Customer Service and Class Discussion

MAR1011 WK8 HOMWRK Class Discussion (30 points) This week's discussion focuses retail distribution strategies. You will have the opportunity to analyze traditional and non-traditional retail strategies. Please respond to the following prompt in the class discussion section of your online course: 1. How would you classify Wal-Mart in terms of position on the wheel of retailing versus that of an off-price retailer? Individual Work (35 points) The following assignment allows you to analyze the Mall of America.You will have the opportunity to develop strategies designed to assist the Mall of America in acquiring new customers. Please read the â€Å"Mall of America Shopping and a Whole Lot More† case study (pages 313-315). After reading the case, please answer the following questions: 1. Why has the Mall of America been such a marketing success so far? 2. What specific marketing actions would you propose that Mall of America managers take to ensure its continuing success in attract ing visitors (a) from the local metropolitan area and (b) from outside it? 3. Your assignment should be at least 1-2 pages in length.Quiz (40 points) This quiz will consist of questions taken from Chapters 12-13. The quiz will contain 20 multiple choice and/or True or False questions. This quiz covers the following material: †¢In Marketing: The Core read: oChapter 12, â€Å"Managing Marketing Channels and Supply Chains,† pages 271-294. oChapter 13, â€Å"Retailing and Wholesaling,† pages 295-316. MAR2305-14 Class Discussion (35 points) It is important to understand the sources of customer satisfaction in order to address the issue effectively. Lucas provides strategies to identify communication breakdowns.Please review Chapter 7 in Customer Service Skills for Success, and discuss all the following questions: †¢What is your definition of a dissatisfied customer? †¢What are the sources of customer dissatisfaction? †¢What can service providers do to pr event and deal with dissatisfied customers? Individual Work (40 points) Service breakdowns can occur unexpectedly and need to be handled promptly. Complete the â€Å"Handling Service Breakdown at AAA Landscaping† case study on page 248 of your textbook. Please answer questions 1-4. Each answer should be a minimum of one paragraph. The total minimum document length should be 300 words.

