What I Wouldnt Give Essay Example For Students

What I Wouldnt Give Essay There is a man who is a head of state. He is a very powerful man and is well liked by his subjects. The people love him. Then he is suddenly, inexplicably murdered. Someone is blamed for the murder, but the entire country knows the accused are innocent and are tools used in a cover-up. Does this situation sound bizarre? Does it sound like some work of fiction? Well, it is. It is the beginning of William Shakespeares Macbeth. However, it is much more than that. It is real life. It is the circumstances that surrounded one of the most surreal periods of time in United States history. It is the situation surrounding the assassination of one of the USs most revered Presidents, John F. Kennedy. These circumstances suggest that the events which occur in the play Macbeth are still possible. It is possible for the circumstances surrounding Macbeth to be repeated in modern day America because no protection provides absolute safety, some men are still willing to do what Macbeth did, and the act could still be covered up. No amount of protection provides absolute safety. In todays world, it is easier than ever to kill someone. Any person can buy a cheap pistol and kill someone. It is also easier to kill without being caught. There are long range rifles and remote control explosives that can be used as the murder weapon while the actual perpetrator is far away. Also, it is easier than ever to find a professional assassin who will kill anyone for the right amount of money. These latter methods could allow a person to commit murder and easily get away with it. Even though the actual murderer may be caught, the person financing the operation could get away untouched. In Macbeth, Duncan was well protected by his guards. However, he was still murdered. The guards were overcome through a simple trick. The doors are open, and the surfeited grooms Do mock their charge with snores. I have drugged their possets says Lady Macbeth. She had drugged their drinks, and instead of guarding Duncan, they were asleep. Macbeth was easily able to sneak past them and kill Duncan. Every precaution available had been taken to insure Duncans protection. It is not an easy task to get past two armed bodyguards in a cramped area. However, through some deceit, Macbeth was able to accomplish this. This reaffirms the statement that no protection is absolute. Perhaps the best example that no protection is infallible occurs in the aforementioned situation involving President Kennedy. Kennedy was in a moving vehicle. There were two Secret Service men directly behind him and countless others in the crowd. Dallas Police Department officers were placed throughout the area. Dealy Plaza, the site of the tragedy, was crowded, with many obstructions such as trees, signs, and an overpass. Protection was tight. The day was beautiful. The sun was shining. The setting was not right for assassination. However, it still occurred. Kennedy was killed and the entire nation stunned. There was a Secret Service agent very close, yet he was not able to stop the fatal bullet. The limousine driver did not speed up in time to get the President out of danger. The agents in the crowd were unable to prevent the deadly shots. With that many people, with all those pre-cautions, President Kennedy was still killed, proving that protection can be penetrated.Since the beginning of time, man has wanted power. It is in his basic nature. It is what drives him. The history of the world serves to prove this fact. Adam and Eve wanted power equal to Gods so they ate the apple. Caesar struggled to become king and to gain power and was killed for his aspirations. Napoleon had much power. He used it to conquer half of Europe. Hitler craved power so badly he plunged the world into a war that preceded the detonation of the atomic bomb. Men crave power. Some of them, like Adam and Eve, were willing to sacrifice the perfect life to gain their power. They had no jobs, no wake-up calls. They didnt even have to wear clothes! Yet they were willing to sacrifice all this for the chance that they would have power like God. So we learn from the first story of the most popular book in the world that man is willing to trade perfection for more power. Macbeth loved power. Otherwise, he would never have murdered Duncan. Macbeth was willing to trade anything to be king. Macbeth was willing to jump the life to come. if he could kill Duncan and be done with it. He was willing to risk eternal damnation for a finite term as king of a small country on a small island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. How much more tempting would it be for a man to kill to gain the position as the most powerful man in the world? The temptation would be tremendous. Macbeth had second thoughts on Duncans murder going so far as to say We will proceed no further in this business.He was persuaded to commit the murder after many arguments. He does this to satisfy his craving for power.The President of the United States is th e most powerful man in the world today. This is why he is also in more danger than most people. The temptation for the Vice-President to kill the President would be great. Some say that this temptation has even been realized. When Kennedy was shot, it was only a matter of hours before Vice-President Lyndon Johnson was sworn into the vacant office. Was it possible that Johnson had Kennedy killed? It is obvious that a massive cover-up was managed. The cover-up was arranged by someone in power. Who has more power than the President? Johnson could easily have arranged such a massive smoke-screen. Men have killed for less and Johnson was in a position to profit from the Presidency. He gained large sums of money from his construction company in Vietnam. It can be argued that Johnson prolonged the war purposely so he could reap more benefits from the war in Asia. Whatever happened, Johnson was rewarded with much power after the assassination of Kennedy. Nobody wants to tell the truth if it might get them in trouble. A small child does something wrong, they will usually deny having done it. Teenagers often lie to cover-up their late night parties. Government officials lie to avoid scandals. They are all lies. The only difference is the complexity of the lie and the number of people affected by it. A small child cannot lie very well. Teenagers are somewhat better at it. However, they are mere amateurs compared to professional politicians. This is true for several reasons. Politicians have the means to pay people to lie for them. Sometimes they can threaten to expose others embarrassing secrets if they do not cooperate. There are other techniques that these people use to hide the truth. However, the fact remains that the more powerful the person, the better the cover-up. Macbeth was reasonably able to conceal the murder of Duncan. He did this in textbook fashion. First, he found a scapegoat, Duncans guards. Lady Macbeth cast the suspicion on them by making sure Their ha nd and faces were all badged with blood, So were their daggers, which unwiped we found Upon their pillow.Then Macbeth killed them, cutting off any chance they may have had of defending themselves, claiming The expedition of my violent love Outrun the pauser of reason. He had provided the perfect patsy. They were covered with Duncans blood, as were their knives. It would have been difficult to defend themselves against this evidence even if they were still alive. But when they were dead, no defense could be offered and they were assumed guilty. So, if Macbeth had quit with this one murder, he would have gotten away with his crime with no consequences. Who could have known that almost the same exact circumstances would be repeated some 800 years later. After President Kennedy was shot, there had to be a cover up. Someone had to shoulder the blame. Someone had to take the fall. Whether voluntarily or not, Lee Harvey Oswald was the man blamed with the murder of JFK. His palm-print was o n the rifle that fired the fatal shot. He was seen leaving the building from which the shots supposedly came. Oswald was set up as the murderer from the beginning, the lone nut who killed the President. And like the fall guys in Macbeth, he was murdered before he was given a chance to defend himself. This provides the perfect cover-up to be presented to the American people. Oswald acted alone. He was crazy. This provided a plausible motive and excluded any chance of a possible conspiracy scandal. The story presented to the American public fit perfectly into the psychological make-up that was supposedly Oswald. He was simply acting like he was supposed to and this explained the murder of Kennedy. In the years following the assassination, more truth about the event has surfaced, rendering the Oswald character impossible. The people orchestrating the Kennedy cover-up made the same mistake Macbeth made. They were unwilling to leave their story alone. They tried to make themselves more s ecure by killing key witnesses and doctoring evidence, but what they believed would make them safer, most probably aroused suspicions and their entire story became unbelievable. The conspirators in both situations discredited their entire story by trying to secure themselves. Assassinating the President is a difficult thing to do. It doesnt happen very often. However, it can be done. If a person plans the crime, and executes it according to plan, he can succeed in killing the President. The protection afforded the President is tremendous but not infallible. Men are willing to commit this crime in order to gain power. If a proper cover-up is planned and executed, then it is effective. If all of these obstacles are overcome properly, a man can assume the Presidency while not one hint of blame is ever thrown his way. All of this has been proven in this paper. It is possible for the plot of Macbeth to be repeated in todays world because no protection provides absolute security, men are still willing to do what Macbeth did, and the deed could still be covered up. .uacdad4e335b867bdf90690904922c3e9 , .uacdad4e335b867bdf90690904922c3e9 .postImageUrl , .uacdad4e335b867bdf90690904922c3e9 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uacdad4e335b867bdf90690904922c3e9 , .uacdad4e335b867bdf90690904922c3e9:hover , .uacdad4e335b867bdf90690904922c3e9:visited , .uacdad4e335b867bdf90690904922c3e9:active { border:0!important; } .uacdad4e335b867bdf90690904922c3e9 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uacdad4e335b867bdf90690904922c3e9 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uacdad4e335b867bdf90690904922c3e9:active , .uacdad4e335b867bdf90690904922c3e9:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uacdad4e335b867bdf90690904922c3e9 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uacdad4e335b867bdf90690904922c3e9 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uacdad4e335b867bdf90690904922c3e9 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uacdad4e335b867bdf90690904922c3e9 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uacdad4e335b867bdf90690904922c3e9:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uacdad4e335b867bdf90690904922c3e9 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uacdad4e335b867bdf90690904922c3e9 .uacdad4e335b867bdf90690904922c3e9-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uacdad4e335b867bdf90690904922c3e9:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Electronic Voting and What Should be Done Essay We will write a custom essay on What I Wouldnt Give specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Category: Shakespeare

