Exploration of Regional Variations in Attitude towards Guanxi Dissertation

Exploration of Regional Variations in Attitude towards Guanxi - Dissertation Example Political forces and economic policies also influence the thinking and conduct of Chinese people. A subsection talks about the developments of people’s behavior under the Chinese Communist Party and Socialism. As China opens its doors towards the world economy, the country as well as its people adapts to a new state of affairs. New practices and new ways of thinking are introduced to the people. A subsection takes note of the developments in regional economic reforms that greatly affect regional values. The effect of regional variation in management is explored through different literatures in a separate section. Cities of Shanghai, Dongguan and Chongqing represent the eastern, southern and southwestern regions of China, respectively. The three cities are the focus of the research since they are close representatives of regional diversity in China. Subsections on relevant information about the cities are written in order to give background data and facts. The second section will unpeel the meso factors specific to China on a national and regional level analysis. Values and beliefs are elements of a person’s behavior towards guanxi management. A subsection discusses Confucianism as the source of Chinese traditional values. Under the open economy, Western practices influenced the traditional style of Chinese manager’s behaviors and attitudes. A subsection is focused on western influences. The inner core of Chinese managers’ attitudes lies in the regional and ethnic diversity of the country. Each region has different business styles and characteristics. Separate subsections describe the varying subcultures dominant in cities of Shanghai, Dongguan and Chongqing. The next section of the chapter skins the different micro layers wrapping an individual Chinese manager. It is in this section that contemporary theories about guanxi and its relevance in the business environment are introduced and reviewed. The components that constitute guanxi are identified and defined using different contemporary literatures. As behavior is directed by social standards, a subsection appraises the sources of social expectations of managers. Another

Renaissance Essay Example for Free

Renaissance Essay Renaissance is a French word that literally means â€Å"Rebirth† and is referring to the rebirth of learning in northern Italy after there was hardly learning in the middle ages. During the Renaissance, there was a great renewal of education and ancient times. But, the Renaissance was more than just studying works of ancient scholars; it influenced sculpture, architecture and painting. In Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, the mysterious smile reflects the newly emerging Renaissance values of Humanism and The Renaissance man. (Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th ed. , s. v. â€Å"Renaissance. †) (Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th ed. , s. v. â€Å"Leonardo da Vinci. ) (Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th ed. , s. v. â€Å"Mona Lisa†) Humanism was a new philosophical outlook that rejects religious beliefs and centers on humans and their values, capacities, and worth. For example some human achievements and concerns were the study in philosophy, culture, human needs, desires, and experiences. Humanism not only influenced the Renaissance, it also assisted the creation of art during the Renaissance. For example most of history’s famous painters lived during the Renaissance. In Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, humanism is shown by her mysterious facial expression, which gives an indication that she’s keeping a secret. Humanism was key to the Renaissances success in art and learning because it got peoples minds off religious beliefs and allowed them to focus on human values like artwork. (Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th ed. , s. v. â€Å"Humanism. †) (Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th ed. , s. v. â€Å"Leonardo da Vinci. †) (Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th ed. , s. v. â€Å"Mona Lisa†) The Renaissance man was a major title during the Renaissance and almost every man wanted this title. The Renaissance man is a flawless individual who tried to master all areas of study. For example Leonardo da Vinci was considered a Renaissance man because he was a musician, architect, sculptor, painter, scientist, engineer, mathematician, geologist, inventor, cartographer, anatomist, botanist and writer. Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa was an example of Leonardo da Vinci’s title of a Renaissance Man because this artwork showed how talented he was by creating her mysterious smile. Today, the Mona Lisa’s mysterious smile is being debated why Leonardo da Vinci made it that way. The Renaissance man is a value of the Renaissance because this encouraged more scholars to learn and study so they have something to earn. Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th ed. , s. v. â€Å"Renaissance Man. †) (Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th ed. , s. v. â€Å"Leonardo da Vinci. †) (Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th ed. , s. v. â€Å"Mona Lisa†) In Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, the mysterious smile reflects the newly emerging Renaissance values of Humanism and The Renaissance man. The realizations of the Mona Lisa demonstrated how much art had changed compared to the middle ages. Renaissance art was a huge contribution to the Renaissance and in fact expressed the values of it. (Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th ed. , s. v. â€Å"Leonardo da Vinci. †) (Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th ed. , s. v. â€Å"Mona Lisa†)

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The term masculinity can be defined as the set of traits or characteristics typically for men. There are arguments to the word ‘Masculinity’. It is independent of the understanding that man is connected to masculinity. Like men can be feminine, women can be masculine. It is the nature of masculinity is what makes someone masculine, not their gender. (Masculinity movie) Masculinity can be divided into degrees of comparison- more masculine or most masculine. ‘Crisis of Male Identity in ‘Father, Son and Holy War,’ Rustam Barucha in Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 30, No. 29, July 1, 1995. BIBLIOGRAPHY Man, manhood, masculinity the terms are closely related to each other. Does one ‘become’ a man or is he born one? Are ‘men’ necessarily masculine? â€Å"Indeed is explained that some men may reject their masculinity on ideological or sexual grounds. It is often assumed that homosexuals for example are not men they are feminine. Yet gay and homosexual cultures, however unofficial, are marked by strong masculine codes. So masculinity in these cases becomes a style or representation? Thus to answer the relationship of masculinity to other nouns of man and manhood the basic element of purusatva applying to Indian men should be considered. This aspect can/ should be speculated from multiple dimension of socially and politically that develops into specific ways that is patriarchal intrusion.† (Barucha, 1995) Predominant masculinity The relation of Lord Rama and Hanuman can also be woven as an example of man to man relation. Hanuman is considered as the passionate devotee of Lord Rama. Though Lord Rama was the king of Ayodhya, he was in constant need of Hanuman. Hanuman considered himself subordinate of Lord Rama. But the relation that buil... ...nd/father. Law is equal for both man and woman. But the reason for grant of divorce by the plea of woman beds on the fact of more cruelty and crime against woman. The cases of domestic violence ingrain the law to take stringent actions against the men of the society. Under Section 354 in The Indian Penal Code, 1860 The law says, â€Å"Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty. -- Whoever assaults or uses criminal force to any woman, intending to outrage or knowing it to be likely that he will there by outrage her modesty, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.† This explains the crisis man face under the Indian jurisdiction. Though powerful, a man is bound by the laws. The same judicial system raises the hierarchy of woman in the eyes of the law.

Was the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre a Failure of Civil Disobedience?

The 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre in China or the June Fourth Incident was one of the most famous student protests in the world’s history. The Massacre took place on June 4th 1989 – the last day of a series of pro-democracy demonstrations around Tiananmen Square beginning from April 14. The Tiananmen protest ended in tragic failure and bloodbath as the Chinese state decided to put down the protest with a martial law. At last, army troops and tanks were sent to take control of the city and were ordered to clear the square by firing at the crowd of protesters. The number of deaths has been a matter of controversy over the world until now, which ranges from several hundreds to thousands. In spite of the massiveness and the great influence of the protest, June Fourth was a great failure of civil disobedience because of its lack of organization and the dominant power of the Chinese dictatorial government. The root of protest came into existence since the early of 1980s after the death of Mao ZeDong – the first chairman of the Communist party of China – in 1976. Since the communist party came to power, it had conducted many social and economic campaigns that had tremendous influence on the nation. The total domination of the socialist government towards the society caused many mistakes that made China face many disasters, for example, the severe famine caused the death of 30 million people from 1959 to 1961 (Zhao 42), or the Cultural Revolution which annihilated traditional culture and murdered a lot of intellectuals. In 1978, the new leaders decided to reform to rescue the Chinese economy which was on the verge of collapse. They corrected the past mistakes with an open-door policy on all areas from economy to culture, thus loo... ...down the student demonstrations and somehow killed the revolution spirit of the people, the world will always remember the Tiananmen protest as significant, bravery and dramatic civil disobedience in the pursuit for democracy. Works Cited Branigan, Tania. â€Å"China lifts ban on Tiananmen sites.† Guardian.co.uk 3 August 2008. . Mackerras, Colin. â€Å"June Fourth.† Dictionary of the Politics of the People’s Republic of China. 1st ed. 1998. Pei, M. From Reform to Revolution: The Demise of Communism in China and the Soviet Union. Harvard University Press, 1994. Zhang, Liang. The Tiananmen papers. Ed. Andrew J. Nathan and Perry Link. 1st ed. New York: Public Affairs, 2001. Zhao, Dingxin. The power of Tiananmen. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, 2001.

Model Cv

Utkarsh Bhardwaj Human Resource Management EDUCATION BTECH Class XII Class X INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ,KHARAGPUR Rajendra Vidyalaya , Jamshedpur Rajendra Vidyalaya , Jamshedpur Deemed University CBSE CBSE 77. 1% 2009 87. 5% 89% 2004 2002 WORK EXPERIENCE India Bulls ? Worked at India Bulls at Nasik Factory ? Secured highest project rating in the project team ? Conducted Integration test at Nasik Factory and Relaid the plan for compressor simulation June 2010june 2012 AWARDS & ACHIEVEMENTS ? Secured project rating of 4. 6/5 at India Bulls Professional 2011 ?Awarded â€Å"Best Employee for the monthâ€Å" in july 2011 ? Secured 99. 86 percentile in Cat 2011 and 99. 87 in XAT 2011 ? Secured ALL INDIA RANK 412 in IITJEE 2005 and ALL INDIA RANK 945 in AIEEE 2005 Academic ? Secured Admission into INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY KHARAGPUR ? Published paper in â€Å"Fuel Combustion† in Alankar â€Å" Magazine of IIT KGP Participate Won Bplan competition held at kshtij 2007 Ext ra Won Antakshari competition held in intra department fest in IIT KGP Curricular ? Academic Projects ? ? Conducted a study to analyse HR Size ,structure and status of HR at TATA STEEL ?Identified the variations in the HR functions and its impact XLRI ? Published pa . ? Published paper on â€Å" Bio Mechanics and combustion fuelâ€Å" in IIT KGP’s â€Å" Alankar† ? Conducted a study on incentive schemes of Deutche Bank ltd Magazine ? Analysed the business impact and effectiveness of these schemes ? Published paper on â€Å" Fuel –less Electricity† in kshitij 2006per on â€Å" Bio Mechanics and ? A fuelâ€Å" in IIT various IR issues that arose combustion nalysed theKGP’s â€Å" Alankar† Magazine at different stages Published paper on â€Å" uel –less E of † angern as a quality ?Conducted a study on theFbehaviour lectricity† i† kshitij 2006of an individual in different 2011 2011 2005 2005 2005 2007 2012 contexts ? Analysed the effect of Appreciation in the organisational context and cross cultural context OTHER INTERE? TS S Food ? Currently member of Infracom of XLRI and conducted Valhalla competition Sports Songs ? Like playing foot ball ? Social work ? Won Antakshari competition at IIT KGP Participated in 3 day village exposure trip by TSRD UTKARSH BHARDWAJ | 105, TFEMR, XLRI, Jamshedpur| [email  protected] xlri. ac. in 2012 2012 2003-7 2011

The eNotes Blog Gang Glast Aglay Shakespeare, Starlings, and a Good Idea GoneBad

Gang Glast Aglay Shakespeare, Starlings, and a Good Idea GoneBad â€Å"Nay, I’ll have a starling shall be taught to speak nothing but ‘Mortimer.’† ~ Hotspur, Henry IV, Part I What do you get when you combine the good intentions of a well-meaning Shakespeare lover who also loved birds? Well, THIS. In 1890, a New Yorker named Eugene Schieffelin released eighty starlings into New Yorks Central Park. He wanted to introduce every species mentioned in the works of Shakespeare to America. Not a great idea. Those eighty have become two hundred million and they are considered an invasive species. Starlings take up many of the resources that native birds rely upon, such as nesting space and food. Here are lines from several plays in which Shakespeare mentions birds. Her tongue will not obey her heart, nor can Her heart inform her tongue,the swans down-feather, That stands upon the swell at full of tide, And neither way inclines. Antony and Cleopatra 3.2.56-60 Go thither; and, with unattainted eye, Compare her face with some that I shall show, And I will make thee think thy swan a crow. Romeo and Juliet 1.2.88-90 He loves us not; He wants the natural touch; for the poor wren, The most diminutive of birds, will fight, Her young ones in her nest, against the owl. Macbeth 4.2.8-11 Cock-crow at ChristmasSome say that ever ‘gainst that season comes Wherein our Saviour’s birth is celebrated, The bird of dawning singeth all night long And then, they say, no spirit can walk abroad The nights are wholesome then no planets strike, No fairy tales, nor witch hath power to charm, So hallow’d and so gracious is the time. Hamlet 1.1.157-164

Big Brother Media Essay essays

Big Brother Media Essay essays I am going to conduct a survey to find out why people watched Big Brother, what they liked and disliked, how they found out about Big Brother and how they watched the program. I gave they following survey to 35 people of different ages and interests and have summarized the information using words and graphs. Age Group: 9 40-45, 46-51, 52-57, 58-63, 64-69 70 Do you watch Big Brother? Yes No Please circle your answer If yes how often.........hours per week on average? How did you find out about Big Brother example: friends, television, radio etc? Why do you watch Big Brother? What do you like most about the program? What do you dislike most about the program? Where do you watch the program? Who do you watch the program with? What do you do in the break adverts? What have you enjoyed most about the program so far? Whos do you want to win the 3rd big brother? Would you take part in future episode of Big Brother? Yes No Why? Please circle your answer Results: From this pie graph above we can see that over  ¾ of the people I asked do watch Big Brother. This shows that Big brother is very popular and a very large audience. From the above line graph you can see that people ages 16 21 are the group who watch Big Brother the most and second to that is people aged 10 15 which shows me that the majority of people who watch Big Brother are teenagers and young adults, so the concepts and qualities of Big Brother must be appealing to those young age groups. How People Heard and were introduced to Big Brother From this pie chart above you can see that just under half of the people who took part in my survey were introd...

