Handout Research Methods in Applied Linguistics Essay

How did the UK population talk about Mexico between 1970’s and 1993? Corpus analysis of the word ‘Mexico’ in the BNC, also with the word ‘Mexican’ as they are directly related. For this assignment I will use the BNC (found 1531 tokens for ‘Mexico’ and 680 for ‘Mexican’), where I will analyse how the UK talked about Mexico between the 1970’s and 1993. My major area of study is business, and I am interested in finding out how discourse analysis using corpora can be used in Marketing, but particularly in the marketing of Mexico in the UK. The UK is currently in 3rd place, following the United States of America and Canada, of the number of visitors (by air) to Mexico. However, the number of visitors from the UK is only 6% of the number of visitors from the United States of America. The Mexican government is concerned that the image of Mexico overseas is not being marketed well. After reading statements from the president of Mexico and articles about the new strategies to promote tourism to Mexico in the UK, there seem to be two main reasons why the tourism from the UK in Mexico has not grown: 1) the media have made people believe that the security situation in Mexico is worse than it actually is and 2) the distance and the costs of travelling to Mexico are too high. Looking at the statistics from 2008 to date, the number of visitors has not changed dramatically so I wonder if perhaps is not the distance and is not the way Mexico is marketed in the UK currently, but the way Britons have had Mexico portrayed to them throughout their lives (if we talk about the adults of today and the generation before them). So, with this research, I aim to find out if the image of Mexico that we are shown in the Media today in Britain is something new or if it is the image that has been present in the UK since the 1970’s. This type of analysis, and perhaps in a bigger scale, could be used to promote and market Mexico in the UK as it would show how people talk about the country and this will give the government a real idea of what needs to be changed and how they can create better marketing with the purpose of increasing the number of visitors from the UK in Mexico and potentially from other countries in Europe. Reading list: Using Corpora in Discourse Analysis (Baker, 2006) Exploring Corpus Linguistics: Language in Action (Cheng, 2012) Discourse Analysis: A resource book for students (Rodney H. Jones, 2012) Secretaria de Turismo (SECTUR), Web Site www. sectur. gob. mx Consejo de Promocion Turistica de Mexico’ (CPTM), Web Site. www. cptm. com. mx Sistema Integral de Informacion de Mercados Turisticos (SIIMT), Web Site. www. siimt. com El porvernir (2011; accessed 20120) Web Site| | | | | | | | | | | www. elporvenir. mx

10 Herbal Medicine

The  Philippine Department of Health (DOH)  has endorsed ten (10) medicinal plants to be used as herbal medicine in Philippines due to its beneficial effects. These herbal medicines have underwent clinical studies through the Philippine Department of Health's  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Traditional Health Program†Ã‚  to offer as alternative to conventioanl medicines. Below is the list of these medicinal plants: 1. Akapulko (Cassia alata)  Common names include â€Å"bayabas-bayabasan† in tagalog, â€Å"ringworm bush or schrub† and â€Å"acapulco† in English, this Philippine herbal medicine is used to treat tinea infections, insect bites, ringworms, eczema, scabies and itchiness. . Ampalaya (Momordica charantia)  Common names include â€Å"bitter melon † or â€Å"bitter gourd † in English. This Philippine herbal medicine has been found to be effective in the treatment of diabetes (diabetes mellitus), hemofrhoids, coughs, burns and scalds, and being studie d for anti-cancer properties. 3. Bawang (Allium sativum)  Common name in english is â€Å"Garlic†. Bawang is a used in Philippine herbal medicine to treat infection with antibacterial, antiinflammatory, anti-cancer and anti-hypertensive properties. It is widely used to reduce cholesterol level in blood. . Bayabas (Psidium guajava)  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ â€Å"Guava† in English. A Philippine herbal medicine used as antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic, antioxidant hepatoprotective, anti-allergy, antimicrobial, anti-plasmodial, anti-cough, antidiabetic, and antigenotoxic in folkloric medicine. 5. Lagundi (Vitex negundo)  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ known as â€Å"5-leaved chaste tree† in english is used in Philippine herbal medicine to treat  cough, colds and fever. It is also used as a relief for asthma & pharyngitis, rheumatism, dyspepsia, boils, and diarrhea. 6. Niyog-niyogan (Quisqualis indica L.   Ã¢â‚¬â€œ is a vine known as â€Å"Chinese honey suckle†. This Philip pine herbal medicine is used to eliminate intestinal parasites. 7. Sambong (Blumea balsamifera)- English name: â€Å"Ngai camphor or Blumea camphor† is a Philippine herbal medicine used to treat  kidney stones, wounds and cuts, rheumatism, anti-diarrhea, anti spasms, colds and coughs and hypertension 8. Tsaang Gubat (Ehretia microphylla Lam. )  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ English :†Wild tea† is a Philippine herbal medicine taken as tea to treat skin allergies including eczema, scabies and itchiness wounds in child birth 9. Ulasimang Bato | Pansit-Pansitan  (Peperomia pellucida) is a Phillipine herbal medicine known for its effectivity in treating arthritis and gout. 10. Yerba Buena  (Clinopodium douglasii)  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ commonly known as Peppermint, is used in Philippine herbal medicine as analgesic to relive body aches and pain due to rheumatism and gout. It is also used to treat coughs, colds and insect bites Types Of Herbal Medicine Medicinal plants can be used by anyone, for example as part of a salad, an herbal tea or supplement. Many herbalists, both professional and amateur, often grow or wildcraft their own herbs. Making your own herbal medicine preparation is not only fun, but can be cost-effective. In using the above mentioned herbal medicines, some may require some degree of skill, you have to use your own judgement if you decide to use one. Below is a list of general ways on how to prepare your own herbal medicine. The list is not all inclusive and you have to see individual articles for the herb you use so that you will know how to prepare them. Herbal Teas There are two methods of making herbal teas, infusion and decoction. Infusion is steeping lighter parts of the plant (leaves, flowers, light stems) in boiled water for several minutes. Decoction is boiling tougher parts, such as roots or bark for a longer period of time. Herbal teas are often used as a home remedy, and as an alternative to tea and coffee. As a general rule unless recommended by a herbalist, Prepare 1 teaspoon of dried herb for every 1 cup of water. Let it steep in boiling water for 10 to 20 minutes. Strain the herbs out and drink 3 to 4 times a day. Herbal Tinctures Steeping a medicinal plant in alcohol extracts the alcohol-soluble principles into a liquid form that can be stored for long periods. Herbalists may mix several herbal tinctures to form an individualized prescription for each patient. Plant tinctures are also the basis for many homeopathic medicines. To prepare your herbal tincture you will need: 8 ounces of finely cut dried herbs, 1 large glass jar that can hold 4 cups of liquid 2 cups of vodka Instructions: Put the dried herb into a large, glass jar and pour in equal amount of liquid, making sure the herbs are completely covered (this is very important). Store the jar in a cool, dark place for at least two weeks, preferably 4. Make sure to shake the mixture every day. When ready to use, filter the mixture using a cheesecloth bag, coffee filter, or fine cloth, capturing the tincture liquid below in another container. Store the tincture in clean, dark glass containers, out of the sun. If stored properly the tincture will be preserved for two or more years. Vinegar tinctures should be refrigerated. Note: A drop of tincture is equal to 1 tsp of herb juice. For Vinegar Tinctures, use 1 ounce of herb per 5 ounces of vinegar. Fluid Extracts Fluid extracts are stronger than herbal tinctures, and can be made with alcohol or glycerin. Herbal Poultices Poultices are a solid, vegetable fat based mixture used externally. They have the shortest life span of any herbal remedy and must be made fresh for every use. Powdered Herbs And Tablets Herbs that are dried and (sometimes) certain parts are separated out then diced to powder fine consistency. Powered matter can then be compressed or put in an empty pill coating to form a tablet Herbal Creams And Ointments An ointment usually is mixed with beeswax (or something similar) to make it more applicable to outside the body, such as on a cut or scrape. Essential Oils Extraction of volatile liquid plant materials and other aromatic compounds from plants gives essential oils. These plant oils may be used internally in some forms of herbal medicine as well as in aromatherapy and generally for their perfume, although their medicinal use as a natural treatment (alternative medicine) has proved highly efficacious in the treatment of headache and muscle pain, joint pain and certain skin diseases Herbal Supplements Herbal supplements tend to be commercial products in tablet or capsule form manufactured and marketed by the health food industry for sale in retail outlets to the general public, although there are some types that are sold only to healthcare practitioners for prescription. Herbal supplements are often standardized to contain stated levels of active phytochemicals. Some herbalists may not agree with the standardization of active ingredients, preferring instead to use the whole plant.

The History of Democracy in Algeria Research Paper

The History of Democracy in Algeria - Research Paper Example As the discussion stresses  colonization in Algeria began in the 5th century B. C. Native people of Algeria were forced to move back from the coastal areas by the successive waves of Roman, Byzantine, Turkish, Arab and French invaders. Among these Arab invaders have greatly influenced the natives of the country in terms of religion and language. However, Phoenicians were the first to invade the northern Algeria during 12th century B.C. Then the Romans came into the country and united the northern part of it. Under Roman rule Christianity flourished. However, it was ended by the Vandals, though a large section of area was still under the control of Berbers. Arabs started to dominate the area since 7th century.  This essay declares that  during World War I many Algerians were brought to the mainland of France for making them work in the French Army and various factories. After the World War I first organized movements began in the country for complete independence under the heads hip of Messali Hadj. Such movements started to gain momentum after World War II. Muslims were given some political rights in 1947 after a massive nationalist demonstration caused death of almost 88 Frenchmen and thousands of Muslims. In November, 1954 Algerians started their uprising in a way that could not be ignored by the French government. National Liberation Front (FLN) which was the main nationalist party introduced attacks on French people in both France and Algeria.   The war resulted in the fall of the government. In 1958 Charles de Gaulle came back in power and in 1962, Algeria’s independence was proclaimed (Phillip C. Naylor. ALGERIA - Part 3). History since Independence In 1963 Ahmed ben Bella took charge as Algeria’s first president. Under Bella’s rule, abandoned colonial holdings were nationalized. He supported various liberation movements in the country.

