Succubus on Top CHAPTER 22

The waiter brought me another gimlet just as I finished my last one. Good man, I thought. He deserved an ample tip. Four days after the Emerald Lit Fest, I sat in the Cellar with Jerome, Carter, Hugh, Peter, Cody, and Bastien. The usual suspects. It was the first time I'd seen any of them in days. I'd been keeping a low profile, essentially only leaving my home to go to work and back. I hadn't seen or heard from Seth in that time either. None of us spoke. We just sat there in the dark, nursing drinks. Other people in the pub moved around and laughed, but we were a corner of silence. I could have sliced and diced the awkward tension among us. Finally, unable to take it anymore, I sighed. â€Å"All right,† I snapped. â€Å"You can stop pretending. I know you've all seen the video.† It was like letting the air out of a balloon. An opening of the floodgates. Hugh spoke first, admiration shining in his eyes. â€Å"Jesus Christ, that was the absolute best thing I've ever seen.† â€Å"I've seen it, like, ten times,† added Peter. â€Å"And it doesn't get old.† Cody's delighted look spoke for itself. I took down half of my drink in one gulp. â€Å"Sometimes I look around, and I can't believe this is my life. â€Å" Bastien had done an Oscar-worthy job of capturing my romantic escapade with Dana on film. She had never noticed the disembodied camera floating around; only the incubus had actually been invisible. Of course, Dana had been too preoccupied to really notice much. I'd made sure of that, and while I felt a certain amount of glee over my powers of pleasure and distraction, my post-ambrosia self still didn't like having that prowess put on display any more than I'd liked Seth's story being linked to me. At least no one knew who Tabitha Hunter was. † Fleur ,I swear you did things I didn't even know about,† teased Bastien. â€Å"Oh, be quiet,† I told him, knowing he lied. â€Å"This whole thing is embarrassing enough. I can't believe you had it all over the Internet in a matter of hours.† He shrugged. â€Å"Good news is hard to keep to yourself.† Jerome's eyes gleamed with subdued satisfaction. â€Å"No need to be embarrassed. What you did is laurel-worthy, Georgie. You'll be Succubus of the Year now.† â€Å"Great,† I said. â€Å"Maybe that comes with coupons that haven't expired.† â€Å"Joke all you want,† continued the demon, â€Å"but you've caused havoc in a powerful religious group. That is definitely worth celebrating.† So much so that Bastien was probably off the hook. True, he hadn't been in the spotlight, but I'd made sure that Jerome played up his role in the official written report. I think the demon knew I'd gone a little overboard in crediting Bastien for his assistance in this caper, but he hadn't dwelt on the technicalities. Regardless of what the paperwork said, the diabolical community knew it was Jerome's succubus in the extremely popular video. My boss's reputation had gone through the roof. As for the CPFV†¦well, yes, it was most definitely in chaos. Dana had resigned as soon as the scandal went public. Suddenly missing their strong leader, the group had collapsed into confusion, flailing about with no clear direction. Poor Bill. In addition to the embarrassment of a philandering wife, he now had to do damage control and still maintain his strong stance on family values for the sake of his political career. Reelections were next year; no one knew how he'd fare. I had mixed feelings about the whole matter. Sure, I hated the CPFV's horrible actions and was glad to see them go down. But Dana, despite her many flaws, had cared about Tabitha. It might not have been love, but the emotions were genuine. She'd opened herself up to me, and I'd made a mockery of it. Even if she managed to wade out of this mess, she'd probably never accept her sexual inclinations again. She'd bury them, continuing a campaign of homosexual intolerance. That bothered me, for the sake of both her personal and her political lives. â€Å"And when not taking down conservative bitches,† noted Hugh, â€Å"she destroys gods in her free time. Did you really beat up that kid too? You're, like, a size four.† â€Å"Don't forget about the Emerald Lit Fest.† Cody grinned mischievously. â€Å"Man, I can't believe I missed that.† â€Å"Is there anything you don't do, Georgina?† marveled Peter. â€Å"You haven't been learning to cook souffl? ¦s behind my back, have you?† I rolled my eyes and turned to the greater immortals, ignoring my friends' over-the-top praise. â€Å"Are you finally going to tell me the whole story on Sol, or whoever he was? You guys have been terribly laissez-faire about me killing a god.† â€Å"You know most of the details,† Carter told me. â€Å"And you didn't technically kill him,† added Jerome. I started. â€Å"I didn't? But†¦he exploded. There was blood everywhere. That seems kind of, I don't know, final. â€Å" â€Å"You destroyed his human manifestation,† explained the angel in an almost bored way. â€Å"The body he used to walk the mortal world. Sol – or Soma as he's accurately called – still very much exists.† â€Å"Soma's another name for ambrosia†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I began slowly. â€Å"Yes,† Carter agreed. â€Å"In Hindu spirituality, the god Soma is the divine embodiment of the drug. It runs in his veins and is then distributed to mortals.† I remembered his bleeding wrist and how his blood had dried. â€Å"His blood forms the crystals that make the ambrosia. That's what everyone was drinking. That's what I drank!† I shuddered. â€Å"You also drank it in its pure form,† noted Jerome, watching for my reaction, â€Å"straight from the source.† â€Å"Oh Lord,† I realized. â€Å"The goblet. I thought it was some sort of date-rape drug.† â€Å"In some ways it was,† Carter told me gently. â€Å"His blood, in its crystal form, serves as a self-enhancement that can be tolerated by mortals – and immortals – because it's diluted. In its concentrated form, it's too much to handle. It's disorienting. It goes beyond amplification of skills. It overloads the system, making you feel insanely good and susceptible to physical touch and strong emotion. â€Å" Hence my reaction to his advances – and subsequent attack on Alec. Of course, I was still so mad at the former drummer that I half believed my actions wouldn't have been any different sans ambrosia. â€Å"That's so disgusting,† I muttered. â€Å"I drank blood. Gross.† Cody and Peter exchanged glances. They grinned. â€Å"What was the deal with that dart thing?† asked Hugh. â€Å"The thing she impaled him with.† â€Å"Mistletoe. It guards the gateway between worlds. The Norse always said it grew on the Tree of Life – the tree that holds the world.† I frowned. â€Å"So, if he's just lost his physical body, then he's not really gone.† â€Å"He's never gone,† said Carter. â€Å"The Food of the Gods is always around – or at least some concept of it. Mortals always have and will continue to believe and pray for some magical cure-all that will change their lives. That's why he still has so much power, despite most not knowing who he is. People don't always have to know what they're worshipping or believing in to still grant it power. â€Å" â€Å"But, when he pops back down to this plane next time, he'll probably hole up somewhere else,† said Jerome more practically. â€Å"If Carter or I had done anything, it would have been an open declaration of war. Innocent Georgie's desperate defense sent a charming get-the-fuck-out message that didn't get any of us in trouble. It only required a small report.† He made a face; the demon hated paperwork. I sighed. â€Å"Okay then. One last question. Why the sex? Why go to all that trouble to get Alex to procure victims?† â€Å"Who doesn't want sex?† asked Hugh. â€Å"The stories do resound with his lechery, actually,† said Carter. â€Å"One myth even talks about him carrying off some god's wife because he just wanted her that badly. When you're a being of euphoria and ultimate physical prowess, I guess sex sort of goes with it. So I've heard, anyway.† I scowled. â€Å"And he was too lazy to even get the victims himself. What a bastard.† â€Å"He's a god,† said Carter, as though there were nothing more to add. I turned to the angel, thinking about what he'd said. â€Å"You've been a veritable wealth of knowledge today. But doesn't it bother anyone else that we're openly discussing and accepting, what, three different spiritual systems here? Hindu and Norse – plus ours. Which I always thought was the true one, by the way.† Jerome looked genuinely delighted. â€Å"Come now, you've rubbed shoulders with immortals from all sorts of ‘spiritual systems' since the beginning of your succubus existence.† â€Å"Yeah, I know†¦but I never thought about the logistics too hard. I thought we were all disparate – remember? They do their thing, we do ours? Now you're mixing it up like†¦like†¦we're all doing the same thing. â€Å" â€Å"Yeah,† said Cody. â€Å"Which one's right?† Angel and demon shared smirks. † ‘What is truth?' Pilate asked.† Carter just couldn't stay away from his quotes. His eyes held barely contained laughter. I sighed again, knowing we'd get no better answer from either of them. As our evening get-together wound down, Bastien unhappily declared he had to leave for Detroit. He made his farewells to the others, and then I walked him out. We stood outside the pub, wrapped in our own thoughts as locals and tourists alike moved through Pioneer Square. Finally, at the same time, we spoke. † Fleur – â€Å" â€Å"Bastien – â€Å" â€Å"No, let me go first,† he said adamantly. I nodded for him to go on. â€Å"What I did at the hotel wasn't right. I shouldn't have led you into that – especially when you told me right off not to. And what I said to Seth at your place†¦that was unforgivable. Yeah, I was pretty sloshed, but that's no excuse. Not by a long shot.† I shook my head. â€Å"God knows I've done a lot of stupid things while drunk. And people, for that matter. But don't beat yourself up too bad – at least not over what happened†¦uh, between us. You were right. I wasn't a victim; I went along with that. I made my own choices, choices that I have to deal with.† â€Å"It doesn't matter. You shouldn't forgive me. Especially after you saved me on the Dana thing. You figured out what I'd been too blind to see. No, I'm definitely beyond forgiveness.† â€Å"Maybe. But I'm going to forgive you anyway.† I gave him a playful punch. â€Å"And you can't stop me.† â€Å"Only a fool would stand in your way,† he said gallantly. â€Å"But I still don't think I deserve it.† â€Å"Bas,I've seen people come and go for over a thousand years. Hell, I've seen civilizations come and go. I don't have many constants in my life. None of us do. I don't want to write off one of the best ones I've got. â€Å" He opened his arms for me, and I rested my head against his chest, sad that he'd be going away again. We stood like that for a long time, and then he broke away so that he could look at me. â€Å"Confession time: I didn't have sex with you for altruism. You were right about that. And I didn't do it just because I could either. I did it because I wanted you. Because I wanted to be closer to you.† He touched my cheek and winked. â€Å"You're worth ten Alessandras. You would be worth going to Guam for.† â€Å"What about Omaha?† â€Å"No one's worth going to Omaha for.† I laughed. â€Å"You're going to miss your flight.† â€Å"Yeah.† He hugged me again, then hesitated before speaking. â€Å"There's one more thing you need to know. The day after my, uh, idiotic drunken outburst, Seth came to see me.† â€Å"What?† I racked my brain. That would have been during the time I was preparing for the Fest. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"He wanted to know what happened. Between us. All the details.† â€Å"What'd you tell him?† â€Å"The truth.† I stared off at nothing. â€Å"That guy's crazy about you,† Bastien said after a moment's silence. â€Å"Love like that†¦well, hell itself has trouble standing against love like that, I think. I don't know if a succubus and a human can really make things work, but if it can happen, he'll be the one it happens with.† He hesitated. â€Å"I think, no, I know I was a little jealous of that†¦both that he had your love and you had someone who loved you like that.† He gave me a bittersweet smile. â€Å"Anyway. Good luck. I'm always here if you need me.† â€Å"Thank you,† I said, hugging him again. â€Å"Keep in touch. Maybe we'll get assigned together again some day.† The roguish look, long absent during our solemn conversation, flashed to his face. â€Å"Oh, the trouble we could cause. The world isn't ready for us again.† He pressed a soft, sweet kiss against my lips, and then he was gone. A minute later, I felt Carter's presence behind me. â€Å"Parting is such sweet sorrow.† â€Å"That it is,† I agreed sadly. â€Å"But that's life, mortal or immortal.† â€Å"How's your high-wire act with Seth going?† I turned to him, almost having forgotten that reference. â€Å"Bad.† â€Å"Did you look down?† â€Å"Worse than that. I fell off. I fell off and hit bottom.† The angel regarded me with his steady gaze. â€Å"Then you'd better get back on.† I choked on a bitter laugh. â€Å"Is that possible?† â€Å"Sure,† he said. â€Å"As long as the wire hasn't snapped, you can always climb back on.† I left him and walked a few blocks to catch a bus back to Queen Anne. While I was waiting, I blinked and did a double take as Jody walked by. I hadn't talked to her in ages. After the Dana scandal, Mitch and Tabitha Hunter had dropped off the face of the Earth. I left the bus stop and ducked into a dark doorway §?laSuperman. A moment later, I hurried to catch up with her as Tabitha. â€Å"Jody!† She stopped and turned around. Her brown eyes widened when she recognized me. â€Å"Tabitha,† she said uncertainly, waiting for me to get to her. â€Å"It's good to see you.† â€Å"You too. How are things?† â€Å"Okay.† We stood there awkwardly. â€Å"How are you? I mean, after everything†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Her cheeks crimsoned. â€Å"You don't have to avoid the topic. I can deal with it,† I told her gently. â€Å"It happened. Nothing to be done about it now.† She looked down at her feet, clearly troubled. â€Å"I've been wanting to tell you something. It wasn't†¦it wasn't just you, you know.† She looked back up, embarrassed. â€Å"She sort of, you know, approached me too, and we did some things†¦things I didn't really want to do. But I couldn't say no either. Not to her. It was a rough time in my life†¦Ã¢â‚¬  So. I wasn't Dana's first taste of forbidden fruit. The notion that she had forced Jody appalled me, more so than Dana throwing herself into rallies that denied her own nature. Suddenly, I didn't feel so sorry for her anymore. â€Å"Then she got what she deserved,† I declared icily. â€Å"Maybe,† said Jody, still looking upset. â€Å"It's been a disaster for their family. I feel the worst for Reese. And then there's the CPFV†¦they're a disaster too.† â€Å"Maybe it's for the best,† I said neutrally. She gave me a sad half-smile. â€Å"I know you don't believe in them, but they do have potential to do good. I'm actually on my way to a meeting right now. We're going to decide the fate of the group. I don't think we'll disband†¦but I don't know what direction we'll go in either. There are some people who think just like Dana. They're not a majority, but they're loud. Louder than people like me.† I remembered our gardening conversation. â€Å"And you still want some of the things you talked to me about? Helping those who need help now?† â€Å"Yes. I wish I could walk right in there and speak up. If I could get enough people's attention, I think we could really go in a new direction. A better direction that might actually affect change instead of just censuring and calling people names.† â€Å"Then you should do exactly that.† â€Å"I can't. I don't have the skill to talk to people like that. I'm not that brave.† â€Å"You have the passion.† â€Å"Yeah, but is that enough if I can't get it out?† Suddenly, I had to fight a giddy smile from taking over my face. â€Å"I've got something for you,† I told her, reaching into my purse. â€Å"Here. Take this.† I handed her the last packet of ambrosia. It was dangerous, perhaps, to give it to a mortal, but one dose wouldn't hit her too badly, and she'd never be able to get more. Besides, taking the temptation away from me was probably for the best. â€Å"What is this?† â€Å"It's a, um, herbal supplement. Like an energy blend. Haven't you seen those?† She frowned. â€Å"Like ginseng or kava or whatever?† â€Å"Yeah. I mean, it won't change your life, of course, but it always sort of gives me a kick. You just mix it in a drink and go from there.† â€Å"Well, I was about to buy coffee†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"That's perfect. And it can't hurt or anything.† Smiling, I squeezed her arm. â€Å"Do it for me, so I'll feel like I've given you a good-luck charm.† â€Å"Okay. Sure. I'll take it as soon as I get the coffee.† She glanced at her watch. â€Å"I've got to take off now if I want to be on time. You take care of yourself, okay?† â€Å"I will. Thanks. Good luck tonight.† To my surprise, she gave me a quick hug and then disappeared into the crowd of pedestrians. As I rode the bus home, I found I felt better about myself than I had in days. I'd sort of wanted to save the ambrosia for next year's Emerald Lit Fest, but I supposed I wouldn't need it so long as I actually allowed myself two days instead of one. After all, a little leeway never hurt.

