Recycling Center Environmental Impact Statement Essay

Recycling Center Environmental Impact Statement Introduction This paper will present an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) of a proposed construction project of a new recycling center in a rural area. The proposed project is to be built in a nonattainment area. The EIS will address land-use and development, social and neighborhood effects, economic factors, air quality, noise, and water resources as it relates to the proposed project. Included in the process will be three alternatives as well as a no build alternative. The Environmental Impact Statement will provide a detailed scoping of the project along with the alternatives that will ensure all potential impacts are addressed prior to project approval. Land Area The†¦show more content†¦The NSR program requires companies to obtain a permit for new construction or major modifications that substantially increase a facilitys emissions of the NAAQS.† Once the scoping process is complete a permit must be acquired according to the NSR program for approved construction. Land-use concerns are one of the most important factors that must be addressed when proposing a project of this magnitude. Community involvement and feedback is essential to determining the overall effects the proposed project will have on the community. According to Marriott (1997) â€Å"the analysis and adoption of comprehensive or land-use plans are one of the most interactive types of environmental impact assessment studies and can involve many factions of the affected community.† Analyzing community concerns regarding land-use will be of significant importance. The proposed recycling center would be located in a rural area that has many farms and consists of numerous waterways. The population is medium in size and spread throughout the area. Most of the farms divert water from the waterways for their crops and several unincorporated towns use the water for non-potable use. The towns get their drinking water from the ground water via wells. There is one two-lane highway that runs through the area linking several small towns and the adjacent farms. Alternatives The preferredShow MoreRelatedThe Environmental Impact Of Of Recycling1307 Words   |  6 PagesThe Environmental Impact of Paper Recycling We use paper in many different ways. Most people take all of these different paper products, such as tissues and cardboard, for granted. The most practical ways to reduce our waste output is by recycling and reducing. Recycling can be defined as the way we convert waste into usable materials. Recycling and reducing waste is the wisest thing humans can do during our time on Earth. The concern for the success of the future of our planet is increasing, butRead MorePersuasive Speech1641 Words   |  7 PagesReuse and Recycling and the financial benefits I. Introduction A. Attention Getter: Over half of the waste that ends up in the landfill does not belong there because it could have been recycled or reused. B. Credibility Statement: Not only do I religiously practice reducing, reusing, and recycling, but I have done a great deal of research for this speech, also research for a recycling project in my Human Concerns Class. C. Significance/Identification Statement: The surveyRead MoreEssay on Starbucks: Green with Envy1312 Words   |  6 Pagesinspire and nurture the human spirit - one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time. – Starbucks Mission Statement From the very beginning Starbucks has been driven to higher standards and to be known for their commitment to the environment as well as their delicious coffee. They call it â€Å"corporate citizenship†. Since 2001 Starbucks has been assessing their environmental footprint and making the results known to the general public in the hopes of inspiring others in a report called theRead MoreBuilding A New Community Within The City1207 Words   |  5 Pagesactivities can be traced back to the January 2014, when we launched the environmental activities of the Preparatory Committee in order to confirm the current situation. In April of the same year, we began the green activities of the Commission, and activities on the environment. Now, we will strive to Toronto on undeveloped land to build a new community within the city. And my community will provide their long-term demand for the center which including: ï  ¬ Good air and water quality, health food and goodRead MoreWalmart And Its Impact On Society1019 Words   |  5 Pagescompany by revenue. Because of its variety in products and worldwide locations, Walmart has a significant effect on society, both economically and most importantly the impact of environmental issues. Like many other global industries, Walmart has developed strategic ways in the sustainability of the environment not only for the environmental issue we face, but also a market strategy which forms a connection between society and businesses. Walmart is a business founded by Sam Walton and still owned by theRead MoreW Design Proposal852 Words   |  4 Pagescommissioned W Design + Build (WDB) to lead the construction of a new highway loop around the city to decrease the amount of traffic passing through the city, and increase accessibility for residents. The project will also require the erection of a â€Å"Welcome Center† for visitors, and several rest stops for travelers bypassing the city. The city has also requested that a state of the art camera monitoring system be included to ensure traffic is kept flowing efficiently and any accidents are responded to quicklyRead MoreTexas Is A State Of Texas1269 Words   |  6 Pages Texas is a state that has a continuous history of arising issues and conflicts dealing with immigration policies, education policies, environmental policies, social welfare policies and many other disputes. Texas has a business mind-set view and the decisions made with only business goals ar e affecting the environment in a negative manner. â€Å"Rich natural resources, abundant land, a central location within the United States and a business-friendly environment have long attracted both immigrants andRead MoreStarbucks : A Global Business Essay1384 Words   |  6 Pagesthe locality of the store. Starbucks brand coffee, ice-cream, and cold drinks are available for purchase at local and nationwide grocery stores. As a business, Starbucks endures to employee business standards and practices that produce social, environmental, and economic benefits for the hundreds of communities throughout national and international stores. Starbucks continues to demonstrate its commitment to the welfare, economic improvement and sustainability of the people and places their productsRead MoreNestle Waters And Its Environmental Performance As A Corporate Priority Essay2251 Words   |  10 PagesNestle Waters Andrew Grierson, Hope Espey, Brett Environmental EMS and Audits – ENVR2014 Rhonda Bell-Allen Tuesday, November 29, 2016 Mission Statement At Nestlà © Waters, they are continuously optimizing their environmental performance as a corporate priority. Nestlà © Waters Canada is committed to responsible water management and to working collaboratively with the communities where they conduct business. Nestles spring sources are developed and managed for long term sustainability (Jennifer.K (2002)Read MoreLowes Stance on Social Responsibiliy1440 Words   |  6 PagesResponsibility into today’s society. To be discussed is what is a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program, why should a company implement a CSR program, Lowe’s stance on Corporate Social Responsibility, connection between Lowe’s CSR and the Home Centers Industry, and who is Lowe’s responsible too. What is a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program? Corporate Social Responsibility is known by many names: sustainability, corporate responsibility, corporate ethics, corporate citizenship, stewardship

Effects Of Smoking On Tobacco Industry On Health Care

Introduction SB 151/AB-8 seeks to decrease tobacco addiction in California by severely limiting youth access to tobacco products by increasing the age of sale for tobacco products to 21 years old. Adolescent brains are more prone to tobacco addiction and by the age of 21, if a person is a non-smoker, they are less likely to become a smoker. This bill is an extension to current legislature, the STAKE Act, which prohibits sale of tobacco products to persons under age of 18 years old. There have been proven negative health effects due to smoking and have contributed to the increase in health care costs due to smoking-related-illnesses. What happened to the legislation? On December 4, 2014 in California, Healdsburg passes first Tobacco 21 Ordinance in the state. On July 16, 2015 – Senate Bill 151 removed from consideration of Governmental Organization Committee due to pervasive influence of Big Tobacco money/lobbying, re-introduced as SBx2-7 to be considered at California’s Second Extraordinary Session along with a package of other tobacco prevention measures. On August 27, 2015 – SBx2-7 passes Senate by 25-11 margin, moves on to Assembly as ABx2-8. On January 25, 2016 – Berkeley raises tobacco age to 21, becomes third municipality in the state to do so. On January 29, 2016, Statewide Tobacco 21, Senate Bill 151, sponsored by Ed Hernandez introduced. On March, 2, 2016, San Francisco becomes 4th municipality in state to raise tobacco age to 21, says it welcomes aShow MoreRelatedShould Big Tobacco Be Sued for Health Care Bills? An Analysis998 Words   |  4 Pages Should big tobacco be sued for health bill? An analysis A recent ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada on the subject of smoking is the main topic of my articles. The landmark ruling made on September 30th gives the province of British Columbia ammunition against big tobacco companies. The decision allows British Columbia to sue tobacco companies for damages related to smoking-related health care costs dating back 50 years (Bell Globalmedia Inc [BGMI], 2005). Many expect theRead MoreShould Smoking Be Legal?1706 Words   |  7 PagesSmoking tobacco has been in existence for thousands of years. For most of its existence smoking has been acceptable, tolerable, and permitted in our mainstream society. In recent years, smoking tobacco has been under scrutiny. Smoking bans have been introduced to restrict smokers from smoking in public and private places. For example, restaurants, bars, hotels, parks, and beaches throughout the United States have established the bans against public smoking. I discovered this has significance as itRead MoreT he Ban Of Tobacco Companies Essay1121 Words   |  5 Pagesto enforce a ban regarding advertising their products in their country. The problem was that tobacco companies in India promote their products through every conceivable medium, including radio, television, newspapers, magazines, billboards and the internet. The government realized that most of these tobacco companies were adapting creative new ways to publicize their brands to young people. Some tobacco companies also decided to use indirect methods which include sponsoring sporting events and teams;Read MoreIndia s Ban On Tobacco Advertising849 Words   |  4 PagesIndia in 2001 proposed a ban on tobacco advertisement in an effort to curb tobacco use with adolescents. It was met with sharp criticism from the tobacco industry. However, some saw it as a great move by the government in looking after the welfare of its citizens. I hope to explore in the essay each side’s voice as well as deal with the myriad of issues the government faced upon the bans proposal. Lastly I will give my opinion on what position the government should take. One the main arguments forRead MorePsychoactive Substance Problems Of The United States1072 Words   |  5 PagesProblem in the U.S. Involving Tobacco Cigarettes are the most important substance to address in the United States because they are not only extremely addictive, but they have the potential to cause a variety of serious health conditions and affect individuals who are close to and care for the user. Tobacco use poses a serious health threat especially among the young population of America and has significant implications for the nation’s public and economic health in the future. According toRead MoreNot All Companies Are Viewed as Equal605 Words   |  3 Pagesdifference between the cigarette commercials of the 1980s and the anti-tobacco Truth ads of today. We were sold a lie, and now many have paid the price with their health and their life. Should it be the responsibility of the tobacco industry to care for these people who have life threating illnesses caused by their products? Should they also handle the burial of the individuals who die as a result of tobacco usage? In this industry, someone has to l ook out of the consumers that are not looking out forRead MoreTobacco And The Long Term Effects Of Smoking950 Words   |  4 PagesTobacco Advertising Tobacco has been around for centuries and consumed by people everywhere around the world. The products tobacco companies produce contain harmful chemicals and drugs to make the user stay hooked for as long as possible. Till death do us part, am I right? These companies use the ignorance of under developed countries to leech off of their wallets and create sickness without an explanation. Tobacco should not be able to advertise its products in a positive light. Tobacco productsRead MoreSecond-Hand Smoke1726 Words   |  7 PagesThe Effects of Second-Hand Smoke Imagine yourself sitting down to dinner at a restaurant. You are sitting down trying to enjoy your dinner when all you can smell is smoke. Not only are you just breathing in the smoke, it is also damaging your body at the same time. Or imagine yourself at your work place, whether it be a restaurant or office, and you are forced to breathe in second-hand smoke the entire time you are there. In this paper you will be informed of the harmful effects of second-handRead MorePreventing Teens And Preteens From Tobacco Use927 Words   |  4 PagesPreventing Teens and Preteens from Tobacco Use Tobacco is a plant that grows in North and South America. It is in the same family as the poisonous night shade, a very deadly plant. It began growing in America around 6000 B.C and started to be chewed and smoked about 2000 years ago as cultural or religious ceremony and events. They also believed it had medicinal effect that can cure and relives pain. Tobacco was introduced to Europe by Cristopher Columbus. When he discovered America, he encounteredRead MoreThe Consumption of Tobacco Products 1090 Words   |  5 Pages In the 1930’s cigarette smoking was looked upon as alluring. The well to do beautiful, who’s who, type of people flaunted their smoking habit. The first Surgeon General’s Report on smoking and health was released in 1964. In today’s society, smoking is not so attractive... It is strange to watch movies of years gone by when Hollywood stars would pose as smokers in a setting such as a hospital, restaurant, or airport. While the Mar lboro man would ride horseback across the screen in commercials