A History of the Chola Empire of India

A History of the Chola Empire of India Nobody knows exactly when the first Chola kings took power in the southern point of India, but certainly, the Chola Dynasty was established by the third century BCE, because they are mentioned in one of Ashoka the Greats stelae.  Not only did the Cholas outlast Ashokas Mauryan Empire, they continued to rule until 1279 CE- more than 1,500 years.   Fun Fact The Cholas ruled for more than 1,500 years, making them one of the longest-ruling families in human history, if not the longest. The Chola Empire was based in the Kaveri River Valley, which runs southeast through Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and the southern Deccan Plateau to the Bay of Bengal.  At its height, the Chola Empire controlled not only southern India and Sri Lanka, but also the Maldives.  It took key maritime trading posts from the Srivijaya Empire in what is now Indonesia, enabling a rich cultural transfusion in both directions, and sent diplomatic and trading missions to Chinas Song Dynasty (960 - 1279 CE). Chola History The origins of the Chola Dynasty are lost to history.  The kingdom is mentioned, however, in early Tamil literature, and on one of the Pillars of Ashoka (273 - 232 BCE).  It also appears in the Greco-Roman Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (c. 40 - 60 CE), and in Ptolemys Geography (c. 150 CE).  The ruling family came from the Tamil ethnic group. Around the year 300 CE, the Pallava and Pandya Kingdoms spread their influence over most of the Tamil heartlands of southern India, and the Cholas went into a decline.  They likely served as sub-rulers under the new powers, yet they retained  enough prestige that their daughters often married in to the Pallava and Pandya families. When war broke out between the Pallava and Pandya kingdoms in about 850 CE, the Cholas seized their chance.  King Vijayalaya renounced his Pallava overlord and captured the city of Thanjavur (Tanjore), making it his new capital.  This marked the start of the Medieval Chola period  and the peak of Chola power. Vijayalayas son, Aditya I, went on to defeat  the Pandyan Kingdom in 885 and the  Pallava Kingdom in 897 CE.  His son followed up with the conquest of Sri Lanka in 925; by 985, the Chola Dynasty ruled all of the Tamil-speaking regions of southern India.  The next two kings, Rajaraja Chola I (r. 985 - 1014 CE) and Rajendra Chola I (r. 1012 - 1044 CE) extended the empire still further.   Rajaraja Cholas reign marked the emergence of the Chola Empire as a multi-ethnic trading colossus.  He pushed the empires northern boundary out of Tamil lands to Kalinga in the northeast of India  and sent his navy to capture the Maldives and the rich Malabar Coast along the subcontinents southwestern shore.  These territories were key points along the  Indian Ocean trade routes.   By 1044, Rajendra Chola had pushed the borders north to the Ganges River (Ganga), conquering the rulers of Bihar and Bengal, and he had also taken coastal Myanmar (Burma), the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and key ports in the Indonesian archipelago and Malay Peninsula.  It was the first true maritime empire based in India.  The Chola Empire under Rajendra even exacted tribute from Siam (Thailand) and Cambodia.  Cultural and artistic influences flowed in both directions between Indochina and the Indian mainland.   Throughout the medieval period, however, the Cholas had one major thorn in their side.  The Chalukya Empire, in the  western Deccan Plateau,  rose up periodically and tried to throw off Chola control.  After decades of intermittent warfare, the Chalukya kingdom collapsed in 1190.  The Chola Empire, however, did not long outlast its gadfly. It was an ancient rival that finally did in the Cholas for good.  Between 1150 and 1279, the Pandya family gathered its armies and launched a number of bids for independence in their traditional lands.  The Cholas under Rajendra III  fell to the Pandyan Empire  in 1279  and ceased to exist. The Chola Empire left a rich legacy in the Tamil country.  It saw majestic architectural accomplishments such as the Thanjavur Temple, amazing artwork including particularly graceful  bronze sculpture, and a golden age of Tamil literature and poetry.  All of these cultural properties also found their way into the Southeast Asian artistic lexicon, influencing religious art and literature from Cambodia to Java.

E-marketing in the library of Birmingham Report Essay

E-marketing in the library of Birmingham Report - Essay Example E marketing, the use of digital technologies on the internet to achieve marketing objectives such as customer relationships, understanding market needs and satisfying consumers through value formation, is the rule of the day, and not the exception. The internet platform offers a massive potential for marketers to market their products and services to global populations in the most efficient and effective way, therefore, reducing business costs incurred in direct traditional advertising option. This paper presents a report on the E marketing in the Library of Birmingham, using the SOSTAC e-marketing analysis model, with an aim of establishing the library of Birmingham’s online marketing current situation, objectives of the online marketing strategies, online marketing strategies, online marketing tactics, online marketing actions, and the control metrics. In addition to that, this report will evaluate the effectiveness of online marketing strategies of the library, goals of onl ine marketing, and recommendations for the future strategic direction of the library. E marketing offers great opportunities for the library of Birmingham, which if explored to the maximum have an incredible capacity of enhancing the library experience and increasing attendance accordingly. For instance, e-marketing increases the library’s visibility to the general population in Birmingham thus creating awareness of the library and its services to the prospective service consumers. Besides creating awareness, e-marketing strategies create value for the library and its services by highlighting its major attracting features such as online catalogues, online search services, and exciting web contents, among others. Exciting content displays, and organization offers the readers enhanced ways of finding books in the library and evaluating particular resources in the library through reviews through an interactive online channel. Overall, e marketing is a crucial strategic managemen t decision for the library of Birmingham because it will fit the library in the modern library situation that has changed drastically due to technological advancements (Von and Jung, 2003). E marketing has the potential of enhancing not only service delivery, but also creating value for the library in terms of increased library visitation, increased market access and enhanced returns on investment. Introduction E-marketing has emerged to be one of the fast growing revolutionary concepts in the business world today (Chaffey et al, 2008), with many global businesses and corporations, in response to the pressures of a fast changing global environment, seeking to provide value that meets customer expectations (Palmer, Cockton and Cooper, 2007). E-marketing is the use of digital technologies of the internet to achieve marketing objectives, to establish close, good and everlasting relationships with customers, understand their needs, satisfy these needs both effectively and efficiently, a nd to keep them happy while online (Chaffey, n.d). The main purpose of marketing is to communicate information, and to increase awareness of products and services to the prospective customers in the market (Housden and Thomas, 2002). The crucial role of e-marketing in today’s business world cannot be underrated, especially given the statistics that UK E-Commerce sales reached 121 billion pounds in 2010, while according to eMA, UK B2C E-Commerce reached 4.2 billion pounds by the end of 2012, and are further expected to rise to total value of ?221 billion by 2016. Overall, the internet has gained massive recognition as a dominant business platform (Linh and Tung, 2008), and literally transformed the expression ‘

Company Law of the UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Company Law of the UK - Essay Example From the research it can be comprehended that the United Kingdom perhaps was the first country around the globe that simplifies the registration process for investors; limit their liability and the obligations in the event of insolvency. The discretionary powers allocated to the Board of Directors to sort out issues in line with the provisions of company constitution / company law. It would not be out of place to mention here that the UK has given a role model to other European Dynasties, Commonwealth Nations. The aims and objectives are to introduce such role model to woo the investors from all over the world to invest capital in a profitable business venture / thriving business avenues to make more and more money. The powers confer to the company may have their own parameters in terms of rights and obligations under the UK laws to comply. Corporate Company has the option to raise capital for their business in shape of equity finance, where the company has to off load its shares to general public through Stock Exchange. The company confers number of rights to share holders in terms of: a) voting b) dividends c) return of capital on redemption / liquidation d) Preferential rights for future shares. The corporate concerns keeps close repo with share holders in two ways: a) to inform share holders of the decision taken by the company through prospectus that contains complete details b) financial assistance to purchase its own shares. 5. The share holders may have the access to bank loan facilities against pledge of company’s shares on a fixed / floating rate of interest as the case may be, to be paid through monthly, quarterly, half yearly, yearly installments or balloon payments as decided by the approving authority. In the event of default banks / financial institutions may dispose off / auction the mortgaged assets of the company after inviting bids from the prospective bidders through esteemed print / electronic medias6. However, court provide protecti on to the company / or set aside unfair transaction in relation to disposing off the assets of the company by the banks / financial institutions towards appropriation of their outstanding liabilities. If a company fails to meet its loan obligations on due dates, the administrator comes to manage the affairs of the company as per UK insolvency law. If all out efforts of the administrator proved futile, the administrator starts the process of liquidation. The administrator disposes of the moveable / immoveable assets of the company to satisfy the claims of the creditors and then strike down the name of the debtor from its register7. Shares issued to the share holders can easily be transferred or disposed off as and when required. Holding the shares of a company means that a share holder being a member of the company can enforce the provision of the constitution of the company in both ways: a) against the company or other members of the company b) value of shares (nominal / at par) det ermines the share holders liability towards paying off debts of the company in case of insolvent liquidation8. The company usually offers their existing share holders a large number of shares from its common stock or preferred stock. This gives the rights to the share holders (other than bidder) to convert its acquired shares into a large number of common shares. This form of transaction is considered shareholders rights plan since it empowers the shareholders