Multiple Sclerosis and Living Life

|Multiple Sclerosis and Living Life. | |[Type the document subtitle] | | | |Multiple sclerosis can be debilitating, however there are things that can be done to | |limit the amount of attacks a person may have. | | |Le’Sha Hairston | |10/10/2012 | | | Multiple Sclerosis and Living Life Le’Sha Hairston University Composition and Communication ll COM/156 Trista McCombs Multiple sclerosis and Living Life As a person with the disease! Knowing the effects first hand, Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune disease.With MS, the body's white blood cells attack tissues called myelin. Changes to your diet and life style can help slow down the effects of multiple sclerosis. Some days will be better than others, but a normal life can be lived with the disease. June 24, 2004 eight years ago I was diagnosed with â€Å"Multiple Sclerosis†. A quote from talk show host, author, actor, and philanthropist â€Å"Montel Williams†, when the neurologist said those words- †Å"you have (MS)† it hit me like a ton of bricks. â€Å"I thought I was diagnosed with a death sentence†. As a person with the disease! Knowing the effects first hand, Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune disease.With MS, the body's white blood cells attack tissues called myelin. Changes to your diet and life style can help slow down the effects of multiple sclerosis. Some days will be better than others, but a normal life can be lived with the disease Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that can be potentially debilitating to a person. Multiple sclerosis is a disease in which one’s immune system begins to attack the body. The white blood cells will attack a tissue in the body called the ‘Myelin’, which is the protective sheath covering of all nerve’s in the human body.By the Myelin being eating away this can and most likely will result in permanent damage to the nerve’s even deterioration, being that there is no reversible p rocess for (MS). There are many different symptoms for a person with Multiple sclerosis; it all depends on the damage and what particular nerves are affected. There is no cure for (MS), and the only way to determine is one has Multiple Sclerosis, is to rule out other diseases. Meaning using the process of elimination to determines one’s status. A person with a severe case of the disease will encounter many problems.Some of these problems are not having the ability to walk, talk, or any mobility at all. Even though there is no cure for the disease, there are strategies to treat an attack such as â€Å"anti-inflammatory medications†. Some of these medications are â€Å"Corticosteroids and Beta interferons†. Corticosteroids consist of different medications that decrease inflammation and help to reduce the symptoms and signs of inflammation. They also â€Å"suppress your immune system, which helps control the conditions in which your body’s immune system mis takenly attacks its own tissues† (http://www. mayoclinic. om/health/steroids/HQ01431), in thus case Multiple Sclerosis. Corticosteroids can be taken in many different ways such as: One can take corticosteroids by: †¢ By mouth. Tablets, capsules or syrups help treat the inflammation and pain associated with certain chronic conditions, such as arthritis and lupus. †¢ By inhaler and intranasal spray. These forms help control inflammation associated with asthma and nasal allergies. †¢ Topically. Creams, ointments and roll-ons can help heal many skin conditions. †¢ By injection. This form is used to treat such signs and symptoms as the pain and inflammation of tendinitis.While the six FDA-approved disease-modifying medications that treat multiple sclerosis are often successful in slowing the progression of (MS), like all drugs, they can also produce some side effects. The side effects of (MS) medications can range from mild (flulike symptoms or irritation at an injection site) to more serious (chest pain, an increased risk of heart toxicity, or even acute myelogenous leukemia, a kind of bone marrow cancer. So when taken any medication it should be consulted with your doctor on the best medication for any person to take while dealing with multiple sclerosis.Discussing all side effects will help the doctor know how tolerable you are to the medication. Any bruising, redness, swelling, itching, etc should be reported immediately. All the interferon’s such as Rebif, Avonex, and Betaferon can cause flulike response after an injection. This is managed by gradually starting with smaller does, then working up to full dose. Physical therapy is also another way to treat (MS) attacks, and modify the course of the disease as well as using muscle relaxants. Physical therapies that can be conducted are too help deal with the issues brought on by Multiple Sclerosis such as: Fatigue †¢ Pain †¢ Balance problems †¢ Coordination problems †¢ Weakness †¢ Immobility Physical therapy will help teach new movement techniques also. A healthy diet is something that should also be maintained when someone has Multiple Sclerosis. A person with a chronic illness should consume adequate calories including protein. This will help the body provide energy, heal any wounds and fight off any infections. A person with Multiple Sclerosis should maintain their weight, eat foods low in fat and cholesterol, and limit their sugar intake.Salt is something that should be moderate in a (MS) patient’s diet, along with drinking 8-8ounce glasses of water per day to maintain a good urinary track. Anyone with an illness should get plenty of rest, thus keeping the energy up. Anyone with Multiple Sclerosis can have a very fulfilling life. (MS) doesn’t have to determine the amount of fun you have. Yes it can become hard with all the medications and daily stipulations but it’s worth it to maintain life. I know someone w ho has had the disease since the age 19 years old. They woke up and couldn’t see anything, just flashing lights and a splitting headache.Rushed to the hospital and they couldn’t begin to explain the amount of testing that was done on them to gain a diagnosis. They had to make numerous changes in their life if they wanted t continue to be normal. These changes included not smoking (cigarettes), no alcohol, fatty foods, getting more rest, working less, being on many medications etc: an the list goes on. However, for the sake of their children and their family they were able to pull through. As they explained to me there are days that are great from them than there are days that is extremely hard. But it’s better than not being around at all as they said.There are days when their depression will set in and giving up is the only thing they want to do, doing so would be the easy way out. Fighting it to the end is the decision they made; having a wonderful support sys tem that keeping them motivated to live. Great children and a wonderful husband couldn’t ask for anything more. There’s nothing they can’t do everything is regular with some limitations. Multiple sclerosis is a potentially debilitating disease. However as long as you take your medications, exercise, and maintain a well balanced diet you can live a happy and normal life. It will also limit the amount of attacks a person will have.It doesn’t have to over take your life. Staying positive and having a great support system are strategies to help a person keep the faith and make it through. As a person with the disease! Knowing the effects first hand, Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune disease. With MS, the body's white blood cells attack tissues called myelin. Changes to your diet and life style can help slow down the effects of multiple sclerosis. Some days will be better than others, but a normal life can be lived with the disease. References: www. cnn. com www. mslifelines. com www. montelwilliams. com www. apolllolibrary. com www. everydayhealth. com

