Close Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Close Analysis - Assignment Example es that Sir Doyle, captures in his text and uses to reveal some of the hidden facts about the lives of the characters in a way that teaches his audiences real life lessons relevant to other characters in the story and readers today. In â€Å"The Adventure of the Speckled Band† the theme of truth has appeared severally with characters showing unique reactions after learning of the real facts about their lives. Arthur Conan Doyle explains how Mrs. Helen Stone’s reacts to being told the truth of how her twin sister died. Even though we are not directly told how she learned of it, Mrs. Helen responds in a way that depicts that she hates her stepfather for hiding the truth from her. However, she trusted that she would be in London as Sherlock Holmes continues with his investigations. Moreover, when Mrs. Helen is given the information that Sherlock and Watson came to meet her stepfather, she finds out that she was followed by her father to London. This fact made Helen suspicious of her stepfather and lost confidence in him. In real life, this happens such that family members hide information from each other, occurrences that creates enmity between them once the truth comes out. The relationship between Mrs. Helen and her stepfather was undermined after Helen discovered the truth about him. Such instances have been frequent in the modern day leading to family breaking-ups. In a more spectacular way, the characters surrounding Mrs. Hellen also emphasize on the theme of truth as they hid the real cause of death of her twin sister. Though she was relieved that she came to know the truth about her sister’s death, she felt bitter that she was given the wrong information. She also came to known that the information that her stepfather used a snake to murder her sister was ironical. It made her sad especially that her stepfather killed her. â€Å"Though, of course, she is still sad to learn how her sister has been murdered by their stepfather† this text shows the reaction

African American and Haitian Heritage Essay Example for Free

African American and Haitian Heritage Essay There are many different beliefs and values with the African American Culture compared to the Haitian Culture relating to child bearing and pregnancy. Both of the cultures have history of having large families in the rural areas, which was viewed as a necessary necessity because of the economic pressures each culture went though. The African American choice of birth control was oral contraceptives compared to the Haitians who used a variety of contraception methods such as the â€Å"birth control pill, female sterilization, injections, and condoms† Kemp (2012) states. The Haitians are mostly Catholic which makes them unwillingly to engage in conversations about pregnancy, and their fertility practices. Compared to African Americans who willingly to speak to older family members about their behavior during their pregnancy, or will help guide them with many of the practices and beliefs of a pregnant women. The African Americans view and belief on abortion is that many oppose abortion because of their â€Å"religious or moral beliefs†, and others oppose abortion because of moral, cultural, or â€Å"Afrocentric beliefs† WHO (2011) states. These beliefs will cause a delay in decision which makes abortions unsafe, compared to the Haitian Culture who does not talk about abortion openly, it is considered a women’s issue. Pregnancy is not considered a disease, or a â€Å"health problem, many Haitian women seek no prenatal care†, work fulltime until delivery, and celebrate their pregnancy as a time of joy. Haitian women also â€Å"do not eat spices†, but are encouraged to eat vegetables, and red fruits to increase the fetus blood Kemp (2012) claims. Compared to the African American women who seek prenatal care early in their pregnancy, also they respond to being pregnant as any other women in an ethnic group. Furthermore each one of the cultures has views, and beliefs that they follow during their pregnancy. The â€Å"Haitian women historically would walk, squat, or sit†, during labor, practice natural childbirth, but since migrating most Haitian women have adopted other practices. The fathers do not participate in delivery, but other female families members offer support Kemp (2012) states. The African American women have many beliefs or myths they believe in during their pregnancy. â€Å"Pica is the eating of a nonnutritive substance† such as soap, needles, dirt, and etc., this practice will help ease pain during delivery, and reduce nausea Galanti (2012) states. Furthermore African American women believe in many beliefs because it will cause harm to them and the unborn baby, during delivery they believe it is ok to be vocal. In addition during delivery African American women will have granny midwives deliver their unborn baby, and others will arrive at the Hospital in advanced labor to reduce the time spent there. Emotional support is provided by other women especially their mother, because men believe it is a private issue between women. The Haitian women believe that postpartum is a crucial period of childbearing, immediately after birth they will dress warmly to become more healthy, and clean. After delivery Haitian women believe that their â€Å"bones are open which makes them stay in bed 2-3 days postpartum† Galanti (2012) states so the bones can close. Another postpartum practice is the â€Å"three baths†, the first three days the mother will bathe in hot boiled water that will have leaves, bought or picked from the field. Then for the next three days the mother will bathe in water and leaves warmed by the sun. At the end of the third week the mother takes the third bath which is cold, Haitian women also avoid white foods during this period. Compared to the â€Å"African American women during postpartum period family support is needed to care for them six to eight weeks† after delivery Galanti (2012) states. Babies were not named until after they were known to survive, and the placenta has a spirit of its own which has to be buried after birth to avoid having a connection to the baby. Increased â€Å"vaginal bleeding is a sign of a sickness†, and tea is believed to have healing powers Kemp (2012) states. References Galanti, G. (2012) â€Å"Cultural Diversity in Health Care† African American. Retrieved on January 27, 2013 from www.ggalanti.org Kemp, C. (2012) â€Å"Haitians† Retrieved on January 27, 2013 from www.baylor.edu World Health Organization (2011) World Global Cultures† Retrieved on January 27, 2013 from www.who.org

Parallel in events of 1692 in Salem and McCarthy Investigation of 1950s in America :: essays research papers

‘The Crucible’ is written about the witchcraft trials in Salem in 1692, it is a story full of many emotional themes, these are fear, redemption, hysteria and a choice between what is believed to be good and bad. In 1692, Puritans in Salem were in a period of suspicion and fear. People were making accusations of people conducting witchcraft due to a group of people seen dancing in the woods, this is seen as worship to the devil. These witch hunts destroyed the innocent and corrupted the accusers, the law made it impossible to find justice. In 1950, Senator Joseph McCarthy had a frenzied leadership in America. It all started when he claimed that there were many avowed Communist in the American government. There was no proof, but anyone who criticised McCarthy’s claims were accused of being communists themselves, people were claimed to be ’Communist Sympathisers’ and were put on trial and even executed, even those who escaped death or prison were blacklisted and their whole lives were ruined socially and through their careers, this was known as the period of McCarthyism. The events in 1692 and 1950 are very similar because they both involve similar effects upon people. They create fear and redemption, a fight for what is right and what your conscience tells you. In 1692, people were being wrongly accused of witchcraft, they were put on trial and executed, this is exactly the same as the events in 1950, people were being accused of communism, they were also put on trial and executed. In Salem it was due to the girls dancing in the woods and being accused of worshiping the devil, in America in 1950 it was due to the accusations of Senator Joseph McCarthy, which he could not prove. Miller could not criticise Senator McCarthy at the time of his power as the atmosphere at the time was such that he would certainly have been charged as a Communist, so he decided he would write about the Salem witch trials in the 17th century, it shows how the trials in Salem were very similar to the McCarthy period, it was even referred to as a ‘witch hunt’ by critics. In both periods there was a varied atmosphere of fear, redemption, hysteria, terror and shear brutality. But no matter if there were Communists in America in 1950, no matter if there were witches in Salem in the 1600’s, the search for both cause destruction to the lives of the innocent and corruption to the accusers.

Methods of Interrogation Pows

METHODS OF INTERROGATION OF A PRISONER OF WAR Introduction 1. A ‘Prisoner of War’ is a person, whether combatant or non-combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The treatment of prisoners has always been matter of debate in the world and many declarations and resolutions have been made in this regard including Geneva Convention of 1949. War is a time of confusion and while many suffer from it, there are many who benefit in the fog of it. The military personnel, whenever caught, have to be treated as PsOW and they have certain rights and privileges.The enemy always utilizes this opportunity to the fullest and employs certain obvious and hidden methods to extract information from the PsOW. Rights of a POW 2. The POW can only be interrogated by following the rules and regulations laid down in the Article (v) of Geneva Convention of 1949. A prisoner of war needs only to give his name, number and rank and must remain s ilent on all other matters and resist all enemy efforts to extract information from him. In case his rights are violated, the violators are subject to the provisions of international law and they may be tried by the international criminal court.Methods of Interrogation 3. A number of interrogation techniques have been used of approved for use. They include standard Army methods in compliance with the Third Geneva Convention, as well as other approaches which are either questionable or clearly exceed the strictures protecting POWs. Several of the latter may also violate other limitations outside the scope of human imagination. 4. Numerous devices may be effectively employed by the interrogator to establish mental contact or rapport with POW. At the outset it should be emphasized that the objective of an interrogation is seldom, if ever, to obtain an admission or a confession.The subject is interrogated for accurate and reliable information. Several common methods interrogation which are being used for the purpose by interrogators are briefly discussed below. (a)Show of Knowledge or â€Å"We know all†. In this method, the interrogator familiarizes himself with all available data on the POW and his unit or whatever subject is being explored. He asks questions to which he already has the answers and scornfully answers them himself when the POW hesitates. He is striving to convince the POW that he already knows all the POW does so that resistance is wasted effort.When the prisoner starts giving correct information and answers freely, a few â€Å"mystery† questions can be slipped in. Dummy questions should still be used from time to time to test the POW, to conceal from him the fact that he is giving new information, and to prevent him from realizing that he is â€Å"spilling the beans†. (b)Stool Pigeons. Enemies infiltrate their own men in the POW camps under the garb of PsOW from other units or services. They make PsOW discuss various aspects of service amongst themselves and extract information. (c)Consolation.Innocent looking folks like servants, guards, sweepers try to console the PsOW offer small favour and then make efforts to get the required information. (d)Bugging. The camps and residences etc of PsOW are bugged and their conversation taped. (e)Favours. Money and other Favours are offered and assurances given that no damage will be done to the individual, if he cooperates. (f)Recruitment. A few PsOW are recruited and then utilized for collection of information from other PsOW. (g)Direct approach. In this method the interrogator seemingly â€Å"lays the cards on the table†, apparently makes no attempt to hide the purpose of the questioning.This approach should be used only in cases where the interrogator assumes or knows that the person interrogated will not refuse to give information. (h)Rapid fire questioning. This method consists of a rapidly delivered series of questions which keeps the POW constantly o n the defensive and off balance thereby weakening resistance an/ or his determination to give evasive answers. When this approach is employed the POW often loses patience, becomes angry, offended, or confused, and begins to talk in self defense. (j)Emotional approach. This method consists of playing upon the emotions of a person in order to bring out the required information.When using this method, the interrogator creates an atmosphere of emotional confusion designed to reduce security consciousness. The emotional approach utilizes hate, revenge, fear, jealousy, sadness, pity, and similar emotions. It also exploits religious and patriotic feelings, sense of social duty, and other concepts based on emotional reactions. (k)Trickery. This method has an almost limitless number of variations. Its purpose is to cause the POW to divulge information without being aware of it, or without a conscious or willful choice in the matter. (l)Censoring.The mail of PsOW is censored. (m)Third Degree Methods. Third degree methods are used to break the PsOW. It is apparent from above that once captured as prisoner of war, the responsibility of a service person increases many folds and he must keep his mouth tightly shut to ensure that no information is leaked out. However, he must look normal and should not give impression of being in possession of full information. (n)Propaganda. The PsOW are given propaganda material to read, to hear from radio or from the TV to see to break them down and lower their spirits.This is done to bring their morale down to a certain level where they themselves will start giving information thinking their country might or already has lost the war. (p)Stupid interrogator. In this method the interrogator pretends to be a stupid individual with very little understanding of military or other matters. This device may have the desired effect of disarming the person interrogated. The POW is required to â€Å"explain† everything (Even inconsequential i tems) because the interrogator is so â€Å"stupid. † 5. Variations. Any of the usual methods may be varied in many ways.Here are some variations which might fit into any of the categories of the methods listed in Para 4above. (a)Sympathy. (b)Sternness. (c)Pride and ego. (d)National pride. (e)Face saving. (f)Bluff. (g)Fear. (h)Drawing attention away from the real object. (j)Threat and rescue. Conclusion 6. There are many others; in fact, the variety of methods is limited only by the initiative, imagination, and ingenuity of the interrogator. The interrogation method should be tailored to suit each individual case, and may be combined with other methods to suit special requirements.

