Coca Cola Advertising

Strengths 1. The best global brand in the world in terms of value. According to Interbrand, The Coca Cola Company is the most valued ($77,839 billion) brand in the world. 2. World’s largest market share in beverage. Coca Cola holds the largest beverage market share in the world (about 40%). 3. Strong marketing and advertising. Coca Cola’ advertising expenses accounted for more than $3 billion in 2012 and increased firm’s sales and brand recognition. 4.Most extensive beverage distribution channel. Coca Cola serves more than 200 countries and more than 1. 7 billion servings a day. 5. Customer loyalty. The firm enjoys having one of the most loyal consumer groups. 6. Bargaining power over suppliers. The Coca Cola Company is the largest beverage producer in the world and exerts significant power over its suppliers to receive the lowest price available from them. 7. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).Coca Cola is increasingly focusing on CSR programs, such as recycl ing/packaging, energy conservation/climate change, active healthy living, water stewardship and many others, which boosts company’ social image and result in competitive advantage over competitors. Weaknesses 1. Significant focus on carbonated drinks. The Coca Cola Company is still focusing on selling Coke, Fanta, Sprite and other carbonated drinks. This strategy works in short term as consumption of carbonated drinks will grow in emerging economies but it will prove weak as the world is fighting obesity and is moving towards consuming healthier food and drinks. . Undiversified product portfolio. Unlike most company’s competitors, Coca Cola is still focusing only on selling beverage, which puts the firm at disadvantage. The overall consumption of soft drinks is stagnating and Coca Cola Company will find it hard to penetrate to other markets (selling food or snacks) when it will have to sustain current level of growth. 3. High debt level due to acquisitions. Nearly $8 b illion of debt acquired from CCE’s acquisition significantly increased Coca Cola's debt level, interest rates and borrowing costs. . Negative publicity. The firm is often criticized for high water consumption in water scarce regions and using harmful ingredients to produce its drinks. 5. Brand failures or many brands with insignificant amount of revenues. Coca Cola currently sells more than 500 brands but only few of the brands result in more than $1 billion sales. Plus, the firm’s success of introducing new drinks is weak. Many of its introduction result in failures, for example, C2 drink. Coca Cola Advertising Strengths 1. The best global brand in the world in terms of value. According to Interbrand, The Coca Cola Company is the most valued ($77,839 billion) brand in the world. 2. World’s largest market share in beverage. Coca Cola holds the largest beverage market share in the world (about 40%). 3. Strong marketing and advertising. Coca Cola’ advertising expenses accounted for more than $3 billion in 2012 and increased firm’s sales and brand recognition. 4.Most extensive beverage distribution channel. Coca Cola serves more than 200 countries and more than 1. 7 billion servings a day. 5. Customer loyalty. The firm enjoys having one of the most loyal consumer groups. 6. Bargaining power over suppliers. The Coca Cola Company is the largest beverage producer in the world and exerts significant power over its suppliers to receive the lowest price available from them. 7. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).Coca Cola is increasingly focusing on CSR programs, such as recycl ing/packaging, energy conservation/climate change, active healthy living, water stewardship and many others, which boosts company’ social image and result in competitive advantage over competitors. Weaknesses 1. Significant focus on carbonated drinks. The Coca Cola Company is still focusing on selling Coke, Fanta, Sprite and other carbonated drinks. This strategy works in short term as consumption of carbonated drinks will grow in emerging economies but it will prove weak as the world is fighting obesity and is moving towards consuming healthier food and drinks. . Undiversified product portfolio. Unlike most company’s competitors, Coca Cola is still focusing only on selling beverage, which puts the firm at disadvantage. The overall consumption of soft drinks is stagnating and Coca Cola Company will find it hard to penetrate to other markets (selling food or snacks) when it will have to sustain current level of growth. 3. High debt level due to acquisitions. Nearly $8 b illion of debt acquired from CCE’s acquisition significantly increased Coca Cola's debt level, interest rates and borrowing costs. . Negative publicity. The firm is often criticized for high water consumption in water scarce regions and using harmful ingredients to produce its drinks. 5. Brand failures or many brands with insignificant amount of revenues. Coca Cola currently sells more than 500 brands but only few of the brands result in more than $1 billion sales. Plus, the firm’s success of introducing new drinks is weak. Many of its introduction result in failures, for example, C2 drink.

Britvic Case Study Essay

The marketing concept urges organizations to focus on the needs and wants of their customer. By following this concept the organization’s success can be achieved solely through customer satisfaction. In the case study we see that by identify the needs of the customer; a key characteristic in the marketing concept, Ralph Chapman acknowledged that the Great Depression in the UK meant that many of the poorest customers needed an affordable source of vitamin C. He found a way to bottle fruit juices so they stayed fresher for longer without the addition of preservatives, his juices were sold in small glass bottles that ensured easy transportation. This contributed to keeping the products cost effective. Customer satisfaction is another significant part of the marketing concept. Britvic has a constant flow of new product development; they plan on launching a new Tango variant called Tango Clear with no added sugar. They plan on marketing this to the older generation. They have understood a knish in the older market to meet customer satisfaction by supplying a healthier alternative to their original product, which was more brand appealing to children and teenagers. We can identify that by using the marketing concept Britvic’s core goals are meeting the consumers needs and wants to achieve full customer satisfaction and to sustain their title as the second most successful soft drinks supplier in the UK. Customers are central, we can see this in the case study when we look at the considerable amount of products they supply too approximately 20,0000 outlets across the country including all leading supermarkets, local shops, restaurants, pubs, hotels and cinemas. They are the leading drinks supplier to the licensed premises and have more soft drinks brands in their portfolio than any other UK manufacturer. This makes them so accessible to the consumer, and offers a large variety of different products to suit numerous markets

