mask were taken off but they left the shackles, he was politely asked to step inside the cell. He thanked the two officers that had been left with him and walked into the cell. The door was locked behind him. The officers out of duty asked if he wanted anything. â€Å"I'm a bit hungry.† The blood drained from the younger officer's face. â€Å"I was wondering if I could finish my meal?† From the look on their faces he could tell the answer was no. â€Å"Maybe I could have a snack, a packet of crisps or something?† Their faces seemed to relax. â€Å"What flavour?† Quested the young officer. â€Å"Bacon if possible.† The man saw the young officer recoil, the older officer seemed better trained and showed no emotion. â€Å"We'll see what we can do.† The older officer stated. â€Å"Thank you,† the man responded, â€Å"By the way, do you know how long I'm going to be here? I mean will I just have to wait for a little bit or will I have more time that I could waste sleeping or something?† â€Å"We don't know. Do what you see fit.† The older officer motioned the younger officer to follow and they walked out of the man's view. The man settled down and took in his surroundings. Three white walls and one Perspex panel and door held him captive. There was a smooth cot bed made up too perfection with cream blankets and sheets. A steel toilet stood quietly in the corner with a small matching basin next to it. Nothing else furnished the room. The man sat down on the floor and leaned against the cot. With the cool metal side of it in his back he knew he would not be comfortable in this position for long, but he was too lazy to move yet. The man shut his eyes and began to dream. His dreams were plagued by food for he was hungry. He had been interrupted during his dinner and so his belly was not full or content. He dreamed of a starter of soft Cornish crackers, smothered with liver pà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½. For the main course a beautifully cooked meat pie, soaked in gravy with a very small salad on the side. For dessert a tray of mince pies. He always wondered why they never actually had any real mince in them but even so he delighted in eating them, just for their name. Just as he finished his first mince pie and was about to reach out for another, a soft knocking on the door interrupted him. He opened his eyes to the older officer standing outside the cell staring at him. The man stood and stepped forward towards the glass. The officer stepped back and from his pocket produced a shiny packet. â€Å"I only have roast chicken flavour left.† The man looked at the officer puzzled. â€Å"It must have been confiscated from a convict, nobody will miss it I assure you.† The officer spoke too quickly. He placed the packet in the food tray on the floor and slid it shut so that the drawer's content was now on the inside of the cell. The man picked it up. â€Å"Thank you very much. I wasn't expecting anything at all. Thank you again.† The man sat on the cot and proceeded to open the packet of crisps. He placed the bag close to his face and smelled its contents. He looked back at the glass and was surprised to see the officer still there. He smiled and pulled out a wafer of potato. As he crunched into it, the officer turned and walked away, the man thought he saw a smile on the officers face but could not be sure. It almost looked as if the officer was longing for something, but the man dismissed that idea, why would an officer long for a packet of crisps? The officer probably was feeling sorry for the man. The man ate half the packet and decided to save the rest for later. He put the packet under the cot pillow. He kicked off his shoes, imitation leather, slid on to his side and drifted off to sleep on the cot. A long while later, he was woken up by a buzzer he could not see. He stood in time to see four officers at his cell. He was led through another maze of corridors and pass checks to a small questioning room. He was sat down at a medium sized wooden table with two chairs, one that he occupied. A large mirror took up the wall opposite where the man sat. He suspected it to be a two-way mirror for obvious reasons. He was left there with the shackles clinking softly at his ankles. Two officers entered around a half hour later. One sat down, the other stood in the shadow near the door. The seated officer placed a Dictaphone on the table, switched it on and stated the date, time and the names of all present in the room. The man was shocked that it had been a full 12 hours since he had been caught. Then it began; the barrage of questions. First they started slowly; his name, age, date of birth, height, weight and so on. They gave him time to answer each question fully and only asked another when he looked as if he had nothing more to say. Then they began to speed up. â€Å"When was the last time he had food?† He told of the crisps, interrupting they asked what flavour. â€Å"Roast Chicken.† â€Å"Who gave them to you?† â€Å"Another officer, I don't know his name.† â€Å"Do we look stupid?† The man did not answer. â€Å"No officer is allowed to give you food.† â€Å"But-† â€Å"No officer would give you chicken flavour crisps.† The man put his head down as in defeat. â€Å"And before that? What was the next before last thing you ate?† â€Å"Lunch.† â€Å"Consisting of?† â€Å"Meat.† The man had raised his head to look the officer in the face before he had replied. A look clouded both officers' faces. The seated officer rose and motioned the other to sit. This officer was dressed differently, for one she wore a dark blue skirt rather than trousers. Instead of the usual white shirt the men wore, she wore a light blue blouse and a small tailored dark blue waistcoat. â€Å"This, † motioned the now standing officer, â€Å"is officer Ali, first name Aliya. She is very familiar with your type of problem.† â€Å"Hello.† A quiet, slightly shaky voice indicated she was not as good as her introduction. â€Å"Hello Miss.† The man said politely. â€Å"Address the officer properly.† â€Å"Nice to meet you officer Ali.† â€Å"That's okay officer. Let the man relax.† The standing officer grunted indignantly and walked towards the door to lean against the wall near the light switch. â€Å"Okay. Let's start.† The young lady produced a bunch of papers from a small briefcase by her feet. â€Å"These are just a few character tests I need you do to so that I can help you. Would you mind taking one of these?† She looked at the officer for approval. He nodded. â€Å"Not at all officer. I know I'm sick and need help. But I haven't the will power.† The man looked genuine in his feelings. â€Å"Okay. Right. Okay. How often do you eat meat?† She laboured over the last word, as if it was uncommon. â€Å"Not very often only when I can find some. Then I tend to gorge myself on it.† â€Å"And where do you get your†¦meat?