Technology: Boon or Bane?

Day by day, technology advances only to deteriorate the health of those who use it. In the past years, scientists have spoon-fed people of all ages with attractive gadgets. However, the truth is technology has made humans less well-rounded individuals. Technology is a wonderful thing; there are cell phones with internet access and the capability to take pictures and videos. With computers, all the information you could ever want is available within a few keystrokes of a search engine. Contradicting those points is, just like everything else in life. Nothing is ever perfect and technology has its share of flaws. There are calculators, search engines, online forums and instant messengers that are making us socially and mentally handicapped. Video games are giving gamers a false sense of reality and teachings of violence. Finally, technology has in the past and is being used for the wrong reason of destroying the whole universe using weapons of mass destruction. People have questions every single day, and it is very normal and healthy to ask questions. This promotes the mental wellness of a human being; it also helps you learn more information which contributes to your general knowledge. With the invention of search engines and online forums, it has become easier to get your question answered. This is an asset to humans, however a human can become socially undeveloped and not have the confidence to talk with a person face to face and ask a question. Instant messengers have also contributed to the fact that people find it easier to talk over the internet, rather than face to face. The same rule applies to the mental strength of mankind. Math homework is less than a challenge for students of today. They pick up their calculators, type in a few numbers and write the answer down on the page claiming to their teachers that they have applied all their mental faculties to the questions. Though this method is extremely convenient, it is ruining our brain’s full capabilities. In order for something to run efficiently it must be utilized. The calculator does not permit the brain to be exercised before it can function properly. Video games provide unending fun, but it also gives the player unrealistic views about life. Computer and video games have come a long way since Space Invaders and Pac Man. â€Å"†¦numerous studies show that video games, especially ones with violent content, make teens more aggressive† (http://www. pamf. org/preteen/parents/videogames. html). Today's games are much more complex and interesting, and the technology has advanced to the point where a gamer can become immersed within the game. Video games provide the players with false ideas about saving the world and resulting to violence as a method of solving your problems with others. In other words it is making gamers become too unrealistic about the life they live and glorifying an unreal world. Technology has been used for the wrong reason of destroying the universe â€Å"[It] has dominated warfare since the early 1900s† (http://www. newscientist. com/topic/weapons). Majority of the population must agree with that comment. During the final stages of World War II in 1945, the United States conducted two atomic bombings against Japan in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki† (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki). The bombings were one of the earliest signs of a technological breakthrough which destroyed the earth, there is no doubt that it is evident to happen again, due to the technology advancing every day. Another recent example which is still fresh in our minds is t he event of 9/11, in which terrorists trained themselves on a computer to destroy the Twin Towers. With technology reaching insurmountable feats rapidly, it is destroying the planet and its inhabitants. Technology is deteriorating the well-roundedness of humans by allowing them to rely on manmade machines and become lethargic. Technology is making us socially and mentally dumb, giving false sense of reality. Weapons are being created using technology for the wrong reason of destroying the universe. For all those reasons it is suggested people should become further aware of the Trojan horse of today, which is technology.

Toyota Motor Corporation

Toyota Motor Corporation The Toyota Motor Corporation is one of the world’s biggest and most favourable automobile manufacturers (Borowski). It is the leader in environmentally friendly and technologically advanced cars. The official start up for Toyota was in 1937, as Kiichiro Toyoda launched the Toyota Motor Company. In 1952 Toyota exponentially grew to become successful. The company started to export cars to South America.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Toyota Motor Corporation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Five years later the company gained ground on the North American market. Entering the US – market was for a breakthrough for Toyota in terms of automobile – exports. In 1982 Toyota Motor Company and Toyota Motor Sales Company joined forces to Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC). The company now has 522 subsidiaries, over 320 thousands staff worldwide and is producing not only in the 12 Japanese factories but also in 51 other locations in 26 countries. Toyota Motor Corporation had the highest share price value of all car manufacturers in 2007. In 2008 Toyota had total unit sales of 8.972 million cars and had an annual turnover of 239.4 billion US – Dollars. In the same year it adopted the status of â€Å"The biggest automobile manufacturer† (Borowski). Today Toyota is no longer the No. 1 automobile manufacture because of the financial crises since 2007 and their image has been damaged due to massive global recalls over sticking gas pedals (Borowski). Internal environment The internal environment of an organization is based on elements within the organization. It contains things like the organization’s structure and culture, its human relations policies and procedures and the skills and experiences of the staff. The Board of Directors in Toyota’s executive body and consists of 26 directors that comprise of the chairman, the vice chairman, the president, 8 executive v ice presidents, 13 senior managing directors, an honorary chairman and a senior advisor. The Toyota Motor Corporation has achieved a lot of goals throughout its history, but to retain its success they have to become more of a team. For that reason TMC developed a lot of techniques to production and employees, these techniques are often used in other companies or countries. Toyota is manufacturing its cars with the Toyota production System, it is based on â€Å"just in time† principles. So they have to trust every employee (Morgan and Jeffrey). The employee is of importance because even a line worker has the power to stop a manufacturing line. If he or she sees a problem they can stop the manufacturing line and on the other hand there is a risk of higher costs incurring should the lines be stopped. The most important aspect in a large and successful organization like TMC is the communication within the organization, as well as the communication between the customers and busine ss partners.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Therefore, Toyota adopted a new philosophy in 1992. There are seven guiding principles which affect Toyota’s actions and reflect its unique management philosophy. Technology As one of the biggest car manufacturers TMC spend a large amount of money to guarantee technologically advanced and high quality products. In 12009 Toyota invested 9.8 billion US – Dollars in its research and development department. TMC is deemed to be the innovator of the hybrid trend. The Prius was the first car with the electro hybrid drive and since entering the market this car has won twelve â€Å"Engine of the Year Awards† (Morgan and Jeffrey). Toyota has a leading position in the eco – friendly car segment since the last seven years. It was a true example of success within the eco – friendly market. Since Jan uary 2010, TMC is adversely affected by a series of breakdowns as a result of the massive global; recalls over sticking gas pedals. The organization anticipates a flood of lawsuits amounting to dozens of billions US – Dollars. Marketing Toyota is the most valuable car brand in the world, with a brand value of 58 billion US – Dollars. TMC is not only focused on general advertisement such as TV and radio, but they also focus on charity activities, motor sports, movies and many others (Borowski). The brand name is a representative of eco – friendly, beloved, efficient and dynamic cars. The logo of the company consists of three bonded ellipses, this symbolizes Toyota’s philosophy: the Ambition for customer satisfaction, innovation and the fusion of quality and creativity (Borowski). Toyota supply chain system Toyota is well known for its approach to problem solving and continuous improvement (Ananth, Sridhar and Roy). Toyota is a global auto company with many products across the globe with different characteristics that warrant different supply chain configurations. In addition, differences among the Toyota, Lexus, and Scion vehicles warrant different supply chain processes. Performance at Toyota is evaluated with equal weight given to both the process used to derive performance and the results achieved. This process aims to generate balance of key supply chain parameters – variety of products offered, velocity of product flow, variability of outcomes against forecast, and visibility of processes to enable learning. The automotive supply chain is very complex and consists of many processes that, when linked together, form a supply chain from the customer back to the various tiers of suppliers. The physical processes consist off the production of parts at the suppliers. The physical process consists of the production of parts at the suppliers, transportation of these parts to the assembly plant of the original equipment manufactur er, assembly of parts into a complete vehicle, distribution of completed vehicles to dealers, and finally delivery to a customer.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Toyota Motor Corporation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In addition, to physical processes, there are both preproduction and day to day operational support processes. To fully understand these processes, some background on the auto industry is necessary. The following questions need to be answered; what is the product? Who are customers? What are the distribution models? (Ananth, Sridhar and Roy). Toyota supply chain Towards the end of the first revolution, the manufacturing industry saw many changes, including a trend towards a wide product variety. To deal with these changes, firms had to restructure their supply chains to be flexible and efficient. The supply chains were required to deal with a wider product variety without holding too much inventory. The Toyota Motor Company successfully addressed these concerns. The course of action The Toyota Company should come up with ideas that allow the final assembly and manufacturing of key components to be done in – house. The bulk of the components should be sourced from a large number of suppliers who are part of the Keiretsu system. This refers to a set of companies with interlocking business relationships and shareholdings. The TMC should develop long term relationships with all her suppliers. Essentially, these suppliers should be located very close to the Toyota plant assembly plants in order to facilitate the smooth flow of products within and without the company. However, despite the fact that there are challenges which are likely to be experienced by the company, it is important for the management to come up with more strategies which would ensure that the various products are produced at cost effective costs. Excellence in product development Given the dramatic changes in the automotive product development environment, it is obvious that a strong product development system is a crucial core competence and fundamental to the success of any consumer driven component. The growing complexity of the modern automobile, along with the changes which are taking place within this century implies that it is a high time that the company established several approaches which are going to ensure that the TMC products are quality products which have an edge in the market. The company’s system should be in a manner that it ensures that new products which match the customer needs within a region are on top of the production list. Essentially, it is worth noting that it might be challenging to produce products which cut across the needs of the entire consumer demand.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, owing to the nature of the competitors, the company should establish a strategy that ensures that the strategies which are put in place meet the objectives and goals of a given plant. Plant location As a multinational company, Toyota should seek to establish plants across the globe. This will ensure that it has the capacity and the ability to reach needs of the consumers across the globe. The global business strategy should be a major tactic for Toyota to keep consumers driving its products from generation to generation. This will call for launching slogans which respond to the regional consumer needs. By undressing the image of Japanese cars overseas, Toyota’s strategy will create a mirror of new indigenous products, which will be managed, designed, assembled and driven by the local people. This strategy should work if the local people feel comfortable with the products. Furthermore, the products which will be developed should be according to the local conditions, e specially weather conditions and economic infrastructures. By meeting the needs of the locals, Toyota will be in a position of spreading across the globe with the trademark brand Toyota. Ananth, Iyer, Seshadri Sridhar and Vasher Roy. Toyota supply chain management:a strategic approach to the principles of Toyotas renowned system. California: McGraw-Hill Professional, 2009. Print. Borowski, Arkadi. Report on the Toyota Company. Norderstedt: GRIN Verlag, 2010. Print. Morgan, James and Liker Jeffrey. The Toyota product development system:integrating people, process, and technology. New York: Productivity Press, 2006. Print.