Fast Food Restaurants in Guyana do more harm than good. Essay Example

Fast Food Restaurants in Guyana do more harm than good. Essay Example Fast Food Restaurants in Guyana do more harm than good. Essay Fast Food Restaurants in Guyana do more harm than good. Essay A silent escalating epidemic of malnutrition is the underlying cause of most deaths in Modern Caribbean Society. This phenomenon is significantly heightened with the increasing availability and accessibility of Fast Food Restaurants situated all over Guyana. Most of which are franchises, established initially in the country with the highest percentage of Obesity in the world, The United States of America. Indeed Fast Food Restaurants provide Job opportunities for Gayness citizens, but unfortunately that is the sole benefit, compared to the sundry detriments they pose o many areas of life. Firstly, the Caribbean is a tropical paradise, blessed with acres upon acres of land, to cultivate healthy food with ease, because of the warm climate. Fresh grown vegetables, and home cooked food is superior in terms of health standards to the food Available in Fast Food Restaurants, on many terms. : A basic example would be the health hazard, due to the resurges of oil in the Fast Food Restaurants. Moreover, left over oil, becomes rancid after four days, which is extensively dangerous to cook with, because it may cause lesions in the arteries, roving space for fat to stick and clog. In addition the meats from these Fast Food Restaurants, are highly preserved and contain food additives, which may cause Castro- intestinal problems, and have said to be cancerous. With all that has been said about the health risks that Fast Foods cause, it is must better to utilize the fresher and naturally grown foods, available right in Guyana. It must be said, with the Westernizes of Gayness culture and the first world influence, there has been much more Fast Food Restaurants being built since 1975. Hence it is only social to conclude that more people would eat from them, explaining the the growth of Obesity by 80% over the past two decades. This is a very unhealthy lifestyle for an individual, mot forgetting that the medical management of obesity is difficult and complex. The reason being Obesity allows for an ocean of diseases to affect the body. For instance obesity is associated with the development of osteoarthritis, breast and endometrial cancer, liver disease and most prevalently cardiovascular disease. The issue remains with over quarter of the Gayness Adult population overweight and ineffective use of resources, to treat them all. Apart from the multiple harmful effects of Fast Food Restaurants, and unbecoming culture of dependence and quite frankly laziness has evolved. There is no longer an appreciation of the diversity of foods offered in Guyana, instead people prefer Fast Foods because it is easier to get since there is the drive thrust, delivery and pick up services. Moreover, this postmodern way of life that has been adopted by Gayness takes a toll on them financially, especially, because the amount of money spent on a meal, can suffice to kook healthy food for up to four days. With that being said, it can be agreed, that a major socioeconomic problem is certainly the last thing Guyana needs. In all Fast Food Restaurants are mainly and originally an American influence, and it has been expanded and developed over the years, centrally promoting an unhealthy is not enough to compensate for the many diseases and health problems it may cause. Moreover Guyana as a developing country, cannot afford any major setbacks at this time, especially one that has the potential to affect the most important resource, which is the human resource.

With respect to the 4th ammendment, briefly explain the following Essay

With respect to the 4th ammendment, briefly explain the following concepts, in doing so be sure to present the respective cases - Essay Example In the landmark case of Silverthorne Lumber Co. v. United States [1920], Federal agents that illegally seized tax books of a suspect and made copies as records of tax evasion. The Court held that such illegal seizure circumvented the Fourth Amendment, and that the records made are fruits from the poisonous tree (illegal seizure of tax books), hence may not be considered in court. However, under the independent source doctrine evidence that is obtained based upon information unrelated to an unlawful search is not fruit of the poisonous tree. In the case of Segura v. United States (1984), law enforcers entered the private premises of the suspect and remained in there until the search warrant arrived. The Supreme Court admitted the evidence found after the search warrant arrived but excluded all others as upon entry without the warrant. The Court held that the question on the legality of entry was irrelevant to challenge the admissibility of evidence due to the independent source of the warrant. In the case of United States v. Leon (1984), a police officer that relied on a defective search warrant with no knowledge of the validity of the basis for how it was obtained was said to have acted in good faith, and the evidence obtained from such defective search warrant was allowed in Court.

Identify, from the point of an entrepreneur, the steps and strategies Essay

Identify, from the point of an entrepreneur, the steps and strategies necessary to satisfy clinical need with a medical device, and deliver successful buisiness - Essay Example Everybody wants to be the first in the market. But this is never easy. The rough road lies ahead since investors have to start mostly from scratch. Lots of researches are needed in preparation for the establishment of a main base. Resources must be in high supply to support the growing demand. Management must participate actively in various affairs of the company especially in the operational processes. Hardships will test the mettle of business pioneers. Only by believing in what their ideas can do will they earn success in the entrepreneur circle. World development is not merely about evolution. Yes, it is a given that mankind yearns for a better life and dreams for a better future. But the events and situations that occur are pictures of selfless efforts made by extraordinary people who made a difference in the lives of many. Although companies and corporations are earning huge money from products and projects launched to answer social and global concerns, still, the main reason business leaders plunge into action is because to answer a tremendous need. Humanitarian causes are blessed with financial gains, possibly, to increase its capability ten folds in addressing future problems. In spite of the progress in the field of medicine, many issues continue to linger unattended. Confusion still surrounds numerous medical concerns. People remain doubtful about health solutions. Advanced studies are made to find treatments. Medical research still tops the priority list of business ventures. In fact, continuous development is becoming another business field. Humanitarian concerns are closely identified with the healthcare issues of the world. CAUSE AND EFFECT War is itself an atrocity. Every battle happens for a reason. But it shouldn't happen in the first place. To neutralize the aggressor is the objective of all wars. But neutralizing also means killing and inflicting damage to the other side. Peace is often abused for it is almost always associated with war. As Sun Tzu always said, peace can only be achieved through war. It is considered an understatement to tell that the wars of the world claimed a billion lives. It is so because those wars sacrificed more than what the records showed. Statistics cannot tell everything but it can be the basis for something else. In business, figures count. Analysts wait and see. Observers assess the situation and act on it. Most of the notable victims of war are the amputees. Many war veterans lost at least a limb during their tour of duty in Vietnam. But because amputation cases are not common, the medical world is unprepared for this kind of situation. The jungle warfare in Vietnam and neighboring countries like Cambodia and Laos only increased the use of landmines and booby traps. The number of amputees continues to rise even after the war as those war materials lie hidden and unrecovered. Years after, the former battlefield is still dangerous. Individuals who lost a limb in either war are not an isolated case. Congenital disorders add up to the list of amputees. Disease-related amputations like those with gas gangrene are also contributing to the growing number of cases. While legless and armless individuals are becoming more visible today, medical research is on the rise in order to address the situation. Although amputees are as normal as a regular guy can be, the situation has a tremendous psychological strain for many of them. They become dependent for a large part of their lives. Loosing a

MARKETING FUNDAMENDALS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

MARKETING FUNDAMENDALS - Essay Example Here we will conduct a customer analysis of the markets of Sainsbury's which is the most established supermarket brand in UK. 1 The macro environment of any organization mainly consists of four factors: Political, Economic, Socio-cultural and Technological factors. In order to analyze the macro-environment PEST Analysis is used. In order to understand the influence of factors in the macro-environment upon the consumer behavior of Sainsbury, we will have to undertake the PEST Analysis of Sainsbury. The market of Sainsbury's is mainly the economy and premium customers of UK. In order to understand the affect of macro factors on Sainsbury we will have to study the macro factors of UK. We will proceed as follows: The political environment in UK is one of the most stable in the whole world. There is a Kingdome rule in it for centuries which lead to a well balanced achievement of successful government rules in the country. In order to control the trading system in the country the government has made many regulatory authorities. These authorities ensure the healthy, well-balanced priced, environmental friendly etc aspects of the various business industries in the country. e.g. in January 2007, the government put a lot of pressure on the supermarket and retail industry to cut short the packaging materials as they were adding to the household waste in country. This step was taken in response to the mounted anger among customers who were facing environmental hazards due to a lot of wasted packaging materials. The Independent moved an anti-waste campaign to reduce customers' worries about packaging waste handling and the government fully supported it. The Office of Fair Trading, Food Standards Agency, and Trading Standards Central Agency etc are various regulatory bodies established by the government in order to provide the consumers a safe and well-aware purchasing environment. Such regulatory authorities not only control the various aspects of product/ service qualities of industries but also offer education to the consumers for making informed-buying. There exists a Supermarket Code of Conduct in the country which deals with the relationships of supermarkets and their dealers. It safeguards the interest of the dealers. Economic factors: The economic condition of the country and the pricing strategies of competitors can have a direct impact upon the sales and costs of the Sainsbury's business. The economic condition of UK is very stable and it has been ranked as the 7th most stable and prosperous country in the whole world in a most recent one year analysis of 235 countries. It has even superseded the United States of America which is placed at 22nd position. It shows a growth and stability in the household disposable income of the customers in the coming five years which directly impacts the sales growth. The economical strength of UK depicts the strong purchasing power of the customers indirectly. The customers have a study level of earning and income and therefore can purchase premium products of good quality from any good supermarket in the country. The recent increase in terrorist attacks in the country has posed a greater risk to the sustainability