Succubus Blues CHAPTER 21

I had no boyfriend. Despite all the uncertainties in my world, that at least was one thing I could feel confident about. Unfortunately, this nephilim apparently had a more optimistic view of my love life. â€Å"I don't know who you're talking about,† I shouted to my empty office. â€Å"Do you hear me, you son of a bitch? I don't know who you're fucking talking about!† No one responded. Paige, passing by a moment later, stuck her head inside. â€Å"Did you call me?† â€Å"No,† I grumbled. She wore a dress that clung distinctly to her swelling belly. It didn't help my mood any. â€Å"Just talking to myself.† I closed the door after she left. My immediate impulse was to run for help. Carter. Jerome. Somebody. Anybody. I couldn't deal with this alone. Fail – or involve any of your immortal contacts – and no amount of â€Å"safekeeping† will do him any good. Damn it. I didn't even know who â€Å"he† was. Frantically, I tried to figure out who among my mortal acquaintances could have been mistaken by the nephilim as something more. As if it wasn't hard enough being my friend already. Surprisingly – or perhaps not – my thoughts promptly strayed to Seth. I thought about our recent rapport. Censored and proper certainly, but still warm. Still right and natural. Still occasionally making me catch my breath when we touched. No, that was stupid. My fascination with him was shallow. His books made me suffer from hero worship, and our friendship had become a sort of rebound from Roman. Whatever crush or minor attraction he'd had for me had to be fading fast. He'd shown no other indications of more-than-friends feelings, and my distancing had to be having an effect. Besides, he still kept disappearing for mysterious meetings, probably for some girl he was too shy to tell me about. It was presumptuous of me to even consider him in a boyfriend category. Yet†¦ would the nephilim know any of that? Who knew what the bastard was thinking? If it had observed Seth and me having our coffee chats, it might assume anything. Fear clenched me, making me want to immediately run upstairs and check on Seth. But no. That would be a waste, for now at least. He was writing, in public, surrounded by people. The nephilim would not attack him in such a setting. Who else then? Warren perhaps? That voyeur nephilim had watched us have sex. If that didn't count as some sort of relationship, I didn't know what did. Of course, the nephilim would have also observed that Warren and I almost never interacted in any other intimate way. Poor Warren. Sex with me had already wiped him out; it would be beyond cruel if he became a target for the nephilim's bizarrely misplaced humor. Fortunately, I had already seen Warren come in today. He was busy in his office, but perhaps that still counted as safe. Alone he might be, but any screams from a nephilim attack would immediately draw attention. Doug? He and I had always had a perky flirtation. Certainly one might consider his sporadic pursuit of me indicative of something more than friendship. Yet, in the last few weeks, he and I hadn't talked very much. I'd been too distracted by the nephilim attacks. Those, and Roman. Ah, Roman. There it was, the possibility that had been hovering in the back of my mind. The reality I'd been avoiding because it meant contacting him, breaking the silence I'd tried so hard to maintain. I didn't know what was between us, other than a scorching attraction and the occasional tug of solidarity. I didn't know if it was love or the start of love or whatever. But I knew I cared about him. A lot. I missed him. Cutting myself off completely had been the safest way to recover, to get over my longing and move on. I feared what reinitiating contact could do. And yet†¦ because I cared about him, I could not let this nephilim prey upon him. I could not risk Roman's life in this because, really, he probably was the most likely candidate. Half the bookstore staff still considered us an item; why not the nephilim ? Especially in light of how touchy-feely we'd been on a number of outings. Any stalking nephilim would be well justified in reading that as romantic attachment I picked up my cell phone and called him with bated breath. No answer. â€Å"Shit,† I swore, listening to his voice mail. â€Å"Hi Roman, it's me. I know I wasn't, uh, going to call you anymore, but something's come up†¦ and I really need to talk to you. As soon as possible. It's really weird, but it's really important too. Please call me.† I left him both my cell and the bookstore numbers. I disconnected, then sat and pondered. Now what did I do? On impulse, I glanced at the staff directory and dialed Doug's home number. He had the day off. No answer, just like Roman. Where was everybody? Shifting my attention back to Roman, I tried to figure out where he would be. Work, most likely. Unfortunately, I didn't know where that was. What a negligent pseudo-girlfriend I was. He'd said he taught at a community college. He referred to it all the time, but it was always â€Å"at school† or â€Å"at the college.† He'd never mentioned the name. I turned to my computer and did a search for local community colleges. When the search returned several hits for Seattle alone, I swore again. More existed outside of the city too, in the suburbs and neighboring sister cities. Any of them could be possibilities. I printed out a list of all of them, with phone numbers, and stuffed the paper in my purse. I needed to get out of here, needed to take this search to the field. I opened my office door to leave and flinched. Another identically written note hung on my door. I peered around in the offices' hallway, half hoping to see something. Nothing. I pulled the note down and opened it. You're losing time and men. You've already lost the writer. You'd best get a move-on with this scavenger hunt. â€Å"Scavenger hunt indeed,† I muttered, crumpling the note. â€Å"You're such an asshole.† But†¦ what did he mean about losing the writer? Seth? My pulse quickened, and I raced up to the cafe, earning a few startled looks along the way. No Seth. His corner was empty. â€Å"Where's Seth?† I demanded of Bruce. â€Å"He was just here.† â€Å"He was,† concurred the barista. â€Å"Then he suddenly packed up and left.† â€Å"Thanks.† I definitely needed to get out of here. I found Paige in New Books. â€Å"I think I need to go home,† I told her. â€Å"I'm getting a migraine. â€Å" She looked startled. I had the best track record for attendance of any employee. I never called in sick. Yet, for that very reason, she could hardly refuse me. I was not a worker who abused the system. After she'd assured me I should go, I added, â€Å"Maybe you can get Doug to come in.† That would kill two birds with one stone. â€Å"Maybe,† she said. â€Å"I'm sure we'll manage, though. Warren and I are here all day.† â€Å"He's here all day?† When she reiterated that he would indeed be there, I felt somewhat relieved. Okay. He was off the list. As I walked home to my apartment, I called Seth's cell phone. â€Å"Where are you?† I asked. â€Å"Home. I forgot some notes I needed.† Home? Alone? â€Å"Do you want to get breakfast with me?† I asked suddenly, needing to get him out. â€Å"It's almost one.† â€Å"Brunch? Lunch?† â€Å"Aren't you at work?† â€Å"I went home sick.† â€Å"Are you sick?† â€Å"No. Just meet me.† I gave him an address and hung up. As I drove to the rendezvous, I tried Roman's cell again. Voice mail. I pulled out the community college phone numbers and started with the first one on the list. What a pain. First, I had to start with campus information and try to get to the right department. Most community colleges didn't even have linguistics departments, though almost all had at least one introductory class taught through some other related area – like anthropology or humanities. I made it through three colleges by the time I reached Capitol Hill. I breathed a sigh of relief, seeing Seth waiting outside the place I'd indicated. After I parked and paid the meter, I walked up to him, trying to smile in some semblance of normality. It apparently didn't work. â€Å"What's wrong?