Ethical Principles Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ethical Principles Paper - Essay Example In many cases, the values that we as individuals hold include the morals adopted by our society over time. Some of these morals, for better or for worse, shape our behavior. Perhaps it is important to describe some of those moral ideals held by contemporary societies so that we can understand behavior and individual decision-making from an objective perspective. What are the most important morals in our society? It seems the ideal that we lessen the amount of harm suffered by others is one of the most important values of contemporary society, and thus many of us as individuals. This kind of perspective, however, is ancient. The Greek philosopher Aristotle described a system of virtue ethics that tells individuals to do good, not to do harm, to others. This includes corollaries like respecting individual rights, telling the truth, being faithful, and so on. All of these prescriptions are directly related to healthcare, where virtue ethics is an important ethical perspective. Beneficen ce, which is the duty to do good, is an important principle in healthcare work, especially when the healthcare provider has good intentions. Non-maleficence, which is the duty to not do harm, suggests that the healthcare worker should attempt to avoid the worst-case scenario when serving a patient. Autonomy, which is respect for an individual’s right to make decisions, is important when healthcare workers are delivering a service to someone who might have cognitive or behavioral deficiencies. Truthfulness, which is tied to autonomy, tells us that we should always give others all of the information in order to make an informed judgment. Fidelity, which is the virtue of being loyal to a patient in terms of establishing trust, is fundamental to the provider-patient relationship. The Aristotelian system of virtues is best practiced in healthcare because it provides a basis for how a healthcare provider should act in all situations. How does one determine worth and what does one c onsider worth to be? Worth seems to be something that is desirable, useful, or valuable to many people. We might measure something’s desirability in terms of the pain or pleasure that it causes for others. If, for example, a medicine gives a patient a great deal of pleasure (which includes long-term pleasure knowing that his disease has been cured), then we might judge it to be of worth to someone. We might also measure something’s desirability in terms of how it aligns with someone’s values. If, for example, someone values close relationships with others, then the worth of a hospital’s program to connect volunteers with terminally ill patients for one hour each week might be judged in terms of whether the patients might value that experience. What virtuous qualities are most important? Virtues enable people to pursue moral ideals of disposition or character as a means of developing their own potential as human beings. Any given society has many virtues. Some examples include honesty, courage, compassion, generosity, and fidelity. From such a list, individuals or societies can pick and prioritize based on their perceptions of which virtues are most important. One might say that, from this list, generosity is important. In health care in particular, generosity is essential. Generosity leads healthcare providers to give their best service to the community. In healthcare, when we are dealing with people’s lives, commitment to generosity and service is very important because only the very

Probation Officers and Parole Officers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Probation Officers and Parole Officers - Essay Example They work towards making sure that they have made the law offenders to live productive and useful lives. Depending on the legal status, the law offender may be on parole or probation. Law offenders who are given probationary sentence might or might not have served jail term in the county jail. Once the offender is released, they are put on parole or probation depending on the record of their offence. Those that have served time in federal or state correctional facility are placed on parole when they are released. Conditions are given to both types of offenders when they are released and a parole or probation officer supervises them for a specified period of time (California Occupational Guide, 1). Probation officers are also known as community supervisors in some states as they supervise people on probation. Practically a probation officer supervises those convicted of violent crimes because probation is granted to those with substantial drug abuse history and criminal background (Ba nks, 165). Probation officers also offer training that includes rational behavior training – it focuses on the officers using rationality principles to persuade a probationer to change his/her attitudes and beliefs. The training influences hostile offenders to develop new behavior and beliefs, which probation officers reinforce. Parole officers usually perform the same duties as probation officers, the only difference being that while parole officers supervise the offenders who have been released from prison, probation officers wok with the offenders in the prison (Labor Dept (U S) Bureau of Labor Statistics, 238). Parole officers are usually in the unit of the youth authority, corrections and the federal department of justice accounts directly to their particular parole boards and their main task is supervising their clients. Before the discharge of an offender, parole officers prepare arrangement and recommendation for their client. Parole officers approve such services as housing, counseling, social activities, employment and education (California Occupational Guide, 3). On the other hand, probation officers are usually at the courts and they execute pre-sentence investigations and organize reports on their clients. They also aid their clients to go back to the free society. They also implement courts order, which may incorporate them to seize evidence, organize for drug testing, make arrests and carry out searches. Parole officers focus their effort on surveillance rather than rehabilitation though their systems are scarce. In urban areas, parole agents are commonly occupied in verifying curfews, drug testing and electric monitoring. Most parolees do not complete their parole supervision and they therefore end up going back to prisons, making the prisons full. The role of parole officers is to have all the legal authority carried out and to use firearms to search without constraint of the forth amendment, order arrest without probable cause and conf ine without bail (Banks, 165). According to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), when the probation and the parole officers are running in jail and prisons, they supervise the improvement of the inmates. They may assess the inmates by means of psychological and questionnaires tests. They work directly with other agencies or officers to develop release and parole plans. Their report discusses the record of the inmate and the probability of the inmate committing another crime. This

Phase 4 Discussion Board Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Phase 4 Discussion Board - Assignment Example However, competitive ideas in automation will require innovative ideas, expert workforce, and structural capabilities. This means that automation will merge business activities and process will no longer be isolated. Automation was necessary for our company since it helps in speeding up the process; in essence, it develops processes that are simple, mitigate inefficiencies, and overlap workloads. The greater visibility will enable managers in diagnosing problems; prevent time-consuming process, and increasing efficiency (Sveiby, 2007). Statistics shows that businesses spent 70% of their time in planning and developing rules and processes. Arguably, this amounts to a lot of time that should be used by businesses in production process; therefore, business automation will help in allocating tasks, planning, and reducing time spent in production scheduling. In other words, production automation helps n making historical comparisons, predicting future trends, and analyzing business process (John, 2010). Process failures are attributable to unexpected events; hence, automation will enable businesses in increasing reliability. John (2010) state that automation is essential for our company since it enables quantification of data, explores the areas of improvement, and minimizes poor allocation of resources. Misallocation of resources leads to waste of resources that should be used in increasing productivity. In essence, automation helps in increasing relationship with stakeholders such as suppliers, customers, distributors etc. this is an effective strategy in boosting efficiency and increasing competitive advantage (John, 2010). In sum, business processes automation helped us in restructuring labor cost, integrating office applications, and redefining workflow. Simply, businesses needs to pursue strategies that will ensure time is saved, cost is reduced, and efficiency is increased. However, the decision to

Probation Officers and Parole Officers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Probation Officers and Parole Officers - Essay Example They work towards making sure that they have made the law offenders to live productive and useful lives. Depending on the legal status, the law offender may be on parole or probation. Law offenders who are given probationary sentence might or might not have served jail term in the county jail. Once the offender is released, they are put on parole or probation depending on the record of their offence. Those that have served time in federal or state correctional facility are placed on parole when they are released. Conditions are given to both types of offenders when they are released and a parole or probation officer supervises them for a specified period of time (California Occupational Guide, 1). Probation officers are also known as community supervisors in some states as they supervise people on probation. Practically a probation officer supervises those convicted of violent crimes because probation is granted to those with substantial drug abuse history and criminal background (Ba nks, 165). Probation officers also offer training that includes rational behavior training – it focuses on the officers using rationality principles to persuade a probationer to change his/her attitudes and beliefs. The training influences hostile offenders to develop new behavior and beliefs, which probation officers reinforce. Parole officers usually perform the same duties as probation officers, the only difference being that while parole officers supervise the offenders who have been released from prison, probation officers wok with the offenders in the prison (Labor Dept (U S) Bureau of Labor Statistics, 238). Parole officers are usually in the unit of the youth authority, corrections and the federal department of justice accounts directly to their particular parole boards and their main task is supervising their clients. Before the discharge of an offender, parole officers prepare arrangement and recommendation for their client. Parole officers approve such services as housing, counseling, social activities, employment and education (California Occupational Guide, 3). On the other hand, probation officers are usually at the courts and they execute pre-sentence investigations and organize reports on their clients. They also aid their clients to go back to the free society. They also implement courts order, which may incorporate them to seize evidence, organize for drug testing, make arrests and carry out searches. Parole officers focus their effort on surveillance rather than rehabilitation though their systems are scarce. In urban areas, parole agents are commonly occupied in verifying curfews, drug testing and electric monitoring. Most parolees do not complete their parole supervision and they therefore end up going back to prisons, making the prisons full. The role of parole officers is to have all the legal authority carried out and to use firearms to search without constraint of the forth amendment, order arrest without probable cause and conf ine without bail (Banks, 165). According to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), when the probation and the parole officers are running in jail and prisons, they supervise the improvement of the inmates. They may assess the inmates by means of psychological and questionnaires tests. They work directly with other agencies or officers to develop release and parole plans. Their report discusses the record of the inmate and the probability of the inmate committing another crime. This

Evolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Evolution - Essay Example The Theory of Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics put forward by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck in 1809 states that modifications acquired during one’s lifetime are inherited by the next generation. â€Å"Ex. giraffes acquired a long neck slowly over time as each generation of giraffe stretched its neck slightly longer in trying to reach leaves high in trees† (Principles of Evolution, n. d). Lamarck’s theory seems to be in agreement with the Darwinian Theory which states that evolution produces life forms adapted to their environments. However, Lamarck argued that the organism itself can control the direction of change whereas Darwin did not agree with that postulate. â€Å"For a long time it was mistakenly thought that evolution was a simple linear progression, with humankind at the top of the ladder. We now understand that evolution proceeds with species on one branch giving rise to other branches and so on† (What is evolution?, n. d). We have lot of animals in this world which like the leaves in big trees. For example, elephants, cattle etc like the leaves of some big trees. However, these animals do not have such a big neck like the giraffes. These animals also should have tried a lot in the past to reach out the higher branches of the trees. But they never got their neck extended just like giraffes.

One Approach to Identity Essay Example for Free

One Approach to Identity Essay The concept of identity within psychology can be traced back to the emergence of the discipline with William James’ publication Principles in Psychology in 1890 (as cited in Phoenix, 2007 p. 45). While various identity theories abound, all approaches are principally concerned with explaining what identity is and how individuals form and use their identities to define themselves. This essay examines the social constructionist approach to identity and will then explore how such thinking can be applied to the identities of those with disabilities. According to Hogg and Abrams (1988), identity is â€Å"people’s concepts of who they are, of what sort of people they are, and how they relate to others† (as cited in Fearon, 1999, p. 4). Thus, identity represents an individual’s mental image of themselves, something Kroger (1989/1993) asserts necessitates an understanding of otherness, that is, who and what they are not (as cited in Phoenix, 2007 p. 52). This awareness is fundamental to social construction theories, which propound that, instead of being naturally occurring, identities are actively constructed through the process of social relations. It is through interaction with others that individuals distinguish between the self and other, and subsequently can affirm or modify their own sense of identity. This ability to negotiate identity is another feature of social constructionist approaches which maintain that, far from being static, identities are open to change and adaptation throughout the lifetime, being shaped by an individual’s own experiences, as well as the cultural and historical milieu within which they exist and the social change and technological advances that occur during their lives (Connell, 1995; Holloway and Jefferson, 2000, as cited in Phoenix, 2007, p. 2). Consequently, and in contrast to earlier identity theories, social constructionists claim that, since individuals do not exist in a vacuum, there can be no distinction between a personal and a social identity; all identities are social. Thus proponents of social constructionism, emphasise the importance of language; being the basic tool of human communication; in the formation and negotiation of identities. It is through language that people express and define themselves and identify their allegiance to particular groups and communities. Meanings attributed to language are inevitably influenced by the dominant discourses within society, reflecting the power relations and often imbalances that exist, as exemplified by the demonisation of single mothers by mainstream political discourse in the 1980s. Nevertheless, sub-cultures and minority groups often subvert dominant discourse in order to construct their own identities, as illustrated in the way once derogatory terms, such as ‘dyke’, are reclaimed, and in order to enhance group affiliation. It is noted that â€Å"Teenage slang is a highly productive generator of new meanings for old words† (Oxford University Press, 2006); it serves to augment group membership while excluding others. Language, therefore, is also a construct; its interpretations and use develops over time and across social groups. Another key tenet of social constructionist theories is that individuals possess numerous identities because they inhabit various locations, assume diverse roles, subscribe to particular ideologies and interact with others who themselves have different, multiple identities. As Phoenix observes â€Å"Unlike psychosocial theories, social constructionist theories reject the notion that people have one, core identity† (2007, pp. 78-79). While critics argue this represents a flaw in such theorising; since many consider themselves to have a stable unified identity; it is asserted that people adopt autobiographical narratives, whereby they reconstruct their histories, in order to maintain a coherent sense of self. The employment of language and ‘props’; such as attire and jewellery (Goffman, 1959, p. 2), as well as the autobiographical narrative, enable individuals to manage their sometimes contradictory identities. Consequently, people are able to use their identities as a resource to achieve the exhibition of a particular image of themselves, not only to others, but also to themselves. In turning to the identities of people with disabilities, it is necessary to address the issue of embodiment, that is, the way people live their lives through their bodies. Bodies are a resource that people use to construct their identity, through, for example, the use of make-up, tattoos and cosmetic surgery. For people with physical impairments, identity construction is complicated by their biology, which, is compounded by the dominant medical discourse which has generally labelled those with disabilities as lacking in some way, as different, as ‘other’. The social model of disability developed out of the disability movement as a reaction against such discourse, and its proponents, such as Oliver (1990), have argued that while those with physical impairments experience ‘individual limitation’, disability itself is a ‘socially imposed restriction’ (as cited in Phoenix, p. 1). This reinterpretation of the word ‘disability’ highlights, as social constructionists claim, the importance of language and discourse in the constructions of identity. In recent decades, through campaigning and individuals identifying with a particular cause, the disability movement has brought about social change through putting pressure on the legislature to cater to its needs, for instance, public buildings now have to be accessible to the wheel-chair bound. As such, the dominant discourse has shifted to be more inclusive of those with physical impairments. Additionally, medical advances have improved the circumstances of some with visual or auditory impairments. Social construction theories reveal the extent of autonomy that individuals have in relation to their identities. However, such theories fail to address adequately how identity can be imposed on individuals. People with physical impairments highlight this problem, since an individual has no control over how and to what extent they are impaired. Nevertheless, they do have a choice in how they label themselves, and some will self-define as disabled, while others may not, perceiving their impairment to be only one (lesser) aspect of their identity. This gives credence to the social constructionist stance that individuals construct many identities for themselves. It is also important to note that, as with most social groups, the physically impaired are far from a homogenous group; there is no one essential disabled identity. As Keith (1994) suggests â€Å"the wide variation between the types of impairment and within groups who have the same impairments mean they are not a single group, but have multiple, diverse identities† (as cited in Phoenix, p. 83). In conclusion, social construction theories provide a useful framework within which to explore identity. In examining how identity is actively constructed through social interaction and the employment of language, as well as by being affected by dominant discourse and societal change, such theories explain how people are able to negotiate their multiple identities in daily life and throughout the life-course.