A Portfolio of Atlantis Casino Resort Free Essays

Abstract This portfolio pertains to Atlantis Casino Resort in Reno, Nevada. It discusses the facility mix adopted by the resort. Its unique selling point (USP) is drawn from its excellent customer service, reputation for luxury, and a range of activities it offers for adults, children, and the whole family. We will write a custom essay sample on A Portfolio of Atlantis Casino Resort or any similar topic only for you Order Now The Atlantis partners with transport companies that promote environmental sustainability, specifically those that use advanced technology in transport system. The Miossec model is applied in analysing how the resort might be a focus of destination development. This portfolio identifies problems and challenges faced by the Atlantis, as well as the means through which the resort addresses them Introduction This portfolio is about Atlantis Casino Resort. It provides a discussion of an outline of the facility mix of this resort and whether its facilities have helped in creating a unique selling point (USP). It also tackles the utilisation of sustainable transport alternatives and how the chosen resort has responded to this. Moreover, this portfolio looks at how Atlantis Casino Resort has been a focus of destination development, addressing this point by employing a resort-destination development model, the Miossec Model. Finally, the brief discusses development problems and management challenges identified by the resort and how they are being addressed. An Outline of the Facility Mix of Atlantis Casino Resort Atlantis Casino Resort is a deluxe hotel and casino located in Reno, Nevada. Its facility mix includes approximately 1,000 rooms and Jacuzzi suites, nine operating restaurants, a night club that plays live music, a concierge hotel tower, a spa, a salon, and a family entertainment room. It also offers more than 150 table games and 1,400 slots in its casino (Dallas, 2006). Aside from these, its facility mix includes Las Vegas-type shows and water sports, such as windsurfing. The resort has a tropical theme that complements its excellent customer service, apart from its reputation for luxury. It has a 14-acre waterscape that serves as its centerpiece with grottos, lagoons, and other attractions. What is unique about its facilities is this combination of adult, children, and family activities, which other casino resorts nearby do not offer (Kraus, 2007). These facilities have helped the Atlantis in creating a unique selling point (USP). USP refers to an understanding of the products or services’ uniqueness from that of the competitors (King, Kerr, Jefferies, et al, 2005). In the case of the Atlantis, such USP can be initially seen in the combination of deluxe hotel and casino, as well as its other unique features described above. It would not be common for a casino to also have a complex resort system and other facilities that the Atlantis offers, making the entire business case to cater to various ages, including adults and children. The Atlantis has hence captured these target markets in its product offering. The casino and the night club are certainly places for older people, whilst the family entertainment centre, the waterscapes, and the water sports are for children and the whole family. This would mean that a family who wants to stay in a place that offers a range of activities would choose to come to the Atlantis over some others because of its unique features. It is worth-mentioning why resorts like the Atlantis need a unique selling point. This is because the USP serves as the reason why one’s product differs from everyone else’s, which draws customers toward the resort, thereby selecting it over all the others. According to King et al. (2005), USP can be as simple as offering the friendliest welcome or the easiest booking system. In the case of the Atlantis, its unique selling points are its reputation for luxury, excellent customer service, and various product offerings, as mentioned above. Moreover, why a resort needs a USP is because it serves as a clear benefit for the resort, whereby it enables the clients to be willing to pay to satisfy their needs (King et al., 2005). An important point to consider in line with the above heading is the idea that repositioning – or changing the current position of a certain business – can take place because of various circumstances, such as the emergence of a new competitor. This is seen in an example where conference venues in some UK resorts failed to continue to fulfill the needs of customers due to lack of maintenance and product enhancement (Davidson and Rogers, 2007). In the case of the Atlantis, it may be analysed that how it has responded to the use of sustainable transport alternatives has contributed to the resort’s reputation for excellent customer service. Problems and Challenges The problems that the resort faces are the unavailability of seasonal employees during peak season and lack of job security, which is a big concern amongst employees (Glass Door, 2014). The challenges include how it can attract visitors for its family-oriented activities during lean season and increase its revenues from these activities during this period (Glass Door, 2014). How Atlantis Casino Resort Has Responded to the Use of Sustainable Transport Alternatives In terms of the use of sustainable transportation alternatives, the Atlantis Casino Resort uses transport vehicles with latest technology and low carbon emission to protect the environment (Atlas Choice, 2014) in order to accrue with its existing sustainability policy. Encouraging its employees and visitors to use public transportation will contribute to reduction in automobile pollution, a green option for transport utilisation. The Atlantis partners with green transport companies that use the latest technology for environmental friendliness. This is in accordance with the resort’s green ethos and carbon footprint (Atlas Choice, 2014). Since the Atlantis safeguards its reputation for excellent customer service, its transport service is free, fast, and convenient, and guests do not have to wait a long queue in order to enjoy the service, (Airport Shuttles, 2014), neither do they have to be bothered by carbon emissions that can be exhumed by its vehicles. This is because the resort adopts the latest non-carbon emission technology in its transport system (Atlas Choice, 2014). The transport alternative system used by the Atlantis may be viewed as sustainable because of the environmental friendliness it offers. How the Resort Might be a Focus of Destination Development This section discusses the means through which Atlantis Casino resort might be a focus of destination development, using a resort destination development model – the Miossec model. First to consider is the fact that Atlantis Casino Hotel might be a focus of destination development since it is located in a region (Reno, Nevada) with many other resorts that offer more or less similar services. Examples of these are the Aquarius Casino Resort, the Avi Resort and Casino, and the Downstream Casino Resort, which are all a combination of casino and resort. Hence, the reason for the Atlantis to be a focus of destination development is the fact that it competes with others for similar markets and must identify a suitable market positioning based on its relative strengths (e.g. Murphy, 2008). According to the Miossec model, the development of a resort area in a peripheral location starts from its initial establishment towards being a composite hierarchical tourism area in terms of historical dimensions (Krakover and Gradus, 2002). This model may be considered the most logical geographical description of destination development as it depicts a progression of such destination from its infancy through maturity (Gunn, 2014). Along with the stages of development, the reaction of prospective and actual tourists on one hand, and transportation developments on the other, are two separate aspects. The Miossec model depicts the parallel development taking place in the Atlantis Casino Resort, transportation, and number of customers. Hence, this model impliedly assumes a direct relationship amongst the growing number of attractions, transportation improvements, and increasing customer demand in the Atlantis (Krakover and Gradus, 2002). The model in fact focuses on the spatial and te mporal development of destination in relation to physical change. It identifies the interaction of four major elements influencing the resort’s destination development: (1) â€Å"the characteristics of the destination; (2) tourist behaviour; (3) mode of transportation; and (4) attitudes of residents and decision-makers† (Latkova, 2008, p. 19). Taking the Miossec model, Atlantis Casino Resort has gone through minimal developments in its initial phase. During the second phase, it went through a development as a pioneer resort in its area. In the third phase, it presented noticeable changes through which there has been expansion of a system of resorts (where the Atlantis is part) to serve an increasing number of tourists, and where residents either accept or reject the presence of such tourism development. The last stage has seen further development of the area (Latkova, 2008). Since the Atlantis is already an established luxury hotel resort in Reno, the Moissec model of destination development is relevant, particularly in this fourth stage. In terms of where the Atlantis Casino Resort would be positioned in the Moissec model, such positioning is in its destination characteristics (being a casino resort that also features family-oriented activities), analysis of tourist behaviour, considerations for an alternative transport system, and the way it takes into account the attitudes of decision-makers, such as the local government with whom it partners for environment-related matters (e.g. Latkova, 2008). In order to be different from all the others and strengthen its USP as described earlier, Atlantis could pursue the development of a visitor attraction that harmonises with its adjoining environment, such as an aquarium park that can showcase the destination and add to the number of customer activities. It could also ‘adopt’ an adjacent natural attraction and take steps to ensure it can be adequately maintained, for example, by sourcing outside funding. Here, one can see the attitudes of decision-makers being considered and applied to the development, which is the model’s key element influencing the destination development (e.g. Latkova, 2008). It has been noted that the value creation of resorts does not match that of Porter’s value chain configuration due to the non-sequential operational process embodied in a resort destination (Murphy, 2008). Hence, the destination development that Atlantis Casino Resort shall pursue does not adopt Porter’s principle but a ‘value fan,’ (Murphy, 2008) which considers a site and individual focus for its destination activities, sustained by administrative functions that are tasked to aid the entire destination. In order to assimilate the value fan into the resort’s strategic management approach, the resort must manage its tourism product mix configuration (Murphy, 2008), where the right blend of products are being developed to fulfill customer expectations and thereby create the best value prospects for them. In the Atlantis’ destination development pursuit, it is necessary to address some major principles, such as ensuring the purpose of every development item; designing for people; satisfying both functional and aesthetic aspects of the development; establishing substantial and appropriate experiences; fulfilling technical requirements; and meeting customer needs for the lowest possible cost, to mention a few (Murphy, 2008). Development Problems and Management Challenges The identified development problems for Atlantis Casino Resort are the following: (1) a possible lack of balance/leverage between financial costs and revenue from the development (Vogel, 2012); and (2) lack of sufficient knowledge and skills of existing employees for new areas of development, i.e. the aquarium park that features exhibition shows inside the aquarium, which require skillful staff (Robinson, Luck, and Smith, 2013). The Atlantis addresses the first problem by conducting a financial feasibility study, which can situate the new development within measurable and realisable goals without incurring costs that exceed the returns. For the second problem, this is tackled by providing training to staff to match the requirements of the new developments (e.g. Zainai, Radzi, Hashim et al., 2012). The management is challenged by the presence of various hotel resorts within the same area where it is located, which offer similar activities to visitors. It is therefore faced with the task of differentiating its range of product offering and activities, but is further delimited by the nature of the business, where the Porter’s value chain principle is not applicable (e.g. Murphy, 2008). This is addressed by conducting an effective marketing strategy that features the resort’s uniqueness and leverage. The Atlantis is also challenged by the need to identify excellent programmes and product schemes for the lowest price possible (Murphy, 2008). This will be addressed by doing a financial study to ensure revenue despite the lower cost offering. Conclusion This brief provides a discussion of the facility mix offered by Atlantis Casino Resort; how it responded to the utilisation of sustainable transport alternatives; how it might be a focus of destination development; and development problems and management challenges thus identified. The Atlantis is a complex facility mixing hotel and casino, with a reputation for luxury and customer service. These aspects have contributed to its USP. The resort has responded to the use of sustainable transport alternatives by partnering with environmentally friendly transport companies. The Miossec model is used to explain how the Atlantis might be a focus of destination development. This model states that there is a parallel development occurring in the resort, the transportation, and the number of customers. Development problems include a potential lack of balance/leverage between financial costs and revenue; and lack of sufficient knowledge and skills of existing employees for the new development. The Atlantis is also challenged by the presence of casino resorts within its area that offer similar services, as well as the identification of excellent programmes and product schemes for the lowest price possible. References Airport Shuttles (2014) Concierge Tower at Atlantis Casino Resort Spa. Retrieved on April 23, 2014 from http://www.airportshuttles.com/reno/concierge-tower-at-atlantis-casino-resort-spa.html Atlas Choice (2014) Reno Atlantis Casino Hotel. Retrieved on April 25, 2014 from http://www.atlaschoice.us/cheap-car-hire/nevada/reno/reno_atlantis_casino_resort/address/41910/3800-s-virginia-street-reno-nv-89502-usa-nevada Dallas, J. (2006) Casino Shrine. FL: Kai Dee Marketing. Davidson, R. and Rogers, T. (2007) Marketing Destinations and Venues for Conferences, Conventions and Business Events. UK: Butterworth-Heinemann. Glass Door (2014) Atlantis Casino Resort Spa. Retrieved on May 5, 2014 from http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Atlantis-Casino-Resort-Spa-Reviews-E348105.htm Gunn, C. A. (2014) Vacationscape: Developing Tourist Areas. London: Routledge. King, B. (1997) Creating Island Resorts. London: Routledge. King, C., Kerr, A., Jefferies, M., and Brombley, D. (2005) Travel and Tourism. Oxford: Heinemann Educational Publishers. Krakover, S. and Gradus, Y. (2002) Tourism in Frontier Areas. England: Lexington Books. Kraus, N. P. (Ed.) (2007) Frommer’s USA. NJ: Wiley Publishing. Latkova, P. (2008) An Examination of Factors Predicting Residents; Support For Tourism Development. Ann Arbor: ProQuest LLC. Murphy, P. (2008) The Business of Resort Management. London: Elsevier Ltd. Robinson, P., Luck, M., and Smith, S. (2013) Tourism. Oxfordshire: CABI International. Vogel, H. L. (2012) Travel Industry Economics: A Guide for Financial Analysis. NY: Cambridge University Press. Zainai, A., Radzi, R., Hashim, R., Chik, C. T., and Abu, R. (2012) Current Issues in Hospitality and Tourism: Research and Innovations. UK: Taylor Francis Group. How to cite A Portfolio of Atlantis Casino Resort, Essay examples