† â€Å"Nothing, nothing,† I proclaimed cheerfully. Too cheerfully. His look implied disbelief, but he let the matter drop. â€Å"Are we eating here?† â€Å"Yup. But first we have to go see Doug.† â€Å"Doug?† Seth's confusion deepened. I led him to an apartment building next door and climbed to Doug's floor. Music blared from inside his apartment, which I took as a good sign. I had to beat on the door three times before anyone answered. It wasn't Doug. It was his roommate. He looked stoned. â€Å"Is Doug here?† He blinked at me and scratched his long, unkempt hair. â€Å"Doug?† he asked. â€Å"Yeah, Doug Sato.† â€Å"Oh, Doug. Yeah.† â€Å"Yeah, he's here?† â€Å"No, man. He's†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The guy squinted. Lord, who got high this early in the day? I hadn't even done that back in the 1960s. â€Å"He's practicing.† â€Å"Where? Where do they practice?† The guy stared at me. â€Å"Where do they practice?† I repeated. â€Å"Dude, did you know you have, like, the most perfect tits I've ever seen? They're like†¦ poetry. Are they real?† I clenched my teeth. â€Å"Where. Does. Doug. Practice?† He dragged his eyes from my chest. â€Å"West Seattle. Over by Alki.† â€Å"Do you have an address?† â€Å"It's by†¦ California and Alaska.† He blinked again. â€Å"Whoa. California and Alaska. Get it?† â€Å"An address?† â€Å"It's green. You can't miss it.† When no other information came, Seth and I left. We went to the restaurant I had indicated. â€Å"Poetry,† he reflected along the way, amused. â€Å"Like an ee cummings poem, I'd say.† I was too preoccupied to process what he was saying, my mind racing. Even waffles with strawberries couldn't keep me from worrying about this idiotic scavenger hunt. Seth attempted conversation, but my answers were vague and distracted, my mind clearly not with him through the meal. When we finished, I unsuccessfully tried Roman again, then turned to Seth. â€Å"Are you going back to the bookstore?† He shook his head. â€Å"No. I'm going home. I realized I need too much of my research to write this scene. Easier to stay in my own office.† Panic blazed through me. â€Å"Home? But†¦Ã¢â‚¬  What could I say? Tell him that if he stayed at home, he might be in danger of attack by a sociopathic, supernatural creature? â€Å"Stay with me,† I blurted out. â€Å"Run errands with me.† His polite complacency finally broke. â€Å"Georgina, what in the world is going on? You go home sick when you're not. You're clearly agitated about something, desperately so. Tell me what this is about. Is something wrong with Doug?† I closed my eyes for a second, wishing this was all over. Wishing I was somewhere else. Or someone else. Seth must think I was out of my mind. â€Å"I can't tell you what's wrong, only that something is. You have to leave it at that.† Then, hesitantly, I reached out and squeezed his hand, turning my eyes pleadingly toward his. â€Å"Please. Stay with me.† He tightened his grip on my hand and took a step forward, face concerned and compassionate. For a moment, I forgot about the nephilim. What did other men matter when Seth looked at me like that? I had the urge to embrace him and feel his arms enclose me. I almost laughed. Who was I kidding? I didn't need to worry about leading him on. I was the one getting hooked here. I was the one in danger of escalating this relationship. I needed to stop procrastinating on my â€Å"clean break† with him. I hastily broke apart and lowered my eyes. â€Å"Thank you.† He offered to drive to West Seattle, freeing me up to keep calling colleges. I had nearly finished by the time we reached the intersection of Alaska and California. He slowed slightly, and we both peered around, searching for a green house. You can't miss it.It was a stupid piece of advice. What constituted green anyway? I saw a sage house, a forest green house, and a color that could have been green or blue. Some houses had green trim, green doors, or – â€Å"Whoa,† said Seth. A small, run-down house painted a glaring shade of mintish lime stood there, nearly obscured by two much nicer houses. â€Å"You can't miss it,† I muttered. We parked and walked toward it. As we did, the sounds of Doug's band clearly emanated from the garage. When we reached the open door, I saw Nocturnal Admission in full glory, Doug belting out lyrics in that amazing voice of his. He cut off abruptly when he saw me. â€Å"Kincaid?† His fellow band members looked on quizzically as he jumped down and sprinted over to me. Seth discretely took a few steps away, studying some nearby hydrangea bushes. â€Å"What are you doing here?† asked Doug, not offended so much as astounded. â€Å"I called in sick,† I said stupidly. What did I do now? â€Å"Are you sick?† â€Å"No. I – I had something to do. Still do. But I'm†¦ I'm worried about leaving the store. How long will you be here? Can you fill in for me after this?† â€Å"You came here to ask me to cover for you? Why'd you call in sick? Are you finally running away with Mortensen?† â€Å"I – no. I can't explain it. Just promise me, after this, you'll swing by the store and see if they need help.† He was staring at me with a look Seth had been shooting me all afternoon. One that sort of implied I needed a tranquilizer. â€Å"Kincaid†¦ you're freaking me out here†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I looked up at him with the same baleful expression I'd used on Seth. Succubus charisma in action. â€Å"Please? You still owe me, remember?† His dark eyes frowned in understandable consternation. At last he said, â€Å"Okay. But it'll be a few hours before I can go.† â€Å"That's all right. Just go there straight afterward. No stops. And don't†¦ don't tell them you saw me. I'm supposed to be sick. Make up some reason to go there.† He shook his head in exasperation, and I thanked him with a quick hug. As Seth and I departed, I saw Doug glance at Seth questioningly. Seth shrugged, answering the other man's silent inquiry with shared confusion. I made more phone calls as we drove away, finishing my college list and leaving yet another desperate message for Roman. â€Å"What now?† asked Seth when I lapsed into silence. Hard to say what he thought of my harassment of both Roman and Doug. â€Å"I†¦I don't know.† I had reached the end of my options. Everyone was accounted for except Roman, and I had no way to reach him. The clock was ticking. I didn't know where he lived. I thought he'd mentioned Madrona once, but that was a big area. I could hardly start knocking on all those doors. The nephilim had said I had until the end of my shift. Despite bailing on work, I assumed that still meant nine o'clock. I had almost three hours left. â€Å"I guess I'll pick up my car and go back home.† Seth dropped me off at the restaurant and followed me back to Queen Anne. A traffic light stopped him, so I made it to my apartment about a minute before he did. On my door was another note. Nice job. You'll probably end up alienating all of these men with your erratic behavior, but I admire your pluck. One left to go. I wonder how fast on his feet your dancer truly is. I was crumpling this note up when Seth reached me. I pulled my key out of my purse and feebly attempted to put it in my lock. My hands shook so badly, I couldn't do it. He took the key from me and opened the door. We entered, and I collapsed on to the couch. Aubrey slithered out from behind it and jumped on my lap. Seth sat nearby, taking in my apartment – including my prominently displayed collection of his books on the new shelf – then returned his worried gaze to me. â€Å"Georgina†¦ what can I do?† I shook my head, feeling helpless and defeated. â€Å"Nothing. I'm just glad you're here.† â€Å"I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He hesitated. â€Å"I hate to tell you this, but I've got to leave in a little while. I'm meeting someone.† I looked up sharply. Another of those mysterious meetings. Curiosity temporarily replaced my fear, but I couldn't question him. Couldn't ask if he was meeting some woman. At least he said he was meeting someone. He wouldn't be alone. â€Å"You'll be with†¦ them†¦ for a while then?