Outdoor Recreation and Park Management Essay

In order for a national park to protect their natural and cultural values, it is crucial for managers to effectively and actively administer protocols and regulations to safeguard the ecological integrity of the park and to provide to visitors the service they desire. While managers attempt to resolve such issues, they find themselves in a predicament where conflicting goals play a problematic factor. A diversity of issues poses as threats to the flora and fauna, vegetation and landscape of parks within Canada. Over the years, the ability to control fire, introduced plant life, losses of species, urbanization and tourism have contributed to significant issues that managers face on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis. Largely, the outlook of our ecological footprint and health of a park requires the management of the pressures of internal and external developments and public use. A park’s management strategies need to promote conservation of the vegetation, fauna and habitat within the park as well as catering for park visitors. Question 1: 5 Park Management Issues As a manager of a park, an array of issues affects both short term and long-term goals for management to contend with. At times, these issues usually conflict with the progress of anothe, in which forfeiting or sacrifice from one area is needed to fix another. I will introduce and explain 5 significant management issues that managers face while operating a park. 1. Tourism and Visitation The first of the issues that our park is faced with is tourism and visitation. Parks in Canada offer essential recreation assets for Canada. Their popularity with visitors indicates that immense visitor pressures are being placed on some parks and on the most popular recreation sites within a park. Tourism is an immense issue that we should not overlook and should not be underestimated. Below are two tables that display the sources of our income in parks and one that illustrates the revenue sources of parks for the 2000/2001 year. As we can distinguish in table 3, there is a huge influx of revenue emerging from park entry fees alone. $50 million is derived from park entry fees, camping fees and rental and concessions, where we can presuppose that these figures are a major financial backing for the operation of a park. This issue should be seen noteworthy to management as financial funding, in the means of tourism and visitation, secures a cushion for future developments and park sustainability. (Eagles, 2002) (Eagles, 2002) 2. Urbanization. A further more external pressure that parks are experiencing is the sudden emergence and increase of urbanization. â€Å" Increasing environmental pressures, such as those arising from increased tourist traffic and the urbanization of peripheral zones, with all the resulting air, water and noise pollution, have had as much impact on park ecosystems as they have on those outside the protected areas (Machlis & Tichnell 1985)†. For park managers, residential development is of great consequence and threat to the native fauna and flora of a park. Nonetheless, many people do not recognize the effects of their participation in activities on parks within proximity to where they reside. The effects of residential development on parks induce a magnitude of threatening ecological impacts. Such impacts include a foray of indigenous vegetation by persistent garden plants from bordering properties, a decrease in the scenic quality due to construction and clearing of vegetation, and soil erosion and dieback of vegetation as a result of storm water runoff (Solecki 1994). Storm water runoff from roads with the combination of the drainage of local residential wastes and treated waste matter from properties around a park is an additional aspect to be watchfully managed when urbanization becomes more apparent. The drainage as well as, the runoff from bordering roads can potentially lead to the decease of vegetation within the park. Poorly maintained septic tanks can result in nutrient-rich runoff being discharged. These wastes create unfavourable conditions for native vegetation and promote growth of weeds. Not only are smaller provincial parks are immune to this issue but also parks on a larger scale – national parks. 3. Loss of Species / Increase in Fauna The next issue to deal with is the introductions of species often unfavourably affect the native fauna and flora. The newly emerged fauna can directly contend with indigenous fauna for breeding sites and food. A possible harm that is negatively tied with the foreign fauna also introduced diseases, wide spread of weeds and prey upon native species (Louda 1997). Introduced species include domestic and feral cats, domestic dogs, foxes, rabbits, blackbirds and the common starling. This issue is not to be ignored as it is deeply tied into the overall appeal of why tourist may visit a park. 4. Fire One issue that should not go unnoticed for park management is the control of fire. The control of fire both negatively (forest fires) and positively (fire regime) should be placed as a priority as it endangers both human life and the ecological footprint of the park. Plant communities and their connected flora and fauna have progressed over thousands of years under a natural fire regime. The use of fire has key effects on ecosystems (Weber & Stock, 1998). The effects of fire management may be advantageous or undesirable, depending on the distinctiveness of the fire and the nature of the area burnt. Fires have the possibility to cause soil erosion, alter stream flow and water quality as well as change the vegetation composition. (Parsons, Graber, Agee, & Van Wagtendonk, 2005) Fire management is a very complicated and contentious issue, which often entails the balancing of fire safety requirements alongside vegetation and habitat management necessities. 5. Loss of Habitat / Increase in Flora Lastly, the fifth stand out issue that managers face when operating a park is the increase in flora. The spread of emerging plants from neighbouring residential gardens, abandoned farms, tracks and roadsides root a continuing change in the arrangement and diversity of the vegetation. This can lead to a considerable alteration in the nature of the ecosystem and habitat within the park. One persistent type of an introduced plant is weed. The destructive nature of many weeds is such that they quickly occupy disturbed areas and prevent the germination and regeneration of indigenous species (Louda, Kendall, Connor, & Simberloff, 1997). In this way weeds may reduce the variety of species present in a park. Weed can be a detrimental factor in parks as they can cause soil disturbance, grazing by introduced animals, increase frequencies of fire and the presence of bordering agricultural land with weed species. Question 2 – Two Outdoor Recreation Activities The two activities that I will be discussing are rock climbing and hunting. Both of these activities vary in the characteristics each one hold. When comparing both activities, I will point of the differences in environment used for each activity, the types of organizations provided, types of environmental attitudes, positive and negative impacts caused by them and the socio-demographics of the participants. For rock climbing, the environment used is very undemanding, as it is typically done outdoors. Climbs more often than not take place on sunny days when the holds are dry and provide the best grip. At their own discretion, climbers can also endeavor to climb at night or in poor weather conditions if they have the appropriate training and equipment. In spite of this, night climbing or climbing in poor weather conditions will increase the difficulty and danger on any climbing route. Hunting is a kind of recreational that demands money, time and effort. Today, most hunting in Canada is recreational and motivated by the tangible as well as intangible rewards of success. For hunting, the environment used differs greatly from rock climbing (Bruner, Gullison, Rice, & da Fonseca, 2005). For Hunting, weather is an integral aspect in the success of hunters, and ideal weather conditions time and again greatly increase the probability of a kill. â€Å"Ideal hunting weather is on a cold day, with light rain, and no wind. (Miller, 1990)† Windy days are usually poor for hunting, as the game are assumed to avoid open spaces on windy days. You may be able to hunt on a windy day, but you will have a more difficult time finding the game since they will not be congregating in open fields where they are highly visible. Hunting is best on days when there is a delicate drizzle. Most game, such as deer’s, enjoy the rain, and tend to be out on rainy days. Cold weather is the last element to good hunting weather. â€Å"Cold weather is best for deer hunting, as that is when deer are most likely to leave their dwellings. †(Miller 1990) Deer have an adrenaline rush when the temperature suddenly drops, which makes them even more vulnerable to hunters. Deer tend to avoid hot weather, and often sleep through the hot humid days of summer. Types of Organizations: There are a multiple of institutes and organizations that offer rock climbing. Typically the majority of provincial and national parks, and some regional and municipal parks offer rock climbing as one of their many outdoor recreation activities. In addition to parks offering this activity, many independent and private organization offer climbing experiences through clubs, for example, Alpine Club of Canada. Unlike rock climbing, the types of organizations in hunting are very restricted. Hunting is prohibited in National Parks across the country, but is available at selected provincial and regional parks. Being under governmental laws and regulations, higher authority set out rules governing hunters. These rules may entail strictures on age and qualifications of applicants for hunting licences, as well as defining hunting zones, seasons and bag limits. â€Å"Strict laws regulate when, where, what and how a person can hunt. In Ontario, each gun hunter must pass both the Canadian Firearms Safety Course exam and the Ontario Hunter Education Course exam (Govt Ont)† Type of Environmental Attitudes: Rock Climbing holds a more naturalistic attitude towards the environment. Rock climbing can be associated with a strong attachment to wild nature. Ones desire and contact desired is achieved through both the physical and mental aspect of climbing. Hunting holds a negativistic and doministic environmental attitude. It is usually associated with dislike, domination, and control. Depending on the type of hunting, it can display the dangers, the skill, the superiority, or the competition hunting bestows. Positive and Negative Impacts The positive impacts of rock climbing stimulate the participant both mentally and physically. When you consider the benefits of rock climbing, you usually think first of the physical benefits. Rock climbing is a recreation that requires a great deal of physical strength. Most people who become involved in the sport soon realize that they must be in excellent shape to even begin to enjoy it. This leads to an increase in physical conditioning that is most often beneficial to the participants overall health. Even though many rock climbers abide to the â€Å"leave no trace† and â€Å"minimal impact† practices, rock climbing can be damaging to the environment. Common environmental damages include: litter, chalk accumulation, soil erosion, abandoned bolts and ropes, human excrement, introduction of foreign plants through seeds on shoes and clothing, and damage to native plant species, especially those growing in cracks and on ledges as these are often deliberately removed during new route development through a process commonly referred to as cleaning. (Jakus 1996) Hunting brings forth both positive and negative impacts to the environment. The positive impact hunting retains is it helps maintain certain species of wildlife and their environment by keeping the animal’s population from exceeding its habitat’s carry capacity. It can bring wildlife populations up and create a much more nourishing environment for them. Hunting also provides predation for species of animal that no longer have predation due to various reasons. This keeps the ecosystem in balance ( Bruner 2005). Essentially, hunting Prevents wildlife populations from getting out of control that will eventually harm the wildlife, their environment, and possibly humans. As like some of the issues managers deal with, some pose as controversial and conflicting issues. One of the negative impact that hunting results in is it can cause populations of certain species of wildlife to decline. It may also interfere with natural predation which would cause the ecological footprint to drastically alter in the long run. Socio-demographics of Participants: The majority of people think that rock climbing is a recreation for men; this is not true at all. Climbing is an activity for both men and women, kids to adults. Rock climbing is a fairly inexpensive outdoor recreation compared to other activities like skiing. Educational background does not play a significant role in the decision to participate in such activity. Hunting is well scattered among age groups, with slightly more interest in the 35-44 age group. It is also popular among all education levels, with to some extent more interest shown by high school graduates. Hunting is mainly popular with rural residents and with those making $30,000-$49,999. The US Fish and Wildlife Service reports that approximately 35% of the nation’s hunters live in the South, as do 73% of the African-American hunters, 39% of the Hispanic hunters and 29% of the female hunters. Question 3 – Future Predictions My predictions for hunting will depend greatly on multiple factors. In the next 30 years I see hunting decreasing at a steady. Based on global climate, government laws and regulations, as well as park restrictions, hunting will be a very rare recreation. The changing climate will alter the hunting seasons in the means of shortening the duration periods. With strict gun laws and hunting regulations affirmed by the government and the rapidly changing economy, I feel as if the population will view hunting more of a hassle involving the multiple licensing and registration one needs to complete before being able to hunt. In addition, with the increasing urbanization in Canada, it will start to affect the more rural areas where hunting is allowed. Once these areas have been developed, laws will soon prohibit the use of hunting. My prediction for rock climbing is on the other side of the spectrum in regards to hunting. I strongly feel that there will be an increase in participation for this type of recreation. This is based on numerous of factors. Firstly, we live in a very physical and influential world. As the world becomes more health aware and proactive, people will start to view climbing as a physical activity. Similarly like yoga, this form of recreation and exercise involves overcoming both physical and mental barriers. It involves stretching of the muscles, as well as exercising of the mind. Overall, Park managers must consider a whole spectrum of issues in order to satisfy both the ecological footprint and the desires of the customers. It is a difficult challenge to prioritize one task over another as a great majority of them coincide with one another. Given the two very different outdoor recreation activities, we were able to observe the different environments, the impacts and the demographics each activity entails. From this we gain a stronger understanding of the the role that managers play in the delivery of outdoor recreation within Canada. Work Cited Bruner, A. G. , Gullison, R. E. , Rice, R. E. , & da Fonseca, G. A. (2005, Jan 5). Effectiveness of Parks in Protecting Tropical Biodiversity. Science 5 , 125-128. Eagles, P. F. (2002). Trends in Park Tourism: Economics, Finance and Management. Journal of Sustainable Tourism , 141-144. Fortin, M. -J. , & Gagnon, C. (1999, June 23). An assessment of social impacts of national parks on communities in Quebec, Canada. Environmental Conservation 26 , 201-206. Louda, S. M. , Kendall, D. , Connor, J. , & Simberloff, D. (1997, August). Ecological Effects of an Insect Introduced for the Biological Control of Weeds. Science 22 , 1088 – 1090. Miller, S. D. (1990). Impact of Increased Bear Hunting on Surviorship of young Bears. Wildl. Soc. Bull , 462-467. Parsons, D. J. , Graber, D. M. , Agee, J. K. , & Van Wagtendonk, J. W. (2005, July 03). Natural fire management in National Parks. Environmental Management , 21-24. Theil, D. , Menoni, E. , Brenot, J. -F. , & Jenni, L. (2007). Effects of Recreation and Hunting on Flushing Distance of Capercaillie. Journal of Wildlife Management , 1. Weber, M. G. , & Stock, B. J. (1998). Forest Fires and Sustainability in the Boreal Forest of Canada. Royal Sweedish Academy of Science , 545-547. U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2001 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation: October 2002. U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation: National Overview. May 2007.