Blockbuster Hbr Case Essay Example for Free

Blockbuster Hbr Case Essay One of Blockbuster’s biggest value drivers is geographic location. Most people, especiall in urban areas live pretty close to a Blockbuster location. Availability of titles is also a value driver that not all video stores can provide. Their reputation is also a value driver. Economies of scale are one of Blockbuster’s largest cost drivers. The ability to negotiate with movie studios with leverage while their competitors can’t as effectively win lower prices for inventory purchases gives a huge advantage. The aforementioned reasons are ammunition to defened against competitors. Geographic location and leveraging the brand name recognition are two of the most important advantages that Blockbuster has that none of its competitors can easily overcome. After the formation of Blockbuster, the first major technological substitute to come along was the DVD (the digital versatile disc) and the DIVX (digital video express disc). There was a fierce battle between these two rival substitutes as they waged war. Both were looking to become the sole technology that would replace VHS. Blockbuster remained on the sidelines for the first few years after these technologies were introduced even though 8 major motion picture studios had committed to either DIVX or DVD (6 for DIVX and 2 for DVD) Once Antioco had made a decsion as to back DVD for a multitude of reasons, Blockbuster’s decision would lead to the demise of DIVX. Antico decided that DVD offered the most promise. They were more widespread, DVD player units were more readily available and they were cheaper. About a year after Blockbuster decided to back DVD, Circuit City decided to give up on the DIVX technology. Blockbuster also faced competition from consumer’s decsion to buy DVDs as opposed to renting them(sell through). Antioco saw this as a potential threat and decided to sell through used DVDs at a discount at Blockbuster stores. Along with some promotions, such as a free rental with the purchase of a movie, Antioco’s plan was expected to triple Blockbuster’s share of the video sales market. In 2003 Disney developed a technology much like DIVX called EZ-D. The plan was eliminate the return of rented videos as the disc would be discared 48 hours after opening because a chemical would render it useless. The technology ultimately failed as Blockbuster did not back the technology because for just a few dollars more (EZ-D discs retailed at $5-$7) consumers could outright purchase a DVD with unlimited use. One of the newest substitutes to threaten blockbuster is online video sales. This market is cannabilizing Blockbuster’s sell through numbers and Blockbuster is countering with their own online sales. Another is home delivery service. Even though this service had promise with more than a few firms, they all failed for a multitude of reasons and never posed a real threat. Netflix, a video subscription service with no late fees is also a substitute that Blockbuster is facing. After much initial success, Blockbuster decided to start their own subscription pricing model in which consumers can pay a flat fee each month for unlimitied rentals at their retail outlets. Eventually adding the feature where consumers can opt to either receive/return the discs through the mail similar to netflix or to receive/return them at a retail location to satisfy an immediate need. This option gives them a competitive advantage over Netflix. Blockbuster Hbr Case. (2018, Oct 22).

The Social Injustice Shell Gas is Putting on the Nigerian Delta Research Paper

The Social Injustice Shell Gas is Putting on the Nigerian Delta - Research Paper Example The typical day of the Nigerian Shell employee is filled with inhaling the dangerous gas fumes from the daily extraction of the natural gas emissions. Likewise, some of the gas pipes often break from the pressure coming from the earth’s exiting gases (Rosenau 9). Consequently, some leaks occur from cracks in the weakened gas pipes. Some of the people are happy with the current situation. Some place more importance on earning money from the Shell jobs over their health. The Shell Company jobs help reduce the poverty level in the Nigerian Delta. Priority should be placed on emphasizing how many people must die for our oil intake in (Paden 47). Mass genocide, through oil spill poisoning, that is being implemented by the government and the Shell Corporation on the Nigerian people should be stopped. Nigeria’s culture, ecosystem, and sustainability before shell. Before Shell Company’s intrusion, the Nigerian Delta was a densely populated enjoying daily breath of fresh unpolluted air. The people lived on fishing and other maritime jobs. The ecosystem before the intrusion of Shell Company was in a better balance. Human rights violation was absent before the entry of Shell Company into the lives of the Nigerian Delta people. The government was less corrupt prior to the entry of the Shell pipelines when compared to the government corruption after the entry of Shell Company . The skies were bluer then. The people can swim in the water. In addition, fishing was a thriving business endeavor. In terms of economics, the people can now work for Shell as one of its pipe maintenance engineers. The job entails ensuring that there are no leaks. Leak prevention is a vital job of the Shell employees. The lives of the people living in the community are at the hands of the employees of Shell Company (Nigeria 66).

History islamic art Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

History islamic art - Term Paper Example In this paper we will discuss the history of Islamic architecture and different styles of Islamic architecture like Persian, Azerbaijani, Turkistan, Ottoman architecture etc. Islamic architecture began to spread soon after the advent of Islam. Initially mosques were required form Muslims to pray and from that the earliest form of Islamic architecture emerged. The oldest piece of Islamic architecture is The Dome of Rock, which is a shrine in the Old City of Jerusalem built in 691. The Dome of Rock is inspired by influence of Byzantine. When Muslim rulers invaded Spain Islamic architecture expanded to all corners of the world. The main reason for expansion of Islamic architecture was building of mosques. Muslim rulers built mosque wherever they went in order to pray and these mosques became the symbols of Islamic Architecture. Muslim rulers hired local engineers to build their mosques so shades of local art styles can also be seen in Islamic architecture. Islamic architecture therefore sprang through the union of existing art forms and Islamic culture. Calligraphy was also very famous in ancient Islamic times. The use of calligraphy can be seen on walls of mosques and forts that were built by Islamic rulers. Muslims used to write Quranic scripture in different forms and from that sprang the art of calligraphy in Islamic culture. Many famous buildings, forts and mosques have Quranic verses written on walls in beautiful styles. Umayyads were the first to officially introduce religious architecture in their time. They started to introduce new concepts of architecture through the help of existing buildings. The courtyard and other important buildings, for purpose of governance, served as an official start to Islamic architecture. In buildings of this time functionality seems to be an important aspect which tells that buildings were not built for artistic reasons rather they were made for performing services of the