† He nodded. â€Å"I could come back late tonight, if you wanted. Or†¦ maybe I could cancel.† â€Å"No, no, don't worry about it.† By then, it would all be over. He stayed awhile longer, again attempting conversation I couldn't participate in. When he finally stood up to leave, I could see anxiety written all over him and felt terrible I'd involved him in this. â€Å"This will all be resolved tomorrow,† I told him. â€Å"So don't worry. I'll be back to normal then. I promise.† â€Å"Okay. If you need anything, let me know. Call me, no matter what. Otherwise†¦ well, I'll see you at work.† â€Å"No. I have tomorrow off.† â€Å"Oh. Well. Do you mind if I stop by?† â€Å"Sure. Go ahead.† I would have agreed to anything. I was too tired to hold to my earlier notion of distancing. I'd worry about that later. Honestly. One thing at a time. He left reluctantly, no doubt baffled when I told him to spend a lot of time with whoever he was meeting. As for me, I paced all over my apartment, not knowing what to do. Maybe I couldn't get ahold of Roman because the nephilim had already found him. That would hardly be fair since I'd never even had a chance to genuinely warn him, but this nephilim didn't really seem like the type to care about right or wrong. Struck by inspiration, I called Information, realizing I'd missed the obvious way to find him. It didn't matter. Unlisted. Two hours before my shift would have ended, I left Roman another message. â€Å"Please, please, please call me,† I begged. â€Å"Even if you're really mad at me for what happened. Just tell me you're out there and okay.† No return call came. Eight o'clock rolled around. With one hour remaining, I left him another message. I could feel hysteria creeping in. God, what was I going to do? All I did do was continue pacing, pondering how soon would be too soon to call Roman one more time. Five minutes before nine, utterly frantic, I grabbed my purse, desperate to leave my apartment and do something. Anything. Time was almost up. What would happen? How would I know if I'd successfully jumped through the nephilim's hoops? When I saw Roman's murder plastered across the paper tomorrow? Would there be another note? Or maybe some gruesome token? What if the nephilim hadn't even meant any of the people I'd considered? What if it was someone completely out of the realm of – I opened my door to leave and gasped. â€Å"Roman!† He stood there, mid-knock, as surprised to see me as I was him. I dropped my purse and ran to him, flinging myself at him in a fierce embrace that nearly toppled him. â€Å"Oh God,† I breathed into his shoulder, â€Å"I'm so glad to see you.† â€Å"I guess,† he replied, pulling slightly away to look down at me, his turquoise eyes concerned. â€Å"Lord, Georgina, what's wrong? I've got like eighty messages from you – â€Å" â€Å"I know, I know,† I told him, still not letting go. Seeing him stirred up all the old, queasy feelings I had thought were buried. He looked so good. He smelled so good. â€Å"I'm sorry – it's just, I thought something had happened to you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I hugged him again, catching sight of my watch as I did so. Nine o'clock. My shift was over, as was the nephilim's ridiculous game. â€Å"Okay, it's all right.† He patted me awkwardly on the back. â€Å"What's going on?† â€Å"I can't tell you.† My voice shook. His mouth opened to protest, but he reconsidered. â€Å"Okay. Let's take this slow. You're pale. Let's go get something to eat. You can explain all this then.† Yeah, that would be a fun conversation. â€Å"No. We can't do that†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Come on. There's no way you can leave me all those desperate messages and then start playing the ‘we need space' game. Seriously, Georgina. You're a wreck. You're shaking. I wouldn't want you to be by yourself anyway if I'd found you like this, let alone after those calls.† â€Å"No. No. No going out.† I sat down on the couch, needing to let him go, reluctant to do so. â€Å"Let's stay here.† Still looking distressed, Roman fetched me a glass of water, then sat down by me, holding my hand. As time passed, I calmed down, listening as Roman talked about inconsequential things in an effort to make me feel better. For his part, he was quite nice about my psycho phone calls. He continued trying to tease out an explanation, but when I remained evasive, only saying I had cause to worry about him, he stopped pushing – for now. He continued cheering me up, telling me funny things as well as his usual political soliloquies, complaining about the irrational rules and hypocrisy of the powers that be. By late in the evening, I was relaxed again, left only with embarrassment for the way I'd behaved. Damn, I hated that nephilim. â€Å"It's getting late. You going to be okay if I go?† he asked, standing with me near my living room window, overlooking Queen Anne Avenue. â€Å"Probably better than if you stay.† â€Å"Well, that's a matter of opinion,† he chuckled, running a hand over my hair. â€Å"Thanks for coming by. I know†¦ I know†¦ it seems crazy, but you've just got to trust me on this one.† He shrugged. â€Å"I don't really have a choice. Besides†¦ it's kind of nice to know you were worried about me.† â€Å"Of course I was. How could I not be?† â€Å"I don't know. You aren't easy to read. I couldn't figure out if you really liked me†¦ or if I was just something to pass the time. A diversion.† Something in his words rang a bell in my head, something I should have paid attention to. Instead I was more caught up in how close he suddenly stood to me, how his hand ran down my cheek to my neck and to my shoulder. He had long, sensuous fingers. Fingers that could do a lot of good in a lot of good places. â€Å"I do like you, Roman. If you don't believe anything else I tell you, believe that.† He smiled then, a smile so full and beautiful, it made my heart melt. God, I had missed that smile and his funny, breezy charm. Moving his hand back up to my neck, he pulled me toward him, and I realized he was going to kiss me again. â€Å"No†¦ no†¦ don't,† I murmured, squirming out of his grasp. He backed off from the kiss, still holding on to me as he exhaled, disappointment all over his face. â€Å"Still worried about that?† â€Å"You can't understand. I'm sorry. I just can't†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Georgina, nothing traumatic happened the last time we kissed. Short of your reaction, I mean.† â€Å"I know, but it's not that simple.† â€Å"Nothing happened,† he repeated, an unfamiliar hardness in his voice. â€Å"I know, but – â€Å" My mouth hung there mid-sentence as I replayed his words. Nothing happened. No, something had happened that night at the concert, kissing in the back hallway. I'd seen Roman stagger from the kiss. But me†¦ what had happened to me? What had I felt? Nothing. A kiss that intense, a kiss with someone strong, a kiss with someone I wanted so badly should have triggered something. Even with a low energy yield like Warren, a deep kiss would wake up my succubus instinct, start to connect us, even if no significant transfer took place. Kissing Roman like that – especially when he ostensibly had a reaction – should have resulted in some kind of feeling on my end. Some sensation. Yet, there had been nothing. Nothing at all. I had written it off to too much alcohol at the time. But that was ridiculous. I drank all the time before getting a fix. Alcohol could muddle my senses – as it obviously had that night – but no amount of intoxication could completely negate the sensation of anima transfer. Nothing could. I had been too trashed to realize the truth. Alcohol or no, I would always feel something from sexual or intimate physical contact unless†¦ Unless I was with another immortal. I jerked away from Roman, breaking his hold on me. His expression registered surprise, immediately replaced by sudden understanding. Those beautiful eyes sparkling dangerously, he laughed. â€Å"Took you long enough.†

