Complexities of Normal Behavior - 1913 Words

The concept of being â€Å"normal† is one that is often spoken being the front of conversation, spoken with much defence and controversy. In contrast, this topic is spoken about with great â€Å"hush† because it is seen as a taboo in society; due to the sensitive issue of an individual’s expected behaviour. On the other hand, the topic of â€Å"abnormal† is often given a similar light to the idea of being â€Å"normal†. Many psychologist have tried to explain one of these labels often using the starting point of normality, then any behaviour that deviates away from this is seen as abnormal. However, as many psychologist and theorists have found there is much more complexity behind each label, this is due to diversity of people, cultural relativism and mixed societies within the world all trying to define their own concept of what is â€Å"normal† and â€Å"abnormal† human behaviour. It is very difficult to draw a solid line from where normality begins and finishes becoming abnormal. Through-out time there have been many explanations that try to establish a genderalisable definition for abnormal behaviour. One of which is deviation from social norms, under this explanation behaviour is classed as abnormal if it deviates away from the unwritten customary rules of society that a coordinate our behaviour within a particular society or culture Young, H (2007). Social norms are hugely context dependent and vary heavily through different cultures and religions. The changing of times also has anShow MoreRelatedDifference Between Simulation and Optimization1541 Words   |  7 Pageshowever does not drive to an optimal solution. Simulation also enables a user to visualize real world behavior of an â€Å"optimal solution† derived from the optimization. Simulation models are best suited for decision analysis, diagnostic evaluation, and project planning. Supply Chain Optimization VS. Simulation The biggest challenge when conducting Supply Chain Optimization is the overall complexity of a model, which increases as more variables are introduced. Running an Optimization model requiresRead MoreCause Effect of Columbine Shooting832 Words   |  4 PagesJennifer Leho Sociology 109 October 17, 2010 Crime amp; Deviant Behavior Deviant behavior is any behavior that violates social norms and is disapproved by a group in society. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold are a prime example of deviant behavior. These two children embarked on murder massacre, killing twelve students and one teacher, injuring twenty-one others. The pair then committed suicide after their devilish act. The children were both bullied daily at school. One friend of the deviantRead MoreMental Duality Essay1658 Words   |  7 Pagesvolitions. This was based on the idea that at one exact point in time, a person seemed capable of realizing and reacting to only one stream of thought. Likewise, there was also a behavior-based argument to reject Puccetti’s hypothesis. This objection, unlike the introspective, asked the reader to examine the behavior, more specifically the volition, of others. In looking at others, it appeared fairly simple for the reader to reject dual minds, because, anecdotally, it never seemed like people behavedRead MorePersonality Testing And The Benefits Essay1138 Words   |  5 Pages1995). Although, this may have more to do with the complexity inherent in human personalities and inconsistencies in defining work performance than an actual lack of an established relationship (Cohen et al., 2013). Another primary goal of personality tests is to predict work behavior; specifically, discouraging counterproductive work behaviors (i.e. theft, absenteeism, dark personality traits, etc.), while also encouraging positive work behaviors, such as leadership and teamwork (Beaz III, 2013)Read MoreThe Brave New World Essay859 Words   |  4 PagesThe Brave New World has a lot of complexity and topics that are still relevant in the 21st Century. Throughout the novel one of the themes that caught my attention was how the World State uses social programing to structure their society. The society is being taught not to think about change, follow orders, have a sexual life, and be happy by using soma. Sexuality is all over the book to the point were it got uncomfortable. The following quote explains how Fanny is having a conversation with LeninaRead MoreAn Attachment Theoretical Framework For Personality Disorders1532 Words   |  7 Pagesantisocial personality disorders. This theoretical groundwork pairs breadth and parsimony to the conceptualization of Bowlby by suggesting that because of the durability of working models, attachment behavior in adolescence and adulthood is an unequivocal continuation of infant attachment behavior. Attachment beyond infancy is evaluated by using instruments, such as The Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). The AAI involves assessing the internal working models developed during earlier in life, howeverRead MoreAdhd : A Part Of The Western Culture928 Words   |  4 Pagesof the Western Culture. People are familiar with the term, treatment and some behaviors that ‘shows’ its existence; and since it has become part of the culture itself it is considered as something relatively normal -or at least common. Both sides of the debate agree on the fact that the behaviors called ADHD do exist, but is it a biological disease? A conduct disorder? Or are we as humans trying to narrow our behaviors in the way where anyone who is not as ‘efficient’ as us are considered to be ‘sick’Read MoreQuestions On Design Of Technical Systems Essay1473 Words   |  6 Pages8834875144 AME 503 Paper Study 2 INTRODUCTION As specified in the paper Complexity in Design of Technical Systems, an exact definition to the meaning of the word complexity is a matter of debate and discussion. It is not to be mistaken for anything but the complexity involved while designing or modifying a technical system or rather an engineering system. The paper is vigorous in mentioning the existence of two main complexities that needs special attention dawned upon them while designing the systemRead MoreUnderstanding Schizophrenia Essay examples1617 Words   |  7 Pagesprogress every day. To find a cure for schizophrenia, scientists must first understand the disease itself. Over the years, professionals have come up with a fairly accurate definition: When a persons thinking, feeling, and behaving are so far from normal so as to interfere with his or her ability to function in everyday life, and delusions, hallucinations, or irregular thinking or emotions are produced, then he or she has a mental illness called schizophrenia (Smith 19). The most common symptomsRead MoreHybrid Electronics Essay1225 Words   |  5 Pagesdesign improvements of FHEs depend on the prediction of mechanical and failure behavior. Debonding of electronic components from the flexible substrate is one of the most common and critical failures of these components, therefore, experimental determination of material and interface properties is of great importance in the prediction of failure mechanisms. Traditional interface characterization involves isolated shear and normal mode tests such as the double cantilever beam (DCB) and end notch flexure

Case Study A Plastic Pipe Manufacturer, Was Not An...

Being able to increase productivity and revenues has always been the greatest challenge of any manager, and the manager of RL Wolfe, a plastic pipe manufacturer, was not an exception. Because of the low-efficiency percentage RL Wolfe had in comparison to their its competitors, John Amasi, director of Production and Engineering , had no other choice then came up with a new way of improving RL Wolfe production methods. 1) Compare and contrast the new plant to the old in terms of work design. Identify and rank order the most challenging problems and describe possible solutions. John Amasi attempteds to implement self-directed teams in order to increase their productivity. Being able to make their own decisions would reduced the time of production time significantly. But such improvement did not come easy, many impasses showed in his way because of the differences between the way things were made and the way Amasi wanted to be. The decision making was one the first differences to face, in order to fulfil this task, employees were empowered by the managers in order to be able to make daily decisions, whichthat were usually made by the headquarters, that being done, a good alternative for improving this process would make a retroactive way of teaching, employees with seniority should eventually start teaching new recruiters and repeat the cycle. The second problem they face was the develop of job assignments, for this matter, training was also the obvious and more accurateShow MoreRelatedInnovative Building Materials3856 Words   |  16 PagesPolyurethane Cement-bonded wood fibre Cement-bonded polystyrene beads The majority of forms are made of foam insulation, such as expanded polystyrene (EPS), and are either separate panels connected with plastic connectors or ties; or pre-formed interlocking blocks connected with plastic or steel connectors or ties. Most forms have vertically oriented furring strips built into the forms on 6†, 8†, or 12† centres which are used to secure interior and exterior finishes. Different ICF systems alsoRead MorePlastic Waste Management3881 Words   |  16 PagesPlastic Waste Management 1. Plastics Waste: Environmental Issues and Challenges The quantum of solid waste is ever increasing due to increase in population, developmental activities, changes in life style, and socio-economic conditions, Plastics waste is a significant portion of the total municipal solid waste (MSW). It is estimated that approximately 10 thousand tons per day (TPD) of plastics waste is generated i.e. 9% of 1.20 lacs TPD of MSW in the country. The plastics waste constitutes two majorRead MoreBuilding a Microbrewery6939 Words   |  28 Pagesimported beer market and are able to command a premium price for their products. †¢ Pub breweries are illegal in some states (and you know the status in your state). †¢ Licensing and distribution laws are different from state to state and in some cases not clearly defined or are in a state of flux (You know where you stand in your state). †¢ It is going to take a lot more money than you originally thought to get into the brewing business in the right way. †¢ Mankind has been brewing beerRead MoreMattel Case Study8764 Words   |  36 PagesMattel Case Study - Presentation Transcript 1. no. 1-0013 Mattel, Inc: Vendor Operations in Asia Only 3% of the world’s children are here in the U.S. Our biggest opportunities are in growth outside the U.S. – Jill Barad President CEO Mattel, Inc. The sun was just breaking over Kowloon Harbor. From his corner office, Ron Montalto gazed across the water and watched the early morning light reflect off Hong Kong’s famous downtown skyline. Only 24 hours ago Ron had been riding around the CarolinaRead MoreProject On Chassis Assembly And Its Stages8454 Words   |  34 PagesEngineering and Technology, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh under my supervision. MR. SUMIT SHARMA DEPARTMENT OF MAE ASET, Noida Preface In this project of chassis assembly we are going to study about different things. We will learn what is a chassis, how does it get assembled, what are the stages of chassis assembly and which parts or components get bolted to it. We will also learn about the types of chassis, material used for making it andRead MoreCivil Engineering10763 Words   |  44 Pagesproduce other materials which may be used in construction is called construction material. construction material are: Cement,sand ,water.   Concrete,   Lime,   Stones, Paints and Varnishes,    Wood and Timber, Engineering Metals, Bituminous materials and Plastics,   Rubber and Glass, Miscelleneous materials, http://www.aboutcivil.org/engineering-materials.html Cement Bricklayer Joseph Asp din of Leeds, England first made  portland  cement  early in the 19th century by burning powdered limestone andRead MoreBraun Ag: the Kf 40 Coffee Machine13786 Words   |  56 Pages9-990-001 DESIGN MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE CASE STUDY Braun AG: The KF 40 Coffee Machine This case study came from the Case Study Research and Development Program at the Design Management Institute’s Center for Research. The Center conducts research and develops educational materials on the role of design and design management in business success. Case studies, the Design Management Journal, reprints from the Journal, and other educational materials are available from the Design Management InstituteRead MoreBraun Ag: the Kf 40 Coffee Machine13776 Words   |  56 Pages9-990-001 DESIGN MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE CASE STUDY Braun AG: The KF 40 Coffee Machine This case study came from the Case Study Research and Development Program at the Design Management Institute’s Center for Research. The Center conducts research and develops educational materials on the role of design and design management in business success. Case studies, the Design Management Journal, reprints from the Journal, and other educational materials are available from the Design ManagementRead MoreKnowledge Transfer From MNC Parent To China Subsidiary9814 Words   |  40 PagesSchool of Business, National University of Singapore, 1 Business Link, Singapore 117592, Singapore b Fisher College of Business, The Ohio State University, Newark, OH, USA c International Enterprise Singapore, Singapore Abstract Based on an empirical study of 62 firms, this paper develops a two-stage model describing knowledge transfer from MNCs to their China subsidiaries. In the first stage, the model proposes factors affecting the extent of knowledge contributed by an MNC to its China subsidiary.Read MoreExxon Mobile Capstone40455 Words   |  162 Pagesnatural gas market, current economics clearly favors oil production over natural gas production. However, conventional oil reserves are dwindling, with companies struggling to find new oil; this is recently illustrated by the unfavorable spotlight that was thrown on ExxonMobil regarding its dubious reserve replacement ratio. This raises more questions needing to be address: How will ExxonMobil be able to successfully execute on its mission to produce more oil?; What type of new technological innovations