Site assembly and development Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Site assembly and development - Dissertation Example II. The Definition of An Easement Basically, someone who has an easement is someone who can tread on someone else’s property. That person is called the servient. â€Å"The holder of an easement has the right to use a tract of land, called the servient tenement†¦Ã¢â‚¬  but has very little rights otherwise.1 Easements come in an inexhaustible amount of forms, and, for example, adjacent properties might come into play, such as was the case in Bailey v Stevens (1862). Sometimes there are implied easements, as in the case of Wheeldon v Burrows. Whatever the case, it is quite possible that the definition of who owns an easement should actually be defined better. For example, instead of having four requirements for the definition of an easement to be met—basically stating who owns an easement—an easement should be clearly defined in a one-sentence statement or paragraph. This would thus put to rest all the haggling behind what an easement consists of and that of which it does not consist. Easements present a problem, not only in English law, but all over the world. People disagree all the time as to what constitutes an easement, and who has a right to share what. As such, the definition of what an easement is, and why it begs to be defined, are partially societal problems. If English society were more communal rather than individual in nature, most likely there would not be such a problem with the idea of having to share space. But, since like the West, the UK has been â€Å"enlightened† in terms of having to have at least 10 metres of space per person even in office space, it so follows that it would probably be only natural for someone from England demanding justice if a neighbour came to fish in his or her pond, swim in a backyard pool, or use the lavatory at one’s whim. As such, it can be very difficult to actually define an easement, especially if the person using the easement does not want to formally admit that he or sh e is using the other person’s property illegally. Also, the dominant may not want to admit that there is an easement between both the dominant and the servient, as the dominant may feel that, legitimating that relationship might therefore give the servient some type of rights or ownership to his or her property—which it does, but that is almost entirely beside the point. The person who holds the easement doesn’t exactly own the property. It’s more like, they are borrowing it or using it for a certain time and then won’t be there anymore. Usage of an easement is, for the majority, not continuous. Thus, these facts should be taken into account when one is considering either making an easement formal or doing something in order to make the process of acquiring an easement possible. In all circumstances, paperwork should always be filled out so there is no misunderstanding between the dominant and the servient. This is essential for the relationship. I II. What Can Be Done with an Easement Although an easement itself is defined by four strict necessities by law, what can be done with an easement should definitely be clarified. It has been said that â€Å"†¦an easement is extinguished if the dominant and servient tenements come into the same ownership†¦Ã¢â‚¬ 2 That may be true, but unless it was expressly written into the law in such a like manner, one might never know that that had been the case. Even so, there are such things as

Case study, Greener Pastures The Launch of StaGreen by HydroCan Study

, Greener Pastures The Launch of StaGreen by HydroCan - Case Study Example This newly created product is said to have been unable to retain water for long once applied on several grass types hence cutting down on the desire for frequent advertising and extra water (MacKenzie 96). However, despite their anxiety to launch their product into the market, they direly needed adequate answers to a variety of questions e.g. the type of segment to set its target, the way to position this new product and the type of strategy for launching the product. The marketing consultants effectively made an analysis of the communication options, prices, costs and markets. Their eventual task was to come up with a comprehensive strategy in order for the new firm to launch its newly designed product. After a comprehensive analysis of this product, it was deduced that the product was extremely beneficial and had the same appearance other fertilizers although it had a significant impact on most common grass types’ root systems. This product also had the ability to reduce the desire for manual watering processes up on most grass types by almost up to 40 percent thus rendering the product to be of considerably high demand (MacKenzie 96). The key issue that needed to be addressed is the type of market to be initially targeted for this new product. There had been a variety of clashing views regarding the target market segment; this firm’s CEO intended to make its initial market segment target as garden market and consumer lawn while Mr. Humphreys preferred the target to be directed to garden market and commercial lawn. Because the two markets needed an extremely different launch strategy, choosing an appropriate segment had been the principal concern. Since both leaders possessed entirely biased positions, the consultants were aware that they had a difficult task of presenting strong, viable reasons to support all their recommendations. In order to render the

Mohawk Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Mohawk - Essay Example According to Kathleen Gallagher of the Millwaukee Journal Sentinal in a Christmas Day article 2006, carpet has dropped to 46% from 49% in sales of ALL floor coverings since '05. " People have to stand on something" said Haruki Toyama of Toyama Value Fund, in that recent article. Since this trend must have been apparent to the Mohawk Company a long time ago these folks have been moving into the tile and laminates end of floor coverings, hence their purchase and integration of the Belgian tile manufacturer mentioned. Instead of a careful and slow growing conservative company I see a concern poised to take advantage of lower transport costs than since the beginning of the Iraq war; along with an integrated tile manufacture, to challenge Shaw's leading market share in this industry. Instead of a stodgy conservative slow growth company, Mohawk seems poised on the cusp of an upsurge of growth if one reads into the future with this Sullivan article.

Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Research Proposal Example Therefore, even those consumers who wished to purchase electronics faced restrictions in doing so since there was limited credit. This resulted in huge losses for electronics companies, including Blackberry, Motorola Mobility, and Nokia, evidencing the significant effects the recession was having on the electronics industry. The research paper will seek to evaluate the effects of the recession on behaviour of the consumer in the UK electronics industry, particularly with regards to the smartphone industry. Understanding the response of consumers to the economic downturn with regards to their buying behaviour is imperative for companies seeking to ensure future success (Chakrabarti, 2011: p56). While signs show that the UK economy is stabilizing, leading to questions about this research’s relevance, the changes to consumer behaviour by recessions tend to last for a long time. Therefore, even as economists signal the end of the recession and beginning of recovery, this is unlike ly to be reflected immediately by consumers in their buying behaviour. This literature review will seek to provide a strong foundation in order to understand various widely used consumer behaviour models, which is important in investigating current buying behaviour and decision-making process of consumers in the UK. Consumer behaviour accounts for every decision and action taken by individuals during the purchase of services and goods. According to Dees & Soares (2013: p5), studying the behaviour of consumers is important since for firms to be successful, they should understand the forces that drive consumers to make decisions about purchasing a product, while also helping determine why they choose one brand over another, how they come to these decisions, and how this information can be used for value creation. Foxall (2013: p99) defines consumer behaviour as the study of those processes through which groups or

Merchandising Analysis Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Merchandising Analysis Report - Essay Example Proper merchandising can lead to selling of quality products by the employees to the customers along with facilitating them to deliver better customer service (Jackson & Shaw, 2000). Poor merchandising on the part of an organisation can make it quite tough for the sales staff in a retail store to sell products to the customers, which would effect on the productivity and the profitability of the stores by a greater extent. By incorporating well-prepared merchandising initiatives, it is possible to convert potential consumers into real consumers of a company. The process of merchandising provides a competitive advantage to a company which can further be significant in ensuring its success or failure as retail business outlets in a sector such as fashion based designer products (Queensland Government, n.d.). Fashion merchandising entails an amalgamation of different procedures which a fresh fashion product is required to go through to be accessible in sufficient quantities to the customer after it is prepared by the designer. Fashion merchandising encompasses various pertinent aspects such as target market and price. A key constituent of fashion merchandising is observed to be selling (Frings, 2002). The process of cross selling evolves when customers purchase one of the two products of a company. Through the process it is also possible to recognize the customers’ who are purchasing a single product out of the two products which also results in reduction of total campaigning costs, enhancement in response rates along with facilitating to provide concentrated efforts to increase sales. The consequences of cross selling campaigns include the identification of similarities in a range of products and recognising or estimating the previous as well as future trends of selling (MicroStrategy Inc., 2013). Offering discounts is also one of the merchandising strategies to attract shoppers to arrive at the stores, which

Personal Activity Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Personal Activity Plan - Essay Example The right to lead a healthy lifestyle has social and intellectual ramifications. An individual can consistently pursue any of these issues in a court of law if it threatens him or her health status. The six dimensions of health comprise personal issues such as physical, psychological, intellectual and spiritual concerns, and external factors comprising social and environmental issues. It is necessary to deal with the personal and external factors separately to get better idea how they affect the individual and the society. (Health 190). Today, the internet offers an individual a whole array of treatment and remedies to promote good health. The resources are so vast that it is easy to be inundated with information and contacts. It is here that one has to be careful and vigilant. The internet is a big seamless world. The genuine and the cheat live here. It is important to distinguish the real from the dross. The chances of getting misled by alluring sites and supernatural claims are simply too great to be made light of. Once trapped, the consequences are almost impossible to reverse. Money is not all that is loss, health and body organs' too suffer damages. (Chapter A2-A5). Scientifically established allopathic treatment and remedies take preference in health and sickness-related issues. However, even Complementary and Alternative Medicines (CAM) are growing in popularity due to failure of allopathic line of treatment at times. Successful treatment by herbal and homeopathic medicines has merited the attention of well-established, renowned medical institutions to research effective herbal medicines. Therefore, individuals the world over are keeping their options open for any line of treatment that works in order to achieve good, healthy lifestyles. (Health Information on the Internet). External factors The contributions of social and environmental factors to an individual's health are civic responsibilities and provision of pollution-free atmosphere. Congestion in urban locations, junk food outlets, vehicular and manufacturing units' gas emissions, haphazard dumping of domestic and industrial wastes are some factors that adversely affect personal health and hygiene. A good, clean neighborhood and pollution-free atmosphere helps with prevention of diseases. Self treatment The family doctor is an important consultant to refer for all health and medicine related issues. Indeed, it is a boon for a family to have a conscientious, responsible general medical practitioner to turn to for every type of health problem. Also, the medical line has become techno-savvy and specialized so there are special doctors and surgeons providing the best line of treatment in their own field of practice. However, it is ultimately the individual who is responsible for his or her own health status. Medicines, medical treatment and facilities, books on home remedies, medical forums, online medical information sources, etc. have enough potential for a patient and the layman to zero in on the best available remedies. The information is provided in simple and easy to understand language. The

The 21st century has begun. What changes do you think this new century Essay

The 21st century has begun. What changes do you think this new century will bring Use examples and details in your answer - Essay Example While many people consider technological devices to make our lives easier, they can also have a detrimental effect on our well-being. It’s getting to the stage now where almost no one sends anything by post because it takes too long to reach its destination. This next century could see our virtual lives becoming just as significant as our real lives. Another change that the next century will bring is global wars. Although there have been global conflicts in the previous century, modern technology will result in the types of wars that we have never seen before. Long gone are the days where two armies came together and fought it out on the battlefield. Another element that will make world wars interesting over the next 100 years is the use of nuclear weapons. Countries such as Iran and North Korea have, or will have, the technology and desire to attack nations that they consider to be their enemies. Perhaps the most exciting change of this century will be the advances in medicines. Global sicknesses that were once thought of as deadly will be consigned to the history books. This will result in humans being able to live longer, which may be either a good or bad thing depending on who gains access to these advanced types of medicines. What we do know is that the standard of living will improve for most