Choose your own Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Choose your own - Coursework Example People moving up and down and deliveries taking place, that would later work against us. The assignment given to us humiliated my comrade, Benson, and he questioned the mission as we boarded the cargo ship. I was very attentive and picked every step since I could be cannon-folder in no time. It was difficult making my way out into the yard using the walls for cover. I had lost all hope and my dignity was at an all-time low. Benson had talked, complained and was tired; it was time for him to see things develop without commenting or uttering any word. It was time to move out and carry our heavy guns on our shoulders. This is an experience that I could not believe to be going through in real life. The gun-strap was heavy, but I was optimistic about getting relieved once I started using it eventually. From my standpoint, I could see two guards standing at ease under a swathe of lamplight, and they were very tired calling for a reprieve on deaf ears. Sadly, these soldiers dropped down and cried as they hit the floor. I developed sympathetic feelings towards them and concluded they did so because of humanity. I was traumatized by the activities going on at the port and knew that one day, I would be dead, and my family back home will never hear any more from me. My ears were filled with the noise and sounds of the port; I become paranoid forcing me to hide behind a huge iron door for my security. I started feeling lonely since I could no longer see Benson, the only person I banked on for my strength and survival. The death of our people and opponents was rising and the developments thrilled me. The initiation of weapons of mass destruction was a loss to humanity since people were claiming their fellow human beings. â€Å"What a terrible day,† I cast the day because I never expected to see the entire taking place. It was frightening, and I was in solidarity with my fellow men. Although I had my gun with me, a gun given without my consent, it was impossible using it