† She fuddled over the word again â€Å"An out of town butcher† The man said flatly. â€Å"Really?† She raised her eyebrows in surprise. She suspected he was lying. â€Å"No. I catch it myself. I stalk them and then kill them with a knife, that way not bullets or poison spoils it.† He had lied and had thought better of it to tell he truth. He put his head down again in shame. â€Å"Spoils it?† Her eyebrows now knit together in curios â€Å"The taste is better if there isn't all that stuff.† He was a little cautious of his answers but he was trying to be as honest as he could, he wanted help and they could only help him if they knew everything. â€Å"Ok. Do you think you could ever stop†¦doing what you are doing?† She struggled again to ask these questions. This was new to her, she had only been doing this for about a month and this was the first man who was this honest. The rest of the offenders usually laid the whole way through. She knew why; they had heard of what would happen to them if they were convicted. â€Å"I hope so. I can go without it for long, weeks at a time but then a craving for it plagues my mind and body.† He looked for some kind of reaction in here eyes. Another inquisitive look knotted hey eyebrows together. â€Å"You have withdrawal symptoms?† â€Å"Yes. I start, dreaming. I'm a good cook. I dream up dishes that I can make. I can make anything out of any bit of meat.† He sounded slightly proud of himself. But then he remembered why he was there and retreated back to feeling sorry for himself. â€Å"Can I ask why you call it meat? Not flesh, or food?† â€Å"If you think of it as what it really is, then you begin to feel guilty. I don't like feeling bad, so I don't think of them as anything important, only as bits of meat that taste nice.† It was an answer given matter-of-factly. â€Å"If we put you on a diet of only vegetables would you be able to survive?† She looked for a way out for him, she felt sorry for him. â€Å"Yes of course, I wouldn't like it though.† This was not going well for the man. She asked the final question that she knew would decide his fate. She wished he would answer correctly but she could give no kind of indication to him as to what his answer should be. â€Å"If you had the chance to have meat again after this interview would you take it?† A slight pause as the man put his head down and answered n a small voice. â€Å"Yes.† Suddenly the door burst in and armed guards rushed into the small room. In desperation the man realised that the rumours of what happened to people like him were true and that he had just sealed his fate. â€Å"I mean no, I wouldn't. I wouldn't! I promise, no, no I wouldn't.† He screamed apologetically, begging for forgiveness and promising that he would be good. He sounded like a little boy begging his parents for one more chance after doing something wrong and knowing he would be punished. The office seated stood up and walked out of the room. She looked back at the man with sympathy but she knew she could do nothing. He had answered wrong. He was dragged out of the room by guards who had been waiting outside the door. â€Å"No! I promise, never again!† The man was taken to a cell not too far from the questioning room. He cried and screamed, kicked and bit. He tried everything to free himself. It didn't work. He was thrown into a small cell, 4 foot by 3. Blood was spattered on the walls and the man shook as he realised in his mind what was actually going to happen. Three small flaps near the floor opposite the now bolted steel door snapped open. Out of them came a stream of fat brown rats. They circled him, ring upon ring formed round him, the man stood still, his eyes racing round to each small set of beady eyes. Their bright yellow teeth were visible and chattered every so often, all daring each other to jump first. A silent sign made them all pounce on him. He shrieked and tried to pull them off. They bit through his shirt, on his bare arms and at his legs. Many drew blood on their first bite. These were well-trained assassins. They were hungry and wanted meat. The man's shoes had been kicked during the scrap and now the rats bit at his socks. The man fell on the floor and they swarmed him. Wave upon wave of pain coursed through the man. They were biting all over his body, regardless of whether it was clothed or not. If it were clothed, they would slash an opening and clamber through to the soft skin underneath. The rats were in his shirt, in his trousers biting at everything. The man continued to fight them off, but there were just too many. He kept screaming until one rat dared to jump into in and bite his tongue. The man bit down as hard as he could. Half the rat fell off of him, tail still twitching. He spat the other half out and spat out the rodent's blood, it mingled with his own from the bite on the tip of his tongue. He stopped screaming but when a rat latched on to his nose he yelped in pain. It's tail swung into his mouth and he bit it off accidentally swallowing it. Another rat bit down into the flesh between his thumb and fore finger, he tried to shake it off but the momentum plus the weight of the rat caused the flesh to rip and the rat to fly off with part of the man in it's mouth. It dropped the meat and attacked him again on his other hand hoping for a larger piece. Rats on the man's belly ripped and clawed their way past the skin, getting to the soft meat beneath it. Five especially fat rats tunnelled through the man into his abdomen and chest. The man could not breathe, as his lungs were half eaten. He coughed up blood and in it was a bit of a rat's tail. The man retched but nothing came up as his stomach was on the floor in front of him. Eventually the man ceased to move. His efforts for survival had been futile. The rats continued their meal until all that was left was the bones of a man. When they were full they sat in the corners of the room letting the still-hungry rats gorge till they themselves could eat no more. Hours passed and slowly the rats scampered back to their homes on the other side of the flaps, where more food was. When every rat had gone, two officers shut the flaps, opened the door and collected the remains. They remarked about how efficient the rats were getting, this one had died within two hours of being locked in. The other remarked the time was too short and that every non-vegetarian should endure the most torture they could receive before dying. They both agreed that all meat eaters should be put to death and that this was the most fitting way for it too be done but they still continued to argue over how long it should last. Their argument lasted all the way to the dump where they threw the filled bin liners into a newly dug pit, big enough for thirty bags or so. By then they had grown tired of the discussion and were now debating whether to go to the new veggie-restaurant, or go to the usual veggie noodle bar for lunch.