Death of a Salesman Analysis | American Dream

Death of a Salesman Analysis | American Dream The American dream is a term that was first coined by James Adams in his book The Epic of America written in 1931. The American dream is a dream of a land where life is better and richer for everyone else. Where there is opportunity for each according to here ability and achievements. It its a dream of a social order where man and woman shall be able to the maximum stature that they are inherently capable of, to which they will be identified by others for what they are irrespective of the accidental circumstances brought about by birth or social position. The dream is a national ethos of America where the ideals of democracy are used as a premise for prosperity and the idea of the dream is rooted in the second sentence of the declaration of independence which states all men are created equal and they are endowed by the creator with certain alienable rights including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This are deemed to be the foundation of the American dream. The dream today has become the pursuit of material prosperity that has seen many people working two jobs to achieve this dream. But have less time to enjoy their prosperity. In America today the dream is represented by the a ability to buy motor cars and a home(s)- seen as status symbol that separates the middle class from the poor to which the dream is far from their grasp. Traditionally Americans have sought to achieve the dream through hard work and saving. But in the 19th and 20th centuries of industrialization has seen the philosophy being eroded by the schemes of get rich quick through a variety of seductive and elusive strategies. The major avenues to achieving the American ream today include large prized television shows, big jack pot lotteries and compensation lawsuit. Yet to some Americans they see the dream as living a simple fulfilling life that has less focus on financial gain and materialism. (b) Death of a Salesman This is a 1949 play that was written in Arthur miller. It records the life of Willy Loman the main character who is a traveling sales man and has worked at his dead end job for thirty years without success. It characterizes tragedy as the down fall of a great man- miller Loman (low man). The play won the Tony award and the Pulitzer Prize for drama the play has been seen as an attack on the American dream and it seems to criticize the notion that greatness comes from fame or personal charm. It also signifies the importance of one knowing himself as a prerequisite to success. This essay will analyze the meaning of the American dream; for each of the main characters in The Death of a Salesman. AMERICAN DREAM IN THE DEATH OF A SALESMAN. Willy Loman, Biff Loman and Happy Loman He is 60 years old and he has not achieved nor fulfilled the dreams that he had for himself or his family. They live in a small apartment in New York and his wife has seen his work go unrewarded over the years. The sales firm that he is working for does not pay him salaries any longer but pays him commission. Working on these straight commissions has rendered him not able to bring home enough money to pay the bills. For thirty for years in the firm they have used him and discarded him. This has lead to Mr. Willy taking his frustration on his family. This has seen Lucia experiencing the torment that her husband is going through. She has to silently deal with her husbands outburst and she shares with her husbands longings for success but she can not bring herself to tell him that those dreams are not possible to achieve at his age. Instead, she continuous to fan his delusions of success and greatness. The story of will loman shows what happens when the American dream fails to materiali ze and subsequently dies. The denial by Willy loman leads to suffering of himself and his family internally and externally. Willy Loman saga indicates what happens to an individual when the American dream dies. The denial on the part of the dreamer usually leads to internal and external suffering. Willy thinks about the missed opportunities that he has had in his life. Like his brother he could have gone to Africa or Alaska and come back home with riches at one time he had been offered a chance to be a partner in his brothers firm but he refused and chose the life that he has. This signifies the modern way that the American looks at the dream through savings and hard work to which Willy thought he could be successful in it. Although he ha s a vehicle and a house, Willy shifts the blame on his failure to succeed on others and himself and denies his role as to why he hasnt achieved his dream. His lack of fulfillment is as a result of his two sons Happy and Biff who are in there mid 30 s but neither seems to have put there life in order. The death of the American dream in him is seen by the way the sons are living. Happy a perennial ignored child has immersed himself in the company of women. He has a steady job but keeps promising his parents that he is going to settle down and get married bit the contrary is true. He is not going far in business and his goal seems to be that of sleeping with as many women as possible. On the other hand, Biff was a star football player in high school and won scholarships to two major universities. He failed in maths in his senior year and was not allowed to graduate. An attempt to correct the fail in summer was curtailed by his fathers in fidelity that changed his fathers view and the view of the world. He became disillusioned and traverses the country jumping from one job to the other toiling on the farms and trenches and was even jailed once for stealing a suit. He is more likeable than Happy (to mean the literal happy) but when ever he returns home for a visit, he and his father end up in a quarrel. The father wants him to make it big but bill seems incapable of taking up a white collar job. He engages in a monologue where he tells himself that he has always made a point of not wasting his life but every time he comes back home he inertly knows that he has wasted himself. (pg 23). He sees himself as failure headed the same road as his father. To him the American dream is to live a simple, quiet and fulfilling life that has less focus on financial gain and materialism not the working in a 9-5 office job that emphasizes money, car and a house. His coming home has resulted into problems being experienced. At the end of the play we see Biff finally seeing the truth and the realization that he is not a dime a dozen nor a great leader of men something that infuriates the father. His fathers death confirms to him the illusions that his father was living in, but he is no longer struggling to understand what he wan ts in life. Both brothers are in there mid thirties. The life of Willy Loman is full of past regrets and undying hopes. As he is growing older, he has trouble distinguishing between the reality and illusion. He is often lost in flashback where the story is mostly told. A clear sign that he is suffering from the Alzheimer syndrome, to which his family was late in detecting. The flash back is generally during the summer after Biffs senior year in school when all of the family problems started. He has had affairs with women where he is caught with Bill during one of his sales trips. Because he is mental sick and physically wasted, he is continuously trying to kill himself but in public he portrays himself as a prominent sales man and brags about the cities that he has visited. On page 62 we see him shouting Call out the name Willy Loman and see what happens! Big shot! yet he denies the fact that all those years he has not progressed and that everyone looks at him as a joke. When his fa mily piece up the attempted suicide they realize that its part of the failure on him to realizing his dreams-the American dream. Willy Loman is a common man (low man), and he is used by the author to show that tragedy can also befell the common person. The author has used the book to criticize the corporate world of America that is notorious for using people and discarding them when they have become useless. Willy Loman successful neighbor has continuously offered him a job which he has continuously refused and despite the fact that he has several options to choose from which can give him a new lease of life he decides to choose suicide. Willy can not let go off his old scoured dreams. At the end of the play we see is loyal wife sitting by his grave yard/side where she ca not comprehend why he took his life. Buit Willy took his life so that he can provide his family with money from the insurance corporation ($20000) which they can use to start a new life. This represents one of the ways that the American society uses to get rich quick and hence achieve the American dream- through massive pay out of the insurance compensation lawsuits. Linda and Charlie. Linda is Willys wife while Charlie is Willys neighbor who has a successful sales firm. The two are the voice of reason in the play as Linda is the arbiter of peace in the family as she is the mediator between the sons and the father. The conflict between them is their failure according to their father to find a good job, settle down (own a house and a car), and have a family. she is the protector of Willy whom she understands as tired and at the end of his rope-life which is ringing up a zero to her she views freedom as an escape from debt and the total ownership of the material and wealth that symbolizes success and stability what in today in America is used to judge ones attainment of the Americans dream. Willys obsession on the American dream has weighed heavily on her living her internally conflicted, she has managed to keep her emotional stability intact. She foresees the tragic end of her husband with clarity. Charlie has on several occasions tried to set Willy on the path to s uccess. His successful firm indicates that he has achieved the American dream. His assessment of Willys situation is logical and rational. He recognizes Willys financial failures and offers him a job although he doesnt like him much. Bernard and Uncle Ben. Bernard is Charlies good son who was a child hood friend of Biff. He was hardworking always studied and eventually became a successful lawyer. This is another clear example of the American dream being attained through hard work and maximization of an opportunity basing on ones capability those results to a better life. Will finds this success difficult to deal with. We see Bernard arguing a case at the end of the play. Uncle Ben is Willys dead brother who went to Africa and made it big in the diamonds mines of Africa. He was rich and successful that showed him to have attained the American dream. CONCLUSION The death of a sales man is an attack on the idea of the American dream, showing that it is not always successful i.e. it has a darker side. It also shows that common people also suffer from downfalls which are just as steep as those of people with high status. When people live in denial and do not realize there role in the failure of their dreams to materialize, it in most cases becomes detrimental to themselves. Death of the sales man is an antithesis of the happy endings to the fulfillment of the American dream.

Experiencing Slavery Through Octavia Butlers Kindred Essay -- Octavia

Authors of fiction often write about the human condition as a way to connect with a broad range of readers. Unlike factual textbooks, fiction gives characters feeling and emotion, allowing us to see the story behind the basic details. In many cases, readers gain a new perspective on a period of time by examining a fiction novel. In Kindred, by Octavia Butler, the near death experiences of Rufus Weylin transports a 20th century African American woman named Dana to the ante bellum South to experience exactly what it’s like to be a slave. Through her day-to-day life on the Weylin plantation, the reader begins to understand just how complex slavery is and how it affects both the slaves and the plantation owners; thus, giving new meaning and an added sense of realism to this 19th century practice of exploitation. On the surface, slavery was a system in which Africans were bought and sold as property. However, by reading Kindred, the reader begins to realize that the system was much more complex. In other words, both plantation owners and slaves focused on retaining their property or staying alive, respectively. Butler illustrates this throughout the text. Seen as inferior and subhuman by whites, slaves were often only able to trust and rely on each other. When Dana is transported to the 19th century, she realizes her need to escape. However, the only way she can do this is by allowing Rufus to lead her in the right direction. As he does this, she wonders whether he is setting a trap for her. She says, â€Å"I realized suddenly how easy it would be for him to betray me—to open the door and run away or shout an alarm† (32). In addition to illustrating a lack of trust for whites, this scene also depi... ...up call. Work Cited Butler, Octavia. Kindred. Boston: Beacon Press, 1979. Hairston, Andrea. â€Å"Octavia Butler – Praise Song to a Prophetic Artist.† Daughters of Earth: Feminist Science Fiction in the Twentieth Century. Middeltown: Wesleyan University Press, 2006. Works Consulted Alaimo, Stacey. â€Å"’Skin Dreaming': the Bodily Transgerssions of Fielding Burke, Octavia Butler, and Linda Hogan.† Ecofeminist Literary Criticism. Chicago: University of Illinois Press,1998. Francis Consuela, ed. Conversations with Octavia Butler. Jackson: University Press Mississippi, 2010. Govan, Sandra Y. â€Å"Homage to Tradition: Octavia Butler Renovates the Historical Novel† Melus 13 Nos. 1-2 (spring-summer 1986): 79-96 Mitchell, Angelyn. â€Å"Not Enough of the Past: Feminist Revisions of Slavery in Octavia E. Butler’s â€Å"Kindred.†Ã¢â‚¬  Melus, Vol 26, No #, 2001