Diversity ANZ Bank Essay

After analysing the ANZ diversity policy, I have identified two key business objectives they are trying to pursue. The first being the ageing population within Australia and the second being an international expansion into Asian economies. Ageing Population: Statistics show that Australia has an increasing population of seniors from the age of 50 and over. It is estimated to increase to 57% of the customer population by 2021, making it a large and therefore important market segment for the business overall. With this in mind, ANZ have implemented strategies within their diversity policy that will enable them to better understand the ageing demographic and attend to their specific financial needs. By integrating mature age workers within their culture, ANZ are able to retain certain skills and experiences from older employees that the younger employees may not yet have. This provides ANZ with a great advantage by being able to effectively communicate with senior customers and increasing their overall customer base. Furthermore, they have implemented the Career Extension Policy that enables senior employees to keep working on a Part-Time basis, focussing on their senior customer base. To coincide with this policy they have developed a Retirement Banking Specialist Program that provides extensive training for these employees about the 55+ customer demographic and their specific needs. International Expansion (The Asian Century) ANZ’s approach to cultural and ethnic diversity can be directly linked to their segmented markets throughout Australia, New Zealand & Asia – with the Asian economies being the primary focus of attention. The need to expand into the Asian market is a big step for Australian banks, such as ANZ, as reports suggest that the overall Asian output has doubled in just under 60 years. Reports also suggest that this is set to continue well into the  future, presenting huge opportunities for Australian business. By encouraging employees with various ethinicities into senior type roles, they are able to integrate a lot easier within a certain culture which will in turn enable them to better undertstand the people and the market. A policy ANZ have put in place that supports the Asian market integration is the AsianLink Taskforce. This is designed to provide a capable workforce to help advocate the development of an Asian capable workforce, accelerate Asia focused strategies, invest in developing Asia capabilities and also to better educate about the Asian century. Age – Ageing population By employing mature age workers and implementing the Career Extension Program and Retirment Banking Specialist Program, ANZ have been able to gain a competitive advantage over other banks that will allow them to effectively communicate and engage with their senior target market by providing them with the right economic advice to suit their current stage of life. Furthermore, by retaining mature age workers within the company culture, through the extension program, they are minimising staff turnover and retaining their skills by not replacing them with other staff. Cultural Background & Ethnicity As mentioned earlier, ANZ’s cultural & ethnic diversity approach provides them with various benefits that allows them to easier integrate into new markets and cultures, such as the Asian economies mentioned. It’s not only about having a diverse workplace culture, but it is about also promoting people with different cultural backgrounds into senior management type roles to esnure the appropriate leadership is implemented within a specific culture. Recognizing and valuing the diversity of employees within an institution is very crucial. The reason being is that different employees from different areas of the world have different talents and skills which they naturally bring to the table. These differences provide ANZ with a strong and diverse team which gears the operations of the institution in the right direction. As an ANZ customer, I witness this first hand every single time I walk into one of their branches. I truly believe they are doing a great job in creating a diverse workplace. I believe that ANZ’s diversity policy is a good example of how a policy should be structured. It is easily laid out and the sub headings are easy to navigate through to find the desired information someone maybe looking for. It endevours to target a range of key issues that create a diverse workplace that coincides with organisational goals, and provides specific policies and measures that will enbable them to achieve these. †¢Well structured with an easy flow througout navigation. This refers to the actual design of the website. †¢Professionaly written and easy to understand. †¢A continually evolving connection throughout the document. By this I mean that as you navigate through the policies, they naturally seem to coincide with one another, and the measures in place throughout. This can be related to the structure and flow (design of website too), but focussing on the evolvement of policies and measures as you continue to click through the document. †¢Some very forward thinking policies and measures. †¢A complete document with more than enough information for the general public to understand their goals and plans of action. †¢Direct point of contact to Corporate Affairs, providing the general public with a name and address for mail enquiries as well as a direct phone number to this person. Also has a feedback email account and a link to general enquiries. †¢Subscription service to keep up-to-date with all sustainablity and diversity policies. †¢Compared to the other 3 big banks, the ANZ website looks very outdated and almost incorporates a ‘90’s’ style vibe. It is well structured but does lack a modern approach. †¢Social Media hyperlinks look outdated and are not as prominent compared to the other big bank wesbites. I feel ANZ are not  embracing social media enough, which has been proven (especially for banks) to be a successful integration amongst the general public. Also, compared to the other banks Facebook pages, ANZ has the least amount of likes and followers – by a siginificant number. I would highly recommend ANZ do a website overhaul in terms of making it look more modern and culturally fitting as this current wesbite comes across too formal and not engaging enough to the general public. However, I would not change the overall structure as it is quite creative. I would also recommend they make their social media links more prominent on the website to further embrace the modern culture. Overall, ANZ’s diversity policy can be considered very effective. They have really embraced diversity within their organisation’s culture and have set benchmarks in doing so. For example, their inclusivity of sexual orientation within their policy and support for the LGBTI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & Intesrex) community is unparallel to any other organisation I have researched. They work closely with a not-for-profit organisation called ‘Pride in Diversity’ that provides Australian organisations with key information in achieving an inclusive policy with the LGBTI community. As well as this, they complete the Australian Workplace Equality Index which helps them gather results to further support their LGBTI agenda. The Australian Workplace Equality Index is considered to be the only external benchmark for inclusivity of the LGBTI community. ANZ have also got an excellent program in place for recruiting and providing opportunities for Indigenous employees through their Indigenous Action Plan. This is a strategic goal for the company, as well as a chance to provide underpriveleged Indegenous Australians with an opportunity for employment. To ensure that the policy is being adhered to, and that targets are being achieved, it is monitored by an Advisory Group, which is part of ANZ’s Australian Division Advisory Council. The group ensures that the objectives are relevant and are being achieved. As a result of these actions, ANZ have been able to employ and retain many Indigenous Australians within their workforce and maintain the organisation’s diversity. The results for 2013 indicate that a total of 93 Indigenous Australians were given traineeship  roles, with a total of 58 being recruited as employees of the organisation.

Book review essay: Direct from Dell - Strategies that Revolutionized an Industry

Book review essay: Direct from Dell Strategies that Revolutionized an Industry Dell, a 1984 start-up that grew into great heights within a short span of less than 15 years, has immense hard work of both the founders and employees. Like many other companies, even Dell has faced many challenges and had made ways to beat them. 1. M. Dell grew up with an entrepreneurial spirit ‘ He realized that the computer stores at that time, were buying PCs from IBM, and had been charging a lot of money and gave little or no service. This is when he started assembling computers on his own, and started selling them at a cheaper price and provided better service. 2. Direct Model, v1.0 ‘ the entire business was about listening to the customer, responding to them, and delivering what they wanted. The direct model was based on direct selling. 3. Highest levels of service + products needed ‘ Their top priority was maintaining loyalty among customers and employees, which was achieved by bringing out the highest levels of service and high-performance products. 4. Disdaining inventory ‘ Improving the speed of the inventory flow 5. Order of business at Dell ‘ The new order of business at Dell based on ‘ Liquidity ‘ Profitability ‘ Growth 6. Clear metrics ‘ Once clear metrics and measurements was established, it was easy to see what businesses were performers. 7. Three Golden Rules at Dell ‘ 1) maintain a light inventory, 2) Listening to the customer, and 3) Always sell direct. 8. Phase review process for product development ‘It created a common language and the organization came to agreement on how product development and launching should take place. 9. Segmentation ‘ One can quickly grow smaller companies, but it’s an uphill task to sustain a high rate of growth in a larger corporation. Segmentation enabled dell to scale up its business rapidly. 10. Direct Model, v1.1 ‘ In Version 1.1, they reduced inventory inefficiencies. 11. Reward success by narrowing responsibility ‘This allowed them to keep their people happy and thriving and maintaining a high growth rate. 12. Information sharing ‘ they shared the best ideas throughout their various businesses. 13. Think like you the owner (ROIC) ‘they explained specifically how everyone could contribute: by cycle time reduction, by elimination of scrap, by increasing sales, by forecasting accurately and precisely, by scaling operations, by increasing inventory, collecting accounts receivables effectively, and doing things right in the first attempt. Dell practiced rewarding its employees using ROIC matrix. 14. Complexity kills ‘ their thumb rule was to have as few partners as possible. 15. Supplier management ‘ they set quantitative measures for success so the suppliers knew what they expected and they provide regular progress reports to the suppliers. 16. Inventory velocity revisited ‘Speed to market was important for two reasons. One was that it created competitive value that could be shared between buyer and supplier. The other was that when it came to delivering the latest product they had to be quick. 17. Using the Internet ‘By using the Internet they tried to maintain a continuous flow of materials from their suppliers to their factories, on an average their employees spent less time placing orders and more time building products adding value. The other advantage the Internet gave them was immediate and quick transmission of product quality data. Their suppliers could see the information in real-time. OB CONCEPTS AND THEIR BENEFITS IN DELL 1. Creativity: ‘ Willingness to look at the things differently ‘ Dell was first to experiment with ‘Direct marketing’ even when critics cited it to be a failure methodology 2. McClelland’s Theory of Needs: ‘ Need for Achievement (nAch): Points to support i. Motivated by his passion to do business ii. Converted Hobby(Philately) into initial venture ‘ Need for power: i. They wanted to emerge as a global leaders ii. Penetrate into other markets apart from US [Entered European market, Asian, etc] ‘ Need for Affiliation: i. Michael Dell made ways for friendly customer relations. ii. Dell had great regard for the employees and their concerns. Made frequent enquires to build a good working environment. 3. MBTI Personality: ESTJ ‘ Extrovert: He has been closely associated with the outside world right from the childhood, speaking to experts, salesmen, customers, etc. ‘ Sensing: More focus on details. Hired people to do data analysis while in Newspaper subscription business and implemented the same in the Dell. ‘ Thinking: Implemented competitive strategies (Speed to market, Customer service, Producing high quality, Providing latest relevant technology). ‘ Judging: i. More categorized and organized. ii. Predicted changes in the market much before they are to occur and took decisions accordingly that are fruitful. iii. Entered Consumer retails and exited it soon realising that the model cannot meet financial objective. (Corrective action) And restricted European operations. 4. Job Satisfaction: ‘ Storming Stage: Few managers who could not resist the organisational changes (eg. Use of facts) felt painful and left the organization. (Elimination of Theory X Employees). ‘ Recruiting Process: Michel Dell and his company made it a decision to hire persons with expertise and who had sense of adventure and love challenges. Thus favouring ‘Theory Y Personalities’ with following characteristics: i. How employees think about economic terms? ii. How they want to define success as? iii. How people value and relate them with others? iv. Ability of employees’ understanding on the strategy of the business they are involved in? v. Ability of employees’ understanding on business activities ‘ Employee Engagement: i. Theory Y employees welcomed the use of facts and shown their willingness to adapt to the organizational changes. ii. Change in decision making from emotion based decisions to factual data based decisions. 5. Management by Objectives: (Goal Setting Theory) Dell even at their initial stages were more cautious about setting goals and accomplishing them. Inference is that, Dell gave more priority to the above goal rather than mere growth. 6. Utilitarianism: Seeking the greatest good for the greatest number ‘ And reducing their inventories and overhear expenses. (Disdain Inventory) ‘ Knowing exactly what the customer wants and then provide it. (Always listen to Customer and never sell indirect) ‘ Thus operating at maximum Efficiency by not producing products until they know it is sold. 7. Social Learning Theory: ‘ Through Observations: i. Price is not a sustainable competitive advantage. ii. Understand the economies of each segment: Product, Use, Geography, Customer, etc. iii. Observations from Employee Interactions through following questionnaire: ‘ What are customers telling you? ‘ How do you think the company’s products are doing? ‘ What are our biggest challenges? ‘ What are the biggest threats to our success? ‘ How can the company support you better? ‘ Through own Experience: i. Introducing of Dell’s 30-days Guarantee: After realizing the customer’s insecurity and low levels satisfaction in online purchases, Dell for the first time in the industry introduced this scheme to promote online business-business methodology. ii. Targeting large companies for business to grow wider and faster. Thus making global expansion plans (outside US). 8. Contrast Effect (Perception): When Dell displayed their 12 Mhz high sped Machine in the Comdex show, they earned a good reputation for the product what they have manufactured. Taking products early to market and then capturing customers. 9. Job Enrichment: Train employees to act and think like owners. 10. Operant Based Learning – Make failures with learning acceptable. Dell also learned few things in a hard way. The following words spoke by Michael Dell from the book states this: 11. Selective Perception: Dell initially being more opportunistic tried entering into every sector of the market. This prevented them to make the best decisions and slowed down its growth rate. Then Dell differentiated the tasks: what to do and what not to? And accordingly assign or define goals. This way it has leant selective perception. ‘ CONCLUSION The book is a very good read, and the business principles highlighted above are truly excellent. The very core thing that drives the business is the fact that everything revolves around the customer. Listening to customer feedback, acting on it promptly and adding value to the customer are among the top priority for Dell. Dell has a good organisational practice in place always striving to attract and retain talents, thus making it the best place to work at. This perhaps has helped dell to achieve great heights and proceed beyond the set objectives.