Bureaucracyr Organizational Free Essays

According to Max Weber, ‘Bureaucracy’ means a centrally directed, systematically organized and hierarchically structured staff devoted to the regular, routine and efficient carrying out of large-scale administrative tasks according to policies dictated by, rulers or directors standing outside and above the bureaucracy. Such a staff, as Weber rightly saw, tends to become rule-bound, functionally specialized, elevating impersonality and esprit de corps. But ‘bureaucracy’ has also meant the opposite of organizational efficiency and effective centralized control: red tape, slowness of procedure, reluctance to take a decision, the unnecessary multiplication of people, rules and forms — a connotation achieved by singling out for attention unfavourable secondary features or tendencies of bureaucratic structures. We will write a custom essay sample on Bureaucracyr Organizational or any similar topic only for you Order Now The term ‘bureaucracy’ has been included in, but also contrasted with, the more general concept of administration. Sometimes this is done by seeing bureaucracy as a formal and impersonal mode of administration, sometimes by seeing bureaucracy as that form of administration where administrators (the bureaucrats, the officials) have become the real rulers, arrogating to themselves privilege, power and control. An Organizational structure defines how job tasks are formally divided, grouped and coordinated. The main elements to consider while designing an organizational structure are Work Specialization, departmentalization, chain of command, span of control, centralization and decentralization and formalization. The most common Organizational designs found in use are ? Simple or Flat structure ? The Bureaucracy ? The Matrix structure ? The Team Structure ? The Virtual Organization ? The Boundaryless Organization The paper discusses the major advantages of all the above designs and all are compared with bureaucracy and the real contribution of bureaucracy is arrived at the end of discussion. Then the role of bureaucracy in improving the efficiency of the organization is elucidated. The impact of a low level bureaucracy is then discussed and its role in efficiency is discussed. Then the impacts of high level bureaucracy are discussed. Finally, the paper concludes by stating that a moderate level of bureaucracy is good for increasing the efficiency of the organization. Advantages and Disadvantages of various Organizational designs The simple structure is characterized by a low degree of departmentalization, wide spans of control, authority centralized in a single person, and little formalization. The strength of the simple structure lies in its simplicity. It’s fast, flexible and inexpensive to maintain and accountability is clear. One major weakness is that it is difficult to maintain in anything other than a small organization. The decision making becomes slow as the organization grows in size because of its low formalization and high centralization. A bureaucracy is characterized by highly routine operating tasks achieved through specialization, much formalized rules and regulations, tasks that are grouped into functional departments, centralized authority, narrow spans of control, and decision making that follows the chain of command. The primary strength of bureaucracy lies in its ability to perform standardized activities in a highly efficient manner. One of the major weakness of this structure is that it causes departmental conflicts and highly inflexible always following the rules. There is no room for modification The Matrix structure is characterized by dual lines of authority and combines product and functional departmentalization. IBM adopts a modified version of the matrix structure in its overall operations. The strength of this structure lies in its ability to facilitate coordination and efficient allocation of specialists. The major disadvantage lies in the confusion it creates, its prosperity to foster power struggles, and the stress it places on individuals. The Team structure uses teams as the central device to coordinate work activities. Companies like DaimlerChrysler, Saturn, Motorola and Xerox have made extensive use of self managed teams to improve productivity at the operational level. In smaller companies, the team structure can define the entire organization. For instance, Imedia, a 30 person marketing firm in New Jersey is completely organized around teams. This structure is highly unsuitable for large companies. A Virtual organization is a small core organization that out sources major business functions. Ancle Hsu and David Ji run a virtual organization. Their firm, California based Apex Digital, is one of the world’s largest producers of DVD Players, yet the company neither owns a factory nor employs an engineer. They contract everything out to firms in China. This is suitable for small and large organizations. The major advantage is the flexibility and the disadvantage is lack of managerial control in key aspects of business. The Boundaryless organization is an organization that seeks to eliminate the chain of command, have limitless spans of control, and replace departments with empowered teams. The discussion of various organizational designs indicates the flexibility and adaptable nature of other designs compared to Bureaucracy. This also reveals that in most situations, Bureaucracy is good when the weaknesses of the designs are studied. Role of Bureaucracy in improving the efficiency of the organization The Primary strength of bureaucracy lies in putting like specialties together in functional departments results in economics of scale, minimum duplication of personnel and equipments, and employees who have the opportunity to talk â€Å" the same language† among their peers. Further more, bureaucracy can get by nicely with less talented – and hence, less costly middle and lower level managers. The pervasiveness of rules and regulations substitutes for managerial discretion. Standardized operation, coupled with high formalization, allow decision making to be centralized. There is little need therefore, for innovative and experienced decision makers below the level of senior executives. This drastically cuts costs for the enterprise and improves the efficiency level drastically by obtaining high levels of economies of scale and spending less on employees. The bureaucracy is efficient only as long as employees confront problems that they have previously encountered and for which programmed decision rules have already been established. Impact of a low level of bureaucracy A low level of bureaucracy results in huge lack of control. Employees are at their will and decision making becomes a very cumbersome task. There will be a lot of outstanding orders and the work schedule will be way below the expected level. This considerably decreases the efficiency of the organization. In very rare cases, employees take up responsibility and achieve targets. Impact of a high level of bureaucracy A high level of bureaucracy is highly detrimental to the growth of the organization. This makes the employees to develop job insecurity and they feel to be continuously monitored. High level of bureaucracy is characterized by issuing orders and a logic to follow. There will be a lot of unwanted works and precious time will be spent in duplication of the same work in various levels of the organization. This curbs innovation and creativity leading to routine jobs and eventually leads to employee boredom. There will be no sort of an employee involvement in this situation. Employees work for long hours but the output will be way below the standards and there will be no motivation mechanisms to support the employees. This finally results in employee turnover. So, a high level of bureaucracy is to be avoided as it may arouse the employees against the management of the company. Weakness of Bureaucracy One of the major weaknesses of a bureaucracy is illustrated in the following dialogue between four executives in one company: â€Å"Ya Know, nothing happens in this place until we produce something, â€Å"said the production executive. Wrong commented the research and development manager, â€Å"Nothing happens until we design something†. â€Å"What are you talking about? † asked the marketing executive. â€Å"Nothing happens here until we sell something†. Finally, the exasperated accounting manager responded, â€Å"It does not matter what you produce, design, or sell. Now one knows what happens we tally up the results! † This conversation points at the fact that specialization creates subunit conflicts. Functional unit goals can override the overall goals of organization. The other major weakness of a bureaucracy is something dealing with the people who work in these organizations: obsessive concern with following the rules. When cases arise that do not precisely fit the rules, there is no room for modification. Conclusion Bureaucracy is efficient to the organization only when a moderate level exists. Both a low level of bureaucracy and a high level of bureaucracy will result in the inefficient operation of the enterprise without fully utilizing the resources of the company. A moderate level of bureaucracy will ensure that control mechanisms are in place and that employees are achieving their targets. This also allows the restriction of imposing rules and procedures to the employees and causing boredom. When a saturation point is reached, bureaucracy contributes greatly to improving the efficiency of the organization to a great level. Reference: †¢ Stephen P. Robbins, Organizational Behavior, Tenth Edition, Prentice Hall of India. Pg. 425-446, Pg. 523-535. †¢ Garry Dessler, Human Resource Management, Eastern Economy edition. Pg 465-479. †¢ Randy L. Desimone, Jon M. Werner and David M. Harris, Human Resource Development, Pearson education. Pg. 225 – 239 †¢ Cummings Worley, Organization Culture and Change , 2005, page 490 †¢ Merril Ewert D and Jennifer A King Rice. 2002 October. Managing Diversity: HRM Review. †¢ http://www. hrmguide. co. uk/history/classical_organization_theory. htm How to cite Bureaucracyr Organizational, Papers

Recycling Should Be Mandatory free essay sample

A used aluminum can is recycled and back on the grocery shelf as a new can, in as little as 60 days. Approximately 1 billion trees worth of paper are thrown away every year in the U. S. alone. That alone should be incentive to recycle. The option of recycling has been available for every American. Most people have not taken advantage of it and continue to just throw everything away. We are in charge of keeping earth clean, and frankly we arent doing such a great job even though recycling has been made easy. We are also running out of our nations natural resources. We may not be completely affected now by being so careless with what God gave us, but we have future generations to think about! God gave us this earth and we arent being grateful and respectful to it. Most people dont recycle because it is inconvenient for them, but all you really have to do is have a separate container by the trash can for recyclable goods. We will write a custom essay sample on Recycling Should Be Mandatory or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page People can recycle a vast amount of items like paper, plastic, glass, aluminum, metal, cardboard and so much more. Broward, like most other counties, offer convenient ways to recycle at home. They have the All-In-One single-stream system, where recyclables can all be placed together in the same container and picked up right at your house. Counties offer different pickup dates for the recycle, which is usually the trash pick-up day for your neighborhood. Because of the lack of recycling across our nation, we are running out of natural resources. When products are not reused, it causes companies to make their products off of virgin materials. This destroys more trees and forests. It also causes companies to dig for more oil, which pollutes the air and causes global warming. Ladies and gentlemen, that means our health is in our hands, we are making higher probabilities of getting sick! The ozone layer is thinning and there is no way to restore it but recycling can help. Recycling plastic saves twice as much energy as burning it in an incinerator. Our world does not have an abundance of natural resources and it makes no sense that we can not reuse the resources that we have already taken from the earth. Each day, Americans create enough trash to cover all of Rhode Island. If everyone does not start recycling our materials, we will eventually run out of space. You might also think, its not affecting you so it doesnt concern you, but do you really want future generations to end up like the movie, Wall-e? Im talking about how people lost respect for themselves and therefore lost respect for the earth, it became a massive dump and everyone was forced to move into a hovercraft in the air. Though that would be very cool, I would overall feel trapped being stuck on limited space. We shouldnt be so careless when there is an infinite amount of generations pending. Now think about if you want to have kids, do you want to bring them into a world that has been destroyed with waste? You are going to want to protect them from dangers, and you can start now by recycling. I believe recycling should become mandatory because we have no excuse for not conserving our natural recourses and saving our world from extinction.