Nick and Julia Essay Example for Free

Nick and Julia Essay Margaret Atwoods The Handmaids Tale and George Orwells 1984 are pieces of dystopian literature which embody repressive regimes and governments that rule through oppression and state controlled technology. One would think that love could not possibly be incorporated into such novels. Its antithesis, hate is understandably weaved in and expected, given the genre. However, in 1984 and The Handmaids Tale, two totalitarian stories, the authors have given their protagonists a love interest. It plays both a pivotal and underlying role. There appears many ways in which Atwood and Orwell have approached the love relationships. Both protagonists are highly suspicious of their prospective love interests. Nick and Julia have been introduced in the two novels by chapter four to some degree, the early introduction highlighting their significance as characters. The level on uncertainty is shown through Offred considering Nick to be fishy and Winston not doubting that Julia was spying on him. Both also play with the idea that they might be government agents, and these sentiments as very ironic as one comes to realise that they form relationships, of which a fundamental aspects is trust. The idea of this is to highlight the societies they live in. It is also interesting to note they way they describe their significant others. Immediately, one is drawn to the dark haired girl that becomes known as Julia, the word dark holding a connotation; it can be considered a hidden warning, that Julia is possibly a dangerous character of sorts, that she is an unknown anomaly, hinting she could be a dark horse. One can link this idea of it being a warning with when Winston wakes up with Shakespeare on his lips, which signifies that his Juliet will play a role in his life. These are both proleptic, and to an extent fatalistic as to Winstons demise, as we unravel Julias and also the discovery that Winston eventually ends up in the place where there is no darkness. It is a simple yet effective initial description, helping us to feel the uncertainty the Winston feels. With Nick we are, unlike with Julia, given a detailed portrait. Significantly, Offreds and Nicks initial meeting occurs in the middle of the night. Again, the use of dark features when Offred describes him as a man made of darkness, and also when describing the hairs on his arms. Add to which his French face, it insinuates that he has something deep and abstruse about him, and the idea of his foreign demeanour heightens this theory of the unknown about him. One can look further into this idea of him being an outsider and link it to his part in the resistance, as an outsider of the regime. This notion can be backed up by the rebellious streak he has in the way he is depicted, with his cap being worn at a jaunty angle and also the cigarette he smokes showing that he has something to trade on the black market. The idea of rebellion is also seen in 1984 in chapter three. In Winstons dream the way Julia tore off her clothes seemed to annihilate a whole system. This dream is proleptic of the hope that Julia and Winston can bring Big Brothers regime into disrepute through their relationship. Yet in this dream, Julias naked body aroused no desire in him, however we obtain an insight into the sexual frustration Offred feels despite herself by imagining how Nick might taste. It is possible that one can read into these feelings, that the regimes of Oceania, in Comparison to Gilead, has been more successful in eradicating these sexual desires both states want to remove. We can also draw that both of the affairs were formed through desperation, brought on by the changes in the environment they now live in. Fear plays a part in both novels with Offred scared that Nicks dissident wink is a trap. These are Winstons thoughts when he reads Julias note that simply stated I love you. The paranoia they experience is due to the fact that inside their minds they are against the set up of their lives, as outward defiance would lead to probable death. Therefore when they encounter any sort of mutinous behaviour, their first reaction is fear, such is the control society has over them. It is interesting to note the simplicity of Julias note, a subject, verb and object statement. Compared to the manipulation of language we see throughout the novel, it emphasises the fact that not everything can be changed easily, be it language or feelings. The ways in which both affairs rebel against their respective systems are crucially different. In The Handmaids Tale, Offreds situation pushed her towards Nick because she years to be touched by someone, to be felt so greedily. One can tell of the sexual frustration caused by the Gilead regime as Atwood saturates the scene where Offred is for the first time touched by Nick with the tension felt by them both. Using the present tense, short sharp sentences and Offreds intrinsic dialogue diverged by brief verbal exchanges between them both. To live in a society so devoid in love is the catalyst for her affair, as she considers the parodic ceremony with the Commander to be fucking, with no affection or tenderness, just like what one sees in 1984 with everyones duty to the party. So in essence anything that goes beyond sex for procreation is illegal in the eyes of both Gilead and Oceania. Unlike Offred, Winston is desperate to love but to fulfil his needs sexually; the primary reason that drove him into the relationship in the first place, also Winstons frustration is the reason for his misogynistic feelings, and the motive behind his rebellion.