Identifying Research Topics

Question: Discuss about the Identifying Research Topics. Answer: Introduction: The research topic chosen for the study is "Skill gap crisis in the Middle East and North Africa. It is a huge problem faced by the countries of MENA. The rate of unemployment of the population of these countries is increasing day by day. Organizations of the Middle East are not able to find the right talent for the required job designation. Apart from this, many other problems are prevalent in the Middle East. The economy of the country is not developed enough to provide modern forms of education that would bridge the skill gap in the country (Balli, Basher and Louis 2013). Employers of various organizations for many years find a sizable gap between the required talent and the actual existing competencies in the countries. However, this is a vital issue for the countries like UAE, Dubai, Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia (David 2012). Skill gap crisis is chosen as the research topic because it is related to other problems faced by the countries of Middle East. Other issues like outdated formal educational method, a weak economy, social structure, cultural aspects, etc. are the current problems consistent in the Middle East and North Africa. The topic of skill gap crisis will discuss the above dimensions of the Arabian countries. The above problems are the direct and indirect reasons for the chosen research problem in the study (David 2012). Other issues could have been selected for the research topic, but the importance of the skill gap crisis is more vital as it is related to the employment status of the entire population of a particular country. Discussion of the research topic There are many types of research conducted by authors regarding the skill crisis in the Middle East. According to the Salehi-Isfahani (2013), the labor market in the MENA region is characterized by high youth unemployment rate and less participation of female workers. Low productivity in education is the result of early marriages of girls, high dropouts in school and colleges, etc. Regional cultures of the countries are responsible for increasing skill gap in the countries. It affects the human and welfare development of the countries of Middle East. Gender inequality is prevalent in these countries, which is the reason of lack of skilled workers in the market (Salehi-Isfahani 2013). Moghadam (2015) stated that globalization in the field of education and labor market encourages women rights in the society. In the male-dominated society, it is crucial to provide rights and freedom to women that will ultimately help in bridging the gap of skill crisis in these countries. On pointing th e reasons of talent gap crisis, the government of MENA is taking several steps to increase the quality of education along with providing extra facilities to students belonging to low-income families (Moghadam 2015). The views of the authors in these journals illustrates that skill crisis gap is a vital issue which should be minimized gradually by the government of the country. It is the reason that organizations of Middle East are hiring talents from overseas rather than skilled workers from the domestic countries. Hiring talents from different countries not only incur a huge cost to the employers but also to the government of that particular country. References Balli, F., Basher, S.A. and Louis, R.J., 2013. Risk sharing in the Middle East and North Africa.Economics of Transition,21(1), pp.135-155. David, B., 2012. Gender and Society: The Current Dominance of Law in the Field of Human Rights.Journal of Research in Gender Studies, (2), pp.87-92. Moghadam, V., 2015. Gender and globalization: Female labor and women's mobilization.journal of world-systems research,5(2), pp.366-389. Salehi-Isfahani, D., 2013. Rethinking human development in the Middle East and North Africa: the missing dimensions.Journal of Human Development and Capabilities,14(3), pp.341-370.

