The spirit of 1968 politicised everyday life. Discuss Essay

Free Essays on Lost

Lost In 1817, Mary Shelley set out to compose a phantom story that would â€Å"curdle the blood, and revive the beatings of the heart.† With this objective at the top of the priority list she started her journey. The completed item Frankenstein was one that terrified Shelley herself. With some influence from her better half the story that started as â€Å"but a couple pages† developed into an epic artful culmination. The tale talks about subjects that have kept on considering readers’ minds even today. The ethics and morals identifying with the novel are all inclusive and keep on causing discussion. The inquiry concerning whether the wretch’s conduct is legitimized is one such good difficulty that frequents the perusers of this gothic story. Victor Frankenstein, a searcher of differentiation, is equivalent with his abuse of science that makes an animal for which he gives no course. It is very nearly a useful example of the inescapable calamities that anticipate when humanity endeavors to play God, similarly as Victor attempted to do. By disregarding the characteristic procedure ! of creation around him and not assuming liability for his activities, Victor in a roundabout way causes the passings of everybody he held dear to him. Rather than supporting the animal he offered life to, he deserts it leaving the animal to confront an unaccepting world all alone. â€Å"All men loathe the pathetic; how, at that point, must I be despised whom am hopeless past all living things.† (125) The aftereffect of Frankenstein’s surrender is the creature’s retribution against him. He kills William (Victor’s blameless sibling), outlines Justine causing her execution, and murders Cleval. Mary Shelley permits all characters to communicate their side of the story, in this way viably compelling the peruser to take a position, and side with either Victor or the fraud. Given cultural measures and desires, the wretch’s conduct would unquestionably be viewed as reprehensible; be that as it may, given the conditions it can plainly be legitimized. The monster’s conduct can be justifi... Free Essays on Lost Free Essays on Lost Lost In 1817, Mary Shelley set out to compose an apparition story that would â€Å"curdle the blood, and stimulate the beatings of the heart.† With this objective at the top of the priority list she started her journey. The completed item Frankenstein was one that startled Shelley herself. With some influence from her better half the story that started as â€Å"but a couple pages† developed into an epic perfect work of art. The tale talks about topics that have kept on considering readers’ minds even today. The ethics and morals identifying with the novel are all inclusive and keep on causing debate. The inquiry with respect to whether the wretch’s conduct is legitimized is one such good quandary that frequents the perusers of this gothic story. Victor Frankenstein, a searcher of qualification, is interchangeable with his abuse of science that makes an animal for which he gives no bearing. It is very nearly a wake up call of the unavoidable calamities that anti cipate when humanity endeavors to play God, similarly as Victor attempted to do. By disregarding the normal procedure ! of creation around him and not assuming liability for his activities, Victor in a roundabout way causes the passings of everybody he held dear to him. Rather than supporting the animal he offered life to, he forsakes it leaving the animal to confront an unaccepting world all alone. â€Å"All men loathe the pitiable; how, at that point, must I be despised whom am hopeless past all living things.† (125) The aftereffect of Frankenstein’s deserting is the creature’s vengeance against him. He kills William (Victor’s guiltless sibling), outlines Justine causing her execution, and murders Cleval. Mary Shelley permits all characters to communicate their side of the story, therefore viably driving the peruser to take a position, and side with either Victor or the scalawag. Given cultural norms and desires, the wretch’s conduct would unquestionably be viewed as indefensible; be that as it may, given the conditions it can obviously be advocated. The monster’s conduct can be justifi...

Friday Fund Days Drop Some Dollars Help Some Classrooms

Friday Fund Days Drop Some Dollars Help Some Classrooms With the world being a difficult place for those of any marginalized background, one of the things those of us who are looking to do something can do is donate to those in need. Thousands of teachers each year ask for a little help with seeking supplies for their classrooms via Donors Choose; organizations that do work with at-risk communities like prison populations seek spare change to advocate for and bring literacy to those groups, and nonprofits that provide necessary resources to empower women and people of color are always hoping for a few bucks to make their vital work possible. Enter: Friday Fund Days. Book Riot readers have helped fund hundreds of classrooms over the last few years, and we’ll help bring funds to hundreds more. Each Friday, we’ll highlight two classrooms or other literacy-focused, important projects in hopes you’ll help them reach their goals to bring literature, advocacy, and education to others. Even if you can’t spare money, any social sharing you can offer to the projects each week absolutely helps: you never know who’ll find it and have the means by which to make the project’s fundraising goals reached. More, you’ll bring awareness to the unmet needs in communities around the world, as well as right in your own back yard. When all else feels hard or hopeless, remember that you can and do make a difference. This Weeks Projects Ready to Read! Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ($310) Help me give my students materials to help them as they learn to read and annotate text. My Students My students come from the most trauma exposed neighborhoods in our city. They live through nightly chaos, and yet still arrive to school daily, and with a smile on their face. They inspire me, and I want to give them the world. I cant do exactly that, but I can give them a classroom filled with everything they need to succeed. They have made a commitment and have taken on the challenge to be the change. They want college, they want to learn, they want moreâ€"and are starting to gain the confidence that they are capable to do it all. My Project Each marking period my students diligently work on tackling tough text. They have made wonderful gains. One area that we struggle with is being able to dive into a text a 2nd and 3rd time and really see the growth in our understanding. Its hard to switch between pencil and pen, when you only have pencil; or underline on day 1 and highlight one day 2, but youre without a highlighter. My students strive for excellence, and I want to provide them with the materials they deserve to get there. These materials will truly allow my students to dive into texts and show their understanding, and how it has developed. These materials will allow them to worry about the text, and not where to put their materials so they dont become lost, or fall behind in the classwork because they spent so much time looking for a highlighter. They will be able to focus on becoming better readers. Graphic Novels to Keep 4th Grade Readers Reading! Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ($398) Help me give my students age appropriate graphic novels so the can keep up their reading stamina! My Students My fourth grade students come to school every day ready to learn and excited to discuss new ideas and tackle new challenges. Students at my school live in one of the most under-served populations in Philadelphia and face hardships that would hold most people back. My students come to class with a smile on their face and an eagerness to expand their minds. Some students deal with trauma that affects their day-to-day school experience and require sensory breaks as well as individualized attention. My face a great deal of stress outside of the classroom and that stress comes in the door with them every morning. My fourth graders love research projects, independent reading, and hands-on activities. My students are as interested in poetry as they are in essay-writing and are committed to their education. My 4th graders are dedicated, hard-working, and aware of the importance of growth and learning. My Project At the beginning of the school year I was given a number of books for my classroom and the rest have been acquired through friends and family. Nine and ten year olds are veracious readers and need books that will keep them interested. My fourth graders read up to 60 minutes a day and are ploughing through our tiny library. Many of my students have grown leaps and bounds in their reading this year and I do not want the lack of resources to deter their learning. Halfway through the school year, students are enjoying independent reading less and less because there are fewer books to choose from. My students need a positive outlet which many of them find in reading therefore I want to supply with them with current graphic novels as well as some classic books to keep the library well balanced. Having access to these books would change my independent reading block and help students find time and space to get lost in a book! Whether you can donate a dollar, donate fifty dollars, or donate a share on social media, you make a difference!