Star Airways free essay sample

Masters Program in Business Administration (MBA) Note :- Solve any 4 Case Study All Case Carry equal Marks. CASE I Sunder Singh QUESTIONS 1. What does the purchase of a product like Nike mean to Sunder Singh? Sunder Sing, just escaping homelessness is clearly proud that he was able to save and buy a pair of Nikes. He could undoubtedly have purchase a different brand that would have met his physical needs as well for much less money which he does not say why he bought the more expensive Nikes, a reasonable interpretation is that they serve as a visible symbol that Sunder Singh is back as a successful. Sunder Singh is not Unique among low-income consumer in wanting and buying items such as Nike shoes. As one expert says. â€Å"The low income consumer wants the same product and services other consumer want†. He suggests that marketing efforts reflect those desires. Another expert state. We will write a custom essay sample on Star Airways or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page There’s this stereotype that they don’t have enough money for toothpaste and that’s just not true. There has been some significance to them being called lower income, but they do buy things. The working poor are forced to spend a disproportionate present of theirs income on housing, utilities and medical care due to lack of insurance. They generally relay on public transportation, they spend a smaller portion of their relatively small income on meals away from home and all forms of entertainment such as admission, pets and toys; they spend very little on their own financial security. However Sunder Singh illustrated they spend the same percent of their income though a smaller amount on apparel and accessories. . What does the story say about our society and the impact of marketing on consumer behavior? Marketing is generally thought of as the process of promoting goods and services to the end user. Society is generally defined as the condition in which members of a community live together for their mutual benefit. â€Å"Society can exist without Marketing, but Marketing cannot exist without Society† Marketing is the management process of anticipating, identifying and satisfying customer’s requirements. The various conventional marketing tools- advertising, branding, direct marketing, sales promotion, publicity public relations. Critics acknowledge that marketing has legitimate uses in as much as it connects goods and services to consumers who desire them. However some aspects of marketing, especially promotion and advertisements are subject to criticisms. They argue that product promotion is an attempt coming from the goods and service providers to influence demand. Advertising has become such an inextricable part of our lives that one cannot really imagine life without it. Although we hardly ever notice, advertisements leave an indelible mark on our minds, especially the vulnerable groups like children and adolescents. Effect of Marketing on society, in particular on Vulnerable Groups Marketing and society, the commensuration of the two words raises a few eyebrows, as it is highly debatable. On the one hand, Society thrives on the marketing efforts of the Companies, while another school of thought argues that marketing makes the society more materialistic. Today, striking a balance between the two is the challenge faced by the Marketers. The society expects the business to be ethical and desires corporate executives, at all levels to apply ethical principles in other words, guidelines as to what is right and wrong, fair and unfair, and morally correct, when they make business decisions. Advertisers are traditionally use techniques to which children and adolescents are more susceptible, such as product placement in TV shows, tie in between movies and fast food restaurants, to mention a few. Therefore there exist many marketing evils that lure people to buy even when not required. Case III Star Airways Star Airways offered passengers air services within the country and served a territory of 18, 000 sq. miles with an expanding population of over 70 lakh of people who are potential users of the airline services. The geographic diversity and scattered business and commercial cities have led to steady increase in the number of people who use air travel. The clientele includes business people, as well as individuals on non-business trips, holidays, and leisure trips etc. As a result, the passenger traffic had been increasing steadily since the firm started operations in 1983. In the last three years, however, the growth has not been consistent with the growth pattern showed by the company in the last fifteen years as against a healthy growth of 13 per cent, the sales have marginally improved, registering a growth of 6 per cent. The companys early success was due to the pioneering concepts used by it in the airline industry, which was dominated by large private and government operators with little market orientation. The launch of the companys services coincided with a boom in the aviation sector and reduced government dominance, which opened up the skies for private operators. Besides this, the company offered a host of innovations in the customer service functions such as smaller and newer planes, convenient schedules, free gifts, comfortable seats, exclusive terminals, express baggage-check, and airport-to hotel transit for its first and business class clients. In turn the fares charged by the company were premium in the category and almost 15 per cent higher than the industry average. The company president in the following words justified this move: We are selling entirely on the basis of providing quality experience to our clients. Our services, ambience, and commitment to safety and time-bound schedule, all surpass the standards of the industry. During the first ten years of operations the company faced no direct competition. The only problems faced by the marketing staff were (a) the price, (2) the need to convince clients that air service was more efficient than other alternatives, (c) identifying the customers, and more importantly (d) developing the image of a dependable service. The consumers, who till now were forced to put up indifferent service offered by large government operators, did not offer much resistance and were agreeable to try out new company. Once customers were convinced, retaining them was very easy. Hence the company enjoyed immense loyalty from its clients with almost 40 per cent of them being regular users. Sales were handled by the sales division as well as by some independent sales representatives. In early 1990s the company faced direct competition for the first time with a new company coming up with smaller planes and all other advantages which were previously associated with Star Airways. The growing business had made the market very lucrative and hence in the next three years, four major competitors were also vying for the market share. The company slowly lost to these competitors and could manage to retain only 30 per cent of market share by the end of 1994. All the competitors were engaged in aggressive promotion and soon started a price war in order to outdo one another. For the next six months, each of them offered big discounts and gifts (such as TV / audio systems) with the return ticket on different routes. The most profitable and commercia1ly viable routes were the major targets of these price related competitions. The consumer was the ultimate beneficiary and in short time, the companies started facing losses due to this price-cutting. Star Airways had so far remained out of this ‘price-war’ and lost its market share on the competitive routes very rapidly. It was able to retain the clients on other routes, which were not a part of this intense competition. Unhappy an anxious about this state of affairs, the company vice president, marketing, developed a marketing plan with several components. The initial part of the plan consisted of a market research done on a cross-section of existing clients as well as the clients of competitors and the following observations were made : * Star Airways was considered a quality-oriented company but many felt that it was getting stodgy. The satisfaction with crew and schedules had declined over the last 5 years amongst regular customers. * The clients felt that the airline was losing its edge over customer service because it was nonflexible. * The prices offered by competitors are less and they provide only a fraction of services offered by Star Airways. This was the main reason of clients switching over to competitors. As many as 70 per cent respondents considered the costs as the most important factor in deciding on the airline. * Some deciding factors and their relative importance to clients were found to be following this pattern. * Feature offered by airline |Importance of feature as the deciding |Rank of feature in decision making influence | | |factor | | |Price |67% |1 | |Ambience and food |9% |3 | |Punctuality |14% |2 | |Services convenience |7% |4 | |Free gifts etc. 3% |5 | The second phase of the plan included a massive advertising and promotion plan. The VP marketing, Anil Saxena, felt that the company needed to advertise its dedication to quality and rebuild an image of being a customer-oriented airline. He began discussions with the advertising agency to launch a campaign in the near future. After a month, the agency came out with the following recommendations: * The campaign is to be completed in four months time and the budget will be 351akh. * The company would reach 85% of target audience, once in a month by direct mail. * Four times a month a TV commercial will be aired on a business show time. The audience TRP is consistent and highest in this category of shows. * Star Airways would build the campaign theme around quality and customer service initiatives . * The direct mail letter would be sent to a database of 85,000 clients in four months. The letter will contain information on the airline and again stress on the same theme of quality and customer service. QUESTIONS 1. What is likely to be the decision process in case of choosing an airline? 2. Would this plan suggested by the vice president help in convincing the customers to use Star Airways? Give your reasons. Case IV Mouse-Rid One hot May morning, Shobha, general manager of Innotrap India Ltd. , entered her office in Delhi. She paused for a moment to contemplate the quote, which she had framed and hung on a wall facing her table. If a man can make a better mousetrap than his neighbour, the world will make a beaten path to his door. She vaguely recalled that probably it was Ralph Waldo Emerson who said this. Perhaps, she wondered, Emerson knew something that she didnt. She had the better mousetrap Mouse-Rid but the world didnt seem all that excited about it. Shobha had just returned from a Trade Fair in Kolkata. Standing in the trade show display booth for long hours and answering the same questions hundreds of times had been tiring. Yet, this show had excited her. The Trade Fair officials held a contest to select the best new product introduced at the show. Of the more than 150 new products, her mousetrap had won first place. Two womens magazines had written small articles about this innovative mousetrap, however, the expected demand for the trap had not materialised. Shobha hoped that this award might stimulate increased interest and sales. A group of investors who had obtained rights to market this innovative mousetrap in India had formed Innotrap India in January 2001. In return for marketing rights, the group agreed to pay the inventor and patent holder, a retired engineer, a royalty fee for each trap sold. The group then appointed Shobha as the general manager to develop and manage Innotrap India Ltd. The Mouse-Rid, a simple yet clever device, is manufactured by a plastics firm under contract with Innotrap India Ltd. It consists of a square, plastic tube measuring about 6 inches long and one and one-half inches- square. The tube bends in the middle at a 30-degree angle, so that when the front part of the tube rests on a flat surface, the other end is elevated. The elevated end holds a removable cap into which the user places bait (piece of bread, or some other titbit). A hinged door is attached to the front endofthe tube. When the trap is open, this door rests on two narrow stills attached to the two bottom corners of the door. The trap works with simple efficiency. A mouse, smelling the bait enters the tube through the open end. As it moves up the angled bottom toward the bait, its weight makes the elevated end of the trap drop downward. This elevates the open end, allowing the hinged door to swing closed, trapping the mouse. Small teeth on the ends of stills catch in a groove on the bottom of the trap, locking the door closed. The mouse can be disposed of live, or it can be left alone for a few hours to suffocate in the trap. Shobha felt the trap had many advantages for the consumer when compared with traditional spring-loaded traps or poisons. Consumers can use it safely and easily with no risk for catching their fingers while loading. It poses no injury or poisoning threat to children or pets. Shobhas personal and informal inquiries with acquaintances and friends suggested that women are the best target market for the Mouse-Rid. Most women stay at home and take care of household chores and their children. Thus, they want a means of dealing with the mouse problem that avoids any kind of risks. To reach this market, Shobha decided to distribute Mouse-Rid through grocery stores, and kitchenware stores. She personally contacted a supermarket and some departmental stores to persuade them to carry the product, but they refused saying that they did not sell such contraptions. She avoided any wholesalers and other middlemen. The traps were packaged in a simple cardboard, with a suggested retail price ofRs. 150 for a piece. Although this price made Mouse-Rid about five 1;0 six times more expensive than standard traps, those who bought it showed little price resistance. To promote the product, Shobha had budgeted approximately Rs. 300,000 toward advertising in different womens magazines, such as Grah Shobha, and Good Housekeeping. Shobha was the companys only salesperson, but planed to employ sales people soon. Shobha had forecasted Mouse-Rids first year sales at 2 million units. Through Aril, however, the company had sold only few thousand units. She wondered if most new products got to such slow start, or if she was doing something wrong. Shobha knew that the investor group believed that Innotrap India Ltd. ad a once-in-a lifetime chance with its innovative mousetrap. She sensed the groups impatience. To keep the investors happy, the company needed to sell enough traps to cover costs and make a profit. QUESTIONS 1. Has Shobha identified the best target market for Mouse-Rid? Why or why not? 2. Does Shob ha have enough needed data on consumer behaviour? What type of consumer research should Shobha conduct? 