Academic Success A By Product Of Environmental Factors Education Essay

AbstractionThe research inquiry of this essay is, ‘To What Extent is Academic Success a By-product of Environmental Factors? ‘ I investigated this inquiry by researching the consequence that environmental factors have on academic success. This was so moderated by assorted other possible factors, including cognitive and biological 1s. I evaluated my findings by weighing out the significance of each factor and the value of the back uping surveies. Upon finishing the research it was found motive was a really important factor act uponing academic success, non merely because the surveies described were dependable and gave strong support, but besides because motive linked with the other factors excessively, for illustration, it showed up in equal webs and rearing. This brought me to the decision that motive was the most dominant factor impacting academic success. After motive, I evaluated that environmental factors were the following most influential factors, followed by intell igence. It was besides noted that the factors did n't lie on separate continuums and could be combined to increase academic success. Furthermore, the factors should be researched more jointly in future research to measure the research inquiry, instead than look intoing each individually.IntroductionMuch research has gone into instruction in psychological science, peculiarly the factors act uponing academic success. However, non adequate research has focused on finding which factors are the most influential. Such factors may include environmental influences ; such as equal webs, parents, instructors and socioeconomic position, cognitive influences such as motive, and biological influences such as intelligence. The chief failing of the bing research on factors impacting academic success is the focal point on merely one factor, and the deficiency of comparing to other factors. One such illustration is the experiment conducted by Kruse ( 1996 ) , where the influence of socioeconomic position ( SES ) on academic accomplishment was investigated by comparing grade norms of pupils from different income groups. Results showed an undistinguished difference between the groups, nevertheless research cited in Kruse ‘s reappraisal of literature suggested otherwise. Despite the usage of this survey to find the consequence of SES on academic accomplishment, it does non assist to find how influential SES compared to other factors. However, one strength of the bing research is the copiousness and dependability of it. As it is a popular country of research due to its pertinence to instruction, the informations and decisions made can be considered extremely dependable. The chief subject of this essay is factors impacting academic success, but more exactly, the research inquiry is ‘To What Extent is Academic Success a By-product of Environmental Factors? ‘ The footings ‘Academic Success ‘ and ‘Environmental Factors ‘ should be defined ; Academic success is the high accomplishment and public presentation in academic topics most frequently measured in footings of standardised tonss or mean classs in research, and Environmental Factors include peer webs, parents, instructors and socioeconomic position. Both footings will be defined in more item in the reappraisal of literature. Reappraisal of LiteratureAcademic SuccessThe primary intent of schools is seen as fixing pupils to go knowing, responsible, and caring citizens ( Payton et al. , 2000 ; Zins, Elias, Greenberg, & A ; Weissberg, 2000 ) . This is consistent with Combs ( 1986 ) who argued that schools are concerned with making the sorts of experiences that develop productive, healthy people. Fullan argued that the intent of instruction is to construct larning communities- communities that conveying moral intent back into instruction and reconnect instructors with their cardinal intent of doing a difference in immature people ‘s lives ( 2000 ) . Clearly, instruction is about more than merely accomplishing in tests, it is about developing emotionally and socially, and fixing for life beyond school. However, for the intent of this essay a remarkable less nuanced position of instruction: Education ‘s intent is to cultivate high-achieving pupils. Such a narrow focal point has restrictions but it w ill let the subject to be explored within the word bound. Therefore, person who achieves academic success is person who performs good in academics/education. Academic success is the high accomplishment and public presentation in academic topics. Achievement and public presentation is measured through tonss on tests, trials and Grade Point Averages ( GPAs ) . Examples include the International Baccalaureate, the A-Levels and Scholastic Aptitude Tests ( SATs ) . These accomplishment and aptitude trials step cognition and apprehension of a course of study. Students who are non intelligent are still able to accomplish extremely in these tests as there is a whole scope of factors impacting public presentation. The undermentioned subdivisions will discourse factors impacting academic success.Environmental Influencesa ) Socioeconomic positionToday many definitions of socioeconomic position ( SES ) include the thought of capital ( resources, assets ) ( Bradley & A ; Corwyn, 2002 ) . Capital includes fiscal and material resources ( income, assets ) , human or immaterial resources ( e.g. , parental instruction ) , and societal resources ( those obtained through societal webs and connexions ) ( Putnam, 2000 ) . Intuitively, SES seems to be really influential for a kid ‘s motive and academic success. Children from non-low income households have the benefit of interacting with parents of higher educational accomplishment and concern success of some degree. Kruse ( 1996 ) argued that this environment can actuate pupils to endeavor for success and are hence more motivated in this respect. The nexus between household SES and a kid ‘s academic accomplishment is good established ( Meece, 2002 ) . Child from lower socioeconomic backgrounds typically display lower academic accomplishment and are at greater hazard of school failure and dropout ( Borkowski & A ; Thorpe, 1994 ) ; but low SES does non do low accomplishment, instead it is associated with it. In a survey conducted by Kruse ( 1996 ) , to find so if pupils from low socioeconomic environments have lower academic accomplishment compared to the academic accomplishment of pupils from higher socioeconomic environments, research cited in the reappraisal of literature provinces that there is an achievement spread between low income and non-low income pupils ( Yellin & A ; Koetting, 1991 ) . Kruse used a sample of 66 6th-grade scientific discipline pupils at Travis Middle School in Texas. Students were divided into a low income group and a non-low income group. Midterm and concluding grade-averages were determined from each group. The midterm and concluding mean tonss for the non-low income pupils were 86.72 and 88.17. The average tonss for the low income pupils were 76.70 and 80.11. Kruse concluded that there was no important difference in academic accomplishment between pupils from low income environments and those from non-low income environments. However, grounds for the differ ing decisions between Kruse ‘s and the psychologists cited in the literature reappraisal may be Kruse used a little sample of 66 pupils. A larger sample would be necessary to do generalisations to a larger population. Kruse limited academic accomplishment to science norms for two tests. Academic accomplishment could be measured by including all nucleus topics. Besides, the rating clip period should be increased from one academic twelvemonth to several. Kruse and Yellin & A ; Koetting clearly had opposing decisions as to whether socioeconomic position influences academic accomplishment, supplying an unsure overall decision.B ) Peer websAn increasing sum of research has examined the function of equal webs. A equal web is a big group of equals with whom pupils associate. Students in equal webs tend to be extremely similar to each other ( Cairns, Cairns, & A ; Neckerman, 1989 ) , which enhances the likeliness of influence by patterning. Sage and Kindermann ( 1999 ) found that equa l groups tended to back up or disapprove of equals ‘ behaviors depending on whether the behaviors were consistent with group norms. Students with higher academic motive and accomplishment tended to be members of groups more motivated for faculty members and they received group blessing for positive academic behavior. Students who were in academically motivated groups were extrinsically motivated because when academic success was achieved, the group ‘s blessing acted as a wages. Students with lower motive and accomplishment were likely to be members of less motivated groups ; their blessing for positive behaviors chiefly came from instructors. These pupils were less motivated to execute good because it could take to ejection from the group. They concluded that equal webs played a important and direct function in impacting academic success. A survey back uping equal webs being an influence on academic success is that of Steinberg et Al. ( 1996 ) , who tracked pupils over 3 old ages, from 9th class to the terminal of 11th class. They determined whether pupils who entered high school tantamount academically ( classs ) , but who joined different equal webs, remained stable academically. Consequences suggested that the equal web with which a pupil associates is really of import in academic public presentation and delinquency. Children in higher academically orientated groups achieved higher classs during high school compared to those in lower academically orientated crowds. It is clear from both surveies that being in a extremely motivated and academically orientated equal web can take to greater academic success, and the reverse for a less motivated and academic equal web.degree Celsius ) ParentsThere is a great trade of grounds back uping the hypothesis that the quality of a kid ‘s early acquisition in the place environment relates positively to the development of intelligence ( Meece, 2002 ; Senechal & A ; Lefevre, 2002 ) , and parental engagement in schooling besides predicts academic accomplishment ( Englund, Luckner, Whaley, & A ; Egeland, 2004 ) . Gottfried, Fleming, and Gottfried ( 1998 ) conducted a longitudinal survey analyzing the function of cognitive stimulation in the place environment on kids ‘s academic accomplishment. Home environment was measured by household treatments, attending at cultural events, importance of reading, and household involvement in art, music and literature. This was recorded utilizing direct observation in the place every bit good as parental study. There were 107 kids take parting. Each participant ‘s development was examined across a wide array of spheres ( e.g. , cognitive, behavioral, academic ) . Home environment was assessed at age 8, and academic accomplishment at ages 9,10 and 13. Consequences found that a cognitively stimulating place environment is a important and positive forecaster of academic accomplishment. Supplying farther support, even when SES was controlled, place environment continued to positively predict subsequent academic accomplishment. The measuring of place environment through direct observation and parent studies provided ecologically valid informations. The findings were besides consistent with the organic structure of literature, farther heightening its cogency ; nevertheless it is for future research to find the generalisability of the findings for all populations. Rearing manners can besides do a difference in a kid ‘s academic motive, which leads to academic success. Achievement is enhanced when parents allow kids to hold input in determinations, province outlooks as suggestions, acknowledge kids ‘s feelings and demands, and supply kids with picks ( Dornbusch, Ritter, Liederman, Roberts, & A ; Fraleigh, 1987 ) . In contrast, rearing manners that are excessively controlling or excessively permissive can sabotage a kid ‘s motive and accomplishment. Overall, the research supports the theory that parental engagement and place environment can straight impact academic success, and indirectly through increasing motive therefore success.vitamin D ) TeachersThere have been many probes into how teaching patterns affect pupil motive. One such probe was carried out by Veldman and Brophy ( 1974 ) . The purpose of the survey was to find whether instructors influence pupil accomplishment. The participants included 275 female instructors for second- and third-grade participated. The instructor effectivity, schoolroom behavior, and personal features of the participants were measured. The pupils ‘ predicted public presentation on a post-test was based on a ) pretest, B ) student sex, degree Celsius ) twelvemonth of testing, and vitamin D ) instructor. Teacher effectivity was measured by the class norms their pupils achieved. In each comparing, one of these influences was omitted to find its part to the pupil ‘s success on the post- test. Results found that student sex made no important difference. There were systematic differences among the three old ages of proving ; nevertheless this was to be expected. The instructor variable caused a important addition in prognostic efficiency. Therefore, instructors did do a difference. Methodologically, the survey was sound as the instructor choice process eliminated new instructors and instructors who had late switched classs. Velman and Brophy ‘s ( 1974 ) survey contradicted the consequences from statements based on the Coleman Report ( Coleman, et al. , 1966 ) , which shared that schools do n't do a difference, instead the pupils do. However, they used the term schools instead than instructors. Schools are an inappropriate unit for analysis as the instructors vary in ability and dissemble the true quality of schooling. The schoolroom clime refers to the ambiance of the classroom- it ‘s societal, psychological, and emotional features ( Dunkin & A ; Biddle, 1974 ) . The schoolroom clime is of great importance as it relates to student accomplishment. Lewin, Lippitt, and White ( 1939 ) argue that different signifiers of leading affect accomplishment and behavior. They conducted a survey to back up their hypothesis ; grownup leaders supervised 10-year-old male childs as they worked on a group undertaking. The male childs were exposed to three different types of leading ; Autocratic-cold and harsh, took control and told the male childs what to make, presume full duty, and did non let the male childs to lend ; Democratic- worked with the male childs co-operatively, stimulated them about how to finish the undertaking, posed inquiries, encouraged suggestions ; Permissive- hands-off attack, minimum supervising, did non supply construction, suggestions or aid. Productivity was greatest with the autocrat ic and democratic manners. However, under the autocratic leader the male childs were dying, tense and submissive. The male childs preferred the democratic leading. The ambiance was group-orientated, concerted and friendly. Although the survey was non conducted in a school ; the consequences have clear schoolroom deductions: permissive leading creates pandemonium and an unproductive environment. Authoritarian leading leads to high productiveness but besides defeat and negative group atmosphere. Democratic leading leads to productiveness and a positive ambiance. Davis has suggested that one critical variable to this survey is the grade of emotional support or heat provided by the leader ( 2003 ) . Teachers who provide strong emotional support facilitate teacher-student relationships and pupil accomplishment. This concludes that instructors do act upon academic success, and is maximized with the usage of a democratic leading manner combined with heat and support.Biological InfluencesWhile the environment clearly influences academic success, there is besides much research look intoing how byproducts of genetic sciences, such as intelligence can impact success. The undermentioned definition of intelligence comes from â€Å" Mainstream Science on Intelligence † , which was signed by 52 intelligence research workers: A really general mental capableness that, among other things, involves the ability to ground, program, work out jobs, think abstractly, comprehend complex thoughts, learn rapidly and larn from experience. It is non simply book acquisition, a narrow academic accomplishment, or test-taking smarts. Rather, it reflects a broader capableness for groking our surroundings- † catching on † , â€Å" doing sense † of things, or â€Å" calculating out † what to make. ( Gottfredson, 1997 ) Abisamra ( 2000 ) conducted a survey, which aimed to find the relationship between intelligence, both emotional and academic intelligence, and academic accomplishment. The sample consisted of 500 11th graders from public and private schools in Alabama. Emotional intelligence was measured utilizing the EQ-i trial, academic intelligence was measured utilizing an IQ trial, and academic accomplishment was measured by ciphering a mean of all the classs of each pupil. The quantitative information was analyzed and a relationship was established, being that both emotional and academic intelligence were closely relative to academic success. One major defect in this survey is the usage of an IQ trial to mensurate academic intelligence ; IQ trials pose many jobs, such as the cultural prejudices. Therefore, the consequences may be somewhat inaccurate. From Abisamra ‘s experiment, it can be argued that intelligence, which is from a biological position genetically predisposed, plays a significant function in impacting academic success.Cognitive InfluencesAsides from biological influences based on the medical theoretical account, there is research into how knowledge plays a function on academic success, in peculiar, how motive influences it. There is much argument over the absolute definition of the term motive ; nevertheless for the intent of this essay one that captures the cardinal elements of motive will be used: ‘Motivation is the procedure whereby purposive activity is instigated and sustained ‘ ( Pintrich, Schunk, Meece, 2007 p.4 ) There are two types of motive ; intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic motive refers to the motive to prosecute in an action for its ain interest, without obvious external inducements. Intrinsically motivated pupils perform undertakings because they truly enjoy them ; they do n't trust on explicit or touchable wagess because take parting in the undertaking is in itself a wages. They may believe that what they are larning is important or they think that what they are making is of import. Lepper and Hodell ( 1989 ) place four chief beginnings of intrinsic motive: challenge, wonder, control, and phantasy. Activities that test the pupils ‘ accomplishments may be per se actuating ( Deci, 1975 ; Harter, 1978 ; White, 1959 ) . When ends are of intermediate trouble and success is non certain, attainment of disputing ends shows scholars that they are going more competent, which raises self-efficacy and perceived control over results. In bend, scholars are eager to put new, ambitious ends, k eeping the intrinsic motive. Intrinsic motive may besides originate from pupils who are piqued by activities that are surprising or incongruous with bing thoughts. Such incongruousnesss motivate pupils to seek information and decide the disagreement. Curious scholars who believe that the spread is come-at-able feel efficacious and motivated to pull off the spread and learn ( Berlyne, 1960 ) . Students who feel a sense of control over their acquisition and undertaking engagement besides may be per se motivated ( de Charms, 1968 ; Deci, 1980 ) . Leting pupils picks in activities and a function in set uping regulations and processs promotes perceptual experiences of control. Perceived control can excite a sense of self-efficacy for executing good ( Schunk, 1995 ) . Finally, intrinsic motive can be promoted with activities that involve scholars in phantasy and pretense through simulations and games that present them with state of affairss that are non really present ( Lepper & A ; Hodel l, 1989 ) . As shown in Figure 1, game like elements can add intending to what might otherwise be a deadening activity. ee.BMP Question for the bottom format: Player 1 drips ball from terminal to mid-court and passes ball to Player 2. Player 2 drips ball to where Player 3 is and passes it to Player 3, who shoots basket. Down what fraction of the tribunal did the participants dribble? Figure: Fractions are presented in traditional format ( top ) and game like format ( underside ) . Research shows that intrinsic motive for originative public presentation suffers when wagess are offered ( Eisenberger & A ; Armeli, 1997 ; Eisenberger, Armeli & A ; Pretz, 1998 ; Eisenberger & A ; Rhoades, 2001 ) , nevertheless Cameron and Pierce ( 1994 ) reviewed 96 experimental surveies on this subject and found that wagess did non diminish intrinsic motive. The lone negative consequence on intrinsic motive was found when wagess were given merely for working on a undertaking. The differing decisions may hold been due to the criticized conceptual and methodological evidences on Cameron and Pierce ‘s ( 1994 ) portion ( Deci et al. , 1999 ) . There are dissensions about how to utilize processs to sum up across diverse surveies and conceptual concerns such as the definition and measuring of intrinsic and extrinsic motive ( Sansone & A ; Harackiewicz, 2000 ) . Extrinsic motive refers to the motive to prosecute in an activity in order to achieve consequences such as wagess or teacher congratulations. Extrinsically motivated pupils execute undertakings merely because they believe that take parting will ensue in expressed wagess ( money or good classs ) or turning away of penalty. In footings of instruction, Condry & A ; Chamber ( 1978 ) criticize those who use wagess ( e.g. more free clip, stars ) to actuate pupils because such final payments are typically unrelated to the act of larning itself, and are likely to pull attending off from the benefits of larning. Consequently, many fear that larning will go a manner to acquire wagess, and when these wagess are no longer present, the motive to larn lessenings. It should besides be noted that intrinsic and extrinsic motive are non on one continuum, intrinsic being the highest and extrinsic the lowest. They should be thought of on separate continuums, for illustration person can be both extremely per se and extrinsically motivated on a undertaking, and it seems that this would be the most desirable combination ( Lepper, Corpus, & A ; Iyengar, 2005 ) .Motivation in EducationTherefore, it is clear that motive plays a really important function in instruction ; it can act upon what, when and how we learn ( Schunk, 1995 ) . Dennis, Phinney and Chuateco ( 2005 ) conducted a longitudinal survey aimed at look intoing the ways in which motivational features and environmental societal supported contribute to the academic results of college pupils. The survey consisted of 100 college pupils changing in cultural backgrounds, SES and motive. Data refering pupil motive was collected from the participants utilizing studies taken in the autumn and spring of their sophomore twelvemonth. The studies were piloted with freshers. GPAs and informations sing the participants SES were collected from the university records. Consequences found that motive to go to college based on personal involvement, rational wonder and the desire to achieve a successful calling were prognostic of college accommodation and committedness. Family outlook motive, nevertheless, was non significantly related to college results. There are restrictions to this survey. Most of the information was based on self study steps, which can take to inaccuracies due to participant dishonesty. The sample was comprised of cultural minorities ; hence, as is true with any survey, the findings can merely be interpreted to a certain extent. Genralisations to other cultural minority colleges or other cultural groups must be made with cautiousness. This survey suggested that although intrinsic motive is dependable forecaster of academic success, extrinsic motive is non a dependable forecaster. Another survey proposing the influence motive has on academic accomplishment is that of Busato et Al. ( 1999 ) . The purpose of the survey was to look into how rational ability, larning manner, personality and achievement motive relate to academic success. Learning manner was measured utilizing a questionnaire. The Big Five personality factors test measured personality. The â€Å" Prestatie-Motivatie-Test † measured achievement motive. A series of ability trials measured rational ability. Points are allocated to psychology pupils harmonizing to how much work they have completed, so academic success was measured by the sum of points gained at the terminal of each academic twelvemonth. In entire, 409 pupils participated and information was gathered in the first hebdomad of first-year twelvemonth through psychological trials. Harmonizing to the correlational analyses, achievement motive and rational ability were associated positively with academic success. This survey was ecologi cally valid due to its big sample size and clear measuring of variables. The two predating surveies have made it clear that while motive is a cardinal factor in accomplishing academic success, it must be noted that intrinsic motive plays a much greater function than extrinsic.EvaluationAfter holding completed the research, it has become evident that there is a assortment of influences on academic success runing from environmental factors to cognitive and biological. The environmental factors were comprised of SES, equal webs, instructors and rearing. Steinberg et Al. ( 1996 ) suggested that equal webs significantly influence academic accomplishment. Gottfried, Fleming, and Gottfried ( 1998 ) found that a stimulating place environment leads to greater success excessively. On the other manus, Kruse ( 1996 ) concluded that SES had no important affect on academic success ; nevertheless his survey offered several critical defects. Kruse cited Yellin & A ; Koetting ( 1991 ) , who found that SES did, in fact, have an consequence on academic success, go forthing this factor still questionable. Teacher influences were so investigated. Veldman and Brophy ( 1974 ) found that instructors had a strong influence on pupil success, despite research demoing otherwise. This contradictory research was discarded by Veldman and Brophy as weak because of its effort to analyze the consequence of the quality of schools instead than single instructors on academic success. Overall, environmental factors appeared to hold a great consequence on academic success. To chair the statement intelligence was explored and it was found that both emotional and academic intelligence play an of import function in doing academic success ( Abisamra, 2000 ) . Unfortunately, the survey had defects refering the method of measuring for the variables, offering perchance inaccurate consequences. However, it could be concluded that intelligence did hold an consequence on academic success. Finally, I went into deepness when researching motive as a factor. Dennis, Phinney and Chuateco ( 2005 ) suggested that although intrinsic motive is a dependable forecaster of academic success, extrinsic motive is non a dependable forecaster. This was supported by Busato et Al. ( 1999 ) , who illustrated that motive increases success. By and large, it appeared that environmental factors played the biggest function in impacting success chiefly due to the figure of classs within the subdivision. However, at a closer glimpse, it has become evident that motive intertwines with many of the discussed factors. For illustration, refering equal webs, Sage and Kindermann ( 1999 ) claimed that pupils with higher academic motive and accomplishment tended to be members of groups more motivated for faculty members. High academic motive and achievement appear hand-in-hand. Furthermore, Dornbusch, Ritter, Liederman, Roberts, & A ; Fraleigh ( 1987 ) suggested that rearing affects a kid ‘s motive, taking to academic success. It seems good established amongst psychologists that motive can take to academic success. Not merely does motive entwine amongst the other factors but it is besides a factor itself and the support for it is converting. For this ground, I think that motive is the most dominant factor act uponing academic success. It could besides be argued that SES influences academic success to a great extent, mostly due to the fact that it contains sub-topics within it, such as parenting and equal webs, all of which offer back uping grounds.DecisionIt has become clear that environmental factors influence academic success to a big extent, nevertheless it is non the most dominant factor ; motive is. The staying factors must non be discarded though, as they all provide research exemplifying them as factors impacting academic success. It is besides of import to observe that the factors can be combined and are non on separate continuums. Person can hold high intelligence but uneffective instructors and can still accomplish academically. Possible farther research could research the possibility to generalise the grounds cross culturally or would the decision be different for different civilizations.