The Great Debate the Pros and Cons of Guns in the Classroom

The Great Debate The Pros and Cons of Guns in the Classroom Throughout its history, the United States has had a fascination with guns. Americans have used guns in times of war, for protection, and for hunting. Americans also use guns when they are intent on killing people. When violence happens in school shootings, drive-by shootings, assassination of public officials, or in the workplace and shopping malls, Americans demand something be done. This demand fuels the debate between gun rights and gun control activists. It fuels the debate over the interpretation of the Second Amendment. It fuels the debate on allowing citizens to carry concealed weapons in gun-free zones. This makes us ask the question: Should guns be banned from college†¦show more content†¦Guns such as semiautomatic AK-47s and Uzis are easily available along with high-capacity magazines. It was the availability of such magazines that Seung Hui Cho used to kill so many people so quickly (â€Å"What We Want†). Gun control laws on campuses are being reconsidered by many states after the much publicized shootings at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois Universities. Nadine Mahasneh’s writing in the February 28, 2008 issue of The Exponent states that according to an article published in USA Today, twelve states have been considering bills that would allow people to carry concealed weapons on public university campuses. The Indiana Senate did vote on a bill that would allow people with permits to carry handguns on state property, except in specific places such as airports. The bill did not pass (Mahasneh). Since the fall semester of 2008, Utah’s state law has allowed licensed individuals to carry concealed handguns on the campuses of all nine public colleges in Utah. Concealed carry has been allowed at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado since 2003 and at Blue Ridge Community College in Weyers Cove, Virginia since 1995. None of these schools have seen a single resulting incident of gun violence, a single gun accide nt, or a single gun theft (Concealed Campus.com). In Indiana, one must be eighteen years old to purchase a rifle or shotgun. One does not need a permit or license to do so. TheShow MoreRelated100 Essay Topics1545 Words   |  7 Pagesis a great way to get to know your students on a more personal level. I do not place a value judgment on their ideas or how compelling their argument may be. I am concerned with improvement from one journal collection to the next. Ease of expression and sophistication of vocabulary are taken into account in the grade that is assigned. One strategy, as a focus activity, is to start the class with one of the journal topics on the board or overhead when the students are entering the classroom. AfterRead More The Moral Disagreement on Capital Punishment (Death Penalty)2796 Words   |  12 Pagesdilemma can be found through enough lobbying, legislating, media-blitzing or politicking. We often believe that the person arguing most eloquently, reasonably or f orcefully will win every dispute, yet there are times when this optimism fails. Despite great efforts to show the strength of a position, there are arguments that we cannot untangle simply by proving our right and anothers wrong. Some moral questions permit such different outlooks that holders of completely opposing views can both be morallyRead MoreTechnology Essay11684 Words   |  47 PagesTechnology provides a way of communication but is becoming the only way to communicate with today’s youth because it has made one on one interaction less frequent and has made a negative effect on the social abilities of the youth. Technology is a great way to stay entertained but it is disconnecting people. Today’s Internet users have many ways to be occupied online. These days we have the ability to communicate on websites like facebook, ways to watch TV shows and clips mostly on YouTube, and playRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 Pagessuggest changes to the text, the author would appreciate your writing to him at dowden@csus.edu. iv Praise Comments on the earlier 1993 edition, published by Wadsworth Publishing Company, which is owned by Cengage Learning: There is a great deal of coherence. The chapters build on one another. The organization is sound and the author does a superior job of presenting the structure of arguments. David M. Adams, California State Polytechnic University These examples work quiteRead MoreModern History.Hsc.2012 Essay25799 Words   |  104 Pageslike istory had turned a corner and never going back * stock market * black Thursday November 24 1929 * the jazz age * a speakeasyyyyyyy How significant were the Republican policies in causing the great depression? The significance of the republic policies were great, they brought a lot of growth in the 20’s allowing the market to strive over lots of trading and the purchase of shares, but was also an unstable market, as the government had no control over what it did and was leftRead MorePopulation Problem in Bangladesh14871 Words   |  60 Pagesof his young learners and helpful to them in making their lesson interesting and preparing their house work. He always keeps them busy in the class and helps them enjoying playful games too. He or she advises them to follow the foot prints of the great mean. Teaching is a noble and honourable profession and he lives ideal lives. 2 Note how the subject shifts from a particular teacher (supposedly chosen by the student) to the general case of ‘an ideal teacher’. The real and the imaginary are blurredRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesand industrial depression from the late 1860s to the 1890s, as well as the social tensions and political rivalries that generated and were in turn fed by imperialist expansionism, one cannot begin to comprehend the causes and consequences of the Great War that began in 1914. That conflict determined the contours of the twentieth century in myriad ways. On the one hand, the war set in motion transformative processes that were clearly major departures from those that defined the nineteenth-centuryRead MoreFundamentals of Hrm263904 Words   |  1056 PagesApplication 11: Re-Thinking Compensation at First Merit Bank 283 Working with a Team: Understanding Incentive Plans 283 Learning an HRM Skill: Pay-for-Performance Goal Setting 284 Enhancing Your Communication Skills 284 DID YOU KNOW?: The Minimum Wage Debate 267 Job Evaluation and the Pay Structure 267 Job Evaluation 267 Isolating Job Evaluation Criteria 268 Job Evaluation Methods 268 Ordering Method 268 Classification Method 268 Point Method 269 Chapter 12 Employee Benefits 286 Learning OutcomesRead MoreLibrary Management204752 Words   |  820 Pagesthe book, the Web site provides links that direct students and instructors to other Web resources that give examples or explain processes in greater detail. Because of the rapid changes in librarianship, Web sites can be very important both for classroom activities and as guides for information specialists trying to keep abreast of current trends. xxvii xxviii The Web Site This Web site can be accessed at http://www.lu.com/management/. Obviously, one of the major advantages of a WebRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesVoice 526 xviii CONTENTS S A L Self-Assessment Library How Spiritual Am I? 531 Point/Counterpoint Organizations Should Strive to Create a Positive Organizational Culture 534 Questions for Review 535 Experiential Exercise Rate Your Classroom Culture 535 Ethical Dilemma A Bankrupt Culture 536 Case Incident 1 Mergers Don’t Always Lead to Culture Clashes 536 Case Incident 2 Did Toyota’s Culture Cause Its Problems? 537 17 Human Resource Policies and Practices 543 Selection Practices

Environmental Impact Assessment Of The Sydneys Darling...

Introduction: With the development of the world, numbers of environmental issues were threatening people’s life, like rising Greenhouse gas emission. Buildings provide a connection between human society and sustainable environment, especially for Skyscraper (Ainger Fenner 2013). Establishing a new Skyscraper in Darling Harbour is a plan for Company AIIHigh. Causing a large difference for both human being and environment. Darling Harbour is where has lager number of daily flow capacity, meeting with Sydney major public compelling attractions, located in Sydney central business district. (Darling Harbour) This report will analyze the influences of Skyscraper in Sydney’s Darling Harbour in terms of substantiality by screening the environmental impact assessment, analysis the imparts from environmental, social and economic system, establish the judgments about demand, challenge and alternatives and finally other practical problems involves in project. Screening Environmental impact assessment (EIA) play an essential role for sustainability establishing. As Anzecc (1991) mentioned that EIA producers would take a responsibility for issues like improving the efficiency of the contribution made by making sustainability and environmentally decision, which means the government responsible for EIA process which have the power to recommend environmental conditions. As points out by Beanlands and Duinker(1983), the method to impact assessment base on test the SignificantShow MoreRelatedIndividual Assessment Cover Sheet / Plagiarism Declaration Form8448 Words   |  34 Pages Individual Assessment Cover Sheet / Plagiarism Declaration Form This form must be completed and included with each assessment you submit for marking to the School. Although this assessment is submitted electronically, you must still complete and include this form with your assessment. Student Number: Unit Code No.: Unit Title: Assessment No.: Lecturer: Submission Date: Declaration: I have read the School’s Policy on Plagiarism and Improper Conduct and all the materialsRead MoreMonsanto: Better Living Through Genetic Engineering96204 Words   |  385 Pagescomplete with absence of needed information, an imbalance between needs and available resources, and conï ¬â€šicts among competing objectives. 4 Students develop a general managerial point of view – where responsibility is sensitive to action in a diverse environmental context. Source: C. C. Lundberg E. Enz, 1993, ‘A framework for student case preparation’, Case Research Journal, 13 (Summer): 134. As Exhibit 1 suggests, the case analysis method can assist active learners in the development of their analytical

Important Components of Word Processing Software Free Essays

There are many useful tools in word processing software that can help one to achieve success in their career such as; font settings, highlighting, line spacing, spelling and grammar checking, and the ability to implement spreadsheets, tables and graphs. Word processors such as Microsoft Word have many typesetting features to help the user accomplish their goals. Features like different font sizes and the ability to change the color that a phrase is displayed in, grant the user an avenue to express different emphasis on certain phrases with greater ease. We will write a custom essay sample on Important Components of Word Processing Software or any similar topic only for you Order Now Also this can help to organize and make the general reading of a paper more easy on the reader. Other tools such as highlighting help with this process as well, giving the user a way to ‘point out’ important portions of the information contained in the document. Line spacing is yet another tool that can help in the process of making a document easier to read. By using a broader line spacing you make it easier for the eyes to keep place and follow along the same line. In addition to the options one has with editing the typeface and aesthetics of a document, there are tools implemented into most word processors that help to correct errors in spelling and grammar. Spell check and grammar check are helpful tools when creating a document. When writing a paper, if the program recognizes any errors in spelling it will place a red zigzag underline underneath the word or phrase that is incorrect. The same is also true of grammar check. It will check for errors in punctuation or grammar and place a green underline under the phrase or word. Control Key and Word – Text and Graphics. In both cases, right clicking usually reveals a list of suggestions as to how to properly correct the problem. Last but not least in a situation where one needs to present data to a superior or coworker, most word processors have tools that allow for the placement of graphs and tables which help the user to present data relevant to the subject of the document. With the technology in place in today’s word processing software, the flow and transfer of information has been made a lot simpler. How to cite Important Components of Word Processing Software, Papers