Motorolas marketing strategies

Motorolas marketing strategies CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Problem Statement Motorola rapidly became the largest mobile phone seller in UK. In 2001, its asset was more than  £32.74 billion and it had 100 million subscribers. Until 2002, these figures have grown to over  £38.8 billion and more than 138 million subscribers (Motorola Company Profile, 2004, p1). However, the continued good performance of Motorola is threatened by a number of factors. These threats come from a number of places, the most important of these being the fierce competition with the three other state-owned companies. However, this competition will be increased in 2007 when the British Telecom (BT) Telecommunications Agreement comes into effect, allowing foreign companies access to UKs telecommunications market (Milner, 2003, p3). This pressure is reflected in the fact that the Mobile Phone Revenue per User has dropped 50% in the past three years (Milner, 2003, p3) to a figure of  £100 Yuan (Reuters, 2004, p1). Another major threat faced by Motorola comes from Nokia, which has gained significant strategic advantages through its security of exclusive rights to use the new CDMA network technology (Milner, 2003, p3). Purpose of the Study All of these mean that Motorolas marketing strategies, especially its advertising strategies, will become the most important element of its sustained and successful growth. The challenge for Motorola is to gain and maintain market share, and continue to seek future growth. Winning clients is one thing; keeping them an entirely different challenge companies have to adopt proactive strategies to retain hard-won customers. (How to maintain loyalty among risk customers, 1999, p1) Therefore, the application of successful advertising strategies is a critical factor for attracting new customers and keeping existing ones. Marketing research suggests that advertising is about attitudes, the attitudes of consumers towards products. Boyd, Ray and Strong (1972) propose that there are five strategies which marketing managers can pursue in relation to basing their advertising campaigns on attitudinal change. Aims Objectives The objectives of this research are consequently: To identify the current attitude of both existing and prospective customers towards Motorolas service. To examine to what degree Motorolas current advertising campaigns are related to the five marketing strategies mentioned above, which are based on changing customers attitude towards one brand. To suggest tentative recommendations to Motorola on how attitudinal strategies could be better incorporated into its future advertising campaigns. This objective is based on the findings of the current study and suggests various ways, in which Motorola can effectively influence the attitudinal sets of customers (see Chapter 2.0, p7), i.e. their attitude to products. Dissertation structure This dissertation consists of five chapters including Chapter One, the Introduction, which deals with background information, as well as giving a brief introduction to marketing strategies. In addition, the research objectives are presented here. Chapter Two provides the reader with an overview of the literature review, which first covers the background of the global and British telecommunications industry and second looks at some specific advertising strategies in order to construct a basis for conducting the research. Chapter Three refers to the methodology used, and discusses the limitations to the research carried out. Chapter Four presents the findings of the research together with the discussion of the conclusions reached. Chapter Five, the conclusion, discusses the possible implications of this research for future studies. Summary This chapter has provided readers with a brief introduction of the research background, as well as has identified the objectives that this study aimed to achieve. The next chapter begins a literature review, in which a comprehensive background concerning this study and some mainstream marketing theories will be presented. CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW History of British Telecommunications Industry The telecommunications revolution will have a profound impact on us all- on our everyday lives and our jobs. Indeed telecoms, together with the closely related but broader category of information technology, are going to be the biggest technological driver of economic and business change during the next decade and more. (Dadd, 1998, p1) The history of the world telecommunications industry has been a turbulent one. It has been common in western countries that the state controlled monopolies, such as that of British Telecom in the United Kingdom or Bell Atlantic in the United States have completely dominated their domestic markets for a long period (Local hero: mobile telephones, 1993, p1). However, a break up such as that of Bell Atlantic into the baby Bell companies, which occurred in following years, heralded a new era of the telecommunications industry (Dadd, 1998, p2-3; Pruzan, 1996, p1-3). After the failure of the dot com revolution, telecommunications emerged in the late 1990s as the new darling industry in the stock market with millions if not billions of dollars invested into it in the western world (Sarkar, Cavusgil and Aulakh, 1999, p1-2). Along with the universal growth in the telecommunications industry, it was the area of mobile phone networks which saw the most dramatic growth and highest profits of thi s industry. The deregulation of telecommunications however is not a phenomenon which has been restricted to western economies. Deregulation of the telecommunications industry is seen by many governments not only as a significant economic affair but also an important social one, A bold deregulation of the telecoms industry will, with luck, spread the use of the Internet in India and change millions of lives. However, the telecommunications industry is also a political matter in many countries such as UK, which sees foreign control of its domestic telecommunications companies as a serious issue (Harwit, 1998, p1; Milner, 2003, p1). Yet due to UKs accession to the WTO, it has been forced to deregulate its telecommunications industry and furthermore open the market to foreign investments (Stilson, 1999, pp1-2). The history of UKs telecommunications industry dates back to 1877 when the first telegraph line was installed. By 1911, there were 8,000 telephone subscribers and 8,800 telephone lines yet little improvement was made on this infrastructure during the rule of Chairman Mao (Harwit, 1998, p4). The British government realizing these changes responded early in the 1980s was aware that reforms of UKs stagnated telecommunications industry would become a vital and critical factor in successfully modernizing UKs overall economy (Harwit, 1998, p5). However, it was not until the 1990s that the pace of reform was quickened when the monopoly UK Telecom was split up (Lin Sun, 2000, p1). In 1994, Nokia was founded in order to compete with UK Telecom, followed by the formation of the Information Industry Ministry in 1998, which became UKs telecommunications industry regulator (Rothman and Barker, 1999, p1). Motorola Communications Corporation (CMCC) was established on April 20th, 2000 (Pangestu and Mrongowius, 2002, p5), and it became the biggest mobile phone seller in UKs telecommunications market (Motorolas net edges up as competition intensifies, 2003, p1). While the four companies originated from the same parent company, this common heritage however is not reflected in the highly competitive relationship which now exists among the four companies. Indeed this competition is set to increase with the recent development of information technology and the soon occurrence of 3G License permitted by the British government (Milner, 2003, pp3-4). It has been reported by various sources that the fixed lined operators intend to compete along with the mobile operators for the rights to operate these networks (Pangestu and Mrongowius, 2002, pp5-7). Motorolas Current Situation Motorola finds itself doing business in a market, which is in upheaval as well as of deregulation, internal competition and external competition (Motorolas net edges up as competition intensifies, 2003, p1; Einhorn and Roberts, 2002, p1-2). The fierce competitive environment in which Motorola operates therefore has meant that the company has had to embark on an aggressive advertising campaign, which is designed to solidify and increase its market share before the full effects of the WTO inspired reforms can be felt. According to Nielsen Media Research on advertising spending in UK, Motorola spent 1.3 billion advertising in 2002 (British brands dominate ads in local market, 2003, p1). Thus this is both a demanding time for Motorola and an interesting time for anyone who wishes to research a young and dynamic company in a period of rapid change for its marketing strategies. Theories of Marketing Strategy and Advertising Strategy The marketing concept states that you stand a much better chance of selling something if you understand why someone wants to buy it in the first place. (Michaels, 1982, p67) Marketing can be seen as those sets of business practices and related strategies which are applied by companies to attract potential consumers into purchasing their products (Kotler and Cox, 1988). But marketing is not only about enabling a company to attract consumers, but also about maintaining those existing customers over a period of time, in essence the building of a brand and the creation of a brand loyalty (Kotler and Cox, 1988, pp76-77). In order to achieve such a aim, one of the key strategies to be the most important for gaining and maintaining market share is advertising and sales promotion, increase advertising and sales promotion of superior products, services, or price benefits to underpenetrated or untapped customers; advertise new or improved benefits to all customers. (Kotler and Cox, 1988, pp76-77) Marketing research has suggested that advertising is about attitude, the attitude of consumers towards products, Our reason for selecting attitudes as our basic way of looking at a market is based on more than the fact that one function of advertising is to affect attitudes. There is considerable evidence to show that the way a person thinks and feels about a brand- his attitudinal set determines how he will behave. His reasons for wanting a product determine his selection. (Reiser cited in Boyd, Ray and Strong, 1972, p341) Boyd et al (1972) suggest that there are five strategies which marketing managers can pursue in relation to base their advertising campaigns on attitudinal change. These strategies briefly seek to: Affect factors which influence the choice criteria of customers; Add salient characteristics to products; Increase /decrease the ratings for salient characteristics; Change brand perception; Change perception of competing brands with regard to some particular salient characteristics. Telecommunications is one field in which it has been possible to find quite similar responses. Telegraph, post, and telephony have been organized as state monopolies almost everywhere, and states have acted as policy makers, regulators, and service providers all at once. National telecommunications regimes have surprisingly similar features from Europe to Asia, and from America to Africa (Noam, 2006, 2007). Naturally, there are exceptions (for example in the United States, where the monopoly is private and the state acts only as regulator and policy maker). Still, the similarities in the organization of the telecoms sector are unique compared with the diversity of institutions and governance mechanisms of other sectors. The old telecommunications order is now undergoing radical changes. The sector, which for years served as the economics textbooks most cherished example of a natural monopoly, has been transformed to a competitive sector (although competition is imperfect and partial). Surprisingly, despite the widespread changes, sectorial homogeneity in the move to liberalization remains remarkable across countries, continents, and level of economic development. In telecommunications, changes are indeed global and they include radical change in the economics, technology, and organization of the sector as well as in the role of the state and the mode of governance. The extent of change in telecommunications is so radical that it is now seen to epitomize the hollowing out of the state. Telecommunications, argued Susan Strange, serve as an extreme example of one process by which authority has shifted massively away from the governments of states to the corporate management of firms The result of this shift has been to narrow the options open to supposedly sovereign states, and to extend the opportunitiesand riskof those enterprises engaged in the supply of services and the hardware by which the services are offered on the market (Strange, 2007, p. 100). As competition increases and markets widen, telecommunications may become a paradigmatic case exemplifying perceptions of reality and change in political economy among the general public and social scientists alike. Telecommunications thus acquires the characteristics of a critical case for theory testing. If suggestions regarding the retreat of the state prove false or one-sided in telecoms, it should be even more difficult to support them in other cases. The scope of change and the extent of regulatory innovations make telecommunications highly interesting for retailers of politics, political economy, and public policy. It becomes the paradigmatic case, one which shapes beliefs about organization of the economy and relations between politics and economics. At the same time, it generates new knowledge about the regulation of other sectors. This is also observable in popular journalism. Take, for example, the following passage from the Economist: In recent years, the telecom business has demonstrated that when deregulation and innovation, strong forces in their own right, come together, the results can be startling. What is true in telecom is now coming true in electricity (my emphasis). Indeed, beyond electricity, telecommunications has come to be conceived as a regulatory laboratory in which experiments are conducted and experience is accumulated for future implementation in other sectors such as road transport, railroads, water, and gas. The restructuring of the telecommunications sector during the last decade has generated a global telecommunications market for the first time. Increasingly more parts of telecom equipment are no longer produced nationally, but are traded on extra-national markets. Foreign direct investment in the sector is booming and the liberalization of services has been accompanied by the entry of foreign investors as competitors but also as partners in global alliances. Instead of one national network for telephony, different networks now exist, characterized either by the same technology (wire telephony) or competing technologies (internet telephony, mobile telephony, and cable telephony). The striking changes in the national arenas of telecommunications are repeated and enforced by several international agreements such as the WTO agreement on the liberalization of government procurement (2007), the Information Technology Agreement (2007), the WTO agreement on trade in basic telephony (2007), a nd the Mutual Recognition Agreements on the testing and certification