Why Do Wars Happen Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Why Do Wars Happen - Essay Example Adopting the framework of Henry Nau, the basic insights offered to understand why wars and peace can happen are the realist, liberalist, and identity perspectives (Humphreys, 180). The class lectures of our course heavily used the book of Henry Nau and, thus, this discussion heavily used the lecture materials. The realist perspective holds that states must protect themselves and that the best protection will be found wherein states balance each other, meaning that no state is in a position to bully the other states because all states have the capability to subvert a bully either alone or with allies (Lecture 3, Slide 2). However, holding the other states in check so that no one would be in a position to bully or conquer another, require that states must arm themselves (Lecture 3, Slide 3). In addition, states will be unable to tap allies if they themselves are not armed (Lecture 3, Slide 3). For realists, transitional peace is possible if countries disarm. Yet, if a country disarms a nd others do not, the country that disarmed will not be in a position to defend herself. The country will be vulnerable to attacks and will be vulnerable to being conquered by the country that did not disarm. If on the other hand, all countries arm themselves to the teeth, a situation is created wherein a war scenario or an armed standoff can emerge (Lecture 3, Slide 6). This means there is a potential for war with an armed standoff (Lecture 3, Slide 6). There is a dilemma: if a country does not arm, she risks being bullied or conquered. If a country arms, she will risk a war or an armed standoff (Lecture 3, Slide 6). For a realist, countries will usually consider subjugation unacceptable. On the other hand, a country can consider peace to be too fragile and vulnerable to become a situation in which one country could re-arm to conquer the other. Thus, for realists, the â€Å"realistic† or appropriate situation to target is a situation of stand-off or parity of power (Lecture 3, Slide 6). On the same dilemma and situation confronted by realists, liberalists or liberalism holds that peace remains possible if institutions are created to make negotiations work better (Lecture 4, Slide 2). Liberalism argues that peace can be enforced if countries or states unite to punish states that fail to disarm (Lecture 4, Slide 2). Liberalists hold that another route towards peace is available if states who are disarming implement the disarmament by stages wherein participants to the disarmament observe each other (Lecture 4, Slide 3). Each country can implement the disarmament proportionate to the goodwill or initiative of each other (Lecture 4, Slide 3). A country can also reduce her arms in a manner calculated to inspire reciprocation from other countries to reduce their arms. In doing so, all countries in a disarmament program can reduce arms until the disarmament becomes full and complete (Lecture 4, Slide 4). A country can initiate goodwill reducing arms in the ex pectation that other countries will reciprocate the goodwill by implementing a proportionate disarmament. In the liberalist perspective or liberalism, institutions play an important role in the disarmament process because they can serve as third parties that can help countries involved in the disarmament (Lecture 4, Slide 4). The forerunner of the United Nations, for example, the League of Nations provided a mechanism whereby countries involved in international disputes are able to submit their dispute to the league for arbitration (Lecture 4, Slide 4). If the league finds or has come to believe or has deemed that a country is guilty of aggression, the league can enforce peace by imposing economic blockade or sanctions against the assumed aggressor (Lecture 4, Slide

Teaching with Tech by Vicky Hallett Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Teaching with Tech by Vicky Hallett - Essay Example According to Hallett, numerous academic institutions in the United States (US), particularly in the tertiary level, strive to employ the latest technological innovations in the classroom setting. For instance, colleges and universities including the John Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology among others encourage the use of gadgets like camera phones, Wi-Fi laptops, course websites and other classroom technologies. The application of these new techniques has substantially revolutionized the learning process. In her article, Hallett asserts that the introduction of each new tool in the classroom brings about opportunities to further enhance the education process and results in the development of new learning models. Indicative of the significant contribution of technology to education, the term "e-learning" was coined. This refers to the use of multi-media technology to support learning and teaching. There are numerous instances that illustrate how technology has improved teaching and learning. For example, utilization of e-learning tools such as web-based courses and podcast lectures has made learning and teaching more flexible. Given these tools, students may easily access lectures of modules anytime, even outside the campus, through the internet. These tools enable students to conveniently review lecture notes or recorded lecture provided online if they misses any important point or find a particular lesson difficult. With these features, the education process is improved such that students are able to learn at their own pace ("Laying the foundation for the Future of Digital Learning," 2004). Similarly, technology has rendered support to teachers by providing additional avenues for learning. By using technology, teachers are able to create a relatively more interactive learning environment. Hallett cites the John Hopkins University as an example. In its biology class, all students are provided with thin blue devices which resemble remote controls. These devices make it possible for the professor to track students' participation. As the teacher flashes a question and corresponding choices on the monitor, students use their devices for pointing their answers on the screen. Similar to "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" their responses are then tabulated to gauge their comprehension of the subject matter presented. Aside from the use of Microsoft Powerpoint, Macromedia and other computer programs for presentation, Hallett also mentions the use of gaming concept in teaching. As more and more students become obsessed with Xbox and Playstation, teachers attempt to use these technological tools to promote interactive learning. Games like "The Sims" and "Civilization" have become part of some teachers' lesson plan. These make lessons more fun and sustain students' attention span. In response, software companies have also released new games which are in line with a specific course.An example of this is "Making History" created by Muzzy Lane Software. This video game allows students to play the role of World War II leaders and use critical thinking as well as teamwork to triumph by coming up with sound political and military judgments.

Testifying as a Law Enforcement Professional Research Paper

Testifying as a Law Enforcement Professional - Research Paper Example The testimony of any investigator or professional should be confined to the scope of expertise of that person as demonstrated by experience, training and education. The extent of the experience, training and education needed to testify is determined by the legal authority in which the professional witness is testifying. It is also permissible for an investigator and professional to render an expert opinion (Kleinig and Zhang, 1993, p. 19). A testimony serves to prove a point or element of the case against a defendant. A professional witness or law enforcement officer should never underestimate their role in establishing a defendant’s guilt. Establishing a defendant’s guilt is based upon the strength and totality of the evidence presented. If the evidence is not convincing, then a jury or judge must acquit the defendant, but if powerful pieces of evidence are present, then it can lead to conviction of the defendant. Only witnesses having firsthand knowledge of the import ant facts of a case are allowed to testify at a trial. However, their testimony is restricted to their personal knowledge. This is what they personally know about the victim or defendant. Thus, a person who witnesses an accident and the first law enforcement officers to be at the scene have personal knowledge of the occurrence leading to the case and are likely to be summoned to testify about what they witnessed. A professional witness, on the other hand, gives a professional opinion on a case. Professional witnesses are involved in a case when technical, specialized or scientific knowledge is required to establish a fact that is controversial. A witness may be qualified as an expert by education, training, skill, experience, or knowledge. The witness may, therefore, testify basing his or her on the evidence he or she gathers (Kleinig and Zhang, 1993, p. 25). A law enforcement officer has a responsibility as a professional witness. The law enforcement officer has a crucial role in t he successful conviction of a criminal. Therefore, the officer must determine whether the evidence established is sufficient enough to proceed with a trial. It is the duty of the officer to make sure all relevant and appropriate evidence comes to light. The enforcement officer must fully record all visual, sensory and verbal observation, know what to listen and look for and be motivated to apply their skills and knowledge to aid him or her in succeeding in the trial. It is fundamental for a law enforcement officer to prepare as a professional witness before trial. The officer should recognize relevant and significant evidence and document it in field notes. The notes should be compiled, and a complete and accurate report should be written. Prior to the testimony, the officer should review the case file, mentally organizing the facts of the offense and evidence supporting it. The officer should also organize clearly and convincingly the testimony to be presented to the jury. Once the officer is notified of the trial date, the officer should review all reports and records. He should also compare notes with other officers, revisit the scene if required, discuss with the prosecutor the details of the testimony and the case, and make sure copies of all required documents by law in his or her jurisdiction have been given to the prosecutor (Kleinig and Zhang, 1993, p. 59). A law enforcement officer should dress professionally and neatly. Uniformed officers are preferred to wear their uniform. One should wear pants and a jacket if he or she is on civilian clothes. Flashlights, sunglasses and other cumbersome equipment should not be taken into the courtroom, unless they are needed for demonstration (Kleinig and Zhan

Service Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Service Management - Assignment Example Such procedures are directly related to employee satisfaction and lead to an increase in the same. High levels of employee satisfaction lead to employee loyalty, and this raises the productivity of individual employees. This is directly reflected on the service that is given to the customers. Customers benefit from a higher external service value and this increases their level of satisfaction. When clients are happy with the quality of services they receive from a company, there is a consequent increase in their loyalty to that company and the services it offers. According to research by Heskett et al (167), an increase in the loyalty of customers by 5% can increase the profit of the company by between 25% and 85%. Maintain the service-profit chain is, therefore, important for any company that expects to have an increase in its profits. These links should be strengthened so that everything within the company operates smoothly and without any disruptions. All this should be reinforced by the management of the particular organization to ensure that all workers contribute towards the same goal. Based on this, successful CEOs are not those who locked themselves in their offices and came up with management strategies. Managers of successful companies are those who spend time with employees and customers and in the process listen to their employees and customers for suggestions on improvements in their organizations’ modus

Analysis of Salient Macroeconomic Parameters of India Assignment

Analysis of Salient Macroeconomic Parameters of India - Assignment Example In PPP terms, it is quite evident from the above figures that the economy of India is growing at the average rate of 9 percent, which is certainly a good feat in the wake of liberalization and globalization process undertaken during the 1990s. The inflation rate has been growing steadily since the year 2005. Rapid economic growth in India has brought the perils of high inflation rate which was estimated at 10.9 and 12 percent in the year 2009 and 2010 respectively; however, in the year 2011 due to appropriate monetary policy by the Central Bank, it has reduced to 6.8 percent. The high inflation rate in India is causing great inconvenience to the people. (Inflation rate 2011) As per the report released by the Labor Ministry in October 2011, the unemployment rate in India was estimated at 9.4 percent during the fiscal 2010-11 which is certainly a matter of great concern. The government was confident of creating 58 million additional jobs by the end of 11the five-year-plan in 2012. Though India has been agrarian economy until the turn of this century in last one decade things have changed drastically as a contribution from services in the country's GDP has reached to almost 59 percent by the year 2010. (The government 2012) In its report of May 3, 2011, the Reserve Bank (Central Bank) specified that the Global economy was in an uncertain state. Inflation was the nagging issue on the domestic front due to high food prices. The policy document clearly specified that the goal of monetary policy was to nail the supply-side inflation. High inflation causes investment uncertainty. The policy document spelt out the necessity to bring down the inflation even at the cost of growth. Accordingly, Central Bank revised the interest rates upwards and raised the repo rates. Even CRR was often revised to take the excess money out of the market. That really helped to cool down the economy and brought the inflation rate at a moderate level. Thus, Central Bank keeps a strong vigil to control inflation and unemployment rate through its effective monetary measures. (Monetary Policy Statement, 2011)