Saint Essays - Cardinals Created By Pope John Paul II, Pope Francis

Saint Francis Life St. Francis's life began as any other man of his time. He was a wealthy individual who was preoccupied with material comforts. This preoccupation also led him to fear the poor, especially lepers. St. Francis then entered into a conversion that led him to be an alter Christus. He gave up all his material possessions and embraced poverty and welcomed the poor and needy into his life with open arms. he ignored the ridicule he received from both his family and his peers and entered this new way of life and became dedicated to helping people in need. St. Francis's conversion began after he had been imprisoned for a year in a foreign country. He returns home and falls ill and is bedridden for another year. He then sets out for another war, but is called home by the beckoning of God. His conversion is gradual as he begins slowly working with the poor and the lepers. Francis eventually becomes estranged from his family and is brought before the Bishop of Assisi by his father. Here Francis publicly renounces his inheritance, strips his clothes, and begins his journey in search of God's Kingdom. Francis is ridiculed by his friends and his peers, but he endures the humiliation and continues his work with the poor. Now Francis begins to imitate Jesus and begins preaching, this leads to many men following Francis and creation the Franciscan Order. These men went throughout the cities and countryside helping the poor and rebuilding the church both physically and spiritually. For the rest of Francis's life he spread the word of God, and in his death he received the great honor of Sainthood. St. Francis not only touched the lives of people in his own time, but he also touched the next generation with his teachings he has left behind. The mere mention of St. Francis's name brings to mind poverty. This is a man who gave up all his worldly possessions and joined the beggars in the streets. St. Francis's reasoning for doing the was to become closer to God and his kingdom. Francis's relationship to poverty can be defined by these lines, "holy poverty stands high above all the virtues that prepare in us a dwelling place for God..." (Sacrum Commercium). It also states that, "blessed are the poor in spirit," Jesus said, "for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven." As Francis interprets the Bible, God enters your life only when you are poor in spirit, and when this occurs the kingdom of Heaven is made available to you. St. Francis and his followers took these words to heart and lived every day of their lives following these lessons. Becoming closer to God was the sole reason for Francis's vow of poverty. Accompanying this vow he also believed he had the solution to war. St. Francis taught his followers that if they had possessions that they would need arms to defend them. He believed that possessions led to violence, hatred, and war. Individuals self worth is to often measured by how money they possess of what possessions they have. Without possessions mankind would all be on equal footing and there for less problems would exist. Today reality shows us that such a way of living is not possible. In today's world, instead of flaunting our wealth, we can share and try not to measure people to these standards. When one brings these teachings into the twentieth century it is hard to imagine actually following them as St. Francis did. When I think of myself and all the materials that we possess; giving everything up is not an option. We are a selfish human race as a whole, and we thrive on buying the newest technology and latest fashions. Giving our time by volunteering and giving to various charities are two small ways we, even as college students, can make a difference. It may not appear to be as radical as St. Francis's conversion but if everyone contributes in a small way it will make a world of difference.