Algorithm Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Algorithm - Assignment Example The time taken for reversing the array would be linear to the length of the subsequence at each round. The time taken for palindromic check would also be linear to half of the length of the subsequence returned at each round. Hence, the total time for the algorithm would be O (n2). For the subsequence x [i†¦j] to be palindromic, the element x[i] should be equal to x[j], the element x [i+1] should be equal to x [j-1] and so on. Hence, to compute L (i, j), the elements x [i] and the element x [j] are first checked for equality. If equal, then we can say that L (i, j) holds at least a minimum value of 2 and the equality check is repeated for the next element x [i+1] and x [j-1]. If not equal, it is concluded that at least one of the element is not included in the palindrome. In that case, we are interested in repeating the check for elements x[i] and x [j-1] as well as x [i+1] and x [j] as we are not sure which element is not included in the palindrome. In the worst case, if none of the elements match, then L (i, j) is equal to 1 as every element is a palindrome of itself. Complexity analysis: As the computation involves two for loops, one running n-1 times which is O (n) and the other running n-s times which is also O (n), the total running time for the algorithm would be O (n2). Let be the median of x1, x2, x3.... As median occurs at i= (n+1)/2, we can say that there are (n+1)/2 -1 element smaller the median and there are n-(n+1)/2 elements larger than Sum of the weights of the elements lesser than the median can be written as: From the above analysis in (a), we found that the sum of the weights of all elements smaller than the weighted median is less than  ½. Similarly the weight of all elements larger than the median is also less than 1/2. We can compute xk by recursively calling the deterministic SELECT to compute the regular median. In each round, the array is divided into two halves around the calculated median xm and the actual median xk

(Dear #2996) Essay in Philosophy class Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

(Dear #2996) in Philosophy class - Essay Example This short paper focuses for the main part on the subject of God in addition to the soul, rebirth and the more mundane affair of marriage. We also discuss points that would help to explain this situation that is peculiar to the Buddhist religion. In relation to mundane life, the noble Buddha did not delve extensively on the topic of marriage for example, so no rules were laid down dealing with married life although he did give some basic advice to ensure that people would lead happily married lives. Similarly, there are no direct references to related issues such as divorce or birth control. Nonetheless, worldly concerns were addressed but the focus was on liberation from suffering in this world and general guidance on how to live a good life. The most notable absences however, that one would expect to have been talked about by the founder of a religion, are the subjects of God and soul. A common fallacy is that buddhists deny the existence of both. Some would differ saying that by not proclaiming the existence of God, the noble Buddha in effect denied the existence of God, but even with this position, they cannot claim this with certainty for the very reason that no clear statement was made accepting the existence of God. At the same time, we could also argue that God does exist because there are sufficient records of noble Buddha discussing God in the Buddhist scriptures. In regard to the soul, the position of Buddhism is similar to Islam wherein God responded to a question concerning the soul; that people have only been given a little knowledge. The noble Buddha however was more strict in ensuring that his teachings were kept simple, and he did not intend to cause any confusion. In actual fact, the noble Buddha neither categorically denied God or the soul, nor did he affirm their existence. What the noble Buddha discouraged was speculating on such subjects on which one does not have proper knowledge. The noble Buddhas position was to either remain

Assignment2 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Assignment2 - Coursework Example The customer noticed that there was a problem with his skin and he starts making a research about the perfect cure for that by searching online, consulting a doctor, or asking a group of friend. After that, the customer can make a decision about what he wants. Next is the actual purchase of the facial product and finally, a post-purchase evaluation. When the customer was asked why she bought the facial mask she replied, â€Å"For treatment.† When asked why the mask is important to her, she says the product will treat black head and even tone making her to have a better skin and appearance. By having a better skin and appearance, she replied that she would be beautiful, healthy, and bright. Therefore, we know something about the features of the facial mask and her perception of the benefit which she has gained by that product’s feature (good health, beauty, and brightness). On the other hand, when asked â€Å"How do you feel when you are using the mask?† she repli es â€Å"Relax and calm.† In this case, it can conclude that the benefit of using the facial mask for treatment is crucial to this customer since it results in the valued end state of self-esteem. In this regard, the customer responded that the benefit of using the facial mask was self-esteem (relaxed and calm) as well as for beauty, brightness, and good health. The process of establishing links between features, benefits, and valued end states is termed as a laddering interview. It involves asking a customer repeatedly to identify the reason why something is important to her. As cited by Kuester (2012), a brand delivers the benefits which the customer truly desires. Branding also assists the customers to remember the product. The customer bought a facial mask of the Clearance brand not because of the product’s attributes but because of those attributes, combined with the brand’s image and many other intangible and tangible factors that created an attractive whole. In the same way,

Health promotion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Health promotion - Essay Example For instance, the organization sets standards which helps to safeguard public safety in terms of nutrition or quality preventative medicine. Thirdly, the WHO role is to articulate on the ethical plus evidence-based health promotion strategy options, through provision of technical support, promoting change, and constructing sustainable institutional capabilities. Thus, the organization eases technical support to nations even as it monitors and disseminates progress on public health needs, while assisting in political mobilization and financial support. The other role of WHO in health promotion is to scan and report on any international outbreak alerts even as it institutes response networks in preparation for any form of outbreaks. Accordingly, the organization helps national authorities together with local communities in strengthening their overall capability to manage all forms of crises. This is more so through guaranteeing effective and well-timed action when it comes to tackling public health concerns. The organization ensures local health structures are operating effectively and efficiently, and if not to mitigate against the outcomes of a particular public health crisis. Therefore, the WHO is involved in monitoring global health situation while assessing the changing health trends (World Health Organization, 2013, para 3). Educational Authorities The role of national Education Authority in the delivery of health promotion is based on the 1998 strategy framework referred to as ‘Saving lives – Our Healthier Nation’ (National Health Service, 2013, para 3). Thus, the roles of educational authorities does not just involve highlighting public health through personal behaviour change or lifestyle change, but also through health improvement with a strong emphasis on the wider social, monetary and environmental determinant of wellbeing. Their main responsibility is to research and broadcast facts and information regarding health improvement. Se condly, education authorities are involved in providing advice on creating and implementing of health standards while developing the capability and competence of personnel working on health enhancement. Thirdly, they are responsible for fostering skills and programs required for effective team healthcare, such as interdisciplinary team education for learners in nursing, and social work. Therefore, their job is to place a duty on educational institutions to ensure that they promote children and learners mental, emotional, and social as well as their physical health. This is not just through the creation of curriculums which have a holistic view to health and wellbeing, but also through the promotion of NHS nutrition, public health awareness and expertise in planning and deliverance of good lifestyle behaviors in schools (Ewles, 2006, p.29) Social workers Social workers also play a huge role in the delivery of health promotion. Firstly, they are involved in defining evidence?pedestal interventions that do not just focus on individual level care, but also community level care (Payne, 2005, p. 217). For instance, applying teaching and counselling in addressing lifestyle diseases like obesity or chronic illnesses. Secondly, social workers are mandated to Increase communities and individuals protective health

Virtual Reality Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Virtual Reality Technology - Essay Example This discussion highlights that  virtual reality has been on the public limelight for the last 20 years, the technology has been present for a much longer period. It is believed that virtual reality first existed as early as mid-1800. By that time, the technology was in its most crude form and only occurred as panoramic murals.According to the report findings Furness III made a milestone development when he made further advancements to the already available virtual reality technology. He was able to make a flight simulator for American Air Force. His technology provided a solution, albeit partly, to the problem of overwhelming control systems in the pilot cockpit. Comeau and Bryan working at Philco Corporation made another milestone development by creating a head mouted display, which had a magnetic tracking system to guide the head. It is however worth noting that the first head mounted virtual reality gadget was made by Sutherland by the end of 1960s. Interestingly, this gadget w as so heavy and large that it had to be mounted on the roof while in use. Sutherland is credited with his efforts and contribution to the world of virtual reality and the fact that he was the first person to come up with an augmented reality head-mounted machine. Whereas many scientists were concentrating on the practical aspect, other scientists such as Roberts contributed to the evolution by writing algorithms for making images clearer and more realistic. McGreevy Michael came up with yet more advancements by coming up with the first Virtual Visual Environment Display system. At this stage, the use of computers in virtual reality machines was more prevalent. Lippman Andy made other remarkable fetes in the evolution of virtual reality in 1978 by integrating the processing power of computers in computing the relationship between the user’s image and the virtual graphic objects. Digitization then made it possible to create silhouettes. Fakespace built a telepresence camera, wh ich had advanced 3D with high-resolution imagery. In 1990s, other contributors such as Larry and Andy Wachowski, Silicon graphics and King Stephen made further developments (Burdea & Coiffet, 2003). At present, virtual reality has become autonomy for the modern society. There is a remarkable acceptance for virtual reality as a component or aspect of modern lifestyle. Virtual reality

Experiences with Pop Ups Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Experiences with Pop Ups - Essay Example These pop-ups take ages to get loaded and ultimately open in different windows of the browser which makes me feel incapable of doing anything to remove them from my computer system. These pop-ups consume quite a lot of bandwidth and at times display obscene images on my screen which makes me feel really bad (Rohan 2003). I really cannot do anything worthwhile whenever these pop-ups appear and I just do not understand what to do with them. My experience with pop-ups suggests to me that I am wasting my time in different zones where I must not have gone at all in the first place. I become shocked to see how these pop-ups make all of us feel so stupid and dumb at times. Â  I am of the view that these pop-ups are immoral and these advertise things which are in bad taste and spirit. They mean business, however in a very negative way. These must not be allowed and all efforts should be undertaken by the anti- pop up makers to keep away these pop-ups which bring tension and a sense of wrath for the users. The unethical nature of these pop-ups suggests that the makers of these pop-ups and similar advertising messages are people who lack morality within their folds and hence they have little or absolutely no respect for the privacy of computer users. It is important that some legislation is passed under the cybercrime act which takes care of these pop-ups and their manufacturers so that they do not play havoc with our lives as and when they wish (Cowan 2004). The morality or the lack thereof could be gauged from the fact that these pop-ups have nude images, obscene gestures and illicit messages embedded within them, irrespective of the fact who is sittin g on the computer screen and what kind of usage is he employing as far as the computer system is concerned (Thompson 2006).