of telecommunications equipment (2007). Side by side with the transformation of the sector, the creation, extension, and perfection of the regulatory capacities of the state may be observed. The administrative state is relinquishing the provision of services, but instead of retreating it is assuming new regulatory roles. These new roles are enforced and diffused through the constitution of the single European market, emulation of the American regulatory structures, policy learning, and even international pressures. The diffusion of regulation may serve a wide range of social goals, from universal supply of essential services and products to price control in situations of market failure. This paper concentrates on one particular aspect of regulation, namely regulation for competition. Market competition, as will be shown in this paper, is not only the natural outcome of state retreat from the economy or a matter for any invisible hand. Competition is politically, socially, and administratively produced and it takes the form of highly complex regulatory regimes that are devised to govern micro-segments of the telecoms sector. The paper distinguishes two types of regulated competition: regulation-of-competition and regulation-for-competition. While the first is a liberal form of intervention which aims to correct market failure, the second has a mercantilist character and aims at market creation by the state. This second form of competition is a critical aspect in the restructuring of the telecoms sector, which is often misunderstood as simply deregulation. The critical place of reregulation-for-competition in the governance of the new telecoms regime, as will be demonstrated here, underlines the rise of a competition state which is not a liberal state and not a welfare state. The competition state, without transforming the whole apparatus of the state and with an important but limited effect on society, is assuming a very traditional role, with a neomercantilist character, which it always had. It is revitalizing and reforming economic sectors in order to promote national competitiveness. Restructuring Motorolas Markets The introduction of competition to the telecommunications market is a multi-level process. On the intra-national level the introduction of competition may be characterized first as a movement towards corporatization and increase market share of Motorola. The statists provision of telecom services was replaced by a new regime which was based on a mixture of regulations, reregulations, and deregulations. Corporatization means the transformation of a government-administered service into a legal entity of a joint-stock company. This company may still be state-owned, but in contrast to the past it now enjoys a measure of autonomy from the state (Noam Kramer, 2007, p. 278). In most countries where ministerial departments formerly supplied telecommunications services, corporatization was one of the first steps towards a more economic and market-oriented provision of services. Corporatization thus reflects a retreat of the state only if one understands the relations between the state and th e market as mutually exclusive, or zero-sum (i.e., more market means less state, and vice versa). However, if the states strength is not defined in terms of its direct provision of economic services, then outsourcing services may result, exactly as in corporate restructuring, in more power rather than less. In many countries corporatization also led to increase market share of Motorola, namely transfer of shares or functions from public to private hands. In some countries, increase market share of Motorola has been a major milestone in the restructuring of telecommunications. British Telecom was privatized in 1984 and NTT of Japan in 1985. Other countries followed this road a few years later with a partial increase market share of Motorola of their Telecom Operators (TO). In Israel, Bezeq was privatized in 2006; in the Netherlands KPN was privatized in 2007; in Germany, Deutsche Telecom was privatized in 2007; France Telecom was privatized in 2007, and Brazils Telebras was privatized in 2008. Different strategies of increase market share of Motorola were employed in different countries, and following the initial offering of part of the governments shares, the process proceeded at varying rates towards complete increase market share of Motorola. Still, the move to privatize the telecommunications sector has become common around the world. Increase market share of Motorola may not affect, however, the extent of competition in a specific market segment. Private monopoly, as the American example of ATT monopoly shows, does not necessarily entail more competition. But increase market share of Motorola, like corporatization, is definitely a step forward in the introduction of market considerations into segments of the economy formerly that followed (or were supposed to follow) public service criteria. The corporatization of telecommunications services has contributed to the creation of a political space in which public officials can more clearly distinguish their function as providers of telecommunications services and their regulatory and policy making functions. Regulation is a distinctively American approach of state intervention; its introduction to Europe, on the national and European Union levels, is admirably discussed by Majone (2007). Regulations, rather than public ownership, planning, or centralized administration, are increasingly used in telecommunications. While the process of substituting the dirigiste state by the regulatory state is observed beyond the sphere of telecommunications, in this sphere the scope of change is most impressive. The separation of government functions in the sector allowed the creation, development, and consolidation of regulatory capacities in readiness for the new business-like corporations which were still under government control. The process was further accelerated and strengthened following increase market share of Motorola, which marked more clearly the distinction between public and private. National Regulatory Authorities for telecommunications were established or are in the process of being established throughout Europe (e.g., Oftel in the UK, OPTA in the Netherlands, BMPT in Germany, ART in France) and elsewhere (i.e., Brazil, Israel, South Korea, and Australia). Although these regulatory agencies vary in their institutional design, autonomy, and regulatory capacities they command they often enjoy considerable control over the development of the industry. One demonstration of this paradox is the dynamics of the regulation of interconnection regimes with respect to the unbundling of telecommunications services. The enthusiasm, indeed the near religious zeal, that the competition state manifests in the introduction and enforcement of competition, even in the most difficult terrain, shows the critical role the state plays in restructuring global telecommunications. Bundling is the tying of the supply of one service or product to the supply of others. For the seller of products, bundling is a form of legitimate competitive strategy. Yet for clients, it often means that they will have to purchase an unnecessary products or services which they may obtain of better quality and at a better price elsewhere. In such cases, policy makers, regulators, and judges have to decide whether the economic power of the service provider should be balanced by political power. One way of doing this is by requiring the provider to unbundle the products or/and services, and thus enable clients to purchase only the services and products they want, and by extension to promote the market in unbundled services and products. Bundling and unbundling are common regulatory problems in various economic sectors, but in telecommunications they display the complexities of the interaction between state and market and how far regulators feel obliged to intervene for the sake of competition. Unbundling is considered a prerequisite for competition in the local loop; hence regulators readily intervene to ensure that the dominant operators will not force bundled services on their competitors. Here, they regulate relations between household and business consumers and telecommunications operators, and also those between the dominant seller and the smaller, newer providers who need interconnections and various other services from the big and hostile brother. Digital local exchange networks are highly expensive systems which provide a range of services such as advance signaling, diagnostic and testing procedures, switching, and transport. A new seller may thus find it impossible to build an entire local exchange network; to foster its entry to the market, regulators often take measures that ensure its capacity for special access (e.g., switching but not transporting, or signaling but not switching). Determining what may be part of a bundle and what may not requires the regulator to have sophisticated technological capabilities (to determine down to the precise layers and point of access where connection is possible) and sophisticated economic and accounting capabilities (to set an adequate rate for each unbundled service). At the same time, it gives the regulator the power to set prices for each of the components of the telecom networks. Instead of simple cap-regulations of retail tariff in the old telecom regime, it now has plenty of ways to devise the wholesale tariff. The National Regulatory Authorities that were established during the last decade, and their forerunners, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and OFTEL, are now in the process of acquiring these skills. The American Telecommunications Act of 2007, for example, requires that dominant operators unbundle their networks at technically feasible points and make individual elements available to competitors on a modular basis. They are also required to enable their competitors to physically collocate equipment within their premises so as to allow them to take advantage of unbundling (Knauer et al., 2007). By establishing more detailed regulations regarding the general requirements for the unbundling of the telecommunications services, the FCC is now creating one of the most detailed regulatory regimes ever designed for the promotion of competition. The design of an interconnection regime with as many unbundled services and points of access to the network as possible is, at least theoretically perhaps, a matter of commercial agreement. Yet, the dominant seller has strong incentives to use its control over the public network so as to discourage competition (by either inflating prices and costs or preventing interconnection under various technological pretexts). The most complex problem of unbundling is the determination of a gross interconnection charge that has to be decomposed into dozens of elements, each of which may provide the basis for a new dispute (involving several courts in different instances). This situation may be further illustrated by comparison to the more familiar market of cars. The unbundling requirements on telecommunications operators may be compared to a demand that car manufacturers unbundle the vehicles they sell into their various components. A client or competitor would then be able to purchase a car wi th no wheels and/or engine, and shop around for a better deal. Probably, because cars can be purchased from different manufacturers at different price and quality levels, the car industry is not required to unbundle its products. This is not the case, of course, in telecommunications where the local loop is still a natural monopoly and thus requires more rules (e.g., unbundling requirements) to allow for more competition. The unbundling of networks is likely to create more sophisticated markets and may promote competition in the local loop as well. While the success of such a strategy is still unclear, the situation and politics of unbundling demonstrate that the discretionary power of some policy makers and bureaucrats has attained heights never previously reached. The extent and the role of reregulation in the restructuring of the telecommunications market is accompanied by the emergence of strong regulatory states and by the entrepreneurial role states play in the introduction of competition. The strengthening of regulatory bodies and regulation-for-competition policies may shed light on the dynamics of change in the relations between states and the economy, particularly on the change in the role of the state. To achieve this, one has to move beyond the old two-pole model, which sets economic socialism against economic liberalism and which frames the intellectual terrain for the discussion of political economic change. Neither regulation-for-competition nor the rise of the competition state fits this two-pole model. The creation of interconnection regimes and the case of unbundling the networks go far beyond the liberal conceptions of the state as regulator in cases of market failure. In these regimes the state plays the part of market generator, which cannot reconcile with economic liberalism. The central position of regulation-for-competition as the pillar on which the restructuring of telecommunications stands requires us to extend the debate to include a third perspective on political economy. This third perspective is sometimes presented as mercantilism and sometimes as economic nationalism, and it has been, since the rise of classical economics, a subject for scholarly attacks more than ground for positive theory-building (LeviFaur, 1997a; Crane, 2008).[10] It was Adam Smith who coined the term mercantilism in order to ridicule the dominant political economy of his time. Subsequently, the major political economy debates for long turned on the relative advantages and disadvantages of mercantilism vs. liberalism. Later on, in the 19th century and early 20th, when various democratic and undemocratic forms of nationalism became a popular ideology, mercantilism assumed the form of economic nationalism and it became the major antagonist of economic liberalism. While mercantilism mobilized state power in order to advance the economic resources of the state, economic nationalism took the state as a tool for development of the national economy and for the benefit of the nation rather than the state. Several especially nasty forms of economic nationalism, for example, that of Nazi Germany, made the notion extremely unpopular after the Second World War. Since then, both economic nationalism and neomercantilism were marginalized as political economic theories, or at best were reduced to some form of bounded-rationality (e.g., protectionism, large symbolic projects). With the collapse of the Soviet empire and the retreat of social-democracy in the West, we must move on and abandon the habit of framing the discussion exclusively in terms of socialism vs. liberalism, or even Keynesianism vs. monetarism. To capture some basic features of the change we should consider the political economy of mercantilism, which accounts for different interests of na tions in the process of economic development. Summary The information economy carries the distinctive libertarian tone of technologies of freedom and technologies without boundaries. Yet in telecommunications, when the music is actually played, this tone proves to be no more than an undertone, an accent. Indeed, governments are changing their role in this market: they no longer provide telephones and services. Bu