From Brand Values to Customer Value Essays

From Brand Values to Customer Value Essays From Brand Values to Customer Value Essay From Brand Values to Customer Value Essay From brand values to customer value Martin Christopher Recently there has been a growing tide of articles, papers and even conferences devoted to the question of the future of marketing (see, for example Brady and Davis, 1993; Coopers Lybrand, 1993; Mitchell, 1994). Essentially, the point at issue is whether â€Å"traditional† marketing is appropriate for the conditions that now prevail in the late twentieth century. The basic principle of marketing still applies, that is the focus of the business on the satisfaction of customer needs, but, it is argued, the way in which marketing is practised may need to change fundamentally. It has to be recognized that there have been some radical changes in the marketing environment since marketing first came to prominence in the early 1960s. Organizations which had even the most rudimentary understanding of the marketing concept were able to reap the harvest of fast-growing markets comprising customers who had money to spend. In such conditions it was easy to believe that the company’s marketing effort was the main driver of this success. In reality that success was due as much to the fact that the business was being carried along with the tidal wave of market growth. The most significant change to impact western companies has been the maturing of the markets in which they compete. Mature markets have certain characteristics which mark them out as being significantly different from growth markets. Chief among the characteristics of mature markets are: Customer sophistication. In the majority of western economies, today’s customer and consumer has seen it all, they have been there and â€Å"bought the T-shirt†. In industrial markets, as well as fast-moving consumer goods markets, the supplier is now faced with a buyer who is much more demanding and less easily persuaded by marketing â€Å"hype†. One consequence of this change is the gradual decline in brand loyalty in many markets (Industry Week, 1993). Decline in the impact of advertising. It has been suggested by some industry commentators (Maddox, 1995) that, with the decline of the mass market and the consequent fragmentation of markets into smaller segments, conventional media-based advertising, particularly TV, is costing more and more to deliver the requisite ratings. This is causing a rethink in many organizations as to how they allocate their marketing budget. For example, it is reported that in the UK, Heinz is planning to divert most of its arketing communications budget from TV and apply it instead to direct marketing. From brand values to customer value 55 Journal of Marketing Practice: Applied Marketing Science, Vol. 2 No. 1, 1996, pp. 55-66.  © MCB University Press, 1355-2538 JMP: AMS 2,1 56 Perceived product equality. Mature markets exhibit similar characteristics to commodity markets in that customers pe rceive little difference between competing offers. In such conditions, while customers might have brand preferences they have less brand loyalty – meaning that if the preferred brand is not available, they will willingly accept a substitute. : Even product/markets with high rates of innovation do not seem immune from this tendency to â€Å"commoditization†; take, for example, the personal computer market, where clones and â€Å"me-toos† now account for significant market shares. Price competition. Almost by definition the combined effect of the previous three factors is a downward pressure on price. As a result, there is a temptation to seek to achieve tactical gains in sales volume through discounting in one form or another which is compounded by the continuing demands for price reductions by powerful customers. Paradoxically, the more that organizations compete on price, the more they reinforce the customers’ view that they are indeed commodity suppliers. Concentration of buying power A further significant difference in today’s marketing environment, compared to the past, is the continuing concentration of buying power in many markets. Concentration has occurred as organizations merge or grow through take-overs, and as the inevitable result of a competitive process that leads to the â€Å"survival of the fittest† (The Economist, 1993). This process of concentration seems to be present in just about every industry. The grocery retail market is a very visible example. Figure 1 shows the percentage of the total market in western European economies accounted for by the top five retailers in those countries. In that same market, there are beginning to emerge pan-European buying groups which will add to the concentration effect. These groups seek to use their combined buying power to gain better prices than they might be able to achieve by acting alone (Thornhill, 1990). The process of concentration in other industries in western Europe has been further accelerated through the process of European economic integration. Previously, countries had tended to develop their own industrial base independently from their neighbours, but now that the barriers to trade have mostly been removed there exists significant over-capacity in many industries. If a comparison were to be made between the USA and the countries of the European Union – in total the size of their populations are roughly similar – then it will be found that in many comparable industries there tend to be more players in Europe than in the USA. A good example is provided by the turbine generator industry where there are ten companies competing in that market compared to only two in the USA (Cooper et al. , 1991). 120 100 96. 7 From brand values to customer value 80 70. 2 65 62 52. 9 50 46. 7 80 57 45. 2 45. 1 42. 5 60 40 20. 4 20 12. 7 10 0 SF SW Key SF SW A CH UK A CH UK IRE IRE B D NL FR B D NL FR DK SP DK SP P I P IT = Finland = Sweden = Austria = Switzerland = United Kingdom = Ireland = Belgium = Germany = The Netherlands = France = Denmark = Spain = Portugal = Italy Source: AIM report Figure 1. Market share of top five retailers The fragmentation of consumer markets Paradoxically, while buying power in business-to-business markets is tending to concentrate, in consumer markets the trend has been to fragmentation. By fragmentation is meant a transition from the old idea of a uniform, homogeneous, â€Å"mass market† to much smaller segments where consumers seek individual solutions to their buying needs. The emerging idea of â€Å"micromarketing† (Kotler, 1994) is an attempt to focus marketing strategies on ever smaller groupings of customers. In the fragmented marketplace the conventional tools of mass marketing no longer have the same effect. National advertising campaigns through the mass media, for example, may no longer be the most cost effective way of communicating with these micro-markets. At the same time there is evidence that the more sophisticated consumer is influenced less by traditional advertising and that more purchase decisions are actually made at the point of sale (Dickson and Sawyer, 1990). The transition from brand value to customer value Much has been written about the changed nature of brand loyalty (Aaker, 1991), how the continued rise of private label products is further challenging JMP: AMS 2,1 58 conventional brands (Glemet and Mira, 1993) and how the â€Å"company† brand may be taking over from the individual brand (Barwise, 1992). Underlying these discussions is the view that brand â€Å"values† may not be as strong in the eyes of the consumer as they once were. The concept of brand values implies that what makes a brand a brand is its â€Å"personality† which distinguishes it from others and that the presence of this personality imparts some utility – however tangible – to the consumer. There is a strong body of research supporting the idea of brand personality as a source of value to the consumer (King, 1973). However, what seems to be happening is that the changes in the marketing environment summarized earlier are tending to diminish the strength of that value. The thrust of this article is that the original concept of brand value is in need of extension, and needs to be embodied within a wider concept of customer value. The customer value concept recognizes that marketplace success in the new competitive environment described above will require not only continued investment in the brand but also investment in customers. The underlying philosophy is that customers, not just consumers, have goals that they seek to achieve and that the role of the supplier is to help customers achieve those goals. Defining customer value Put very simply, customer value is created when the perceptions of benefits received from a transaction exceed the costs of ownership. The same idea can be expressed as a ratio: Perceptions of benefits Customer value = Total cost of ownership The marketing task is to find ways to enhance customer value by improving the perceived benefits and/or reducing the total costs of ownership. Both the numerator and the denominator of this ratio should be measured relative to competitive offers. Total cost of ownership rather than price is used here because in most transactions there will be costs other than price involved. For example, inventory carrying costs, maintenance costs, running costs, disposal costs and so on. In business-to-business markets, as buyers become increasingly sophisticated, the total cost of ownership can be a critical element in the purchase decision (Ellram, 1993). Life cycle costs, as they are referred to in the military and defence industries, have long been a critical issue in procurement decisions in those markets. The concept of customer value is of equal importance in consumer marketing as it is in business-to-business environments. In 1993, 2 April was termed â€Å"Black Friday† on Wall Street, New York because of major falls in the share prices of most branded goods companies. The trigger for this collapse had been the decision by Philip Morris to cut the price of its Marlboro cigarettes by 20 per cent or 40 cents a pack in order to counter competition from low price own-label products. The reason suggested by commentators for the fall in the share price of branded goods companies was that the Marlboro episode signalled the beginning of a revolt by customers who were starting to question the worth of paying significantly more for branded products which were no longer seen as delivering a commensurate amount of added value (The Economist, 1994a). Lowering the price (which had been increased ahead of inflation year after year) enabled Marlboro to restore the customer value it had been progressively eroding. Since taking this action its market share in the USA has increased dramatically. In seeking to deliver significantly superior customer value the marketer must clearly define, communicate and deliver a â€Å"value proposition† which is recognized by the target market as a better proposition than that presented by competitors. It should also be recognized that in most markets there will be different value segments but that to be successful in any one of them the customer value ratio must be seen to be superior to competitive offers. Figure 2 highlights how this idea might be applied to parts of the UK car market. Focusing on the value proposition forces the marketer to define clearly the two dimensions of cost and value shown in Figure 2 in terms of â€Å"what you give† and â€Å"what you get†. It must also be recognized that these dimensions are perceptual, meaning that continuing customer communication will be important if the value proposition is to be understood clearly by the target market. The sources of superior customer value are many. Treacy and Wiersema (1993) identify three value disciplines which can provide competitive What you get (perceived benefits) Superior value BMW Lexus From brand values to customer value 59 Fiat Uno Inferior value Different value segments What you give (total costs of ownership) Figure 2. Value segmentation JMP: AMS 2,1 60 advantage: operational excellence, product leadership and customer intimacy. Operational excellence is achieved through a focus on systems, costeffectiveness and speed so that customers are provided with the service they require, but at less cost. Product leadership as a strategy requires a commitment to continuous innovation, high levels of research and development, and a willingness to take risks. Customer-intimate companies are those that focus on building long-term relationships with customers particularly through a focus on service. While these strategies are not mutually exclusive, successful companies tend to follow predominantly one or other of these value disciplines. The emerging philosophy of relationship marketing (Christopher et al. , 1991) is a reflection of the growing recognition that long-term competitive advantage is gained by creating superior perceived value for customers. The argument is that customers are more likely to stay with suppliers if they