3. What type of advertising can influence consumers for this type of product? Case V Golden Glow Soap Anil Mahajan absent -mindedly ran his finger over the cake of soap before him. He traced the name Golden Glow embossed on the soap as he inhaled its unmistakable sesame fragrance. It was a small soap, almost like a bar of gold. There were no frills, no coloured packaging, and no fancy shape. Just a golden glow and the fragrance of sesame and Lucida font that quietly stated Golden Glow. Mahajan smiled wanly and clasped the soap in his hands, as if protecting it from an unseen predator. He was wondering with quiet concern if the 30-year-old brand would last long. Sensi India, where Mahajan was marketing manager, was taking a long, hard look at the soap, as it was proving to be a strain on resources. There were varying stories about how Golden Glow was launched. Some said the brand was a gift from the departing English parent company. Others claimed that it was created for the then chairmans British wife, as the Indian climate did not agree with her skin. They also claimed that the lady also coined the copy The honest soap that loves your skin was also coined by the lady. The line had stuck through three decades. Only the visuals had changed, with newer models replacing the older ones. Zeni was basically a speciality products company producing household hygiene, fabricare, and dental care products. Golden Glow was the only soap in its product mix, produced and marketed by Sensi. Its reliable quality and value delivery had earned it a lot of respect in the market. Golden Glow equity was such that Sensi was known as the Golden Glow Company. Indeed, the brand name Golden Glow denoted purity, reliability, and gentle skincare. In 1994, Sensi UK increased its stake in the Indian subsidiary to 51%. Within months, all of Sensis products were given a facelift, thanks to the inflow of foreign capital. New packaging, new fragrances, new formulations and more variants were introduced. Only Golden Glow was left untouched. For, although it had a growing skincare business following some strategic acquisitions in Europe in the early eighties, Sensi UK was not a soap company. The UK marketing team ran an audit of every brand and product in the companys portfolio. But when it came to Golden Glow, it faltered. We dont know this one, officials at the parent company said. We dont want this one to be touched, Mahajan had said protectively, a sentiment tliat was endorsed by the managing director, Rajan Sharma. Golden Glow is too sacred, we will leave it as it is, he said. But the UK marketing team was confounded. What was a lone soap doing in the midst of toilet cleaners and fabric protectors; they wondered, however they somehow agreed that their proposed revamp strategy would only look at up-gradation, not tinkering with what wasnt broken. Indeed, for 30 long years no one had tampered with the Golden Glow brand. And Mahajan felt there was no reason to start now. Golden Glow, in his view, was a self-sustaining brand. That was a bit of an understatement because advertising for the brand was moderate and Sensi India had never used any promotional gimmick for it. Now, after four years of nurturing the other categories, Sensi UK had decided to launch its Vio range of skincare products in India. But Golden Glows presence and profile was a major roadblock to Vios success. It will create dissonance, confuse our skincare equity and deter the articulation of Vios credo. It will stand out as a genetic flaw, argued the UK marketing head. You need to do a rethink on Golden Glow. Mahajan protested. Why? It has such a strong equity and loyal following. So much has been invested in it all these years. Why give up all that? Rajan, however, had another idea. Let us then extend the Golden Glow brand. He said It was the simplest solution. Companies were now investing heavily in creating new equities for their brands. But in Golden Glows case, Sensi was already sitting on a brand with a terrific equity. He felt that extending this equity to other categories, such as skincare products would be successful. But Golden Glow needed a new positioning before it could be extended. Till a few years ago, it had been in premium category, priced at Rs. 15. Then new brands with specific positioning and higher price tags entered the market. This created a level above Rs. 15 soaps and pushed Golden Glow down to the mid-priced range. So Golden Glows price was not commensurate with its premium position and image. Over the years, Golden Glow had become so sacred that Sensi India had been too scared to do anything to it. As a result, the soap was left with niche category of loyal users. This category neither shrank or increased, just kept getting older and older, and with it the brand also kept growing older. For example, when Mahajans wife had her first baby at 25, her mother had recommended Golden Glow for her dry skin and also for babys tender skin because it contained sesame oil. That was in 1979. Today, Mahajans daughter had turned 21 and was being wooed by Dove, Camay, even Santoor, and Lifebuoy Gold, with their aggressive advertising. Golden Glow had begun to lose its image of being contemporary as newer brands came in with newer values. Today, at 46, Mahajans wife still used Golden Glow, but when she recommended Golden Glow to her daughter, she said, But Golden Glow is a soap for mothers, for older people. That was a major problem. The Golden Glow brand had aged, and Sensi India hadnt even been aware of it. While its equity had grown with its users, its personality had aged considerably in the last 30 years. I dont think you can keep the personality young, unless you keep renewing the brand. The objective now is to widen your equity so that your image becomes young, continued Rajan. For instance, if today you were to personify a Golden Glow user now, it would be a woman of 45 years using the same brand for many years, who is aver-se to experimenting, ver y skincare conscious, very trusting, and very one-dimensional. As you can see, this is not a very competitive personality. These are the strengths of our Golden Glow, but these are also its weaknesses, he analysed. The context had changed. Today, youth demanded brands that stood for freedom and fearlessness. They demanded bold brands that dared to cure, not just p;eserve. Preservation is for old people. Those are the attributes being presented in evolved markets, said Rajan. To make Golden Glow contemporary, the attributes had to be re-framed, he felt. You cant make a young brand trusting caring, loving, without adding other attributes to it. Today, youth stands for freedom, for laughter, for frankness, for forthrightness. Thats what Close Up, Lifebuoy Gold, Vatika, and other brands propagate. So, either come clean and say it is for older skin which needs trust and kindness, or reposition the brand, said Rajan. Repositioning was also necessary to address another anomaly in Golden Gl ows image: its perceived premium. Sensi India had been unable to do anything about Golden Glow slipping into the mid-price range following the entry of more expensive brands. Now, as Rajan mulled over the brand extension plan, Mahajan felt that Golden Glows premium positioning was its core equity and that had to be maintained. If you are premium priced in the consumers mind, your extensions are automatically perceived as premium. So, if you dont present the other products as premium, the consumer will not see them as extensions of the brand, he said. For example, if you are to launch a shampoo which is priced lower than Sunsilk, but higher than Nyle and Ayur, then whatever the rationale, the consumer will not accept your product. It is not the Golden Glow I know, will be the feeling, he said. Mahajan felt that since premium positioning was one of Golden Glows equity values, it would be very difficult to convince consumers that the brand was being extended without hanging on to this particular value. Will they buy you r rationale that the very same values and equity would now be available at a low price? To be in the premium segment now, you have to price it at Rs 35 or 40, almost on a par with Dove, he said. With Dove retailing at Rs 45, Golden Glow will be perceived as a cheaper option. We cant simply raise the price, said Rajan. What are we offering for that increase? You can t add value because you dont want to tamper with the brand. The consumers will then ask, Golden Glow used to be so cheap, what has happened now? The user will forget that 15 years ago, Rsl0 was expensive, because all her comparisons would be in today s context, said Rajan. So whats the option? asked Mahajan. You dont have to be expensive to be premium, said Rajan. Golden Glow already has the image of a premium brand, thanks to its time-tested core values of purity, credibility, and reliability. What we can do is reinforce the premium through communication and positioning. In fact) we should have tinkered with Golden Glow long ago. That is what HLL did with Lux. It also launched a bridge brand, Lux International, in the premium category, said Rajan. How could we have done anything to the brand? asked Mahajan. The product had such a strong following. It stood for gold, for sesame oil, for its subtle earthy perfume. We changed the packaging periodically, but thats all we could do. Remember the time we brought out a transparent green Golden Glow with the fragrance of lime? It bombed in the market. Rajan was not in favour of the premium positioning. It appeared very short sighted to him, given the bigger plan to extend the brand. Where are the volumes in the premium segment? He asked. For some reason, every manufacturer feels that skincare can be an indulgence of only the moneyed class. As a result, there is a crowd in the premium end of the market. Do we want to be yet another player in the segment? Fifteen years ago, Golden Glow was perceived as a premium product. But today, globa1brands like Revlon, Coty, and Oriflame were delivering specific premium platforms. Golden Glow did not have a global equity. Let us revisit the brand and examine what it stood for 15 years ago and examine the relevance of those attributes in todays context, suggested Rajan. Golden Glow stood for care, consciousness, love, quality and all that. But today, are these enough to justify a premium position? he asked Mahajan. These attributes are viable in the mid-priced segment. He said. The mid-priced brand is the proverbial washer-mans dog, said Mahajan. You dont know whether you are at the bottom end of the premium range or at the top-end of the low-priced range. You end up creating an image of being on the opportunity fence. It is a mere pricing ploy, with no strategic value. QUESTIONS 1. Discuss the nature of problem(s) in this case? 2. Suggest the kind of consumer research needed? 3. How should Golden Glow be positioned/ repositioned to bring about the desired change among consumers? Give your reasons. CASE VI Impact of Retail Promotions on Consumers Shoppers Delight, a large retail store, had above-average quality and competitive prices. It advertised its retail promotions in local newspapers. Its TV advertising was mainly aimed at building store image and did not address retail promotions. The management knew it well that they had to advertise their retail promotions more, but they did not feel comfortable with the effectiveness of present efforts and wanted to better understand the impact of their present promotions. To better understand the effectiveness of present efforts, a study of advertising exposure, interpretation, and purchases was undertaken. Researchers conducted 50 in-depth interviews with customers of the stores target market to determine the appropriate product mix, price, ad copy and media for the test. In addition, the stores image and that of its two competitors were measured. Based on the research findings, different product lines that would appeal to the target customers were selected. The retail promotion was run for a full week. Full-page advertisements were released each day in the two local Hindi newspapers, and also in one English newspaper that devotes six pages to the coverage of the state. Each evening, a sample of 100 target market customers were interviewed by telephone as follows: 1. Target customers were asked if they had read the newspaper that day. This was done to determine their exposure to advertisement. 2. After a general description of the product lines, the respondents were asked to recall any related retail advertisements they had seen or read. 3, If the respondents were able to recall, they were asked to describe the ad, the promoted products, sale prices, and the name of the sponsoring store. 4. If the respondents were accurate in their ad interpretation, they were asked to express their intentions to purchase. 5. Respondents were also asked for suggestions to be incorporated in future promotions targeted at this consumer segment. Immediately after the close of promotion, 500 target market customers were surveyed to determine what percentage of the target market actually purchased the promoted products. It also determined which sources of information influenced them in their decision to purchase and the amount of their purchase. Results of the study showed that ad exposure was 75 per cent and ad awareness level was 68 per cent and was considered as high. Only 43 percent respondents exposed to and aware of the ad copy could accurately recall important details, such as the name of the store promoting the retail sale. Just 43 per cent correct interpretation was considered as low. Of those who could accurately interpret the ad copy, 32 per cent said they intended to respond by purchasing the advertised · products and 68per cent sad they had no intention to buy. This yields an overall intention to buy of 7 per cent. The largest area of lost opportunity was due to those who did not accurately interpret the ad copy. The post-promotion survey indicated that only 4. 2 per cent of the target market customers made purchases of the promoted products during the promotion period. In terms of how the buyers learned of the promotion, 46 per cent mentioned newspaper A (Hindi), 27 per cent newspaper B (Hindi), 8 per cent newspaper (English), and 15 per cent learned about sale through word-of mouth communication. The retail promotion was judged as successful in many ways, besides yielding sales worth Rs 900,000. However, management was concerned about not achieving a higher level of ad comprehension, missing a significant sales opportunity: It was believed that a better ad would have at least 75 per cent correct comprehension among those aware of the ad. This in turn would almost double sales without any additional cost. QUESTIONS 1. Why would some consumers have high-involvement levels in learning about this sales promotion? 2 Is a level of 75 per cent comprehension realistic among those who become aware of an ad? Why or why not? 3. Do you think such promotions are likely to influence the quality image of the retail store? Explain.