The Enbridge Pipeline and the First Nations in B.C. IN CANADA Essay

The Enbridge Pipeline and the First Nations in B.C. IN CANADA - Essay Example In light of the risk factor involved in the construction, oil spills affect the means of livelihood for all those that live in proximity to the pipeline. This regards the jobs they partake, the homes they live in, the food they catch and the health and wellbeing of the said population and their loved ones. The above concern particularly affects the state of British Colombia which specializes in affected industries by the construction of the pipeline. Such industries include agriculture, fishing, hunting, trapping accommodation and food services, as well as fisheries and tourism. Should the proposed pipeline project go through, those working in the state of BC face a crisis in the form of revenue generation and earning a livelihood. Thus, all this is in spite of the promise to local communities that are affected benefiting from a promise of 560 jobs in the process of laying the required infrastructure. The said promise raises another concern that puts it against the Enbridge project. This is the issue of economics; where it promises 560 jobs, and in turn ruins over 45000 jobs provided by the west coast seafood and ocean recreation industries (Owens, 2012). This merely shows the selfish interests of Enbridge as a company by seeking to make a few more dollars for a barrel of crude oil in the expense of the local residents of British Colombia and Alberta. Furthermore, to aggravate the situation is the record borne by Enbridge as a company running its own pipelines and the little concern it shows for the environment. This is in regard to safety measure taken to avert leaks and spills in their other pipelines aside from the proposed project for the Northern Gateway Pipeline. The issue arises from the poor record that the corporation holds in terms of handling and maintaining its pipelines such as the one in Michigan. Owing to the Michigan case that resulted in the pollution and closure of a 35

International financial management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