Literary Analysis of DESIREES BABY free essay sample

INTRODUCTION In the short story, Desiree’s Baby, written by Kate Chopin there is a sense of karma and consequences that is used in the story. The story explores the problem of a man’s pride overcoming the love he has for his wife and race. The purpose of this essay is to examine why Armand’s pride was bigger and more than the love for his wife, Desiree and how race changed everything. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND/ LITERARY THEORY The historical background of this short story is slavery. However, this story was written in 1892, which was twenty-seven years after slavery was abolished, but took place during the era of slavery. In the story, Armand is a slave owner in Louisiana. Also, the historical background puts race and heritage into the story as the key points to be seen and understood. The theory that I am applying in my story is that of Cultural Studies. We will write a custom essay sample on Literary Analysis of DESIREES BABY or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The cultural studies theory concentrates on how and the way a particular subject relates to a social class, ideology, gender, ethnicity, and nationality. Armand’s Pride Throughout this story, Armand is portrayed as the man who had it all. He figured that because of his family name which he thought was, â€Å"†¦one of the oldest and proudest in Louisiana† (Chopin 1). The fact that Armand was a slave owner and came from a family whose name was well known he used his family name as another way to feel like a king besides owning slaves. Armand’s pride came first before his family because he felt like he had to protect the family name and history at any cost. For this he did not want anything to destroy who and what he was which was a well known slave owner, so he told his wife and baby to leave since he assumed that she was black. Armand did not want people to frown upon him or make him into a joke so, he felt like â€Å"†¦he no longer loved her, because of the unconscious injury she had brought upon his home and his name† (Chopin 2). The â€Å"unconscious injury† Armand refers to is the lost memory he feels his wif e has lost of her ethnicity. Finally, Armand felt that his pride was hurt because of the shame his wife has brought to the family name of Aubigny. In the article titled Desiree’s Baby by Mega Essays, Desiree and Armand’s relationship is described as a â€Å"superficial love influenced by pride and prejudiced, and ultimately causing destruction and death† (Mega Essays). Therefore his love for Desiree was not true but only superficial and his love for his baby â€Å"†¦was motivated not by genuine love, but rather by pride, because the baby is a boy who will continue his important family name† (Mega Essays). This article shows how Armand only cared about how great his family will be seen because of the fact that he has a baby boy which can hold the family name. Desiree’s Love In this short story love was a problem that Armand and Desiree Aubigny had. Armand met Desiree when she was eighteen when he rode past her as â€Å"she stood one day against the stone pillar† (Chopin 1). He â€Å"fell in love, as if struck by a pistol shot† (Chopin 1) which was the way that all Aubignys fell in love. It was so suddenly and he hardly knew she but he married her right off and she had his son. I believe Desiree loved Armand and her son more than Armand ever tried to because she knew that he was a good man and he changed after he met her. However, the only true love she had was the love for her adoptive parents. The only true love throughout the story was Armand’s and Desiree’s parents. In the article Desiree’s Baby Group, the critic bmadnick, writes about how love is a main point of Desiree’s Baby and the impact that it had on Desiree the most. He says that â€Å"the kinds of love shown in the story tell us that love means different things to different people. To Armand, his love for Desiree is superficial instead of a deep-seated feeling. This is shown when Armand’s love for Desiree changes so quickly.† This article is about the claims of Desiree’s Baby and what the main points are. Also, it shows the impact that society can have on us. Who’s Race? Race is the second major issue in the short story besides pride. Since Armand figured that he knew his past and who he actually was and he assumed that Desiree was the reason why their baby is mixed. Also, because of the fact that Desiree was adopted and did not know what her ethnicity was Armand felt like her race, which he assumed was black, changes everything. Race is a color not an origin and Desiree looked white and white features which were pale hands and grey eyes. Even though she had an â€Å"obscure origin† (Chopin 1), Desiree was thought that she was not the reason for the problem they had which was their baby being mixed. In the article The Power of Writing, by Becamm she talks about race and how this story is at first seemed as a Cinderella story with a big secret. Becamm describes how the author, Kate Chopin â€Å"demonstrates how racism played a major part in people’s lives in the 1800s†. Racism did play a major role because when it was found out that the baby was mixed everything changed such as Armand’s mood and Desiree’s happiness. Desiree was happy when she had the baby and Armand was as happy and nice to the slaves then before but after he saw his child growing to be mixed it changed his whole attitude. MAJOR OPPOSING The opposing side of my argument is that Desiree’s Baby has nothing to do with love but only pride and prejudice. Jmeenach, a critic in the article of the claims of Desiree’s Baby, has his own opinion that slightly differentiates from mines. He says that the story uses racism, a man’s selfishness, and how blood is thicker than water. CONCLUSION In the story, Desiree’s Baby, written by Kate Chopin in 1892, there are plenty of topics that are brought along such as gender issues, womanism, and race. However, the problem of this short story is Armand’s pride overcoming the love he has for his wife Desiree. His problem was that he had too much pride especially for his family name. He felt like everything evolved around his name and him. Desiree did have love for Armand and thought he felt the same but apparently Armand only cared about showing off his family and power. This problem can be solved by realizing that a family name is not what always makes us who we are. It is up to us to become better than just a name that is the proudest.

The Fundamentals of Elementary Particle Physics

The Fundamentals of Elementary Particle Physics One of the most startling discoveries of the 20th century was the sheer number of particles that exist in the universe. Though the concept of fundamental, indivisible particles goes back to the ancient Greeks (a concept known as atomism), it wasnt really until the 1900s that physicists began to explore what was going inside matter at the smallest levels. In fact, quantum physics predicts that there are just 18 types of elementary particles (16 of which have been detected by experiment already). It is the goal of elementary particle physics to continue searching for the remaining particles. The Standard Model of Particle Physics The Standard Model of Particle Physics is at the core of modern physics. In this model, three of the four fundamental forces of physics are described, along with the particles that mediate these forces gauge bosons. (Technically, gravity isnt included in the Standard Model, though theoretical physicists are working to extend the model to include a quantum theory of gravity.) Groups of Particles If theres one thing that particle physicists seem to enjoy, its dividing up particles into groups. Here are a few of the groups which particles exist in: Elementary Particles - The smallest constituents of matter and energy, these particles which dont seem to be made from combinations of smaller particles. Fermions - Fermions are particles that have a particle spin equal to a half-integer value (-1/2, 1/2, 3/2, etc.). These particles make up the matter that we observe in our universe.Quarks - A class of fermion. Quarks are the particles that make up hadrons, such as protons and neutrons. There are 6 distinct types of quarks:Bottom QuarkStrange QuarkDown QuarkTop QuarkCharm QuarkUp QuarkLeptons - A class of fermion. There are 6 types of leptons:ElectronElectron NeutrinoMuonMuon NeutrinoTauTau NeutrinoBosons - Bosons are particles that have a particle spin that is equal to an integer (1, 2, 3, etc.). These particles are what mediate the fundamental forces of physics under the quantum field theories.PhotonW BosonZ BosonGluonHiggs Boson - part of the Standard Model. Detected for the first time in 2012 by the Large Hadron Collider.Graviton - theoretically predicted as part of quantum gravity, but not actually part of the Standard Model Composite Particles Hadrons - Particles made up of multiple quarks bound together.Baryons (fermions)Nucleons - protons neutronsHyperons - short-lived particles composed of strange quarksMesons (bosons)Atomic Nuclei - protons and neutrons form together to create the atomic nucleusAtoms - The basic chemical building block of matter, atoms are composed of electrons, protons, and neutrons.Molecules - A complex structure composed of multiple atoms bonded together. The study of how atoms bond together to form various molecular structures is the foundation of modern chemistry. A Note on Particle Classification It can be hard to keep all the names straight in particle physics, so it might be helpful to think of the animal world, where such structured naming might be more familiar and intuitive. Humans are primates, mammals, and also vertebrates. Similarly, protons are baryons, hadrons, and also fermions. The unfortunate difference is that the terms tend to sound similar to each other. Confusing bosons and baryons, for example, is far easier than confusing primates and invertebrates. The only way to really keep these different particle groups separate is to just carefully study them and try to be careful about which name is being used. Matter Forces: Fermions Bosons All elementary particles in physics are classified as either fermions or bosons. Quantum physics demonstrates the particles may have an intrinsic non-zero spin, or angular momentum, associated with them. A fermion (named after Enrico Fermi) is a particle with a half-integer spin, while a boson (named after Satyendra Nath Bose) is a particle with an integer spin. These spins result in different mathematical applications in certain situations, which is far beyond the scope of this article. For now, just know that the two types of particles exist. Simple mathematics of adding integers and half-integers show the following: Combining an odd number of fermions results in a fermion (because the total spin will still be a half-integer value)Combining an even number of fermions results in a boson (because the total spin will now be an integer value) Breaking Down Matter: Quarks Leptons The two basic constituents of matter are quarks and leptons. Both of these subatomic particles are fermions, so all bosons are created from an even combination of these particles. Quarks are fundamental particles which interact through all four of the fundamental forces of physics: gravity, electromagnetism, weak interaction, and strong interaction. Quarks always exist in combination to form subatomic particles known as hadrons. Hadrons, just to make things even more complicated, are divided into mesons (which are bosons) and baryons (which are fermions). Protons neutrons are baryons. In other words, they are composed of quarks such that their spin is a half-integer value. Leptons, on the other hand, are fundamental particles that do not experience strong interaction. There are three flavors of leptons: the electron, the muon, and the tau. Each flavor is composed of a weak doublet, which is made up of the aforementioned particle along with a virtually massless neutral particle called a neutrino. Thus, the electron lepton is the weak doublet of electron electron-neutrino. Edited by Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.

It's Business Ethics term paper. Company report in particular Assignment

It's Business Ethics term paper. Company report in particular - Assignment Example These do not necessarily have to be the areas that the company enjoys high revenues. There is no limit as to the scope of a business’ corporate social responsibility and investment. What is of great debate is the involvement of the business in the corporate social responsibility. Shaw (2011) defines corporate social responsibility as an inbuilt, self-regulation mechanism that allows a business to monitor and ensure and it actively complies with the laws of the country, ethical standards, and the international norms. It stresses the importance of the company taking responsibility for its actions, encouraging the need for positive impact through involvement in the environment, consumers, employees of the business, communities surrounding the business, stakeholders of the company, and the public in general (Schwartz, 2011). Business ethics indicates how businesses examine the ethical problems that arise in the business environment, applying in the aspects of business conduct. Cor porate social investment is allocation of a part of a business’ budget into corporate social responsibility activities, which are not necessarily supposed to bring any revenue to the company (Arnold 2002). 2. Wal-mart Stores Company was founded in 1962 by Sam Walton. As of 2012, it is the world’s third largest public corporation, operating chains of department stores and warehouses across the globe. The company owns 8500 stores around the globe in 15 countries that are registered under 15 different names. It has over two million employees, making it the world’s biggest private employer, and it is the world’s most valuable company (Halepete et al., 2006). Although Wal-Mart has been severally accuse of paying its employees’ salaries below the wage rate, taking customers from neighbourhood stores and hurting its neighbouring communities, and its predatory pricing, in the recent past, it has undergone a major transformation and focused to commit itself on progressive policies aimed towards corporate social responsibility. Recently, as a way of showing its corporate responsibility and concern to its customers, decided to reduce unhealthy salt levels, fats and sugars in most of its packaged food. To encourage healthy living through eating and feeding, the company lowered prices on healthy products such as fruits and vegetables (Halepete et al., 2006). Concern for community does not have to take the form of capital investment or resource allocation, it can do this by the product and services it offers to the masses. Secure products that are of high quality and of correct amount indicates a company’s dedication to corporate social responsibility through care and concern for the people (Werther & Chandler, 2011). The company does not only focus on promoting healthy living among its customers, but also has concern for the environment, a plan evident from its energy minimization plan. Its environmental concern measures include ef ficient use of energy by reducing greenhouse gas emission. This, the company is not shy of spending $500 million a year to increase its fuel efficiency. The pledge by the company’s management is to decrease greenhouse gasses emission by 20% in a period of seven years. It also pledged to reduce its energy use in the stores, by 30% in the same period, cutting its solid waste emission by 25% from the U.S. stores and clubs in a span of three years. It does not only gain good