Comparing Nothings Changed and Half-Caste Essay -- Tatamkhulu Afrika

Comparing Nothing's Changed and Half-Caste Half-Caste and Nothing's Changed are two poems that, despite having different subjects, are full of similarities. Both Half-Caste and Nothing's Changed express anger. Although, the object of their anger is different. The anger in Half-Caste is directed at language, or more specifically the use of one phrase while the anger in Nothing's Changed is towards a culture. In Half-Caste Caribbean dialect is used. Nothing's Changed is written in standard English. However, both writers chose to use free verse meaning that neither poem follows specific rules or patterns. In Half-Caste the poem is written from the writer's viewpoint. Which means the reader is able to see the writer's personal feelings about the term half-caste. The opening line, "Excuse me" shows that the poem is written from the writer's point of view as excuse me is a phrase used by someone when they want to start a conversation. I feel that if the poem was written from another person's viewpoint it would lose some of it's effect. The emotion in the poem would come across less strongly and seem less real, as it wouldn't be certain whether the writer actually feels the anger expressed in the poem or just thinks that people might feel that way. Half-Caste is written as a conversation and therefore is in first person. You can see that the poem is a conversation in lines such as line 33 where it says, "Ah listening to yu..." and line 47, "...yu must come back tomorrow." Both of these lines show that the poet is talking to another person. I think this is good as it is original. I also think it makes the poem more personal to you as you read it and so, perhaps, makes you think more about what Agard is saying... ...runch" demonstrate the hostility of the environment and the cans means there is litter, often places affected by litter are run down areas, areas that are not taken care of or unlived in. In the second stanza, he uses repetition of the word and to emphasize that every part of his body has been affected. Contrast comes through in his description of the inn and the surrounding area. Line 20, "...... the grass and weeds." points out the difference between the posh new inn and it's location. Afrika uses contrast later on in the poem too. In fact, stanza five, entirely contrasts stanza four, and is there to demonstrate the huge differences between the lives of whites and blacks. Agard uses simple and direct language in Half-Caste. This allows him to get his point across to the reader more easily than if he were to use lots of unnecessary words and phrases.

Marketing Principles Essay

1.1 Explain the various elements of the marketing process. Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering and exchanging offers that have value for customer, clients, partners and society at large. (Williams, 2013) Marketing Process: Situation analysis focuses more on the possible opportunities that will satisfy a customer’s need. This depends on how the product can influence the a specific environment and how the product can control you a specific group you want to target. It is being familiar with the SWOT forces. Marketing strategies is a process that specifies the information of the market to obtain its effectiveness.   Segmentation involves dividing the market into groups, where individuals have similar needs and wants for services and products. It could also be a segmentation of people on the basis of behavior, culture and economic status. (Rajeev, 2012) Targeting also known as the target market is the potential consumers of a product/service. Targeting helps tap the subset of the customer population most likely to purchase and use the product to effectively achieve maximum sales and profits. (Johnson, 2012) Positioning is how you want to be perceived in the minds of prospects versus your competition. It is also creating a positive image in the minds of the target market. Value Proposition pertains on how you want your consumers distinguish you from your competitors and make it obvious you are the best available choice. This marketing strategy summarizes what makes your product/service unique as it relates to addressing specific customer decision making criteria. It must be all about what’s important to them – your prospects. (Core Marketing Strategies, 2013) Market mix decision is a general phrase used to describe the different kinds of choices organizations have to make in the whole process of bringing a product or service to market. The 4 Ps is the best known way of defining marketing mix: (P.1) Product refers to any services or conveniences that are part of the offering. (P.2) Pricing should take into account profit margins and the probable pricing response of competitors. (P-3) Place is associated with channels of distribution that serve as the means for getting the product to the target consumers. (P-4) Promotions are those related to communicating and selling to the potential consumers. This includes advertising, public relations, media types, etc. (Internet Center for Management and Business Administration, Inc., 1999-2010) 1.2 Evaluate the benefits and costs of marketing orientation for a selected organization. Jollibee is our chosen food organization. It is the largest fast food chain in the Philippines, operating a nationwide network of over 750 stores. It is a dominant market leader in the Philippines. It is a family oriented work environment, the brand’s values also reflect on their advertising and marketing. Jollibee knows their target audience very well: the traditional family and all communication materials focus on the importance of family values. Jollibee is so well-loved every time a new store opens, especially overseas. It is a stronghold of heritage and monument of Filipino pride. (Jollibee Foods Corporation, 2013) The primary target market of Jollibee are Filipino kids ages 3-10y/o, teens ranging 11-21y/o can either be male or female; Filipino families even the senior citizen. Social classes C, D and E; and those looking for budget-friendly quick meals. In comparison from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, eating in a fast-food chain w/o asking for money makes an individual happy, falls under self-actualization needs. Eating in Jollibee with family and friends makes people feel loved and accepted. That is a social need or feeling the sense of belongingness and love. Lastly, the need to satisfy ones hunger and in order to survive, it is the physiological need on an individual. The target market prefers Jollibee because the food are unique and has an appealing taste, foods can be easily served, foods are affordable, there a lots of variants the people can choose from, the mileau is very homey, the customer service is very family-oriented, and families, friends and colleagues can enjoy this together. Being the pioneer in fast-food industry, Jollibee had the majority in the marketing opportunity. Jollibee was able to capture 65% of the market share in hamburger market in the Philippines. The JFC reported 82 billion pesos by the end of 2011. Based on the annual report of JFC, Jollibee earned 50 billion pesos revenue on 2011. (Esberto, 2012) The product offered by Jollibee appeals to the Filipinos taste for spicy burgers. By concentrating its resources on satisfying the Filipino palate, Jollibee has been able to serve localized dishes that are unlikely found in other fast-food chains in the Philippines. In addition to that, offering the usual French fries that accompany the meals found in McDonald’s, KFC, Burger King and so forth. Jollibee also serves rice or spaghetti, Filipino style Even the burgers are cooked exactly as Filipinos want them done- sweeter and with more seasonings, often likened to what a Filipino mother would cook at home. It even incorporated recipes from employees to truly capture local tastes. The company’s phenomenal growth owes much to its strict and committed adherence to high standards as symbolized by â€Å"F.S.C†: Food (F) served to the public must meet the company’s excellence standards or it will not be served at all; the Service (S) must be fast and courteous; and Cleanliness  ©, from kitchen to utensils, must always be maintained. As for pricing, it is closely related to customer satisfaction. Thus, JFC provides its high quality fast-food products at a relatively cheaper price. According to its commitment to serve each and every Filipino, Jollibee keeps things affordable at all. The â€Å"DLSU SSURVEY† shows that, 94% of Jollibee’s customers think it’s affordable or cheaper. Figure [ 1 ]: Benefit Positioning vs. Brand Matrix The location of outlet is of key importance to the marketing strategy of Jollibee. It has established a large number of outlets to state that they care about the accessibility of fast-food outlet and 72% is satisfied that Jollibee maintained it very well. Overseas, the outlet in Hong Kong is located at Central where a large number of Filipinos gather. It is an example of Jollibee’s good placing strategy. Recently, to capture more share from their customer’s wallet, Jollibee introduced home service. Loyal customers, for some reason who can’t get out of home but want to have a bite of Jollibee, can now avail their products via phone call. They also provide drive-thru’s for their customers who are in a rush and can’t get out of their car and line-up. Jollibee management carefully selects their franchisors to make sure they can meet its standard. To be a franchisee of Jollibee, one has to invest 15-30 million pesos. Brands in local market are strong contenders and not to be underestimated. Jollibee often have the advantage of intimate knowledge of consumer tastes and consumer preference through local pride. Jollibee used the wave of nationalist pride to promote a Filipino brand of hamburger. This strategy met with great success. Investing in socio-civic programs designed to serve its host communities further secured Jollibee’s position as a Filipino company for the Filipinos. Advocacy campaigns such as the early Christmas drive â€Å"ma-Aga ang pasko sa Jollibee†, again endorsed by Aga Muhlach, the poverty housing project with habitat. For humanity, the â€Å"Kaya Mo Yan Kid Campaign†, it encourages kids to show their potentials that will contribute to the company’s overall success, not only with its customers but with all its stakeholders. Family is a key component for Jollibee’s promotion. They just simply don’t want to cater food and service but they wanted to be a part of every Filipino family. Its quality customer service of being family-oriented is one key to their success. While McDonald’s promotion focuses on the empowerment of young adults to enjoy life by means of eating their products. Jollibee’s rapid growth is due to its superior menu line-up, creative marketing programs, and efficient manufacturing and logistics facilities. It is made possible by well-trained teams that work in a culture of integrity and humility, fun and family-like environment. As a corporate citizen, Jollibee is also committed to give back to its host communities through meaningful and lasting socio-civic projects. (Sakib, 2011) Jollibee was able to attain a competitive advantage in the Philippines over McDonald’s by doing following things: Jollibee was the first to enter the market. It was able to retain tight control over operations management, which allowed it to price below its competitor. And, it had the flexibility to cater to the tastes of its local consumers. From the very beginning Jollibee Foods Corporation had focused on delivering quality food and service at an affordable cost to the customers. This had been possible only due to excellent operational control. Jollibee enjoyed a dominant position in the fast food market in Philippines until McDonalds entered the market. They focused on their main asset, their knowledge of taste and preferences of the local population. [ (Andrew, 2011) ] 2.1 Show macro and micro environmental factors which influence marketing decisions. The marketing environment consists of all the actors and forces outside marketing that affect the marketing management’s ability to develop and maintain successful relationships with its target customers. Though these factors and forces may vary depending on the specific company and industrial group, they can generally be divided into broad micro environmental and macro environmental components. Micro environmental components are: Company-top management is responsible for setting the company’s mission, objectives, broad strategies, and policies. Marketing managers must make decisions within the parameters established by top management. Marketing managers must also work closely with other company departments. Areas such as finance, R & D, purchasing, manufacturing, and accounting all produce better results when aligned by common objectives and goals. All departments must â€Å"think consumer† if the firm is to be successful. The goal is to provide superior customer value and satisfaction. Suppliers-are firms and individuals that provide the resources needed by the company and its competitors to produce goods and services. They are an important link in the company’s overall customer â€Å"value delivery system.