Pedagogical Strategy Using the Harry Potter Books Research Paper

Pedagogical Strategy Using the Harry Potter Books - Research Paper Example According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that making the curriculum conducive for inculcating the interest in the students of elementary age has always come as a big challenge to the educationalists. â€Å"Culturally responsive teaching implies using cooperative learning methods and strategies to discover the student's worlds and incorporate them into the world of the classroom†. The interest a child takes in his/her studies in the elementary age plays a decisive role in his/her current and future academic performance, and his/her professional career in the long run. On the other hand, children are least sincere about their studies in the elementary school because they are too little, or perhaps more rightly, too immature to conceive the importance of education in their life. In order to generate a competent workforce to serve in the market and industry in the future, measures need to be taken today, to raise children’s interest in their studies wh en they are in the very early years of their academic career. One way to achieve this is by making the elementary education compliant with the standards, norms, and culture of Hogwarts School as portrayed in the Harry Potter series. â€Å"When inculcated in the fundamental educational system, educational and other standards of Hogwarts School will raise children’s interest in all of their subjects and school in general, and English literature in particular.† Children studying in one educational level like 1st grade or 2nd grade are distributed between sections of the same class as per the seniority of registration or any other criteria. Unfortunately, the conventional sorting processes are unwatchful of a child’s association with his/her friends of his/her own age, and the friends get distributed in separate sections. This happens to be one of the reasons why children lose interest in studies.

Factors Involved in the Tanker Contract Essay Example for Free

Factors Involved in the Tanker Contract Essay Issues that relate to security are of key concern to all nations (Meyer, 2007). The national security and internal defense are some of the sectors that are allocated lump sums of resources in the budgetary allocation (Meyer, 2007). Such allocations are in line with the perceived importance that the area of defense has. The united states as a country is no stranger to conflict and is one of the country that has been involved in external conflict for long periods of time both in the 20th and 21st century (Meyer, 2007). The politics involved in the security are some of the most interesting and widely covered happenings in the US press. Financial power is seen to go in line with military power in that countries that have the financial ability tend to develop their military capabilities and the same can be said of countries that have military abilities. National security is an area of key concern and therefore there is lots of secrecy involved in its dealings (Meyer, 2007). The nature of the deals often require utmost confidentiality from the parties involved and therefore many transactions happen in well defined and approved channels. The military association are developed with time and may be extended to association in other areas since its better to develop good relations with persons with security details that could be detrimental to the country if leaked (Meyer, 2007). The military world has been developing with technological improvements and the military equipments currently being used are characterized by more accuracy and considerable throughput (Verkuil, 2007). These two factors are but a few of the considerations in choosing a partner or a contractor that will help in developing certain aspects of the security system (Verkuil, 2007). It therefore does not come as a surprise that military procurement procedures and processes have considerable controversy since people have varied views on efficiency and security implications (Verkuil, 2007). This research paper analyses the issues involved in the airforce contract tender to build tankers between Boeing and Northrop Grumman with the aim of highlighting key issues involved in addressing security critical details. Background Boeing KC-767 is one of the military aerial refueling strategy that had been developed by Boeing 767-200 (CBS News, 2008). The tanker was designated KC-767 after it was selected by the US airforce to replace the KC-135s. However, in December of 2003, the contract was frozen after corruption allegation on the bidding process were forwarded. The development of the project is said to have cost Boeing over $ 1 Billion as the project was based on the assumption that the US airforce will be the chief consumer. Ever since the freezing of the project the Italian and the Chinese government have each ordered a number of these tankers. To address the KC-X competition the Boeing offered the 7627-200 Long range freighter which is based on the KC-767 (Online News Hour, 2008). However, the Department of defense selected KC-30 which was developed by Northrop Grumman (CBS News, 2008). The Boeing company on the 11th March 2008 submitted a protest on the decisions made by the airforce, the United States accountability office upheld their protests and in so doing the status of the KC-45A was placed in doubt and therefore the Boeing company was again in position to bid for the contract (CBS News, 2008). This was no to be since the US government in September 2008 terminated all bids on the KC-X (CBS News, 2008). In March 2002, the US airforce selected Boeings KC-767 on the grounds that it had clearly demonstrated the abilities to meet their requirements. The United States Airforce (USAF) in their acceptance statement brought out four points that they cited as being behind their decision (CBS News, 2008). The Boeings design was designated KC-767A and was included in DODs 2004 model designation report. Approximately 100 KC-767 tankers were leased from Boeing for the air refueling program. Even though the refueling program was in place in many countries in the US, many had questions about its effectiveness and cost implications especially the idea of leasing crafts which may never have any buyer once the lease period was over. This argument brought forward by senator McCain was however countered by the number of US allies who were more than willing to buy their used crafts (CBS News, 2008). The congressional budget office was next in line as they criticized the budget stressing on its fiscal irresponsibility (United States Government Accountability Office, 2008). This led to the striking of a deal where the state would buy 80 KC-767 and lease twenty (United States Government Accountability Office, 2008). However, in December of 2003, the pentagon announced that the project had to be frozen due to a corruption allegation brought against one of its former staffer (CBS News, 2008). Furthermore, documentations that proved that the A330 based tankers were more suited to the task specifications of the airforce were more cost effective relative to Boeing tankers were found (CBS News, 2008). The scandal led to the sentencing of the culprit who pleaded guilty to corruptions and led to the resignation of Boeings CEO. Donald Rumsfeld in 2006 announced the cancellation of the KC-767A leases as a measure aimed at cutting the costs and a redefinition of the USAF mission (United States Government Accountability Office, 2008). The defense secretary further stated that the move will not in any way affects the mission of the KC-767A as the upgrade of the KC-135s fleets will help in moving towards the goals (United States Government Accountability Office, 2008). However, the development did no affect the relationships between Boeing and its other customers. The development were however short lived and Boeing and Northrop were soon back in the ring fighting for a big defense contract. The basis of Boeings arguments was that the KC-30 was more versatile and had a large furl capacity than the KC-135 that were being used by the airforce. The KC-135 was developed by Boeing who were bidding for an airforce contract against their nemesis Northrop Grumman . The latter won this round of battle as the departments of defense announced that it has won the tender to procure 179 new KC-45A tankers (Online News Hour, 2008). The Boeing company almost immediately took to the Government Accountability Office and filed a protests claiming the evaluation of its KC-30 was unfair (Online News Hour, 2008). Boeing further claimed that its refueling tanker could easily be reconverted to a passenger plane compared to Northrops version as shown in the Air forces post decision briefing. According to Boeings vice president they had more strengths than their competitors was all he heard from the post decision briefing. Boeings protests led to a review of the selection process by the accountability office which forced Northrop to freeze the project which it had already allocated $ 35 billion (Online News Hour, 2008). Northrop Grumman executives are on the other hand highlighting the irresponsibility involved in freezing a critical project to the development of the military for expensive lobbying in the congress that will inevitably lead to a change of the decisions made by the airforce (Online News Hour, 2008). Northrop Grumman executives further claim the decision is ironic since they put their best efforts in ensuring that the airforce receives a products that they consider the best in consideration of the design (Online News Hour, 2008). They are pushing for the public knowledge of the facts of what they represents and what they are not. The congress was divided sharply on this issue and so was the general public. Boeing supporters claim that the Northrop Grumman design was a basic passenger airbus plane (Online News Hour, 2008). A Kansas congress man was cited claiming that the decisions made by the airforce was a bad one as the airforce as it has bend backwards to deal with a French company (Online News Hour, 2008). Boeings die hards near its main production facility claimed that it is the only true tanker manufacturers and a mistake had been made (Online News Hour, 2008). A Washington senator supported this point of view and claimed that offering a military contract to a foreign company was suicidal and would incapacitate Americas ability to develop their own fleet if they should ever pull out of the deal (Online News Hour, 2008). An Alabama state senators is of a different view and approached the subject from a resource allocations view point (Online News Hour, 2008). People near Northrop are bound to benefit more that those near the Boeing plants and therefore there senators have opinions that display their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the resource allocations (Online News Hour, 2008). She further states that there have to be losers and winner either way (Online News Hour, 2008). The Boeing group further accuse the airforce of a change in parameter in order to accommodate the design put up by Northrop Grumman so as to ensure two bidders are present (Online News Hour, 2008). Even though many are of the view that the airforce was trying to lock out Boeing due to the scandals it previously had, Boeing executives were of the view that was not the case as the specifications that were asked by the airforce were changed considerably to ensure Northrop was in the race (Online News Hour, 2008). They further claim that the large sized tanker proposed by the Northrop was a liability and only countries not interested in their taxi ways would allow for such aircrafts. The Northrop group however counter this argument by stating that their design is more sophisticated and has advantages that are yet to be seen (Online News Hour, 2008). Issues Boeing is one of the worlds best known manufactures of aircrafts and so is Northrop Grumman who are the manufacturers of the airbus (Online News Hour, 2008). These are two top brands who are obviously competing in other areas of business and therefore any decision that involve them is bound to raise considerable heat. It should b noted that both are American companies though Northrop Grumman is partly owned by a French company. The nature of the contract which involves the security of America as a nation is a matter of national concern as it involves the development of structures that could ensure the growth of security systems. Boeing and Grumman being business structures, such a big contract will obviously attract the interest of stakeholders from both sides. There are a number of key issues that have been brought out by the airforce contracts which include: i. Politics Military contracts are a matter of public concern since it is in place to protect the public, the resources used in the military contracts are derived from taxpayers and therefore the failure of such projects will be a waste of taxpayers money (Meyer, 2007). When McCain questioned the cost effectiveness in leasing planes that would otherwise have no values when their lease period was over his motive as the senator of Alabama was to ensure that the taxpayers money is channeled to useful projects. Furthermore, it is quite clear that the politicians have the ability to shoot down potentially useful deals due to what Northrop Grumman executives refer to as expensive lobbying. Politics is not always objective for there are situations where the stakes involved are shielded from the public and though the politics and viewpoints will be developed to suit the public, the real reasons are often personal (Meyer, 2007). The inclusion of politics in such cases therefore has both advantages and disadvantages and should be weighed carefully. Military procurement just like any other public procurement scheme is prone to corruption, this was the case in the original contract that was brought to an end by Rumsfeld in 2006. Moreover, the big money involved in military procurement processes act as a natural catalysts for corruption, therefore there is need to come up with a robust self regulated systems that will ensure that such unethical practices are not in anyway included in the procurement process, the congress thus comes into the picture (Meyer, 2007). However, the political system is not known for its objectivity. In the cases, some of the reasons brought out against Northrop Grumman are flimsy and lack in objectivity. The fact that there will be lobbying is a clear sign that there will be loss in objectivity thus the decision will tend to favor groups that are be able to garner enough political support in the congress. Furthermore, the political system is one of the most corrupt system there is and the rationale in placing such a system to guard against corruption is questionable. ii. Security Military procurement is a security critical matter (Meyer, 2007). The military is in place to ensure that the US is protected against its external enemies (Meyer, 2007). The seriousness with which the equipment tendering process is treated and the keen eye that the media watches the unfolding of such events relay the importance placed on the military by the American people. The US is traditionally a fighting nation and the effectiveness of its military and equipments is one of the factors that has cemented its place as a world power. Military activities require high levels of secrecy (Meyer, 2007). There is need to come up with effective equipments that can be used in varied situations. It should be noted that the arguments brought forward by the executives from both sides are centered around the superiority of their products or the weaknesses of their opposite. The need for accuracy and well developed products that have the required reputation are some of the considerations that led to the two big companies making it to the final stage. The two companies are multinationals that have developed their brands all over the globe. It is noteworthy that when the US defense secretary cancels Boeings leases other nations still seek their products and are continues seeking the products that have been labeled cost ineffective due to the reputation associated with their brand name. The importance of the security system is seen in the number of avenues and legislative systems that have been put in place to ensure that the process is done in a just manner (Krishnan, 2008). When the airforce declares that Northrop Grumman had won the bid for the airforce tankers, Boeing seeks redress through a different avenue: Public accountability office. The office looks at their complaints and decides to freeze the process. It should be noted that it was the same office that had early in the decades frozen a billion dollar Boeing contract due to corruption charges. Even though there are systems put in place to ensure proper procedures in procurement of services and services, they can be outdone easily (Krishnan, 2008). The corruption allegations made in the initial Boeing contracts are a clear case where the protocols were overridden and it only came to realization a couple of months after the contracts had been signed. Furthermore, the fact that is was later found out that a different design could meet the specifications made by the airforce with reduced costs clearly show that even though the guidelines are put in place they are rarely followed thus the need for a system or authority that will follow up on the recommendations and processes to ensure that they conform to the laid out guidelines. Some politicians have argued that the French affiliation of the airbus manufacturer is in itself a security risk and therefore a purely American company should be contracted. However, such a contracting systems will obviously lock out other capable companies and therefore bring about questions on the integrity of the bidding process. America has prided itself as being a liberalized nation, putting up measures that will lock out other qualified members on the basis of the compositions of its investors is contrary to the spirit of liberalization. Furthermore, being involved with a company that has partnered with a success story in Europe shields the tanker project from American economic downtimes though it effectively ensures that the project is affected by the happening in Europe. It is unrealistic to lobby for Boeing on the basis of confidentiality; a company that has already shown traces of corruption cannot be trusted and neither can a company that is yet to prove its worth in the military sector. Therefore, system should be put in place to ensure that the projects are monitored and compared to some given standards if either is to be awarded the contract. iii. Stability The US is the father of capitalism and is therefore a country that is characterized by intense competition between industry players who will always be on the look for additional finances that will ensure their development into the future (Verkuil, 2007). On the day it was reported that Northrop Grumman had won the military contracts its share prices rose by over 20 cents and Boeings shares fell by a couple of cents (CBS News, 2008). Note, the development in the contract procurement were being watched by investors who will then make their decisions on which company to invest in. Even though the large money involved in the transactions may be enough to lure investors into channeling their resources to a particular company, the reputation involved in being a company contracted with one of the worlds best airforce to develop its aircraft tankers is enough to cause significant changes in the companys share index. Being a capitalistic economy where entities gain at the expense of others, Boeing is bound to feel the pinch. The situation is made worse by the consideration that Boeing has a well developed reputation and therefore failure to win a contract from a partner that it has associated with for a long time may be taken by the investors and its consumers in the wrong light. It may imply that the partner does not trust its capacity to develop superiors products or has doubts on its potential to remain productive. To bring the idea of reputation into perspective, many are of the notion that the corruptions charges brought against Boeing may have affected its chances of successfully bidding for the contract (Verkuil, 2007). This holds considerable weight in that the military is not all about facilities but also reputation. The American people and its enemies will always keep a keen eye on the military and any transactions conducted with a partner who is proved to be corrupt will dent on its integrity thus its reputation. Conclusion Awarding a contract to a company to deliver services that are of public interest is a complex process and will always involve the media and many other systems that have been put in place to ensure the safety of the public. Individual good and interest will always be central in the arguments brought forward by most people, this is more pronounced if the contract will significantly affect many people. It is therefore upon the government and the social systems to ensure that the systems put in place to ensure effectiveness of the bidding process are functioning properly and are robust enough to deal with the dynamism associated with such processes. If need be, changes must be instituted to ensure that the system are functioning. The products delivered must measure up to some predetermined standards to ensure quality and accountability. These measures and other quality management measures if well integrated into the bidding and implementation of contracts that are of public interest will ensure that the public benefits in the best possible way. Word Count: 3271 Reference List CBS News (2008). Boeing Spurned On Huge Air Force Contract. Retrieved 13 October 2008 from http://www. cbsnews. com/stories/2008/02/29/business/main3894669. shtml? source=RSSattr=Business_3894669 Krishnan, A. (2008). War as Business: Technological Change and Military Service Contracting. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. Meyer, J. (2007). Working in a War Zone: Military Contractors. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group. Online News Hour (2008). Boeing, Northrop Grumman Clash Over Tanker Contract. Retrieved 13 October 2008 from http://www. pbs. org/newshour/bb/military/jan-june08/tanker_05-06. html. United States Government Accountability Office (2008). Statement Regarding the Bid Protest Decision Resolving the Aerial Refueling Tanker Protest by The Boeing Company. Retrieved 13 October 2008 from http://www. governmentexecutive. com/pdfs/061808cd1. pdf Verkuil, R. (2007). Outsourcing Sovereignty: Why Privatization of Government Functions Threatens Democracy and what We Can Do about it. New York: Cambridge University Press.