The Improving Economy of Middle East Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Improving Economy of Middle East - Essay Example Publications of the web and science database indicate the standard economic growth of Middle East to be almost faster than that of the world by four times (specifically Turkey and Iran). His name is XX. His area of interest in global studies is the economics and how regional integration affects it. Over the years, we have witnessed the adverse effects of a nation that is divided. States that work in collaboration with others benefit from a broad base of knowledge as well as subsidized trade duties. They also enjoy the benefit of foreign aid and trade from the other states with whom they are partnering with. It also promotes a peaceful co-existence among the nations that are integrated. Most of all, they advance their economies of scale and advice one another on the best ways to make their individual state economies to grow. Of particular interest to this member is the economic growth pattern of the Middle East over the years. He believes though the economy was quite influential sometime back, it experienced some setbacks and stumbled a little. Besides the issue of national and economic integration, his argument is that a states organization of its political economy is very key if the state is to realize sustainable economic growth (Alan & John). This member by the name YY believes a state’s economy is dependent on a number of factors. He is particularly interested in studying the demographic trends of states in order to unveil the linkages between demographic change, food, water, urban life, and regional economic integration and the state’s economy. In demographics, he focuses on the literacy levels of the natives, income per capita, population growth rates, and employment opportunities among others. These issues he argues that, are of prime importance as they are directly linked to the economy of the state.

Management insight Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Management insight - Research Paper Example This brand is mainly sold in the UK. Blue Charge: this is an energy drink produced in the United Kingdom. It competes with products such as Powerade and Red Bull. It is mainly used as an alcohol mixer by the students and British youth culture. The name of the manager: Gerald Penser The title of the manager: Chief Executive Officer Challenges facing the Gerald Penser as the CEO of Cott One of the biggest challenges that face Gerald is ensuring that the company remains relevant in the soft drink industry, which is dominated by very strong competitors such as Pepsi and Coca-Cola companies. This is quoted as follows â€Å"Gerald Pencer, a Canadian entrepreneur who came up with a new strategy for competing against these powerful differentiators.† (Gareth and Jennifer 263). Penser has a reason to fear his competitors because they can use their enormous budgets to bring Cott on its own knees. This is quoted as follows â€Å"Indeed, in 2010 both these companies announced a plan to bu y back their bottlers at a cost of billions of dollars†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Gareth and Jennifer 263). Reasons why pencer is facing these challenges The fact that Coca-cola and Pepsi are house hold names throughout the world, and since their brands are strongly entrenched in the minds of many customers means that Penser and his team have a very challenging task of devising unique strategies. Although Cott is its own bottler, which helps them pursue a low-cost strategy, Penser is still presented with a lot of challenges because his competitors can make some slight moves rendering their competitive strategy irrelevant. For example, both Coca-cola and Pepsi announced to buy back their bottlers in 2010, a move that can endanger Cott’s competitiveness. The most relevant managerial task In order to counter the strong competition from Coca-cola and Pepsi, Penser has undertaken a well calculated strategic decision. This strategy is aimed at producing â€Å"a high-quality, low-priced cola, manufactured and bottled by the Cott Corporation†¦but to sell it as the private-label house brand of major retail stores such as Walmart and supermarket chains such as Kroger’s, thus bypassing the bottlers† (Gareth and Jennifer 263). Through this strategy, Penser will ensure that the products of Cott corporation are bought because of they are low price; therefore, the company will still survive in the industry that is dominated by two companies with huge budgets. This strategy will make it possible for Cott to sell its products at low prices because they do not need to spend much on advertisements, since such a role is played by the retailers. Since Cott’s competitors have a presence at every corner of the world, Pencer ensures that his low-cost strategy is implemented in other countries beginning with the most strategic ones such as the United States. The theory or concept in the chapter The issues discussed in this chapter can be described by Michael porte r’s theory of competitive advantage. In this theory, strategies that are used by businesses to maintain their competitive advantage are explained. These strategies can be classified into three categories including market segmentation, differentiation, and cost leaders. The firms with high market share such as coca-cola and Pepsi are highly profitable, but those with small market share can play their cards well and make huge profits, as well. According to porter, firms with high m