believe that the relative customer value received from a current supplier is higher than that on offer elsewhere. Furthermore, there will often be considerable switching costs which would make a change of supplier unattractive. There are a growing number of examples of organizations that are establishing market leadership positions through a focus on customer value. Companies as diverse as Procter Gamble, British Steel, DHL and Milliken have all demonstrated that enduring customer relationships can be created through an understanding of the importance of operational excellence, product leadership and customer intimacy. The sources of marketing advantage In the new competitive environment, it is increasingly evident that successful marketing strategies are based on an amalgam of three critical elements: the creation of a consumer franchise whereby end-users are attracted to the product/service in question because they perceive a superior offer; a strong customer franchise where intermediaries want to do business with us because of a tangible economic benefit and, third, an under-pinning supply chain effectiveness that delivers superior service at less cost. Figure 3 summarizes the three sources of competitive advantage. Each of the three dimensions requires a clearly defined strategy, but developed as part of an integrative package to deliver superior value to customers and consumers alike. The consumer franchise While brand loyalty may no longer be as strong as it once was, the need to build a contract with the end-user is still a vital prerequisite for marketing advantage. Brand value is still a critical element in many purchase decisions although it seems that there has been a return to a concept of value based on traditional tangible or core benefits rather than the more emotionally-based, intangible benefits that seem to have fixated many marketers in the last quarter century. Now it seems that consumer loyalty more often is based on â€Å"hard† rather than â€Å"soft† dimensions. So, value for money, convenience, reliability, safety and functionality become the drivers of product or service choice. We buy a TV set Consumer franchise Brand values Corporate image Benefit focused From brand values to customer value 61 Marketing advantage Customer franchise Cost of ownership Value-adding relationship Service quality focus Supply chain effectiveness Network management Quick response Low cost supplier Figure 3. The sources of marketing advantage more for its features and the reputation of its manufacturer for reliability than we do for its image, for example. The impact of own-label, retailer-branded products in many categories is further testimony to this development. Coca-Cola, regarded as the world’s most recognized brand, has seen its market 30 Britain 25 20 15 France 10 Spain 5 Italy 0 1980 Note a 1986 1992 1993 Figure 4. Percentage of own-label market share Germanya Figures do not include Aldi Source: Boston Consulting Group JMP: AMS 2,1 62 share in the USA and the UK (and elsewhere too) under attack by own-label products which are seen by customers to deliver better value for money. Figure 4 shows the growing penetration of own-label products in major European markets. What this means for twenty-first century marketers is that in order to strengthen the consumer franchise, the focus of marketing effort must increasingly be on delivering solutions which can be translated into hard, tangible benefits by individual consumers. In many cases this will mean a transition to micro or one-to-one marketing whereby a greater degree of tailoring/customization of the product offer is achieved (Pine et al. , 1995). The customer franchise Because the power of intermediaries has strengthened in many markets, it is of paramount importance to make the customer – not just the consumer – an integral part of marketing strategy. Whether the intermediary be a retailer, a distributor or an original equipment manufacturer, without their support it is unlikely that even the strongest brand could achieve its full potential. Not only has the purchasing power of the customer increased as a result of concentration, but there is a growing trend towards single-sourcing by those customers. In other words, whereas in the past the practice was to spread the total purchase of an item across several suppliers, now the aim is to reduce the size of the supplier base and to seek further cost reductions as a result (Hines, 1994). While to many suppliers such developments may be perceived as a threat, to others they present an opportunity. If the supplier can offer a superior value package with a measurable positive economic impact on the customer, then the likelihood is that they will win the business. Today’s customer is a more sophisticated buyer, used to working with concepts such as total cost of ownership, life-cycle costing and cost/benefit analysis. Indeed, many customers now actively pursue a partnership sourcing concept (Lamming, 1993) whereby they seek to establish long-term relationships with preferred suppliers based on win-win philosophies. It can be argued that a preferred supplier, continuing to deliver superior customer value, has in effect the advantage of a barrier to entry that in many respects is far more difficult to surmount than more conventional competitive defences. Supply chain effectiveness This author has suggested elsewhere (Christopher, 1992) that individual companies no longer compete with other standalone companies, but rather that supply chain now competes against supply chain. The rationale for this viewpoint is based on the fact that when organizations work independently of their up-stream suppliers and down-stream customers, costs and inefficiencies tend to build up at the interfaces (Houlihan, 1985). The need for co-ordination between partners in the supply chain has increased as the network organization becomes more common. The network organization comprises a complex web of linkages between focused partners each of which adds value through specialization in an activity where it can provide a differential advantage. A company like Apple Computers, for example, relies heavily on other companies to supply components, to manufacture hardware, to create software and to distribute its products around the world. Something like 90 per cent or more of the cost of an Apple computer is going to outside suppliers. It has been suggested (Webster, 1992) that marketing as a function may even disappear as the strategic focus shifts towards network management. This progress towards the idea of supply chain integration as a source of competitive advantage will be accelerated as the growth of time-based competition (Stalk and Hout, 1990) accelerates. In markets that are increasingly volatile, responsiveness becomes a critical competitive requirement. Companies like Benetton and The Limited have gained significant advantage through their ability to respond rapidly to fashion changes in the markets they serve. Through the use of highly co-ordinated logistics and supply chain structures, driven by the real-time capture of sales data, these companies, and others like them, can adapt their product range and their volumes in weeks rather than months. Supply chain management should not be seen as something separate from marketing. Indeed in the new competitive paradigm supply chain effectiveness becomes an essential prerequisite for marketplace success. Delivering customer value Once it is recognized that customer value provides the basis for successful differentiation the next issue is how might that value best be delivered? A profound change is taking place in many companies as they review the appropriateness of their organizational structures for the changed marketplace of the late twentieth century and beyond. The traditional, functional organization structure is thought by many to be unable to meet the challenge of today’s volatile, time and cost-sensitive markets. Instead, the organizational imperative is to become market-facing and to break away from tightly constrained functional departments. The horizontal organization, as it has come to be called (Ostroff and Smith, 1992), is oriented around the management of cross-functional processes. Processes are the fundamental tasks which have to be achieved in order to create and deliver customer value. In any business there are a number of core processes that should be managed on a crosss of core processes would include: brand development (including new product development); consumer development (primarily focused on building loyalty); customer management (creating relationships with intermediaries); From brand values to customer value 63 JMP: AMS 2,1 64 supplier development (strengthening up-stream relationships); and supply chain management (including the order fulfilment process). The transformation from a functional to a horizontal organization has major mplications for the management structure of the business generally and for marketing management in particular. In effect, in the horizontal organization, marketing is no longer a series of activities performed within a marketing department. Indeed in many companies that have made the transition from vertical to horizontal organizations the marketing department has disappeared (The Economist, 1994b). However, this is not to assume that marketing is dead, indeed the reverse is the case – the need for market-driven businesses is as strong now as it ever was. Rather, we are seeing the transformation of marketing from a narrow set of functional skills based on a conventional â€Å"4Ps† marketing mix, to a broader business orientation where the delivery of superior customer value becomes the key objective. However, this being said, it must be recognized that there are still important functional skills that marketing must continue to develop, for example, research to provide in-depth market understanding and knowledge of consumers’ buying patterns, motivations and so forth. Strategic marketing planning also takes on a different form in the horizontal organization. Essentially the task of marketing planning in this new organizational model is to translate strategic goals into process plans, for example one major brewing company established the strategic goal of â€Å"a perfect pint in every pub†. The marketing planning task now becomes one of translating that goal into specific programmes for each process. So, for instance, what does â€Å"a perfect pint in every pub† imply for the brand development process, the customer management process and so on? Because each process in this company is now managed by a cross-functional process team a wider, more integrated perspective is brought to bear on the issue. Some might argue that this underpinning, integrative process of strategic marketing planning might better be termed strategic business planing. This is really only semantic and, in reality, it does not matter what we call this critical process, only that we manage it and recognize its central importance. Figure 5 summarizes the radically different shape of the process organization and the central role of strategic marketing planning. Moving to a process orientation clearly implies significant change for the business. The benefits of the transformation though can be considerable, particularly in the improvement of market responsiveness, the shortening of lead-times and the re-engineering of processes to deliver more customer value at less cost (Hammer and Champy, 1993). Conclusion In a world where the customer has become ever more sophisticated and experienced, where competition comes from new global players, alternative technologies and lower priced generics and me-toos, the focus of marketing Brand development process From brand values to customer value Customer management process Consumer development process Supplier development process Strategic marketing planning process 65 Supply chain process Figure 5. Marketing in a process context strategy must be on differentiation through superior customer and consumer value. Value is perceptual but comprises the customers’ understanding of what they are getting compared to what they are giving. In other words the functionality of the product and any emotional or intangible value plus the hard, tangible benefits must be set against the total cost of ownership. The task of marketing, therefore, has to be expressed in terms of the creation and delivery of customer value. It begins through an understanding of the value requirements of market segments or even individual customers; it then seeks through cross-functional processes to deliver that value through customer specific solutions. As many organizations are now learning, to become a customer value focused business requires a fundamental transformation of the way we manage. This transformation requires a shift from a compartmentalized view of the business where marketing is seen as the responsibility of the marketing department to a view that recognizes that processes deliver customer value and, hence, should be managed accordingly.