War in Iraq on the US economy Essay Example for Free

War in Iraq on the US economy Essay The United States’ minding the business of Iraq has been classified as a good deed by some people especially the people of Kuwait. Here Iraq invaded Kuwait to annex it as one of its provinces under the leadership of Iraq’s Saddam Hussein. However, some quarters feel that this is an invasion into the private affairs of Iraq. One article called the United States under George Bush as the Pentagon Zionists. They both claim that the uninvited meddling of the internal affairs of Iraq has precipitated into weakening of the United States Economy as well as the other countries that have aided them in the war against Iraq. The weakening of the economy has been characterized as the skyrocketing world oil prices caused by the war on Iraq. Likewise, the war in Iraq has been characterized by too much money funneled out of the United States economy and into the war in Iraq. For, it costs money to buy the war planes, war boats, war ammunitions, the hiring of soldiers to go into Iraq and other military operating expenses (Petras, 2005) . Likewise, the United States war on Iraq has similar characteristics with the war it has fought in the prior years such as the Korean War, the Civil War, World War I and World War II. Meaning, the United States’ entry into the warpath shows how a well oiled war machine and ideology based coherent and monetarily blessed few with their highly placed thinkers in the highest policy making organizations of the state can bend official government policy to favor the needs of the foreign power over and against recognized economic interests (Ibid). Further, the oppositionists to the United States’ meddling insists that the generalized invasion of Iraq by the American Zionists against an Arab State and its citizens. The reason for the Iraq Invasion was because the United States wanted to help the Jews of Israel to expand their borders well inside the Palestinian state. For, there is an open agreement between the United States and Israel to push their Zionist influence well into Arab territories. This was code named A Middle East Common Market plan. This was the basic formula adopted for a permanent war in the Middle East. The oppositionists believe that the Zionist want to install their philosophy of free market and democracy. This formula was thought to be heartily embraced by both the liberal and the conservative politicians in the United States thereby depriving the Iraqi people their right to basic democratic rights as well as their own domestic markets(Ibid). Introductorily, some quarters believe that the United States continues to increase their daily losses from money and casualties together with their coalition partner countries with their continued involvement in the Iraq territory’s internal affairs. Some quarters believe that many of the war partners of the United States have already gone home to their own countries leaving the United States and its closest friends behind in Iraq. For the enemies of the United States believe that there are a few Zionists running the government and influencing it to wage war against Iraq. Some quarters believe that the continued presence of the American Forces in Iraq is one of the major forces that caused the devaluation of the United States dollar. Consequently, many of the people inside and outside the United States wants to put an end to the Iraq war by rallying being their message to the United States government to bring back home their sons, fathers, brothers, cousins, neighbors, friends and the like from the war torn district of Iraq. For, many members of the United States military feel that of the disillusionment that the war on Iraq has brought to the soldiers of the United States and their allies from a couple of countries as well as the civilian populations in those countries. The most vocal of which is France who staunchly rallied behind a no –invasion of Iraq policy in the United Nations. The few people in the United States government were so good at selling their plan to send military troops into Iraq (Ibid). In terms of macroeconomics, the United States admittedly suffered large casualties in Iraq and the war debt generated by the United States from their uninvited adventures into Iraq has been growing by an average amount of billions of United States dollars per day. Some quarters believe that the few Zionist people in the United States government were instrumental enough to poison the other members of the government to almost cut their ambassadorial relationship with France and the other European nations that were steadfast in their decision not to interfere with the internal affairs of Iraq. Economically, the main purpose of the United States’ trespassing into Iraq’s territorial jurisdiction was to ensure that the United States would control the privatization as well as the denationalization of the Iraq oil industry. Another goal of the United States’ invasion of Iraq and the removal from power of Saddam Hussein was to decapitate the current European benefits that came from the reconstruction of Iraq not to mention the United States’ plans to give Israel an added advantage in the Middle East. Indeed, the United States’ open stand that it wants to control the world has its consequence of continuous invasions into other countries to expand its empire. Many military think tanks believe that the United States did not take into account the large scale destruction of the assets located in Iraq by peppering some historic buildings with guided missiles and other explosive materials. Likewise, the cost of starting and maintaining a war needs lots of money. This causes the United States money to literally bleed. In addition, the Unites States gives out one of its famous lines that in order to maintain a living space, the maintenance of the controlling presence of the soldiers, politicians and ideologically biased individuals or groups. For, the United States Zionists believe that in order to maintain a peaceful environment to live in, the United States must literary have absolute supreme sovereignty and control. The purpose of this paper is to show that the United States’ decision to pierce the veil of privacy of Iraq by uninvitingly pushing the aircraft missiles’ button was because the United States felt that it had a right to control the oil fields of Iraq. Meaning, there was already a harmonious relationship between United States multinationals in the Petroleum industry and the oil companies in Iraq before the war. Thus, the United States and its few allies ventured into Iraq without thinking beforehand of the large amounts of cash outflows involved in a long protracted war between the United States and Iraq. Also, the attack of Iraq was fueled the ground zero event where many people died. The ground zero event in New York represents people who died when three commercial airplanes were hijacked and rammed into the White house and the twin towers were brought down to ground zero level (rubble).