How fate and fortune affects their relationship Essay Example

How fate and fortune affects their relationship Essay Example How fate and fortune affects their relationship Essay How fate and fortune affects their relationship Essay Astrology played a leading role in peoples lives during Shakespeares time. People believed that stars and planets controlled their destiny. They also believed in things such as the wheel of fortune, which was thought to be controlled by a woman, thus the ups and downs of life. In many of his plays Shakespeares theme is fate and fortune, this was important in Elizabethan England because many people had faith in ups and downs of their daily lives and examples of such plays are Macbeth, Hamlet, Mid Summer Nights Dream as well as Romeo and Juliet.From the outset of the play, fate and fortune are seen to play a large role in the lovers lives. Romeo, at the beginning is suffering from heroes, Ay me, sad hours seem long. Not having that, which, having, makes them short. Out of her favour where I am in love. Fate dealt him a cruel blow as Rosaline will not love him back and has decided to turn to becoming a nun.Fortune comes in the guise of Benvolio who suggests they go to the Capulets Party where Romeo can choose from many pretty women. Be ruled by me, forget to think of her. By giving liberty in to their eyes examine other beauties. Ironically it is at this party where he meets Juliet and falls passionately in love.Prior to the party, Juliets mother places the seed of marriage and sexuality in to Juliets mind. Marry, that marry is the very theme I came to talk of. Tell me, daughter Juliet, How stands your dispositions to be married? Juliets mother asks her if she would give her self away to Paris. Fortune decrees that the young woman whos femininity has been awoken ironically meets and falls in love with Romeo not Paris.Fortune allows requited love between Romeo and Juliet. The Passion, electricity, and intensity of their love is explicitly shown. My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that touch with a tender kiss. Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, which mannerly devotion shows in this. For saints lips and holy palmers too? The sonnet the y recite together highlights their feelings and belief for each other. She in his eyes is perfection personified.Fate, however does not allow their happiness to flourish. Tybalts anger is obvious and he wishes for vague revenge. Patience perforce with wilful choler meeting make my flesh tremble in their different greeting, I will withdraw but this intrusion shall, now seeming sweet convert to bittrest gall. Both Romeo and Juliet learn that they are from enemy families. Is she a Capulet? O dear account! My life is my foes debt. My only love sprung from my only hate! Too early seen unknown, And known too late! Prodigious birth of love it is to me, that I must love a loathed enemy. The feud will dominate their relationship.Romeo escapes from his friends at the end of the party as now, Juliet is the fulcrum around which his world revolves. Juliet questions why her love should be Romeo, her hated enemy. O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? It is the name that is the trouble not Rome o himself. Tis but thy name that is my enemy, The word not the person is at fault. The balcony is a symbol of the hammer that is trying to stop them, but Romeos vaulting up to Juliet shows that nothing will be allowed to get in the way of their love.The friar scolds Romeos constant falling in and out of love but agrees to marry him to Juliet believing the marriage would end the feud between the two families. Young mens love then lies not truly in their hearts but in their eyes. The marriage forges a fortunate alliance making the two families kinsmen. This, however, is what creates the downfall for the lovers.The marriage between Romeo and Juliet takes place and they believe that their love will blossom but fate refuses to give them this wish. Once they marry they believe they are at the peak of the wheel of fortune looks dominant. Fate closes in and wreaks havoc upon the couple, in the form of Tybalts anger.Tybalt seeks Romeo to torment and torture him for going to the Capulets part y and for the sake of the Feud. Romeo doesnt want to fight Tybalt because they are now kinsmen and it would be a fight against Juliet, his love. Tybalt, the reason that I have to love thee, doth much excuse the appertaining rage to such a greeting villain ain I none, therefore farewell I see thou knowest me not, Mercutio is dealt with a mortal wound and dies by Tybalts sword.Romeo blames himself for Mercutios wound and is resentful of Tybalts insults and fears that his love for Juliet has weakened his courage. Learning that Mercutio is dead he swears to kill Tybalt. Once the murder takes place he runs away from Verona, Lady Capulet hears of her nephews death and demands Romeos death in return. Benvolio gets to tell the whole story of the two deaths. It is fortunes hand that decrees that Romeo is not executed after the several turns of fate.Juliets father does not want Juliet to be married immediately to Paris because he thinks she is not ready for a big sacrifice just yet, Ironicall y, she is already in love with Romeo. After their marriage but before their wedding night Juliet finds out that Romeo is banished and this is another cruel twist of fate. But fortune allows them to consumate their marriage.Juliets father then makes her wedding to Paris imminent, Once again fate interferes; To Juliet when she believes she is experiencing total happiness misfortune comes her way when she loses her nurse because the nurse advises her to commit bigamy. Juliet feels total isolation but fate doesnt leave her in that situation, Friar Lawrence feels he must support her and the vows she has made to God.His plan is well conceived. As a herbalist he offers Juliet a vial full of the most bitter and sweetest ingredients that would make her sleep as if she was dead. Fate would not allow there to be careful analysis of the situation. It continues to dominate while Friar Lawrences idea of the letter to be sent brings about circumstance he cannot control.In the final part of the pla y, fortune disappears altogether and only fate remains. The initial part of Friar Lawrences plan comes to frustration; everyone believes Juliet is dead. Fate, however continues to dominate and Romeo is told by a friend that Juliet is dead, from the moment they met the two lovers never envisioned life apart. Once Romeo hears about Juliets death he believes his life is worthless. He runs to a drug shop and asks the shop keeper for the most vulgar poison he can give. The owner refuses, Romeo however is so desperate he gives all his gold away to the owner and requests a poison that is so powerful it can kill twenty men in an instant, Once he receives the poison he doesnt want to kill his self in the open, he wants to lie beside his wife when he dies. Just when she awakens she finds Romeo beside her, she realises that he is dead; crying she tries kissing Romeo to get a bit of the poison passed onto her, it isnt enough to kill her, fate doesnt allow a bit of poison that is enough to kill twenty men to kill a single person, she picks up Romeos dagger and stabs into her self thinking that if they cannot live together here they can up there.Throughout the play, fate and fortune have played a role that provided the storyline with undulating highs and lows before fate took dominance allowing a small peak at the end when the two families acknowledged alliance. It took bloodshed to bridge a gulf of enmity when it could have only taken a few words of understanding to get them together.

Technology Make us Lazy and Dumb Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Technology Make us Lazy and Dumb - Essay Example † talks about the effects of various technological devices on the brain of young individuals. Stating that the average teenager in America has three to four electronic gadgets (â€Å"Is Technology Messing with Your Brain?†) the article states just how distracting these gadgets are. Giving everyday examples, the articles strives to show that these technological devices keep the minds of youngsters occupied so much that it does not have any time to rest, and consequently, there is the chance of losing its ability to concentrate. The article has also cited a study published in Pediatrics which showed that children who played a lot of video games before sleeping had lesser retention than those who had not (â€Å"Is Technology Messing with Your Brain?†). Overall, it explained the negative effects that technology and its use can have on our brains. The second article, â€Å"The Digital Age is Making Us Physically and Mentally Lazy?† discusses the same issue, but also talks about the physical effects or changes that technology has brought about in our lives. The article discusses the impact technology has on our physical activities by citing examples from everyday activities. It asserts that whereas before we had to be somewhat physically active to, for example, go meet a friend or go out for a movie, with technology, we do not have to make any physical excursion of the like, citing examples of texting friends and streaming movies on our computers (â€Å"The Digital Age is Making Us Physically and Mentally Lazy?†). However, the article does not agree with the contention that people are becoming mentally lazy due to technology. It, instead, asserts that due to technology making so much information available to us readily, people are actually becoming more knowledgeable than before (â€Å"The Digital Age is Making Us Physically and Mentally Lazy?†). Moreover, the article claims that even though technology has made live easier, bu t they have not removed the need to think in us, therefore, they have not made us mentally lazy (â€Å"The Digital Age is Making Us Physically and Mentally Lazy?†). In, â€Å"Is Technology Messing with Your Brain?† I found the examples of multitasking given to be very useful. Such scenes, where teenagers are involved in multiple activities are very familiar to us; therefore, it was easy to connect with her statement of how this multitasking makes a teenage brain less capable of concentrating on any given subject for long. Moreover, the results of the study that were put in the article were very helpful too. Through discussing the results of the study, the article has proffered proof of the assertions regarding technology lessening our brain’s retention powers. However, the article states that technology takes away from real-life relationships, and this I found to be quite contrary to reality. The logic herein is flawed, because though it may seem as if the kid w ho is hanging out with his computer all day is not hanging out with his friends or parents, in actuality, the teen does get to spend time with his parents and his friends online. Especially since, in an example the article itself gives, some of the kids require technology to be in contact with their parents as they do not live with them. In â€Å"The Digital Age is Making Us Physically and Mentally Lazy?† the way in which examples are given from everyday life is, indeed, very helpful. This makes the reader

Systems Security IT Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Systems Security IT - Assignment Example Moreover, Trojan is operational by initiating an Internet Relay Chat (IRC) that waits for any action from the hacker who has full control over the botnet (Rapoza, 2008). Apart from IRC, hackers utilize root kits to compromise weak system with no updated security patches and have security loop holes that facilitate hacker’s objectives. As there are countless computers connected to the Internet, they use tools to capture and identify vulnerable systems and uses IP spoofing for (Spoofing.2011) manipulating the original IP addresses for gaining access in to the system. Furthermore, these compromised systems are from different geographical locations, it is difficult to identity suspicious traffic, as it represents different time zones. As botnets are considered as a major player in a Denial of Service attacks, it can be prevented by honey pots and bastion hosts that will identify suspicious broadcast at the initial level. As mentioned previously, that a zombie army initiates flooding and broadcasting attacks from various locations to the specific target. The characteristic of this attack encompasses threats from distributed source and is known as distributed denial of service attacks (DDoS). Computer network encyclopedia describes it, as the incorporation of hundreds or even thousands of computers that were previously compromised used for transmitting huge volume of unwanted traffic to the target. DDoS attacks are considered to be lethal in the world of Internet has imposes significant risks for businesses, governmental organizations, army networks etc. (Ghazali & Hassan, 2011) research on DDoS attacks has revealed vulnerabilities not only in the network architecture or infrastructure, but also in the protocol specifications along with Internet. Exhibit 1.1 demonstrates types of flooding DDoS attacks along with protocols: High rate flood attacks: This type of attack is achieved by traffic generation from many machines that may be in total of