† Marketing channel firms (intermediaries)-firms that help the company to promote, sell, and distribute its goods to final buyer. Customer markets-consumer markets, individuals and households that buy goods and services for personal consumption. Business markets, those who buy goods and services for further processing or for use in their production process. Reseller markets, those who buy goods and services in order to resell them at a profit. Government markets, agencies that buy goods and services in order to produce public services or transfer them to those that need them. International markets, buyers of all types in foreign countries Competitors-A company must secure a strategic advantage over competitors by positioning their offerings to be successful in the marketplace. No single competitive strategy is best for all company. Publics – Any group that has an actual or potential interest in or impact on an organization’s ability to achieve its objectives. A company should prepare a marketing plan for all of their major publics as well as their customer markets. Macro environmental components are thought to be: Demographic-the study of human populations in terms of size, density, location, age, sex, race occupation, and other statistics. It is of major interest to marketers because it involves people and people make up markets. Demographic trends are constantly changing Economic-those factors that affect consumer purchasing power and spending patterns. Natural-natural resources that are needed as inputs by marketers or that are affected by marketing activities Technological-forces that create new technologies, creating new product and market opportunities Political-laws, government agencies, and pressure groups that influence and limit various organizations and individuals in a given society. Various forms of legislation regulate business Cultural forces-institutions and other forces that affect society’s basic values, perceptions, preferences, and behaviors. Certain cultural characteristics can affect marketing decision-making The wise marketing manager knows that he or she cannot always affect environmental forces. However, smart managers can take a proactive, rather than reactive, approach to the marketing environment. (Kotler, 2012) 2.2 Propose segmentation criteria to be used for products in different markets. To ensure that the market segments that have been constructed by the firm, they must meet the basic requirements and guidelines, which will make them usable segments and potential target markets. (Market Segmentation Study Guide, 2012) An ideal market segment meets all of the following criteria: (1) It is possible to measure, (2) it must be large enough to earn profit, (3) it must be stable enough that it does not vanish after some time, (4) it is possible to reach potential customers via the organization’s promotion and distribution channel, (5) it is internally homogeneous (potential customers in the same segment prefer the same product qualities, (6) it is externally heterogeneous, that is, potential customers from different segments have different quality preferences, (7) it responds consistently to a given market stimulus, (8) it can be reached by market intervention in a cost-effective manner and (9) it is useful in deciding on the marketing mix. (Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 2013) 2.3 Choose a targeting strategy for a selected product or service. Kitchner had the goal of making Jollibee one of the world’s top ten fast food brands by the year 2000. In his plan to increase international expansion, he implemented two strategies, â€Å"targeting expats† and â€Å"planting the flag†. His plan of â€Å"targeting expats† allows the company transition into an unfamiliar market much easier because expatriate Filipinos working in other countries could relate to Jollibee’s. Though there is a huge risk of targeting a narrow segment, Jollibee’s local success allows for momentum to generate the expansion and growth of the company. However, Kitchner quickly found out that this market was limited and that not all the overseas Filipinos were potential customers. (Paul, 2011) On the other hand, Kitchner’s decision to â€Å"plant the flag† is to leverage Jollibee’s competitive advantage by entering new geographic market, his rapid expansion strategy was unfocused and poorly executed. He also neglected to consider the large transaction costs associated with establishing markets in new countries. Kitchner’s desire to be first-mover in a number of small, undeveloped markets would not have brought the prestige needed to win the firm better partners. â€Å"Planting the flag† only showed that Jollibee knew how to repeat its success. In order to compete on the level with multinationals, Jollibee would have to take its performance to the next step and prove that it could continue to build its competitive advantage. (Tran, 2005) 2.4 Demonstrate how buyer behavior affects marketing activities in different buying situations. Buying behavior is made up of the internal and external factors that explain why consumers buy and use certain products or services. This type of behavior can affect the marketing strategy that a business employs to promote its products, and when this behavior is analyzed, it can guide a business toward better marketing strategies and methods that it might not have originally used. Supply and Demand is one of the basic economic theories that drive marketing of which consists of a ratio between the amounts of supply versus the amount of demand for that supply. Two supply and demand situations can majorly affect the type of marketing you employ for your goods. These situations include when a product or service is in abundant supply and demand is scarce or when a product or service is scarce and there is increased demand for it. Routine buying behavior is the programmed response that consumers may have to certain types of products. Usually these products are not expensive, such as cars or computers, and can include anything that is commonly bought on a week-to-week basis. Complex Decision-Making is another type of buyer behavior which is usually associated with high-end, expensive or scarce products such as diamonds, fine wine or automobiles. This behavior often comes with high involvement on the consumer’s part in that he will generally want to thoroughly research the product and differences between brands before he makes a decision on which one to buy. Internal Factors that marketers need to be aware of can also affect a consumer’s buying process. These elements — personal, psychological and social — guide buying behaviors and consumption patterns and can be a valuable tool to creating better marketing strategies on the seller’s side. For example, a consumer may opt for a specific brand of cola because of provocative advertising that may make that consumer feel â€Å"sexy† for drinking it, versus buying another brand of cola that uses nonsexual advertising. Delivering the feeling you want experienced when a consumer uses your product is imperative to a good marketing mix of strategies. (Vogt, 1999-2013) 2.5 Positioning selected product/service. Ensuring high traffic needs an emphasis on store location and positioning Jollibee in the minds of the consumers as a place where they can enjoy eating fast food. This entails proper branding and positioning of the services/products offered. Jollibee Foods Corporation brought to everyone’s lips the promise of LANGHAP SARAP (smells so good so it must taste good) Jollibee also projected itself as a world-class brand by expanding its market overseas. Its nationalist view is a key fact. Personnel at Jollibee communicate with customers in local language rather than English unlike to its competitor such as McDonald’s. It provides more homely environment than competitors with tailored food menu to meet the local people’s needs. Jollibee is a super place for children that has ever been. Children can come with their parents and play here while being served with special items made for them. Also, Jollibee facilitates party arrangements for its consumers. Thus, the value proposition of Jollibee that distinguished it from its competitors is, â€Å"Jollibee provide special Philippines’ meal at a cheaper price in a very much homely environment and is a place where people come for joy†. (Sakib, 2011) Bibliography Andrew, 2011. Jollibee – Case Study Analysis | Research Paper. [Online] Available at: http://www.allfreepapers.com/print/Jollibee–Case-Study-Analysis/1794.html [Accessed 6 February 2013]. Anon., 2013. Wikipedia. [Online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jollibee_Foods_Corporation [Accessed 2 February 2013]. Anon., 2013. Imperial College London. [Online] Available at: http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/capitalprojects/projectprocedures/processes/pm/1.40 [Accessed 2 February 2013]. Core Marketing Strategies, 2013. Business Marketing Plan. [Online] Available at: http://www.coremarketingstrategies.com/business-marketing-plan.html [Accessed January 2013]. Esberto, E. F., 2012. 10 Steps Marketing Plan of Jollibee Foods Corportation. [Online] Available at: http://www.slideshare.net/ElainroseEsberto/10-steps-marketing-plan-jollibee [Accessed 6 February 2013]. Internet Center for Management and Business Administration, Inc., 1999-2010. The Marketing Mix. [Online] Available at: http://www.quickmba.com/marketing/mix/ [Accessed January 2013]. Johnson, P., 2012. Buzzle. [Online] Available at: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/target-marketing-strategy.html [Accessed January 2013]. Jollibee Foods Corporation, 2013. About Us | Jollibee. [Online] Available at: http://www.jollibee.com.ph/about-us [Accessed 2 February 2013]. Jollibee Foods Corporation, 2013. About us | Jollibee Foods Corporation. [Online] Available at: http://www.jollibee.com.ph/about-us [Accessed 1 February 2013]. Kotler, P., 2012. Marketing Micro and Micro Environment. [Online] Available at: http://www.scribd.com/doc/22543929/Marketing-Micro-and-Macro-Environment [Accessed 6 February 2013]. Market Segmentation Study Guide, 2012. Criteria for Effective Segmentation. [Online] Available at: http://www.segmentationstudyguide.com/understanding-market-segmentation/crite ria-for-effective-market-segmentation/ [Accessed 6 February 2013]. Paul, 2011. Case Study: Jollibee Foods Corporation (A): International Expansion. [Online] Available at: http://allbestessays.com/Business/Case-Study-Jollibee-Foods-Corporation/11945.html [Accessed 6 February 2013]. Rajeev, L., 2012. Buzzle. [Online] Available at: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/market-segmentation-strategy.html [Accessed January 2013]. Sakib, N., 2011. Jollibee Foods Corporation. [Online] Available at: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/88862150/Jollibee-Foods-Corporation [Accessed 6 February 2013]. Sakib, N., 2011. Jollibee Foods Corporation. [Online] Available at: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/88862150/Jollibee-Foods-Corporation [Accessed 6 February 2013]. Tran, M. A., 2005. proJollibee. [Online] Available at: https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:dJ58omTFofYJ:www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~matran/Files/proJollibee.doc+&hl=en&gl=ph&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEEShpGDHLcTB5xTtp6Jn_o7VQ9T3biGQO2otrRWvxB4rP8lNMSAh6IeiwzPsfhq83y3bV931_rOjRLigmb014tYUI-A8YGpkNcAMKFQMPbbNd9cbzqt3h6T [Accessed 6 February 2013]. Vogt, C., 1999-2013. How the Buyer’s Behavior Affects Marketing Activities. [Online] Available at: http://www.ehow.com/info_8749189_buyers-behavior-affects-marketing-activities.html [Accessed 7 February 2013]. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 2013. Market Segmentation – Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. [Online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Market_segmentation [Accessed 6 February 2013]. Williams, D. K. C., 2013. COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION. [Online] Available at: http://www.csustan.edu/market/williams/3410intr.htm [Accessed