How to Use the Semicolon in Academic Writing

How to Use the Semicolon in Academic Writing How to Use the Semicolon in Academic Writing Today, friends and frenemies (we know you’re out there), we’re looking at the semicolon, including when this punctuation mark should be used in formal writing (i.e. not for making emoticons wink). We’ll also take a look at the difference between semicolons and colons. Using a Semicolon to Link Sentences The main use of the semicolon is to link two sentences. This emphasizes a connection between independent clauses that would otherwise be separated by a full stop. For instance, the following sentences work by themselves: My favorite food is spam. I spend a fortune on tinned meat. However, we could link them with a semicolon to show that they are connected: My favorite food is spam; I spend a fortune on tinned meat. This makes it obvious that my love of spam and my meat expenses are related. I also wear this outfit every day. I have a problem.(Photo: Charles LeBlanc/flickr) Linking sentences like this is common when the second sentence starts with a conjunctive adverb (e.g., â€Å"however† or â€Å"furthermore†) or a transition phrase (e.g., â€Å"as a result†): I love spam; consequently, I eat it for every meal. As above, this emphasizes the connection between the two statements. Generally speaking, you shouldn’t use a semicolon before conjunctions like â€Å"but† or â€Å"and,† although they can be used for clarity if either of the clauses being joined contains a comma. Using Semicolons in a List The second important use of semicolons is to separate items in a list. Usually, commas are enough for short, simple lists (like the following): The menu offered four choices: spam, eggs, grits or pancakes. However, if the listed items are more complex and already include commas, using semicolons to distinguish between them aids clarity: The menu offered four choices: spam, fries and beans; pancakes, syrup and spam; egg, bacon and spam; or spam, spam, spam, spam and spam. Here, for instance, using semicolons clearly shows where one item on the menu ends and another begins. Using only commas in a list like this, by comparison, could be confusing. Semicolon or Colon? Knowing when to use a semicolon and when to use a colon can be tricky, since colons can also be used to link two related sentences. There are two factors to consider here. The first is that semicolons can only be used to link complete sentences, whereas the information following a colon can be as little as a single word. For instance: There’s only one food I can’t stand: spam. If we wanted to rewrite this using a semicolon, we’d have to use two independent clauses: There’s only one food I can’t stand; I hate the taste of spam. Just Say No (to Spam) The second consideration is that the information following a colon is usually an explanation or specification of a general statement (i.e., more general: more specific). With a semicolon, however, the sentences linked are typically of equal weight or importance.