The Love In John Donne Poems English Literature Essay

The Love In John Donne Poems English Literature Essay John Donne (1572-1631) was born in London to a Roman Catholic family, but changed to Anglicanism during the 1950s (Fowkes x-xi). He is an English metaphysical poet, writer, and theologian. He makes poems focused on death, love, and sex. In addition, he writes a wide range of secular and religious. Besides, he has many subjects focusing of love, the pain of parting, and the exhilaration of sex. These poems show the suppressed energy in Donnes characteristics and its source the intellectual, spiritual, and emotional conflicts, which john passed through out his life. Donnes love poetry is a very complex phenomenon. Nevertheless, he has two strains: the strain of dialectic and the strain of realism (Grierson 84). He writes about love as an actual experience in all its moods, even in gay or angry. With regard to, Donne relates to 16th century the era in which all poets are Petrarchan, otherwise, he challenges his time and breaks off the Petrarchan tradition. He breaks the tradition becaus e his poems with specific temper, imagery, rhythm and colors. John writes many poems about love one of his collections is Songs and Sonnets. The majority of this book talks about love, which is addressed to an imagined hearer. He establishes a metaphysical relationship between body and soul. Donnes love poems characterize with truth. He shows the truth through the passions that he represents them existed in human experience. Therefore, he makes his poem equal to real world. Still, his love poems are less real than that of the Petrarchans. In the same manner, Donnes poetry is not about the marriage and adultery, whereas, it is about the difference between love and lust. He mentions love in different types and shapes such as beauty, betrayal, and death. John Donne poems are not about the lust or desire; therefore, they are not about chivalric, but intellectual love in general. The greatness of Donnes love poetry is due to the fact his experience of the passion range from its lowest to its highest reaches (Bennett 142). Sometimes, he shows desires but not the whole poem about this desire. For example, Air and Angels is a type of a love poem does not empty from a desire; still it talks about love with other idea. Air and Angels has an argument between two types of love: the metaphysical and the rhetorical. The metaphysical shows the motion in Air and Angels. This poem seems often to defeat its readers; not because of its difficult argument, but, because readers do not recognize the idea of it. Donne, in this poem, is placing a very high value upon pressuring some detachment at the heart of an emotional involvement.(Sanders 89) It is an open image that sometimes the reader can see the detachment as a betrayal of love. In addition, Donn e shows the implication that neither the mind, nor the man can rest to leave this woman unattached by his desire to her. Any way, in the first stanza, the speaker addresses his beloved; he describes the beauty of his beloved that he always looks for it. In lines (11-14) he gives a beautiful metaphorical image for his mistress, he portrays her beauty as an angel: And therefore what thou wert, and who,             I bid Love ask, and now That it assume thy body, I allow, And fix itself in thy lip, eye, and brow. Those lines are an example of a Petrarchan era that shows the woman as an object. Similarly, he looks and searches for this type of beauty, which is angelic. Referring to line (8), Takes limbs of flesh, and else could nothing do the speaker argues to a flesh and blood woman that her nothingness, must be embodied by means of love. He compares this embodiment to the habitation by his soul of his body (Salomon 13). Also, he shows the irony in nothing do, the tone is flexible to take this love with that womans beauty has fobbed him off. In the second stanza, Donne satisfies that love is more pleasing to any woman than worship of her beauty. Therefore, he finds the beauty does not last as love. According to lines (15-20): Whilst thus to ballast love I thought,       And so more steadily to have gone,       With wares which would sink admiration, I saw I had loves pinnace overfraught ;       Thy every hair for love to work upon Is much too much ; some fitter must be sought ; Here the image of love is so beautiful, in which, he says that his problem was that his love had no body; but now, his problem is that she has a beautiful body that he himself cannot imagine it. whereas, the next lines (21-25) he shows the pure love that he finds in his beloved appearance. Then as an angel face and wings Of air, not pure as it, yet pure doth wear,       So thy love may be my loves sphere ;             Just such disparity As is twixt airs and angels purity, Twixt womens love, and mens, will ever be. he shows a problem about physical love. The last six lines are the solution which show love must be pure between the two souls. In line (27) As is twixt airs and angels purity Salomon says that the speakers love being more pure than the ladys as an angel is more pure that its airy embodiment (13). In lines (23-25): Then as an angel face and wings Of air, not pure as it, yet pure doth wear,       So thy love may be my loves sphere; Those lines an image of wooing to his love, he sees her as the air-body angel, which confines the spirit in earth, as this woman is a resting place for him. In final line Twixt womens love, and mens, will ever be. It is an image of love between women and men, which will stay forever because they are united. To conclude the discussion of Air and Angels, Donne discovers that her beauty is dazzling. Therefore, he must work very hard to get her angelic love. In the metaphysical view, angels appeared to men as a vapor (Martz 171). In that case, he shows the Petrarchan point of view through the superior image that he draws to his beloved. He portrays her beauty with angelic, pure. Again in the previous line, which has mentioned, he asks for her love by coming down from her angelic status, and be one. According to john, love is exciting experience and love poems are the communication with others to feel in this excitement. Despite of the fear in falling in love due to the torment that one f eels, but since love is peaceful and restful, there is no fear to feel in love. Donne is a great love poet because he has the ability to write his experience of love and let the other feel it with him. Donne in his collection Songs and Sonnets shows another type of love. In his poem Witchcraft by a Picture, reveals the obscure between the two characters in the poem. His poem reflects his era which he relates for it, although, he was not following the Petrarchan system. Therefore, he intends to show the bad side of love in the betrayal image of a man who leaves his woman alone, this picture differs from the Petrarchan because the dont show the man in a cold-heart image. The betrayal reveals in the lover who bewitches his beloved and he fears to fall in love with her. Therefore, he has broken up with her because he accuses her that she is a witch and bewitches him. In the first stanza, lines (1-3): I  FIX  mine eye on thine, and there     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pity my picture burning in thine eye;   My picture drownd in a transparent tear, Those lines reveal how was the woman astonished this broken up. Here is a visual image, portrays in the tears of this woman that this speaker was the reason for them. The metaphorical image portrays in that the speaker sees the reflection of his picture in her eyes that full of tears burning as someone burns a paper to be able to forget. Despite all of that, Greg Bentley when he comments on this poem and mentions that in the medieval era, they symbolized for a witch with non-human, and they was beating her until she dies. In addition, the witch cannot cry, unless if there is a priest or cleric. If she does then she is innocent and if she does not then she is guilty (16). In these previous lines, Donne makes the woman cries because she is innocent from the accusation that her beloved accuses her with it. As well, the word pity has an ambiguous meaning: the first meaning the speaker wants his beloved sympathy, and the second he feels pity in his mistress because of what he did with her (Bentley 15-16). Besides in the third line my picture drowned in a transparent tear has an ambiguity. It can be that the woman tricks the speaker with her tears to catch his attention and destroy him. In addition, the second reading can be that her tears are genuine that she is not a witch because she hurts honestly hurt by her lover. Then Donne establishes that the lover is a betrayal. In the same manner, the second stanza has other images shows the betrayal of the fearful lover. Donne starts with I have drunk the sweet salt tears, this line is a reminding to her tears that burning and drowned. It is a gustatory image the lover tastes his mistress tears and relishes with her misery. Then, he completes with second line and though thou pour more, Ill depart, this visual image reveals the rudeness of this lover who although to his relish, he wants to leave her alone, because he knows that her tears are powerful. Since he will not be next to her, his picture will not reflect again and affect on him. However, Donne puts another ambiguity in line (11) that I can be endamaged by that art, the ambiguity appears in word art. Firstly, he means that she has tricks art that supports speakers accusation of being her mistress witch. Secondly, he means that her tears are genuine and support the woman innocence (Bentley 17). Although, the speaker can remove himself from her tears and depart. Still he cannot remove himself from her heart, because she loves him honestly, and she cannot stifle her tears and sincere love. In the end, Donnes imagines the bad side of love that leads to harm one of the lovers heart, because of cowardice and betray like the man who rejects his mistress. Donne varies in his Songs and Sonnets, he writes about love in different ways such as beauty, betrayal, and now about death. Donne has attached the idea of death with love in his poem The Expiration. The title of the poem gives the whole explanation of the poem. He has shortened his feelings of departing in this poem. He draws beautiful images about death and apart. In the first stanza, for example, he portrays the picture when the speaker feels in heartburn due to his beloved leaves him because of her death. In the first six lines: SO, so, break off this last lamenting kiss,       Which sucks two souls, and vapors both away ; Turn, thou ghost, that way, and let me turn this,       And let ourselves be night our happiest day. We ask none leave to love; nor will we owe       Any so cheap a death as saying, Go. The speaker says he will sacrifice with his soul to his love, although, he imagines himself as a murder because he will leave her alone. We ask none leave to love; nor will we owe/ Any so cheap a death as saying, Go. This line is an evidence for the previous discussion, he portrays that the speaker does not choose to leave her but the death takes the soul very easily. In the second line, there is a metaphorical image, he describes the kiss with a lollipop, which sucks the water and vapors it. Beyond the conception of separation, Donne plays with the idea of death through rejection or love domination. He does not stop at the idea of the beloved as killing through neglect, but often to picture her as a murder. (Bernhoft 2) To emphasize this idea, in line (12) Being double dead, going, and bidding, Go. He says that killing him is impossible because he is being double dead. Donne uses the repetition in the first line So, so a significance of death and depart. To conclude, Donne is a brilliant poet, he has the ability to write his experience of love and let the other feel it with him. He varies a lot in his collection poems especially in the poems of Songs and Sonnets. His love poetry is a record of moods. the moods of love, desire, death, betrayal, and other moods. He tries to show the metaphysical relationship between soul and body. Even though, he shows the sexual love in his Holy Sonnets because he does not consider it as a sin. In general, he talks about spiritual love; he has several of moods and sentiment due to his capacity of experience. He shows the beauty, death, betray and in those previous poems that has been discussed. Donnes poetry is simple to satisfy. In his poems, the reader can find a series of passion. Those passions that Donnes talks about are comprehensive every problem in life. As a reason, his poetry has a competence, in which it can make a man feels about woman, scorn, sensual, delight, and the peace and security o f mutual love (Bennett 115). (2,318)

Cultural and gender comparison of Russia and the US Essay -- essays re

Cultural Comparison of Russia   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gender roles in Russia have dramatically changed since the fall of the former Soviet Union and the fall of communism. It is hard to look directly at the constitution of Russia seeing as though the drafting and redrafting of their constitution is still underway. However, looking at the constitution of the former Soviet Union, you can see it is clearly stated that: â€Å"Women and men have equal rights.† It is very clear that in the Soviet Union they were trying to make it so that women and men were equal. It is still clear today that those same basic ideals are present in Russia. Women are clearly more equal in their country than in ours. In the workforce as well as in the home, women play a more equal role than in the present day United States. However, for the sake of this paper, let us just look at the infrastructure of Russia, formerly known as the Soviet Union or USSR.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In terms of employment, the former Soviet Union had the largest percentage of women in the labor force than any other comparative society. This still remains the case in the present day Russia. Unemployed women in Russia will be quickly employed. They have a very high success rate of reemploying women if they were to lose their jobs. â€Å"Compared to Western women, although Russian women have a much higher representation in law, medicine and engineering as well as in the skilled trades, such as metalworking and construction,...

Target Markets for Different Companies Essay -- Corn Flakes, Disney Wo

Identify possible target markets for the following products: A. Kellogg’s Corn Flakes C. Disney World B. Wilsons Tennis Rackets D. Diet Pepsi A. Kellogg’s Corn Flakes: When I think about Kellogg’s target market for their classic corn flakes to me the marketing is simple. A wholesome product for your family, a breakfast staple for many homes for many years. In recent years Kellogg has marketed corn flakes to the average American family of 4 or more with middle and upper middle class income, and a busy lifestyle. A big opportunity for them has been the fact that this generation of US consumers are concerned more than ever about healthy food, we also have very hectic lives. So touting corn flakes as a healthy breakfast that is quick is a perfect way to appeal to a variety of families. In 2012 they launched a campaign geared towards reminding consumers about the simplicity of the ingredients in their oldest brands, one of them corn flakes with only 4 ingredients. Jogging the memories of consumers that they have always been a healthy, easy delicious choice for breakfast. Reiterating that this is not a new concept for Kellogg’s, but one th ey have been valuing for 100 years. Communicating to families that they know the modern family has a busy life and not much time for a healthy breakfast, corn flakes satisfies that need. The colors they use on their corn flakes box even accentuate this idea. The three colors green, red and yellow all represent different things to consumers. Green represents the environment, nature and organics. Red indicates energy, and a sense of urgency. Lastly, yellow signifies sunshine energy and happiness (Coffin, 2011). They also subtly target children with these three bright colors in a simple almos... ... a cola option that is â€Å"guilt free†. They also push the fact that it tastes the same as regular Pepsi telling them they don’t have to sacrifice taste for lower calories like most diet products. The target women is in her 20’s and 30’s single, dating age so she watches her weight. Diet Pepsi is a great option for her at the bar as well. She is middle class to upper middle class in a city, and she has no children. She dates a lot and is outgoing, she drinks and eats diet products because like all women her age she wants to look good and dreads going up a pants size. â€Æ' Works Cited AECOM. (2013). Theme Park Attendance Report for 2012. Wikipedia. Coffin, D. (2011, November 14). Color Psychology and Online Marketing. Retrieved from www.practicalecommmerce.com: http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/3166-Color-Psychology-and-Online-Marketing