The Blue Sword CHAPTER TWO

Harry and Lady Amelia took their leave, and the older woman closed the breakfast-room doors with a sigh. Harry smiled. Lady Amelia turned back to her in time to see the smile, and returned it ruefully. â€Å"Very well. We will leave the men to do their uncomfortable waiting alone. I am going to visit Mrs. McDonald, you are going to go riding with Beth and Cassie and bring them back here for luncheon.† â€Å"Perhaps under the circumstances – † began Harry, but Lady Amelia shook her head. â€Å"I see no reason why you should not. If he is here, those girls have very pretty manners, and are just whom I would invite if we were to give a formal dinner. And – † here her smile broadened and became as mischievous as a girl's – â€Å"if he has brought his thousand best men, we shall be terribly short of women, and you know how I dislike an unbalanced table. I shall have to invite Mrs. McDonald as well. Have a pleasant ride, dear.† Harry changed into her riding-clothes, mounted her placid pony, already bridled and saddled and held for her by one of the Residency's many servants, and rode off in a thoughtful mood toward her meeting with her two friends. She wondered first what and how much she should tell Cassie and Beth; and, second, found herself hoping that this Corlath would stay at least long enough for her to see him. Would a witch-king look any different than any other man? The sun was already hot. She pushed her hat back long enough for a cautious squint at the sky. It was more dun-colored than blue, as if it, like everything else near Istan, were faded by the fierceness of its sun. It looked as hard as a curved shell overhead, and brittle, as if a thrown lance might pierce it. The placid pony shuffled along, ears flopping, and she stared out over the sands. The woods to the west of her father's house were old, hundreds of years old, tangled with vine and creeper. Ancient trees had died and, not having room to fall, crumbled where they stood. No landlord had thought the old forest worth clearing and the land put to use; but it had made a wonderful jungle for herself and Dickie as children, to be bandits in, and hunt dragons through. Its twisted shadows had always been welcome to her; when she grew older she liked the feeling of great age that the forest gave her, of age and of a vast complicated life that had nothing to do with her and that she need no t try to decipher. The desert, with the black sharp-edged mountains around it, was as different from what she was accustomed to as any landscape could be; yet she found after only a few weeks in Istan that she was falling by degrees in love with it: with the harsh sand, the hot sun, the merciless gritty winds. And she found that the desert lured her as her own green land never had – but what discovery it lured her toward she could not say. It was an even greater shock to realize that she was no longer homesick. She missed her occupation; and even more she missed her father. She had left so soon after the funeral that it was difficult to believe that he was dead, that he was not still riding around his estate in his shabby coat, waiting for her to return. Then she found that she remembered her parents together again; as if her mother had died recently, or her father five years ago – or as if the difference, which had been so important, no longer mattered. She didn't dream of honeysuckle and lilac. She remembered them with affection, but she looked across the swirled sand and small obstinate clumps of brush and was content with where she was. A small voice whispered to her that she didn't even want to go Home again. She wanted to cross the desert and climb into the mountains in the east, the mountains no Homelander had ever climbed. She often speculated about how other people saw the land here. Her brother never mentioned it one way or another. She was accustomed to hearing the other young people refer to â€Å"that hateful desert† and â€Å"the dreadful sun.† Beth and Cassie didn't; they had lived in one part or another of Daria for most of their lives – â€Å"except the three years our mother took us Home, to acquire polish, she said† – and to both of them, Darian sun and Darian weather, whether it be on the fertile red earth of the south, with the eternal fight against the jungle to keep the fields clear, or the cool humid plateaus of the orange plantations, or the hot sand of the northeast Border, were simply things that were there, were part of their home, to be accepted and adjusted to. Harry had asked them how they liked the Homeland, and they had had to pause and think about it. â€Å"It was very different,† Cassie said at last, and Beth nodded. Cassie started to say something else, stopped, and shrugged. â€Å"Very different,† she repeated. â€Å"Did you like it?† pursued Harry. â€Å"Of course,† said Cassie, surprised. â€Å"We've liked all the places we've lived,† said Beth, â€Å"once we made some friends.† â€Å"I liked the snow in the north,† offered Cassie, â€Å"and the fur cloaks we had to wear there in the winter.† Harry gave it up. The older people at the station seemed to put up with the land around them as they would put up with any other disadvantage of their chosen occupation. Darian service, civilian and military, bred stoicism in all those who didn't give up and go Home after the first few years. The Greenoughs' making-the-best-of-it attitude was almost as tangible as mosquito netting. Harry had once won an admission from Mr. Peterson, Cassie and Beth's father. There were several people to dinner at the Residency that evening, among them the Petersons. Mr. Peterson had been seated across from her at dinner, and had not appeared to pay any attention to the conversation on the other side of the table. But later in the evening he appeared at her side. She was surprised; he spoke rarely enough at social gatherings, and was notorious around the station for avoiding young unattached ladies, including his daughters' friends. They sat in silence at first; Harry wondered if she should say anything, and if so, what. She was still wondering when he said: â€Å"I couldn't help hearing some of what that young chap next to you was saying at dinner.† He stopped again, but this time she waited patiently for him to continue and did not try to prompt him. â€Å"I wouldn't pay too much attention, if I were you.† The young chap in question had been telling her about the hateful desert and the dreadful sun. He was a subaltern at the fort, had been there for two years and was looking forward to his escape in two more. The subaltern had continued: â€Å"But I wouldn't want you to think we have no change of seasons here. We do: we have winter. It rains steadily for three months, and everything gets moldy, including you.† Mr. Peterson said: â€Å"I rather like it here. There are those of us who do.† He then stood up and wandered away. She had not spoken a word to him. But she remembered what he said later as she realized that she too was becoming one of those who liked it here. She pondered who else might belong to their select club. It was a game, and she amused herself with it when she ran out of polite conversation. She took mental note of all those who did not complain of the heat, the wind, the unequal rainfall; and then tried to separate those like herself who actually enjoyed being scratchy with blown sand and headachy from glare, from those like Cassie and Beth who were merely cheerfully adaptable. Harry at last settled on Colonel Dedham as the most likely member of her club, and began to consider if there was any way to broach the subject with him. She thought that perhaps there was a club rule that read, Thou shalt not speak. But her chance came at last, less than a fortnight before Corlath's messenger arrived at the Residency at four a.m. It was at another small dinner party at the Greenoughs'. When the gentlemen brought themselves and an appalling reek of Sir Charles' finest cigars into the drawing-room to join the ladies, Colonel Dedham came across the room and tossed himself down on the window-seat beside Harry. She had been looking out at the mysterious white pools the moon poured across the desert. â€Å"Open the window a bit,† he said, â€Å"and let some of this smoke out. I can see poor Amelia being brave.† â€Å"Cigars should be like onions,† she said, unfastening the catch and pushing back the pane. â€Å"Either the whole company does, or the whole company does not.† Dedham laughed. â€Å"Poor Melly! She would spoil many a party, I fear. Have you ever smoked a cigar?† She smiled, with a glint in her pale eyes, and he reflected that some of the young men had labeled her cold and humorless. â€Å"Yes, I have: that is how I know. My father was used to giving dinners for his hunting friends, and I would be the only woman there. I was not going to eat in my room, like a punished child, and I liked to stay and listen to the stories they told. They permitted themselves to become accustomed to my presence, because I could ride and shoot respectably. But the smoke, after a few hours, would become unbearable.† â€Å"So your father – ?† prompted Dedham. â€Å"No, not my father; he taught me to shoot, against his better judgment, but he drew the line at teaching me to smoke. It was one of his friends – Richard's godfather, in fact. He gave me a handful of cigars at the end of one of these very thick evenings and told me to smoke them, slowly and carefully, somewhere that I could be sick in private. And the next time the cigars went around the table, I was to take one for myself – and he'd help me stand up to my father. It was the only way to survive. He was right.† â€Å"I shall have to tell Charles,† said Dedham, grinning. â€Å"He is always delighted to find another cigar-lover.† Her gaze had wandered again to the moonlight, but now she turned back. â€Å"No, thank you, Colonel. I am not that. It was the stories that made it worth it. I only appreciate smoke when I'm seeing things in it.† â€Å"I know what you mean, but you must promise not to tell Charles that,† he replied. â€Å"And for heaven's sake call me Jack. Three months is quite long enough to be called Colonel more often than business demands.† â€Å"Mmm,† she said. â€Å"Cassie and Beth do it very nicely. Say ‘Jack.' â€Å" â€Å"Jack,† she said. â€Å"There, you see? And for your next lesson I will walk across the room and ask you to say it again, and you will see how quickly I turn around and say ‘Yes?' â€Å" She laughed. It was hard to remember that Dedham was a few years older than Sir Charles; the latter was portly and dignified and white-haired. Dedham was lean and brown, and what hair he had left was iron grey. Sir Charles was polite and kind; Dedham talked to one like a friend. â€Å"I see you staring out of the windows often, at our Darian wilds. Do you see yew hedges and ivy-grown oak and, um, cattle and sheep in green pastures?† She looked down at her lap, a little uneasily, because she had not thought she was noticed; but here was her chance. She looked up. â€Å"No. I see our Darian wilds.† He smiled a little at the â€Å"our.† â€Å"You're settling in, then? Resigned to too much sun all of the time – except for when there is too much rain? But you haven't seen our winter yet.† â€Å"No – no, I haven't. But I'm not resigned.† She paused, surprised at how hard it was to say aloud, and her club's first law floated across her mind. â€Å"I like it. I'm not sure why, but I like it here.† The smile disappeared and he looked at her thoughtfully. â€Å"Do you?† He turned and looked out of the window himself. â€Å"There aren't many of us who do. I'm one – you must have guessed that I love the desert. This desert. Even in winter, and the three weeks of jungle after the rain stops and before the sun gets a good hold again. Quite a lot of my griping about being the oldest colonel still active is noise only; I know that if they promoted me they'd almost certainly promote me away from here – to one of the more civilized parts of this uncivilized land. Most of Daria is not like this, you know.† He paused. â€Å"I don't suppose that means very much to you.† â€Å"But it does.† He frowned a little, studying her face. â€Å"I don't know whether to say you're very fortunate or very unfortunate. We're strangers here, you know – even I, who've been here forty years. This desert is a little piece of the old Damar. It's not even really under our jurisdiction.† He smiled wryly. â€Å"Not only can we not understand it, we are not able to administer it.† He nodded toward the window. â€Å"And the mountains beyond. They stand there, looking at you, and you know you'll never climb them. No Homelander ever has – at least to return to tell the tale.† She nodded. â€Å"It is not a comfortable passion.† He chuckled. â€Å"No; not a comfortable passion.† â€Å"Is that why no one ever mentions it? One hears enough for the other side.† â€Å"God! Don't I know it. ‘Only four hundred and ninety-six days till I get out of this sand pit.' Yes, I suppose so. It's a strange country, especially this corner of it, and if it gets too much in your blood it makes you strange too. And you don't really want to call attention to it.† She recalled that conversation as she rode; and now she saw Cassie and Beth jogging toward her. She was thinking again of Corlath, and trying to recall what little she knew of the Free Hillfolk. Jack had been reluctant to talk about them, and his evasiveness led her to believe that he knew quite a lot about them, because he was always open about saying he didn't know something. He was trying to spare her, perhaps, from her uncomfortable passion. Oh, glory, she thought, and with a quick leap her curiosity transformed itself into excitement: I do hope he's there when we get back. The question of what to tell her friends died painlessly. As soon as their ponies came abreast Beth said: â€Å"Is he here yet?† Harry was expecting a good-morning-and-how-are-you and for a moment didn't know who was meant. â€Å"Corlath,† said Cassie. â€Å"Jack came to our house to see Daddy before breakfast, told him to go up to the Residency, that they would need him there.† Mr. Peterson and Jack Dedham were the only people in the station who knew Hill-speech even passably fluently. Most Darians who had much contact with Homelanders learned Homelander. Harry had picked up a few Darian words, but only a few; no Homelander had thought to write a Darian grammar for general use, and when she inquired further was told that there was no need for her to learn it. The only person who encouraged her, and who had taught her the words she did know, was Jack Dedham, and he had not the time to spare for more. Sir Charles was reasonably articulate in Darian speech, but uncomfortable about it. He felt a responsible commissioner should know the language of those he oversees, but it made him no happier to fulfill his own expectations. He kept an interpreter near at hand. â€Å"Corlath,† breathed Beth, as if the name were a charm. â€Å"Daddy says that the Hillfolk have never liked us much – â€Å" â€Å"We've always known that,† put in Cassie. † – so he'll probably slip in and out again and we'll never even see him.† â€Å"I've permission to invite you to lunch,† said Harry. â€Å"If he's there at all, we'll see him.† â€Å"Oh, how wonderful!† said Beth. â€Å"Surely even he won't have finished his business before lunch. Let's not ride far; we should see something when he comes, and then we'll know when to ride back. It's very tiresome to have a real king come to visit and not even have an excuse to meet him.† â€Å"Do you know anything of the Free Hillfolk?† said Harry. They rode at an angle away from the Residency, where they could keep an eye on it over their shoulders. â€Å"I don't. No one will tell me anything.† They both laughed. â€Å"The Hillfolk are the best-kept secret in Daria,† said Cassie. â€Å"I mean, we know they exist. Some of them come here – to the station, I mean – for the spring Fair.† Harry looked at her. â€Å"Oh, surely Lady Amelia has told you about our pair,† Cassie said. â€Å"After three months of the rains we come out of hiding and work off our foul temper by holding a Fair – â€Å" † – where we sell to each other all the ridiculous little bags and bonnets and dolls and footstools that we've made during the rains to keep from going mad because we couldn't go out,† Beth continued. â€Å"Yes, most of it is nonsense. But everyone is very gay for the first two or three weeks after the rain stops. The weather is cool enough – the only time all year you can go out even at midday; and there're green things growing up from the ground, and everything you own is spread on the roofs and hanging from the windowsills, and they're green too,† Cassie added with a grimace. â€Å"We decorate the streets and the square with paper flowers and real flowers, and banners and ribbons, and the whole town looks like it's on holiday, with the dresses and blankets hanging out everywhere. We do have real flowers here – besides the eternal pimchie – although nothing like what you're used to at Home, I daresay. Everything grows tremendously for two weeks, so for the third week, Fair week, everything is green and blossoming – even the desert, if you can believe it.