Social Media And The Ever Changing Public Relations Media Essay

Social Media And The Ever Changing Public Relations Media Essay Throughout the 1990s, according to Pindom (2008) the amount of the world wide websites expanded from 100.000 to more than 160 million websites until today. At this time and age, specialists of public relations are progressively utilize as their main major way of communication, the electronic media. Actually, it is said that online media communication is the most fundamental and essential tool for practitioners of public relations (Phillips, 2000). By this way, the business of PR is forced to employ new technologies for coping effectively with the latest economic, political and sociological realities (Phillips, 2008). The current report aims to examine the impact of social media in the industry of public relations exploring the emergence of the approach of new media and the differences, advantages and disadvantages of traditional and new media channels. Moreover, it will investigate the effects of social media in the PR profession as well as the future of PR within the expanded online media usage. At last but not least, some suggestions for strategies will be made for the benefit of PR due to the continuously changing economic, political and social environment. PR in the era of Social Media One of the most remarkable facts of the 1990s was the explosive expansion of the internet which builded a different form of mass communication given that in 1994 it developed into an effective tool for commercial activity (Hanson, 2007). At that time, internet was just exchanging scientific information in contradiction with today which has transformed into an entire world, as a tool of global communication (Wilcox et al, 2009). Social media didnt actually start with the use of personal computers but it started off with telephones. Homemade electronic devices that could generate tones that were built in order to allow early social media explorers to make free calls and get access to the experimental back end of the telephone system. Ward Christensen was the first to develop electronic Bulletin Board System (BBS) that was opened to the public in 1979. The first BBSs were small servers powered by personal computers attached to a telephone modem, where one person at a time could dial in and get access. BBSs had social discussions on message boards, community-contributed file downloads, and online games. Since the late 1960s the internet existed as a network, but the World Wide Web became publicly available in 1991. By the late 90s Usenet and BBSs were replaced by internet forums that have started growing in popularity. Social media are divided in the following types with the purpose of better understanding their functionality. First, the most influential type is social networking which includes sites such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. In this type of sites, people can share content, messages and add friends. Then, another type is Blogs, the most popular tool, which are online interactive journals where the author can share images, text and content from other blogs or websites and allows readers to leave comments. Examples of blogging platforms are WordPress, TypePad and Blogger. Moreover, there are Wikis as for instance Wikipedia, which refers to content created online as a result of multiple users working on the same content, but at different times and from different places. Additionally, Photo sharing, like Flickr and Photobucket, and Video Sharing, like YouTube are sites where people can upload their photos or videos respectively and share them in public. Furthermore, there is Social Bookmar king, for example Digg and Delicious which allow users to share their favorite online content with one another while also creating online bookmarks that the user can refer to in the same way he would a bookmark created offline in his web browser. Finally, there are the Virtual Reality sites, as Second Life, Online Gaming like World of Warcraft.- So, what is exactly a social medium? Social media are media for social interaction, using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques. As Kaplan and Haenlein (2010) define social media as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, which allows the creation and exchange of user-generated content (p.60). From the definition mentioned above Social Media can be described as dynamic, interactive, searchable, infinite, syndicated, linkable, and reusable, and the reason why it is growing, and becoming so popular among users is the fact that most of it is free, theres a lot of traffic, trust, and knowledge being shared. Millions of people now gather and interact online, track news and make their own.  Therefore the essential reason for using social media is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the need for dialogue and open communication. It is a new communication technology that gives the ability to people to interact with each other but most importantly it gives the ability to people to share and publish information through various audiovisual forms (Weisgerber, 2009). Social Media is yet another form of media, and a way to transmit information, but unlike traditional media channels, communication is not top-down and one-way from publisher to reader. Its communication in all directions people are sharing and generating their own content. And, unlike traditional media content, social media content is multimedia linkable text, video, audio, images, even shared comments. The rapid appearance of social media in the public area and the awareness of a powerful online consumer-force have alerted every kind of business all over the world. As consumers increasingly influence each other and share their opinions on brands and products on the internet, businesses are forced to rethink and reorganize marketing and communication strategies in order to keep up with continually changing consumer trends.    New Media VS Traditional Media Once, corporate PR strategies were used to control the message by creating a carefully crafted press release and forwarded to newspapers. Traditional PR does not provide communications to accommodate the fundamental shift in our culture. The attractiveness and development of customer generated news has diminished the strenght of third party credibility. The power of gate keepers has deteriorate due to the staffs cut of electronic and print media and have lessened the news hole size in order to burnish profits. There are no less than fourteen types of emerging/new media consisting of RSS feeds, corporate,video and grass root blogs, collaboration and client wikis, podcasts, technorati tags, webcasts,social media, such as facebook and twitter, and virals. All these forms of new media allow users to interact with one another, and by this way interactivity becomes mainstream(Phillips,2008,p.79). At this time and age, the world is essentially different. News and brand identity are no longer controlled through press releases or carefully composed newspaper articles. Brands are shaped by the audience-and the audience is everyone (Ampofo, 2010). People talk and people listen. Social tools, social media, and social engagement are the utilized methods of communication for many large advertising companies that have populated sites like Facebook and Twitter with brand focused pages and interactive techniques. Globalization and Internet have transformed PR, outlying best practices and providing strategic advice for communicating successfully and internationally (Freitag and Strokes, 2009). Using a variety of techniques, businesses can reach new online audiences and create new marketplaces. As social media moves from buzz word status to a strategic tool, more practitioners are developing skills related to this online communication technology. Everything is moving towards a digital wor ld. It can be said that people, and more specifically young people, dont read books, magazines, newspapers anymore. They are exclusively informed, for what they are interested for, through the Internet. Everything is moving into a digital form, consequently everything is turning digital, exactly like PR. Social Media is no longer a trend, or something to try out.   As Eyrich, Padman, and Sweetser (2010) say it is becoming an integral part of PR programs.   And PR people have to master social media and use them strategically to be effective. Its clear that we are entering the era of Social Media. They are in our everyday life and everything is done through them: Marketing, Advertising, Public Relations. Social Media is empowering people to become the new influencers, and it is forcing PR and marketing professionals to recognize and include these powerful tools in their advertising and marketing communications strategies. In other words, there is plenty of literature discussing the potentiality of social media in influencing public opinion as well as behaviour, still however there are no solid evidence demonstrating the power of this media in achieving what is suspected.The truth is that, there arent many experts, even though there are many actively trying to play the role. The effects of social media in public relations One of the greatest phenomenons of the 21st century is the excessive usage of social media from a diversified audience consisting of a multicultural, multinational, multireligion of every age public. People choose to utilize social networks, such as Facebook, Twitter and Second Life, because of their social and psychological need to interact (Phillips, 2008). Internet becomes more and more addictive and the human need to interrelate grows steadily even more compelling the PR specialists to use new technologies and new communication channels. Companies and businesses should use Social Media and get advantage of the benefits that they provide. The reasons are extended to a wide variety. There are many advantages for public relations to use social media as a tool on a daily basis. First of all, Social Media is insensitive to distance as a topic, need, or interest may be targeted on a global basis, there are no gatekeepers/editors as it is flattened with a one to many, and many to many approaches. Theres a lot of interaction as there is feedback whereas discussions take place, as well as debates, and response to requests by people or machines. There are fewer space and time limitations because there is a large and layered capacity for information. In addition the access costs are low, but the necessary computer programming may be expensive. Another important fact is that Social Media may be customized but also immediate feedback,such as e-mail and online chat rooms, are instant, and at the same time very simple, plus great flexibility in the format is available as multimedia is being used . Social Media provides the advantage of selecting from up to hundreds of social media bookmarks and tags; it also views on-the-fly online performance indicators right from the public relation release. Aids PR practitioners stay aware of what people are saying about the release (e.g. Digg, Technorati). Moreover it views the number of locations the press release is listed in Google, Windows Live and Yahoo! (e.g. PRStats), and assists interaction with visitors who view the news. Finally, it can help in Managing coordinated attacks on brands by activist groups without the campaigns turning into PR nightmares (Crisis Management). Last but not least, lets not forget that PR is about creating relationships. So, social media provide exactly this, through the many tools and application each Social Medium has. Social Media, lead to effective communication, which builds trust and strong relationships with media, bloggers, analysts, influencers, and customers. Also it creates presence; it enhances brand loyalty and extends brand resonance. Public relations practitioners will repeatedly be required to exploit new management communication skills where there might be specific according to the interest, group and/or community. Once upon a time, the strength of media ownership was depending upon the circulation size whereas now it is depended upon the connection in the online community (Phillips, 2008). According to Lydia Graham, President of Graham Associates in San Francsisco, taking as an example the evolution of a press release flow within the internet, it is now considered to be an online web page directly adressed to the consumer who is able to access it at the same time with the journalist impacting the style, content and format. In addition, news release can approach a whole online community; thats why it is no longer one-dimensional. Overall,it can be said that the growth of social media is spreading out whereas the industry of public relations can benefit from this expansion. The world communication structure is being altered and PR must adjust to the framework of the changing environment. Looking at the Future: instead of Conclusion In a nutshell, social media have come a long way since BBS on the late 80s and the launch of the first social networks to the area of Facebook, Twitter and Blogs. Larry Weber, a professional in building global Communications companies including Weber Shandwick Worldwide, suggests that the communications world is dramatically moving in a digital direction and those who understand this transformation will communicate much more effectively than those who do not (Weber, 2007). Social media continues to evolve continually, with major social networks and social media sites making changes and improvements on an almost daily basis, its sure to keep evolving in coming years. Public Relations with the use of Web 2.0 tools can deliver one or many messages. Interaction, immediate reaction and customization are the characteristics of these tools that aid PR practitioners to stay tuned with the publics. Therefore, Blogs can be all of the above and are used within and outside organizations to infor m , effect and generate interest over any subject that concerns the media. As described earlier, the last years social media have become one of the major communication tools of a large number of individuals around the world. Their rapid rise gave companies the opportunity to use them as one of their major public relations, marketing, advertising and promoting tool. They are providing people with a rapid method for communication. They are a  «strategic marketing tool » and provide industries and companies with a simple way for promoting their brand image globally. Social media is a way for building immediate relationships with your customers and maintaining them. Since mobile devices have become the central way of how people communicate with each other, mobile phones for social media networking is the number one future goal. Keeping in mind that today there are more than 500 million Facebook users who are actively signing up to their accounts from not only their PCs but also their mobile phones. This leads to a new era where future will be mobile. With t he increased use of Smartphones such as BlackBerry and Apples iPhone, people are moving towards a mobile and wired web union. If we already have reached the crest, what else is remaining to conquer? Web 2.0 along with blogs is here, and what is coming next is referred to as Web 3.0. Web 3.0 wont only be about reading, and writing but it will also deliver à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a new generation of business applications that will see business and social computing converge on the same fundamentals as on-demand architecture has for consumer applications. Web 3.0 era will radically change individuals career paths as well as the organizations where they work. Phillips (2000) Online Public Relations 1st edition Pingdom (2010) How we got from 1 to 162 million websites on the internet? [Internet] Available from: Accessed on 28th of December 2010 Kaplan, Anreas M., and Michael L. Haenlein. Users of the World, Unite! The Challenges and Opportunities of Social Media. Web. 20 Nov. 2010. . Ampofo, Lawrence. Proving PR Success in Digital Media. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO, May-June 2009. Web. 19 Nov. 2010. . Eyrich, Nina, Monica L. Padman, and Kaye D. Sweetser. PR Practitioners Use of Social Media Tools and Communication Technology. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO, Nov. 2010. http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=21hid= 113sid=5ad4b579-1c84-4691-9cd5-6408ef5e022f%40sessionmgr104bdata= JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aphAN=35326323>.

A Bend in the Road :: essays research papers

A Bend in the Road   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Nicholas Sparks’s novel A Bend in the Road, the main character, Miles Ryan, allows himself to be tormented by the killing of his wife, Missy. By assuming that it was cold blooded murder, Miles spent two years on the case, trying to find the possible â€Å"killer† of the hit and run, only to find that it was indeed an accident and nobody was at fault. After finding that the death of his wife was indeed an accident, Miles realized that by living in the past for the last two years of his life he was not able to be the person that he really was.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At the beginning of the novel, the author states, ‘He (Miles) was tired of being alone, of waking up in an empty bed, though the feeling surprised him. He hadn’t felt that way until recently. In the first year after Missy’s death, He couldn’t even begin to imagine loving another woman†¦ Even after he weathered shock and grief strong enough to make him cry every night, his life felt wrong somehow.’   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first impression that I got after reading this quote was that he was beginning to feel the need to move on. But as I read on I realized that he is so worked up about the case even two years later that he was not able to move on. As if there was something inside stopping himself. I can feel the great amount of hurt and sorrow that he is producing, a couple of weeks after her death Miles took up smoking, though he denies it. He says he is ready to move on, but his heart is not.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At one point in the story, Miles was at a bar and overheard a drunk talking about a guy named Otis and how he ran over Miles wife, and because Miles and Otis are not on each others good side, Miles rushes in and arrests Otis on the spot, pointing his gun at his head, ready to shoot when Otis gave any sign of struggle. Taking Otis in, Miles thought, ‘I don’t care. Otis is going to jail, no matter what happens to me. Otis will rot away in prison like he made me rot for two years.’ Miles has so much anger and depression from the death of his wife that if he hears anything about the person who killed Missy, even if it is from a drunk guy, that he will just rush in and take the guy down.