The Theme of Power in Yellow Wallpaper and Bartleby -- The Yellow Wallp

The Theme of Power in Yellow Wallpaper and Bartleby   Ã‚  Ã‚   Many texts written in the nineteenth century have a very apparent theme of power. Authority can be seen very differently depending on the view of the transcript the audience is presented with. By looking at different transcripts within the text the reader has more realistic exposure to the resistance of power in that text. This paper will prove that transcripts of differing views allow for different interpretations of the power struggle itself. Using James C. Scott this paper will examine the transcripts of both Charlotte Perkins Gilman's, "The Yellow Wallpaper" and Herman Melville's "Bartleby." These two texts are opposite in many ways, which make them fascinating to study through Scotts eyes, because together they extensively cover the four situations he focuses on. The first transcript which Scott discusses is that of the public's view. He describes that "the public transcript is to put it crudely, the self-portrait of dominant elites as they would have themselves seen"(18). Since the narrator of "Bartleby" is a member of the "dominant elite" this text is a great example of how the public transcript is used to show resistance and power. Text written from this point of view, focus on trying to make the elite seem good, just, and noble. The narrator of this text did a wonderful job at doing just that. At one point while talking about Bartleby he told the audience "Not only did there seem to lurk in it a certain calm disdain, but his perverseness seemed ungrateful, considering the undeniable good usage and indulgence he had received from me"(Melville 18). The narrator was basically saying, I was so good to Bartleby, how dare he not appreciate all my kindness. It is... ...isplay, how within texts there could be many different forms of resistance and views of authority, depending on the transcripts used to understand them. Each text read in this class, on the surface value, provides an entertaining story, however the same text through deeper reading are able to decode much more complex plots. On the surface Bartleby is just a very strange employee, and the narrator of Gilman's story is just an insane woman, but by digging further this paper was able to display much more intensity to them both. Works Cited Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. "The Yellow Wallpaper" and other Stories. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, Inc., 1997. Melville, Herman. Bartleby and Benito Cereno. 3rd ed. NY: Dover Publications, Inc., 1990. Scott, James C. Domination and the Arts of Resistance: Hidden Transcripts. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1990.