Experiences Pt.2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Experiences Pt.2 - Essay Example It furthermore provides them with the opportunity of staying physically fit and healthy. What I took home from this experience, in addition to fine tuning my body, is how to plan and organize activities, exploring new places for climbing, encouraging members to keep climbing till they reach the top and celebrating with them once we reached the peak. In addition to being a source for doing something I love, this club has helped me better enhance my leadership and communication skills. With the recent dire situations going on in Gaza, I now believe more than ever that I should be given a chance to become a medical professional so I can save people’s lives. Having been brought up in economically and financially backward situations, I have always been at a disadvantage since my birth. I have only seen my family struggling, and in order to fend for the family, once I was old enough I started to help my father with the family business too. Despite the lack of financial resources, we together as a family have strived into leading at least an average life. Although I am fortunate my family now considers the US as our home, my roots of being a Palestinian have always caused me misery. When an individual is afraid to speak of their origin to others, it becomes clear that others are prejudiced and racially discriminating against them, and my case is no different. Thus, I always felt as an outcast and I never had the fortune of feeling a good affiliation no matter wh ere I

Social Workers Working In And Across Organisations Social Work Essay

Social Workers Working In And Across Organisations Social Work Essay Firstly I would like to focus on the policies and legislation which has shaped partnership working. The ideas of collaboration and partnership working now form a large body of policies and legislation, which include some duties for statutory inter agency working. I have examined only some of the key polices and legislation as there are too many to examine for the purpose of this essay. I have made reference to partnership working for each one. Firstly I look at the UK wide policies/legislations and then I focus on Welsh policy. Firstly the Seebohm Report (HMSO, 1968) argued for a co-operation across the spectrum of welfare state services and more effective co-operation by different professionals. It proposed a major restructuring of personal social services into a unified social service department. National Health Service and Community Care Act (HMSO, 1990) gave a duty to local authorities to assess and where applicable meet a persons needs for community care services by collaboration with other agencies. Building Bridges (DOH, 1995) this encourages interdisciplinary and multiagency care planning. The Health and Social Care Act 2001 (Home Office, 2001) created new powers to establish care trusts by building on existing health and local authority powers to forge partnerships and provide integrated care. The National Service Framework for Older People (DOH, 2001) set out standards for care of older people across health and social services. It aimed to remove age discrimination, provide person center care, promoting independence and fitting services around people needs. Means for achieving these aims included the single assessment process and integration in commissioning arrangement and service provision. Valuing people a new strategy for learning disability for the 21st century (DH, 2001) highlighted partnership working through local partnership boards and inter-professional/inter agency co-operation are seen as central to achieving the four key principles of rights, independence, choice and inclusion for people with learning disabilities. National Service Framework (NSF) for Ol der People (Department of Health, 2001) highlighted that agencies should not duplicate each others assessments, and professionals should contribute to assessments in the most effective way. Community Care (Delayed Discharge) Act (DoH, 2003) introduced a new dynamic in interagency and inter professional relationships. It made social services authorities liable to reimburse the NHS for delays where patients in hospital are medically fit but unable to be discharged due solely to social service inability to provide assessment and community care services within a required timescale. Every Child Matters (HMSO, 2003) in response to the Victoria Climbi inquiry, it proposed: improved interagency information sharing and co-operation; work in multi-disciplinary teams; a lead professional role; creation of local safeguarding boas; in the long term integration of key services for children and young people in childrens trusts under a director of childrens services. Children Act ( 2004) allowed the creation of database to support professionals in sharing information. The Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act (DOH, 2004) placed a duty on social service to inform carers of their right to an assessment. It also enabled social services to ask other public bodies including the health organizations to provide service to careers. Single Assessment Process Implementation Guidance (DOH, 2004) sets out how the single assessment process described in the Mental Capacity Act (2005) where social workers and care professionals acting on behalf of someone who lacks capacity must act in a persons best interest. Working Together to Safeguard Children (DfES, 2006) aaddressed to practitioners and managers, sets out how organisations and individuals should work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, stressing shared responsibility and the need to understand the roles of others. It described the role of local safeguarding childrens boards (LSCBs), training for inter-agency work and the detailed processes for managing individual cases. These elements are statutory guidance, which required compliance. Mental Health Act (2007) amended the 1983 Act broadening the group of professional practitioners who undertake approved social worker (ASW) functions, to be known as Approved Mental Health Professionals. Concurrently, the code of practice of the 1983 Act was updated, stressing inter-professional collaboration in assessment and after care planning and involvement of patients and carers. Building brighter futures: next steps for the childrens workforce (DfE, 2008) set out the compon ents of integrated working as they are emerging through Childrens Trusts. It considered the contribution of the Common Core of Skills and Knowledge and the pros and cons of professional identities and boundaries. It looked forward to achieving a broad vision of integrated working that has support across the whole childrens workforce. Now I would like to focus upon the policies that are specifically within Wales. Firstly, The Review of Health and Social Care in Wales, (WAG, 2003) emphasized the importance of multi-agency working and looked at decision-making processes, the capacity and effectiveness of existing services, the capacity of management, the processes governing standard setting, information management, resource flows, and incentives and sanctions. The Report of the Wanless Committee (WAG, 2004) focuses on shared decision-making between professionals and users and patients. It also highlights that there needs to be integrated thinking across health and social care boundaries and highlights the need for a new approach for funding health and social care. Making the Connections: Delivering Better Services for Wales: The Welsh Assembly Government Vision for Public Services (WAG, 2004). This policy aims to increase efficiency through more effective co-operation across the public services and to place people a nd communities at the centre, enabling active participation in service planning design and delivery. Children and Young People: Rights to Action Stronger Partnerships for Better Outcomes (WAG, 2005). This paper outlines the expectation from the assembly government for local agencies to take a joint approach in planning services to make them as effective as possible. Fulfilled Lives, Supportive Communities: Improving Social Services in Wales from 2008-2018 (WAG, 2006). This focuses on partnership arrangements which put the citizen at the centre and work effectively across sectors and organisations using care pathways to support people. Lastly, Sustainable Social Services for Wales A Framework for Action (WAG, 2011) highlights the importance of developing more integration of health and social services for children, young people, and frail older people, and in respect of re-ablement services. Joining up in this way will help break down barriers that can often get in the way of provid ing services and drive out duplication. This sets out the current vision for partnership working within Wales until 2016. As highlighted above there are many key pieces of legislation and policies which highlight the importance of multi-agency working. Since the 1960s there has been a focus on partnership working for social services. There are some key principles and ethical issues to partnership working and there can be some dilemmas to this. The next part of this essay will focus upon key principles and ethical issues. There are many areas to partnership working that may lead to some dilemmas. Glasby (2004) defines inter-professional working as to or more people from different professions communicate and co-operate to achieve a common goal. Adams et al (2006) highlights the importance of having a professional identity is to partnership working. Adams et al (2006) suggests that a professional identity gives a person a set of values, expertise, role and responsibilities. Currently my practice learning level three is based within the Adult Community Care Team (ACCT) which implements care plans for clients with presenting eligible needs. To ensure that clients needs are met there is a process which involves various professionals that are involved within the information gathering and care planning for example social worker, health, brokerage, finance team and carer assessors. During my placement I have been able to see the importance of working with other professionals to deliver effective services for the clients. During one unified assessment (UA) I completed I worked collaboratively with a nurse to complete the UA. The reason for this is to identify if this particular client was in need of a nursing home rather than a residential home. Therefore the expertise of the nurse as vital to complete the assessment. However there were some key issues that Key principles Retaining professional identification Partnership working can be complex and often brings people together who have different views on what is right for a service user with different approaches ( Gasper, 2010). Whittington (2003) suggests that if professionals can understand what they have in common, what they can contribute distinctively, what can be complementary and identify the possible tensions between them it can improve the effectiveness of partnership working. By identifying these areas professionals can complement each to benefit the client overall. Keeping (2006) highlights a general uncertainty from other professionals around what social workers actually do. Lack of knowledge of what each professional involved does can lead to stereotyping each worker (Lymbery, 2006). This means that it is important for social workers to remember what responsibilities lay with them when working with other professionals. Building relationships and trust Seden et al (2011) suggests that social workers are often caught between care and control finding their way through complex relationships with service users, other professionals, peers and the public. Trust is an important factor in facilitating open discussion and successful role negation, both of which are important features of inter-professional working (Barrett and Keeping, 2005). Where professionals trust each others motives, competence and dependability they are more able to manage risky situations (Lawson, 2004). Trust is an important element of collaborative working relationship. Gasper (2010) highlights that partnership working can mean better access to service and an avoidance of duplication which means service can be delivered in more of a cost-effective way. Differences in languages Within partnership working there can be many professionals involved. Issues may arise when there is a use of specialist language that not everyone understands (Maguire and Truscott, 2006) Communication Communication across professions can be difficult especially when they are not in the same location, this can result in a breakdown of communication and delays in services (McCormack et al, 2008) Inequalities in status and pay There may be differences in status between professionals and this must be acknowledged to see if they impact upon communication (Barrett and Keeping, 2005). Some practitioners perceive threats to their professional status, autonomy and control when asked to participate in more democratic decision making forums (Lloyd and Wait, 2006). Conflicting organisation and professional boundaries There is often un-clarity around the roles of voluntary and service users in partnership working (Marks, 2007) Resources can be split into three areas; money, information and time. Issues around money can be identified in several areas. One is that there are different funding cycles, separate budgets and financial pressures (Frye and Webb, 2002). Some professionals may be reluctant in funding services if there is a pressure on budgets (Roy and Watts, 2001). Information sharing can pose constrains for partnership working. Partnership working needs a sufficient amount of time dedicated for it to be effective (Atkinson, 2007). Frost and Lloyd (2006) suggested that time is needed for relationships to develop and trust to be built. These are key components for agreements to be made around protocols and reflection upon new professional identifies (Frost and Lloyd, 2006).