Analysis Aviss Existing Marketing Strategy

Analysis Aviss Existing Marketing Strategy Avis jump up at Vietnam market from June 2009. They stand at one of leader positions in the car rental industry. Avis is always confident that they would bring to customers a consistent high quality and recognizable service with our dedicated team of employees  [1]  . In Vietnam market, Avis is developing tremendously two fields which are short term leasing and long term leasing. In this report, I will analysis Aviss existing marketing strategy and value creation process by marketing mix (4Ps) to help stakeholders to have an overview about advantages and disadvantages of Aviss marketing strategy. From the research of Avis that I showed at previous part, I would give the company recommendations about their marketing strategy to increase their market share, profitability,value creation, and sustainability. C:UsersHIEPCTDesktopabout_avis_1.jpg INTRODUCTION Avis always has been known as a strong brand name in the world. They have more than 3000 offices in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia and 2000 offices in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Latin America/Caribbean region. In 1970, the first office of Avis was opened in Asian in Hong Kong. Through 10 years, Avis developed steadily with many new locations in Singapore, the Philippines, Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia. Recently, the company opened more operations in India, China and Taiwan in 2007. Avis realized that Asia is a very potential market, so that they develop their network bigger and bigger in here. At the moment, Avis has over 235 offices in Asia in countries below: Bangladesh* Indonesia Malaysia Singapore Brunei India Mariana Islands Sri Lanka China Japan (Sales Office) Pakistan Taiwan (Sales Office) Guam Korea (South) Philippines Thailand Hong Kong Macau Sakhalin (East Russia) Vietnam At present, Avis seems to be the most popular international car rental brand in Asia with more than 34000 cars and about 2500 staffs in all operations. Long term car leasing is a type of business which Avis want to focus on. The kind of leasing has many special benefits and services which the company would bring to customers when they choose it. Current Situation of Avis Access the existing marketing strategy of Avis I would analysis 4Ps to identify the existing marketing strategy of Avis: Elements: Aviss long-term car rental services Product (Service) If you need a car in Vietnam for an extended period of time (1 year or more) but do not wish to commit yourself to buying one then Avis car leasing is for you! Avis can bring to customers benefits and services: Lower monthly payment compared to car rental Choice of your preferred vehicle make, model, color and specs Use of a professionally trained English speaking Avis driver Convenience insurance, road tax, servicing and maintenance all taken care by Avis Complimentary replacement vehicle during vehicle servicing Access to a dedicated Avis Car Leasing Account Manager Complimentary 24 Hours breakdown assistance Exclusive worldwide Avis car rental discounts for travel and home leave  [2]   Place (Distribution) Avis has over 5000 locations in the world and they have two offices in Vietnam market. Price Avis is one of the strongest brand names in the field and their services are always standing at the top, so that their price cannot cheap. Promotion Avis is a popular brand name, so that they always receive many attentions from media although they dont need to promote too much. On the other hand, Avis also advertise their services on social networks like Facebook It can be seen easily that Avis is using differentiation marketing strategy after analysing 4Ps. http://www.unconsultancy.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/generic-strategies.gif The marketing strategy of the company is differentiation that means Avis want to make differentiations in the Vietnam market, to compare with their rivals. As can be known, Avis not only can bring to their consumers many choices of luxury car which includes benefits and high quality services, but also can create some special package services for customers in entertainment and business such as Gold Package, Hanoi tour package, Avis Vietnam luxury Halong Bay cruise package. They are excellent services to help consumers to visit wonder places or tourist destinations of Vietnam. Especially, Avis has list of all golf courses in Vietnam to give customers to choose and they also are the leading cruise companies in Vietnam jointly offer you the Luxury Halong Bay Cruise Package. In US market, Avis apply the differentiation marketing strategy to develop as well. As can be seen, Avis in US has not only given care rental but also bought their car and they have a service to make their customer interest in which is ultimate test drive. The service gives consumers chance to try driving a car before they decide to buy it with many benefits: Thousands of low-mileage, late-model vehicles for sale More than 75 well-maintained makes and models Take Avis Ultimate Test Drive for two hours or up to 3 days Low, pre-posted pricing no negotiation Try before you buy  [3]   In my opinion, its really a good marketing strategy which is different and can attract customers come to Avis. Identify the value creation progress of Avis I would use value chain to analysis value creation progress of Avis Vietnam: Inbound Logistics Avis is exist and developing through many years, so that the relationship between the company and car suppliers or partners is very good. However, there are many Vietnams automobile taxes which are very high. Therefore, Avis should concentrate more about this point to reduce the cost. Operations Resource inputs are not only luxury cars. People are a resource especially in service industries. Therefore, Avis trains staffs to build trusted consumer relationships by the premium service. Outbound Logistics Avis product their services through network operators and system of offices in the world. The customer can book schedule by internet or offices. Any car was test carefully before serving customers. Marketing and Sales Avis group uses advertising on network social like Facebook, promotions, etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ to inform customers about their services. Besides that, Avis builds belief of customers by providing best service and allowed them to segment the market effectively. Service Avis supplies the best services to customers and the addition benefits with it. It is discount, insurance car or monthly check, repaired car, and so onà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Support activities Procurement Acquire the resource inputs to the primary actives: Avis always supplied quality cars for their services. In addition, the company will be preferred to pick up the customer at airport by Vietnam airline or received tourist transport contacts from Vietnam national administration of tourism  [4]  . Technology development In my opinion, Avis certainly had some research about Vietnam market and demand of Vietnamese people. Therefore, they made a different thing with other market which is car rental including driver. In addition, they also dont buy their car at Vietnam market like others. Human resource management Avis always hide good drivers who even know to speak English. Avis always want to ensure about their quality services so that the attitude of employees is very important. Avis usually trains them carefully and also provide the chance to employees study and learning to develop their skill. Quality Management Avis believe that corporate sustainability can only be effective if it embraces all steps of the value chain. This is why the Avis not only sets the highest standards for itself but also expects suppliers and partners to meet ecological and social standard. Competitive advantage Resource based view (RBV) Hollensen, S. (2003) defined that long term competitiveness of a company depends on its resources that differentiate it from its competitors, so that the first step, I would analysis tangible resource and intangible resource of Avis Tangible: The quality of Avis car rental. Have more 5000 locations in the world. In Asian, Avis has over 34000 luxury cars for leasing and a large human resource with 2500 employees. Intangible: Strong brand name in the world. Avis has research about Vietnam market before jumping up. Experience in car rental business through many years Special services for any locations Skill and knowledge of employees. Avis has been active in this field for over 40 years, so they have a lot of experience in the car rental field. In addition, the core competence of Avis which is created by the combination of all tangible and intangible resources above, Avis would have a big competitive advantage in Vietnam market. Market oriented view (MOV) There are three main elements of environment which includes customer, competitors, environment; Avis has to adapt to create differentiations from their competitors. Customer: Vietnamese people has trend to own car, instead of using car rental services of Avis. Avis should have more strategies to stimulate customers to use services more. Competitors: Hertz, Enterprise, etc are Aviss major competitors. In Vietnam market, Avis would be competitive by smaller company who set the lower price for their services. Environment: Long-term car rental is preferred for the kind of customers who usually has to use car but dont want to pay a large of money to buy in a period. Especially, the service including driver to help their consumers not to worry about Vietnamese traffic laws which is very complicated. All these changes to suit with environment create differentiation for Aviss services. Base on analysis RBV and MOV, it founds that the core competence and those differentiation create competitive advantage for Avis in Vietnam market. PESTLE analysis Political Legal Environment: There is only one Party nationally in Vietnam, so that they have a stable political situation. In addition, the Government has had reform to develop suitably with international and nation situation at any period. Government also builds the Law of Foreign Investment to encourage organizations to invest in Vietnam market. However, the traffic in Vietnam isnt good, especially in Hanoi and Hochiminh with too large vehicle density, so that the Government has to limit the number of transport, especially car. Therefore, Government brings out policies and law (high taxed rate) applies for car, especially imported car. Economic The Vietnamese economy has been developing rapidly and in 2008, World Bank published that Vietnam is one of the best performing economies in the world over the last decade. Vietnam has joined WTO in 2007 and its quietly opened for foreign company to run business in the market. On the other hand, GDP in 2009-10 in Vietnam grew less than the 7% per annum average achieved during the last decade and the inflation rate increased from 7% to 9% because the global economic which affect to Vietnam, is unstably. Therefore, its really a opportunity with Avis because purchasing power would be decreased which means citizen wouldnt dare bring a large of money to buy car and they can choose Aviss services to save money. It can be a big chance which Avis should concentrate on. (See appendix 1) Social culture According to CIA, Vietnam is really a densely populated country with the population is over 90 million by 2011. However, the Vietnamese people are concentrated mainly in big cities such as Hanoi, Hochiminhà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦which is always potential markets for Avis. Thats reason why Avis opened two operations at the cities. The demand for using car of Vietnamese people is increasing rapidly, but they usually want to own one instead of renting car. That is a big different about culture among Vietnam and others. Technology: Nowadays, technology is focused by all of the governments in the world, media tools are developing more and more, especially internet. We can update all of news every time in everywhere. As can be seen that, media usually affect to customers buying behavior. In 2011, VNNIC published that 42% of poplar use internet as daily communication. We can be sure that advertising and promotion on internet network would help Avis to have a big advantage in marketing. In fact, Avis has promoted their advertising for the services in Vietnam market on their website and Facebook which can be connected easily with customers. Discussion SWOT analysis Strengths Avis is a strong brand name in car rental business in the world. They have developed their business very successful through over 40 years, so that their experiences in the field have been acknowledged. In addition, Avis has a large network with over 5000 locations in the international market. With over 34,000 cars and over 2,500 employees throughout the region, Avis is the leading international car rental brand in Asia and Avis really has good websites, retailer stores and operations around the world. The company also has many kinds of luxury cars to help their customers to choose. To use the long-term leasing of Avis, consumers would receive many benefits and services from Avis with the highest quality. Weakness Avis just appeared at Vietnam market in recent, so that they have only two operations at the country (at Hanoi capital and Ho Chi Minh City). The demand for long-term rental of Vietnamese people is not high and to change their minds is a difficult mission with the company. Opportunity Vietnam always is a potential market for almost of luxury products or services. The standard life of Vietnamese people is increasing more and more, so that to use new services or products can be interested by them. In addition, the service of Avis can help them to save their money although they can still use a luxury car. On the other hand, Avis has not many competitors who can bring to customers good services like them at Vietnam market. Threat Vietnamese Government doesnt encourage increasing the number of car in circulation at Vietnam, especially at Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh because the traffic congestion in the two cities is very high. Avis also should care about their competitor Satsco  [5]  that is an indigenous company. The key strengths and weaknesses of Avis existing marketing strategy Strengths Special services to attract customers Have many promotions with high quality services. Use professional website and Facebook to advertise Co-operated with many famous partners in Vietnam market. Weakness Just only two operations in Vietnam market (in Hanoi and Hochiminh) while Danang and Haiphongà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ are also big cities which are potential markets as well. Avis dont publish their price on public, so that the customer will be lack of information. They dont advertise on other media like television, newspaperwhich are easy to attract customers. Recommendations Segmentation, Targeted, Positioning. Segmentation: The main customers of Aviss car long-term rental are both male and female who have at least average income or small company because they have demand to use car but they havent enough money or save their money. The largest number of customer would focus on big cities such as Hanoi, Hochiminh, Haiphong, Danangà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ However, the economy is developing, so that the segmentation in Vietnam market would be larger. Targeting: Socio-demographic Age: over 25 Income: Above $2000/month Education: graduated, post graduated Occupation: Businessman, artists Geographic: all three regions. Social class: upper-middle, lower-upper, upper-upper Behaviouristic Loyalty: moderate and loyalty Shopping habit: want to use high quality services. Psychographic Interest: class asserting Value: Living standard, convenience Benefit sought Product features: attractive, unique, promotions, benefits including. Positioning: Because of the high quality service, price of Aviss services wouldnt be cheap. High price Aviss car rental Low quality High quality Low price Growth strategy MarketMarket penetration; (for growth) or consolidation (to maintain position) or withdraw Product development Diversification Market Development Present New Present Product New Ansoffs matrix Avis has already had two operations in Hanoi and Hochiminh in Vietnam. Avis should think about expanding stores in other. Therefore, market development is suitable strategy for company at this time. Objective and Goal of Aviss car long-term rental Objective: Lead to the best car rental service in 2014 Goals: Increase revenue by 30% in next two year Have operations in Danang in 2013, Haiphong in 2015 Gain more 10% market share at the end of 2013 The detail plan would be present at Appendix 2. Marketing strategy and program (Marketing Mix) Marketing mix includes 7Ps which Avis has to apply in their marketing plan for achieving. Product: Product refers to the goods and services which firms offer to their customers. Firms must place sufficient importance to the product/service as well as the other aspects associated with the product that attract customer attention.  [6]   Aviss car rental was created to serve customers who need to use car but they havent enough money or want to save money for other works. Avis always understand demands of customers in Vietnam market. Therefore, in addition to normally benefits in services, Avis also make a new different service including drivers for the market which is very necessary with traffic conditions in Vietnam. Price: The price has always been regarded as an important competitive factor in attracting customers. The price of Avis is not published on their anywhere but the service of a famous company like Avis cant be cheap. Therefore, Avis should concentrate on the issue because the average income of Vietnamese people was just about $1.100 (2010). Promotion: Promotion plays an important role in companys marketing strategy. Firstly, we have to decide what components of the communication mix that should be used in the plan. There are many media that Avis can choose to promote: Television, Radio, Newspaper or Magazines, Internetà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦In addition, Avis could advertise their service through internet networks such as Aviss official website, online newspapers, forums, social network (Facebook, Twitter, etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦). IT is developing more and more at the moment, so that it could be the most effective promoting channel with very low cost for Avis. On the other hand, Avis should bring out discount policy or giving giftà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ which would attract more customers. (You can see more detail in Appendix 3) Place: At the moment, there are two ways for Avis to connect with customers. One way is that their customers can come to Aviss operation directly. Avis has two operations in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh for transaction. If customers havent time or are so far from the company, they can choose contact with Avis indirectly through their website. Its also comfortable and convenience. In the future, Avis should set to open more operations in other big cities of Vietnam to expand their market in Vietnam. People People are one of the key elements to help the organization to achieve. In this case of Avis, sale forces and drivers would direct communicate with customer so they create the image of Avis. Therefore, to train staffs is important mission with Avis. Process Avis should invest in RD project for better understanding customer need and RD is also help Avis gathering customer feedback because as can be seen that customer communication is an important process with the company. Avis also has to provide information (especially about price) to customers on their website and public through advertising. Physical evidence The car using in rental always need to be clear and comfortable, luxury, elegance to attack customers. In addition, drivers should wear uniform which can create imagine of Avis brand and its also show that the attitude serving of Avis is always professional. The customer can always believe in the company. CONCLUSION Car rental is a new type of services, especially in Vietnam. Vietnamese people are not really familiar with long-term leasing. However, with new marketing strategy, I believe Avis car long-term leasing would be more preferred and Avis would still lead to the first place in car rental industry not only in others but also in Vietnam market. World count: 3297 REFERENCES University of Sunderland, BA (Honor) (2005), Marketing Strategy, University of Sunderland. Kotler, P., Wong, V., Saunders, J. and Armstrong, G. (2005), Principles of Marketing, 4th European edition, Pearson Education, Prentice Hall Ansoff, I. (1965), Corporate strategy, New York: McGraw Hill Barker, M. (1992) Marketing strategy and management, 2nd edition, HongKong : Macmillan Dyson, R. 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(1957) How to organize a new product, New York: Harvard Business Review Neff, R. (1990) Citizen Adjusts Its Mainspring, Business Week, 27 August, p. 80 Thomas, M. (1980) Market segmentation, Quarterly review of marketing Walker, M. and Harper, B. (2008) Marketing strategy: A Decision Focused Approach, New York: MCGraw Hill