Comparing and Contrasting Two Versions of Macbeth Essay Example for Free

Comparing and Contrasting Two Versions of Macbeth Essay The two versions of Macbeth were made in different years. The BBC version was lower budget and set almost as if it is a play being performed on stage. The Polanski version was a big- budget film which is set in real, outdoor locations. However, though each film is very different, they are both adapted from Shakespeares play. Sound is very important in a film; sound consists of three elements, these being dialogue, music and effects. In the BBC version of Macbeth, dialogue is the most important of these sound elements; this is because the BBC version is very closely related to Shakespeares play. In the BBC version, sound is used to tell everything; there are very few sound effects and very little music. Conversely, in the Polanski version all three elements share important roles. While the BBC version follows Shakespeares original script very closely, Polanski makes a number of changes to the script and sequence of events. An example of the original play being adapted is in scene one, in which he chooses to make very long so that he was able to miss our parts later on in the story. Instead of the witches meeting in the first scene, the witches meet and cast a spell using an arm. In the BBC version, this particular reference to a body part does not come until scene three. This is why scene one in the Polanski version is so long. The dialogue in the BBC version is identical to the dialogue that Shakespeare wrote. Though dialogue in the BBC version is the most important feature, there is music. Music is used to build up suspense at the very beginning of the film, this music starts and stops as does the use of thunder as pathetic fallacy. This creates an eerie and unpredictable effect. In the Polanski version, sound is a more subtle element. In scene one, everything is action with quiet sounds and the witches do not speak until two minutes into the scene. On the other hand, the witched begin to speak almost immediately in the BBC version. The mise en scene in both movies is important. A movie can be more realistic than in a staged play. This can be seen clearly in the Polanski version which uses elaborate, individual costumes which look very true to life. This is helped because the Polanski film had a big budget. The setting in the Polanski film was a real landscape and on location. Many props are also used; for example in scene one when the witches push a pram which contains an arm, a dagger and blood. Props add to any movie or play to make it more interesting. In this particular case, however, the props symbolic of what is to happen later in the play- gory murder. In the BBC the mise en scene is much simpler, being set more like a stage version- more dialogue, less scenery. In scene one there is only one setting. This scenery is much simpler and clearly filmed in a studio, it shows the witches situated on a rock in a dark area. The costumes the witches are wearing plain undistinguishing clothe: their black shawls are almost identical making the audience concentrate more on the dialogue, the mise en scene is a bonus, as opposed to in the Polanski version, where the mise en scene plays a more important role. Visuals are very important in both versions of Macbeth. In the BBC version there is only one shot in scene one, which makes it very similar to how it would be performed on stage. However, the difference is that the camera zooms in a the beginning and zooms further in to a close up of the witches hands at the end. This same effect could not be achieved in a stage version, In the third scene of the BBC version, there are many shots. This is because the scene is longer and includes more characters: Macbeth, Banquo, the three witches and two messengers. Whereas in scene one there were only three witches. In the Polanski version there are many shots; fifteen in scene one. Each shot is carefully made to portray something. Unlike in a play, a movie effectively tells the viewer exactly what to see at a certain point. One example of an important shot is the third shot in scene one where the shot goes from the three witches digging in the sand to a seagull flying in the sky. This shot may seem random at first but it was specifically chosen to show time passing. It can also symbolise a coming storm- seagulls flying inland means that there is bad weather brewing at sea. This can be connected as a sign of what is going to happen later in the story and what the witches are preparing, a bad spell. The use of lightning and colour is important in both versions. This can be noticed when the lightning in scene one in the BBC version and Polanski version is both red at the beginning. The colour red symbolises blood, a major element in the play and gives an indication to the audience of the bloodshed and murders to come. Colour is also important to portray the time of day. This is shown in the Polanski version at the beginning when it is dawn and the sky turns from red to blue, becoming brighter to show the sun rising. A red sky can also symbolise bad weather, as does the seagull later on. The saying goes: Red sky at night, shepherds delight, red sky in the morning, shepherds warning. I think both versions are excellent stories of Macbeth. The BBC version is more like the original play and focuses on the literary content; the Polanski version contains more action. Both films are helpful in aiding students to understand the content and themes of the play because the BBC version is very similar to the original play- the speech is the same, however, the Polanski version is more cinematic which makes it more exciting and helps students to enjoy the play. I preferred the Polanski version because it is not completely directed on dialogue but also on action and scenery. I found this more interesting and more realistic than in the BBC version.

The madding crowd Essay Example for Free

The madding crowd Essay The sheep washing shows how Boldwood never gives up hope. Even later in the novel, when Bathsheba has turned him down several times, he asks for her hand in marriage on Christmas Day, so they can marry five years after the death of Troy, which would make it legal. He is positive that she will say that she will marry him and she, not wanting to hurt his feelings, feels obliged to agree. After the shooting however, it all comes out just how desperate he is. The murder is enough to show but he also has a ring, which he has had since the first time he asked her to marry him. Many presents are also found addressed to Bathsheba Boldwood and it is clear from them that Boldwood was a troubled man, slightly insane because of his love of Bathsheba. At the Corn Exchange, Boldwood, who was itching to ask Bathsheba if he would consider marrying him, discovers that he cannot ask her yet. She receives news that Troy has drowned and she is instantaneously gloomy. Boldwood knows straight away that now is not the right time. He does however realise now that he is free to ask her at any point, because Troy is gone. His face flushed with the suppressed excitement of an unutterable thought, which means that he is plotting to finally get the woman of his dreams. Troys entrance has an overwhelming effect on Boldwood at the engagement party. Hardy reminds the reader of Boldwoods prior loss of Bathsheba, when he describes Tory as being, the impersonator of heavens persistency towards him, who had once upon broken in upon bliss, scourged him and snatched his delight away. The usage of those strong, and rather violent words such as, broken, scourged, and snatched further highlights Boldwoods painful suffering and foreshadows the violent actions to come. Boldwood is shocked, as is everyone else, about the sudden reappearance of Troy. Everyone thought that he was dead, so no one can quite believe it. Troy then tries to get Bathsheba to come home with him. Bathsheba doesnt move and Troy tries to pull her up, which is when Boldwood loses it. In a flurry of movement, screaming a smoke, Boldwood shoots Troy, who falls on the floor dead. Everyone is greatly shocked. Hardy then describes how Boldwood crossed over to Bathsheba, kissed her hand and, put on his hat, opened the door, and went into the darkness, nobody thinking of preventing him. No one probably stops him because it is such a sudden shock. This shows how insane Boldwood has become. In this novel, Hardy details often on the pain of love, and demonstrates to everyone the fact that love is not simple, and is a complex rollercoaster of emotions and there is more often than not more than two people involved. The two men are very different, but similar in some ways. Both are, obviously, bowled over by Bathshebas beauty and they are both highly respected gentlemen. They both display their emotions in very different ways however. Sergeant Troy can keep his feelings well under wrap, not really letting on to many people how he truly feels. Boldwood however, cannot contain his emotions as well as Troy, so therefore, goes insane because of his love, or even lust, of Bathsheba, which appears much stronger than Troys, who really prefers Fanny. Bathsheba is more inclined to be with Troy because he is a young, dashing solider. She gives Boldwood the cold shoulder because he is an ageing, boring farmer, who cannot add the spice to life that she requires. By Michael J. Ritchie Michael Ritchie 1 Ms Farrell English Far From The Madding Crowd Coursework