Succubus on Top CHAPTER 16

I rang Bastien's doorbell for the third time and then glared peevishly at the house. Where the hell was he? I was a little earlier than our agreed meeting time but not significantly. I gave the door a petulant kick as I imagined Bastien â€Å"held up† in the arms of some panting housewife. â€Å"He's not here,† said a cool voice nearby. I looked over and saw Dana standing there, a small leashed dog by her feet. It looked like the product of a tragic accident at the cottonball factory. â€Å"Nice dog,† I said. â€Å"My sister's. I'm taking care of him for a few days. You want to walk with us?† No, but I had promised myself the other day that I would pick Dana's brain to figure out how I might aid Bastien, and this seemed as good an opportunity as any. Besides, he'd kill me if he knew I'd passed up a chance for â€Å"reconnaissance.† I fell into step beside Dana and the fluff ball, congratulating myself for the hundredth time on being smart enough to choose cats over dogs. Tutu – yes, that was his name – pranced along daintily, small tongue hanging out. His beady black eyes peered everywhere as he trotted merrily, but otherwise seemed oblivious to the wet sidewalk dirtying his tiny white feet. â€Å"How's your rally going?† I asked after we'd exhausted dog topics. â€Å"Excellent. I'm surprised you haven't heard about it in the news. We're getting a lot of press.† â€Å"Haven't paid that much attention to the news.† She told me the date and time. â€Å"Think you can make it?† â€Å"I think I'm working that day,† I said automatically. Dana gave me a knowing look. â€Å"Tabitha, I get the impression you're not entirely settled on that issue.† You think? I looked away, again fighting the mental battle of speaking my mind versus causing trouble for Bastien. I finally opted for something that sounded vaguely like the truth. â€Å"I just think†¦there's a lot of different ways to look at it, that's all.† â€Å"It's okay to be unsure, you know.† That was astonishing, coming from her. â€Å"Is it?† â€Å"Of course. That's why groups like the CPFV exist. To help you see the truth of an issue.† I repressed a snort. I'd thought for a moment she might startle me with a display of open-mindedness. I let the silence collect again. â€Å"So,† she began after a moment, â€Å"what do you believe then?† â€Å"Er, on what? Homosexuality? Or homosexual marriage?† â€Å"Either.† My opinion was simply that people wanted who they wanted, end of story. There was no regulating love or saying it was wrong. But Dana's views on that were religiously based, and I of all people knew better than to argue the right or wrong of faith. â€Å"I'm just not sure people choose who they're attracted to,† I explained, not exactly attacking her question head-on. â€Å"So, I guess, it seems weird to me to talk about ‘helping' or ‘changing' people who can't really do anything about their natures, regardless of whether that nature is right or wrong.† â€Å"So you think homosexuality is inborn?† That sweet voice couldn't entirely hide her scornful surprise. â€Å"For some people. I think there are those who engage in†¦uh, same-sex activities for the fun of it, but for others, it's biological.† I had a feeling Dana wouldn't describe same-sex activities as fun, but I still felt better at having voiced my opinions. â€Å"You express yourself very well,† she admitted. â€Å"Even if I don't necessarily agree with you.† I laughed out loud, and she looked at me strangely. â€Å"No, I didn't think you would.† We grew quiet again, and I remembered I was supposed to be sounding her out on what she found romantic for Bastien. â€Å"I wish I could choose who I was attracted to,† I said out of the blue, bringing up personal matters in a manner that was out of character for both Tabitha Hunter and Georgina Kincaid. Dana seemed appropriately startled. â€Å"Things aren't going so well with your boyfriend? What was his name? Sven?† â€Å"Seth,† I corrected, feeling only a little bad at dragging him into the cover story. Things with Seth were actually beautiful at the moment, but for the sake of appearances, I kept lying. â€Å"He's okay, I guess, and I like him†¦but he's not very, you know, romantic. â€Å" â€Å"Ah,† she said neutrally. â€Å"Am I crazy? Is that too much to ask? Maybe I should focus on other things.† â€Å"What do you consider romantic?† â€Å"I don't know. Little touches and flourishes here and there. Gestures to show how important you are, how much the other person cares about you.† Irises, smiley-face pancakes. â€Å"What do you think it is?† She shrugged. We were rounding the corner back to Bastien's now. â€Å"I've come to see romance as not quite so important anymore,† she admitted. â€Å"Neither Bill nor I have time for it.† â€Å"Oh.† â€Å"That's not a bad thing. I'd say, more important than superficial flourishes is being able to connect with someone. To talk openly with them and share yourself. To know they're feeling what you're feeling.† â€Å"Oh,† I said again, surprised. Her comments almost made sense. In some ways, they were a variation of Seth's views on honesty in a relationship. Biting my lip, I plunged on. â€Å"And what about†¦you know, attraction and sex appeal?† She gave me a sidelong glance. â€Å"What about it?† I shrugged. â€Å"I don't always feel it around him.† Liar, liar, pants on fire. â€Å"Do I have the wrong ideas about it? What do you think is sexy?† Her answer took a long time in coming. â€Å"I don't know.† Bastien stood by his front door as we approached. He waved a hand in greeting. â€Å"Hello, ladies.† He looked pleasantly astonished to see us together – and getting along. Dana thanked me for the company and returned to her own home after refusing Bastien's automatic invitation to come inside and stay a while. Once she was gone and we were in the car headed to my photo shoot, I gave him the scoop on our talk. â€Å"She doesn't know what's sexy?† he exclaimed. â€Å"She's practically begging for me to ravage her. Hmph. And Bill's not romantic. Well, no surprise there. You think she was lying about saying it wasn't important? Sort of a defense mechanism?† â€Å"I don't know. Possibly. But even if she does miss romance, I think too many over-the-top gestures would throw up a flag. She isn't stupid. Profound conversation might be the way to go.† â€Å"Then the cooking thing is a good idea. Lots of talking there.† â€Å"I guess.† I didn't tell him that I had doubts about the efficacy of that method. Honestly, I wasn't sure what he could do anymore. We'd decided to pull out all the stops for my pictures. He drove us downtown to the Hotel Andra, one of the nicest local spreads, despite its plain exterior. Through some charm I didn't know about, he'd even managed to book us the hotel's one-of-a-kind Monarch Suite on practically no notice. It had more room than we could possibly need, but its true selling point – for me – was an utterly sumptuous, utterly sexy bed. Enclosed in its own romantically lit alcove, it had a deep, royal purple spread and a headboard of gleaming, black wood. The whole effect was dark and sensuous. We shape-shifted out of Mitch and Tabitha upon clearing the door. â€Å"This bed alone,† declared Bastien, â€Å"will sell these pictures. Well, that and your naked flesh. But really, it's a tough call.† He raided the mini-bar and made us improvised Grand Marnier martinis, which I gulped down with surprising eagerness. Suddenly, facing these pictures seemed a lot more daunting than I'd originally believed. â€Å"Nothing to it,† he said, sensing my nervousness. â€Å"Put on something sexy and sprawl on the bed.† I hadn't brought anything in particular to wear, for once willingly opting for shape-shifting. I started with a basic black nightgown. Super short, super low-cut. It seemed like a safe bet. Bastien positioned me on the bed, lying back in a sort of languid pose. He mussed my hair and requested a lazy pout. â€Å"The point here, Fleur ,is to make it look like if you don't get fucked again soon, you're going to be very, very upset. Men go for that.† My apprehension melted away as Bastien took over, directing my postures and expressions, snapping away with his digital camera. We ran the gamut. Some shots I did completely naked, hiding nothing. For others, we found the suggestion of nudity could almost be more provocative. The way the slipped strap of a chemise could nearly reveal a breast. The way a sheer bra and panty set could cover and yet not cover. Nor did we give all of them the just-got-fucked look. In some, I was very elegant, unbelievably perfect in every possible way, not a strand of hair out of place. In others, however, we played up the messy, wild look – â€Å"unplanned,† as Seth would say. We also didn't limit ourselves to the bed, as gorgeous as it was. I posed by windows, by a sofa, by the bathtub, in the bathtub. Both of us, as was requisite for our jobs, had pretty good imaginations for what was sexy and alluring. Nonetheless, we had brought along a few lingerie catalogs and adult magazines for inspiration. We would take breaks to plan, both of us frowning and giving each new pose serious thought. All in all, it was an exhausting endeavor, but Bastien's energy never flagged as he guided me through it all with a professional ease. And honestly, after a certain point, I didn't need his coaching. I knew I was sexy, and it was easy to play that up, especially knowing that Seth would view all of this. When the incubus had filled up the memory card, we finally called it quits. Sprawling on the bed beside me, he called room service and ordered us some professional martinis, since we'd run out of Grand Marnier. They arrived, and we luxuriated in a well-deserved rest, sipping our drinks. â€Å"Thanks Bas,† I told him, touching his arm. â€Å"You're a good friend.† â€Å"Easy to be one when the subject matter is so nice to look at. You're going to have a bitch of a time getting these printed, though. Take them to a store, and you won't get them back.† I'd already thought of that. â€Å"Hugh has a snazzy, state-of-the-art printer. I'll do it there.† I considered. â€Å"Although, he might keep a few too.† â€Å"I wouldn't blame him.† Bastien set his drink down and rolled over to regard me affectionately, face almost serious for a change. â€Å"You're a beautiful woman, Fleur ,and that means something when you can perfectly control your appearance. It's not your physical side – as nice as it is. It's something in here.† He tapped my breastbone. â€Å"Something warm and sensual and lovely that shines out. I'd know you in any body, in any place. â€Å" I curled up against him, happy. â€Å"I'm glad you're here. Even if it's because of the Barton and Dana mess. We're going to fix that for you, you know. I promise. I'm not letting them ship you off somewhere horrible.† A faint, playful smile curled his lips. Affection shone in his dark eyes, affection that was no doubt mirrored in my face. Suddenly, he leaned over and kissed me. Whoa. It wasn't a friendly kiss either, not the kind we so regularly planted on each other's lips in a careless way. This was a deep kiss, an erotic kiss. His lips felt like velvet, his tongue slowly sliding over mine. I was so floored by what was happening that for a moment I couldn't do anything except sink into that kiss and let it send shockwaves through my body. My senses returned to me, and I broke away, sitting up. â€Å"What the hell are you doing?† He sat up as well, as surprised by my reaction as I had been by what triggered it. â€Å"What do you mean?† â€Å"You kissed me. I mean, really kissed me.† He grinned, sensual and provocative. I shivered. When incubi targeted you with that charm, it was bewildering, even for a succubus. â€Å"What's wrong with it? You mean more to me than anyone else in the world. This is a natural step for us. We should have been doing it a long time ago.† I shook my head, backing away. â€Å"I like the way we've always been.† â€Å"Only because you haven't tried anything else. Look, I'm not asking you to run off into the sunset here. We're friends. I know that, and I like that. But you've said it yourself – sleeping with people you don't care about is wearying.† â€Å"Yeah, but†¦I don't think this is necessarily the answer.† â€Å"Then what is the answer?† he demanded. â€Å"Sleeping – or rather not sleeping – with a mortal you do care about?† I climbed out of bed. â€Å"That was harsh. And it's unrelated. I don't want us to be anything more than friends, Bastien. Sex,ll mess things up.† He stayed on the bed, watching me pace. â€Å"Sex will fix a lot of things. It's about time we got some satisfaction that wasn't all business. It'll be therapeutic for both of us. We need it.† I turned away, staring out the window without seeing. â€Å"I don't need it.† â€Å"Don't you?† Only the voice that asked me that wasn't Bastien's. It was Seth's. I spun around, eyes wide. â€Å"Stop that! Change back right now!† Bastien – as Seth – lay back easily against the pillows. He wore jeans and a Whitesnake T-shirt, just as Seth might have. His hair was unkempt. He'd even perfected that cute, distracted smile. â€Å"What's the problem, Thetis?† I stormed up to the bed, wanting to give him the full force of my fury even as I longed to run away. â€Å"This isn't funny! Change back now.† Sitting up again, he slid to the edge of the bed. â€Å"Come on, how have you not seen this coming? This is the perfect solution to all your problems.† â€Å"No, it's not. It's really not.† He stood up and walked toward me, not touching me but coming close enough to make my heart race. I stood rooted, unable to move. â€Å"Of course it is. If you ever want to get Seth out of your system, this is the way to do it. You spend all this time pining for him, wondering what it'd be like to touch him and be with him. Well, this is your chance. This is the only safe way, your chance to do everything you want without hurting him. Do this now, and you could save yourself a lot of grief in the future. â€Å" I shook my head, as my mouth apparently couldn't move now either. Too many conflicting feelings. The entire scene was unreal. Mind blowing. I was still shocked by Bastien's audacity in doing it in the first place. I knew he was rash and bold, but this was crossing the line, even for him. On the other hand, Bastien had mimicked Seth down to the last detail, and seeing him had the effect it always did on me. Everything was the same. Cute and flawless. More intoxicating still was the truth of Bastien's offer. I really could do what I wanted here. It was wrong on so many levels, but I couldn't deny the pull. The perfect temptation. â€Å"I won't cheat on Seth.† â€Å"What's cheating between you guys? You do it all the time.† â€Å"Then I'm not going to be one of your conquests,† I snapped. â€Å"Fine.† He shape-shifted the shirt away so I saw only lovely, bare chest now. He drew my hands forward, resting them on his skin. I discovered it was almost entirely smooth; there were just a few soft and silky golden hairs. â€Å"You do the conquering.† â€Å"I'm not doing any conquering.† â€Å"All right. Then take your hands away.† I stared at where my hands lay on his chest. On Seth's chest. He was warm. My hands matched him almost perfectly. We both had light, barely tanned, golden skin. Take your hands away. That's all I had to do. I just had to move my hands, step away, and leave this ridiculous game behind. I was only a hair's breadth from normality†¦yet I couldn't seem to move away. I knew it wasn't Seth, but the illusion was so powerful, I could easily imagine that this was exactly how it would feel to touch him. Without thinking, I ran my fingers down his chest, down to his stomach. Seth was no bodybuilder, but he was lean and trim from swimming and running. I had seen him in boxers before; the strong muscles were firm and exactly where they should be. Again, a perfect illusion. My hands had brushed this same part of Seth in bed before, but I never allowed myself to sensually explore him, the way I could now. I moved my fingers further, tracing the lines and contours. For his part, he didn't say or do anything. But whenever I looked up, those brown eyes were on me, brimming with heat. They made my body respond with a heat of its own. Would Seth look at me the same way if we were together like this? Somehow, I expected the answer would be yes. I knew Seth viewed sex as a serious matter, despite his characters' casual attitudes. He would treat such an encounter seriously. Also – although I had no proof – I thought Seth would be just as cautious as Bastien was being now, letting me take the lead. Nothing aggressive. My hands slid farther, down to the edge of his jeans where blue flannel boxers barely peeped out. I ran my fingers under the edge, arousing myself further with this dangerous game. Being this close to hitherto forbidden territory was heady. My scouting fingers started to tremble. Never, never would I have let things reach this point with Seth. Not with both of us pressed together. Not with both of us in so little clothing. My common sense would have long since kicked in before something dangerous might happen. But Bastien was right: nothing dangerous could happen tonight. At least not physically. I looked back up. His own breath had quickened. The space between us sizzled. He was so like Seth, I realized. So very much like him. It would be so easy. Easy to pretend. I leaned up and kissed him, again tasting those soft lips, pushing my tongue past them so I could fully savor him. His hands moved around my back, touching silk and bare skin. I was in the same outfit I wore for the last picture: another chemise, this time with a revealing top of ivory lace and a rose-pink silk skirt. I pushed into that kiss, letting it burn me. He kept his hands carefully neutral the whole time, not taking liberties, instead letting me dictate the terms. Reaching around, I grabbed a hold of his hands and moved them over me. I wanted to know what it was like to have him – Seth – touching me. I moved them down to my backside, then over to the sides of my thighs, urging him to push the chemise up. He did, letting silk gather up in his fingers as it slid up, up over my breasts and then over my head. I exhaled as those hands traveled up my body, every part of my skin electric and alive as I stood completely naked now. â€Å"Lay down,† I said, surprised at the rough note in my voice. He obliged, and I crawled onto the bed after him, straddling his hips with my legs so I leaned over him, letting my hair brush his chest as it had that night at Terry and Andrea's. Seth. I had Seth. And I could do anything I wanted. I kissed him again, harder than I had before, as if my mouth realized this could stop at any moment and had to get as much as it could right now. Pulling back slightly, I placed his hands back on me. â€Å"Don't stop touching me.† I returned to his lips, crushing his in return, letting my teeth nibble that soft flesh. All the while his hands roved over me as I'd commanded, coming to rest under my breasts so that he could cup them and stroke them. His fingers trailed to the nipples, which were already standing erect, brushing them lightly at first and then squeezing with greater intensity. I cried out, my own savage urges stoked, and I moved my lips to his neck. My mouth worked fiercely against that tender skin, pressing and biting, as though by leaving a mark I could somehow brand Seth as mine forever. Breaking away at last, I raised myself up slightly on my knees and moved his hand between my legs. He stroked me without being told to, letting his fingers slide over my clitoris, building up the mounting, scorching sensation in my lower body. His fingers moved easily, aided by my own wetness. Greater and greater that swelling ecstasy grew until it was almost agony, but I stopped him before I peaked and could find release. Frantically, I tore at his jeans and boxers, getting them off as fast as I could. I sighed shakily, looking at that long, perfect hardness as though it could keep me alive when nothing else could. I moved myself back down and ground myself against him, rubbing myself against that hardness, letting it finish the job his fingers had started. I came almost instantly, having been already on the edge, and before those spasms could even begin fading, I slid him inside of me, letting him fill me up entirely until it seemed there was nothing left of me in my own body, only him. He was still letting me take charge here, but he wasn't unaffected. His breath came heavy and hard now, his own lips parting slightly with desire, eyes begging me to do more. As for me†¦I was losing myself. I didn't care about anything else but him inside me, as close as I'd ever been able to get to Seth. It still seemed like something had to give, something had to stop us. But it didn't. I became more than a conqueror. I was a ravager, taking what I wanted with no thought of the consequences. I rode on top of him, bringing myself down hard each time, willing him to pierce right through me. My hands held him down as I thrust, not that he was trying to get away. My breasts shook as our bodies moved together, the nipples still hard and sensitive. I heard the slap of skin on skin each time I moved down, forming a rhythm with our ragged breathing. I was drowning in Seth, in his sweat and in his touch. I was liquid and golden, merged into him. My body ached, unable to get enough of him, and I moved harder still. I knew exactly which angle I needed to make myself come, and I didn't even try to hold back the waves and waves of pulsing bliss that racked my body. Small crackles of energy passed between us occasionally – not the usual absorption that occurred with a victim, but the inevitable sharing that happened between an incubus and succubus, two creatures whose bodies were made to collect the power of life. I needed to consume Seth, take as much of him as I could. I had no other purpose. Time passed. My body took its pleasure greedily and often. I said his name over and over, sometimes whispering it, sometimes screaming it, until finally exhausted, I couldn't move anymore. I stopped, nearly collapsing against him. Barely able to work my lungs anymore, I struggled to get the air I needed. He was still inside me, still ready, but I had nearly rubbed myself raw. My throat was dry and painful. Sweat formed a slick coating on me, and I hung over him panting and desperate, an animal who had just sated her hunger with no concern for who lay beneath. He watched me intently, running a careful hand over my damp cheek. Then, at some unspoken signal between us, he flipped me over onto my back to at last finish himself off. Gripping my ankles and putting them over his shoulders, he knelt before me and pushed back inside. A soft whimper passed over my lips. I was jelly now, unable to do anything but lay there and let him have his way with me. My arms spread out carelessly over my head, fingers brushing the black headboard, and I closed my eyes, just letting myself feel Seth taking me now. I was weak and spent, but it still felt wonderful. I opened my eyes and watched him working hard against my body, at last able to give in to his own pleasure. He'd held back for so long for my benefit, waiting until I had satiated my lust. Now he was the greedy one, ravaging me in the way he wanted. At last, he climaxed with a small groan, closing his eyes briefly, holding himself against me as he came into me. When he finished, he slumped forward and pulled out, lying beside me. We stayed like that for several moments, and then he pulled me roughly to him so we spooned, the back of my body pressed against the front of him. Both of us still breathed in heavy, torn gasps as our hearts gradually slowed. I let my cheek rest against his arm. I still shook all over from sex with Seth, with the feel of Seth inside of me and the way he had broken my body with that devastating ecstasy. Then, as one hand tightened on me and his other ran gently over my hair, I noticed something. He didn't smell right. I don't mean to imply that he smelled bad. He didn't. He just didn't smell like Seth. The sweat wasn't the same. There was no fleeting smell of apple, leather, and musk, no unique Seth scent. He smelled like Bastien. He was Bastien, I reminded myself sternly, and with that, the illusion shattered, the spell broke. I wasn't with Seth, no matter how perfect the shape. I was with my friend the incubus. â€Å"Change back,† I whispered. â€Å"What?† â€Å"Change back to yourself.† He didn't ask why, and a moment later, I rested in Bastien's arms. It wasn't Seth, I realized with a dull and terrible emptiness, but it was the truth. We said no more after that, staying in bed together for the rest of the night. Sleep never came for me, however. I lay awake the whole time, staring off into the shadows.