Analysis Of To Kill A Mockingbird English Literature Essay

Analysis Of To Kill A Mockingbird English Literature Essay Miss Maudie uses her intelligence to give Scout wise advice. Scout learns many life lessons and matures using Miss Maudie’s insightful words. One evening, as Scout and Miss Maudie are sitting on her front porch, Miss Maudie teaches Scout an important lesson: â€Å"‘à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whiskey bottle in the hand of–oh, of your father'† (46). Miss Maudie shows Scout that [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦]. Another important life lesson Miss Maudie teaches Scout is after the shooting of old Tim Johnson. While the children are glum that Atticus can’t do anything, he is revealed to be the deadest shot in town. However, they also learn of Atticus putting his gun down: â€Å"Maybe I can tell you,† said Miss Maudie. â€Å"If your father’s anything, he’s civilized in his heart. Marksmanship’s a gift of God, a talent–oh, you have to practice to make it perfect, but shootin’s diffe rent from playing the piano or the like. I think maybe he put his gun down when he realized that God had given him an unfair advantage over most living things. I guess he decided he wouldn’t shoot till he had to, and he had to today.† â€Å"Looks like he’d be proud of it,† I said. â€Å"People in their right minds never take pride in their talents,† said Miss Maudie. (98) Miss Maudie helps Scout sees why Atticus put his gun down. She shows Scout that Atticus saw he had an unfair advantage over other living things. Scout learns that Atticus didn’t take pride being the deadest shot in Maycomb and instead put his gun down because having an unfair advantage wasn’t really anything to be proud about. And she also implies that Scout should be humble, a good trait of character in life. Miss Maudie is a reference for Scout as she helps her understand major lessons. After the children receive their air guns, they are excited to go out and shoot. Atticus tells them to shoot all the blue jays they want, but never mockingbirds. Confused, Scout goes to Miss Maudie in which she finds her answer: â€Å"‘Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird'† (90). While Miss Maudie is saying it is a sin to kill mockingbirds, she is really referring to the big picture. Miss Maudie is comparing mockingbirds to weaker people of the society who can’t help but be abused. While they benefit us in so many ways, all we do is harass them. This is a key theme and idea in the book and also a very important lesson for Scout. Through intuitive advice, Miss Maudie helps Scout become a mature, wise child. In addition to being the intelligent woman she is, Miss Maudie is also just. Miss Maudie treats people the same way no matter what their circumstances are. During the summertime, while Jem and Dill are busy scheming over plans to get Boo to come out, Scout becomes closer to Miss Maudie. One evening, Scout asks Miss Maudie about Arthur â€Å"Boo† Radley and tells her about the rumors, which causes Miss Maudie to say: â€Å"‘I remember Arthur Radley when he was a boy. He always spoke nicely to me, no matter what folks said he did. Spoke as nicely as he knew how'† (45-46). This example shows that Miss Maudie is not prejudiced against other people. Miss Maudie doesn’t judge Arthur based on rumors and other information. Instead, she sees Arthur for who he really is, based on true experiences and facts. She sees Arthur as a nice boy while everyone else sees him as a delinquent all because she based her opinions on the truth, bringing out the good in people that the lies cover. But Miss Maudie’s righteousness doesn’t stop with the white people. Miss Maudie also believes in justice for people at the bottom of the hierarchy in Maycomb, the African Americans. During the night of the trial, Miss Maudie sits down on her front porch and waits for the Finches to come home. While she waits, she begins to have thoughts, which she tells to Jem the next morning: â€Å"‘as I waited I thought, Atticus Finch won’t win, he can’t win, but he’s the only man in these parts who can keep a jury out so long in a case like that. And I thought to myself, well, we’re making a step–it’s just a baby-step, but it’s a step†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ (216). Miss Maudie knows that Atticus won’t win because of the racism still around from years of traditions. However, she also sees the case would have been an easy decision with an inexperienced lawyer, except that Atticus held the jury out for so long, it was apparent they were wavering in their decisions. While they still voted Tom guilty, Miss Maudie sees that that momentary indecision is another step, no matter how small, towards justice and freedom for all people. She associates herself with the people that want to make a step towards justice by saying â€Å"we’re† and also praising Atticus for helping make that step. And even though there are racism and injustice, there are people like Miss Maudie to spread fairness throughout the town, one baby-step at a time.

Strategic Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Strategic Analysis - Research Paper Example There are risks and advantages, however, to Google’s broad multinational presence related to the external business environment. Google’s target markets are broad due to the complexity of the business model that sustains multiple products and service catering to professional and household consumers. Google operates G-Mail, a webmail service with massive storage capabilities and accessibility to access G-Mail from virtually any mobile device (Google, 2012). Additionally, Google acquired YouTube, the social media service promoting user-generated video content, a service with 800 million different users domestically and internationally. Other products including cloud computing attract professionals in multiple industries while Adwords is targeted to consumers and business professionals alike. Google maintains mass market appeal in operating environments sustaining differing cultural preferences because the products and services the company provides are relevant to sustain the Web-based and software-based needs of diverse markets. However, to assess how customer markets impact business strategy development and operational direction, certain target markets can be deconstructed to better determine their impact on Google’s strategic direction. Google, for YouTube, had to develop its own segmentation strategy rather than following established marketing models. This is due to the fact that YouTube maintains 800 million users daily, making it nearly impossible to establish a singular, homogenous segmentation and targeting model. This segmentation strategy is based on behavior, taking into consideration important factors regarding the tangible purpose of patronage at YouTube, including for entertainment purposes, for education, for music appreciation, or for simply watching television (MSMR, 2010). Having such a massive, geographically-dispersed set of consumers with varying needs creates a

Capital Asset Pricing Model. Pro and Contra Essay

Capital Asset Pricing Model. Pro and Contra - Essay Example An estimation of this profit is based on forecasts of the future taking from the investment. The concept of enterprise and financial risk consists in the fact that the perspective decision of financial character has the stochastic nature, being hence subjective, and the degree of its objectivity depends on different factors, including accuracy of predicted dynamics of a monetary flow, the price of sources, opportunities of their reception, etc. In the basis of such estimations lay statistical data. Any financial manager constantly faces a problem of a choice of sources of financing. The particular feature of the problem moreover consists in the fact that that service of this or that source manages to the company unequally. Each source of financing has the price, and this price can have the stochastic nature. Decisions of the financial character are as efficient as good and objective the information base is. The level of objectivity depends on in what degree the market of capitals corresponds to the effective market. Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM), the model of an estimation of profitability of financial assets, forms a theoretical basis for some various financial technologies on management of profitableness and risk, applied at long-term and intermediate term investment in stock. CAPM considers profitableness of the stock depending on behaviour of the market as a whole. Other initial assumption of CAPM consists in the fact that investors make decisions, considering only two factors: expected profitableness and risk. Though this model is the simplified representation of the financial market, it is widely used in the activity of many large investment structures, for example Merrill Lynch and Value Line.The euphoria of researchers in the sixties and seventies about the validity of weak and medium-strong EMH has been weakened by the relatively poor empirical validation of the standard CAPM and a variety of excess returns of indexed price anomalies Even if the analytical sources of error found u nder (1) that relativize inefficiency are eliminated, fundamental criticism of the CAPM is still advanced1. According to the model the risk connected with investments into any risk financial object, can be of two kinds: systematic and non-systematic. The systematic risk is caused by the general market and economic changes influencing all investment objects and not being unique for a concrete asset. Non-systematic risk is connected with the concrete issuer company.It is impossible to reduce systematic risk, but it is possible to measure the influence of the market on the profitableness of financial assets. As a measure of systematic risk in CAPM the (Beta) parameter is used. It describes the sensitivity of a financial asset with respect to changes of market profitableness. Knowing the parameter it is possible to quantitatively estimate the value of the risk connected with price changes of all market as a whole.The more value of a stock , the more its price rises at the general growth of the market, and on the contrary. Non-systematic risk can be reduced by means of a well-diversified portf olio. The