buy custom Antenatal Care essay

buy custom Antenatal Care essay This essay is based on a case study (attached in the appendix) and basically examines the care given to a woman through her pregnancy to the time she gives birth. The case study involves a complication (episiotomy) and throughout the essay an effort is made to refer to the case study showing the relevance of what is being discussed to the case study. The essay is structured into three parts: the antenatal care, the post partum period and the post natal care. Many changes are experienced during pregnancy. The changes are mainly hormonal and according to Dr. Cullin (2009, par. 1) include, enlargement of the uterus, nipples and breasts and gaining of weight (Cullin par. 1). Other changes may include reduction in sexual desire, constipation, aches and pains in the abdomen and lower back, skin texture change, nausea or vomiting, heartburn, tiredness and other discomforts which have not been experienced before. In most case pregnancies proceed without many complexities. However care should be taken to ensure that pregnancy proceeds in the correct manner to avoid later development of complexions due to oversights which were made early on. Some of the warnings to look out for include: sudden weight gain for instance two pounds within one day severe swelling of the ankles, feet or face severe or frequent headaches which are quite persistent fainting, flashes of light, and blurred vision burning or pain during urinating a sudden feeling of thirst dramatic decrease or increase in urination vaginal bleeding (light) and sometimes unusual discharge Pregnant women ought to look for the light signs which indicate slight problems as well as those which indicate serious problems. One such sign indicating big complexity likely to occur is the occurrence of premature labour. The signs for premature labour include: strong uterine contraction every 10 minutes or less; the lower abdomen experiencing menstrual-like cramps repetitively; pelvic pressure which gives a feeling of the fetus pushing down; and sudden water breakings. The pregnant mother ought to take precaution against some substances which may affect the fetus which and not limited to teratogenic agents. Toralles et al., (2009, p. 1) defines teratogenic agents as, physical, chemical, or biological agents or nutrient deficiencies that lead to fetal structural or functional alterations (Toralles et al. p. 1). They argue that pregnant mothers ought to be sensitized on the effects of these agents on the developement of the pregnancy, the delivery process, and the post natal care for both the baby and the mother. Pregnant mothers should desist from the use of stimulants and foods which are not advisable to be used during pregnancy. This way, chances of developing complications are reduced (Pillitteri, 2007, p. 198; Toralles et al. p. 1). Buy custom Antenatal Care essay

Say Thank You to Friends With a Sentimental Quote

Say 'Thank You' to Friends With a Sentimental Quote Friendship, like any other relationship, needs to be nurtured. It cannot grow like a wildflower. To develop a good friendship, you need to be committed, and a word of gratitude goes a long way toward sealing bonds. Thank your friends for being there for you. Thank them for helping you rediscover yourself. Use these thank-you quotes for friends in cards and messages. On  Friendship Day, reach out to your friends in every corner of the world. Let them know that wherever they are, they will always be in your heart. Real friends are worth the time and trouble. As Oprah Winfrey said, Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.   Richard BachEvery gift from a friend is a wish for your happiness. Grace Noll CrowellHow can I find the shining word, the glowing phrase that tells all that your love has meant to me, all that your friendship spells? There is no word, no phrase for you on whom I so depend. All I can say to you is this, God bless you, precious friend. Ralph Waldo EmersonThe glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone else believes in him and is willing to trust him. It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them. EuripidesFriends show their love in times of trouble, not in happiness. Baltasar GracinTrue friendship multiplies the good in life and divides its evils. Strive to have friends, for life without friends is like life on a desert island... To find one real friend in a lifetime is good fortune; to keep him is a blessing. Yolanda HadidFriendship isnt about who youve known the longest... its about who came and never left your side.   Thomas JeffersonBut friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life, and thanks to a benevolent arrangement the greater part of life is sunshine. Ann LandersLove is  friendship  that has caught fire. It is quiet understanding, mutual confidence, sharing, and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection and makes allowances for human weaknesses.   John LeonardIt takes a long time to grow an old friend. Franà §ois de la RochefoucauldA true friend is the greatest of all blessings, and that which we take the least care of all to acquire. Albert Schweitzer ï » ¿In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit. Lucius Annaeus SenecaOne of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood. Henry David ThoreauThe language of friendship is not words, but meanings.

Profiling Australian TSM as a Foreign Direct Investment Prospect Assignment - 1

Profiling Australian TSM as a Foreign Direct Investment Prospect - Assignment Example The tourism industry in Australia is still faced with challenges which impede the maximization of returns. In order for the sector to realize its potential, increased investments in hotel capacity, tourism infrastructure, and labor supply are highly required. These challenges are present opportunities for potential foreign direct investors to do business in such areas, including the aviation infrastructure, recreation, arts, and accommodation.Be that as it may, the level of optimism for investing in the tourism sector in Australia has tremendously improved in the last two years (Australia Trade Commission, 2013). Market size and development potential are important factors that influence the tourism service industry and FDI inflows.Australia rests within the world’, best performing tourism region, as well as the biggest global aviation market.The Australian government launched Tourism 2020, a programme intended to raise Australia’s overnight tourism expenditure to Aus$140 billion by 2020.The high growth economies of Asia present an opportunity for the flourishing of the tourism industry in Australia. In May 2014, accommodation occupancy in the capital city of Australia reached new peaks, surpassing 80 percent in Adelaide, Sydney, Perth, and Melbourne. Demand for accommodation is still on the rise, thereby boosting the hotel sectors (Australia Trade Commission, 2013).  High demand from Asia plays an important role in attaining growth in the global visitation of Australia. The Asian continent is recognized as the world’s fastest-growing market for tourists. This is necessi tated by stable economic growth, a developing urban and wealthy middle class, as well as the fastest growing aviation industry in the world.

Cause and effect of divorce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cause and effect of divorce - Essay Example ons in life, which affect the longevity of marriage unions especially because different individuals have different capacities to withstand such challenges. This paper is a critical evaluation of the causes and effects of divorce. There are various reasons as to why a couple may decide to get a divorce. For example, it is true to say that once a person has decided to get married, he will have made an important choice to be loyal and faithful to the person he or she is going to marry. However, infidelity and adultery have continued to be a major threat to the institution of marriage especially in the contemporary society (Stewart 28). Cheating on a person is absurd and disrespectful and not many people can withstand the pain and agony associated with this shameful act. If proven, infidelity is a justifiable reason for any person to want to terminate a marriage especially in this era of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. Domestic violence is an evil, which has continued to ruin marriages throughout the world. 2004 statistics indicate that 17% of divorce cases in the UK were because of one partner abusing the other either physically or emotionally (Lewis 44). Couples are supposed to love and protect each other. However, if a partner becomes a threat then divorce becomes a necessity to avoid complications, which may include disability or death. Every person has weaknesses and it is usually important for a couple to study each other in order to discover them before entering into a lifetime commitment. However, some couples get married without putting this into much thought or thinking that they would eventually help their partners to overcome their shortcomings only to end up being frustrated. Alcoholism and drug abuse are examples of such weaknesses, which have contributed to numerous cases of divorce around the world. Money is important but current trends have proved that it is a major source of conflicts between married couples (Stewart 47). The lack

Media Anthropology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Media Anthropology - Essay Example Some advertising tries to influence the buying patterns of parents by linking love and guilt with the purchase of products. When a child is mad at a parent, a gift from the parent might make them happy again. Some parents feel that they can buy their child's affection. Children have also become very status conscious and are aware of brand-name items. As time passes it keeps happening at younger ages. Kids want other kids to like them and appearance is very important. For some reason children are led to believe that clothes from Abercrombie, Gap, or Tommy Hilfiger are better and will make them more popular than no-name brand clothes from Wal-Mart, Target, or K-Mart. A recent study found that parents spend 40 percent less time with their children than their parents did. On average, parents spend about 17 hours a week with their children, while their children spend as many as 40 hours a week using all forms of media (Ryan 44). Parents need to take practical steps to make sure that they--and not the television--are influencing their child. It can shape their reality, set their expectations, and define their values and their behavior. Every day, messages and images from the media--messages about how to behave, what choices to make, and what to think, bombard children. Children even try to imitate what they learn from television, video games, and the Internet. They're more vulnerable to these messages than adults because they haven't developed good judgment or the ability to process the information they're given yet. Since its not interactive, children get the message that they can just sit and be entertained. Children will think activities other than media experiences, particularly school, are boring if there's not a high level of stimulation and entertainment-focus. Media may also interfere with creativity. Children are not engaging in their own skills, imagination or fantasy, because they're getting their entertainment passively from a television screen. If children are watching TV instead of talking to others, they also will not develop the necessary social skills. Social expectations of femininity and masculinity are created and maintained by society based on the media. Media has provided society with a mold of how people of different genders should be and act. Many women in today's world have a low self-esteem caused by the image of a "perfect woman" broadcasted in the media. Models in magazines and product ads have been airbrushed to make the women more appealing. Millions of diet products, fashions and cosmetics have been sold to make woman feel as though they could have a better body. These products are sold because media has no regulation that requires portrayals of people or products to be honest. The images produced by the media and businesses are made to hold audiences and to sell products. It is true that people want to see beautiful people. Would a show or magazine be successful if it featured so-called ugly or average looking people Women want their bodies to be perfect, but what is this ever changing definition of perfection Is it a model on the cover of Cosmopolitan Today's women do not have enough time in a day to get their hair, nails,

Q & A Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Q & A - Coursework Example The boy sets out with a desire to fill the world with the music of his flute and his songs. Though his first encounter with the brown eyed girl is in accordance with innocence and his naive perceptions of beauty, it also acquaints him with the inseparable parts of love, pain and longing. For the first time, he encounters the necessity of making a tough choice between following the girl and continuing his journey. This is also his first encounter with the darker emotions of life, although in a milder form. The next part of the story can be interpreted in two ways. Assuming that the old boatman is the boy reminiscing about his past, his encounter with the brown eyed girl is not a single event but a metaphor of all moments of simple, unadulterated joy treasured by him. The memories of the girl are, in comparison with his present situation, used to raise the question of authenticity. His next encounter with the old man can be viewed in two different ways. First, the old man introducing t he then unknown feelings of sadness to the boy and his later desertion of the boat may represent the eternal cycle of life and death where all old forms of life must make place for the new ones. Since the author uses the boat in the river, it denotes the transition of the young man over years.