International financial management - Essay Example Currently Chinese Yuan is fluctuating around 6.3 per US Dollar showing a stronger Chinese Yuan as compared US Dollar. Overall, it can be concluded that Chinese Yuan became stronger against US Dollar in past 5 years as it became stronger by CNY0.8 approximately 11.26%. From last 2.5 years, Chinese Yuan has been constantly appreciating against US Dollars. The above chart represents USD/CNY for the 12-month period starting from March 1, 2012 and ending on February 28, 2013. Exchange rate was at CNY6.3 at the beginning of the period and it was at around CNY6.29 at the closure of 12-month period. Overall the Yuan remained quite stable throughout 12-month period and appreciated by only CNY0.01 which is approximately 0.15%. If the above graph is closely looked at, it can be noticed that in the first seven months, Chinese Yuan tended to remain weaker as compared to US Dollar such that several times it touched CNY 6.34. On July 27, 2012, Yuan was found to be the weakest in the whole year such that it climbed up to around CNY 6.39 which was the highest exchange rate in the whole year. Since then Yuan remained a bit flat around the level of CNY 6.34 till October 2012. After that there has been a considerable appreciation observed in Chinese Yuan such that it broke the psychological level of CNY6.3 in mid-October and tend to remain stronger ag ainst US Dollars. It sharply strengthened on December 1, 2012 such that it came to the level of CNY6.22 reaching at the lowest point in the year 2012. However it was a very temporary downfall of US Dollar against Yuan such that Yuan got weaker from the very next day it crossed the level of CNY6.3. The current year i.e. 2013 started with appreciation of Chinese Yuan against US Dollar such that it appreciated tremendously in daily movements on January 17, 2013 as it broke up the level of CNY 6.204 and reached to the bottom of CNY6.218. However, the

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder College Research Paper

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder College - Research Paper Example This methodology is adopted to conduct the study and to collect relevant data from the field work. Both the literature sources and the personal sources mostly out of the literature that is existing is made use of in the field report presented below. ADHD has been found to afflict approximately 5 per cent of the population in most of the countries and is positioned at about 1.7% in UK (Helen Likierman & Valerie Muter 2007). This is largely neurological in nature and is considered as a development disorder. ADHD is lack of growth almost amounting to a deficiency of 40% when compared to their peers. ADHD is a compound term indicating that there is a neurological deficit in paying attention to details as well as there is a hyperactivity disorder. Either or both of them might be present for a person. There is no age limit observed for these illnesses. Study of ADHD starts with simple symptoms that is indicative of the disease the person is experiencing. The Diagnostics and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (1994), commonly known as DSM IV, has a definition for ADHD as follows: "A persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity - impulsivity that is more frequent and severe than is typically observed in individuals at a comparable level of development. Some hyperactive-impulsive or inattentive symptoms that cause impairment must have been present before age 7 years, although many individuals are diagnosed after the symptoms have been present for a number of years. Some impairment from the symptoms must be present in at least two settings and there must be clear evidence of interference with developmentally appropriate social, academic, or occupational functioning." (p.78) If a person is afflicted by attention deficit, then the symptoms would be as indicated below (Eli Lilly 2006): 1. Attention deficit disorder (ADD) could occur alone or with the hyperactivity disorder. People who are afflicted by ADD display a lack of attentiveness to what is being told to them often. When some one is talking to them, they are found not paying attention to the topic of the discussion. Attention test is normally carried out with the help of the Connor's Continuous Performance Test (CPT). This is carried out on people to identify the extent of attention that is being paid by the individuals (Walker et al. 2000). Continuous Performance Test is also used to measure executive function, psychomotor analysis and arithmetic skills in addition to the attention measures that is commonly done using this test. People who are having ADD generally display a lower attention level as well as most of the other measured parameters. Paying attention is one of the foremost issues faced by the people with ADHD. This results in changed behavioural tendencies of the child. 2. They might find it difficult to pay attention on play things and tasks that they are on. Some of the most commonly found problems

Write an essay argue for or against move toward globalization, use Research Paper

Write an essay argue for or against move toward globalization, use specific details to support your point - Research Paper Example There are many definitions of globalization. According to Ervin and Smith, "Globalization refers to real changes that are important to human society" (2). The changes however affect people differently. Yu defines globalization as "A process of integrating human life, taking place as a global and holistic tendency that reaches beyond regional and national boundaries" (65). This definition describes globalization as an intentional procedure or course of action and predisposition of present-day human progression and advancement past national frontier. Though there are many problems or disadvantages associated with globalization, in my opinion, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Since globalization involves human development past national frontiers, many nations are exposed to the global market. There is no nation in the world that has developed in terms of financial or monetary capabilities and socially while being cut-off from other countries. Subsequently, globalization leads to elevated levels of Human Development Index (HDI). HDI is considered a calculator of the financial wellbeing of a nation or people. It is important to posit that HDI considers the major facets of development including awareness, prolonged existence of the population, and also the health of the population, and it compares development between nations. Siddiqui asserts that "The HDI is a simple average of the life expectancy index, education index, and GDP index" (179). The gross domestic product (GDP) of many countries in the world has significantl y increased over the recent past, and this has been as a result of globalization. Globally, the GDP level increased form USD 17 trillion to USD 107 trillion between 1950 and the end of the twentieth century. The highest rate of growth in terms of GDP was witnessed in countries with high HDI especially China and India (Lockwood, Vorboys and Kothari n.p). Peoples