The Return: Nightfall Chapter 21

â€Å"It actually makes a horrible kind of sense,† Meredith said. They were in Isobel's family room, waiting for Dr. Alpert. Meredith was at a beautiful desk made of some black wood ornamented with designs in gilt, working at a computer that had been left on. â€Å"The Salem girls accused people of hurting them – witches, of course. They said they were pinching them and  ¡Ã‚ ®pricking them with pins.'† â€Å"Like Isobel blaming us,† Bonnie said, nodding. â€Å"And they had seizures and contorted their bodies into  ¡Ã‚ ®impossible positions.'† â€Å"Caroline looked as if she were having seizures in Stefan's room,† said Bonnie. â€Å"And if crawling like a lizard isn't contorting your body into an impossible position†¦here, I'll try it.† She got down on the Saitous' floor and tried to stick her elbows and knees out the way Caroline had. She couldn't do it. â€Å"See?† â€Å"Oh, my God!† It was Jim at the doorway of the kitchen, holding – almost dropping – a tray of food. The smell of miso soup was sharp in the air, and Bonnie wasn't sure if it made her feel hungry or if she was too sick to ever be hungry again. â€Å"It's okay,† she told him hastily, standing up. â€Å"I was just†¦trying something out.† Meredith stood up too. â€Å"Is that for Isobel?† â€Å"No, it's for Obaasan – I mean Isa-chan's grandma – Grandma Saitou – â€Å" â€Å"I told you to call everybody whatever comes out naturally. Obaasan is fine, just like Isa-chan,† Meredith said softly and firmly to him. Jim relaxed a hair. â€Å"I tried to get Isa-chan to eat, but she just throws the trays at the wall. She says that she can't eat; that somebody's choking her.† Meredith glanced significantly at Bonnie. Then she turned back to Jim. â€Å"Why don't you let me take it? You've been through a lot. Where is she?† â€Å"Upstairs, second door on the left. If – if she says anything weird, just ignore it.† â€Å"All right. Stay near Bonnie.† â€Å"Oh, no,† Bonnie said hastily. â€Å"Bonnie is going with.† She didn't know if it was for her own protection or Meredith's, but she was going to stick like glue. Upstairs, Meredith turned the hall light on carefully with her elbow. Then they found the second door on the left, which turned out to have a doll-like old lady in it. She was in the exact center of the room, lying on the exact center of a futon. She sat up and smiled when they came in. The smile turned a wrinkled face almost into the face of a happy child. â€Å"Megumi-chan, Beniko-chan, you came to see me!† she exclaimed, bowing where she sat. â€Å"Yes,† Meredith said carefully. She put the tray down beside the old lady. â€Å"We came to see you – Ms. Saitou.† â€Å"Don't play games with me! It's Inari-chan! Or are you mad at me?† â€Å"All thesechans . I thought ;;Chan' was a Chinese name. Isn't Isobel Japanese?† whispered Bonnie from behind Meredith. One thing, the doll-like old woman was not, was deaf. She burst into laughter, bringing up both hands to cover her mouth girlishly. â€Å"Oh, don't tease me before I eat.Itadakimasu! † She picked up the bowl of miso soup and began to drink it. â€Å"I thinkchan is something you put at the end of someone's name when you're friends, the way Jimmy was sayingIsa-chan ,† Meredith said aloud. â€Å"AndEeta-daki-mass-u is something you say when you start eating. And that'sall I know.† Part of Bonnie's mind noted that the â€Å"friends† Grandma Saitou had just happened to have names starting withM andB . Another part was calculating where this room was with relation to the rooms below it, Isobel's room in particular. It was directly above it. The tiny old woman had stopped eating and was watching her intently. â€Å"No, no, you're not Beniko-chan and Megumi-chan. I know it. But they do visit me sometimes, and so does my dear Nobuhiro. Other things do, too, unpleasant things, but I was raised a shrine maiden – I know how to take care ofthem .† A brief look of knowing satisfaction passed over the innocent old face. â€Å"This house is possessed, you know.† She added,†Kore ni wa kitsune ga karande isou da ne.† â€Å"I'm sorry, Ms. Saitou – what was that?† Meredith asked. â€Å"I said, there's a kitsune involved in this somehow.† â€Å"A kit-su-nay?† Meredith repeated, quiz-zically. â€Å"A fox, silly girl,† the old woman said cheerfully. â€Å"They can turn into anything they like, don't you know? Even humans. Why, one could turn intoyou and your best friend wouldn't know the difference.† â€Å"So – a sort of were-fox, then?† Meredith asked, but Grandma Saitou was rocking back and forth now, her gaze on the wall behind Bonnie. â€Å"We used to play a circle game,† she said. â€Å"All of us in a circle and one in the middle, blindfolded. And we would sing a song.Ushiro no shounen daare? Who is standing behind you? I taught it to my children, but I made up a little song in English to go with it.† And she sang, in the voice of the very old or the very young, with her eyes fixed innocently on Bonnie all the while. â€Å"Fox and turtle Had a race. Who's that far behind you? Whoever came in Second place Who's that near behind you? Would make a nice meal For the winner. Who's that close behind you? Lovely turtle soup For dinner! Who's that right behind you?† Bonnie felt hot breath on her neck. Gasping, she whirled around – and screamed. Andscreamed . Isobel was there, dripping blood onto the mats that covered the floor. She had somehow managed to get past Jim and to sneak into the dim upstairs room without anyone seeing or hearing her. Now she stood there like some distorted goddess of piercing, or the hideous embodiment of every piercer's nightmare. She was wearing only a pair of very brief bikini bottoms. Otherwise she was naked except for the blood and the different kinds of hoops and studs and needles she had put through the holes. She had pierced every area Bonnie had ever heard that youcould pierce, and a few that Bonnie hadn't dreamed of. And every hole was crooked and bleeding. Her breath was warm and fetid and nauseating – like rotten eggs. Isobel flicked her pink tongue. It wasn't pierced. It was worse. With some kind of instrument she had cut the long muscle in two so that it was forked like a snake's. The forked, pink thing licked Bonnie's forehead. Bonnie fainted. Matt drove slowly down the almost invisible lane. There was no street sign to identify it, he noticed. They went up a little hill and then down sharply into a small clearing. â€Å" ¡Ã‚ ®Keep away from faerie circles,'† Elena said softly, as if she were quoting. â€Å" ¡Ã‚ ®And old oaks†¦'† â€Å"What are you talking about?† â€Å"Stop the car.† When he did, Elena stood in the center of the clearing. â€Å"Don't you think it has a faerie sort of feeling?† â€Å"I don't know. Where'd the red thing go?† â€Å"In here somewhere. I saw it!† â€Å"Me, too – and did you see how it was bigger than a fox?† â€Å"Yes, but not as big as a wolf.† Matt let out a sigh of relief. â€Å"Bonnie just won't believe me. And you saw how quickly it moved – â€Å" â€Å"Too quickly to be something natural.† â€Å"You're saying we didn't really see anything?† Matt said almost fiercely. â€Å"I'm saying we saw somethingsuper natural. Like the bug that attacked you. Like the trees, for that matter. Something that doesn't follow the laws of this world.† But search as they would, they couldn't find the animal. The bushes and shrubs between the trees reached from the ground up in a dense circle. But there was no evidence of a hole or a hide or a break in the dense thicket. And the sun was sliding down in the sky. The clearing was beautiful, but there was nothing of interest to them. Matt had just turned to say so to Elena when he saw her stand up quickly, in alarm. â€Å"What's – ?† He followed her gaze and stopped. A yellow Ferrari blocked the way back to the road. They hadn't passed a yellow Ferrari on their way in. There was only room for one car on the one-lane road. Yet there the Ferrari stood. Branches broke behind Matt. He whirled. â€Å"Damon!† â€Å"Whom were you expecting?† The wraparound Ray-Bans concealed Damon's eyes completely. â€Å"We weren't expectinganyone ,† Matt said aggressively. â€Å"We just turned in here.† The last time he'd seen Damon, when Damon had been banished like a whipped dog from Stefan's room, he'd wanted to punch Damon in the mouth very much, Elena knew. She could feel that he wanted it again now. But Damon wasn't the same as he'd been when he'd left that room. Elena could see danger rising off him like heat waves. â€Å"Oh, Isee . This is – yourprivate area for – privateexplorations,† Damon translated, and there was a note of complicity in his voice that Elena disliked. â€Å"No!† Matt snarled. Elena realized she was going to have to keep him under control. It was dangerous to antagonize Damon in this mood. â€Å"How can you even say that?† Matt went on. â€Å"Elena belongs to Stefan.† â€Å"Well – we belong to each other,† Elena temporized. â€Å"Of course you do,† said Damon. â€Å"One body, one heart, one soul.† For a moment there was something there – an expression inside the Ray-Bans, she thought, that was murderous. Instantly, though, Damon's tone changed to an expressionless murmur. â€Å"But then, why areyou two here?† His head, turning to follow Matt's movement, moved like a predator tracking prey. There was something more disquieting than usual about his attitude. â€Å"We saw something red,† Matt said before Elena could stop him. â€Å"Something like what I saw when I had that accident.† Prickles were now running up and down Elena's arms. Somehow she wished Matt hadn't said that. In this dim, quiet clearing in the evergreen grove, she was suddenly very much afraid. Stretching her new senses to their utmost – until she could feel them distending like a gossamer garment pushed thin all around her, she felt the wrongness there, too, and felt it pass out of the reach of her mind. At the same time she felt birds go quiet all that long distance away. What was most disturbing was to turn just then, just as the birdsong stopped, and find Damon turning at the same instant to look at her. The sunglasses kept her from knowing what he was thinking. The rest of his face was a mask. Stefan, she thought helplessly, longingly. How could he have left her – with this? With no warning, no idea of his destination, no way of ever contacting him again†¦It might have made sense to him, with his desperate desire not to make her into something he loathed in himself. But to leave her with Damon in this mood, and all of her previous powers gone – Your own fault, she thought, cutting short the flood of self-pity. You were the one who harped on brotherhood. You were the one who convinced him Damon was to be trusted. Now you deal with the consequences. â€Å"Damon,† she said, â€Å"I've been looking foryou . I wanted to ask you – about Stefan. You do know that he's left me.