Segmentation Targeting and Positioning Analysis Theory

Segmentation Targeting and Positioning Analysis Theory Kotler (1994, p. 93) has pointed out that the strategic marketing planning process flows from a mission mission and vision statement to the selection of target markets, and the formulation of specific marketing mix and positioning objective for each product or service the organization will offer. Proceeds to segment the market, select the appropriate market target, and develop the offers value positioning. The formula segmentation, targeting, positioning (STP) is the essence of strategic marketing Restrepo (2010, p1). Source: Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning (2010)http://www.consumerpsychologist.com/images/cb/STP.png http://www.consumerpsychologist.com/cb_Segmentation.html Today, India is one of the worlds fastest growing economies. With having a wide geographical area of about 15,200Km and a coast line of 7,500 Km over a billion people .According to Financial times (2004) the GDP growth rate was less than 1% in 1991, however by 2003 the figure grew by 8.5%. Button et al (1999) argues that because of the growth of Indias IT industry, the number of travelers has grown rapidly. Due to which Indias Travel and Tourism generated $38.8 billion in 2004 and it is expected to raise $ 90.4 billion by 2014. According to the centre for Asia pacific Aviation (2005), Indian airlines have ordered a total of 490 aircraft over the last few months. Which in turn it is expected a growth of 164% compared to a world average of only 2.7% Connell Williams (2006, p.358). Connell Williams (2006) states that Indias domestic air travel has grown rapidly due to the growing wealth of Indias population. At the beginning of 2005, there were only four domestic airline services Indian airlines, Air Sahara and Jet airways and Air Deccan which was the low cost carrier. Company background Air Deccan: Air Deccan (2009), Indias first low fare and fastest growing airline was formed in 2003 with the vision to empower every Indian to fly by providing the lowest airfares and connectivity to unconnected towns and cities. Deccan is a business unit of Deccan Aviation, Indias largest private helicopter charter company, which pioneered helicopter tourism in India. In 1997, a group of old army buddies led by Capt. Gopi decided to pool in their vast experience and knowledge of aviation and geography to launch Indias first Private sector helicopter charter company. Deccan Aviation was started in 1997 with one helicopter, it now has a fleet of 10 helicopters and 2 fixed wing aircraft deployed across eight bases at Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Ranchi, Hyderabad, Surat, Katra and Colombo (Sri Lanka). Deccan Aviation provides helicopter charter services for a range of aviation activities like helicopter tourism, aerial coverage of sports events, heli- skiing and rappelling, aerial reconnaissance and photography, and also undertakes logistic support for off shore oil explorations, geophysical mineral survey, power line survey, emergency medical evacuation, V.I.P. movement, film production etc. The result was Deccan, Indias first low cost, no frill airline, which was launched on the strength of a simple dream. A dream inspired by just one statement. I want every Indian to fly at least once in his/ her lifetime. (Captain Gopinath, CEO, 1995) The first flight was launched on 23rd August 2003 from Bangalore to Hubli. Since then forward innovation and cost efficiency has been the main reason of our business philosophy and strategy. The business model is robust, scalable and aligned to the dreams of nation building by making air travel a mass commodity. We pride ourselves on our out of the box strategies which have created several firsts in Indian aviation and also made air travel affordable, available and easily accessible to the common man of India. Source: Destinations of Air Deccan (2009) Growth Story: India government is considering the growth of aviation sector especially of the private sector in aircraft manufacturing, operating and upgrading airports and by providing enhanced ground services. According to ICFDC (2004) The Indian aviation sector has four types of operators domestic airlines, operating within India and select International destinations, International airlines, chartered air operators and air cargo service providers, whose services include air transportation of cargo and mail. According to the Director General of civil aviation (2006), when Air Deccan began its operation in August 2003, with a single aircraft from Bangalore to Hubli, Air Deccan has seen a phenomenal growth. Air Deccan now has an Aprx 266 flight which runs on a daily basis. As of March 2006, Air Deccans market share is at 19%, making it the third-largest airline in the country. Currently, the carrier employees apprx 2,600 employees. As of Nov 30 2005, Air Deccan had flown apprx 2.7 million passengers.( Air Deccan,2009) Vision and Mission: According to Air Deccan (2009), Captain Gopinaths vision has helped the lives of Indias masses where they realized through Air Deccan, which is a pioneering low-cost business model. The airline has played a significant role in making the common mans dream to fly which has come true. However, the airline plans to fly a large number of destinations in India by connecting millions of people (Captain Gopinath, CEO, 2004). Basic Idea behind the modeling approach: STRENGTHS à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Leader in LCC market à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Highest load efficiency à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Flies to destinations in the hinterland WEAKNESS à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Focuses on South Indian market à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Image plagued by frequent breakdowns and near misses à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Very limited advertising à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Reached at the threshold of cost efficiency OPPORTUNITIES à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Extensive network to capitalize Air Cargo business à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Plenty of scope for expansion of operations à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Strengthen its position in Chartered flight segment à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ could start Contractual Employment THREAT à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ High attrition rate à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ the threat of new entrants into Low Price Segment especially Indigo, Go Air, Spice jet and Jetlite. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ High risk perception. As mentioned in Air Deccan (2009) Air Deccan has plenty of scope for expansion of operations; also it has been in operation since last 5 years, so kingfisher with the merger could get the opportunity to fly internationally and Air Deccan with facing constant threats from the ever emerging low cost carriers, higher attrition rate and requirement for capital had no other better option than to accept the offer of getting merged with Kingfisher. Marketing Strategies: Segmentation: High aircraft utilization was the first of Air Deccans strategies as it would directly result in high revenue generation. The success of the Air Deccan is by its well planned operational routes. The Air Deccan operates from six bases, which are located in the metropolitan cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Hyderabad. Further these bases are connected to other regional locations through regional routes. The main strategy of Air Deccan is to pursue unexplored routes which would result -high yield and high load factor (Sampler, 2006). Positioning: The main success behind Air Deccan is because of its unique pricing model. In the pricing model seats which were booked well in advance had lower fares, whereas the seats booked closer to the travel date had higher fare. However, this helped the airline to maximize its revenues from ticket sales as well as maintain high seat occupancy. By commenting on additional revenues, Captain Gopinath (CEO, 2005) states that With an average passenger spending INR 75 for a quick meal or beverage, Air Deccan could have easily generated additional revenue worth INR 202.5 million from 2.7 passengers that had flown on the airline till November 2005. Targeting: Air Deccan (2009) has achieved tremendous growth due to their marketing and promotion strategies. The airline utilized its marketing and promotional programs effectively to highlight the competitive advantage with the result of its low fares. The target segment which is for the customers who are cost-conscious, Air Deccan choose cartoonist R K Laxmans famous mascot The common man as its brand ambassador. The airline advertisement is generally through media like print, radio, and bill boards. The airline has entered into various sales which have provided Deccan with additional advertising slots on television, newspapers and radio. Word Count: 1,335. Referencing: Anonymous. (2010). Segmentation, Targeting, and positioning .Available: http://www.consumerpsychologist.com/cb_Segmentation.html. Last accessed 11/12/2010. Annonymous. (2009). Deccan simply fly. Available: http://www.deccanair.com/aboutus.html. Last accessed 12/12/2010. Annonymous. (2010). Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. Available: http://www.centreforaviation.com/. Last accessed 12/12/2010. Button, K.J., Lall, S., Stough, R., Trice, M., 1999. High-technology employment and hub airports. Journal of Air Transport Management 5, 53-59 Financial Times, 2004. From Indias forgotten  ¬Ã‚ elds, a call for economic reform to lift the poor. Kingfisher-Deccan Merger. 12 Dec. 2010 http://www.antiessays.com/free-essays/47835.html Kotler, P. (1994), Marketing Management: Analysis, planning, implementation, and Control, 8th edition, Prentice Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliff, New Jersey. OConnell.F.J, Williams.G.. (2006). Transformation of Indias Domestic Airlines: A case study of Indian Airlines, Jet Airways, Air Sahara and Air Deccan. Journal of Air Transport Management. 12 (1), 358-374. Restrepo.A.J.. (2010). SEGMENTATION TARGETING POSITIONING.Available: http://pdfcast.org/pdf/segmentation-targeting-positioning. Last accessed 11/12/2010. Sampler.L.J. (2006). Air Deccan. Available: http://web.mit.edu/cisr/working%20papers/cisrwp365.pdf. Last accessed 11/12/2010. Marketing ethics and social responsibility an opportunity for competitive advantage or a constraint on marketing decisions? Discuss citing appropriate examples. Introduction: Carrigan Attalla (2001, p.560) states that Marketing ethics and social responsibility are inherently controversial, and years of research continue to present conflicts and challenges for marketers on the value of a socially responsible approach to marketing activities. According to Laczniak Murphy (1993) since few years there are certain controversy revolving around marketing ethics and social responsibility, researchers and scholars are continuing to work on it. Smith Quelch (1996) states that most of the company would like to think that being a good company will attract customers with their products, while it has seen that by the unethical behavior customer would reject their offer/products. The basic idea behind focusing marketing is by its products and services with the environment, where customers play a very important part by representing (Vaaland et al, 2007).As mentioned by Vaaland et al (2007, p.929): Marketing is the process of planning and executing conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of goods, ideas and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational goals. According to Singhapakdi et al (1995), Social responsibility is been given so much importance because, E.g., some public companies undergo social responsibility which might limit profits and disagreement of the social responsibility. However, he also argues that, the international researchers have not identified in detail to which marketers across the countries assume that ethics and social responsibility are important for their organization for their growth. And also argues that, first managers should be aware of the ethics and social responsibility to have the organization grow before their behavior become more ethical and reflects greater social responsibility. Social responsibility in marketing: As Laczniak Murphy (1993, p.5) states that, both ethics and social responsibility have to make a positive impact towards the success of an organization, due to which customers make ethical judgments that are likely to influence their purchases. As he has told that: Customers over time will normally recognize the organizations that attempt to be responsive to various ethical and social factors in the marketplace. The ethics era: Hunt and Vitell ( 2006, p.3) pointed out that An individual perceives a situation as having ethical content, the next step is the perception of various possible alternatives or actions that might be taken to resolve the ethical problem. http://www.emeraldinsight.com/content_images/fig/2160040303002.png As Hoddow (2001) states that even though, the researchers are working on this field ETHICS since 30-40 years its still not possible to have achieved the answer of what exactly is the social responsibility of marketing. According to BBC (2001) there have been lot arguments which have been made by governments and organizations with regarding to the ethical issues. E.g., Companies like Oxfam and Medecin sans Frontieres on allowing cheaper access for consumers of drugs like AZT. Globally, there are many organizations and institutes which are established to do research and promote ethical business behaviour like for E.g., European Business Ethics network, Hong Kong Ethics Development Centre. There has been given a lot of importance to the field of marketing as it has grown rapidly and developing a strong ethical profile, academically and professionally, marketers are finding it difficult to ignore the gap of ethics of what the society is expecting and what marketing professionals are delivering (Carrigan Attalla, 2001). Ethical Consumer Behaviour: According to Hunt and Vitell (1992) it has been seen that a lot of attention is given to marketing ethics in the current years, irrespective of that it is been unsuccessful to see the buyer side of the exchange process. However, it is a fact that the customers are more informed, more educated and are aware of their consumer rights and product requirements in most of the western society. However, a study conducted by Boulstridge and Carrigan (2000) examined customers response to ethical or unethical behaviour, where they found out that the most customers did not have more information weather a company did or did not behaved ethically. E.g., Nestle and Exxon. Even though many people believed that social responsibility is not important while considering in their purchasing behaviour, even with knowledge about unethical activity, some customers still bought goods from the company. The main reason why consumers bought these products is because of price, value, and quality and brand familiarity rather than societal ones. Ulrich and Sarasin (1995) say that, one thing is clear, dont do any research. Dont ask the public any questions on this subject. The answers are never reliable. In instances where the head says one thing and the heart another. Studies are useless if not misleading (Carrigan and Attala, 2001, p.566). Performance framework: Friedman (1962, p.133) argues that few trends could so thoroughly undermine the very foundations of our free society as the acceptance by corporate officials of a social responsibility other than to make as much money for their stockholders as possible. The framework by Carroll (1995) gives us the idea and the present condition of what corporate social responsibility theory and their role within the corporate social performance framework. http://labspace.open.ac.uk/file.php/4778/!via/oucontent/course/132/pyramid.gif Figure 2: Source: Carroll (1995, p.49). The pyramid of corporate social responsibility. According to Windsor (2001), Carrolls four dimensional pyramid of responsibility structures the crude notion of various corporate social responsibilities into a construction of pyramid. And the pyramid consists of economic responsibilities which are the foundation and philanthropy is the apex. The construction of the pyramid is such that the other responsibilities will not be achieved in the absence of economic performance. Economic and legal responsibilities are socially required, ethical responsibilities are socially accepted and philanthropy is socially desired. Socially Responsible firms: When asked to identify the socially responsible firms, many would point out on Marks and Spencer, because as Jobber (2010, p.182) mentioned that MS aims to go carbon neutral, send no waste to landfill, extend sustainable sourcing, help improve the lives of people in its supply chain and help customers and employees live a healthier lifestyle. According to Carrigan Attalla (2001) companies like JCB, Nissan and Co-operative bank followed ethical behaviour to an extent and when one trying to think of being a good citizen one respondent said: There really arent that many .I am sure they are all unethical to some degree. (Anonymous, 2008). Companies like Microsoft, is well known as philanthropy. Bill gates, fights for many of the worlds diseases with his foundation with Melinda Gates. The foundation has given $ 20.1 billion since its first set up (Jobber, 2010).There are few well known companies which they have been registered as a poor social responsibility for many reasons, E.g, LOreal for their animal testing, NatWest due to their financial investment with animal research centres and Shell and BP for their poor environmental pollution and poor employee relations (Carrigan Attalla (2001). As mentioned by Carrigan Attalla (2001, p.569) the attitudes of many consumers would include when you buy petrol, you do not think of those companies that are or not ethical, it does not even cross your mind. I would only fill up elsewhere if it caused no inconvenience to me. However, the behaviour of the ethics needs to be changed or it has to be convincing to the people in order to make them buy or have believe in the products. As we have discussed above about few companies and have seen the reaction of customers buying behaviour as the just buy the products because of their convince and or are for the brand name. All these show us that the customers are passive ethical shoppers other than the active consumer shoppers (Carrigan Attalla (2001). Conclusion: It has been seen from the study whether the customers care about the marketing ethics and social responsibility which would influence them on their buying behaviour. It has also seen that researchers have studied the consumers buying behaviour and they have to say that the many of them give very less attention to ethical considerations when it comes to their buying or decision making behaviour. Carrigan Attalla (2001) states that the link between the social responsibility and marketing ethics and consumer purchase remains unproven but also one should not conclude with the development of ethical marketing policy and social responsibility. Word Count: 1,376.