Commercial Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Commercial Law - Essay Example Before it could have been done, the wine cooling cabinet was damaged by vandals. The damage that was made after the contract of sale was beyond the control of Abraham as he could have done nothing to stop it. Therefore, the goods that formed subject matter of the contract perished before the risk passed to the buyer without any fault of either the seller or the buyer. S. 7 of Sale of Goods Act (SOGA), 19791 states that, â€Å"Where there is an agreement to sell specific goods and subsequently the goods, without any fault on the part of the seller or buyer, perish before the risk passes to the buyer, the agreement is avoided.† Also, by the application of S.18 (Rule 2)2, the cabinet was never put into a deliverable state and the property in it stayed with Abraham. Therefore, the agreement between Abraham and Brooke Ltd would be avoided and Abraham would have no liability to Brooke Ltd under this agreement. Against Charlie Abraham offered Charlie to sell three dozen bottles of 19 67 Chateau Trent red wine. Charlie accepted this offer right away as the price offered by Abraham was very good. At that time, Abraham did not know that the vandals who broke into his warehouse had stolen one dozen bottles of 1967 Chateau Trent red wine. ... But it would not be a fair result because only a part of goods, one dozen bottles out of three dozen, were stolen and the rest is still in a deliverable state. These bottles can be delivered to Charlie. The application of Sainsbury v Street5 can give us a fair and a flexible result. In this case, the parties made a contract before the harvest in which the seller agreed to sell his entire crop to the buyer. The actual crop yielded much less than the estimated due to bad weather. The seller, therefore, sold majority of his crop to another buyer and sold the rest to the original buyer for a much higher price. It was held that the seller was liable to pay damages to the buyer because a lower tonnage was not produced due to any fault of the seller and none of the parties had anticipated this. By the application of Sainsbury v Street, Abraham would have to deliver the rest of the bottles at the same price to Charlie if Charlie agrees to pay the same price for two dozen bottles because none of the parties had anticipated a theft. Abraham is not absolved of his performance of the contract. Against Dinsa On Wednesday, Dinsa, the owner of a local florist’s shop, purchased a dozen bottles of French champagne from Abraham and paid in cash. She made payment when Abraham told her that he had plenty of French Champagne in stock. The property in bottles had not passed to Dinsa at the time of payment because the bottles had not been appropriated for her under S.18 (Rule 2) of SOGA. Abraham promised to deliver the bottles to her. On Thursday, he duly loaded a dozen bottles of French champagne on to a lorry owned by a local independent carrier which means that he appropriated the goods for

The Environment and Human Health Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

The Environment and Human Health - Coursework Example The deaths due to lung cancer in China have increased by 82 percent during the last 5 years and the high increase in emissions from the vehicles is accounted for this increase in deaths due to cancer. Child births with mental and physical disorders have increased by 12.6 percent during the last 5 years and this is due to the increase in the lead content in air which is inhaled by pregnant women and affects the growth of the children. Other indirect effects of pollution due to vehicle emissions on Chinese population include chronic depression which has caused more than a million deaths during the last year (National Research Council & Chinese Academy of Science, 2010). Environmental Impact of Tire Discard The environmental impacts of tires are very wide ranged, from the unaesthetic view of large piles of tires to the hazardous gases and chemicals which issue out into the environment due to the burning of tires, moreover tires dumped without proper arrangements and without following en vironmental safety practices can serve as excellent place for mosquitoes to form there colonies. In addition to the natural and synthetic rubber, tires contain a wide variety of chemicals which are toxic in nature which include sulfurs, paraffins, carbon black, oil, polymers, pigments and bead or belt materials. These chemicals when reach ground water contaminate it resulting in disastrous impacts on human health. Tires contain a large quantity of heavy metals which are potential pollutants and can be responsible for leaching of toxins into the groundwater when they are buried in earth during recycling and disposal. The use of such water for drinking purposes causes various health disorders including eye, lungs and liver diseases. Moreover when tires are disposed off in landfills, the toxic gases and fumes coming out of the tires tend to rise up which destroys the landfill covers. The air and heat retaining ability of tires makes them highly inflammable material when stacked in open because they easily catch fire and the result is toxic smoke and runoff of toxic oil along with heavy metals and soot in the residue (Eyrer, 2010) Air Pollution Control in Beijing for Olympics Air pollution control in Beijing is a very complex subject area because it involves a number of different parameters which include reduction of air pollution in urban area, citywide and regional ecological improvement and agricultural and industrial structure adjustment. In order to minimize air pollution in Beijing prior to the start of the Olympics games Beijing started shifting towards the use of cleaner energy instead of using coal as a source for electricity generation which include solar, geothermal and wind energy. The coal burner in the Gaojing Power Plant was closed and natural gas replaced coal as fuel for the power plant for which additional transmission line for natural gas was built. Moreover the coal which was allowed to be used in the urban areas was very high quality coal with very low sulfur content. In addition to the emission control from coal, steps were also taken to minimize the pollution due to vehicles. These steps included the development of public transport system, banning of all the vehicles which do not comply with 2nd stage emission control (equivalent to Euro II) by 2003, and enforcement of 3rd stage

Globalization College Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Globalization College - Essay Example Still, globalization transforms natural environment and cultural spheres of all countries brining new threats and financial capitals. There are different views and understandings of the problem of global warming, its significance and threat for the population (Friedman, 2000). The progress of globalization increases environmental degradation and extension of wild life. Improved transportation facilities and immigration led to occupation of new territories and lands. The world has yet to face a more important environmental policy decision than that to be made about controlling greenhouse-gas emissions. Striking a balance between the implied threat and those immense costs is an imposing challenge. The relationship between pollution and global warming is a complex one (Bengtsson and Saito 2003). The progress of globalization leads to technology exchange and increased production. The result is increased pollution in all geographical areas of the world. Assessments of the impacts of global climate change are frequently based on estimates of biophysical changes, particularly potential changes in agricultural yields and water resources. The direct approach traces the impact of a specific change in a physical input variable (such as temperature) on yields or biomass, and then, through a series of steps, to impacts on economy and society. This type of assessment relies on (and is often limited to) physical models of the climate, water balance, and vegetation growth. The main problem is that this policy would deepen economic differences between the countries and worsens the situation in developing countries. Concerns over the ramifications of the flexibility mechanisms under the Kyoto Protocol remain, less developed countries have become less skeptical and more receptive as the st ructure of the mechanisms evolves and as understanding of the mechanisms and their potential benefits to less developed countries becomes clearer. The principal concern appears to revolve around the possible imposition of emissions targets or other additional obligations on less developed countries. Meanwhile, less developed countries called for unremitting efforts to combat climate change by adhering to the established principles and goals, and implied that less developed countries would welcome an agreement on the implementation of the Kyoto mechanisms. The central piece of the Kyoto Protocol is, of course, its legally binding emission commitments for Annex I Parties which, assuming compliance, will together lead to a reduction in emissions from 1990 levels for that group of parties of around 5.2 per cent (Wade et al 2006). The worldwide publicity that proposed carbon taxes are drawing merits some special attention. From at least one standpoint, a tax strategy in the climate context is easier to defend than taxes in the more familiar contexts of domestic water or air basin pollution. As we saw, in those situations taxes were complicated by the fact that damage from the same chemical agent can vary considerably, depending on the point of release-whether upwind or upstream of a large population center, for example.

Volkswagen AG Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Volkswagen AG - Essay Example Our company was founded in 1904 (History 2011), and since that time we have gone through a great number of changes and developed a series of strategies to help us be a socially responsible company that employs around 370,000 people globally (Human Resources 2011). Therefore, on the basis of our vast experience operating internationally we would like to provide the local network with a number of recommendations on how other companies can become as socially responsible, for the benefit of both the companies and the global society. In particular, we would like to address the following two principles of the Global Compact: Principle 3: Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining; Principle 6: the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.  (UN Global Compact 2011). Lessons Learnt Our company takes active part in initiatives aimed at human rights protection. We respect and support peo ple’s right to collective bargaining. In particular, the freedom of association and our employees’ right to collective bargaining have had a significantly positive impact on the company’s operations in the 1990s. Due to financial constraints, at that time Volkswagen was about to fire a great number of company’s employees. ... On contrast, failure to follow collective agreements and cooperate with unions and associations may lead to disastrous results for a company. In particular, one of our competitors, General Motors Corporation (GM), had to undergo through a series of court trials as a result of denial to support human rights. In 2005, as the Delphi Corporation, a former part of General Motors Corporation, filed bankruptcy and refused to fulfil its defined benefit plans. The plans, including retirement plans for former Delphi employees, were terminated and GM cancelled and terminated all the obligations under the old collective bargaining agreements. In 2009 GM, finally, did sign a settlement agreement. However, it â€Å"did not provide top-ups to the splinter unions or to any other noncovered employees† (Bovbjerg and Clowers 2011). We, at Volkswagen AG, believe such behaviour of the company to be unacceptable in terms of the recognition of the right to collective bargaining. Furthermore, such ac tions lead to negative consequences for both the company and the society: the company’s image is damaged, and people are left without any benefits provided by collective bargaining agreements. As for the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation, Volkswagen AG can proudly claim that it is taking numerous measures to follow this Global Compact principle. In particular, among our CSR initiatives is advancing women and promoting diversity in the workplace. More than 30% of our employees are women, and we are actively working towards increasing this number. In addition, we are striving to increase the number of women in management positions (Advancing women

Child trama 5 Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Child trama 5 - Annotated Bibliography Example However, the article cites that the extents to which risky sexual behavior in women are affiliated with exposure to unfavorable experiences in childhood is not well understood (S.D. Hillis 206) This article highlights that these harmful consequences of participation in risky sexual behaviors are disproportionately higher in women than men, which might be influenced by several factors like biological factors. The study claims that biologically women are more susceptible to sexually transmitted infections and likeliness of asymptomatic infections that remains undetected for long. Therefore, they are at higher risk of complications than men (S.D. Hillis 206). The article study outlines outcomes affiliated with risky sexual behavior in women that includes sexual transmission of more than 25 infectious organisms, vaginal cancer, cervical cancer, abortion, infertility, still birth , violence related trauma, death etcetera. In addition, the study outlines that the women engaging in risky sexual behavior risk their unborn suffering such effects as low birth weight, prematurity, pneumonia, neural damage, ocular infections or even death (S.D. Hillis 206). This article further evaluates a study research carried out to determine adverse childhood experiences on about 5,060 female members of a managed care organization. The research revealed information of seven categories of harmful childhood experiences the women underwent namely emotional, physical, or sexual abuse; or even having a battered mother, substance abusing, mentally ill or criminal household members. They concluded that cumulative harmful childhood experiences and such risky behavior as an early onset of intercourse, or even having more sexual partner’s poses a greater risk of Aids infection (S.D. Hillis 206). The article further highlights that women exposed to multiple types of harmful childhood experiences have 50% increase likelihood