The Return: Nightfall Chapter 12

It came back to him, all of it: the cramped aisles and the tiny windows and the musty smell of old books. He had been in Belgium some fifty years ago, and had been surprised to find an English-language book on such a subject still in existence. But there it was, its cover worn to a solid burnished rust, with nothing of the writing remaining, if there ever had been any. Pages were missing inside, so no one would ever know the author or the title, if either had ever been printed there. Every â€Å"receipt† – recipe, or charm, or spell – inside involved forbidden knowledge. Damon could easily remember the simplest spell of all: â€Å"Ye Bloode of ye Samphire or Vampyre i?fair goode a?a general physic for all Maladie?or mischief Done by those who Dance in the Woode?at Moonspire.† These malach had certainly been doing mischief in the woods, and it was the month of Moonspire, the month of the â€Å"summer solstice† in the Old Tongue. Damon didn't want to leave Bonnie, and he certainly didn't want Elena to see what he was going to do next. Still supporting Bonnie's head above the warm pinkish water, he opened his shirt. There was a knife of ironwood in a sheath at his hip. He removed it and, in one quick motion, cut himself at the base of his throat. Plenty of blood now. The problem was how to get her to drink. Sheathing the dagger, he lifted her out of the water and tried to put her lips to the cut. No, that wasstupid , he thought, with unaccustomed self-deprecation. She's going to get cold again, and you don't have any way to make her swallow. He let Bonnie lapse back into the water and thought. Then he pulled out the knife again and made another cut: this one on his arm, at the wrist. He followed the vein there until blood was not just dripping but streaming steadily out. Then he put that wrist to Bonnie's upturned mouth, adjusting the angle of her head with his other hand. Her lips were partly open and the dark red blood flowed beautifully. Periodically she swallowed. There was life in her yet. It was just like feeding a baby bird, he thought, tremendously pleased with his memory, his ingenuity, and – well, just himself. He smiled brilliantly at nothing in particular. Now if it would only work. Damon changed position slightly to be more comfortable and turned the hot water up again, all while holding Bonnie, feeding her, all – he knew – gracefully and without a wasted movement. This was fun. It appealed to his sense of the ridiculous. Here, right now, a vampire was not supping from a human, but was trying to save it from certain death by feeding it vampire blood. More than that. He had followed all sorts of human traditions and customs by trying to strip Bonnie without compromising her maidenly modesty. That was exciting. Of course, he'd seen her body anyway; there had been no way to avoid that. But it was really more thrilling when he wastrying to follow the rules. He'd never done that before. Maybe that was how Stefan got his kicks. No, Stefan had Elena, who had been human, vampire, and invisible spirit, and now appeared to be living angel, if such a thing existed. Elena was kicky enough on her own. Yet he hadn't thought of her inminutes . It might even be a record of Elena-overlooking. He'd better call her, maybe get her in here and explain how this was working so there was no reason to crush his skull. It would probably look better. Damon suddenly realized he couldn't feel Elena's aura in Stefan's bedroom. But before he could investigate there was a crash, then pounding footsteps, and then another crash, much closer. And then the bathroom door was kicked open by Mortal Annoying Troublesome†¦. Matt advanced menacingly, got his feet tangled, and looked down to untangle them. His tanned cheeks were swept with a sudden sunset. He was holding up Bonnie's small pink brassiere. He dropped it as if it had bitten him, picked it up again, and whirled around, only to cannon into Stefan, who was entering. Damon watched, entertained. â€Å"How do youkill them, Stefan? Do you just need a stake? Can you hold him while – blood! He's feeding her blood!† Matt interrupted himself, looking as if he might attack Damon on his own. Bad idea, thought Damon. Matt locked eyes with him. Confronting the monster, Damon thought, even more entertained. â€Å"Let†¦her†¦go.† Matt spoke slowly, probably meaning to convey menace, but sounding, Damon thought, as if he thought that Damon was mentally impaired. Mortally Unable To Talk, Damon mused. But that made†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Mutt,† he said aloud, shaking his head slightly. Maybe, though, it would remind him in the future. â€Å"Mutt?You're calling – ? God, Stefan, please help me kill him!He's killed Bonnie.† The words spilled out of Matt in a single gushing flow, a single breath. Woefully, Damon saw his latest acronym go down in flames. Stefan was surprisingly calm. He put Matt behind him and said, â€Å"Go and sit down with Elena and Meredith,† in a way that was not a suggestion, and turned back to his brother. â€Å"You didn't feed from her,† he said, andthis was not a question. â€Å"Swill poison? Not my kind of fun, little brother.† One corner of Stefan's mouth quirked up. He made no response to this, but simply looked at Damon with eyes that were†¦knowing. Damon bridled. â€Å"I told the truth!† â€Å"Going to take it up as a hobby?† Damon started to release Bonnie, figuring that dropping her into bloodstained water would be the proper precursor to walking out of this dump, but†¦ But. She was his baby bird. She'd swallowed enough of his blood now that any more would begin to Change her seriously. And if the amount of blood he had already given her wasn't enough, it simply wasn't a remedy in the first place. Besides, the miracle worker was here. He closed the cut on his arm enough to stop the bleeding and started to speak†¦. And the door crashed open again. This time it was Meredith, and she had Bonnie's bra. Both Stefan and Damon quailed. Meredith was, Damon thought, a very scary person. At least she took the time, which Mutt had not, to look over the trampled clothes on the bathroom floor. She said to Stefan, â€Å"How is she?† which Mutt had not, either. â€Å"She's going to be fine,† Stefan said and Damon was surprised at his feeling of†¦not relief, of course, but of a job well done. Plus, now he might avoid being thrashed to within an inch of his life by Stefan. Meredith took a deep breath and closed her frightening eyes briefly. When she did that, her whole face glowed. Maybe she was praying. It had been centuries since Damon had prayed; and he had never had any prayer answered. Then Meredith opened her eyes, shook herself, and started looking scary again. She nudged the pile of clothes on the floor and said, slowly and forcefully, â€Å"If the item that matchesthis is not still on Bonnie's body, there is going to be trouble.† She waved the now infamous bra like a flag. Stefan looked confused. How could he not understand the mighty missing lingerie question? Damon wondered. How could anyone be such a†¦such an unobservant fool? Didn't Elena wear any – ever? Damon sat frozen, too arrested by the images in his own inner world to move for a moment. Then he spoke up. He had the answer to Meredith's riddle. â€Å"Do you want to come and check?† he asked, turning his head virtuously away. â€Å"Yes, I do.† He remained with his back to her as she approached the tub, plunged her hand into the warm pink water, and swished the towel a little. He heard her let out her breath in relief. When he turned around she said, â€Å"There's blood on your mouth.† Her dark eyes looked darker than ever. Damon was surprised. He hadn't gone and pierced the redhead out of habit and thenforgotten it, had he? But then he realized the reason. â€Å"You tried to suck the poison out, didn't you?† Stefan said, throwing him a white face towel. Damon wiped the side Meredith had been looking at and came up with a bloody smear. No wonder his mouth had been stinging like fire. That poison was pretty nasty stuff, although it clearly didn't affect vampires the way it did humans. â€Å"And there's blood on your throat,† Meredith went on. â€Å"Unsuccessful experiment,† Damon said, and shrugged. â€Å"So you cut your wrist. Pretty seriously.† â€Å"For a human, maybe. Is the press conference over?† Meredith settled back. He could read her expression and he smiled inwardly. Extra! Extra! SCARYM EREDITH THWARTED. He knew the look of those who had to give up on cracking the Damon nut. Meredith stood up. â€Å"Is there anything I can get him to stop his mouth bleeding? Something to drink, maybe?† Stefan just looked stricken. Stefan's problem – well, a part of one of Stefan's many problems – was that he thought feeding was sinful. Even to talk about. Maybe it was actually kickier that way. People relished anything they thought was sinful. Even vampires did. Damon was put out. How did you go back in time to whenanything was sinful? Because he was sadly out of kicks. With her back turned, Meredith was less scary. Damon risked an answer to the question of what he could drink. â€Å"You,darling†¦you darling.† â€Å"One too many darlings,† Meredith said mysteriously, and before Damon could figure out that she was simply making a point about linguistics, and not commenting on his personal life, she was gone. With the traveling bra. Now Stefan and Damon were alone. Stefan came a step closer, keeping his eyes off the tub. You miss so much, you chump, Damon thought. That was the word he'd been searching for earlier. Chump. â€Å"You did a lot for her,† Stefan said, seeming to find it as hard to look at Damon as at the tub. This left him very little to stare at. He chose a wall. â€Å"You told me you'd beat me up if I didn't. I've never cared for beatings.† He flashed his dazzling smile at Stefan and kept it up until Stefan started to turn to look at him, and then turned it off immediately. â€Å"You went beyond the call of duty.† â€Å"With you, little brother, one never knows where duty ends. Tell me, what does infinity look like?† Stefan heaved a sigh. â€Å"At least you're not the kind of bully who only terrorizes when he has the upper hand.† â€Å"Are you inviting me to  ¡Ã‚ ®step outside,' as they say?† â€Å"No, I'm complimenting you on saving Bonnie's life.† â€Å"I didn't realize I had a choice. How, by the way, did you manage to cure Meredith and – and†¦how did you manage?† â€Å"Elena kissed them. Didn't you even realize she was gone? I brought them back here, and she came downstairs and breathed into their mouths and it cured them. From what I've seen, she seems to be slowly turning from spirit to full human. I'm guessing it will take another few days, just from looking at her progress since she woke up until now.† â€Å"At least she's talking. Not much, but you can't ask for everything.† Damon was remembering the view from the Porsche, with the top down and Elena bobbing like a balloon. â€Å"This little redhead hasn't said a word,† Damon added querulously, and then shrugged. â€Å"Same difference.† â€Å"Why, Damon? Why not just admit that you care about her, at least enough to keep her living – and without even molesting her? You knew she couldn't afford to lose blood†¦.† â€Å"It was an experiment,† Damon explained painstakingly. And it was over now. Bonnie would wake or sleep, live or die, in Stefan's hands – not his. He was wet, he was uncomfortable, he was far enough from this night's meal to be hungry and cross. His mouth hurt. â€Å"You take her head now,† he said brusquely. â€Å"I'm leaving. You and Elena and†¦Mutt can finish – † â€Å"His name is Matt, Damon. It's not hard to remember.† â€Å"It is if you have absolutely no interest in him. There are too many lovely ladies in this vicinity to make him anything but last choice for a snack.† Stefan hit the wall hard. His fist broke through the ancient plastering. â€Å"Damn it, Damon, that's not all there is to humans.† â€Å"It's all I ask of them.† â€Å"Youdon't ask. That's the problem.† â€Å"It was a euphemism. It's all I plan totake from them, then. It's certainly all I'm interested in. Don't try to make-believe that it's anything more. There's no point in trying to find evidence for a pretty lie.† Stefan's fist flew out. It was his left fist, and Damon was supporting Bonnie's head on that side, so he couldn't lean away gracefully as he normally would. She was unconscious; she might take in a lungful of water and die immediately. Who knew about these humans, especially when they were poisoned? Instead, he concentrated on sending all his shielding to the right side of his chin. He figured he could take a punch, even from the New Improved Stefan without losing his hold on the girl – even if Stefan broke his jaw. Stefan's fist stopped a few millimeters away from Damon's face. There was a pause; the brothers looked at each other across a distance of two feet. Stefan took a deep breath and sat back. â€Å"Now will you admit it?† Damon was genuinely puzzled. â€Å"Admit what?† â€Å"That you care something for them. Enough to take a punch rather than letting Bonnie go underwater.† Damon stared, then began to laugh and found he couldn't stop. Stefan stared back. Then he shut his eyes and half-turned away in pain. Damon still had a case of the giggles. â€Å"And you th-thought that I cuh-cared about one little hu-hu-hu†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Why did you do it, then?† Stefan said tiredly. â€Å"Whu-whu-whim. I t-told y-yuh-you. Just wuh-huhhuhuha†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Damon collapsed, punch-drunk from lack of food and from too many varying emotions. Bonnie's head went underwater. Both vampires dived for her, head butting each other as they collided over the center of the tub. Both fell back briefly, dazed. Damon wasn't laughing anymore. If anything, he was fighting like a tiger to get the girl out of the water. Stefan was, too, and with his newly sharpened reflexes, he looked close to winning. But it was as Damon had thought just an hour or so earlier – neither one of them even considered cooperating to get the girl. Each was trying to do it alone, and each was impeding the other. â€Å"Get out of my way, brat,† Damon snarled, almost hissing in menace. â€Å"You don't give a damn about her.You get out of the way – â€Å" There was something like a geyser and Bonnie exploded upward from the water on her own. She spat out a mouthful and cried, â€Å"What's going on?† in tones to melt a heart of stone. Which they did. Contemplating his bedraggled little bird, who was clutching the towel to her instinctively, with her fiery hair plastered to her head and her big brown eyes blinking between strands, something swelled in Damon. Stefan had run to the door to tell the others the good news. For a moment it was just the two of them: Damon and Bonnie. â€Å"It tastes awful,† Bonnie said woefully, spitting out more water. â€Å"I know,† Damon said, staring at her. The new thing he was feeling had swollen inside his soul until the pressure was almost too much to stand. When Bonnie said, â€Å"But I'm alive!† with an abrupt 180-degree turn in mood, her heart-shaped face flushing suddenly with joy, the fierce pride Damon felt in response was intoxicating. He and he alone had brought her back from the edge of icy death. Her poison-filled body had been cured by him; it was his blood that had dissolved and dispersed the toxin,his blood – And then the swelling thing burst. There was, to Damon, a palpable if not audible crack as the stone encasing his soul burst open and a great piece fell away. With something inside him singing, he clutched Bonnie to him, feeling the wet towel through his raw silk shirt, and feeling Bonnie's slight body under the towel. Definitely a maiden, and not a child, he thought dizzily, whatever the writing on that infamous scrap of pink nylon had claimed. He clutched at her as if he needed her for blood – as if they were in hurricane-tossed seas and to let go of her would be to lose her. His neck hurt fiercely, but more cracks were spreading all over the stone; it was going to explode completely, letting theDamon it held inside out – and he was too drunk on pride and joy, yes, joy, to care. Cracks were spreading in every direction, pieces of stone flying off†¦ Bonnie pushed him away. She had surprising strength for someone with such a slight build. She pushed herself out of his arms completely. Her expression had changed radically again: now her face showed only fear and desperation – and, yes, revulsion. â€Å"Help! Somebody, please,help !† Her brown eyes were huge and now her face was white again. Stefan had whirled around. All he saw was what Meredith saw, darting under his arm from the other room, or what Matt saw, trying to peer into the tiny, over-full bathroom: Bonnie fiercely clutching her towel, trying to make it cover her, and Damon kneeling by the bath, his face without expression. â€Å"Pleasehelp. He heard me calling – I couldfeel him on the other end – but he just watched. He stood and watched us all dying. He wants all humans dead, with our blood running down white steps somewhere. Please, get himaway from me!† So. The little witch was more proficient than he had imagined. It wasn't unusual to recognize that someone was getting your transmissions – you got feedback – but to identify the individual took talent. Plus, she'd obviously heard the echoes of some of his thoughts. She was gifted, his bird†¦no, not his bird, not with her looking at him with a look as close to hatred as Bonnie could manage. There was a silence. Damon had a chance to deny the charge, but why bother? Stefan would be able to gauge the truth of it. Maybe Bonnie, too. Revulsion was flying from face to face, as if it were a swiftly-catching disease. Now Meredith was hurrying forward, grabbing another towel. She had some kind of hot drink in her other hand – cocoa, by the smell. It was hot enough to be an effective weapon – no way to dodge all of that, not for a tired vampire. â€Å"Here,† she said to Bonnie. â€Å"You're safe. Stefan's here. I'm here. Matt's here. Take this towel; let's just put it around your shoulders.† Stefan had stood silently, watching all this – no, watching his brother. Now, his face hardening in finality, he said one word. â€Å"Out.† Dismissed like a dog. Damon groped for his jacket behind him, found it, and wished that his groping for his sense of humor could be as successful. The faces around him were all the same. They could have been carved in stone. But not stone as hard as that that was coming together again around his soul. That rock was remarkably quick to mend – and an extra layer was added, like the layering of a pearl, but not covering anything nearly so pretty. Their faces were still all the same as Damon tried to get out of the small room that had too many people in it. Some of them were speaking; Meredith to Bonnie, Mutt – no, Matt – pouring out a stream of pure acidic hatred†¦but Damon didn't really hear the words. He could smell too much blood here. Everyone had little wounds. Their individual scents – different beasts inthe herd – closed in on him. His head was spinning. He had to get out of here or he'd be snatching the nearest warm vessel and draining it dry. Now he was more than dizzy; he was too hot, too†¦thirsty. Very, very thirsty. He had worked a long time without feeding and now he was surrounded by prey. They were circlinghim . How could he stop himself from grabbing just one of them? Would one really be missed? Then there was the one he hadn't seen yet, and didn't want to see. To witness Elena's lovely features twisted into the same mask of revulsion he saw on every other face here would be†¦distasteful, he thought, his old sense of dispassion finally returning to him. But it couldn't be avoided. As Damon came out of the bathroom, Elena was right in front of him, floating like an oversized butterfly. His eyes were drawn to exactly what he didn't want to see: her expression. Elena's features didn't mirror the others. She looked worried, upset. But there wasn't a trace of the disgust or hatred that showed on all the other faces. She even spoke, in that strange mind-speech that wasn't, somehow, like telepathy, but which allowed her to get in two levels of communication at once. â€Å"Da – mon.† Tell about the malach. Please. Damon just raised an eyebrow at her. Tell a bunch of humans abouthimself ? Was she being deliberately ridiculous? Besides, the malach hadn't really done anything. They had distracted him for a few minutes, that was all. No point in blaming malach when all they had done was enhance his own views briefly. He wondered if Elena had any notion of the content of his little nighttime daydream. â€Å"Da – mon.† I can see it. Everything. But, still, please†¦ Oh, well, maybe spirits got used to seeingeverybody's dirty laundry. Elena made no response to that thought, so he was left in the dark. In the dark. Which was what he was used to, where he had come from. They would all go their separate ways, the humans to their warm dry houses and he to a tree in the woods. Elena would stay with Stefan, of course. Of course. â€Å"Under the circumstances, I won't sayau revoir ,† Damon said, flashing his dazzling smile at Elena, who looked gravely back at him. â€Å"We'll just say ;;good-bye' and leave it at that.† There was no answer from the humans. â€Å"Da – mon.† Elena was crying now. Please.Please. Damon started out into the dark. Please†¦ Rubbing at his neck, he kept going.