† â€Å"Then of course the sun kills everything again. That's the fourth week. And you know what it's like here the rest of the time.† â€Å"Yes, but the Fair – everyone comes to the Fair. The Hillfolk too, a few of them, although never anyone very special. Certainly never the king. And it's not all the bead purses that our sort has been making in despair. There are always some really lovely things, mostly that the Darians themselves have made. Even the servants aren't expected to do as much, you know, during the rains. After the first few weeks you're far too cross yourself to give many orders to anyone else.† â€Å"But mostly the best things come up from the south. It's only Way up here that the weather's so ridiculous, but the south knows about our Fair, and the merchants know that when we break out of winter prison we're so mad with our freedom that we're fit to buy anything, so they come up in force.† â€Å"There are Fairs, or celebrations of spring of one kind or another, all around here, but ours is the biggest.† â€Å"Well,† said Beth, â€Å"we've the biggest in things to buy and so forth; and we're the only Homelander station up here. But there're quite a number of Darian villages around here, and they take spring very seriously. Lots of singing and dancing, and that kind of thing. And they tell the most beautiful stories, if you can find someone to translate into Homelander. Which isn't often.† â€Å"We have singing and dancing too,† said Cassie. â€Å"Yes, I know,† said Beth slowly; â€Å"but it's not the same. Our dancing is just working it off, after being inside for so long. Theirs means something.† Harry looked at her curiously. â€Å"You mean asking the gods for a good year – that kind of thing?† â€Å"I suppose so,† said Beth. â€Å"I'm not quite sure.† â€Å"No one will talk about anything really Darian to Homelanders,† said Cassie. â€Å"You must have noticed it.† â€Å"Yes – but I'm new here.† â€Å"You're always new here if you're a Homelander,† said Cassie. â€Å"It's different in the south. But we're on the Border here, and everyone is very aware that Freemen live in those Hills you see out your windows every day. The Darians that do work for you, or with you, are very anxious to prove how Homelander they really are, and loyal to all things Homelander, so they won't talk; and the others won't for the opposite reasons.† â€Å"You're beginning to sound like Daddy,† said Beth. â€Å"We've heard him say it all often enough,† Cassie responded. â€Å"But the Hillfolk,† said Harry. â€Å"Yes. The one thing I suppose we all have in common is a joy in those three short weeks of spring. So a few Hillfolk come to our Fair.† â€Å"They don't act very happy, though,† said Beth. â€Å"They come in those long robes they always wear – over their faces too, so you can't see if they're smiling or frowning; and some of them with those funny patched sashes around their waists. But they do come, and they stay several days – they have the grandest horses you've ever seen. They pitch camp outside the station, and they always set guards, quite openly, as if we weren't to be trusted – â€Å" â€Å"Maybe we aren't,† murmured Cassie. † – but they never sell their horses. They bring the most gorgeous tapestries, though, and embroidered sashes – much nicer than the cut-up ones they wear themselves. These they sell. They stalk around the edge of the big central square, the old marketplace, carrying all this vivid stuff, while the rest of us are laughing and talking and running around. It's a bit eerie.† â€Å"No it's not,† said Cassie. â€Å"You listen to the stories too much.† Beth blushed. After a pause she said, â€Å"Do you see anything at the Residency?† â€Å"No,† said Harry. â€Å"What stories?† There was another pause while Cassie looked at Beth and Beth looked at her pony's mane. â€Å"My fault,† said Cassie presently. â€Å"We're not supposed to talk about them. Daddy gets really annoyed if he catches us. The stories are mostly about magic. Corlath and his people are supposed to be rotten with it, even in this day and age, and Corlath himself is supposed to be more than a little mad.† â€Å"Magic?† said Harry, remembering what Dedham had said earlier. â€Å"Mad?† He hadn't said anything about madness. â€Å"How?† They both shrugged. â€Å"We've never managed to find out,† said Cassie. â€Å"And we can usually wring what we want to know out of Daddy eventually,† said Beth, â€Å"so it must be something pretty dreadful.† Cassie laughed. â€Å"You read too many novels, Beth. It's just as likely that Daddy won't talk about it because he refuses to admit it might be real – the magic, I mean. Jack Dedham believes it – he and Daddy argue about it sometimes, when they don't think anyone else is around. The madness, if that's what it is, is tied up somehow in the king's strength – in return for having power beyond mortal men or some such, he has to pay a price of some kind of mad fits.† â€Å"Who reads too many novels?† said Beth, and Cassie grinned. â€Å"It does rather catch the imagination,† she said, and Beth nodded. â€Å"No wonder you're so eager to set eyes on him,† said Harry. â€Å"Yes. I know it's silly of me, but I feel maybe it'll show somehow. He'll be eight feet tall and have a third eye in the middle of his forehead,† said Beth. â€Å"Heavens,† said Harry. â€Å"I hope not,† said Cassie. â€Å"Well, you know how the legends go,† said Beth. â€Å"No, not really,† said her sister repressively. â€Å"Even when Daddy is willing to translate some, you can tell by the pauses that he's leaving a lot out.† â€Å"Yes, but even so,† persisted Beth. â€Å"The old kings and queens were supposed to be taller than mortal – â€Å" â€Å"The Darians are mostly shorter than we are, at least the ones we see,† interrupted Cassie. â€Å"A king could look quite ordinary to us and be very tall for them.† † – and you can tell the royal blood by something about the eyes.† There was another pause. Harry said, â€Å"Something?† Again they both shrugged. â€Å"Something,† said Beth. â€Å"That's one of the things Daddy always leaves out. Like the madness.† â€Å"You're hoping he'll froth at the mouth,† said Cassie. Beth threw a peevish look at her sister. â€Å"No. I'll settle for the third eye.† This conversation had taken them well away from the outlying houses of the station, and the dust kicked up by their ponies' feet was giving up even the pretense of being anything other than desert sand. A silence fell; Cassie suggested a canter, which was duly accomplished. The sun was hot enough that when they pulled up again, after only a few minutes, the ponies' shoulders were dark with sweat. Harry sent another of her long looks across the desert, and had to squint against the shivering light. â€Å"Do you think we might turn back now?† Beth asked wistfully, shading her eyes with an elegantly white-gloved hand. Harry grinned. â€Å"We can spend the rest of the morning in my sitting-room, if you like. It overlooks the front door, you know.† Beth gave her a grateful look, Cassie chuckled; but they all three turned their ponies' heads with dispatch and sent them jogging homeward as quickly as the heat would allow. By the time they reached the suggestion of shade offered by the thin determined trees marking the outskirts of the station proper, Harry was hot and slightly headachy, and cross with herself for rushing back for no reason. Nothing could have escaped their notice; the Residency stood a little apart from the rest of the station, in its own grounds, and the road that ended at its front door had been under their eyes for the entire ride. They had been gone only a little over an hour. Harry considered suggesting that they meet again after another hour, time enough to change and have a bath; in her present condition she didn't feel like meeting any kings, mad or otherwise. But she stole a glance at Beth and saw how anxious she was not to miss anything; and she thought, Oh well, I can wash my face at least, and we can all have some cold lemonade, and watch the front door in comfort. The horses walked slowly up the street to the Residency. Cassie pulled off her hat and fanned herself with it. Harry shut her eyes for a moment. An execrable habit, she told the insides of her eyelids. What if this fat sleepy fourposter with ears and a tail should bolt, or shy suddenly? What if the sky should fall? responded the insides of her eyelids. The fourposter stopped dead in the road and raised its head a few inches just as Beth said in a strangled whisper: â€Å"Look.† Harry and Cassie looked. They had come nearly to the end of the road; what was left was the broad circle in front of the Residency, suitable for turning carriages in, or forming up half a regiment. Off to one side, where the tall house cast a little shade, seven horses and one man stood. The horses stood in a little semicircle around the man, who sat cross-legged near the wall of the house. They stood quietly, stamping a foot now and then, and occasionally one would put out its nose to touch the man; and he would stroke its cheek a moment, and it would raise its head again. The first thing Harry noticed was the beauty of these animals; not a one was less than sixteen hands high, with long clean legs and tails that nearly touched the ground. Three were chestnuts, their coats shining even in the dusty shadow; one grey, one dark bay, one golden dun; but the finest horse stood farthest from three fat ponies standing foolishly in the carriage drive. He was a blood bay, red as fire, with b lack legs and tail; he stood aloof from the other horses and ignored the man at his feet. He stared back at the newcomers as if it were his land he stood on, and they intruders. As the other horses slowly swung their heads around to see what their leader was looking at, Harry noticed something else: they wore no bridles. â€Å"He's here,† said Cassie flatly. Beth drew a deep breath. â€Å"How?† she said. â€Å"Look at those horses,† said Harry, and the longing in her voice was so clear that even she heard it. Cassie looked away from the impossible sight of seven horses that had made their way invisibly across a bleak desert right in front of three people who were looking for them, and smiled with sympathy at her friend. â€Å"Haven't you ever seen a Hill horse before? They're supposed to be the finest in Daria.† â€Å"And they never sell them,† said Harry, remembering. Cassie nodded, although Harry's eyes never left the horses. â€Å"Jack Dedham would give an arm even to ride one once.† â€Å"No bridles,† said Harry. â€Å"No stirrups, either,† said Cassie, and Harry saw that this was true. They wore saddles that were little more than padded skins, cut and elegantly rolled; and she could see the gleam of embroidery on girths and pommels. Not a horse moved from its place in the semicircle, although all now, with the man, watched the three ponies and their riders. â€Å"Horses,† said Beth disgustedly. â€Å"Don't you understand what they mean? They mean that he's here already, and we never noticed a thing. If that's not magic, what is?† She prodded her pony forward again. Cassie and Harry followed slowly and stopped before the steps. Three stable boys appeared, ready to take the ponies back to the stable behind the house. Harry's feet had only just touched the ground – the boy hovering anxiously to one side, since he had learned through bitter experience that this Homelander did not wish to be assisted while dismounting – when there was a commotion at the entrance to the house. Harry turned around in time to see the heavy door thrown violently open, so that its hinges protested; and out strode a man dressed in loose white robes, with a scarlet sash around his waist. Several more figures darted out in his wake, and collected around him where he paused on the verandah. He was the axis of a nervous wheel, moving his head slowly to examine the lesser people who turned around him and squeaked at him without daring to come too near. With a shock Harry recognized four of these small mortals: Sir Charles and Mr. Peterson, Jack Dedham and her own brother, Richard. The man in white was tall, though no taller than Richard or Sir Charles. But there was a quivering in the air around him, like the hea t haze over the desert, shed from his white sleeves, cast off by the shadows of his scarlet sash. These who stood near him looked small and pale and vague, while this man was so bright he hurt the eyes. More men came quietly out behind the Homelanders and stood a little to one side, but they kept their eyes on their king. He could be no one else. This must be Corlath. Harry took a deep breath. He didn't look insane or inhuman. He did look uncooperative. He shook his head and frowned at something someone said, and Sir Charles looked very unhappy. Corlath shrugged, and made a sweeping movement with his arms, like a man coming out of a forest gratefully into the sunlight. He took a long step forward to the edge of the verandah. Then Dedham took two quick steps toward him and spoke to him, a few words only, urgently; and Corlath turned again, as it seemed unwillingly, and looked back. Dedham held out his hand, palm down and fingers spread; and so they stood for a long minute. Corlath dropped his eyes to the hand stretched toward him, then looked into the face of its owner. Harry, watching, held her breath without knowing why. With a nasty feeling in the pit of her stomach she saw a look of terrible strain cross Dedham's face as the Hill-king held his gaze; and the outstretched hand trembled very slightly. Corlath slowly reached out his own hand and touched the back of Dedham's wrist with two fingers; the hand dropped to Dedham's side once more, but as if it were heavy as stone, and the man slumped in relief like a murderer reprieved at the scaffold. The look of strain slid off his face to be replaced by one of great weariness. Corlath swung around again, and set his foot on the top stair, and no one moved to stop him. Five men in the loose robes of the Hillfolk separated themselves from the verandah shadows and made to follow. Harry found she could not take her eyes off the king, but from the corners of her eyes she noticed that the other men too wore vivid sashes: gold and orange and green and blue and purple. There was nothing to indicate the king but the glitter of his presence. Harry stood only a few feet from the bottom step, holding her pony's bridle. Cassie and Beth were somewhere behind her, and the stable boy stood frozen a few steps from her elbow. Corlath still had not noticed them, and Harry stared, fascinated, as he came nearer. There seemed a roaring in the air that beat on her eardrums and pressed against her eyeballs till she blinked. Then he looked up abruptly, as if from some unfathomable depth of thought, and saw her: their eyes met. The man's eyes were yellow as gold, the hot liquid gold in a smelter's furnace. Harry found it suddenly difficult to breathe, and understood the expression on Dedham's face; she almost staggered. Her hand tightened on the bridle, and the pony dropped its head and mouthed the bit uncomfortably. The heat was incredible. It was as though a thousand desert suns beat down on her. Magic? she thought from inside the thunder. Is this what magic is? I come from a cold country, where the witches live in cool green forests. What am I doing here? She saw the anger the man was holding in check; the anger stared at her through the yellow eyes, and swept through the glistening white robes. Then it was over. He looked away; he came down the last steps and past her as if she did not exist; and she cowered out of his way so that no corner of his white sleeve should touch her. The man with the horses emerged from the shade, riding one of the chestnuts; and the six others went up to their riders and nuz zled them. The blood bay reached the king first, and greeted him with a low whinny. Corlath mounted with an easy leap Harry could not even follow with her eyes, although she could see anger informing the set of his legs against the great stallion's sides. The horse felt it too; without moving, all its muscles were suddenly taut, and its stillness was the quiet before battle. The other men mounted. Corlath never looked at them, but the red stallion plunged forward at a gallop, and the other men followed; and the sound the horses' hooves made on the hard earth suddenly reminded Harry how unnaturally silent everyone had been since Dedham's last words. The inaudible thunder faded with the sight of the colored sashes and the bright flanks of the Hill horses. Harry woke up to who she was, and where; Sir Charles and Jack and Mr. Peterson looked their normal size again, and she had a raging headache.