Mary Shelley & Frankenstein Essay Example for Free

Mary Shelley Frankenstein Essay How do the themes explored by Mary Shelley in Frankenstein relate to a modern audience? The beginning of civilisation brought the evidential classification of people as insiders and outsiders in any close society, due to the narrow stereotypical minds of the masses and often the simplistic facts of life. People are separated from the rest of the community as a result of perhaps their physical appearance or a difference in their personality. Stereotypical idols in todays society are greatly influential; we are quick to identify faults in others and use this excuse to ostracise them from the world and ourselves. Mary Shelley embodies this outsider through the monster that Frankenstein creates. He is isolated and rejected by everyone, so we are made to empathise with him; human beings have a natural instinct to do this, so the text is universalised. Ironically, at times the monster is more humane than those who consider themselves human, those who consider themselves insiders, opposed to the monster- an outsider. This novel opens on a personal note, Shelley uses the device of letters as a hook to draw in the reader; an invasion of privacy universalises the thoughts on paper, like reading someone elses diary. This makes it easier for us to empathise to Captain Walton and subsequently Victor Frankenstein, who is very similar in many aspects to him. These two strong male characters are romanticised by Shelley make them easier to relate to in a modern audience, because they far more believable with multi- faceted personalities. They are romantic anti- heroes; their ambition intrigues us and we are able to identify with them and their achievements. The letters are deliberately left without an exact date, so as to not only create a sense of mystery but to also ensure that the story isnt concreted to a specific era, as it relates more to society as a whole rather than a period of time. Shelley uses a high diction style of writing, which is littered with emotive adjectives to prevent it becoming stagnated and boring for the audience. The information is given to us little at a time to arouse our curiosity and make us read further into the book, where crescendos are commonly used after a more mundane part of the story, so the excitement peaks and falls throughout. An example of this is when the monster is first sighted in letter 4 where there is a dramatic climax before he disappears from view, leaving the audience in doubt of what will happen next. A prominent theme in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein is one of an idealistic world. Victor idealises his family, like a fairytale, too good to be true in reality, which it seems he wants to escape as he knows his family are far from perfect, and a good example of this is portrayed in the quote; There was a considerable difference between ages of my parents, but this circumstance seemed to unite them closer in the bonds of devoted affection. (Ch1, pg33, line7)

Utilitarianism Classical Utilitarianism Essay Example for Free

Utilitarianism Classical Utilitarianism Essay Classical Utilitarianism is a moral philosophy, which was developed in 19th century England by Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill and Henry Sidgwick. The essential feature a utilitarian reside in, is the notion that an action is right if it produces the most amount of happiness well limiting suffering. Utilitarianism focuses solely on the consequences of the action, in an attempt to bring about the most happiness from each situation, well ensuring everybody’s happiness is equally considered. A utilitarian decides each action, by calculating the overall utility (good) that will results against the overall disutility (bad) that will result from a particular action. The action with the highest total net utility will be chosen. Within Utilitarianism there is a division between the conceptions of what is perceived as good; Hedonist Utilitarianism and Preference Utilitarianism. Classical utilitarians believe in Hedonist, were pleasure or happiness is perceives as the only intrinsic good. In modern society most utilitarians believe that the concept of good refers to preferences, and that individual preference satisfaction should be maximized for example artistic creation. There is a further division between utilitarians; Act Utilitarianism and Rule Utilitarianism. Rule Utilitarianism, holds that one should always follow rules that tend to promote the general welfare of humans for example a rule might be not to killing people. Act Utilitarianism holds that one should always act to promote the general welfare. Utilitarianism is plausible firstly because general overall happiness is achieved for the greatest amount of people. Second, because of it simplicity it is easy to determine whether an action is moral or immoral. You simply have to calculate the total utility against the total disutility for each action, and chose the action that will result in the most happiness. Third, the majority of society uses Utilitarianism when they are confronted with daily decisions. For example in peak hour traffic the majority of drivers would let another driver change into their lane, because the other driver obviously needs to change lanes. The other driver is likely to gain more happiness from being let in than the potential unhappiness it will cause you by waiting a few extra second in traffic. Fourth, it is a simply way off living a moral life, were you do not necessary have to be religious to be moral in your decision-making. The strongest objection against Utilitarianism is that it cannot accommodate for moral considerations such as individuals rights and justice. This is because Utilitarianism only considers the consequence of an action. This objection is highlighted in a case concerning an innocent man whose was wrongfully convicted of a crime. In 1974, England, Gerry Conlon was falsely imprisoned, for the bombing of a pub in the town of Guilford, which killed five people. This case raises the issue that the consequences of an action should not be the only things considered when deciding which action to take. If a utilitarian was to view this case critics would argue that a utilitarian would have to conclude that even with, bad consequences resulting from convicting an innocent man, their would overall be more good consequences derived from the peace of mind gained from the loved one of the deceased, as well as the community of Guilford. Critics of Utilitarianism would argue that greater consequences would result in convicting the innocent man, therefore Utilitarianism is unable to regard the importance of justice, this philosophy must therefore be wrong. With the objection that Utilitarianism cannot accommodate for the importance of justice, a utilitarian would address this concern with the response that by choosing the action that results in the best consequences, justice will ultimately be protected. Justice will always be protected even if it is not a utilitarian ultimate purpose. In regards to Gerry Conlon case, a utilitarian would never choose to convict an innocent man of a crime he didn’t commit because, even if more happiness was achieved in the short run through this false conviction, in the long run more unhappiness is likely to result. In the long run the guilty man would be likely to bomb again or commit another crime, also if the liar was discovered then the situation would cause greater disutility than utility, and may result in the dispatch of the justice system, as-well as great upset for the deceased family members who thought the bomber had already been punished. Therefore even though Utilitarianism doesn’t accommodate the moral consideration of justice directly, greater utility will always be created from upholding the justice system. The other aspect of the objection address criticism that Utilitarianism doesn’t accommodating individuals rights, therefore critics believe Utilitarianism must be wrong. A utilitarian would argue that just because rights are not directly considered in relation to the consequences of an action, they do in-fact have some impact on the chosen action. With majority of the population getting happiness out of doing the right thing, rights are often protected through Utilitarianism. For the small minority of people that don’t experience unhappiness from disregarding human rights, the existence of the police force ensures human right are protected from these members of society. With human rights being protected under law, people rights will be upheld under Utilitarianism because there will always be a larger amount of disutility from violating the law than from the personal gains of a human right offender. For example the CEO and CFO of Tyco a New Jersey-based company stole $150 million and inflated Tyco incomes by $500 million, in doing so they violated the rights of investors. After the police discovered this fraud, the justice system penalized both, with a sentence of 8-25 years in prison with the addition of $2. 92 billion paid to Tyco Investors. Under Utilitarianism this case wouldn’t occur because the benefits of stealing this money would never outweigh the consequences that result from being caught for defrauding investors. Therefore even though rights are not considered in the consequence of an action, they have a strong connection with the chosen action. Word- 992.

Unemployment in 1930s Britain

Unemployment in 1930s Britain Examine the problems facing families living in areas of high unemployment in Britain in the 1930s Introduction The inter-war period is truly one of a double-edged transition. On the one hand, this period was to see the beginnings of revolution in many social institutions (such as marriage, family and the Church) that the men and women of the late Victorian era would have taken for granted. The inter-war period (which provided the necessary societal bases for the post-war creation of the Welfare State) also saw economic expansion and an improvement in welfare and living standards; infant mortality steadily decreased during the inter-war period, from 108 per 1000 live births in 1913, to 53 by 1938 (Thorpe, p.57, 1994) and the advent of mass consumerism and the wide-spread potential for leisure and tourism amongst Britons, in other words, hall-marks of a society in the process of modernisation (Stevenson, 1984). On the other hand, there is a darker side to this vision of untrammelled progress. The inter-war period has been characterised sinisterly as â€Å"the devil’s decade† (Stevenson, p.266, 1984). This epithet was bestowed on account of the image this decade has of general unemployment, which led to wide-spread impoverishment and Hunger Marches. The Wall Street Crash of 1929, which halted the American economic upsurge of the 1920s, led to a world-wide economic slump, and is the watershed for the mass unemployment that was to pervade Britain in the 1930s; for the eighteen years between 1921-1938, the official figure for unemployment never fell below one million (Harris, p.203, 1994). Britain’s worst years for unemployment were after 1931, a crisis year, because the disaster of the Wall Street Crash of 1929 had had time to take effect. In the winter of 1932-3, unemployment reached its highest peak, with just under three million workers (representing a quarter of the re gistered workforce) unemployed (Thorpe, p.88, 1994). As with any period of economic stagnation, unemployment brings with it a range of knock-on social problems for the family unit. Structural Unemployment Unemployment can be categorised as either cyclical or structural. The former is the type of unemployment that comes and goes in phases. It is linked with the economic cycle of boom and bust; when the economy is in boom, then unemployment in certain sectors will temporarily reduce, though the converse also holds. In the 1930s, which saw quite a dramatic economic cycle of boom and bust, cyclical unemployment was always a large and difficult problem. However, the problem of cyclical unemployment, being more immediately noticeable, is one that can easily mask an underlying problem of structural unemployment. This is the unemployment that still obtains, despite any periods of high economic activity. For example, even in those years of peak economic activity in the inter-war period, there was still a high level of unemployment in the staple export trades. For example, even before the world-wide economic crisis of 1929-1931, the traditional heavy industries, such as ship-building and coal-m ining, also faced high levels of unemployment. By 1929, a fifth of all coalminers were unemployed, and likewise for those workers in the iron and steel industries (Stevenson, p.269, 1984). The structural unemployment in these kinds of heavy industries, perhaps where a mine was abandoned or disused, for example, brought about the typical pattern of localised unemployment during the 1930s. The era saw depressed regions, where the local economy was dependent on heavy industry. In a region such as the north-east, with a strong and steady history of heavy industry, unemployment hit hard, as can be seen from the emotive Jarrow March to London, organised in 1936 by the local council, to draw attention to the problem of high unemployment, particularly in the heavy industry of ship-building (Thorpe, p.176, 1994). Poverty Contemporary commentators on 1930s Britain regarded the high unemployment of their time as a frightening new development. As a result, their anxieties reveal themselves in the large number of social investigations into the causes of poverty (defined as not having enough income to maintain health) and the impact of unemployment on families, and thence on societies. These studies helped to raise awareness of the plight of the unemployed, and to a large extent, provided the momentum for the social change that dawned after the Second World War (Harris, p.213, 1994). Poverty was not necessarily an immediate consequence of unemployment: some unemployed workers found that their benefits provided a more consistent wage compared to what they used to earn from insecure, seasonal labour. However, this was only a minority. The majority found that unemployment brought with it a drop in income. Thus, in order to supplement their income, many workers relied on their savings, or found themselves inc reasingly reliant on other methods in order to make ends meet. At the same time, it was found that unemployment was the major contributing factor towards the poverty of a household: in 1936, Seebohm Rowntree found that 86.4 per cent of the unemployed families living in York were living below the poverty line (Harris, p.214, 1994). Health and Malnutrition As might be expected, one of the more immediate consequences of living below the poverty line is worsened health and malnutrition. Rowntree also made detailed investigation into the health and diet of unemployed families, and compared them with that of the populace as a whole. His concluded that the families of the unemployed survived on a diet which was to all extents worse than that of those employed (Rowntree, p.182-5, 1941). Other studies of this period showed that unemployment had led to a higher incidence of childhood diseases (Harris, p.214, 1994), though it was difficult to prove conclusively that unemployment was significantly affecting infection rates of poverty-linked diseases (such as TB or anaemia). All in all, it could only be conclusively shown that unemployment did have a profound effect on the standards of nutrition, leading in some cases to severe malnutrition (Stevenson, p.283-4, 1984). Mental Health Though the main focus of much contemporary commentary was on the adverse effects unemployment placed on physical health, the deterioration of the mental health of the unemployed was also noted. At a time when the study of psychology was incipient, commentators still took account of the stark impact being out of work could have on self-esteem, and they also characterised the period following unemployment as falling into stages ranging from optimism that a new job could be found, to pessimism and possible suicidal feelings, when work was difficult or impossible to come by: Home Office Statistics of 1930 showed that two unemployed men were committing suicide every day (Stevenson, p.287, 1984) though care should be taken in attributing unemployment as the sole factor in suicide. No doubt unemployment had a part to play in the decision of a few to commit suicide, though this is only the extreme of a general feeling of malaise, boredom, hopelessness and shame that accompanied the status of unemployed. Many workers, especially the more skilled middle-classes who found themselves unemployed, reported a feeling of shame at finding themselves in that condition. Some men disliked to reveal their unemployment to their wives, and tried to conceal it for a while as best they could (Stevenson, p.286, 1984). Conclusion In dealing with a diffuse social problem such as unemployment, it is imperative not to draw hard and fast historical conclusions. Certainly, generalisations can be made, in that unemployment had a profound and long-lasting effect on those who were forced into this economic circumstance. However, unemployment, and the coping mechanisms used to deal with it, meant different things to different people. It is also the case that the related social problems linked to unemployment, namely those of poverty, malnutrition and depressed mental health, are all relative measures. It is true to say that the effects of unemployment were felt so keenly precisely because living standards had generally been on the increase since the dawn of the twentieth century. It was, however, the shocking social experiences of 1930s Britain that provided the catalyst for the creation of the Welfare State and other social reconstructions after the Second World War, and ignited the post-war aspiration to create a be tter, more equitable, society for all. Bibliography Harris, B., Unemployment and the Dole in Interwar Britain 203-220 in P. Johnson (ed.), 20th Century Britain: Economic, Social and Cultural Change (Harlow: Addison Wesley Longman Ltd., 1994) Rowntree, B.S., Poverty and Progress: A Second Social Survey of York (London, 1941) Stevenson, J., British Society 1914-1945 The Pelican Social History of Britain, J.H.Plumb (ed.), (London: Penguin Books Ltd., 1984) Thorpe, A., The Longman Companion To: Britain in the era of the two World Wars 1914-1945 (London: Longman Group Ltd., 1994)