Portfolio Risk Utilising a Value at Risk Methodology Dissertation

Portfolio Risk Utilising a Value at Risk Methodology - Dissertation Example my gratitude and thanks to my supervisor Tony Hall and course leader Jason Law whose insight and experience showed me the right path and guidance to complete this project. My acknowledgment would not be complete if I miss to thank other tutors and classmates who were the source of learning and enjoyment throughout my stay at the university. Table of Contents Table of Contents 6 CHAPTER 1 8 INTRODUCTION TO CHINA 'S STOCK MARKET 8 1.1 Introduction 8 CHAPTER II 12 1.2 Stock Market Development from 1922 12 1.3 Institutional Facts about the Chinese Stock Industry 12 1.3.1 Stock market structure 12 1.3.2 Share structure 13 1.3.3 Investors 14 1.3.4 Listing and de-listing 14 1.3.5 Trading mechanism 16 1.4 Value at Risk 17 1.4.1 Definition of Value at Risk 18 1.5 Existing Approaches in Value at Risk Estimation 21 1.5.1 Traditional Historical Simulation 21 1.5.2 Variance-Covariance Approach 23 1.5.3 GARCH Model Building Approach 25 1.5.4 Monte Carlo Simulation 25 Chapter 3 28 Value at Risk Methodology 28 Introduction 28 1.2 Portfolio VAR 31 1.3 Historical Simulation 33 1.4 Monte Carlo Simulation 34 1.5 VAR Strengths and Weaknesses 35 CHAPTER IV 37 DYNAMIC CORRELATOIN OF CHINESE STOCK 37 4.1 Introduction 37 4.2 Data and Descriptive Statistics 40 4.2.1 The Data 40 4.2.2 Summary statistics 41 4.3 The dynamic Correlation Coefficient Model 45 4.4 Empirical Estimations 48 CHAPTER V 51 CONCLUSION 51 Effects of policy change 51 Conclusion 53 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION TO CHINA 'S STOCK MARKET 1.1 Introduction With China's rapid transition to a modern economy, all of its business sectors and industries are undergoing dynamic changes. A substantial amount of working capital is required by business firms, and economic development in China demands rapid advancement of capital...With China’s rapid transition to a modern economy, all of its business sectors and industries are undergoing dynamic changes. A substantial amount of working capital is required by business firms, and economic development in China demands rapid advancement of capital markets. In retrospect, the first stock in China, Shen BaoAn, was issued in 1983. By then China had no securities exchange, and stock trading activities were operated virtually underground (Chen and Sun, 2003). It was three years later, on September 26, 1986, that the JinAn Business of CICB Shanghai Trust and Invest Company began to trade its stocks over the counter. Nevertheless, the local secondary market trading was still unofficial and unorgani zed (Gordon and Li, 1991). After several years’ effort and a learning period, the Shanghai Stock Exchange and Shenshen Stock Exchange were formally established on December 19, and December 1, 1990, respectively. Since their establishment in the early 1990s, developing Chinese stock markets have received a great deal of attention from both domestic and international practitioners and researchers. The main reason for this is that, before 1982, the Chinese economy was a central planning system in which no private business was allowed, and there was no market-oriented banking system. The constitution Act in 1982 lifted the ban on private business activities (Shirai, 2002), allowing a large number of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and banks to be privatized and incorporated.

Integrated Concept Process Model and School-to-Work Research Paper

Integrated Concept Process Model and School-to-Work - Research Paper Example They undertake these activities while being guided by professionals who have both knowledge and experience in education. The role of these professionals is mainly to assist the students to apply the skills they acquire in class in real-life situations. The students can derive from this kind of a scenario several benefits. One of these benefits is that a student can discover the challenges he might encounter in his professional occupation. They can also learn how the skills learnt in class are applied in real-life and the adjustments required in making them suite different situations. Moreover, they can understand the connection between various academic concepts and occupational concepts in their field of study (Erickson, 2002). Previous research indicate that students who move directly from a school-to-work program to employment have better chances of getting good jobs compared to other students (Stull & Sanders, 2003). Therefore, school-to-work curriculum assists a student in acquir ing a better job after graduating. Teaching lesson planning concept to education students The subject of effective instructional teaching is very crucial among all the students aspiring to become professional educators. The subject has several discipline-based concepts one of them being the concept of lesson planning. To teach this kind of concepts effectively, it is essential to develop a method that would be based on the school-to-work curriculum. The method I would use to teach this concept is the use of projects. The students would be expected to design and implement a lesson plan under my supervision or that of any other professional educator. To achieve the best possible result using this method I would design a rubric that would assist the students to understand what is required of them and assist the supervisors in helping students achieve highest standards possible in lesson planning. I expected that the teaching method would benefit my students in several ways. It would en able them to have the ability to effectively design and implement a lesson plan. It would equip them with knowledge on the challenges they might encounter in their career and thus help them prepare accordingly. Using this teaching method to teach the concept of lesson planning would enhance the students understanding of the concept and their ability to apply the concept in their specific area of specialization. According to Anderson (2009), a teaching method is effective only if it enhances students’ learning. The approach of teaching that this teaching method uses could enhance learning among students and therefore it is an effective teaching method. Evaluation of the implementation of the school-to-work curriculum School-to-work curriculum involves programs like youth apprenticeship, high school academies, tech-prep program, occupational academic clusters, and cooperative education (Bailey, 1995). Each of these programs has its own implementation approach in the specific si tuation in which they can be implemented successfully. However, currently all these programs can only be implemented only in the high school and college levels of education. The implementation of these programs also requires dedication of professionals as well as resources. Therefore, the implementation of school-to-work curriculum is a somehow cumbersome and thus requires collaboration of various stakeholders.

Portfolio Risk Utilising a Value at Risk Methodology Dissertation

Portfolio Risk Utilising a Value at Risk Methodology - Dissertation Example my gratitude and thanks to my supervisor Tony Hall and course leader Jason Law whose insight and experience showed me the right path and guidance to complete this project. My acknowledgment would not be complete if I miss to thank other tutors and classmates who were the source of learning and enjoyment throughout my stay at the university. Table of Contents Table of Contents 6 CHAPTER 1 8 INTRODUCTION TO CHINA 'S STOCK MARKET 8 1.1 Introduction 8 CHAPTER II 12 1.2 Stock Market Development from 1922 12 1.3 Institutional Facts about the Chinese Stock Industry 12 1.3.1 Stock market structure 12 1.3.2 Share structure 13 1.3.3 Investors 14 1.3.4 Listing and de-listing 14 1.3.5 Trading mechanism 16 1.4 Value at Risk 17 1.4.1 Definition of Value at Risk 18 1.5 Existing Approaches in Value at Risk Estimation 21 1.5.1 Traditional Historical Simulation 21 1.5.2 Variance-Covariance Approach 23 1.5.3 GARCH Model Building Approach 25 1.5.4 Monte Carlo Simulation 25 Chapter 3 28 Value at Risk Methodology 28 Introduction 28 1.2 Portfolio VAR 31 1.3 Historical Simulation 33 1.4 Monte Carlo Simulation 34 1.5 VAR Strengths and Weaknesses 35 CHAPTER IV 37 DYNAMIC CORRELATOIN OF CHINESE STOCK 37 4.1 Introduction 37 4.2 Data and Descriptive Statistics 40 4.2.1 The Data 40 4.2.2 Summary statistics 41 4.3 The dynamic Correlation Coefficient Model 45 4.4 Empirical Estimations 48 CHAPTER V 51 CONCLUSION 51 Effects of policy change 51 Conclusion 53 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION TO CHINA 'S STOCK MARKET 1.1 Introduction With China's rapid transition to a modern economy, all of its business sectors and industries are undergoing dynamic changes. A substantial amount of working capital is required by business firms, and economic development in China demands rapid advancement of capital...With China’s rapid transition to a modern economy, all of its business sectors and industries are undergoing dynamic changes. A substantial amount of working capital is required by business firms, and economic development in China demands rapid advancement of capital markets. In retrospect, the first stock in China, Shen BaoAn, was issued in 1983. By then China had no securities exchange, and stock trading activities were operated virtually underground (Chen and Sun, 2003). It was three years later, on September 26, 1986, that the JinAn Business of CICB Shanghai Trust and Invest Company began to trade its stocks over the counter. Nevertheless, the local secondary market trading was still unofficial and unorgani zed (Gordon and Li, 1991). After several years’ effort and a learning period, the Shanghai Stock Exchange and Shenshen Stock Exchange were formally established on December 19, and December 1, 1990, respectively. Since their establishment in the early 1990s, developing Chinese stock markets have received a great deal of attention from both domestic and international practitioners and researchers. The main reason for this is that, before 1982, the Chinese economy was a central planning system in which no private business was allowed, and there was no market-oriented banking system. The constitution Act in 1982 lifted the ban on private business activities (Shirai, 2002), allowing a large number of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and banks to be privatized and incorporated.