courage :: essays research papers

Courage Courage is moral strength that allows us to withstand hardships and fear. People believe that courage implies firmness of the mind and will in the face of danger or extreme difficulty. Muhammad Ali the famous boxer jumped over all the hurdles that were in his way to his success, and he did not give by keeping is courage. Courage allows us through many difficulties and helps us get over our fear. Many times in life we find ourselves entangled in many problems, and the solution to that is courage. Few years back I felt very troubled because of personal problems. I was aggravated and I thrust my head into my hands and wept. I kept repeating to myself , â€Å"I can’t do it,† but another voice screamed in my head , â€Å" Yes you can,† and I realized that it was my courage speaking. I rose up looking very ambitious because I knew that I would face my problems head on. Stephen writes,â€Å"Still he climbs and you start to understand how Erik learned to face the world.† Despite all the limitations Erik faced, he continued with his desires and didn’t back down. Even though he was physically limited, he did not let himself feel dejected. I can understand the difference Erik made for himself by not letting others put him down. I felt the difference just like Erik did because I to, didn’t let the bad situations get to me, and I also used my cou rage like Erik did. Fear is something that we often find ourselves associated with, and courage helps us surpass it. I have always been afraid of swimming, and one day I found myself in a situation in which I had to go into a pool. I slowly made my way down as I counted, â€Å"first step, second step, third step†¦ oh, my gosh, I can’t believe I’m doing this.† Slowly, I found myself enjoying my short swim, and I had fantastic time because I conquered my fear by using courage. Teresa says, â€Å"I want to jump†¦and swim somewhere, safe.† Teresa was afraid of what people say about her disability and that’s why she felt ashamed in front of Jaime’s presence.

Possession in The Exorcist Essay -- The Exorcist

Being Possessed The idea of possession can frighten many people. What horror movie producers and directors that go into this field are counting on is that they can use it to frighten their viewers. The Exorcist and The Exorcist Beginning both are centered on the act of exorcism. Both demoniacs in the films are women though their fates are polar opposites. The exorcisms are also shown in different lights. This is done through special effects as well as lighting and music. The first film in the series stays with a cut and dry method of keeping mainly to the exorcism itself; however, its prequel focuses more on fancy special effects and stimulating music. The newest addition to The Exorcist series also adds in the usual Hollywood love story present in most films in our time. Prequels tend to also serve the purpose of story building, regardless of how new it is. In this case it has the duty of creating and explaining the character of Merrin. The success of both The Exorcist and The Exorcist Beg inning was not only due to the story line, but also the mystery of it as well as its acceptance in society and the church. The exorcism itself, such as the effects and the overall focus on it were portrayed differently within The Exorcist and The Exorcist Beginning in accordance with the view from society in general and their expectations on how a movie should be done. The rite of exorcism dates back many centuries. It is a practice not only practiced in Christianity but in Pagan religions as well. The main difference between the two is that Pagan exorcists rely on their own power to expel the demons rather then the Christians drawing their power directly from God to do the job (Baker, 137). This power was given to the Christia... ...new technology back then. Movies have now been mandated by the movie making industry to take on new twists, however. The Exorcist Beginning, being the prequel to the first of the series, had to pull something new to get the viewers it needed for success. Therefore, Harlin put in the notorious love story to add a special little twist to our emotion. This in conjunction with the development of Merrin, puts the actual exorcism out of the spot light. Thus, showing how movies have been changed over time with the change in wants from society. As their wants for a good movie change, so must the actual film to acquire success. The Exorcist and The Exorcist Beginning both followed the expectations of society for their respective filming eras to become very successful movies, having their success fueled by the mixed views and conceptions of both the church and society.

Relationships In The Odyssey :: essays research papers

Relationships in the Odyssey Essay   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout the Odyssey, there are many relationships that represent love between two people. These relationships show loyalty, compassion, and the wanting to be near one another. Two of these kinds of relationships are between Odysseus and Telemakhos, and Odysseus and Penelope.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The relationship between Odysseus and Telemakhos is a blind love. That is because they never really got to know each other because Odysseus has been gone for most of Telemakhos’ life. One example of this blind love is when Odysseus hears about how the suitors are mistreating and stealing from Telemakhos. Odysseus gets so irate that he was then even more determined than ever, to return to his family. Telemakhos also exhibits the same kind of blind love towards his father. Even though people have told him that his father was dead, he never believed it. He felt that his father was alive and was willing to sacrifice his life to prove it. Telemakhos was inexperienced at directing a boat, but he was willing to try because he felt something inside of him that gave him the strength to go on. Thus, this relationship between Odysseus and Telemakhos gave both of them the courage to overcome the hardships ahead of them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While the relationship between Odysseus and Telemakhos is a blind love, the relationship between Odysseus and Penelope is a love between two people who just want to be together. Odysseus shows his love towards Penelope throughout the Odyssey. In spite of the fact that Odysseus has been gone for twenty years, he never forgets his wife back in Ithaca. One example of how much he wanted to go home was when he went to the island of the Lotus-Eaters. He could have stayed on the island of the Lotus-Eaters where everything he ever wanted was there, but the thing he wanted the most was to be with his wife. Penelope likewise displays this kind of love towards Odysseus.

Queen Elizabeth I Essay

The play ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ was written by William Shakespeare in 1594. From the theme and context of the play, I can conclude that it was probably written for a wedding. It would be similar to the epithalamion written at weddings at this time, but a more elaborate version. Many of the lines rhyme and it all has the feel of poetry: some beautiful and some seeming supernatural and spell-like. It canvasses all aspects of marriage through plot, characters and symbolism, touching on both light and dark areas. The tragic side is shown more through references that actually spelling it out; Pyramus and Thisby is one example of a union which ended in catastrophe. However, despite this, the main idea of marriage is perceived as harmonious; all is shown in a ‘comic’ frame, with a humorous touch and a happy ending. This would be an appropriate feel for a wedding play because it gives the concept of marriage an idyllic feel, telling the newlyweds what they want to hear: that marriage is a good idea. If you search the play in depth, you will find that not only is it about the union of people in a marriage, but also about the unity of opposing forces in nature and bringing harmony from chaos. It is also, in an even broader sense, about the Elizabethan ideals about God and the universe. To clarify exactly what these ideals were and how ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ defines them, I must start at the beginning with the story of Adam and Eve. Elizabethans believed in everything fitting into its natural place. After studying the sky, they thought the universe was made up of spheres, one containing the stars, one containing planets and so on. They thought the Earth was at the centre of the universe; the spheres they believed in were a way of dealing with the fact that different bodies in the sky moved in different ways. It was thought that these spheres made the world harmonious, but humans couldn’t see the true beauty of it because of Adam and Eve. The legend goes that Eve was tempted by the serpent and ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. This, apparently, caused the whole human race to fall from God’s grace. Now, the relevance of this to ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and the theme of marriage is that when this happened, it meant man kind could not the ‘music’ of the spheres; they were only told by God that everything had its place. Even the evil in the world has a reason for being there. Humans cannot see quite how everything fits in because of their sin. They do not fully understand why some things happened because they can’t see the ‘big picture’. This was illustrated by the ‘Great Chain of Being’. God came at the top of this chain, with angels under Him. Then came nature (represented by Oberon and Titania), people (shown in all the human characters), and below them animals, plants and rocks. Humans came between animals and Angels, a relationship personified by Bottom. He is a typical human, not very bright or beautiful, but just a normal working class person. He then has a link with both the animal and angel world; he is turned into an ass and he has a relationship with Titania. This establishes the link between animals, angles and humans, and also tells you about the human nature. They are always trying to find something greater that themselves (for example fairies or angels) but to the greater beings, they must look as animals do to us – far beneath them and having little or no brains. Also exhibiting the same way of thinking was the fact that men came above women in the category of humans. If you were to sum up the play with one idea, this is the single idea addressed most eloquently. Many events in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ suggest the superiority of men, through the media of imagery, plot and characters, which will be tackled later. The Elizabethan idea of the cosmos is also addressed by the union of opposites connected with marriage. Their idea of the universe is that everything joins together perfectly and everything has its place. Things which may not seem to have a purpose will have been created by God for a reason; we just don’t know what that is. The prime example is the joining of a man and a woman in marriage. It may seem to make more sense to join two women or two men, as these will have more in common, but this play is trying to say a little of both the male and female persona is needed to make the match united. They are like opposite forces, but marriage brings them together. It is as is they have only half of the qualities needed to bring harmony and they must be brought together in marriage to make a ‘whole’. The same is also being expressed through the union of other opposite forces. There are many contrasting pairs which link hand in hand in this play: night and day; sleeping and waking; supernatural and mortal; discord and harmony; passion and reason; and ultimately female and male. These pairs are all the exact opposite of each other; and yet Shakespeare is presenting the notion that we need each half of the pair to make the world harmonious.