Jackie Robinson Essays -- Sports, Dodgers, First Black Player

Throughout his professional career, Jackie Robinson, received criticism for being the first â€Å"black† player to play the game. Not only did Jackie Robinson manage to live up to the criticism, he also changed the face of America’s greatest past time forever. With his entrance into the MLB he opened the path for great black players like Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Willie Mays, and Ozzie Smith just to name a few. In crossing the color-barrier in baseball Robinson not only strived as a great player on the field, but also a inspiration to the black community of the field with his humility, and willingness to move forward in a time where blacks were not considered â€Å"equal†. Jackie Robinson was one of the most profound individuals to ever walk on this earth. Robinson established a reputation as a man who never tolerated insults to his dignity (Kahn 6). One of his accomplishments was entering the major leagues and is one of the most remarkable and inspiring accomplishments in sports history. When Robinson became the first black to play in Major League Baseball, he changed Americans’ views on racism forever. Robinson was born the youngest of five children near Cairo, Georgia, on January 31, 1919. Robinson’s father, a sharecropper, left the family when Robinson was only about 2 years old. His mother, named Mallie McGriff Robinson, moved to Pasadena, California, to find work. (James 5) Trouble found Robinson at an early age, when he became a member of the Pasadena gang (7). At that school, he played several sports. He even lettered in: track, baseball, football, and basketball. His largest inspiration was most likely his older brother Matthew. He was a shortstop and catcher on the baseball team, a quarterback on the football team, a guard... ...a lifetime batting average of .311. He appeared in six All-Star Games and six World Series with the Dodgers. At the 1972 World Series, which commemorated the 25th anniversary of his rookie season, a physically deteriorating but still crusading Robinson, a diabetic, said he hoped to live to see blacks in baseball management jobs. Nine days later, he died of a heart attack at the young age of 53. Today, with the dominance of black players in professional sports, it seems unfathomable that a mere 50 years ago, not only were black athletes absent in all mainstream sporting arenas, it was simply not an option and even illegal in some states. His legacy is the inspiration he gives to athletes and people of all color. Robinson is heroic, in part, because of the excellence of his athletic achievement and equally important, for his political commitment to racial equality.

Psychology Q&A :: Psychology

Question 1 Psychology is defined as the scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of individuals. Before psychology, people did not know why we feel the things we feel or think the things we think. So psychology began with some goals in mind. The first goal is to observe behavior and describe what is happening. This allows for the next goal which is to explain what is happening. It is important to be able to explain how and why behavior happens. It is necessary to find motives or triggers that will cause outcomes. By knowing what causes behaviors to occur we can then predict what will happen in the future. We can then know what to expect and intervene to control the outcome of behavior. Predicting behavior will allow psychologists to better help people by being able to control the outcome of their behavior. There have been a few pioneers that have paved the road for modern psychology. In Leipzig, Germany, a scientist by the name of Wilhelm Wundt became one of the largest contributors to the development of psychology. Wundt created a laboratory strictly for the study of psychology. Another key player is Edward Titchener who founded the first experimental psychology lab in the United Sates. One of the most important documents written in psychology, The Principles of Psychology, was written by William James. With all of these great minds at work an argument arose. The argument was about the right subjects to study and the correct methods to use while studying them. One side of the argument was structuralism. Structuralism uses the idea that all mental processes could be explained by knowing what the mind is made of. The other side of this argument was functionalism. Functionalism asks not so much what the mind is made of but how and why it operates. Functionalism states that the mind depen ds on it’s adjustment to the environment and that it will be an ever-changing entity. In psychology, there are many different perspectives that are employed. The psychodynamic perspective was made famous by Sigmund Freud. Freud exclaimed that behavior motivated by internal forces such as instincts or heredity. The behaviorist perspective declares that behavior is determined from reactions to environmental occurrences. Another perspective is the humanistic perspective which believes that no matter what inheritance or environment provides people are still able to make a choice as to how we behave. The cognitive perspective states that a human is designed to think and imagine.

In Search of Excellence :: Essays Papers

In Search of Excellence Thomas J. Peters and Robert H. Waterman, Jr., wrote â€Å"In Search of Excellence† as a model covering all elements of operations and functions of businesses big and small. In Search of Excellence gives great analysis and interesting examples to back up their theories. This book discusses eight core principles and McKinsey 7-S framework chart provided to companies for success. The authors break down the topics into specific themes with thoughts and charts for knowledge. Their findings suggest that eight core principles are common for excellent organization; bias for action, close to the customer, autonomy and entrepreneurship, productivity through people, hands on, value driven, stick to knitting, focus on what you do best, simple form lean staff and balance between centralized/decentralized organization. The McKinsey 7-S Framework deals with strategy, structure, style, systems, staff (people), skills, and shared values (culture). Informal organizations can manage executives that are intractable, irrational and intuitive. When 7-S framework chart is used. Meaning that a new manger performance would be like the old manager is ludicrous. The organization of workers must adjust and adapt to the new manager’s way of business. Peters and Waterman’s does a great job of explaining and giving examples of these eight principles while applying McKinsey 7-S framework chart. When nurturing and reward employees for excellence. Provide a climate of security and creativity in which employees developed loyalty and understanding of corporate values, and in turn developed to their full potential. Those long-term customer relationships based on trust, high quality and value in products and service. Re-inventing your company continuously within a defined sense of mission and social purpose. The eight principles below demonstrate values that work because they make sense. Growth is really about: the ability to learn and teach. This research was the first of its kind identifying these principles. The first principle is a bias for action. This is saying "Do it, work it or apply it" When Arby’s has a rush of customers and their supplies for making food are low, one customer would say "You know what, my food is cold" or "You forgot my pickles and onions?" They act and fix the problem, make it over if necessary, and get the problem solved as quickly as possible. The second Principle is to be close to the customer. This means good service and listening to what the customer has to say. If the producer, Arby’s is not in touch with what the customer wants to eat, then the business will most likely fail.

The Walt Disney Concert Hall

The Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, designed by architect Frank Gehry and completed in 2003, suits its function as both a concert hall and a monument to the Bunker Hill area’s status as a civic center. Its innovative, futuristic form is well-suited to the city’s postmodern landscape, while the interior retains many of the features of traditional concert halls. The building’s form suits its purpose as a music venue.Crafted to include abundant natural light as well as to preserve traditional halls’ acoustic qualities, it features a steel-clad exterior with an undulating, abstract shape, using its own artistic qualities to underscore the facility’s artistic purpose. The interior is vast, dominated by a large pipe organ, but the use of wood, the seating arrangement (which surrounds the orchestra platform instead of simply facing it), and the skylights render the hall comfortable rather than dark and formal.As a cultural facility, the building s uits both the physical and cultural contexts of Los Angeles. The location, the once run-down neighborhood of Bunker Hill, has been revitalized in recent years as a business, shopping, and cultural area, and the structure’s presence attests to the city’s efforts to redefine the place. The concert hall evokes a sense of fascination with the shining, undulating exterior, which gives the building the appearance of a large work of art instead of a traditional venue.The large interior conveys grandeur but is not overwhelming; the wood paneling and abundant sunlight make it seem pleasant rather than stifling. The Disney concert hall’s originality communicates Los Angeles’ efforts to transform Bunker Hill into a relevant, important place for the new century. By using innovative design and informality, Gehry creates a venue that is imposing but not stifling, grand but not intimidating, and artistic in appearance but also efficient and human-focused in its function .