Summarize and Critics on Torah (Pentateuch) Essay - 1

Summarize and Critics on Torah (Pentateuch) - Essay Example of the Torah, along with some other perspectives, and allows us to take a step back from blind faith in order to better understand how, most likely, the Torah came to be. Source criticism assumes human, rather than divine, authorship of the text, and further uses modern kinds of literary research to establish that the Five Books of Moses were cobbled together from four major bodies of knowledge or traditions. Friedman does not spend much time dealing with the obviously oral origins of the words, but instead bases his reading on textual elements, from which scholars are able to tease apart the contributions of four separate writers and to hypothesize the literary steps taken by the editor who combined all four into a single, coherent, and cohesive document. Friedman reports on ten disparate categories through which we can discern the four authors: doublets, terminology, contradictions, consistent characteristics, narrative flow, historical referents, linguistic classifications, relationships among sources, references in other parts of the bible, and editorial marks. Doublets refer to â€Å"cases of two variations of the same story in the Pentateuch† (Friedman, 1992, p. 609). This essay refers to twenty-seven different places in the Torah where the same story has been told in slightly different ways, for instance, the order of creation in Genesis, which is presented differently in 1:1-2:3 than in 2:4-25. There are even examples of triplets, three versions of the same story. The second category, terminology, refers to different names being used, especially for God. This is most important because, â€Å"these differences of terminology fall consistently into one or another group of doublets† (Friedman, 1992, p. 610). One set will always use the term â€Å"God† while the other will always use â€Å"Yahweh,† suggesting two different authors with two different ways of talking about the deity. For scholars, this is the key to determining the number of different authors,

Meaning of life - United Kingdom Essay Example for Free

Meaning of life United Kingdom Essay 1. How does Pontiac understand the meaning of freedom? In his notion freedom meant getting rid of the English who had conquered the French and had gained more control over the Indians lands than ever. He believed they had to fight the English and pushed them out of their ancestors lands. As he said â€Å"Although you have conquered the French, you have not yet conquered us! We are not your slaves. These lake, these woods and mountains, were left to us by our ancestors. They are our inheritance; and we will part with them to none. 2. What elements of Indian life does Neolin criticize most strongly? He criticized Pontiac for using European technology, doing fur trade with the Whites, using their cloths and consuming alcohol instead of fighting against the English which he called them â€Å"the dogs who dressed red† and surrendering himself to them. He argued that he (Pontiac) should clothe himself in skins and use the bows and arrows and his tradition to fight back against their enemies. 3. How does this document relate to and inform the related part of the Chapter in the main text? This document discusses on how Pontiac started his journey to meet with Delaware religious prophet Neolin and on how Neolin guided Pontiac on how he should fight back in opposed to the English by getting back to his tradition that he inherited from his ancestors. 4. What impact did the primary source had on your understanding and beliefs? It was very interesting to see how much Indians cared about spiritual beliefs and how strong their viewpoint were when it comes to their traditional faith. Even though, the English had believed they were faithless and savages, but the truth was they were full of spiritual thoughts.