Vampire Academy Chapter 4

FOURWE DIDNT HAVE THE perfect commons attention this judgment of conviction, thank God, and a a hardly a(prenominal)(prenominal) passing people had stop to st be.What the hell do you think youre doing? asked maam lamy, sober weigh wide and spark with fury. Up close straightway, I was equal to dismay a better witness at her. She had the afore utter(prenominal) slim physical body as most Moroi exactly non the usual height, which was partly what made her feel so schoolboyish. The tiny purple jog she wore was gorgeous reminding me that I was indeed dressed to the nines(p) in thrift-shop wear that contiguous inspection led me to think it was a designer knockoff.I get over my munition across my chest. Are you lost, little little fille? The instalmentary schools over on westbound campus.A pink flush permeate over her cheeks. Dont you perpetu wholey touch me again. You do with me, and Ill screw you right clog up.Oh man, what an opening that was. unaccom panied a contri plainlye shake from Lissa stop me from unleashing what perpetu ally number of hilarious comebacks. Instead, I opted for simple brute force, so to speak.And if you near(a) eff with either of us again, Ill break you in half. If you dont c both up me, go ask diffuse Yarrow most what I did to her progress in ninth grade. You were credibly at nap time when it happened.The incident with clear up hadnt been atomic number 53 and wholly(a)(a) of my finer moments. I candidly hadnt pass judgment to break either b cardinals when I shoved her into a tree. Still, the incident had presumption me a wild reputation, in extension to my smartass i. The story had gained legendary status, and I desire to hypothesise that it was slake macrocosm told nighwhat campfires late at night. Judging from the reflection on this girls appear, it was.One of the patrolling staff members strolled by right then, casting suspicious eye at our little meeting. Doll Girl backe d off, taking Aarons arm. Come on, she said.Hey, Aaron, I said cheerfully, remembering he was on that point. subtile to plan you again.He gave me a alert nod and an uneasy smile, vindicatory as the girl dragged him off. Same old Aaron. He office be nice and cute, and aggressive he was non.I glum to Lissa. You okay? She nodded. Any idea who I righteous threatened to beat up? non a clue. I detonateed to run for her toward the lunch line, entirely she shook her head at me. Gotta go see the feeders.A funny feeling settled over me. Id gotten so use to being her primary quill business source that the intellection of re move(a) to the Morois normal r eruptine seemed strange. In fact, it most bothitherd me. It shouldnt build. Daily victualss were part of a Morois behavior, some involvement I hadnt been able to offer her eon living on our proclaim. It had been an inconvenient situation, sensation that left me weak on feeding geezerhood and her weak on the days in bet ween. I should have been contented she would get some normality.I hale a smile. Sure.We walked into the feeding room, which sit steer nigh to the cafeteria. It was set up with sm each(prenominal) cubicles, dividing the rooms quadriceps femoris in an effort to offer privacy. A profane-haired Moroi woman greeted us at the entrance and glanced down at her clipboard, flipping through the pages. Finding what she demanded, she made a few notes and then gestured for Lissa to follow. Me she gave a puzzled look, hardly she didnt stop me from entering.She led us to whizz of the cubicles where a plump, middle-aged woman sat leafing through a magazine. She looked up at our approach and smiled. In her eyes, I could see the dreamy, glazed-over look most feeders had. Shed probably neared her quota for the day, judging from how noble she appeared to be.Recognizing Lissa, her smile grew. pleasurable back, Princess.The greeter left us, and Lissa sat down in the chair beside the woman. I sense a feeling of discomfort in her, a little different from my own. This was uncanny for her too it had been a long time. The feeder, however, had no such reservations. An eager look crossed her face the look of a b solelyock nearly to get her next fix. abhorrence poured into me. It was an old instinct, one that had been drilled in over the years. Feeders were essential to Moroi life. They were humans who willingly volunteered to be a regular blood source, humans from the fringes of society who gave t successor lives over to the reclusive world of the Moroi. They were well cared for and given all the comforts they could need. save at the tinder of it, they were drug users, addicts to Moroi saliva and the rush it offered with each bite. The Moroi and guardians looked down on this dependency, even though the Moroi couldnt have survived differentwisewise unless they took victims by force. delusion at its finest.The feeder tilted her head, plentiful Lissa full access to her fill in. Her skin in that respect was marked with scars from years of daily bites. The incomparable feedings Lissa and I had done had kept my neck clear my bite marks neer lasted more than a day or so.Lissa leaned forward, fangs biting into the feeders yielding flesh. The woman come together her eyes, making a soft levelheaded of pleasure. I swallowed, watching Lissa drink. I couldnt see any(prenominal) blood, only when I could imagine it. A surge of emotion grew in my chest longing. Jealousy. I averted my eyes, staring at the floor. Mentally, I scolded myself.Whats wrong with you? wherefore should you miss it? You only did it in one case e really day. You arent addicted, not equal this. And you dont motivation to be. moreover I couldnt help myself, couldnt help the stylus I felt as I recalled the gladness and rush of a vampires bite.Lissa finished and we re dour to the commons, locomote toward the lunch line. It was short, since we only had fifteen transactio ns left, and I strolled up and began to load my casing with french fries and some rounded, bite-size objects that looked mistily exchangeable chicken nuggets. Lissa only grabbed a yogurt. Moroi needed food, as dhampirs and humans did, scarcely rarely had an appetite after beverage blood.So howd classes go? I asked.She shrugged. Her face was bright with color and life promptly. Okay. oodles of stares. A lot of stares. Lots of questions almost where we were. Whispering.Same here, I said. The attendant check us out, and we walked toward the tables. I gave Lissa a squinty glance. You okay with that? They arent b othering you, are they?No its fine. The emotions feeler through the bond contradicted her words. K nowadaysing I could feel that, she tried to c coheree the sphere by handing me her class schedule. I looked it over. beginning(a) Period Russian 2second Period American Colonial belles-lettres3rd Period Basics of elemental Control4th Period antiquated Poetry-Lunch 5t h Period puppet Behavior and Physiology6th Period good Calculus7th Period Moroi gardening 48th Period Slavonic ArtNerd, I said. If you were in dumb Math kindred me, wed have the same afternoon schedule. I stopped walking. wherefore are you in elemental basics? Thats a sophomore class.She eyed me. Because seniors select specialized classes.We trim silent at that. All Moroi wielded elemental invocation. It was one of the things that propound living vampires from Strigoi, the dead vampires. Moroi viewed magic as a gift. It was part of their souls and connected them to the world.A long time ago, they had used their magic openly averting natural disasters and component with things desire food and water production. They didnt need to do that as a good deal anymore, exactly the magic was still in their blood. It ruin in them and made them want to distort out to the earth and wield their actor. Academies a similar this existed to help Moroi control the magic and demand how to do increasingly complex things with it. Students withal had to learn the rules that surrounded magic, rules that had been in gear up for centuries and were strictly enforced.All Moroi had a venial susceptibility in each element. When they got to be approximately our age, students specialized when one element grew stronger than the others earth, water, fire, or air. Not specializing was like not press release through puberty.And Lissa?well, Lissa hadnt specialized yet.Is Ms. Carmack still teaching that? What shed judge?She says shes not unhappy. She thinks itll come.Did you did you tell her or so Lissa shook her head. No. Of campaign not.We let the subject drop. It was one we thought about a lot plainly rarely speak of.We started moving again, see the tables as we decided where to sit. A few pairs of eyes looked up at us with blatant curiosity.Lissa came a nearby utterance. Glancing over, we power dictum Natalie waving at us. Lissa and I change looks. Natali e was sort of Lissas cousin in the way Victor was sort of her uncle, only when wed neer hung out with her all that much.Lissa shrugged and headed in that direction. Why not?I followed reluctantly. Natalie was nice however also one of the most prosaic people I knew. Most royals at the school enjoyed a kind of honor status, tho Natalie had never fit in with that crowd. She was too plain, too uninterested in the politics of the honorary society, and too clueless to very navigate them anyway.Natalies friends eyed us with a quiet curiosity, alone she didnt hold back. She threw her munition around us. Like Lissa, she had jade-green eyes, but her hair was jet black, like Victors had been ahead his disease grayed it.Youre back I knew you would be Everyone said you were gone forever, but I never believed that. I knew you couldnt roost away. Whyd you go? There are so numerous stories about why you left Lissa and I exchanged glances as Natalie prattled on. Camille said one of you got pregnant and went off to have an abortion, but I knew that couldnt be true. Someone else said you went off to hang out with moves mom, but I portendd Ms. Kirova and Daddy wouldnt have been so upset if youd turned up at that place. Did you love we cogency get to be roommates? I was talking to?On and on she chatted, flashing her fangs as she spoke. I smiled politely, let Lissa deal with the onslaught until Natalie asked a dangerous question.Whatd you do for blood, Lissa?The table regarded us questioningly. Lissa froze, but I immediately jumped in, the lie approach path effortlessly to my lips.Oh, its easy. There are a lot of humans who want to do it.Really? asked one of Natalies friends, wide-eyed.Yup. You get hold ?em at parties and stuff. Theyre all looking for a fix from something, and they dont in reality get that a vampires doing it most are already so wasted they dont remember anyway. My already faint details dried up, so I simply shrugged in as collected and confi dent a way as I could manage. It wasnt like any of them knew any better. Like I said, its easy. Almost easier than with our own feeders.Natalie accepted this and than launched into some other topic. Lissa accident me a grateful look.Ignoring the conversation again, I took in the old faces, trying to figure out who was hanging out with whom and how power had shifted within the school. Mason, sitting with a meeting of novices, caught my eye, and I smiled. Near him, a group of Moroi royals sat, laughing over something. Aaron and the blond girl sat there too.Hey, Natalie, I said, turning around and cutting her off. She didnt seem to presentment or mind. Whos Aarons new girlfriend?Huh? Oh. Mia Rinaldi. perceive my blank look, she asked, Dont you remember her?Should I? Was she here when we left?Shes always been here, said Natalie. Shes only a year younger than us.I shot a questioning look at Lissa, who only shrugged.Why is she so pissed off at us? I asked. Neither of us dwell her.I dont know, answered Natalie. mayhap shes jealous about Aaron. She wasnt much of anybody when you guys left. She got truly popular really fast. She isnt royal or anything, but once she started dating Aaron, she