Political Culture And Malaysia

Political Culture And Malaysia Abstract: Pre-1999 studies pictured Malaysia as having a subject political culture. The post-2008 survey data shows Malaysia having a participant political culture and a high level of participation. The 2008 elections which witnessed the emergence of a strong opposition in the parliament reflect the maturity of the Malaysian electorate which augurs well for democracy in the country. Keywords: Malaysian political culture, elections, electoral behaviour, reformasi, democracy The results of the 2008 elections in which the ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional (National Front or BN), lost two-thirds majority which it enjoyed, for half a century, to a loosely combined opposition parties, is argued by many to be the extension of the new idiom of politics created in 1998. The electoral change in 2008, according to several electoral studies, augurs well for the democratization of the country.  [1]   Projecting democracy for Malaysia entails an understanding of her political culture. A democratic form of participatory political system requires as well a political culture consistent with it.  [2]  It is sometimes termed the substructure of the state because its underlying values and beliefs influence the operation of all social and political organizations.  [3]  Political culture, derived from a structural-functional model of the political process, is defined as the political attitudes, beliefs, values and skills [within] an entire population, as well as those à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ within separate parts of that population.  [4]  It is the set of values within which a political system operates.  [5]  To Almond and Verba, it is the pattern of orientations to political objects among the members of the nation.  [6]  They divided orientations into cognitive, affective and evaluative dimensions. Cognitive orientation refers to knowledge of and belief about the political sy stem, its roles and the incumbents of these roles, its inputs, and its outputs. Affective orientation is feelings about the political system, its roles, personnel, and performance; while evaluative orientation is the judgments and opinions about political system and usually involves a combination of value standards and criteria with information and feeling. On this basis, Almond and Verba identified three cultural orientations: parochial, subject, and participant.  [7]  Parochialism is characterized by general ignorance about political objects. In subject political culture, citizens possess the requisite political knowledge without the sense that they could be effective political actors. Participant political culture combines knowledge about politics with a willingness to participate in the political process. After a period of some disuse, cultural approaches to understanding politics have experienced a revival in recent years. Scholars in the past did explore the political culture of Malaysia but with limited empirical evidence owing to the paucity of survey research. The contemporary political culture can, however, be analysed by using public opinion surveys conducted in Malaysia in recent years. This study reviews the findings of earlier studies on political culture which were based upon intuitive speculation supported by fragmentary evidence from several highly selective studiesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.  [8]  This is followed by an examination of the existing political culture with the help of data from the survey conducted from 12 to 18 April 2008 in Peninsular Malaysia among 1,027 adult citizens. This random sample was stratified according to state, ethnicity, age and gender of the respondents. The distributions over age, ethnic groups and religions correspond to national figures. The interviews were conducted in Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin, Tamil and English using the Computer Assisted Telephone Interview ( CATI) facilities of the International Islamic University Malaysia. Each interview lasted for about 25 minutes, on average. At a confidence level of 95 per cent, the survey results have a statistical precision of  ± 2.8 per cent of what they would be if the interviews were conducted with the entire voting age population residing in peninsular Malaysia. The questionnaire contained 38 items. This paper uses only part of the data (24 items) dealing with cognitive, affective and evaluational orientations and voting in the 2008 elections. The Traditional Political Culture Malaysia, with an area of 127,320 sq miles (329,758 sq km), is a federation of 13 states and 3 federal territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and the newly created administrative capital for the federal government of Malaysia, Putrajaya. According to July 2009 estimate, Malaysia has a population of 28.31 million.  [9]  Malaysia is a multicultural society, with Malays (54.2 per cent), Chinese (25.3 per cent), Indians (7.5 per cent) and others (13.0 per cent) living side by side in peace. Malays along with the natives of Sabah and Sarawak (Eastern Malaysia), are officially classified as Bumiputra (sons of the soil, or indigenes). The non-bumiputras, consist mainly of the Chinese and the Indians whose large-scale immigration took place in the 19th century with colonization and modernization. Malaysias political culture is significantly impacted by the British colonial administration.  [10]  The British looked upon the Malays as intellectually deficient and lazy. They admired the Chinese for their industry, entrepreneurship and greed; while the Indians were viewed as cheap and compliant labour. Referring to Chinese and Indians, Lucian Pye characterized Malaysian politics as a confrontation of two incompatible cultures with different systems of values and behavioural norms.  [11]  Pye, however, missed out the Indians, perhaps because they are a minority. The Malays are Muslims; they speak Bahasa Malayu and maintain traditional customs and practices. They generally live in rural areas and their relations are based on mutual help, self-respect and the concept of brotherhood in Islam. All these impart a feeling of solidarity among the Malays. Malays refer to Malaysia, particularly Western Malaysia, as Tanah Melayu (the Land of the Malays) and they are very proud of it. Chandra Muzaffar argues that Malay political culture is a complex mix of elements inherited from the feudal tradition, Western values, and Islam.  [12]  Elections and the culture that accompanies it, the product of Western influence, are an integral dimension of Malay and Malaysian political culture. The factors that influence voting patterns are the product, among others, of Malay feudal history characterized by deference to the royalty, uncritical acceptance of state authority and subservience to governmental power. Malaysian political leaders expect and they do rec eive due respect and appropriate electoral support from the Malay electorate. The Malay government is known as kerajaan that refers to the raja who ruled from the pre-colonial courts. Members of parliament and state Legislative Assembly men are referred to as yang berhormat (he who is honoured), and sustain remarkable resiliency in office. The Malay political culture is parochial and passive; they tend to relieve anxieties created by political conflict by avoidance and silence and by repressing emotions in the hope that the problem will go away if matters are smoothed over.  [13]  Islam has also impacted on Malay political attitudes and orientations. Islam brought with it a feudal political culture in the 14th or the beginning of the 15th century and reinforced the feudalism of pre-Islamic Malaysia.  [14]   The Chinese derive their values from Confucian patterns and assumptions. According to Pye, the Chinese concept of power is one of an unambiguous leader or father figure to whom the subordinates dutifully obey. Both the omnipotent leader and his dutiful subordinates are assumed to be Chinese. Complaints of all sorts should be aired and redress sought from authority figures. The idea of a Chinese leader becoming the subordinate of a foreigner is culturally unthinkable. Thus, there is no role for minority leadership in a community dominated by a non-Confucian culture. It effectively means that the Chinese cannot be subservient to the Malay majority leadership. As a result, a large number of Chinese in Malaysia feel that a truly national politics is unattainable for them.  [15]  This makes the Chinese to opt out of the majority system and focus instead on special parochial groupings.  [16]  The Chinese political culture is aggressive; they tend to release anxieties created by pol itical conflict by voicing anguish to somebody and seek sympathy even from bystanders.  [17]   Of the current population, the Chinese are the most heterogeneous. Most of them confess to one or more of the three great religions of mainland China: Buddhism, Taoism or Confucianism, and speak Hokkien, Hakka and/or Cantonese. This heterogeneity is reflected in their politics. Unlike the Malays, the Chinese were and are divided in their loyalties. Most of the Chinese supported the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), the component of the BN but many also identified with opposition leftist and reformist parties. Yet, the Chinese were relatively far more mobilized socially and politically than the Malays. Living in urban centres and economically better off, the Chinese had easy access to higher education which tended to make them politically better informed. Indians, oftentimes regarded as a minority race, have made significant contributions to the socio-political and economic development of Malaysia. The Indian community is generally found around the urban areas and suburban rubber estates. It is generally believed that most Indians in Malaysia are politically informed and they operate small businesses. Some Indians work as professionals or labourers. They are industrious and entrepreneurial but cherish their values and traditions. Indians are close-knit community and are deeply religious. Many Indians adhere to Hinduism, some of them profess Christianity and Islam. The earlier immigrants had forged strong ties with their homeland without forming a strong bonding with their adopted country. The 1970s and 1980s generation regard Malaysia as their homeland. The Indian community has been perceived as passive and parochial. They did not cause much anxiety to the imperial rulers. They are culturally divided and their cultural diversity may be identified with their ancestors places of origin. They are mainly Hindu Tamils from southern India, speaking Tamil, Telegu, Malayalam, and some Hindi. In the post-independent Malaysia, the Indians do not form majority of their own in any Malaysian constituency. Hence most of them opted to support the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) which is a component of the ruling Barisan Nasional, in order to gain access to the Barisan system of the ethnic apportionment of political power and material resources. However, a small segment of the Indian community supported opposition. Malaysias multi-ethnicity made it imperative for the elites of each ethnic group to unite in a mutually beneficial fashion. The resultant system is a variant of conosciational democracy in which elections play an important role to fill in the public positions.  [18]  In procedural terms, however, Malaysian political system is considered narrow because it constrains the practice of civil and political rights through restrictions on assembly, the strategic use of detention orders and other legal and emergency powers. Yet, the pioneering survey of political attitudes in Malaysia conducted in November 1994 found majority of 395 respondents, selected randomly, supported limited practice of democracy.  [19]  According to Welsh, Malay respondents overall opposed the expansion of democracy; the minorities, especially the Indian respondents, favoured democracy, while the Chinese respondents were more ambivalent.  [20]  There was some sort of congruence between political culture an d regime type. In the elections held between 1959 and 1995, the ruling coalition, the BN, constantly maintained two-thirds majority of seats in the parliament as shown in Table 1. Table1: Results of Parliamentary Elections, 1959 to 1995 Year Alliance/BN Opposition Parties Total Seats Seats Per cent Seat Per cent 1959 74 51.8 30 48.2 104 1964 89 58.5 15 41.5 104 1969 66 48.4 37 51.6 103 1974 135 60.7 19 39.3 154 1978 131 57.2 24 42.8 154 1982 132 60.5 22 39.5 154 1896 148 57.3 29 41.5 177 1990 127 54.4 53 46.6 180 1995 162 65.1 30 34.8 192 Source: Abdul Rashid Moten and Tunku Mohar Mokhtar, Elections and the Electoral System in Malaysia at 50: Achievements and Aspirations, edited by Syed Arabi Idid (Singapore: Thomson Learning, 2008), 199. State and Society in Transition Political cultures, though often highly stable, are not immutable. They may evolve over time, and may even be profoundly altered in a short span of time. This change may result from the spread of mass education, technological development, globalised discourses of human rights and the like. Voluntary associations and popular movements may help with the formation of new identities.  [21]  In the Malaysian context, the intense economic development programme pursued by the government over the years has led to the transformation of the state, Islamic organizations and civil societies. The political identities of the Malay, Chinese, Indian and other communities have likewise undergone changes.  [22]   The British, during the colonial period, pursued policies that created an imbalance in development between the urban sector involved in tin mining and rubber plantation and the rural sector engaged in small scale agriculture. Post-independent leaders pursued policies that aimed not merely at developing the economy and alleviating poverty but also at narrowing the differential development gap among various groups. The national development policies outlined in the Five Year National Development Plans (NDPs) in the earlier phase concentrated on improving the living standards of the rural society by providing facilities for infrastructure, social services and agricultural development. Since 1971, the government, under what was called the New Economic Policy (NEP), embarked upon a socio-economic restructuring affirmative action programme. The NEP aimed at promoting national unity and a just society by attacking poverty and reducing and eventually eliminating the identity of race with econ omic function.  [23]  In 1990, the post-NEP era began with Vision 2020 which espoused a commitment to forging a Bangsa Malaysia, a united Malaysian nation with a sense of a common and shared destiny under the leadership of Mahathir Mohamad, who served as Prime Minister from 1982 to 2003. That became the basis of the National Development Policy that aimed, among others, to strike an optimum balance between the goals of economic growth and equity.  [24]   Malaysia, under a soft authoritarian regime led by Mahathir Mohamad, made good economic progress, technological development and considerable rural-urban migration.  [25]  However, the growth was accompanied by an element of patronage leading to significant leakages and disproportionate gains to individuals and companies, such as the Renong, Technology Resources, Berjaya and Tanjong groups, associated with UMNO, the dominant party in the BN, the ruling coalition.  [26]  This state-capital nexus in Malaysia is termed party capitalism or money politics. Nevertheless, the economy grew at an average annual rate of 7 per cent during the 1990s. GDP per capita rose from RM 1,090 in 1970 to RM 14,924.3 in 2000. During 1970 to 2000, employment in agriculture shrank from 53.2 per cent to 15.2 per cent while employment in manufacturing increased from 9.0 per cent to 27.6 per cent. Literacy rate for the corresponding period rose from 58.1 per cent to 87.4 per cent. There was also a marked reduction in both rural and urban poverty.  [27]  Between 1981 and 1989, economic growth averaged 5.4 per cent which rose to 8.8 per cent between 1990 and 1996. The middle class expanded from 20 per cent of the working population in 1970 to approximately 45 per cent by 1993.  [28]  The rapid expansion of the middle class is considered as an impetus to liberalization and democratization in Malaysia. It has given rise to a consumer culture and a lifestyle dominated by shopping malls, restaurants, and Western-owned fast-food outlets.  [29]  Interestingly, this new Malay middle class was suffering from alienation presumably because they did not benefit from party capitalism by joining the elite group who enjoyed the state patronage. The growth of the middle class led to the emergence of civil societies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Aliran was established in August 1977 for the reform of Malaysian society guided by universal spiritual and moral values. It launched its publication Aliran Monthly in 1980. SUARAM (Suara Rakyat Malaysia, or Voice of the Malaysian People) was established in 1987 to promote freedom of expression, assembly and association. HAKAM (Persatuan Kebangsaan Hak Asasi Manusia or The National Human Rights Soceity) was formed in 1990 to work on human rights issues. Tenaganita (Womens Force) was established in 1991 to promote the rights of women workers and migrant workers. In 1993, some 50 NGOs adopted The Malaysian Human Rights Charter. Evidently, these organizations advocate various social, economic, cultural and political causes, interests, and agendas.  [30]  They have been instrumental in initiating positive changes in various spheres of life. They have helped Malaysians eng age in networking and increase their strength and confidence to solve problems with or without government assistance. Malaysians have learned to form groups, organise meetings and rallies, improve means of communication and gain new knowledge. These associations have been critical of various government policies and voiced their concern in public. Indeed, civil societies became more vocal during the reformasi period.  [31]   Reformasi and the Changes in the Electoral Behaviour In July 1997 money speculators attacked the Malaysian currency which eventually plunged the country into first recession for many years. The financial crisis widened the differences between Prime Minister Mahathir and his ambitious deputy Anwar Ibrahim who was seen as conspiring to overthrow the Prime Minister which became overt in June 1998 at the UMNO party elections in which one of Anwars supporters openly criticised Mahathir for economic mismanagement. The speech came too close on the heels of the Indonesian anti-KKN (kolusi, korupsi dan nepotisme, or collusion, corruption and nepotism) reformasi movement that toppled Suharto in May, a month earlier.  [32]  Mahathir blamed currency speculators especially George Soros for the financial crisis whereas Anwar Ibrahim blamed it upon Mahathirs obsession with unproductive mega projects and nepotism. Mahathir would not seek assistance from the International bodies to overcome the crisis while Anwar was fully committed to adopting res cue package from International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Subsequent expulsion from the party, arrest and imprisonment of Anwar Ibrahim, on charges of misuse of power and immoral conduct, triggered the movement for reform, reformasi, demanding participatory democracy and justice for all.  [33]  The movement drew new actors, namely Malay women, youth and sections of the Malay middle class.  [34]   NGOs and civil societies cooperated and coordinated their anti-government actions. Numerous street demonstrations that followed led to the formation of Gagasan Demokrasi Rakyat (Coalition for Peoples Democracy or Gagasan), on 27 September 1998, composed of 18 political parties and organizations. Gagasans 10-point joint declaration demanded freedom of speech and assembly, impartial judiciary and the abolition of detention without trial and the draconian Internal Security Act. There also emerged Gerakan Keadilan Rakyat Malaysia (Malaysian Peoples Movement for Justice or Gerak) composed of various Muslim non-governmental organizations but included the opposition political parties like Democratic Action Party (DAP) and Partai Se-Islam Se-Malaysia (Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, PAS). December 1998 saw the emergence of the Pergerakan Keadilan Sosial (Movement for Social Justice or Adil) under the leadership of Anwar Ibrahims wife, Wan Azizah Ismail, which pressed for political, economic and social reform. Adil, in 1999, metamorphosed into the multi-ethnic Parti Keadilan Nasional (National Justice Party or keADILan). Subsequently, KeADILan, DAP, PAS and Parti Rakyat Malaysia (Malaysian Peoples Party, PRM) formed an opposition alliance known as the Barisan Alternatif (Alternative Coalition, BA). Simultaneously, several reformasi-related websites emerged demanding more democratic space, accountability of the rulers and a participatory political system. The first reformasi website, Anwar On-line, was launched on September 1, 1998 and was followed within a few months by over fifty pro-Anwar and pro-reform websites. Well developed professional sites include AIM (Abolish the ISA Movement), Aliran Online, HarakahDaily, Bereita Keadilan, the Free Anwar Campaign, etc. The countrys first commercial on-line newspaper, Malaysiakini, was launched just nine days prior to the general election of 1999. The number of internet users rose from about 500,000 in 1999 to an estimated two million in 2002. The Internet was relatively free from government control and was an important venue for political discourse. The internet has created dense networks linking geographically dispersed activists that constitute themselves into the building blocs for bottom-up democratisation process.  [35]  As society has changed, with demographic shifts reinforced by new information technologies and globalization process, political culture has changed, too, particularly among the younger generation.  [36]  Malaysians became active citizens and took it upon themselves to know, to feel and to evaluate the policies emanating from the political system and to vote accordingly. This is clear from the voting behaviour of the Malaysian electorate in the 10th, 11th and 12th general elections. The tenth elections for parliamentary and state assemblies were held on November 29, 1999 preceded by a nine-day campaign period. The elections saw many non-governmental organizations in the forefront making their voices heard through various mechanisms including the use of internet. The BA contested the November 1999 elections with a joint manifesto: Towards a Just Malaysia free from widespread corruption, abuse of power and crippling poverty. The manifesto promised a strong national economy, enhanced government transparency and accountability, national unity and a genuinely democratic society. They took full advantage of the Internet to disseminate information. The opposition front made startling gains winning 45 out of 193 seats in the national parliament. PAS, the major component of the BA, not only retained the state of Kelantan but it also captured the neighbouring, oil-rich Terengganu. Four Malay cabinet ministers and the chief minister of Terengganu lost in the election. Prim e Minister Mahathirs winning margin in Kubang Pasu constituency in Kedah had shrunk by about 40 per cent from 1995. Most of BN candidates won with slim margins. The eleventh general elections were held on March 21, 2004 in which the BN won unprecedented 62.37 per cent of the votes and 90.4 per cent of seats in Parliament and recaptured Terengganu lost in 1999. This result shows maturity on the part of the Malaysian electorate for three reasons. One, the leadership of BN has changed. Abdullah Badawi who took office on October 31, 2003 was perceived as friendly and a man of the people. His fight against corruption; insistence on public accountability and shift from corporate mega-projects to agro-based, rural projects were well received by the electorate tired of corruption and confrontational politics.Two, the BN adopted the core reformasi demands of accountability, transparency and good governance. Its manifesto described BN as moving Toward Excellence, Glory, and Distinction. Three, the opposition front, BA, that performed well during the 1999 elections could not continue to work as a team. The cordiality between the parties waned and some of them suffered from financial difficulties and mass defections. The opposition parties contested against each other in many constituencies. Under the circumstances, the best bet for the Malaysian electorate was to vote BN. The reforms Abdullah instituted during the following four years did not meet the public expectation. A number of factors contributed to a rising discontent among Malaysians including rising crime, a number of corruption scandals, the weaknesses of the judicial system, and interferences with the appointment of senior judges and increased food and fuel prices. The opposition parties joined hands under the leadership of Anwar Ibrahim and capitalized on the public anger over transparency and accountability. Using alternative media, they highlighted the weaknesses of the government and campaigned effectively in the twelfth elections held on March 8, 2008. The electorate reversed their earlier decision in the 2008 elections denying the ruling coalition its two-thirds majority in parliament and giving the opposition parties control of 5 state assemblies. The reformasi movement is considered by many to be a clear manifestation of a change in Malaysias political culture. They reshaped the configuration of forces and, since then, Malaysian politics has changed. According to Jomo, the reformasi liberated the Malaysian and, in particular, the Malay political discourse.  [37]  Since 1998, writes Francis, a new discourse and practice of participatory democracy has gained ground among Malaysiansà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.  [38]  Meredith Weiss is emphatic: Reformasi marked a shift in Malaysian politics.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Whatever degree of institutional change has so far occurred, Malaysian political culture now leans more toward new politics-characterized by fragmentation of ethnic communities and contesting discourses of ethnicism, participatory democracy, and developmentalismà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.  [39]   Andres Ufen argues that the Malaysian opposition has succeeded in establishing a viable pro-democratic political culture that is hardly destructible through sheer repression.  [40]   The landslide victory achieved by the BN under Abdullah Badawi in 2004 is also a reflection of the maturity of the Malaysian electorate. Citizens voted with the belief that the new government would be responsive to their needs, wants, and purposes which is an ess