Key Factors Affecting Customer Retention Marketing Essay

Key Factors Affecting Customer Retention Marketing Essay The objectives of this thesis are to examine the influence of the interaction between overall satisfaction with service quality, product quality, pricing, and switching barriers on customer retention at Apollo Education and Training Organization. The study started with an assumption which all above elements have direct impacts on customer retention and crucial to retain students in foreign owned education firms. It can be seen from the results that there is a positive relationship between product quality, service quality, price, customer satisfaction and switching barriers with customer retention. The sample size of this quantitative research included 104 current adult students at Apollo Hanoi. Building on the quantitative aspects questionnaire was designed to examine the customer retention, service quality, product quality, price, customer satisfaction and switching barriers and to generalize the finding to the large population. There are also limitations as well as future research implications at the end of this research study. Furthermore, the descriptive analysis is used to analyze the extent to which the factors affect customer retention. Customer retention is an important element of a foreign owned education firm in todays increasingly competitive environment. Management must identify and improve upon factors that can limit customer defection. These include switching barriers and customer satisfaction with service quality, product quality, pricing. Clearly, there are compelling arguments for management to carefully consider the factors that might increase customer retention rates. A lot of studies have emphasized the significance of customer retention in the industry like banking or hospitalism such as Dawkins and Reichheld, 1990; Marple and Zimmerman, 1999; Page et al., 1996; Fisher, 2001. However, there has been little effort to investigate factors that might lead to customer retention in education firm. Most of the studies have focused on the impact of individual constructs, without attempting to link them in a model to further explore or explain retention. If retention criteria are not well managed, customers might still leave their suppliers, no matter how hard bankers try to retain them. Keywords: Customer retention, Service Quality, Product Quality, Customer Satisfaction, Switching Barrier. Chapter 1: Overview of the research Background of Research Despite of the existing difficulties of the economy, in 2011 and 2012, education remains one of the few positive growth areas. According to experts; it is due to the stable development of education. Peoples learning needs are increasing; their level of investment in learning is increasing too. This investment is not interrupted by fear, worried about funding; on the contrary, students can save many other expenses to spend on their studies or their children. In the field of education, it can be said that in 2012 a lot of new English language centers are opened. The main reason is that English is more and more important, becoming obligatory recruitment requirements of many enterprises. According to the survey, using English proficiently helps graduate students quickly get a job and receive two times higher wages compared to non-English speaking candidate. Therefore, parents will not hesitate to invest in their children English learning at the prestigious center from an early age. More blue and white collared workers will enroll with the purpose of increasing salary, income. Apollo Vietnam, which was founded in 1994, is the first fully foreign owned English language training company in Vietnam and an affiliate of  International House   a well established and trusted name in English teaching. With the slogan Where the best become better, Apollo continues to strive to maintain the high standard English teaching organization in Vietnam. Apollo has made and continues to make a lot of contributions to Vietnamese society such as scholarships for students, fun learn English and teachers training for local schools and several well-known and well-loved television shows, for example, The Golden Bell, The Road to Olympia and Connect Youths. Apollo has seven moder centers based in Ho Chi Minh, Ha Noi, Da Nang, Hai Phong and offers a variety of educational programs and services, such as Public courses ( including English for Young Learners, Teens, Adults, IELTS TOEFL iBT), Corporate English, School Partnership Program and Overseas Study Services. Apollos has a lot of achievements in education and training, recognized by the Vietnamese Government and the United Kingdom: First foreign organization that has received two campaign medals for the Cause of Education from the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training In  2008, Apollos Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mr. Khalid Muhmood, was also awarded the MBE (Member of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth II for providing international-standard English training in Vietnam. Apollo is collaborating with leading endorsers, such as Cambridge University, DOET,Nokia, Fahasa, Nestle, Prudential and many more. Apollo is also the English content provider for popular game shows in Vietnam like Peak to Olympia, Golden Bell, Hot VTeen, and Doremi. Apollo has different courses designed for public students at Apollo at different ages, especially for adult. Please have look at Appendix 6 for more details. Problem Statement and Research Questions In recent years, a lot of English language centers with huge capital and investment are opened putting Apollo in the fiercer competition with strong existing competitors like British Council, Language Link, ILA, ACET, RMIT,Clever Learn, Oxford English UK,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ as well as new entrants such as Alphabest, AMA,etc. As a result, fewer new customers are being pursued by an increasing number of service providers. Under those circumstances, a large share of a firms resources must be devoted to the present customer base in order to make them satisfied and retain them. One significance of customer retention is its close relationship to the companys continued survival, and to strong future growth. Hence, for a company, to maintain a stable profit level when competition is fierce, a defensive strategy which strives to retain existing customers is more important than an aggressive one, which expands the size of the overall market by inducing potential customers (Fornell, 1992). Apollo currently has a good student retention rate of young learner segment, about 80%, whereas for adult segment in recent years, its only around 50% (Figure 2). As it can be seen from Figure 1, Apollo had from 640 to 700 adult student turns from 2009 until present and one forth of companys public revenue comes from those adult students which means that each month a lot of revenue shouldnt have lost if more careful measurements and priorities are drawn to adult segment. As a service company, no one likes the fact that 50% of adult students leave after enrolling one course at Apollo. Therefore, Apollo should try to find out the reasons why they leave and solutions to retain more current adult students. Figure 1: Apollos Average Number of Adult Students from 2009 to 2012 (source: internal document) Figure 2: Apollo Adult Studentss Retention Rate from 2009 to 2012 (source: internal document) There is a large number of literature about customer loyalty, customer satisfaction but not many studies are concentrated on the specific topic of customer retention. Moreover, there are many different characters in the context of English training service by foreign company compared to the regular service. Part of my job relates to retaining existing adult students at Apollo. Gaining better understanding of how to retain adult students at Apollo will not only help me to work more efficiently but also make small contribution to companys development. The research questions that are discussed in this thesis are as below: What are the main determinants and influencers of customer retention at Apollo Hanoi? How can these factors and determinants be developed and evaluated at Apollo Hanoi? Hence, the primary purpose of this study is to investigate the strategies at Apollo Hanoi to increase customer retention. After reading the related literature, as discussed above, it was found out that it would be more appropriate to answer these questions by designing a model to determine customer retention. Thesis Objectives This study explores the impacts that improvements in switching barriers and overall customer satisfaction by improving product or English course quality, service quality, price could have on customer retention at Apollo Hanoi, as it is a key indicator of customer retention, which in turn affects profit. On one hand, this thesis would be an opening to the further researches according to the related area, and on the other hand, this study may have some limitations. There are other factors influencing customer retention, apart from factors suggested in this thesis such as, the demographic characteristics of customers, their life cycles, and their usage pattern of English courses, that would be studied in future researches. The general objective of the research was to examine the extent to which key indicators affecting customer retention are having an impact on Apollo Hanoi and identify steps that Apollo Hanoi should take, if proven necessary. The research is more specifically aimed to: Find out the reasons why left students ended the relationship with Apollo Discover what factors are most important to encourage students study the next level at Apollo according to customers perspectives Indicate the level of satisfaction of adult students with such factors at Apollo Hanoi Find out whether switching barriers has strong effect on students decision to stay Present recommendations to Apollo Hanoi on how to enhance its customer retention Thesis scope and limitations Scope This research was limited to Apollo Hanoi due to the limited reach of the researcher who will be conducting his research and equaled desire for control over the research process apart from these limitations. Limitations Time The researcher faced time constraints in the process of collecting data. As a result, many aspects of the research had to be accommodative of other activities going on at Apollo Hanoi, which included a survey the company had issued forcing the issuing of the questionnaire for this research to be delayed to avoid over questioning of adult students. Finance The researcher was constrained financially. This primarily attributed to the fact that the research was primarily self-sponsored. As a result, certain value adding aspects of the research could not be administered effectively. Data Collection Apollo management was not in a position to disclose all the information requested due to lack of availability of the information as requested and the inability of the company to disclose all documents as they are. The researcher also experienced problems with adult students, as many were reluctant to fill in the survey and answer the questions in interviews. Thesis Structure My thesis will be divided into six chapters Introduction Literature Review Methodology Empirical Findings Recommendations and conclusions In the introduction chapter, the background information such as brief information of foreign education in general and English training in particular in Vietnam, objectives of my research, hypotheses will be presented. In literature review chapter, the related theories will be introduced. Methodology chapter will explain the research techniques and methods. Empirical Findings, data analysis, recommendations and conclusions will show the actual and gathered data and results of this research. Conceptual framework Product Quality Overall Customer Satisfaction Price Customer retention Service Quality Switching barriers CHAPTER 2: Literature Review Customer retention Customer retention plays a very important role in organizations economic portfolio. It is the act of keeping customers resulting from service quality and customer satisfaction (Ross 1995). Companies should be interested in retaining customers, though, for the following reasons (Reichheld 1996): Getting new customers can cost five times more than the cost involved in satisfying and retaining current customers. It needs a lot of effort to induce satisfied customers to switch from their current suppliers to others. The average company loses ten percent of its customers per year. A five percent decrease in the customer defection rate can increase profits by 25 percent to 85 percent, depending on the industry. The customer profit rate tends to increase over the life of the retained customer. According to Werner and Kunar 2000, retention may lead to increased profit over time if there is a forced ongoing relationship or an inertia driven relationship; if costs of maintenance decrease over time at a faster rate than revenues. It is further argued that focus on customer loyalty can provide general commercial advantages due to the following reasons: Customers cost less to retain than to acquire. A loyal customer will commit more to its chosen supplier. About half the new customers come from referrals from existing customers/ clients The concept of customer retention comes from the concept of customer orientation or customer focused marketing, which calls for organizing the company towards the satisfaction of the customer needs. Ideally this requires that the offering should focus on the customer and his needs and/or expectations. Weinstein Johnson (1999) recommended that at least 75% of an organizations marketing budget should be spent on customer retention strategies and strengthening these relationships. Besides this realization, there is a general lack of focus on customers; profitability is still king (Ross 1995). Most firms focus a significant amount of resources to attract and acquire new customers, instead of keeping the existing ones. It is generally thought that once a customer is acquired, keeping the customer is simple through superior products and services (Payne 2006, 2). Ross (1995) continued to claim that a focus on cash flow and short-term profits is not something wrong, but long-term profit and market share both require a base of satisfied customers which are retained by a focus on satisfaction with product quality, service quality, pricing and creating high switching barriers. We notice that customer retention is a concept that requires management to focus on customers by analyzing the indicators that reflect their satisfaction with services. Key factors affecting customer retention Retention depends on how it is measured and presented, but even more on the expectations and targets set for the activity. Therefore, the need for having a model which determines the customer retention influencers so as to evaluate them is essential for such a firm to be successful in the competitive markets . As mentioned before, a model will be developed based on the previous researches for evaluating different factors which influence customer retention and this model will be applied for Apollo Hanoi. Earlier studies of factors affecting customer retention usually concentrate on customer satisfaction and the switching barriers (e.g., Dick Basu, 1994; Gerpott, Rams, Schindler, 2001; Lee Cunningham, 2001). It is studied that customers experiencing a high level of satisfaction are likely to remain with their existing providers and maintain their relationship with the firm. However, according to some research, customer satisfaction, while positively influencing customer retention, is not always a sufficient condition, and, in some cases, fails to produce the expected effects. Hence, these researchers suggest that it is necessary to analyze other potentially influential factors. It is in this context that the concept of the switching barrier was proposed (Jones, Mothersbaugh, Betty, 2002) . Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that the switching barrier plays the role of an adjustment variable in the interrelationship between customer satisfaction and customer retention. In other words, when the level of customer satisfaction is identical, the level of customer retention can change depending on the magnitude of the switching barrier. Hence, many studies have been done on the subject of customer retention and loyalty. They developed models so as to determine different factors influencing customer loyalty and retention. The main model that was developed in these studies is a result of an empirical causal model is as below. It will also be used in this research: Customer Retention Overall Customer Satisfaction Switching Barriers Figure 1: Determinants of customer retention, model by Kim, et. al., 2003 Each factor contains some variables like switching barriers which include switching cost, interpersonal relationship, attractiveness of alternatives, service recovery The education firms must maximize customer satisfaction and the switching barrier in order to enhance customer retention. In particular, they must focus on service quality, product quality, pricing policy and offer customer-oriented services to improve customer satisfaction. At the same time, efforts to raise the switching barrier must be built for a long-term relationship. Customer satisfaction Customer satisfaction roots from a comparison between customers expectations and experiences. It means positive reaction to a service experience. If the customers perceived experience matches the expectations, customers are assumed to be satisfied. If the preceding expectations were higher than the gain of the service, the customers are considered to be disappointed and or dissatisfied. (Ylikoski 2000, 109). Stock (2005, 59) argued that customer satisfaction is an important driver of organizational performance and a key component of competitive strategies and sustainable advantage .Therefore, in market driven economy, measuring customer satisfaction is very important and customer satisfaction is essensial to the firms survival, growth and success (Guo et al., 2004, 141). According to the marketing concept, customer needs are essentially satisfied by integrated marketing, with the intention to satisfy customers while earning profit; the basic idea is that satisfied customers will be more likely to repurchase, leading to increased sales and market share for the company (Innis and La Londe, 1994, 2). Hence, to achieve long-term business success, it is vital to keep customers happy (Stank et al., 1997, 2). Customer satisfaction has been considered as the main element for customer retention in a lot of researches, and has consequently moved to the forefront of relational marketing approaches (Rust and Zahorik 1993). According to Anderson and Sullivan (1993), the more satisfied customers are, the higer is their retention. On the other hand, there are studies and publications where the relationship between satisfaction and retention has been noted not to be so straightforward (Hennig-Thurau and Klee 1997). In some industries, customer satisfaction scores tend to correlate with retention whereas in other industries, there is little or no correlation (Lowenstein 1995, 11-12). Kotler (2003, 73) stated that firms should measure satisfaction frequently, because customer satisfaction is the key to customer retetion. The highly satisfied customer stays loyal longer, buys more from the firm, talks favorably, pays less attention to competing brands, is less sensitive to price, offers ideas to the company, and costs less to serve than new customers, because transactions are routine. Customers will defect if they are very dissatisfied, dissatisfied, or even indifferent. Hence, firms have to frequently survey their customers level of satisfaction and target to create very satisfied customers, because they are most likely to stay loyal to the firm. According to Bolton (1998), the level of satisfaction explains a significant portion of explained difference in the duration of service provider -customer relationship, comparable to the effect of price. Besides, Bolton stated that it was a common misconception that organizations which focus on satisfaction are failing to manage customer retention. Furthermore, managers and researchers might have underestimated the importance between customer satisfaction and retention due to the complexity of the relationship between these factors. In a research by Ranaweera and Prabhu (2003), it was argued that while satisfaction may be an important driver for retention, it only does not ensure service loyalty; trust, switching barriers, and emotional response such as inertia and indifference might also affect retention. In their research, Ranaweera and Prabhu adopted a holistic approach to examine the combined effects of satisfaction, trust, and switching barriers in a continuous purchasing setting. The findings denoted that customer satisfaction and trust have strong and positive effects on customer retention, although the effects of trust on retention are weaker than that of satisfaction. The results also proved that switching barriers have a significant effect on customer retention. According to the research, it is proved that satisfaction is the main driver of customer retention buy if trust is absent, satisfaction will have less impact on retention. The correlation between satisfaction and customer retention is not usually as simple and straightforward as stated before. Reichheld et al. (2000) argued that a concept called the satisfaction trap is represented: while it may seem nonrational that increasing customer satisfaction will push retention and therefore profits, the facts are opposite as 60 percent and 80 percent of customers who defect say they were satisfied or very satisfied with their former supplier. According to Storbacka et al. (1994), customer satisfaction is only one dimension in increasing relationship strength; strong relationships can be dependent or perceived of contextual bonds that function as exit barriers. It is vital to understand that contextual barriers can generate latent dissatisfaction which emerges as the importance of the contextual bonds reduces. The article ends arguing that the relationships are remarkably different between different individual consumers. Some may be very committed to the relati onship and for them the perceived satisfaction with the relationship is very important. Others may find the relationship unimportant, and for those customers, the satisfaction component is so much significant. Extensive evidence suggests the positive influence of customer satisfaction on loyalty (Bolton, 1998; Fornell et al., 1996; Musa, 2004). In fact, many researchers pointed out that in order to improve business performance; firms should measure and manage customer satisfaction and its importance has led marketing scholars to recommend firms to improve their customers satisfaction judgments as satisfaction is a key to customer loyalty and retention (Fornell et al.). Customer satisfaction with a companys products or services is often viewed as the key to a companys success and long-term competitiveness. Product quality A prominent reason why customers do not retain with company is that their products are not fulfilling its functions properly. When products fail to perform their functions completely and properly, then products are useless for customers, when customers are not satisfied with products and do not use it, they will reduce its retention and relationship with company (Buzzell and Gale 1987). Product quality plays a vital role in customer retention and has positive relationship with customer retention. Customers compare the perceived performance of a product or service with some performance standard. Customers are satisfied when the perceived performance is greater than the standard, while dissatisfaction occurs when there is lack of standard for performance falls. Product quality is the strategic benefits of quality in contributing to market share and return on investment (Anderson and Zeithaml 1984). Searching for quality is credibly the most important consumer trend of the 1980s (Rabin 1983) as customers are now demanding higher quality in products than ever before (Leonard and Sasser 1982). A company could use a number of strategies to retain its customers. Of great importance, product quality for customer retention to such strategies is the wider concepts of customer service, customer retention, and relationship marketing. Companies can build loyalty and retention through using of number of techniques, including database marketing, customized products in limited editions, redeemable against a variety of goods or service, issuing loyalty cards, preferential discounts, free gifts, special promotions, newsletters, of magazines, members clubs, or it has been argued that customer retention is linked to employee loyalty, since employees are the ones that build up long-term relationship with customers. Service quality Service quality is a critical issue in the service industry (Stafford, Stafford and Wells, 1998) and of particular importance for English training providers who characteristically offer English courses which are homogeneous in nature. Moreover, service quality is both directly and indirectly related to loyalty through satisfaction (Bloemer, De Ruyter and Peters, 1998). Therefore, those companies which deliver quality of services better than their competitors would surely have greater possibilities of success. In order to understand the level of service quality of an education firm, a measurement should be established. However, quantifying service quality is not simple and too subjective. Nowadays, education firms provide the same types of English courses, but they do not provide the same quality of services. Besides, customers today are more aware of alternatives and their expectations of service have increased. Service quality can, hence, be used as a strategic tool to build a distinctive advantage over competitors. Although quality cannot be improved unless it is measured, it can be defined from several perspectives duh as the ability to satisfy the needs and expectations of customers (Bergman and Klefsjo (1990), or the overall features and characteristics of a product or service that bears on its ability to satisfy given needs. A reason for customers to switch is that companies fail to provide the better and effective customer service to them. These services include pre-sale service and post- sale service (Lewis Mitchell, 1990). If customers are not satisfied with customer service of the company, it will force them to change the supplier. Service quality is very important for the retention of the customers and have positive relationship as if firms provide service according to the customer requirement than it will also retain the customer as well as lowering manufacturing costs and improving productivity. Service quality is consumers judgment about the overall excellence or superiority of products (Zeithaml 1988). The design and implementation of service delivery processes plays a very important role in the overall competitiveness of modern organizations. Roth and Jackson (1995) provided clear evidence that process capability and execution are major drivers of performance due to their impacts on customer s atisfaction and service quality in education firm. Bearden and Teel (1983) found a positive relationship existing between service quality and customer satisfaction. The positive relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction creates true customers, increase efficiency, market shares, and profits, heavy sales volume, higher revenue, and reduces cost by economies of scales, and retain customer.(Anderson and Sullivan 1993) Satisfied customer do not often switch their service providers and therefore, the cost of retaining existing customers is significantly lower than attracting new ones. These customers my also spread their satisfaction by positive word of mouth which influences non-existent customers desire to engage with the organization and work as free promotional agents (Gronroos 2007, Zeithmal and Bitner, 2000) The positive effects by practising service quality models are a competitive differentiation that favors the enterprise, chances of potential growth, better employee morale, customer loyalty and retention, customer satisfaction, economic growth and profits, employee motivation and vision, favorable advertising, greater productivity and minimization of loss for the customers. The evidence that customer loyalty makes an organization more profitable makes it imperative that complaints and other unfavorable behavioral intentions should be handled effectively and timely to ensure the stability of these relationships. It is important for organizations to also acknowledge that customers may also switch because of the attraction of competitors that are providing better service, more personable service or higher quality. In this case, customers are not switching because of unsatisfactory service. Managers of service firms should know that some customers would still switch services even when they are satisfied with a former provider (Keaveney, 1995). Price Price is another factor for customers to be retained or not to retain with companies. Due to competition, companies are playing with prices of products and services. Clients always required products on most cheap price. Previous researches show that there is positive relationship between price and customer retention and the stability would increase the potential for customer retention. Company should lower customers price sensitivity, reduce the costs of failed marketing and of new customer creation, reduce operating costs due to customer number increases, improve the effectiveness of advertising, and enhance business reputation (Fornell, 1992). Customers often switch mainly due to some pricing issues, for example high price perceived, unfair or deceptive pricing practices (Peng and Wang, 2006). Therefore, so as to increase customer satisfaction, it is essential for service firms to actively manage their customers price perceptions, for example carrying out attractive pricing, offering reasonable prices mix, lower prices without decreasing quality, etc. Price might be one of the most important determinants of customer decisions (Srivastava and Lurie, 2001). Managers could make use of price matching to stimulate repeat purchase behavior (reducing price defection), because price matching may indicate a commitment to protect customers , the objective of it is to keep customers happy so that they would come back and buy again. (Reichheld and Sasser, 1990) suggest that repeated existing customers focus less on price savings than new customers do. Understanding long-term price matching effects on customers is important so as to determine whether price matching has a lasting impact on customer behavior that is evaluating the effectiveness of these policies in stimulating customer retention, in addition to customer acquisition (Kukar-Kinney, 2006). Ol