rainforest destruction Essay -- essays research papers

Rainforest Destruction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rainforests cover less than two percent of the Earth’s surface yet they are home to some forty to fifty percent of all life forms on our planet: as many as 30 million species of plants, animals and insects. The Rainforests are quite simply, the richest, oldest most productive and most complex ecosystems on earth. As biologist Norman Myers says, â€Å"Rainforests are the finest celebration of nature ever known on the planet and never before has nature’s greatest orchestration been so threatened.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Rainforests are very important to the world for many reasons, most of them being very simple. One of the major reasons is that the plants in the forest turn carbon dioxide into clean air, which helps us, fight pollution. Also, by absorbing carbon dioxide, the rainforests help deter the greenhouse effect.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The plants and animals of the rainforest also provide us with food, fuel, wood, shelter, jobs and medicine. â€Å"Imagine losing the potential cure for cancer or AIDS that might have been found in an undiscovered plant from the rainforest.† (Tropical Rainforest Coalition, 1996) â€Å"The vine Aucistrocladus koropensis may be effective in treating AIDS; we can only guess what other beneficial plants may be destroyed before we find them.† (Allo, 1996) It is repeated often that the rainforest contains important plants that will cure the worst diseases of today. Although there is scientific proof of its value, the rainforest continues to disappear. â€Å"In every sense, a standing rainforest supplies more economic wealth then if it were cleared†¦yet deforestation continues at an alarming rate.† (Tropical Rainforest Coalition, 1996)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tropical rainforests are found in eighty-five countries around the world. â€Å"Ninety percent of these forests are concentrated into fifteen countries, each country containing over ten million hectares each.† (Malaysian Timber Council, 1995) Tropical rainforests are located around the equator, where temperatures stay above eighty degrees Fahrenheit year round. These forests are very dense and damp. â€Å"Although tropical rainforests cover just seven percent of the Earth’s surface, they can provide habitat for between fifty to ninety percent of its plant and animal species. In 1990, tropical rainforests totaled some 1.7 billio... ...ese rainforest species have never even been seen. â€Å"Scientist estimates an average of 137 species of life forms are driven into extinction everyday or 50,000 each year.† (Myers) While extinction is supposed to be a natural selection this is purely human induced. Quite simply when habitat is reduces, species disappear.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All in all, the tropical rainforests are one of the Earth’s greatest assets. We need to preserve this valuable resource. It could provide the cure for cancer or AIDS but we’ll never know if we continue to deforest it. There are now ways to fight back against the destruction of our rainforests. Many people now boycott; for example not eating fast food because the meat come from rainforest cattle because they are cheap, or by not buying furniture made from rosewood, mahogany, ebony, and teakwood, because they most likely came from the rainforest as well. People can also adopt an acre of tropical rainforest for only 45 dollars. Rainforests are very complex ecosystems and have many untapped resources which we have barely scratched the surface on. Preservation of the rainforest is essential for our well being and the well being of the future.