Generic Conventions used in 28 days later versus Shaun of the Dead Essa

’28 days later’ and ‘Shaun of the Dead’ are both a zombie film, which is a sub-genre of horror. However their genres are extremely different because ‘Shaun of the Dead’ is also a comedy. Both of these films use typical conventions of the zombie genre. For example, they both use the convention of desertion and loneliness. In ’28 days later’, Jim comes out of the hospital to a completely deserted city (London). This convention helps create unease in an audience, especially when these scenes are set in places that are usually crowded i.e. we expect cities to be full with people and therefore it is very disturbing when we see them completely abandoned. In ‘Shaun of the Dead’ there is dramatic irony as the audience realises there is something wrong a long time before the protagonists do. However this adds to the protagonists’ vulnerability because they will not be expecting anything and therefore will not be prepared. The unease created by this convention is played on in ’28 days later’ by having several extreme long shots of the city which shows the audience that everywhere is deserted (not just the are where Jim is). The mise-en-scene is extremely important in this scene because props such as abandoned money and an abandoned car make is appear as if everyone has just dropped their possessions and run. This emphasises the feeling that something terrible has happened. The zombies in each film resemble each other in the way that they are always covered in blood, and (although different in the two films) there is an emphasis on their eyes. In ’28 days later’, their eyes are blood red and this is shown right from the beginning sequence and used throughout the whole film. Another generic convention that both of the films use is the ide... ... rushing to save some others, Phillip is saying things like â€Å"Do you realise this is a 20mile zone?† Another example is the garden scene where Shaun and Ed are taking time to decide which records to throw at the zombies even though it is a race against time sequence as the zombies are approaching them. However, in the pub scene, ‘Shaun of the dead’ starts to show a lot more typical conventions of the zombie genre. In both ‘Shaun of the dead’ and ’28 days later’ there is a typical convention of this genre used, which is that there are only a few protagonists compared to hundreds of zombies. For example when the main characters are left in the pub in ‘Shaun of the dead’, there are silhouettes of hundreds of zombies trying to get in through the doors and windows. The convention of being ‘cornered’ is often used general horror films not just in the sub-genre of zombie.