Welfare and Drug Testing

The welfare program was designed to be a temporary solution to help families in need to get back on their feet, and meet their basic needs. It Is estimated that 50 to 80 percent of family based services involve drugs or alcohol abuse (Chug 2001). Some advantages of mandatory drug testing for welfare recipients are that it fosters self-reliance, averts abuse of the welfare system, gives people an opportunity to receive treatment, and ensures correct allocation of tax dollars. So why not drug test the recipients before a person an get qualified for services? Drug abuse has been a problem in the United States for a very long time.In the beginning before there were regulations narcotics were freely used In elixirs and other medical and homemade remedies. It was not until the effects of these drugs were known, and the damage was already done that government regulations were put into place. It has been determined that the use of drugs has been the main cause of most crimes in the United St ates. Statistically it has been shown that nearly half of the current inmate population has some history of drug abuse. It has been brought to the attention of legislators that there is a drug abuse problem within the welfare system.When the welfare reform act of 1996 was passed there was a provision stated to allow drug testing on an as needed basis. This protocol has not been widely used, and seems to have been forgotten, until now that is. The government has identified a problem within the welfare system, and would like to recoup some of the losses, and also help some of the individuals that do have a problem. Welfare was meant to be a temporary fix† to help a person get back on their feet. If a drug problem Is present, a person will tend to stay on the system, not be employable, and use the benefits for which they were not Intended.To get this issue in check law makers would like to see people be drug tested before being approved for benefits, and periodic random tests whi le they are receiving them as well. There are also provisions for persons who have a drug problem to receive the treatment they need. This pale chart represents the results off poll Fox News did In 2010. The question was, â€Å"Do you Delves welfare recipients snouts De Aragua tested There are many different types of tests used to detect drugs in a person's yester. The type of testing used will be determined on the types of drugs being tested for and the cost effectiveness and time allotment.Some states are proposing the individual will pay for the testing, but will be reimbursed once the results come back negative. Other states are proposing the amount of money they will save by cutting back on benefit fraud will be more than enough to cover the costs of testing. The most cost effective and time efficient method of testing is urinalysis. This test can be administered in an office setting and the results are available immediately. The only down fall to this test is it can be beat b y taking herbal supplements that are made to mask the drug.It is also not accurate in testing for substances like cocaine and alcohol as they are not testable in the urine after 3 days. Hair testing is another option. This test is administered in a clinical setting, and requires small amounts of hair taken from different areas of the head. One inch of hair gives the clinician sixty days of history, and cannot be faked. Blood tests also require a clinical setting and a laboratory to read the results. With the last two options of testing turnaround time an be days, weeks, or months, and can be quite expensive.There are already a few states such as Michigan, Florida, and New Hampshire that have this protocol in place. The strongest argument for the testing of individuals is having such a program in place will help reduce the miss use and miss appropriation of taxpayer's monies. Governor Rick Scott, R Florida, states † It's not right for taxpayer money to be paying for somebody's drug addiction, On top of that, this is going to increase personal responsibility, personal accountability. We shouldn't be subsidizing people's addiction. (Scott, 2011). The state of Florida approved this bill that took effect July 1, 2011.Governor Scott also stated â€Å"It's the right thing for taxpayers,† Scott said after signing the measure. â€Å"It's the right thing for citizens of this state that need public assistance. We don't want to waste tax dollars. And also, we want to give people an incentive to not use drugs. † (Scott, 2011) It is perceived it would help reduce domestic violence and other drug related crimes. Individuals would also receive intervention and care they might not normally have access to without this program. If an individual were to fail a drug test they would be given the option to enter a state treatment program.If the person was to refuse treatment or have a second offense after completing the treatment they would lose their benefits fo r a period of one year. As with all new laws trying to be passed there are also those who are against it. Opponents of drug testing believe that it is violating the constitutional protections in the Fourth Amendment. The Fourth Amendment to the U. S Constitution states, the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated.Columnist William Safari in The New York Times writes, Not only is my home my castle, my body is my citadel. Unless I give you a probable cause to suspect me of a crime, what goes on in my home and body and mind is my business Robin Merrill of Maine Equal Justice, which provides legal services for the poor states, â€Å"Random drug testing is very questionable legally with respect to constitutional issues. If the government has the right to drug- test people based on receipt of aid from public assistance programs, what is to stop en government Trot requiring Aragua tes ting Tort anyone won receives a student loan or any other government benefit?This law would create a very slippery slope with respect to infringement on people's right to privacy. † Another point in question is will this really save the tax payers any money? How much will the added administrative personal and the testing itself cost? The Miami Herald reports that the savings in Florida could reach one hundred thousand dollars, but no reports of administrative costs have been reported. Adversaries also raise the question about discrimination and alienation. They believe that singling out individuals because of their financial status could be disastrous and have negative effects.Cutting off families benefits because of the actions of an individual could do more harm than good. Just because an individual has a substance abuse problem, how can you prove they are not using their benefits appropriately? (Dona 2005) Whether you are in favor or opposed to welfare recipients being drug tested, the issue is one that most people will encounter on Election Day. People who are in favor say testing will allow people to get help that otherwise would fall through the cracks. It would also raise the UN employment rate by allowing those individuals to become better qualified to obtain and keep Jobs.