Business 1800 2day Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Business 1800 2day - Essay Example This paper will also highlight the lessons learned by the furniture retailers. The paper is broken down into introduction, body, conclusions, recommendations, references and recommendations. On the other hand, consumer behavior involves one’s decisions with respect to acquirement, consumption, and disposition of activities, goods and services, experiences and ideas, and people by decision-making elements (Hoyer, and Macinnis, 2008:3). In relation to consumer behavior, decision-making involves choosing to achieve the best good, service, activity, or experiences. Bradford family really had a hard moment in terms of decision-making. They wanted to get themselves the best home, with enough accommodation for their growing family future. They were highly challenged due to lack of capital and neither of them; either the husband or the wife was able to decide the best way to work out the problem. In my opinion, I feel the only way Mr. and Mrs. Bradford was to first postpone the purcha se of the new home in order to allow accumulation of enough capital just for several months or years, then purchase all what they needed in their new home after getting enough funds with them. This decision through delaying would result to realization of more accumulated funds, enough for the said purchase. Family decision-making Family decision-making involves a series of domestic discussions at family level, to achieve common ideas that are to do with whole-family life, in contrast to ideas concerned with individual family members. These decisions normally affect several people or members of the family (Butler, Robinson, and Scanlan, 2005: 8). In our case, the Bradford’s family intents to move from a two bedroom flat that has no garden, to a three-bedroom house, which possibly has a small garden. Bradford family's planned move was because they had a son and therefore they needed more space for their growing family. This being their first time to buy a home, Bradford visited IKEA to survey what they can afford. The decision implementation needed millions of dollars to be accomplished, but the budget does not allow Mr. and Mrs. Bradford to make rental payments, purchase furniture for their new home and more, the living area for entertaining their friends (visitors). This has actually created a decision-making. In my opinion, the Bradford postponed the purchase of the new home to first accumulate money for several months or years due to shortage of capital. Taking a tour in the theoretical foundations in decision-making, there are three typical risk measures on which consequent decision-making is based on. These risk measures include; individual risk, societal risk, and specific adverse risk (Kizine, 2004: 2). Each alternative in decision-making has an array of consequences and therefore, the decision maker runs to pick the best out of the set. One of the theories of decision-making, the â€Å"Gardenfors-Sahlin’s decision-making theory† urg es that the quantity and quality of decision-makers’ information relating to possible outcomes and states of the decision situation in most cases is a vital factor when making the decision. This is because the decision situation or state has different degrees of epistemic reliability. The

Has the War on Terror made the American people more safe Research Paper

Has the War on Terror made the American people more safe - Research Paper Example The paper tells that the arguments for and against the ‘War on Terror’ has generally made the American citizens safer because 1. Apart from certain legitimacy doubts, the US military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq are credited with moving the hostilities into enemy’s territory. 2. The drone attacks used by CIA and the US military, targeting terrorist leaders, groups and safe havens, have made terrorists more anxious about their safety, rather than plotting acts of terror. 3. The elimination of key al-Qaida leaders, most notably Osama bin Laden, has allowed the US an opportunity to â€Å"disrupt, dismantle, and ultimately defeat al-Qaida†. 4. The efforts to prevent terrorists from entering the United States and operating freely inside the US borders, as well as the massive investments in aerospace control, aviation security, and screening, and maritime and border security, considerably minimized the risk of terrorist actions. 5. Community engagement agai nst Islamist-inspired radicalization and recruitment, along with information sharing among the law enforcement organizations, deprive terrorists of their financial support and raw recruits. The ‘War on Terror’ has failed to make Americans safer because 1. Many homeland security measures have been designed to deal with large threats, whereas considerably destructive terrorist acts can be perpetrated by a small group or even a single individual. 2. The terrorist targets’ selection is quite often a random process, rather than a product of grand planning, which makes efforts to determine terrorists’ intent a bit problematic. 3. Protection measures have their negative effects, including direct costs, negative economic impact, inconvenience, fear and reduction of liberties. The reasoning behind the arguments for and against There are many speculations about the real impact the US military campaigns, most notably in Afghanistan, had on terrorist networks such as al-Qaida and its affiliates and adherents, and their capabilities to target the territory of the United States. The opponents of the Bush administration’s aggressive policy aimed at disrupting and degrading al-Qaida and its affiliates argue that the use of US military overseas did very little, if anything, to protect the American people at home. Their reasoning is broadly based on the assumptions that violence, more often than not, produces violence, and that pursuing terrorists is not the armed forces’ job. To a degree or another, such reasoning may have its merits because the civil casualties alongside the civilian property and infrastructure destruction caused by the American army strikes in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as by the CIA’s undeclared drone war in Pakistan, could be hardly justified.

Peer Pressure: Why It Is Worse Than Ever Essay -- Peer Pressure Essays

Merriam-Webster defines a peer as â€Å"a person who belongs to the same age group or social group as someone else.† ("Peer." Merriam-Webster) Right away, all sorts of people should come to mind. Co-workers, friends, even family. A peer is not necessarily someone you are close to, have a common interest with, or are even just friends with, they are simply someone who is similar to you based on age, grade, social class, gender, and other things you cannot control. Unless you move to a deserted island, you will always have peers. Peers have always been around, but to what extent? We will explore a little bit of how youth today are impacted by their peers, and compare it to how the youth of 50 years ago were impacted by their peers. Is there a difference? Or was one generation more influenced by their peers than the other? These are questions that will be answered by the end of this paper, along with a few more. Peer pressure is the term used to describe the influence from members of one's peer group. It can be positive, such as a bunch of guys convincing their very athletic friend to go out for sports instead of getting into trouble or it can be negative, such as a group of teens encouraging a younger kid to try smoking to fit in. Peer groups assert an amount of peer pressure automatically, even if they are not trying. As soon as one of the members of a group knows that another member is going to do one thing, it will influence his decision at least to some degree. Now the choice is still up to the individual, usually, but everyone has some influence. The youth of today face heavy peer pressure to conform to the worlds standards from a young age. Kids encounter both negative and positive peer pressure as they transition into adol... ...ertips and increased opportunities, such as a car, and you've got a recipe for disaster. Peer groups are playing a larger role in kids lives than ever before, and if the patterns continue, their influence will only grow. Works Cited Heubeck, Elizabeth. "Raising a Pressure-Proof Child." Raising a Pressure-Proof Child. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2013. . Psychology. Vol. 4. Danbury, CT: Grolier Educational, 2002. 144-49. Print. Scott, Sharon, and Sharon Scott. "1. Negative Peer Pressure." Peer Pressure Reversal: An Adult Guide to Developing a Responsible Child. Amherst, MA: HRD, 1997. 3. Web. Feller, Robyn M. Everything You Need to Know about Peer Pressure. New York: Rosen Pub. Group, 2001. Print "Peer." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2013.