Free Hamlet Essays: Hamlet, Fortinbras and Leartes :: GCSE Coursework Shakespeare Hamlet

Hamlet, Fortinbras and Leartes Hamlet, Fortinbras and Leartes are all very different people with different lives, but as these men interact in the play we learn that there are many circumstances surrounding them that mysteriously connect them. All three of these characters had some reason to avenge some circumstance in their life, but they all had a very different way of conquering the object of their hatred. Fortinbras Fortinbras had levied an army to attack and conquer Denmark. Though son of the late King of Norway, the crown of Norway had gone to his uncle, just as the crown of Denmark had gone to Hamlet's uncle. This shows that in the world of the play it was not unusual for brothers to late kings to be elected to the throne over the pretensions of their younger nephews. But Fortinbras was not prepared to accept his constitutional dispossession so easily. If he had been deprived of the throne of his father, he would try to conquer a kingdom of his own in which, as he later tells Horatio, he has "some rights of memory." Fortinbras is not willing to put an end to his military adventures. Desiring to win honor through the sword, he cares not that the prize of his glory is worthless or that he will sacrifice thousands of lives and much wealth for this hollow victory. Like Hamlet, Sr., Fortinbras is an empire builder who desires only to fight for glory and so, in an ironic way, he is fitted by character to inherit the kingdom of Hamlet, Sr. Leartes Laertes is a young man whose good instincts have been somewhat obscured by the concern with superficial appearances which he has imbibed from his father, Polonius. Like his father, Laertes apparently preaches a morality he does not practice and fully believes in a double standard of behavior for the sexes. But if his father allows him these liberties, it is that he may better approximate the manner of a so - called gentleman. More concerned with the outward signs of gentility than with any inner refinement of spirit, Laertes has well observed his father's advice to be concerned with appearances since "the apparel oft proclaims the man." As unconcerned for the order of society as he is for his own salvation, he would rather "dare damnation" than leave his father's honor and his own besmirched. Though the sight of his sister's madness brings him to a moment of true grief, he is still primarily enraged by his father's "obscure funeral - / No trophy, sword, nor hatchment o'er his bones, / No noble rite nor formal ostentation.

H.R. 6 (110th): Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 Essays

Introduction Climate change has garnered much attention over the past decade.   Similarly, the cost of energy has become a growing debate.   Ultimately, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 was introduced in response to the growing concerns with climate change as well as the increasing amount of greenhouse gas emissions coupled with increased oil price. These factors brought these issues to the general public’s attention and raised questions regarding the United States’ own energy efficiency and reliance on foreign energy. After the United States declined to ratify the Kyoto protocol, which would have helped to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we fell behind in standards for clean energy and energy independence through clean alternatives (Meade, 2008). The Energy Independence and Security Act was signed into law on December 19th, 2007 by President Bush (United States Environmental Protection Agency [EPA], 2013). The law was meant to promote energy independence within the United States, increase U.S. energy security, increase domestic production of clean renewable fuels, protect consumers, increase energy efficiency and promote research for greenhouse gas capture and storage (EPA, 2010). This bill was a part of the Democratic Party's 100 hour Plan, which was a plan   enacted by Speaker Nancy Pelosi after the Democratic Party took control of the Congress in the 2006 midterm elections (Pelosi, 2006). The Energy Independence and Security Act was originally called the Clean Energy Act of 2007 and was introduced to the House of Representatives by Nick Rahall from West Virginia (Sissine, 2007). Interestingly, Rahall was one of four democrats to oppose the final bill. When the bill was introduced to the Senate it was part ... ...S Report RL33831). Retrieved from website 4/21/2013: http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/104292.pdf Strassel, Kimberly "Some Inconvenient Truths", The Wall Street Journal, October 6, 2007. The Washington Post. (2006) President Bush's State of the Union Address. Politics. Retrieved April 18, 2013 from: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2006/01/31/AR2006013101468.html US Department of Energy. Federal Energy Management Program (2010). Accessed April 21, 2013. http://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/pdfs/sustainabilitycrosswalk.pdf US Department of Energy. Alternative Fuels Data Center (2010). Accessed April 21, 2013. http://www.afdc.energy.gov/laws/eisa. US Department of Transportation (2011, April) Summary of Fuel Economy Performance. Accessed May 8, 2013 From: http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/rulemaking/pdf/cafe/2011_Summary_Report.pdf

Answer for case study

What factors favor this action? What factors stand in the way? Greensward's plan for creating â€Å"global lock business† can be integrated with other parts of Black & Decker's business on a global scale. Firstly, he recommends that the international Group establish and take over the â€Å"on-the-ground† representation in foreign markets and at the same time, it should identify â€Å"local champions† in each of the lock factories.Second, he suggests establishing at Black & Decker headquarters n Dotson, Maryland, a group product manager for hardware products within the International Division. Third, he also recommends establishing an â€Å"interception organization†. This department acts as a separate centre to facilitate, across all international casting, order placement, billing, forwarding expediting, and processing of export documentation for the lock business. This helps the company to be more effective to deal with the documentation of order and expo rt.Moreover, this organization can also get the first hand marketing Information for analysis and forecasting. Such information includes the market segments and both the strength and weaknesses of competitors, which are very useful In promoting the growth of the future business. Factors that favor for his plan: Inside/ outside the market. Communication should be one of the factor stands In the way. Effective communication acts as a linkage between the headquarters and the local offices.When there Is no effective communication In one part of the hierarchy, the whole Truckee of the lock business will become fragments. For example, the global Issue Is downsizing from the Group Marketing Manager for hardware products to the Marketing development department and the five source business and at the same time, the Marketing development also formulate the strategies on product continuum to sources businesses based on the global Inputs. If the source department does not recognize the global I ssue In advance, they will get confused what the Marketing development department Is doing.

Importance of Computer Network Service Levels

This paper explains the importance of the unalike service levels of computer interlockinging such as availability, reliability, solution fourth dimension and throughput. It aims to literate the hoi polloi managing the cyberspace to be aw atomic number 18 of these unalike key atomic number 18as so that they may continuously be reminded of their duties and responsibilities in securing the internet.Net toy ComputersNet nameed computers ask been a develop of every trading both man-sized and elflike. People localize their cadence, effort and m maviny to retain certainly that communication and nurture is perpetu bothy available. entropy Technology as a part of any organization is crucial to a business sector triumph making it angiotensin-converting enzyme of the most budgeted departments of the organization. People who takes care of the network should know the importance of service to customers and co-employees regarding availability, reliability, response cartri dge holder and throughput. AvailabilityTechnology is do to serve the people in the shortest time manageable. The network stem should invariably go for true that the network, workstations and other(a) technological resources that is operating(a) through networks are all abiding and in perfect condition. Monitoring should always be a part of the network root words routine terrene to ensure that all thingamajigs are work properly to avoid any downtime. hazard care should always be apply and observed at all time. The sort out should be wise(p) enough to be act the network in all possible circumstances and emergencies like earthquake, sudden forefinger failure and more. The IT group with the help of the management and customers should also have an understanding in the implementation of availabilities of the business network and other resources through proper endorsements and reporting to make sure that communications and transactions go away not be hampered. Reliabi lityThe selective information and data gathered from computers and other resources are one of the most important tools for finale making in any business or organization thus making it one of the most sensitive to monitor lizard as well. It is important that customers and employees trust the true statement of the software or machines that they use. The network groups job is to make sure that all data and information are well transferred to customers and employees everyday. LAN scrutiny should always be a part of their daily routine to test the reliability of their network. response TimeFast and accurate information and output is so important in this fast world. That is whythe word downtime moldinessiness not be in an IT groups dictionary. Network performance must always be in its beat. This rout out be assured through testing the network every now and thus. The network group should also be knowledgeable enough to design the kind of network topology and know the tools that ca n be used in different kinds of work environment to ensure fast performance, resilience, scalability and tractability of the network.ThroughputNetworking is at its best when they do their work as what they are evaluate. Processing travel is measured by users every time they work and throughput can be a kind of measurement to see if their device is doing its work well. For example, if a printer is expected to print 100 papers per min but it seems that its only stamp 65 papers, the time wasted in printing or downtime is a big factor for the performance of the users that may get down bad effect to their transaction as they go on. Network groups must not see this as a small problem because it may someday be an alerting one. They must have the time to check even the smallest details if they need to avoid larger problems that may come in the way.Conclusion Computer networking is one of the most challenging task that an IT or network group may have. It is the veins of success to an y transaction. If the group who are obligated in making, designing and implementing networks are all knowledgeable and capable of maintaining and securing a network, then progress and good working environment will be at hand.It is best that the network group is knowledgeable in their field. However, all of the hard works of the IT group will not be happy if they do not have the conduct of their co-workers and the top management.Reference1.) http//www.ictglobal.com/ICT009/imp_networks.html