† â€Å"Of course. I believe the saying goes, for your own good. He left me to be your bodyguard.† â€Å"Then you saw him two nights ago?† â€Å"Of course.† And – of course – you didn't try to stop him. Things couldn't have turned out better for you, Elena thought. She had never wished more for the abilities she'd had as a spirit, not even when she'd realized Stefan was really gone and beyond her all-too-human reach. â€Å"Well, I'm not just letting him leave me,† she said flatly, â€Å"for my own good or for any other reason. I'm going to follow him – but first I need to know where he might have gone.† â€Å"You're askingme ?† â€Å"Yes. Please. Damon, I have to find him. I need him. I – † She was starting to choke up, and she had to be stern with herself. But just then she realized that Matt was whispering very softly to her. â€Å"Elena, stop. I think we're just making him mad. Look at the sky.† Elena felt it herself. The circle of trees seemed to be leaning in all around them, darker than before, menacing. Elena tilted her chin slowly, looking up. Directly above them, gray clouds were pooling, piling in on themselves, cirrus overwhelmed by cumulus, turning to thunderheads – centered exactly over the spot where they stood. On the ground, small whirlwinds began to form, lifting handfuls of pine needles and fresh green summer leaves off saplings. She had never seen anything like it before, and it filled the clearing with a sweet but sensuous smell, redolent of exotic oils and long, dark winter nights. Looking at Damon, then, as the whirlwinds lifted higher and the sweet scent encircled her, resinous and aromatic, closing in until she knew it was soaking into her clothes and being impressed into her very flesh, she knew she had overstepped herself. She couldn't protect Matt. Stefan told me to trust Damon in his note in my diary. Stefan knows more about him than I do, she thought desperately. But we both know what Damon wants, ultimately. What he's always wanted. Me. My blood†¦ â€Å"Damon,† she began softly – and broke off. Without looking at her, he held out a hand with the palm toward her. Wait. â€Å"There's something I have to do,† he murmured. He bent down, every movement as unconsciously and economically graceful as a panther's, and picked up a small broken branch of what looked like ordinary Virginia pine. He waved it slightly, appraisingly, hefting it in his hand as if to feel weight and balance. It looked more like a fan than a branch. Elena was now looking at Matt, trying with her eyes to tell him all the things she was feeling, foremost of which was that she was sorry: sorry that she had gotten him into this; sorry that she'd ever cared for him; sorry that she'd kept him bound into a group of friends who were so intimately intertwined with the supernatural. Now I know a little bit of what Bonnie must have felt this last year, she thought, being able to see and predict things without having the slightest power to stop them. Matt, jerking his head, was already moving stealthily toward the trees. No, Matt.No .No! He didn't understand. Neither did she, except to feel that the trees were only keeping their distance because of Damon's presence here. If she and Matt were to venture into the forest; if they left the clearing or even stayed in it too long†¦Matt could see the fear on her face, and his own face reflected grim understanding. They were trapped. Unless – â€Å"Too late,† Damon said sharply. â€Å"I told you, there's something I have to do.† He had apparently found the stick he was looking for. Now he raised it, shook it slightly, and brought it down in a single motion; slashing sideways as he did. And Matt convulsed in agony. It was a kind of pain he had never dreamed of before: pain that seemed to come frominside himself, but from everywhere, every organ in his body, every muscle, every nerve, every bone, releasing a different type of pain. His muscles ached and cramped as if they were strained to their ultimate flexion, but were being forced to flex farther still. Inside, his organs were on fire. Knives were at work in his belly. His bones felt the way his arm had when he had shattered it once, when he was nine years old and a car had broadsided his dad's. And his nerves – if there was a switch on nerves that could be set from â€Å"pleasure† to â€Å"pain† – his had been set to â€Å"anguish.† The touch of clothes on his skin was unbearable. The currents of air passing were agony. He endured fifteen seconds of it and passed out. â€Å"Matt!† For her part, Elena had been frozen, her muscles locked, unable to move for what seemed like forever. Suddenly released, she ran to Matt, pulled him up into her lap, stared into his face. Then she looked up. â€Å"Damon,why ? Why?† Suddenly she realized that although Matt wasn't conscious, he was still writhing in pain. She had to keep herself from screaming the words, to only speak forcefully. â€Å"Why are youdoing this? Damon!Stop it .† She stared up at the young man dressed all in black: black jeans with a black belt, black boots, black leather jacket, black hair, and those damned Ray-Bans. â€Å"I told you,† Damon said casually. â€Å"It's something I need to do. To watch. Painful death.† â€Å"Death!†Elena stared at Damon in disbelief. And then she began gathering all her Power, in a way that had been so easy and instinctual just days ago while she had been mute and not subject to gravity, and that was so difficult and so foreign right now. With determination, she said, â€Å"If you don't let him go – now – I'll hit you with everything I've got.† He laughed. She'd never seen Damon really laugh before, not like this. â€Å"And you expect that I'll even notice your tiny Power?† â€Å"Notthat tiny.† Elena weighed it grimly. It was no more than the intrinsic Power of any human being – the Power that vampires took from humans along with the blood they drank – but since becoming a spirit, she knew how to use it. How to attack with it. â€Å"I think you'll feel it, Damon. Let him go – NOW!† â€Å"Why do people always assume that volume will succeed when logic won't?† Damon murmured. Elena let him have it. Or at least she prepared to. She took the deep breath necessary, held her inner self still, and imagined herself holding a ball of white fire, and then – Matt was on his feet. He looked as if he'd beendragged to his feet and was being held there like a puppet, and his eyes were involuntarily watering, but it was better than Matt writhing on the ground. â€Å"You owe me,† Damon said to Elena casually. â€Å"I'll collect later.† To Matt he said, in the tones of a fond uncle, with one of those instantaneous smiles that you could never be quite sure you saw, â€Å"Lucky for me that you're a hardy specimen, isn't it?† â€Å"Damon.† Elena had seen Damon in hislet's-play-with-weaker-creatures mood, and it was the one she liked least. But there was something off today; something she couldn't understand. â€Å"Let's get down to it,† she said, while the hairs on her arms and the back of her neck rose again. â€Å"What do youreally want?† But he didn't give the answer she expected. â€Å"I was officially appointed as your caretaker. I'm officially taking care of you. And for one thing, I don't think you should be without my protection and companionship while my little brother is gone.† â€Å"I can handle myself,† Elena said flatly, waving a hand so they could get down to the real issue. â€Å"You're a very pretty girl. Dangerous and† – flash smile – â€Å"unsavory elements could be after you. I insist you have a bodyguard.† â€Å"Damon, right now the thing I need most is to be protected fromyou . You know that. What is this really about?† The clearing was†¦pulsing. Almost as if it were something organic, breathing. Elena had the feeling that beneath her feet – beneath Meredith's old, rugged hiking boots – the ground was moving slightly, like a great sleeping animal, and the trees were like a beating heart. For what? The forest? There was more dead wood than live here. And she could swear that she knew Damon well enough to know that he didn't like trees or woods. It was at times like this that Elena wished she still had wings. Wings and the knowledge – the hand motions, the Words of White Power, the white fire inside her that would allow her to know the truth without trying to figure it out, or to simply blast annoyances back to Stonehenge. It seemed that all she'd been left with was being a greater temptation to vampires than ever, and her wits. Wits had worked up until now. Maybe if she didn't let Damon know how afraid she was, she could win a stay of execution for them. â€Å"Damon, I thank you for being concerned about me. Now would you mind leaving Matt and me for a moment so that I can tell if he's still breathing?† From inside the Ray-Bans, she thought she could discern a single flash of red. â€Å"Somehow I thought you might say that,† Damon said. â€Å"And, of course, it's your right to have consolation after being so treacherously abandoned. Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, for example.† Elena wanted to swear. Carefully, she answered, â€Å"Damon, if Stefan appointed you as my bodyguard, then he hardly  ¡Ã‚ ®treacherously abandoned' me, did he? You can't have it both – â€Å" â€Å"Just indulge me in one thing, all right?† Damon said in the voice of one whose next words are going to beBe careful orDon't do anything I wouldn't do . There was silence. The dust devils had stopped whirling. The smell of sun-warmed pine needles and pine resin in this dim place was making her languid, dizzy. The ground was warm, too, and the pine needles were all aligned, as if the slumbering animal had pine needles for fur. Elena watched dust motes turn and sparkle like opals in the golden sunlight. She knew she wasn't at her best right now; not her sharpest. Finally, when she was sure her voice would be steady, she asked, â€Å"What do you want?† â€Å"A kiss.†