The Golden Lily Chapter 18

JILL DIDN'T GIVE ME any starry-eyed looks at breakfast the next morning, which was kind of a relief. Micah had surfaced again, and while they weren't as flirty as they'd been in the past, the two were chatting animatedly away about a science project she had. Eddie and Angeline were equally engrossed in conversation, making plans for when she was free of her suspension. Her blues eyes were alight with happiness as they talked, and I realized that she had legitimate feelings for him. She hadn't just been throwing herself at him for the sake of conquest. I wondered if he knew. It would've been easy to feel like a fifth wheel here, but instead, I was pleased and content to see my little cohort getting along so well. Stanton's conversation had still left me conflicted, but there was nothing wrong with appreciating the peace around here. I would've been happier still if Trey's behavior had also normalized, but when I reached my history class later, he was absent yet again. I had no doubt he'd claim he had family stuff, but my earlier suspicions were returning, about whether his family might be responsible for his injuries. Should I report my worries to someone? Who? I didn't want to jump to conclusions either, which left me in a bind. Eddie and I always sat near each other in that class, and I leaned toward him before the bell rang, pitching my voice low to address another concern. â€Å"Hey, have you noticed that Jill's been kind of acting weirdly around me?† â€Å"She's got a lot going on,† he said, ever quick to defend her. â€Å"Yeah, I know, but you had to have noticed her last night. In the library? I mean – keeping in mind I'm terrible at figuring this stuff out – it was like she had a crush on me or something.† He laughed at that. â€Å"She was kind of laying it on thick, but I don't think you have to worry about some romantic complication. She just looks up to you a lot, that's all. Part of her still wants to be a brave fighter who rushes out fearlessly†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He paused as he savored that idea, a mix of pride and rapture on his face before he tuned back into me. â€Å"But at the same time, you're starting to show her there all sorts of ways to be powerful.† â€Å"Thanks,† I said. â€Å"I think. But speaking of her being a brave fighter†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I studied him curiously. â€Å"Why don't you train her anymore? Don't you want her to hone her skills?† â€Å"Oh, yeah. That. Well†¦ there are a few reasons for it. One is I need to focus on Angeline. Another is that I just don't want Jill worried about that. I'll do the protecting.† Those were exactly the reasons I'd guessed. The next one was not. â€Å"And I guess†¦ the other thing is that I don't feel right being in contact with her like that. I mean, I know it means nothing to her†¦ but it means something to me.† Again, my social skills took a moment to kick in. â€Å"You mean, you don't like that you have to touch her?† Eddie actually blushed. â€Å"It doesn't bother me, that's the problem. Better for us to spend time together in a hands-off way.† I hadn't expected that, but I could understand it. Leaving Eddie to his own inner demons, I soon got caught up in the day and wondering what had happened to Trey. I'd hoped he'd come into class late, but he didn't. In fact, he didn't surface for the rest of the day, not even when I was finishing up my independent study. I'd thought he might come by again for homework. â€Å"You look troubled,† said Ms. Terwilliger, watching me pack up when the bell rang. â€Å"Worried about getting your project in on time?† â€Å"No.† I'd actually finished two of the charms, but I certainly wasn't going to tell her that. â€Å"I'm worried about Trey. He keeps missing school. Do you know why he's out? I mean, if you can tell me?† â€Å"The office notifies us if a student will be out for the day, but they don't tell us the reason. If it makes you feel better, Mr. Juarez's absence was called in this morning. He hasn't disappeared.† I almost mentioned my fears about his home but held off. I still needed more evidence. Between worrying about Trey, Ms. Terwilliger's work, the Warriors, Brayden, and all my other myriad complications, I knew I couldn't waste any of my free time. Nonetheless, I went to Adrian's after school on a mission I couldn't refuse. On our way to Wolfe's class earlier this week, Adrian had mentioned offhandedly that he hadn't had the Mustang looked at by a mechanic before purchasing it. Although my own novice assessment hadn't found anything wrong with the car, I pushed for Adrian to get the car examined – which, of course, meant I had to look up a specialist and make the appointment. It was just before my textile museum date, but I was certain I had time to make it all work. â€Å"The guy I bought it from seemed pretty trustworthy,† Adrian told me, after we'd dropped the car off with the mechanic. He'd told us he'd look at it right away and that we could hang around and wait. His shop was on the outskirts of a suburban area, so Adrian suggested we go for a walk through the neighborhoods. â€Å"And it ran just fine when I did the test drive, so I figured everything was okay.† â€Å"That doesn't mean there aren't problems you can't see. It's best to be safe,† I said, knowing I sounded preachy. â€Å"Bad enough you got a car you can't drive.† Glancing over, I saw a small, half smile on his face. â€Å"With your help, I'll be a pro in no time. Of course, if you don't want to help anymore, I'll just wing it and figure it out on my own.† I groaned. â€Å"You already know what I'd say about – wow.† The neighborhood we were in was pretty affluent. In fact, I'd say the houses bordered on being bona fide mansions. We stopped in front of one that looked like a cross between a hacienda and a southern plantation, large and sprawling with a pillared porch and pink stucco siding. The front yard was a mix of climates, green grass with palm trees lining the path to the house. The trees were like tropical sentries. â€Å"Gorgeous,† I said. â€Å"I love architecture. In another life, I'd have studied that – not chemicals and vampires.† As we continued on, we saw more of the same, each house trying to outdo the others. All of them had high fences and hedges blocking their backyards. â€Å"I wonder what's back there. Pools, probably.† Adrian stopped in front of another. It was as yellow as his car and showed another mix of styles, like a southwest version of a medieval castle, complete with turrets. â€Å"Nice juxtaposition,† he remarked. I turned, knowing my eyes were wide as I stared at him. â€Å"Did you just use juxtaposition in a sentence?† â€Å"Yes, Sage,† he said patiently. â€Å"We use it all the time with art, when we're mixing different components. That, and I know how to use a dictionary.† He turned from me and scanned the house, his eyes resting on a gardener who was out trimming some hedges. A sly smile crossed Adrian's lips. â€Å"You want to see the back? Come on.† â€Å"What are you – † Before I could say another word, Adrian strode up the granite pathway and cut across the lawn to where the guy was working. I didn't want anything to do with this, but the responsible part of me couldn't let Adrian get into trouble. I hurried after him. â€Å"Are the owners home?† Adrian asked. The gardener had stopped his clipping and stared at Adrian. â€Å"No.† â€Å"When will they be back?† â€Å"After six.† I was astonished that the guy was answering these questions. If I'd been asked them, I would've assumed someone was staging a break-in. Then, I saw the glazed look in the gardener's eyes and realized what was going on. â€Å"Adrian – â€Å" Adrian's eyes never left the other man's face. â€Å"Take us to the backyard.† â€Å"Of course.† The gardener dropped his hedge clippers and headed for a gate on the side of the house. I tried to get Adrian's attention to stop this, but he was outpacing me. Our guide stopped at the gate, entered a security code, and led us to the back. My protests died on my lips as I gazed around. This back property was almost three times the size of the front. There were more palm trees ringing the yard, along with a terraced garden full of plants, both native and non-native. A huge oval shaped pool dominated the space, its turquoise hue startling against the gray of the granite that surrounded it. On one side of the pool, several steps led up to a smaller, square pool. It could only hold a few people, and a waterfall poured out from it, down to the larger pool. Tiki torches and tables around the pools completed the lush setup. â€Å"Thanks,† Adrian told the gardener. â€Å"Go back to your work. It's okay if we're here. We'll see ourselves out.† â€Å"Of course,† the man replied. He walked back the way we'd come in. I snapped back to reality. â€Å"Adrian! You used compulsion on that guy. That†¦ I mean, it's†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Awesome?† Adrian walked over to the steps leading up to the upper pool. â€Å"Yeah, I know.† â€Å"It's wrong! All of this. Breaking and entering, and compulsion†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I shivered, despite the sweltering heat. â€Å"It's immoral. Controlling someone else's mind. You know it! Your people and mine both agree.† â€Å"Eh, no harm done.† He climbed to the top of the pool and stood on its edge, surveying his kingdom. The sun brought out chestnut glints in his brown hair. â€Å"Believe me, that guy was easy to control. Weak-willed. I barely had to use compulsion.† â€Å"Adrian – â€Å" â€Å"Come on, Sage. Not like we're going to hurt anything. Check out this view.† I was almost afraid to go up there. It was so rare for any of the Moroi here to use their magic that it was easy for me to pretend it didn't exist. Seeing Adrian use it – the most insidious kind – made my skin crawl. As I'd told Ms. Terwilliger in our charm discussion, no one should be able to control another like that. â€Å"Come on,† Adrian repeated. â€Å"You're not worried I'm going to compel you up here, are you?† â€Å"Of course not,† I said. And I meant it. I didn't know why, but some part of me knew Adrian would never, ever harm me. Reluctantly, I went to join him, hoping that would encourage him to leave. When I reached the top, my jaw dropped. The intimate pool hadn't seemed that high, but it gave us a stunning view of the mountains off in the distance, rugged and majestic against the blue of the sky. The larger pool glittered below us, and the waterfall made it look like we'd entered some mystical oasis. â€Å"Cool, huh?† he asked. Adrian sat down on the small pool's edge, rolled up his jeans, and took off his socks and shoes. â€Å"Now what are you doing?† I asked. â€Å"Making the most out of this.† He put his feet in the water. â€Å"Come on. Do something bad for a change. Not that it's really that bad. We aren't trashing this place or anything.† I hesitated, but the water was intoxicating, as though it too could wield compulsion. Settling down, I copied Adrian and dipped my bare feet into the water. Its coolness was startling – and wonderful – in this intense heat. â€Å"I could get used to this,† I admitted. â€Å"But what if the owners come home early?† He shrugged. â€Å"I can talk us out of it, don't worry.† That wasn't exactly reassuring. I turned back to the gorgeous view and lush property. I wasn't always the most imaginative person, but I thought back to what I'd said about living another life. What would it be like to have a home like this? To stay in one place? To spend days by the pool, soaking in the sun, and not worrying about the fate of humanity? I fell into daydreams and was so caught up that I lost track of time. â€Å"We have to get back to the shop,† I exclaimed. Glancing over, I was astonished to see Adrian watching me, a look of contentment on his face. His eyes seemed to study my every feature. Seeing me notice him, he immediately looked away. His usual smirky expression replaced the dreamy one. â€Å"The mechanic will wait,† he said. â€Å"Yeah, but I'm supposed to meet Brayden soon. I'll be – † That's when I got a good look at Adrian. â€Å"What have you done? Look at you! You shouldn't be out here.† â€Å"It's not that bad.† He was lying, and we both knew it. It was late afternoon, and the sun was merciless. I'd certainly felt it, though the coolness of the water had helped distract me. That, and I was human. Sure, sunstroke and sunburns were concerns, but I loved the sun and had a high tolerance for it. Vampires did not. Sweat poured off Adrian, soaking his shirt and hair. Pink blotches covered his face. They were familiar. I'd seen them on Jill back when she'd been forced to play outdoor sports in PE. Left unchecked, they'd turn into burns. I jumped to my feet. â€Å"Come on, we have to get out of here before you get worse. What were you thinking?† His expression was astonishingly nonchalant for someone who looked like he would pass out. â€Å"It was worth it. You looked†¦ happy.† â€Å"That's crazy,† I said. â€Å"Not the craziest thing I've ever done.† He smiled as he looked up at me. His eyes grew slightly unfocused, as though they were seeing more than just me. â€Å"What's a little crazy here and there? I'm supposed to be doing experiments†¦ why not see which is brighter: your aura or the sun?† The way he looked at me and spoke unnerved me, and I remembered what Jill had said, how spirit slowly drove its users insane. Adrian hardly seemed insane, but there was certainly something haunted about him, a definite shift from his usual sharp wit. It was as though something else had seized hold of him. I remembered that poem line, about dreaming and waking. â€Å"Come on,† I repeated. I held out my hand. â€Å"You shouldn't have used spirit. We need to get you out of here.† He took my hand and staggered to his feet. A rush of warmth and electricity went through me, just as it had the last time we touched, and our eyes held. For a moment, all I could think about were his earlier words: You looked happy†¦ I brushed such sentiments aside and quickly got him out of there, only to discover the mechanic hadn't finished. At least in his shop, we were able to get Adrian some water and air conditioning. As we waited I texted Brayden. Running an hour late with family stuff. Sorry. Will be there as soon as I can. My phone chimed back about thirty seconds later: That only leaves an hour for the textile museum. â€Å"That's not nearly enough time,† said Adrian deadpan. I hadn't realized he'd been reading over my shoulder. I moved the phone away and suggested to Brayden we just meet for an early dinner. He concurred. â€Å"I'm a mess,† I muttered, checking myself out in a mirror. The heat had definitely taken its toll, and I looked sweaty and worn. â€Å"Don't worry about it,† Adrian told me. â€Å"If he didn't notice how awesome you were in the red dress, he probably won't notice anything now.† He hesitated. â€Å"Not that there's even anything to notice. You're as cute as usual.† I was about to snap at him for teasing me, but when I looked over, his face was deadly earnest. Whatever retort I might have managed died on my lips, and I quickly got up to check our status, in order to hide how flustered I felt. The mechanic finally finished – no problems found – and Adrian and I headed downtown. I kept watching him anxiously, afraid he'd pass out. â€Å"Stop worrying, Sage. I'm fine,† he said. â€Å"Although†¦ I'd be better with some ice cream or gelato. Even you have to admit that'd be good right now.† It would, actually, but I wouldn't give him the satisfaction. â€Å"What is it with you and frozen desserts? Why do you always want them?† â€Å"Because we live in a desert.† I couldn't argue with that reasoning. We reached his place, and I swapped cars. Before he went inside, I inundated him with advice about getting water and resting. Then, I spoke the words that had been burning inside of me. â€Å"Thank you for the poolside outing,† I said. â€Å"Your near-sun-stroke aside, that was pretty amazing.† He gave me a cocky smile. â€Å"Maybe you'll get used to vampire magic after all.† â€Å"No,† I said automatically. â€Å"I'll never get used to that.† His smile immediately disappeared. â€Å"Of course not,† he murmured. â€Å"See you around.† I finally made it to dinner. I'd chosen an Italian restaurant, filled with the scents of garlic and cheese. Brayden sat at a corner table, sipping water and earning glares from the waitress, who was probably impatient for him to order. I sat down opposite him, dropping my satchel beside me. â€Å"I am so sorry,† I told him. â€Å"I had to do this thing with my, uh, brother.† If Brayden was mad, he didn't show it. That was his way. He did, however, give me a scrutinizing look. â€Å"Was it something athletic? You look like you ran a marathon.† It wasn't an insult, not by any means, but it did take me aback – mostly because I was thinking of Adrian's comment. Brayden had had almost nothing to say about my Halloween costume, but he noticed this? â€Å"We were out in Santa Sofia, getting his car looked at.† â€Å"Nice area. Keep going up the highway, and you can get to Joshua Tree National Park. Ever been there?† â€Å"No. Just read about it.† â€Å"Iconic place. The geology's fascinating.† The waitress came by, and I gratefully ordered an iced latte. Brayden was more than happy to tell me about some of the park's geology, and we soon fell into our comfortable rhythm of intellectual discussion. I didn't know the park's specific makeup, but I knew more than enough about geology in general to keep up. In fact, I was able to talk on autopilot while my mind wandered back to Adrian. I recalled again what he'd said about the red dress. I also couldn't shake the comment about me being happy, and how that was worth his suffering. â€Å"What do you think?† â€Å"Hmm?† I realized I'd lost the thread of our conversation after all. â€Å"I asked which type of desert you find more striking,† Brayden explained. â€Å"The Mojave region gets all the hype, but I actually prefer the Colorado Desert.† â€Å"Ah.† I slipped back into the flow. â€Å"Um, Mojave. I like the rock formations better.† This triggered a debate of the regions while we ate, and Brayden seemed happier and happier. He really did like having someone who could keep up with him, I realized. None of my books had said anything about the way to a man's heart being through academic debates. I didn't mind it, though. I liked the conversation, but it didn't exactly send thrills through me. I had to remind myself it was still early in our relationship – if I could even call it that. Surely the head over heels part would come soon. We talked for a long time after the meal was over. The waitress brought us an unsolicited dessert menu when we finished, and I surprised myself by saying, â€Å"Wow†¦ I can't believe how much I want gelato right now. That never happens.† Maybe the sweat and heat had leached my nutrients†¦ or maybe I still had Adrian on the brain. â€Å"I've never heard you order dessert,† said Brayden, sliding his menu away. â€Å"It's not too much sugar?† It was another of those weird statements of his that could be interpreted a number of different ways. Was he judging me? Did he think I shouldn't have any sugar? I didn't know, but it was enough for me to close the menu and set it on top of his. With no other scheduled forms of entertainment for the night, we decided to just go for a walk after dinner. The temperature was down to moderate levels, and it was still light enough out that I wasn't as concerned about the Warriors of Light jumping out from corners. That didn't mean I ignored Wolfe's teachings, however. I still kept an eye on my surroundings, watching for anything suspicious. We reached a small park that only took up one city block and found a bench in the corner. We sat down on it, watching children play on the opposite side of the lawn while we continued a discussion on bird watching in the Mojave. Brayden put his arm around me as we talked, and eventually, we exhausted the topic and simply sat in comfortable silence. â€Å"Sydney†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I turned my gaze from the children, surprised at Brayden's uncertain tone, which was very different from the one he'd just been using to defend the superiority of the mountain bluebird over the western bluebird. There was softness in his eyes now as he looked at me. The evening light made his hazel eyes take on a little more gold than usual but completely hid the green. Too bad. Before I could say anything, he leaned forward and kissed me. It was more intense than the last one, though still a long ways from the epic, all-consuming kisses I'd seen in movies. He did rest his hand on my shoulder this time, gently bringing me a little closer. The kiss also lasted longer than previous ones, and I again tried to let myself go and lose myself in the feel of someone else's lips. He was the one who ended it, a bit more abruptly than I would've expected. â€Å"I – I'm sorry,† he said, looking away. â€Å"I shouldn't have done that.† â€Å"Why not?† I asked. It wasn't so much that I'd been yearning for the kiss as it was that this seemed exactly like the kind of place you'd want to kiss: a romantic park at sunset. â€Å"We're in public. It's kind of vulgar, I suppose.† Vulgar? I wasn't even sure if we were really all that much in public, seeing as no one was next to us and we were in the shade of some trees. Brayden sighed with dismay. â€Å"I guess I just lost control. It won't happen again.† â€Å"It's okay,† I said. It hadn't seemed like that much of a loss of control, but what did I know? And I wondered if maybe a small loss of control wasn't such a bad thing. Wasn't that kind of the basis of passion? I didn't know that either. The only thing I knew for sure was that this kiss had been a lot like the last one. Nice, but it didn't blow me away. My heart sank. There was something wrong with me. Everyone was always going on about how socially inept I was. Did it extend to romance as well? Was I so cold that I'd spend my life never feeling anything? I think Brayden misread my dismay and assumed I was upset with him. He stood up and held out his hand. â€Å"Hey, let's go walk to that tea shop one block over. They've got this local painter's art on display that I think you'll like. Besides, no calories in tea, right? Better than dessert.† â€Å"Right,† I said. Thinking of the gelato didn't cheer me up any. The Italian place had had pomegranate, which kind of sounded like the best thing ever. As I stood up, my cell phone rang and startled both of us. â€Å"Hello?† â€Å"Sage? It's me.† I had no reason to be mad at Adrian, not after what he'd done for me, but somehow I felt irritated by the interruption. I was trying to make the most of this night with Brayden, and Adrian unsettled everything. â€Å"What's going on?† I asked. â€Å"Are you still downtown? You need to come over right now.† â€Å"You know I'm out with Brayden,† I said. This was pushy, even for Adrian. â€Å"I can't just drop everything and entertain you.† â€Å"It's not about me.† It was then that I noticed how hard and serious his voice was. Something tightened in my chest. â€Å"It's about Sonya. She's missing.† The Golden Lily: A Bloodlines Novel