Okay, thanks, I interrupted. It doesnt really My eyes lifted up from Natalies face to Jesse Zekloss, sound as he passed by our table. Ah, Jesse. Id bury about him. I wish prickteaser with Mason and some of the other novices, but Jesse was in an entirely different category. You flirted with the other guys simply for the sake of flirting. You flirted with Jesse in the hopes of getting semi-naked with him. He was a royal Moroi, and he was so hot, he should have skeletal a warning flammable sign. He met my eyes and grinned.Hey Rose, welcome back. You still break of serve flavors?Are you volunteering?His grin widened. Lets hang out sometime and get out. If you ever get parole.He kept walking, and I watched him admiringly. Natalie and her friends stared at me in awe. I might not be a matinee idol in the Dimitri sense, but with this group, Lissa and I were gods or at least former gods of another(prenominal) genius.Oh my gawd, exclaimed one girl. I didnt remember her name. That was Jesse.Yes, I said, smiling. It certainly was.I wish I looked like you, she added with a sigh.Their eyes fell on me. Technically, I was half-Moroi, but my looks were human. Id unify in well with humans during our time away, so much so that Id barely thought about my appearance at all. Here, among the slim and small-chested Moroi girls, certain features meaning my big breasts and more defined hips stood out. I knew I was jolly, but to Moroi boys, my body was more than expert pretty it was sexy in a risqu? way. Dhampirs were an exotic conquest, a knickknackery all Moroi guys treasured to try.It was ironic that dhampirs had such an bid here, because slender Moroi girls looked very much like the super-skinny runway models so popular in the human world. Most humans could never reach that ideal skinniness, just as Moroi girls could never look like me. Everyone wanted what she couldnt have.Lissa and I got to sit together in our shared afternoon classes but didnt do much talking. The stares shed mentioned certainly did follow us, but I found that the more I talked to people, the more they warmed up. Slowly, gradually, they seemed to remember who we were, and the novelty though not the intrigue of our insane stunt wore off.Or maybe I should say, they remembered who I was. Because I was the only one talking. Lissa stared straight ahead, listening but incomplete acknowledging nor participating in my attempts at conversation. I could feel anxiety and sadness move out of her.All right, I told her when classes ultimately ended. We stood outside the school, and I was fully mindful that in doing so, I was already breach the terms of my supportment with Kirova. Were not staying here, I told her, looking around the campus uneasily. Im going to f ind a way to get us out.You think we could really do it a second time? Lissa asked quietly.Absolutely. I spoke with certainty, again relieved she couldnt read my feelings. Escaping the number one time had been tricky enough. Doing it again would be a real bitch, not that I couldnt still find a way.You really would, wouldnt you? She smiled, more to herself than to me, like shed thought of something funny. Of year you would. Its just, well? She sighed. I dont know if we should go. Maybe maybe we should stay.I blinked in astonishment. What? Not one of my more eloquent answers, but the best I could manage. Id never expected this from her.I saw you, Rose. I saw you talking to the other novices during class, talking about practice. You miss that.Its not worth it, I argued. Not if?not if you? I couldnt finish, but she was right. Shed read me. I had missed the other novices. Even some of the Moroi. But there was more to it than just that. The weight of my inexperience, how much Id falle n behind, had been growing all day.It might be better, she countered. I havent had as many an(prenominal)?you know, things happening in a while. I havent felt like anyone was following or watching us.I didnt say anything to that. in the beginninghand wed left the Academy, shed always felt like someone was following her, like she was being hunted. Id never seen evidence to support that, but I had once heard one of our teachers go on and on about the same sort of thing. Ms. Karp. Shed been a pretty Moroi, with deep auburn air and high cheekbones. And I was pretty sure shed been crazy.You never know whos watching, she used to say, walking briskly around the classroom as she shut all the blinds. Or whos following you. dress hat to be safe. Best to always be safe. Wed snickered amongst ourselves because thats what students do around eccentric and insane teachers. The thought of Lissa acting like her fazed me.Whats wrong? Lissa asked, noticing that I was lost in thought.Huh? Nothing. Just thinking. I sighed, trying to match my own wants with what was best for her. Liss, we can stay, I guess?but there are a few conditions.This made her laugh. A Rose ultimatum, huh?Im serious. Words I didnt say very much. I want you to stay away from the royals. Not like Natalie or anything but you know, the others. The power players. Camille. Carly. That group.Her amusement turned to astonishment. Are you serious?Sure. You never wish them anyway.You did.No. Not really. I liked what they could offer. All the parties and stuff.And you can go without that now? She looked skeptical.Sure. We did in Portland.Yeah, but that was different. Her eyes stared off, not really focused on any one thing. Here?here Ive got to be a part of that. I cant stave off it.The hell you do. Natalie stays out of that stuff.Natalie isnt going to inherit her familys title, she retorted. Ive already got it. Ive got to be involved, start making connections. Andre Liss, I groaned. You arent Andre. I couldnt b elieve she was still comparing herself to her brother.He was always involved in all that stuff.Yeah, well, I snapped back, hes dead now.Her face hardened. You know, sometimes you arent very nice.You dont maintenance me around to be nice. You want nice, there are a dozen sheep in there who would rip each others throats to get in good with the Dragomir princess. You keep me around to tell you the truth, and here it is Andres dead. Youre the heir now, and youre going to deal with it however you can. But for now, that means staying away from the other royals. Well just lie low. Coast through the middle. furbish up involved in that stuff again, Liss, and youll adopt yourself?Crazy? she supplied when I didnt finish.Now I looked away. I didnt mean?Its okay. she said, after a moment. She sighed and touched my arm. Fine. Well stay and well keep out of all that stuff. Well ?coast through the middle like you want. Hang out with Natalie, I guess.To be perfectly honest, I didnt want any of t hat. I wanted to go to all the royal parties and wild drunken festivities like wed done originally. Wed kept out of that life for years until Lissas parents and brother died. Andre should have been the one to inherit her familys title, and hed certainly acted like it. plentiful and outgoing, hed charmed everyone he knew and had been a drawing card in all the royal cliques and clubs that existed on campus. After his death, Lissa had felt it was her family duty to take his place.Id gotten to join that world with her. It was easy for me, because I didnt really have to deal with the politics of it. I was a pretty dhampir, one who didnt mind getting into trouble and displace crazy stunts. I became a novelty they liked having me around for the fun of it.Lissa had to deal with other matters. The Dragomirs were one of the twelve judgment families. Shed have a very stiff place in Moroi society, and the other young royals wanted to get in good with her. Fake friends tried to schmooze her and get her to team up against other people. The royals could buy and backstab in the same breath and that was just with each other. To dhampirs and non-royals, they were completely unpredictable.That cruel last had eventually taken its toll on Lissa. She had an open, kind nature, one that I loved, and I hated to see her upset and upset by royal games. Shed grown lean since the accident, and all the parties in the world werent worth seeing her hurt.All right then, I said finally. Well see how this goes. If anything goes wrong anything at all we leave. No arguments.She nodded.Rose?We both looked up at Dimitris looming form. I hoped he hadnt heard the part about us leaving.Youre late for practice, he said evenly. see Lissa, he gave a polite nod. Princess.As he and I walked away, I worried about Lissa and wondered if staying here was the right thing to do. I felt nothing portentous through the bond, but her emotions spiked all over the place. Confusion. Nostalgia. Fear. Antic ipation. Strong and powerful, they flooded into me.I felt the pull just before it happened. It was exactly like what had happened on the monotone her emotions grew so strong that they sucked me into her head before I could stop them. I could now see and feel what she did.She walked slowly around the commons, toward the small Russian Orthodox chapel that served most of the schools religious needs. Lissa had always go to mass regularly. Not me.I had a standing arrangement with God Id agree to believe in him barely so long as he let me sleep in on Sundays.But as she went inside, I could feel that she wasnt there to pray. She had another purpose, one I didnt know about. Glancing around, she verified that neither the priest nor any worshippers were close by. The place was empty.Slipping through a doorway in the back of the chapel, she climbed a narrow set of remiss stairs up into the attic. Here it was dark and dusty. The only light came through a large stained-glass window that fr actured the faint impudence of sunrise into tiny, multicolored gems across the floor.I hadnt known until that moment that this room was a regular retreat for Lissa. But now I could feel it, feel her memories of how she used to escape here to be alone and to think. The anxiety in her ebbed away ever so slightly as she took in the known surroundings. She climbed up into the window lavatory and leaned her head back against its side, momentarily beguile by the silence and the light.Moroi could stand some sunlight, unlike the Strigoi, but they had to limit their exposure. seance here, she could almost pretend she was in the sun, protect by the glasss dilution of the rays.Breathe, just breathe, she told herself. Itll be okay. Rose will take care of everything.She believed that passionately, like always, and relaxed further.Then a low voice spoke from the darkness.You can have the Academy but not the window seat.She sprang up, heart pounding. I shared her anxiety, and my own neural impulse quickened. Whos there?A moment later, a shape rose from behind a stack of crates, just outside her reach of vision. The figure stepped forward, and in the poor lighting, familiar features materialized. Messy black hair. Pale blue eyes. A perpetually sardonic smirk.Christian Ozera.Dont worry, he said. I wont bite. Well, at least not in the way youre hangdog of. He chuckled at his own joke.She didnt find it funny. She had completely forgotten about Christian. So had I.No matter what happened in our world, a few basic truths about vampires remained the same. Moroi were live(a) Strigoi were undead. Moroi were mortal Strigoi were immortal. Moroi were born Strigoi were made.And there were twain ways to make a Strigoi. Strigoi could forcibly turn humans, dhampirs, or Moroi with a genius bite. Moroi tempted by the promise of immortality could become Strigoi by choice if they purposely killed another psyche while feeding. Doing that was considered dark and twisted, the greatest of all sins, both against the Moroi way of life and nature itself. Moroi who chose this dark path lost their ability to connect with elemental magic and other powers of the world. That was why they could no longer go into the sun.This is what had happened to Christians parents. They were Strigoi.