Human Resource Management Essay -- Gender Roles, Work Place

This essay will discuss the roles of men and women in the workplace. As roles of men and women have changed in today's context, unlike the past, it was caused by cultural and sociological. According to (free dictionary) Roles can be defined as the characteristic and expected social behaviour of an individual. For example when you see a car commercial for a mechanic most of the time the mechanic is a man. But when you see a commercial about cleaning products for the house normally a woman is the face you see. In other words, the media can help break the barriers on how gender roles are portrayed in society. This essay will focus on, the roles of men and women at work, education, pay gap between them, vertical and horizontal segregation, part time job, afterwards before going to conclusion will explain the reason of the difference between men and women, within context of biological, socialisation and structure, and finalising with conclusion. Many companies at present express desire of promoting diversity within organisations. For many years, the dominant group in the workforce always were men. According to (statistic) show that the employment rates for men have been rising since the second quarter of 1971, levelling off in more recent years. ( ??????) Stated that this culturally-installed male dominance can be explained in many ways and from a variety of perspectives. The statistic shows that, in second quarter of 2008 the employment rate was 79 per cent for men and 70 per cent for women, unchanged since 1999; this show the clear evidence of the men was the group dominant. (Hearn and Parkin, 1987) stated that 'Organisation' and 'sexuality' occur simultaneously, in a way that reinforces patriarchal power of men over women." W... ...ease of the women at education and workforce, in some of the men workforce dominant, women who are in that position to retain they have to behave like men. Givens does not want to blame women, but rather make them change their thinking to achieve their aims. The law is not much use for woman in power as there is so many males above them in any company. The usefulness of the law can be seen however in the fact ofprecedent' where any previous case of a woman taking a company to court for sexual discrimination or equal pay and winning may be considered in a similar court case. The glass ceiling is a major obstacle preventing woman from achieving high status professions. However since the law has been in power I believe that the glass ceiling is cracking but it's going to take a lot more years to see any kind of noticeable improvements in woman's careers.

Microeconomics and the Laws of Supply and Demand Essay

Macroeconomics focuses on the entire economy while micro economics studies the individual characteristics and peoples within the economy. Both the fourth and seventh scenarios in the simulation were examples of macroeconomics. They illustrated examples that display the economy as a whole. For example, the affected changes were caused by an increase in the population and a change in consumer demand. The first and second scenarios were examples of microeconomics as they illustrated actions and decisions of individuals and businesses. Whenever the managers created lower or higher price points for rentals they affected the supply and demand curves. As the summary at the end of the simulation states, â€Å"the supply and demand curve is not static; various factors cause them to increase or decrease.† For instance, in the simulation there was a shift in the demand curve with changes in the rental rates for the apartments. The supply curve shifted downward as the demand shifted upward with the changes in lower rental rates. More specifically, when the rental rates lowered to $1050 consumers began demanding more apartments at that rate. The increase in demand led to lower vacancies and, thus, less supply The equilibrium price is the price that allows the supply to meet the exact quantity of what is demanded. When there is shortage in the market it put pressure on the price and increases the price. When there is a surplus in the market it exerts a downward pressure on the price and decreases and decreases the price. Surplus and shortage determines the rate of equilibrium. Applying what we learned Working for a tea supplier for the Los Angeles County and Orange County, the lessons in the simulation really resonated with me. I started to think about the effects of pricing on our products and its effect on the supply and demand for our specific products. I began thinking about what factors are necessary to meet the demands of our clientele without compromising positive revenues. By analyzing our current conditions and creating accurate supply and demand curves for our products I realized that our company can set prices at equilibrium. In the context of microeconomics, individual and business decisions are what create shifts in supply and demand on the equilibrium price and quantity. For example, when the managers for the apartments made decisions to have lower vacancies they had to lower the price on there month to month rentals. This increased the demand while lowering the supply thereby creating a price that is closer to equilibrium. In the context of macroeconomics, population changes or things like unemployment rates would change the supply and demand. For example, when the unemployment rate is high there would be less demand for higher priced rental rates. This would, therefore, increase the supply. In other words, there would be a surplus in vacant apartments. With a higher population rate there would be an increase in demand. There is a direct relationship between the prices of a product set by a firm to how much it will be demanded by the consumers. The price elasticity refers to these changes in demand as the price is lowered or raised. Therefore, the most essential question firms must ask first when determining a price points is, â€Å"How many people will demand a certain product at what specific price?† This does not take into consideration the supply held by a firm since it makes no difference to what is demanded based on the price. References Colander, D. C. (2010). Economics (8th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. University of Phoenix. (2013). Economics for Business 1: Applying Supply and Demand Concepts. Retrieved on October 27, 2013. https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/vendors/tata/UBAMsims/economics1/economic s1_supply_demand_simulation.html

Moods of Poetry Essay

Poetry is a way of expression a speaker’s feelings and emotions into a literary work. All poems have unique tones and moods which show what the speaker feels when writing the poem, and what the reader feels when reading it. For example, â€Å"The Rhodora† by Ralph Waldo Emerson, â€Å"Sonnet XVII: Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?† by William Shakespeare, and â€Å"Song of Myself† by Walt Whitman, all have the similar mood of happiness and vitality. In â€Å"The Rhodora† by Ralph Waldo Emerson, the speaker finds a flower that is unique in beauty compared to the rest of nature. This poem is written loosely in iambic pentameter with a rhyme scheme of aabbcdcdeeffghgh. In line twelve the speaker states â€Å"Then beauty is its own excuse for Being;† meaning that the purpose of the flower is to show beauty, and nothing more. â€Å"The Rhodora† provides the reader with a mood that is happy and uplifting and gives the reader a more respectful view of nature. â€Å"Sonnet XVII: Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?† by William Shakespeare, is a sonnet which consists of 14 lines and is in one stanza. In line two the speaker writes â€Å"Thou art more lovely and more temperate†. The speaker is saying that she is more beautiful and gentle than anything he has ever seen. The speaker states that he loves her more than a summers day. The mood of this poem is uplifting and loving, making the reader happier.