How Are Syariah Laws Being Currently Applied in Malaysia Essay

Islam had been established in Malaya by the 14th century. Malacca, one of the Malay States in Malaya, emerged as a Muslim Kingdom under Sultan Iskandar Syah and his successors. By the early 15th century, it had become a power of great importance in South East Asia. This brought an end to the political control and cultural influence of the Hindu and Buddhist powers over the Malay Peninsula. This brought an end to the political control and cultural influence of the Hindu and Buddhist powers over the Malay Peninsula. Malay society and its laws were influences by thought and ideas from various Muslim countries. This because Islam itself came to this region from different countries, namely the Arab countries, India and even China. The law used in Malacca was Muslim law together with Malay customary law. Malay customary law may also referred as to as Adat Melayu. In 1511, Malacca was conquered by the Portuguese. However, it’s difficult to provide a satisfactory account of the legal development during that period. Although Malay customary law was preserved under Portuguese rule and later by the Dutch, during their conquest of Malacca in 1641, it was ultimately replaced by English law during the British colonization of Malaya beginning from 1786. Evidences and traces of Islamic legal thought and institutions are present in Malay law. Terminology and ideas from the Islamic legal system found their way into the numerous treatises on traditional Malay law. They are found in the Melaka Digest (Undang-undang Melaka or Risalah Hukum Kanun of 1523) and the Pahang Digest of 1596 with a later supplement, and in the Kedah Digest dated 1606 containing port rules. Further evidence is found in the 18th century, 99 Laws of Perak and in the Johor Digest of 1789. Finally the orthodox Muslim works of the Shafiee School of Islamic Law, such as the treatises on the law of marriage, divorce and legitimacy of children were translated in Malay. The Majalah al-Ahkam al- Adliyyah (The Mejelle), a set of Muslim civil laws of the Ottoman Empire, was also translated into Malay and recognized as the law to be followed by the Johor courts in 1914. Islamic law, being an imported law, evolved through a period of 6 centuries of development. Its impact on the country’s legal system was far reaching, even until the early part of the present century. This is well illustrated in the case of Laton v Ramah, where the Court of Appeal held that Islamic law in Peninsular Malaya was not foreign law but local law, the law of the land which every court must take judicial notice. But during the post British colonial period, Islamic law has been reduced in importance and its significance has further declined after the independence. The ninth Schedule of the Federal Constitution, Legislature Lists (List II- State List) states: ‘The Islamic Law is under state authority. Each state enacts its own enactment with jurisdiction over it. Every state has its own Council of Islamic Religion and Malay Custom and the Kadis Courts. These courts have limited jurisdiction on persons professing the Islamic religion, and only included in this list, but shall not have jurisdiction in respect of offences except insofar as centred by Federal Law’. The Muslim Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction ) Act 1965 [No. 23 of 1965] provides that the jurisdiction of the Shariah Courts : ‘ Shall not be exercised in respect of any offence punishable with imprisonment for a term exceeding 6 month or with any fine exceeding one thousand dollars or with both’. It’s been a questioned among the people about the application of Hudud law in Malaysia since there are different types of religious and beliefs the nations uphold. Many people agreed with the implementation whereas some disagreed with the issue. Basically, Hudud is the most severe and strict Islamic law for resorting to punish those offenders through physical means. The provisions of the Hudud law cause Malays feared the law and they are not ready for the implementation of Hudud laws as there are lack of understanding on the need of a proper model on the Islamic criminal law. According to Professor Dr. Mahmood Zuhdi Abdul Majid of IIUM, he said ‘If we do not politicize it, we Malays are definitely ready to implement hudud in Malaysia, but if we were look at Hudud as a political issue, then it becomes a problem’, He also stated that criminal laws should be imposed on all citizens because Islam does not discriminate on whether you are a Muslim or a non-Muslim. Besides, PAS had decided that it will seek constitutional amendment in the Parliament to apply the Hudud law once the Pakatan take over the federal administration. According to our Former President, Dr. Mahathir Mohammad, had stated his dissatisfaction on the implementation of Hudud laws in Malaysia which will create an injustice judiciary system. For an instance, a Muslim who committed an offence will be punished according to Hudud law, which is a severe punishment whereas the non-Muslims who committed the same offence will be punished according to civil law which is much lineal. He also commented that there is nothing mentions in the Quran about the severe punishments and he urged Muslims to follow the primary sources of Islam, Quran instead of the Sunnah or Hadith which are basically those interpretations of the Quran. Furthermore, Nibong Tebal MP, Tan Tee Beng said Kita president, Zaid Ibrahim confessed that non-Muslims can be punished under the Hudud criminal code enactments. He added that Shari’ah laws that being practiced in Malaysia are based on civil and family legislation, which governs individual Muslim matters. The issue is controversy as Hudud law can be applied if the Federal Constitution amended which requires majority votes from the members of Parliament. Based on UMNO Minister, Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom view, he stated that Hudud Law will never give any impact on Non-Muslims. The government is alert that there are distinctions of views and thoughts on this issue among Islamic scholars and jurists and a research need to be done before the Hudud law implemented in Malaysia, so that the penal code is fair to all, complies with Allah’s conditions and is in accord with the Malaysia legal system. He also added that if Hudud law is to be applied in Malaysia, the Syari’ah Court would only have jurisdiction over those who practice Islam in accord with the Federal Constitution, the Supreme law of the Federation. Though the issue on the application of Hudud law in Malaysia is indecisive stage, the application of Shari’ah law does not lose its position. The Islamic law that is in force in Malaysia totally is not genuine Islamic law but may have been influenced by written laws judicial decisions and customary law. For an instance, the written laws, especially, those enacted before independence, may reject Islamic law. Thus in Ainan v Syed Abu Bakar, it was held that the legitimacy of a child should be determined by the Evidence Enactment (F. M. S. ) and not accordance with Islamic law.