airman leadership Essay

airman leadership Essay airman leadership Essay AF Strategic Initiative Good afternoon. I am 1sgt hekmat and today I’d like to briefly talk about how and why the Air Force Culture and Language center was established. Then, I will talk about some of their responsibilities in the development of the Airmen of today. Finally, I will show you how the Center is transforming the Air Force’s way of doing business in the constantly changing global environment. To start, let’s look at how the center was created. The Air Force Culture

How did Kodak change its strategy to respond to the opportunities and threats in the photographic imaging market

How did Kodak change its strategy to respond to the opportunities and threats in the photographic imaging market 3. - How did Kodak change its strategy to respond to the opportunities and threats in the photographic imaging market?In the beginning the strategy followed by Kodak due to a new and a big market of the recording imaging in paper "the photography" was: mass production to lower production costs; maintaining the lead in technological development; extensive product advertising; and the development of a multinational business to exploit the world market.Along many years the company operated in monopoly, with a lot of investment to growth and to consolidate the position, but the high cost, a inflexible structure made it to adapt to a low cost policy and new products such as the simple to use 35mm camera or the instant photography, photographic laboratories and new products to recording images.Despite of the more aggressive environment the chief executive Colby Chandler changed the strategy of Kodak in order to increase the competitiveness and to take some opportunities of the market.Colby Chandler (All My Children)The company focused in 4 operating groups: imaging, information systems, health and chemical.In the imaging group the idea was to cover some necessities in the photographic market, create new and better products, and improve its position in the film processing market.So, the company had to reduce costs again and bought some companies (Texas-Based, Fox Photo Inc.) and formed ventures to create products with the name of Kodak (i.e. Matsushita or Chinon). Also it was needed to increase the amount in publicity to compete with other brands such as Fuji.The strategies of Kodak in the other operating groups were basically to acquire companies in order to diversificate the business. That was possible because Kodak has been the leader in the photography market for many years, this capability made that was able to pay s in 1985 for...