Shadow Kiss Chapter 6

SIX THERE HAD ONLY BEEN THREE other witnesses to what had happened out on the quad. Yet, unsurprisingly, everyone seemed to know about it when I returned to the commons later on. Classes were done, but plenty of students moved about in the corridors, off to study or retake tests or whatever. They tried to hide their glances and whispers, but they didn't do a very good job. Those who made eye contact with me either gave me tight-lipped smiles or immediately looked away. Wonderful. With no psychic link to Christian, I had no clue where to find him. I could sense that Lissa was in the library and figured that would be a good place to start looking. On my way there, I heard a guy's voice call out behind me. â€Å"Took things a bit far, didn't you?† I turned around and saw Ryan and Camille walking several steps back. If I'd been a guy, the appropriate response would have been, â€Å"You mean with your mom?† Because I was not a guy, though, and because I had manners, I just said, â€Å"Don't know what you're talking about.† Ryan hurried to catch up with me. â€Å"You know exactly what I mean. With Christian. I heard that when Stan attacked, you were just like, ‘Here, take him,' and walked away.† â€Å"Oh good God,† I groaned. It was bad enough when everyone was talking about you, but why did the stories always end up changing? â€Å"That is not what happened.† â€Å"Oh yeah?† he asked. â€Å"Then why did you get called in to see Alberta?† â€Å"Look,† I said, not feeling so well mannered anymore, â€Å"I just messed up the attack†¦you know, kind of like you did earlier when you weren't paying attention in the hall?† â€Å"Hey,† he said, flushing slightly. â€Å"I ended up getting in on that – I did my part.† â€Å"Is that what they're calling getting killed nowadays?† â€Å"At least I wasn't a whiny bitch who refused to fight.† I had just about calmed down after speaking with Dimitri, but now my temper was rising already. It was like a thermometer ready to burst. â€Å"You know, maybe instead of criticizing others, you should pay more attention to your own guardian duties.† I nodded toward Camille. She had thus far been quiet, but her face showed me she was eating all of this up. Ryan shrugged. â€Å"I can do both. Shane's farther behind us, and the area ahead is clear. No doors. Easy.† He patted Camille's shoulder. â€Å"She's safe.† â€Å"It's an easy place to secure. You wouldn't do so well in the real world with real Strigoi.† His smile faded. Anger glinted in his eyes. â€Å"Right. The way I hear it, you didn't do such a great job out there either, at least not as far as Mason was concerned.† Taunting over what had happened with Stan and Christian was one thing. But implying that I was at fault for Mason's death? Unacceptable. I was the one who'd kept Lissa safe for two years in the human world. I was the one who had killed two Strigoi in Spokane. I was the only novice at this school with molnija marks, the little tattoos given to guardians to mark Strigoi kills. I'd known there had been some whispers about what had happened to Mason, but no one had ever actually said anything to me. The thought of Ryan or anyone else thinking I was to blame for Mason dying was too much. I blamed myself plenty enough already without their help. The thermometer broke. In one smooth motion, I reached past him, grabbed Camille, and swung her up against the wall. I hadn't thrown her hard enough to hurt her, but she was clearly startled. Her eyes widened in shock, and I used my forearm to pin her, pressing it against her throat. â€Å"What are you doing?† exclaimed Ryan, peering back and forth between our faces. I shifted my stance slightly, still keeping the pressure on Camille. â€Å"Furthering your education,† I said pleasantly. â€Å"Sometimes places aren't as easy to secure as you think.† â€Å"You're crazy! You can't hurt a Moroi. If the guardians find out – â€Å" â€Å"I'm not,† I argued. I glanced toward her. â€Å"Am I hurting you? Are you in extreme pain?† There was a hesitation; then she gave as much of a shake of her head as she could manage. â€Å"Are you uncomfortable?† A small nod. â€Å"See?† I told Ryan. â€Å"Discomfort isn't the same thing as pain.† â€Å"You're insane. Let her go.† â€Å"I'm not done, Ry. Pay attention because here's the point: Danger can come from anywhere. Not just Strigoi – or guardians dressed up like Strigoi. Keep acting like an arrogant asshole who thinks he knows everything† – I pressed my arm in a little harder, still not enough to affect her breathing or cause real pain – â€Å"and you miss things. And those things can kill your Moroi.† â€Å"Okay, okay. Whatever. Please, stop it,† he said. His voice wavered. There was no more attitude. â€Å"You're scaring her.† â€Å"I'd be scared too, if my life was in your hands.† The scent of cloves alerted me to Adrian's presence. I also knew that Shane and a few others had come to watch. The other novices looked uncertain, like they wanted to pry me off but were afraid of getting Camille hurt. I knew I should let her go, but Ryan had just made me so angry. I needed to prove a point to him. I needed to get him back. And really, I didn't even feel sorry for Camille either since I was sure she'd done her fair share of gossiping about me too. â€Å"This is fascinating,† said Adrian, his voice as lazy as usual. â€Å"But I think you've made your point.† â€Å"I don't know,† I said. The tone of my voice managed to be both sweet and menacing at the same time. â€Å"I still don't think Ryan gets it.† â€Å"For God's sake, Rose! I get it,† cried Ryan. â€Å"Just let her go.† Adrian moved around me, going over to stand beside Camille. She and I were pressed close together, but he managed to squeeze in so that his face was in my line of sight, almost beside hers. He wore that goofy smirk he normally had, but there was something serious in his dark green eyes. â€Å"Yes, little dhampir. Let her go. You're done here.† I wanted to tell Adrian to get away from me, that I would be the one to say when this was finished. Somehow, I couldn't get the words out. A part of me was enraged at his interference. The other part of me thought he sounded†¦reasonable. â€Å"Let her go,† he repeated. My eyes were all over Adrian now, not Camille. Suddenly, all of me decided he sounded reasonable. Completely reasonable. I needed to let her go. I moved my arm and stepped away. With a gulp, Camille darted behind Ryan, using him like a shield. I saw now that she was on the verge of tears. Ryan simply looked stunned. Adrian straightened up and made a dismissive gesture toward Ryan. â€Å"I'd get out of here – before you really annoy Rose.† Ryan, Camille, and the others slowly backed off from us. Adrian put his arm around me and hurried me away toward the library. I felt weird, kind of like I was waking up, but then, with each step, things grew clearer and clearer. I pushed his arm off me and jerked away. â€Å"You just used compulsion on me!† I exclaimed. â€Å"You made me let her go.† â€Å"Someone needed to. You looked like you were seconds away from strangling her.† â€Å"I wasn't. And I wouldn't have.† I pushed open the library door. â€Å"You had no right to do that to me. No right at all.† Compulsion – making people do what you wanted – was a skill all vampires had to a very small degree. Using it was considered immoral, and most couldn't control it well enough to do any real damage. Spirit strengthened the ability, however, making both Adrian and Lissa very dangerous. â€Å"And you had no right to tackle some poor girl in the hall just to soothe your own hurt pride.† â€Å"Ryan had no right to say those things.† â€Å"I don't even know what ‘those things' are, but unless I've misjudged your age, you're too old to be throwing a tantrum over idle gossip.† â€Å"Throwing a – â€Å" My words fell short as we reached Lissa working at a table. Her face and feelings told me trouble was coming. Eddie stood a couple feet away from her, leaning against a wall and watching the room. His eyes widened when he saw me, but he didn't say anything at my approach. I slid into the chair opposite Lissa. â€Å"Hey.† She looked up and sighed, then returned her attention to the textbook open in front of her. â€Å"I wondered when you'd turn up,† she said. â€Å"Did you get suspended?† Her words were calm and polite, but I could read her underlying feelings. Annoyed. Even a little angry. â€Å"Not this time,† I said. â€Å"Just got stuck with community service.† She said nothing, but the irate mood I sensed through the bond remained unchanged. Now I sighed. â€Å"Okay, talk to me, Liss. I know you're mad.† Adrian looked at me, then her, and then me again. â€Å"I feel like I'm missing something here.† â€Å"Oh, great,† I said. â€Å"You went and busted up my fight and didn't even know what it was about.† â€Å"Fight?† asked Lissa, confusion joining her anger. â€Å"What happened?† repeated Adrian. I nodded to Lissa. â€Å"Go ahead, tell him.† â€Å"Rose got tested earlier and refused to protect Christian.† She shook her head, exasperated, and fixed me with an accusatory glare. â€Å"I can't believe you're seriously still mad enough to do something like that to him. It's childish.† Lissa had jumped to the same conclusions as the guardians. I sighed. â€Å"I didn't do it on purpose! I just sat through a whole hearing on this crap and told them the same thing.† â€Å"Then what happened?† she demanded. â€Å"Why did you do it?† I hesitated, unsure what to say. My reluctance to talk didn't even have anything to do with Adrian and Eddie overhearing – though I certainly didn't want them to. The problem was more complex. Dimitri had been right – there were people I could trust, and two of them I trusted unconditionally: him and Lissa. I'd already held back from telling him the truth. Would I – could I – do the same with her? Although she was mad, I knew without a doubt that Lissa would always support me and be there for me. But just like with Dimitri, I balked at the idea of telling my ghost story. Also just like with Dimitri, it left me in the same bind: crazy or incompetent? Through our bond, I felt her mind, pure and clear. There was no taint, no darkness, or sign of madness – and yet, something tingled in the background. A slight stirring. Antidepressants took awhile to fully get into and out of one's system, but her magic was already waking up after one day. I thought back to my ghostly encounters, dredging up the memory of that sad, translucent Mason. How could I even begin to explain that to her? How could I bring up something as weird and fantastic as that when she'd been trying so hard to get a little normality in her life and now faced the challenge of getting her magic under control? No, I realized. I couldn't tell her. Not yet – especially when it suddenly occurred to me that there was still something else big I needed to let her know about. â€Å"I froze,† I said finally. â€Å"It's stupid. I'd been so cocky about being able to take out anyone, and then Stan †¦Ã¢â‚¬  I shrugged. â€Å"I don't know. I just couldn't react. It†¦ it's really embarrassing. And him of all people.† Lissa studied me intently, looking for any sign of dishonesty. It hurt to think that she'd mistrust me, except†¦well, I was actually lying. As I'd told Dimitri, though, I could be a good liar when I wanted to be. Lissa couldn't tell. â€Å"I wish I could read your mind,† she mused. â€Å"Come on,† I said. â€Å"You know me. Do you really think I'd do this? Abandon Christian and make myself look stupid on purpose just to get back at my teachers?† â€Å"No,† she said finally. â€Å"You'd probably do it in a way where you wouldn't get caught.† â€Å"Dimitri said the same thing,† I grumbled. â€Å"I'm glad everyone has so much faith in me.† â€Å"We do,† she countered. â€Å"That's why all of this is so weird.† â€Å"Even I make mistakes.† I put on my brash, overconfident face. â€Å"I know it's hard to believe – kind of surprises me myself – but I guess it has to happen. It's probably some kind of karmic way to balance out the universe. Otherwise, it wouldn't be fair to have one person so full of awesomeness.† Adrian, blessedly silent for a change, was watching the two of us talk, much as one would look back and forth at a tennis match. His eyes were narrowed slightly, and I suspected he was studying our auras. Lissa rolled her eyes, but fortunately, the anger I'd felt earlier lightened. She believed me. Her gaze then lifted from my face to someone beyond me. I felt the happy, golden emotions that signaled Christian's presence. â€Å"My loyal bodyguard returns,† he declared, pulling up a chair. He glanced at Lissa. â€Å"Are you done yet?† â€Å"Done with what?† she asked. He inclined his head toward me. â€Å"Giving her a hard time about how she threw me into the deadly clutches of Alto.† Lissa blushed. She was already feeling a little bad about jumping on me, now that I'd defended myself sufficiently. Christian's flippant, knowing observation just made her feel more foolish. â€Å"We were just talking about it, that's all.† Adrian yawned and slouched back in his chair. â€Å"Actually, I think I've figured it all out. This was a scam, wasn't it? A scam to scare me off since I'm always talking about you being my guardian. You thought if you pretended to be a bad guardian, I wouldn't want you. Well, it's not going to work, so there's no point in risking anyone else's life.† I was grateful he didn't mention the incident in the hall. Ryan had absolutely been out of line, but as more time passed, it became harder and harder for me to believe I'd snapped like that. It was like something that had happened to someone else, something that I'd simply been watching. Of course, I seemed to be snapping over everything lately. I'd been mad about getting Christian, mad about the guardians' accusation, mad about – Oh, right. It was probably time for me to drop the bomb. â€Å"So, um †¦ there's something you guys should know.† Four sets of eyes – even Eddie's – turned to me. â€Å"What's wrong?† asked Lissa. There was really no easy way to tell them, so I just pushed forward. â€Å"Well, it turns out that Victor Dashkov was never found guilty of what he did to us. He's just been locked up. But they're finally going to have an official trial – in another week or so.† Lissa's reaction to hearing his name was similar to mine. Shock shot through the bond, followed immediately by fear. A slide show of images flashed through her mind. The way Victor's sick game had made her question her sanity. The torture his henchman had subjected her to. The bloody state she'd found Christian in after he'd been attacked by Victor's hounds. She clenched her fists on the table, knuckles going white. Christian couldn't sense her reaction the way I could, but he didn't need to. He moved his hand over hers. She barely noticed. â€Å"But†¦ but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She took a deep, steadying breath, fighting to stay calm. â€Å"How could he not be guilty already? Everyone knows†¦. They all saw†¦.† â€Å"It's the law. They supposedly have to give him a fighting chance.† There was confusion all over her, and slowly, she came to the same realization that I had last night with Dimitri. â€Å"So†¦wait†¦ are you saying there's a chance they might not find him guilty?† I looked into her wide, frightened eyes and couldn't bring myself to tell her. Apparently, my face said it all. Christian slammed his fist against the table. â€Å"This is bullshit.† Several people at other tables glanced over at his outburst. â€Å"This is politics,† said Adrian. â€Å"People in power never have to play by the same rules.† â€Å"But he nearly killed Rose and Christian!† cried Lissa. â€Å"And he kidnapped me! How can there be any question?† Lissa's emotions were all over the place. Fear. Sorrow. Anger. Outrage. Confusion. Helplessness. I didn't want her delving into those dark feelings and hoped desperately that she'd grow calm again. Slowly, steadily, she did – but then I started getting angry again. It was like Ryan all over. â€Å"It's a formality, I'm sure,† said Adrian. â€Å"When all the evidence is in, there probably isn't going to be much of a debate.† â€Å"That's the thing,† I said bitterly. â€Å"They're not going to have all the evidence. We aren't allowed to go.† â€Å"What?† exclaimed Christian. â€Å"Then who's testifying?† â€Å"The other guardians who were there. We apparently can't be trusted to keep the whole thing quiet. The queen doesn't want the world to know that one of her precious royals might have done something wrong.† Lissa didn't seem to take offense at me trashing royals. â€Å"But we're the reason he's on trial.† Christian stood up, glancing around as though Victor might be in the library. â€Å"I'm going to go take care of this right now.† â€Å"Sure,† said Adrian. â€Å"I bet going in there and kicking down the door will change their minds. Take Rose with you, and you guys'll make a really good impression.† â€Å"Yeah?† asked Christian, clenching the back of his chair and fixing Adrian with a stormy glare. â€Å"You have a better idea?† Lissa's calmness began to waver again. â€Å"If Victor was free, would he come after us again?† â€Å"If he gets loose again, he won't stay that way for long,† I said. â€Å"I'll make sure of it.† â€Å"Careful there,† said Adrian. He seemed to find all of this funny. â€Å"Even you couldn't get away with a royal assassination.† I started to tell him that I'd practice on him first, but then Eddie's sharp voice interrupted my thoughts. â€Å"Rose.† Instinct born from years of training instantly kicked into place. I looked up and immediately saw what he'd noticed. Emil had just entered the library and was scanning for novices, taking notes. I shot up out of my chair, taking a position not far from Eddie that gave me a view of Christian and most of the library. Damn it. I had to get a grip, or I'd end up proving Ryan right. Between my brawl in the hall and now this Victor thing, I was completely neglecting my guardian duties. I might not even need Mason to fail this. Emil hadn't seen me sitting and socializing. He strolled by, glanced at us, and made a few notes before heading off to scout the rest of the library. Relieved at escaping my close call, I tried to gain control of myself. It was hard. That black mood had seized me again, and listening to Lissa and Christian rage over Victor's trial wasn't really helping me relax. I wanted to go over there and weigh in. I wanted to yell and rant and share my own frustration. But that wasn't a luxury I had as a guardian. My first duty was to protect Moroi and not give into my own impulses. Over and over, I repeated the guardian mantra: They come first. Those words were really starting to annoy me.

An Analysis Of Walter Lippmans Quote - 1611 Words

With regards to Walter Lippman’s quote in 1922, it is fair to dispute that ‘News is just someone’s version of events’. Due to the changing society over the past years since the quote and the increased number of factors to consider, it raises the question of how precise, accurate and relevant this quotation is in the present day. However, some factors must be considered when debating the credibility of the quotation: ‘news is just someone’s version of events,’ as it can be affected by a number of reasons. These can include factually based stories, changing market conditions, partisan and ‘churnalism’; more specifically- ‘flat earth’ stories. Therefore, when considering these factors affecting news stories, it is can be argued that news isn’t ‘someone’s version of events’, because the article is either purely fact and leaves no room for opinion, or the version of events or news story has been manipulated due to changing market conditions or ‘churnalism’. However, when a news story is initially sought, it is also believed that a reporter should find a story and that the news story is true and a chronological order of the events in which the reporter witnessed at the time, furthermore supporting the quotation. On top of this, when biased media organisations include their opinion or political stance, this can also be argued that it is ‘their ‘version of events.’ In the first instance, the quote can still be regarded as accurate and true when taking The Editors’ Code into