The Hunters: Moonsong Chapter Eighteen

The next morning, Elena woke to find Damon gone, his blanket folded neatly at the foot of her bed. Meredith was dressing for a morning workout, sleepy-eyed and silent, and she only nodded as Elena passed her; Elena had learned long ago that Meredith was useless for conversation before she'd had her first cup of coffee. Bonnie, who didn't have class until that afternoon, was only a lump under her covers. Surely Meredith would have said something if she had noticed Damon on the floor, Elena thought as she dropped in at the cafeteria to grab a muffin before class. Maybe Damon hadn't stayed. Elena bit her lip, thinking about that, kicking little stones on her way to class. She had thought he would stay, that he would want to try and keep her safe. Was it right that she liked that and that she felt more than a twinge of hurt at the idea that he had left? She didn't want Damon to be in love with her, did she? Wasn't part of the reason she put her romance with Stefan on hold so that she and Damon could get each other out of their systems? But†¦ I am a lousy person, she realized. Musing on her own lousiness took Elena al the way into her History of the South class, where she was doodling sadly in her notebook when Professor Campbel – James – came in. Clearing his throat loudly, he walked to the front of the class, and Elena reluctantly pul ed her attention away from her own problems to pay attention to him. James looked different. Unsure of himself, Elena realized. His eyes didn't seem quite as bright as usual, and he appeared to be somehow smal er. â€Å"There's been another disappearance,† he said quietly. An anxious babble rose up from the rest of the class, and he held up his hand. â€Å"The victim this time – and I think we can say at this point that we're talking about victims, not students simply leaving campus – is, unfortunately, a student in this class. Courtney Brooks is missing; she was last seen walking back to her dorm from a party last night.† Scanning the class, Elena tried to remember who Courtney Brooks was. A tal , quiet girl with caramel-colored hair, she thought, and spotted the girl's empty seat. James raised his hand again to quel the rising clamor of frightened and excited voices. â€Å"Because of this,† he said slowly, â€Å"I think that today we must postpone continuing our discussion of the colonial period so that I can tel you a little bit about the history of Dalcrest Col ege.† He looked around at the confused faces of the class. â€Å"This is not, you see, the first time unusual things have happened on this campus.† Elena frowned and, looking at her classmates, saw her confusion mirrored on their faces. â€Å"Dalcrest, as many of you doubtlessly know, was founded in 1889 by Simon Dalcrest with the aim of educating the wealthy sons of the postwar Southern aristocracy. He said that he wanted Dalcrest to be considered the ‘Harvard of the South' and that he and his family would be at the forefront of intel ectualism and academia in the soon-to-begin new century. This much is frequently featured in the official campus histories. â€Å"It's less Wellknown that Simon's hopes were dashed in 1895 when his wild twenty-year-old son, Wil iam Dalcrest, was found dead with three others in the tunnels underneath the school. It was what appeared to be a suicide pact. Certain materials and symbols found in the tunnels with the bodies suggested some ties to black magic. Two years later Simon's wife, Julia Dalcrest, was brutal y murdered in what is now the administration building; the mystery surrounding her death was never solved.† Elena glanced around at her classmates. Had they known about this? The col ege brochures mentioned when the school was founded and by who, but nothing about suicides and murders. Tunnels underneath the school? â€Å"Julia Dalcrest is one of at least three distinct ghosts who are rumored to haunt the campus. The other ghosts are those of a seventeen-year-old girl who drowned, again under mysterious circumstances, when visiting for a weekend dance in 1929. She is said to wander wailing through the hal s of McClel an House, leaving dripping pools of water behind her. The third is a twenty-one-year-old boy who vanished in 1953 and whose body was found three years later in the library basement. His ghost has reportedly been seen coming in and out of offices in the library, running and looking backward in terror, as if he is being pursued. â€Å"There are also rumors of several other mysterious occurrences: a student in 1963 disappeared for four days and reappeared, saying he had been kidnapped by elves.† A nervous giggle ran through the class, and James waved a reproving finger at his audience. He seemed to be perking up, sWelling back to his usual self under the influence of the class's attention. â€Å"The point is,† he said, â€Å"that Dalcrest is an unusual place. Beyond elves and ghosts, there has been a plethora of documented unusual occurrences, and rumors and legends of far more spring up around campus every year. Mysterious deaths. Secret societies. Tales of monsters.† He paused dramatical y and looked around at them. â€Å"I beg you, do not become part of the legend. Be smart, be safe, and stick together. Class dismissed.† The students glanced at one another uneasily, startled by this abrupt dismissal with stil more than half an hour left in the class. Regardless, they started to gather their possessions together and trickle out of the room in twos and threes. Elena grabbed her bag and hurried to the front of the room. â€Å"Professor,† she said. â€Å"James.† â€Å"Ah, Elena,† James said. â€Å"I hope you were paying attention today. It is important that you young girls be on your guard. The young men, too, real y. Whatever affects this campus does not seem to discriminate.† Up close, he looked pale and worried, older than he had at the beginning of the semester. â€Å"I was very interested in what you said about the history of Dalcrest,† Elena said. â€Å"But you didn't talk about what's happening now. What do you think is going on here?† Professor Campbel ‘s face creased into even grimmer lines, and his bright eyes gazed past her. â€Å"Well, my dear,† he said, â€Å"it's hard to say. Yes, very hard.† He licked his lips nervously. â€Å"I've spent a lot of time at this school, you know, years and years. There's not a lot I wouldn't believe at this point. But I just don't know,† he said softly, as if he was talking to himself. â€Å"There was something else I wanted to ask you,† Elena said, and he looked at her attentively. â€Å"I went to see the picture you told me about. The one of you and my parents when you were students here. You were al wearing the same pin in the picture. It was blue and in the shape of a V.† She was close enough to James that she felt his whole body jolt with surprise. His face lost its grim thoughtfulness and went blank. â€Å"Oh, yes?† he said. â€Å"I can't imagine what it was, I'm afraid. Probably something Elizabeth made. She was always very creative. Now, my dear, I real y must run.† He slipped past Elena and made his escape, hurrying out of the classroom despite a few other students' trying to stop him with questions. Elena watched him go, feeling her own eyebrows going up in surprise. James knew more than he was saying, that was for sure. If he wouldn't tel her – and she wasn't giving up on him just yet – she'd find out somewhere else. Those pins were significant, his reaction proved that. What kind of mystery could be tied to a pin? Had James said something about secret societies? â€Å"After my parents died,† Samantha told Meredith, â€Å"I went to live with my aunt. She came from a hunter family, too, but she didn't know anything about it. She didn't seem to want to know. I kept on doing martial arts and everything I could learn by myself, but I didn't have anyone to train me.† Meredith shone her flashlight into the dark bushes over by the music building and waved the beam around. Nothing to see except plants. â€Å"You did a good job teaching yourself,† she told Samantha. â€Å"You're smart and strong and careful. You just need to keep trusting your instincts.† It had been Samantha's idea to patrol the campus together after sundown, to check out the places where the missing girl, Courtney, had been spotted last night, to see if they could find anything. Meredith had felt powerful at the beginning of the evening, poised to fight, with her sister hunter beside her. But now, even though it was interesting to patrol with Samantha, to see the hunter life through her eyes, it was starting to feel like they were just wandering around at random. â€Å"The police found her sweater somewhere over here,† Samantha said. â€Å"We should look around for clues.† â€Å"Okay.† Meredith restrained herself from saying that the police had already been through here with dogs, looking for clues themselves, and there was a good chance they had found anything there was to find. She scanned the flashlight over the grass and path. â€Å"Maybe we'd be better off doing this during the day, when we can see better.† â€Å"I guess you're right,† Samantha said, flicking her own flashlight on and off. â€Å"It's good that we're out here at night, though, don't you think? If we're patrol ing, we can protect people. Keep things from getting out of control. We walked Bonnie home last night and kept her safe.† Meredith felt a flicker of anxiety. What if they hadn't come along? Could Bonnie have been the one who disappeared, instead of Courtney? Samantha looked at Meredith, a little smile curling up the corners of her mouth. â€Å"It's our destiny, right? What we were born for.† Meredith grinned back at her, forgetting her momentary anxiety. She loved Samantha's enthusiasm for the hunt, her constant striving to get better, to fight the darkness. â€Å"Our destiny,† she agreed. Off across the quad, someone screamed. Snapping into action without even thinking about it, Meredith began running. Samantha was a few steps behind her, already struggling to keep up. She needs to work on her speed, cool y commented the part of Meredith that was always taking notes. The scream, shril and frightened, came again, a bit to the left. Meredith changed direction and sped toward it. Where? She was close now, but she couldn't see anything. She scanned her flashlight over the ground, searching. There. On the ground nearby, two dark figures lay, one pinning the other to the ground. Everyone froze for a moment, and then Meredith was racing toward them, shouting â€Å"Stop it! Get off! Get off!† and a second later, the figure that had been pinning the other down was up and running into the darkness. Black hoodie, black jeans, the note taker said calmly. Can't tell if it's a guy or a girl. The person who'd been pinned was a girl, and she flinched and screamed as Meredith ran past her, but Meredith couldn't stop. Samantha was behind her so she could help the girl. Meredith had to catch the fleeing figure. Her long strides ate up the ground, but she wasn't fast enough. Even though she was going as fast as she could, the person in black was faster. There was a glimpse of paleness as the person looked back at her and then melted into the darkness. Meredith ran on, searching, but there was nothing to be found. Final y, she halted. Panting, trying to catch her breath, she swept the beam of the flashlight over the ground, looking for some clue. She couldn't believe she had failed, that she had let the attacker get away. Nothing. No trace. They had gotten so close, and stil , al she knew was that the person who attacked this girl owned black clothes and was an insanely fast runner. Meredith swore and kicked at the ground, then pul ed herself back together. Approximating calmness, she headed back toward the victim. While Meredith was chasing the attacker, Samantha had helped the girl to her feet, and now the girl was huddled close to Samantha's side, wiping her eyes with a tissue. Shaking her head at Meredith, Samantha said, â€Å"She didn't see anything. She thinks it was a man, but she didn't see his face.† Meredith clenched her fists. â€Å"Dammit. I didn't see anything either. He was so fast†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Her voice trailed off as a thought struck her. â€Å"What is it?† Samantha asked. â€Å"Nothing,† Meredith said. â€Å"He got away.† In her mind, she replayed that momentary glimpse of pale hair she had seen as the attacker looked back at her. That shade of pale – she had seen it somewhere very recently. She remembered Zander, his face turned toward Bonnie's. His white-blond hair was that same unusual shade. It wasn't enough to go on, not enough to tel anyone. A momentary impression of a color didn't mean anything. Meredith pushed the thought away, but, as she gazed off into the darkness again, she wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly cold.