buy custom Paul’s Case Tragic Ending essay

buy custom Paul’s Case Tragic Ending essay Pauls Case is one of the short stories written by Willa Cather. Essentially, it is about a young man, sixteen years of age, best described as an alien as a result of being motherless. The alienation actually sent Paul out to go and look for some aesthetics given their absence from his yellow wallpaper. This made him feel more detached. Through Cather, we are able to see clearly that Paul has no interest in school and instead has shifted his interest to working in Carnegie Hall. He is driven by his otherwise strong dream of having a luxurious lifestyle while living in the New York City. In responding to this somehow desperation, Paul avoided his situation by surrounding himself with music aesthetics and with the rich and wealthy people. In reality, Paul developed complete disinterest in school, and this major change is attributable to the alienation and isolation he succumbed to in his later life. This disinterest in school is seen on one occasion when Paul was at the chalkboard and his English teacher stepped to his side and attempted to guide his hand (Cather 1). Surprisingly, when he was touched by the teacher in order to be directed, Paul made quick backward steps and placed his hands at his back showing that he was not interested. Such disinterests are also reflected in other classes where he is reported to be mostly looking outside through the windows when lectures are on session making him to give little or no attention to what the teacher said. Growing without a motherly love and care, Paul is un accustomed to any affection or some care from his teachers tha t otherwise his mother would give to him (Rosowski, 27). An interrogation of Pauls Case brings him out as the major protagonist, the round character that exhibits not only different personalities but also shows unique feelings to different situations. In the beginning of the story where he shows what could be described as careless attitude towards being re-admitted to school after the expiry of his suspension. "His teachers felt this afternoon that his whole attitude was symbolized by his shrug of his shoulders" (Cather, 1). Paul indeed showed such disobedient actions on various occasions that re-affirmed his careless character and worsened his alienation. The writer portrays Paul as a different and a unique character throughout the story. It is inherent from the beginning through to the end. Upon returning to school, he went straight to Carnegie Hall where he worked as an usher at the theater location. It is here as Cather says that Paul changed his attitude becoming more enthusiastic as compared to what he was at the meetingthereby making him be regarded as a model usher (Cather 2). In essence, this reveals that Paul do not stand to be regarded as an ignorant character, but rather that the joy he derives from his job makes him to be regarded by many within the vicinity as a model to be emulated by other ushers. In literature, the arrogance displayed by Paul was meant to make the story more psychotic than it really was. Cather shows different personalities of Paul which makes him to be a static character and personality in the story. Critic David, for instance, documents that Pauls Case occurs in a mossy Pittsburg and glamorous New York which outlines Pauls two different fronts. After being late for his curfew, Paul ends sneaking and hiding in the basement where he ends up spending the rest of the night before coming to his senses and realizing that his father mistakenly might confuse him for a burglar or his father walking down stairs holding pistol in his hand on suspicion that there is a stranger in the house. And on reaching he found Paul which scared and infuriated him. Such actions by Paul made the story more interesting as it revealed his psychotic aspect, where he day dreams, thinking of the most ambiguous and unusual things that he could not attain at that particular moment (David, 34 and Woodress, 45). Very interesting themes have also be deduced from the story. Such themes are found to navigate mostly around the character of Paul. Some of the basic questions that could be asked to help understand Paul may include; is he corrupt morally? Should he be responsible for his actions or should American values and dreams be blamed for his actions. In light of these questions, themes that are found to be synonymous with the story include; the American dream, choices and consequences, deception, beauty, alienation, and limitation and opportunities. The American Dream stood to be a major theme in the story. For instance, Pauls father and the rest of the members of Cordelia Street which is an enviable and respectable middle class group attach strong values on hard work, family and the church all of which Paul strived to ignore. And on their free time, people in this neighborhood would sit down in groups exchanging exciting stories about the merchants or industrial heads that worked hard from poverty and changed their situation to being wealthy. Interestingly, Paul also is bound by the same fate as other members of Cordelia Street; that is one time be a rich person so that he too can have a taste of the good rich life. Although he does push through with this dream and manages to have the leisure he always wanted, he attains it not throughh hard work but through immoral ways and enjoys it only for a short a time, actually for just one week. As regard deception, this is what makes him to realize his dream however short it was. At home, Paul exhibit this theme by propelling lies to his fathe r about his trips to the theater and his so called tall tails at school actually defines the life he wants to have in New York City. In New York City, he extends his deception by actually pretending that he is a rich boy probably from a rich family from Washington who has come to New York to await his globe-trotting parents (David, 32). Beauty is another theme expressed in the story. For Paul , beauty is what defines and makes his life and is only attainable in illusion. Paul is very relaxed and lively and above all very comfortable when in art galleries, theater, symphony and opera. In fact, when he is quietly listening to operas, he ends up losing himself. In deed Paul assumes art to be his religion. Cather affirms this when he describes the art as his sacred temple. Alienation is just but another theme. Paul is estranged in his vehement dreams of beauty and glamour. His alienation is well reflected when he experienced total discomfort from among the people he should be happy with. Related to alienation is the theme of limitations and opportunities. His alienation is majorly seen as a product of the limitations that he faces and which prohibit him from enjoying his life to the fullest. His father for instance pays much attention to the business world and strongly opposes the strong desire that Paul is trying to get himself involved into, and in fact he only allowed Paul to work as an usher in order for him to earn some little money as a young person, something he actually believed in (Bloom, 77). Throughout the entire story, the author employed a style that stood out as unique. The author employs a distinct style of writing that brings out the complexity of the story in general. For instance, Paul bounded upstairs scrubbed the greasy odor of the dish water from his hands with ill smelling soap he hated (Cather, 4). This alone is enough to give the reader a distinct picture of the unique style used by Cather to outlay deep visualization of the story. Also important to note is that through out the story, Cather displayed a rich repository of her writing prowess and ability not leaving syntax manipulation which she is fond of in many of her writings. He rose and moved about with a painful effort, succumbing now and again to attack nausea, this interesting passage alone is enough to give a clear picture of how Cather navigated with syntax structures throughout the story (Arnold, 25). Buy custom Paul’s Case Tragic Ending essay

Chemistry Lab Report Essay Example

Chemistry Lab Report Essay Example Chemistry Lab Report Paper Chemistry Lab Report Paper Initial hypothesis: A 1 Ox eluted potassium dichloride solution have an expected spectrophotometer reading of 1. 000 while a xx diluted potassium dichloride solution have an expected spectrophotometer reading of 0. 200. The result we obtained correlates strongly to the hypothesis, albeit with a spectrophotometer reading error reaching as high as +0. 07 which is still in the acceptable range. We obtained 1. 066 spectrophotometer reading for our xx diluted potassium dichloride solution and 0. 224 spectrophotometer reading for our xx diluted potassium dichloride solution. Questions: . What is the magnitude of parallax error indicated on each piece of volumetric glassware? If the mark on the volumetric is exceeded, is it considered parallax error? The magnitude of parallax error indicated on each piece of volumetric glassware is low because volumetric glassware are made to measure volume of liquid very accurately with a given marker. If the mark on the volumetric is exceeded, it is be considered parallax error due to the position of eyes and the angle towards the mark on the glassware of the users. Parallax error means using he instrument is incorrectly but still gets error which are not the true value. [5] 2. Calculate the percent error when u fill the moll volumetric flask to the mark and add another Mil to cause the meniscus to exceed the mark. Should you discard your solution if u accidental exceeded the mark by 0. CM? Percentage value-ObservedExpectedx100 Percentage XIII Percentage error -0. 2% No, we shouldnt, as referred to reference 4, Volumetric glassware are only accurate when they are at their calibration temperature. Hence temperate affects the accuracy of the volumetric flask. Based on the percentage error, Mil is not equal to LLC where it shows slightly inaccuracy of the volumetric flask. Volumetric flask normally works accurately under ICC. [4] 3. Are beakers, conical flask and laboratory bottles with volume markings considered volumetric glassware? Why? No, because volumetric glassware are specialized pieces of glassware which are used to measure volumes of liquids very precisely and accurately in laboratory works.

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

Railroad - Essay Example By the early 1850's the Harlem Line had revenues of one million dollars a year and transported nearly three million passengers at a fare of two and a half cents per mile (Drury 54-57, 61). In 1853, the New York Central Railroad was organized to consolidate 10 railroads that paralleled the Erie Canal between Albany and Buffalo. Cornelius Vanderbilt won control of the New York Central in 1867 and combined it with his New York and Hudson railroads running from Manhattan to Albany. The railroad helped boost population and travel to this region. The freight trains carried mainly iron ore, animals, and dairy products. Dairy, lumber, mining, and circus businesses in Putnam County benefited from the new mode of transportation. Trains helped carry heavy material for these businesses including both raw and processed materials. The railroad also dispersed large quantities of material that could not be used locally. Initially, farmers were against the development of the railroad as the train tracks frequently ran through their property.

Contemporary Developments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Contemporary Developments - Essay Example Some of the competitors of Cafà © Coffee day are Barista, Cafà © Mocha and Costa Coffee. India is a growing economy and has shown stability over the past decades in terms of economic growth. The GDP (gross domestic product) of 6% has been maintained in the past ten years and India has become the fourth largest economy in the world (Government of India, 2005). Along with having increased the per capita income of a large number of its people, especially the middle classes, India now has a vast middle class with large amount of disposable income (Aguilar, 2006). This makes the country a choice for consumer product producers and retailers. AT Kearneys annual Global Retail Development Index (A.T. Kearney, 2008) lists India at the top and the country is hailed as the 5th largest retail investment destination (with expected growth of investments to US$ 427 billion by 2010 and US$ 637 billion by 2015) (A.T. Kearney, 2008). It also has the largest number of retail outlets at 12 million, out of which 5 million retailers cater for the food and beverage requirements (India Brand Equity Foundation, 2008). In addition to the proliferation of the retail business in urban India, there is tremendous potential provided by the smaller towns and cities. A very large section of the Indian masses reside in the semi-urban regions that border the metros as well as in the villages. These people are as yet not introduced to the retail boom that urban India is experiencing, and offer a large market that can be tapped. According to Brand Equity Survey, the there investment through franchising in rural India is expected to double by 2010 (India Brand Equity Foundation, 2008). The indigenous coffee organizations however face increased competition from foreign brands and retailers who are getting a stronghold in India. India started its economic reforms in 1991 and deregulated economy that led to an influx of foreign