Frostbite Chapter 4

FOUR I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT. JANINE Hathaway. My mother. My insanely famous and stunningly absent mother. She was no Arthur Schoenberg, but she did have a pretty stellar reputation in the guardian world. I hadn't seen her in years because she was always off on some insane mission. And yet†¦here she was at the Academy right nowright in front of meand she hadn't even bothered to let me know she was coming. So much for motherly love. What the hell was she doing here anyway? The answer came quickly. All the Moroi who came to campus would have their guardians in tow. My mother protected a noble from the Szelsky clan, and several members of that family had shown up for the holidays. Of course she'd be here with him. I slid into my chair and felt something inside of me shrivel up. I knew she had to have seen me come in, but her attention was focused elsewhere. She had on jeans and a beige T-shirt, covered with what had to be the most boring denim jacket I'd ever seen. At only five feet tall, she was dwarfed by the other guardians, but she had a presence and way of standing that made her seem taller. Our instructor, Stan, introduced the guests and explained that they were going to share real-life experiences with us. He paced the front of the room, bushy eyebrows knitting together as he spoke. â€Å"I know this is unusual,† he explained. â€Å"Visiting guardians usually don't have time to stop by our classes. Our three guests, however, have made time to come talk to you today in light of what's happened recently†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He paused a moment, and no one needed to tell us what he was referring to. The Badica attack. He cleared his throat and tried again. â€Å"In light of what's happened, we thought it might better prepare you to learn from those currently working in the field.† The class tensed with excitement. Hearing storiesparticularly ones with a lot of blood and actionwas a hell of a lot more interesting than analyzing theory from a textbook. Apparently some of the other campus guardians thought so too. They often stopped by our classes, but they were present today in a larger-than-usual number. Dimitri stood among them in the back. The old guy went first. He launched into his story, and I found myself getting hooked in. It described a time when the youngest son of the family he guarded had wandered off in a public place that Strigoi were lurking in. â€Å"The sun was about to set,† he told us in a gravelly voice. He swept his hands in a downward motion, apparently to demonstrate how a sunset worked. â€Å"There were only two of us, and we had to make a snap decision on how to proceed.† I leaned forward, elbows propped up on my desk. Guardians often worked in pairs. Onethe near guardusually stayed close to those being guarded while the otherthe far guardscouted the area. The far guard still usually stayed within eye contact, so I recognized the dilemma here. Thinking about it, I decided that if I were in that situation, I'd have the near guardian take the rest of the family to a secure location while the other guardian searched for the boy. â€Å"We had the family stay inside a restaurant with my partner while I swept the rest of the area,† continued the old guardian. He spread his hands out in a sweeping motion, and I felt smug over having made the correct call. The story ended happily, with a found boy and no Strigoi encounters. The second guy's anecdote talked about how he'd gotten the drop on a Strigoi stalking some Moroi. â€Å"I wasn't even technically on duty,† he said. He was the really cute one, and a girl sitting near me stared at him with wide, adoring eyes. â€Å"I was visiting a friend and the family he guarded. As I was leaving their apartment, I saw a Strigoi lurking in the shadows. He never expected a guardian to be out there. I circled the block, came up behind him, and †¦Ã¢â‚¬  The man made a staking motion, far more dramatic than the old guy's hand gestures had been. The storyteller even went so far as to mimic twisting the stake into the Strigoi's heart. And then it was my mother's turn. A scowl spread over my face before she even said a word, a scowl that grew worse once she actually launched into the story. I swear, if I didn't believe her incapable of having the imagination for itand her bland clothing choices proved she really didn't have an imaginationI would have thought she was lying. It was more than a story. It was an epic tale, the kind of thing that gets made into movies and wins Oscars. She talked about how her charge, Lord Szelsky, and his wife had attended a ball put on by another prominent royal family. Several Strigoi had been lying in wait. My mother discovered one, promptly staked it, and then alerted the other guardians present. With their help, she hunted down the other Strigoi lurking around and performed most of the kills herself. â€Å"It wasn't easy,† she explained. From anyone else that statement would have sounded like bragging. Not her. There was a briskness to the way she spoke, an efficient way of stating facts that left no room for flourishes. She'd been raised in Glasgow and some of her words still had a Scottish lilt. â€Å"There were three others on the premises. At the time, that was considered an unusually large number to be working together. That's not necessarily true now, considering the Badica massacre.† A few people flinched at the casual way she spoke about the attack. Once again, I could see the bodies. â€Å"We had to dispatch the remaining Strigoi as quickly and quietly as possible, so as not to alert the others. Now, if you have the element of surprise, the best way to take Strigoi is to come around from behind, break their necks, and then stake them. Breaking their necks won't kill them, of course, but it stuns them and allows you to do the staking before they can make an y noise. The most difficult part is actually sneaking up on them, because their hearing is so acute. Since I'm smaller and lighter than most guardians, I can move fairly quietly. So I ended up performing two of the three kills myself.† Again, she used that matter-of-fact tone as she described her own stealthy skills. It was annoying, more so than if she'd been openly haughty about how awesome she was. My classmates' faces shone with wonder; they were clearly more interested in the idea of breaking a Strigoi's neck than analyzing my mother's narrative skills. She continued with the story. When she and the other guardians had killed the remaining Strigoi, they'd discovered two Moroi had been taken from the party. Such an act wasn't uncommon for Strigoi. Sometimes they wanted to save Moroi for a later â€Å"snack†; sometimes lower-ranking Strigoi were dispatched by more powerful ones to bring back prey. Regardless, two Moroi were gone from the ball, and their guardian had been injured. â€Å"Naturally, we couldn't leave those Moroi in Strigoi clutches,† she said. â€Å"We tracked the Strigoi to their hideout and found several of them living together. I'm sure you can recognize how rare that is.† It was. The evil and selfish nature of Strigoi made them turn on each other as easily as they did their victims. Organizing for attackswhen they had an immediate and bloody goal in mindwas the best they could do. But living together? No. It was almost impossible to imagine. â€Å"We managed to free the two captive Moroi, only to discover that others were being held prisoner,† my mother said. â€Å"We couldn't send the ones we'd rescued back by themselves, though, so the guardians who were with me escorted them out and left it to me to get the others.† Yes, of course, I thought. My mother bravely went in alone. Along the way, she got captured but managed to escape and rescue the prisoners. In doing so, she performed what had to be the hat trick of the century, killing Strigoi in all three ways: staking, decapitation, and setting them on fire. â€Å"I had just staked a Strigoi when two more attacked,† she explained. â€Å"I didn't have time to pull the stake out when the others jumped me. Fortunately, there was an open fireplace nearby, and I pushed one of the Strigoi into it. The last one chased me outside, into an old shed. There was an axe inside and I used that to cut off her head. I then took a can of gasoline and returned to the house. The one I'd thrown into the fireplace hadn't completely burned, but once I doused him in gasoline, he went up pretty quickly.† The classroom was in awe as she spoke. Mouths dropped. Eyes bugged. Not a sound could be heard. Glancing around, I felt like time had frozen for everyoneexcept me. I appeared to be the only one unimpressed by her harrowing tale, and seeing the awe on everyone's faces enraged me. When she finished, a dozen hands shot up as the class peppered her with questions about her techniques, whether she was scared, etc. After about the tenth question, I couldn't take it anymore. I raised my hand. It took her a while to notice and call on me. She seemed mildly astonished to find me in class. I considered myself lucky that she even recognized me. â€Å"So, Guardian Hathaway,† I began. â€Å"Why didn't you guys just secure the place?† She frowned. I think she'd gone on her guard the moment she called on me. â€Å"What do you mean?† I shrugged and slouched back in my desk, attempting a casual and conversational air. â€Å"I don't know. It seems to me like you guys messed up. Why didn't you scope out the place and make sure it was clear of Strigoi in the first place? Seems like you could have saved yourself a lot of trouble.† All eyes in the room turned toward me. My mother was momentarily at a loss for words. â€Å"If we hadn't gone through all that ‘trouble,' there'd be seven more Strigoi walking the world, and those other captured Moroi would be dead or turned by now.† â€Å"Yeah, yeah, I get how you guys saved the day and all that, but I'm going back to the principles here. I mean, this is a theory class, right?† I glanced over at Stan who was regarding me with a very stormy look. He and I had a long and unpleasant history of classroom conflicts, and I suspected we were on the verge of another. â€Å"So I just want to figure out what went wrong in the beginning.† I'll say this for hermy mother had a hell of a lot more self-control than I did. Had our roles been reversed, I would have walked over and smacked me by now. Her face stayed perfectly calm, however, and a small tightness in the set of her lips was the only sign that I was pissing her off. â€Å"It's not that simple,† she replied. â€Å"The venue had an extremely complex layout. We went through it initially and found nothing. It's believed the Strigoi came in after the festivities had startedor that there might have been passages and hidden rooms we hadn't been aware of.† The class ooh'ed and ahh'ed over the idea of hidden passages, but I wasn't impressed. â€Å"So what you're saying is that you guys either failed to detect them during your first sweep, or they broke through the ‘security' you set up during the party. Seems like someone messed up either way.† The tightness in her lips increased, and her voice grew frosty. â€Å"We did the best we could with an unusual situation. I can see how someone at your level might not be able to grasp the intricacies of what I'm describing, but once you've actually learned enough to go beyond theory, you'll see how different it is when you're actually out there and lives are in your hands.† â€Å"No doubt,† I agreed. â€Å"Who am I to question your methods? I mean, whatever gets you the molnija marks, right?† â€Å"Miss Hathaway.† Stan's deep voice rumbled through the room. â€Å"Please take your things and go wait outside for the remainder of class.† I stared at him in bewilderment. â€Å"Are you serious? Since when is there anything wrong with asking questions?† â€Å"Your attitude is what's wrong.† He pointed at the door. â€Å"Go.† A silence heavier and deeper than when my mother had told her story descended over everyone. I did my best not to cower under the stares of guardians and novices alike. This wasn't the first time I'd been kicked out of Stan's class. It wasn't even the first time I'd been kicked out of Stan's class while Dimitri was watching. Slinging my backpack over my shoulder, I crossed the short distance to the doora distance that felt like milesand refused to make eye contact with my mother as I passed. About five minutes before the class let out, she slipped out of the room and walked over to where I sat in the hallway. Looking down on me, she put her hands on her hips in that annoying way that made her seem taller than she was. It wasn't fair that someone over half a foot shorter than me could make me feel so small. â€Å"Well. I see your manners haven't improved over the years.† I stood up and felt a glare snap into place. â€Å"Nice to see you too. I'm surprised you even recognized me. In fact, I didn't even think you remembered me, seeing as how you never bothered to let me know you were on campus.† She shifted her hands from her hips and crossed her arms across her chest, becomingif possibleeven more impassive. â€Å"I couldn't neglect my duty to come coddle you.† â€Å"Coddle?† I asked. This woman had never coddled me in her life. I couldn't believe she even knew the word. â€Å"I wouldn't expect you to understand. From what I hear, you don't really know what ‘duty' is.† â€Å"I know exactly what it is,† I retorted. My voice was intentionally haughty. â€Å"Better than most people.† Her eyes widened in a sort of mock surprise. I used that sarcastic look on a lot of people and didn't appreciate having it directed toward me. â€Å"Oh really? Where were you for the last two years?† â€Å"Where were you for the last five?† I demanded. â€Å"Would you have known I was gone if someone hadn't told you?† â€Å"Don't turn this back on me. I was away because I had to be. You were away so you could go shopping and stay up late.† My hurt and embarrassment morphed into pure fury. Apparently, I was never going to live down the consequences of running away with Lissa. â€Å"You have no idea why I left,† I said, my voice's volume rising. â€Å"And you have no right to make assumptions about my life when you don't know anything about it.† â€Å"I've read reports about what happened. You had reason for concern, but you acted incorrectly.† Her words were formal and crisp. She could have been teaching one of my classes. â€Å"You should have gone to others for help.† â€Å"There was no one I could go tonot when I didn't have hard proof. Besides, we've been learning that we're supposed to think independently.† â€Å"Yes,† she replied. â€Å"Emphasis on learning. Something you missed out on for two years. You're hardly in a position to lecture me about guardian protocol.† I wound up in arguments all the time; something in my nature made that inevitable. So I was used to defending myself and having insults slammed at me. I had a tough skin. But somehow, around herin the brief times I had been around herI always felt like I was three years old. Her attitude humiliated me, and touching on my missed training already a prickly subjectonly made me feel worse. I crossed my arms in a fair imitation of her own stance and managed a smug look. â€Å"Yeah? Well, that's not what my teachers think. Even after missing all that time, I've still caught up with everyone else in my class.† She didn't answer right away. Finally, in a flat voice, she said, â€Å"If you hadn't left, you would have surpassed them.† Turning military-style, she walked off down the hall. A minute later, the bell rang, and the rest of Stan's class spilled into the hall. Even Mason couldn't cheer me up after that. I spent the rest of the day angry and annoyed, sure that everyone was whispering about my mother and me. I skipped lunch and went to the library to read a book about physiology and anatomy. When it was time for my after-school training with Dimitri, I practically ran up to the practice dummy. With a curled fist, I slapped its chest, very slightly to the left but mostly in the center. â€Å"There,† I told him. â€Å"The heart is there, and the sternum and ribs are in the way. Can I have the stake now?† Crossing my arms, I glanced up at him triumphantly, waiting for him to shower me with praise for my new cunning. Instead, he simply nodded in acknowledgment, like I should already have known that. And yeah, I should have. â€Å"And how do you get through the sternum and the ribs?† he asked. I sighed. I'd figured out the answer to one question, only to be given another. Typical. We spent a large part of the practice going over that, and he demonstrated several techniques that would yield the quickest kill. Every movement he made was both graceful and deadly. He made it look effortless, but I knew better. When he suddenly extended his hand and offered the stake to me, I didn't understand at first. â€Å"You're giving it to me?† His eyes sparkled. â€Å"I can't believe you're holding back. I figured you'd have taken it and run by now.† â€Å"Aren't you always teaching me to hold back?† I asked. â€Å"Not on everything.† â€Å"But on some things.† I heard the double meaning in my voice and wondered where it had come from. I'd accepted a while ago that there were too many reasons for me to even think about him romantically anymore. Every once in a while, I slipped a little and kind of wished he would too. It'd have been nice to know that he still wanted me, that I still drove him crazy. Studying him now, I realized he might not ever slip because I didn't drive him crazy anymore. It was a depressing thought. â€Å"Of course,† he said, showing no indication we'd discussed anything other than class matters. â€Å"It's like everything else. Balance. Know which things to run forward withand know which to leave alone.† He placed a heavy emphasis on that last statement. Our eyes met briefly, and I felt electricity race through me. He did know what I was talking about. And like always, he was ignoring it and being my teacherwhich is exactly what he should have been doing. With a sigh, I pushed my feelings for him out of my head and tried to remember that I was about to touch the weapon I'd been longing for since childhood. The memory of the Badica house came back to me yet again. The Strigoi were out there. I needed to focus. Hesitantly, almost reverentially, I reached out and curled my fingers around the hilt. The metal was cool and tingled against my skin. It was etched along the hilt for better grip, but in trailing my fingers over the rest of it, I found the surface to be as smooth as glass. I lifted it from his hand and brought it to me, taking a long time to study it and get used to its weight. An anxious part of me wanted to turn around and impale all of the dummies, but instead I looked up at Dimitri and asked, â€Å"What should I do first?† In his typical way, he covered basics first, honing the way I held and moved with the stake. Later on, he finally let me attack one of the dummies, at which point I did indeed discover it was not effortless. Evolution had done a smart thing in protecting the heart with the sternum and ribs. Yet through it all, Dimitri never faltered in diligence and patience, guiding me through every step and correcting the finest details. â€Å"Slide up through the ribs,† he explained, watching me try to fit the stake's point through a gap in the bones. â€Å"It'll be easier since you're shorter than most of your attackers. Plus, you can slide along the lower rib's edge.† When practice ended, he took the stake back and nodded his approval. â€Å"Good. Very good.† I glanced at him in surprise. He didn't usually hand out a lot of praise. â€Å"Really?† â€Å"You do it like you've been doing it for years.† I felt a delighted grin creep over my face as we started leaving the practice room. When we neared the door, I noticed a dummy with curly red hair. Suddenly, all the events from Stan's class came tumbling back into my head. I scowled. â€Å"Can I stake that one next time?† He picked up his coat and put it on. It was long and brown, made of distressed leather. It looked very much like a cowboy duster, though he'd never admit to it. He had a secret fascination with the Old West. I didn't really understand it, but then, I didn't get his weird musical preferences either. â€Å"I don't think that'd be healthy,† he said. â€Å"It'd be better than me actually doing it to her,† I grumbled, slinging my backpack over one shoulder. We headed out to the gym. â€Å"Violence isn't the answer to your problems,† he said sagely. â€Å"She's the one with the problem. And I thought the whole point of my education was that violence is the answer.† â€Å"Only to those who bring it to you first. Your mother isn't assaulting you. You two are just too much alike, that's all.† I stopped walking. â€Å"I'm not anything like her! I mean†¦we kind of have the same eyes. But I'm a lot taller. And my hair's completely different.† I pointed to my pony tail, just in case he wasn't aware that my thick brown-black hair didn't look like my mother's auburn curls. He still had kind of an amused expression, but there was something hard in his eyes too. â€Å"I'm not talking about your appearances, and you know it.† I looked away from that knowing gaze. My attraction to Dimitri had started almost as soon as we'd metand it wasn't just because he was so hot, either. I felt like he understood part of me that I didn't understand myself, and sometimes I was pretty sure I understood parts of him that he didn't understand either. The only problem was that he had the annoying tendency to point out things about myself I didn't want to understand. â€Å"You think I'm jealous?† â€Å"Are you?† he asked. I hated it when he answered my questions with questions. â€Å"If so, what are you jealous of exactly?† I glanced back at Dimitri. â€Å"I don't know. Maybe I'm jealous of her reputation. Maybe I'm jealous because she's put more time into her reputation than into me. I don't know.† â€Å"You don't think what she did was great?† â€Å"Yes. No. I don't know. It just sounded like such a †¦ I don't know†¦like she was bragging. Like she did it for the glory.† I grimaced. â€Å"For the marks.† Molnija marks were tattoos awarded to guardians when they killed Strigoi. Each one looked like a tiny x made of lightning bolts. They went on the backs of our necks and showed how experienced a guardian was. â€Å"You think facing down Strigoi is worth a few marks? I thought you'd learned something from the Badica house.† I felt stupid. â€Å"That's not what I† â€Å"Come on.† I stopped walking. â€Å"What?† We'd been heading toward my dorm, but now he nodded his head toward the opposite side of campus. â€Å"I want to show you something.† â€Å"What is it?† â€Å"That not all marks are badges of honor.†