Humans and the Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Humans and the Environment - Essay Example The irony of it all is that even the human beings themselves are threatened by their own actions. In agriculture for instance, human beings have embraced technological developments in farming some of which have devastating effects on the soil. Developments such as the use of modern engineered pesticides have proved efficient in dealing with pests but the resultant effect on the survival of the other organisms in the soil is rarely taken into consideration. The pesticides end up killing the worms in the soil which play a very crucial role in ensuring that the soil is well aerated. This development in modes of farming has a short-lived benefit on the farming practice since it may result in improved farming of a given crop species in a given season but in the long run results in the depletion of soil quality (Berry, 2002). There has also been an improvement in farming by producing genetically engineered crops which flourish well during cultivation but most of them cannot produce viable seeds for replanting. This therefore means that the crop generation is limited to one since it can only be planted once. The genetically engineered crops have been recommended as one of the most efficient ways of attaining food sufficiency in countries faced with the food shortage as a result of small farming lands available or due to unfavorable climatic conditions in the countries affected. It has been claimed that the genetically engineered crops are responsible fro the many cancers reported in most people nowadays. In some countries where genetically modified products have been allowed on large scale such as in South Africa there was a substantial increase of cancer cases reported a few years afterwards. The human beings’ activities in the energy sector are one of the major causes of pollution in the world. In the 19th century the use of horses and oxen to produce power was common. The horses would then be fed and would then be ready to be used another day. This represent ed a basic description of renewable energy. It is from this that the term ‘horsepower’ was coined. Human beings have through time developed machines that no longer require the power of the horse to run but instead they rely on the petroleum related fuels which are fossil fuels. Petroleum results after a process that takes millions of years. The rate of use is therefore higher than the rate of regeneration which renders petroleum as one of the sources of non-renewable energy. In addition the exploration of petroleum results into fields of land that is not suitable for agricultural activities. This is contrary to the use of horses as sources of energy since horses produce cow dung that can be used as manure for cultivating agricultural crops in the farms. In addition horses used to graze on abandoned fields that were not being used for any agricultural activities (Courteau, 2007). In order to minimize on the land pollution associated with the exploration of the fossil fue ls, some countries have embarked on trying to use other sources of the fuel from what previously used to be considered as petroleum waste. In Canada for example, there are massive investments in place to try and process petroleum fuel from the tar sands (Kolbert, 2007). The other negative aspect of the fossil fuels is the poisonous emissions associated with their use. These fuels produce a lot of carbon while undergoing combustion which in turn

Feminist Korean Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Feminist Korean Art - Essay Example Though the vivid background is alive with color and texture, the majority of the painting is made up of Kyeong-Ja’s nude woman. The woman is serene and ethereal to the tune of only existing in one’s imagination or in a dream. The next work to be discussed is by another of Korea’s key feminist artists who aided in the rise of the feminist genre of Korean art. Djin Suk Kim worked with more earth tones than Kyeong-Ja but still delivers a similar tone in her pieces. An example of her elemental and organic trademark is a piece entitled Lover. This particular piece is centered on a dark and formless female figure who is hiding her face which gives the feeling of lack of autonomy, unlike the piece discussed earlier by Kyeong-Ja. The backdrop of Lover is characterized Lastly, the piece entitled Self Portrait by Na Hye-Seok. Seok’s portrait is haunting and melancholy. Unlike the other two pieces discussed previously, this work is completely centered on the image of self that the artist has crafted.   The backdrop is a dark and almost empty abyss while the woman is mostly whips of all earth tones.   The delivery seems to intend to illustrate a deeply saddened individual.

Doctrine of Promissory Estoppel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Doctrine of Promissory Estoppel - Essay Example This research tells that Amelia offered her nephew, Dan, two thousand pounds if he worked hard and got a second class degree, and her sister, Betti, five hundred pounds for errands. She also offered a two hundred fifty pound reduction of a loan she had given to Betti's husband, Giles. Giles pays the seven hundred and fifty pounds. Dan does very little work but does get a first-class degree. Amelia now wishes to know her obligations to Betti underneath this contract. The legal questions are 1. Does Dan's meeting of the second-class degree standard mean that that part of the contract is fulfilled? 2. Did the term â€Å"second-class degree† mean â€Å"at least a second-class degree† or â€Å"a second-class degree exclusively?† 3. Are the contract elements severable; that is, is Dan's possible fulfillment of the contract separate from Giles' clear fulfillment of his duties? 4. Does it make any difference that Giles, rather than Betti, paid the seven hundred and fifty pounds? 5. Can â€Å"work hard† be meaningfully quantified? Contract Interpretation The issues of the contract should be considered separately. They are 1. The offering of money to Dan for working hard and achieving a second-class degree. 2. The offering of money to Amelia for errands in the past. (However, it seems that the errands are moot: Whether Betti actually had done errands for Amelia or not, they are accepted by the contract as a matter of fact). 3. The offering of a two-hundred-fifty pound discount on a prior one thousand loan by Amelia to Giles. There are many elements to contracts even before considering the issues of estoppel and promissory consideration: Acceptance, offer, consideration, the contract being oral or written, the severability of various elements, etc. Consideration is a part of this contract, however: Both parties are offering something of value1. The family unit as a whole (Giles, Dan, and Betti) are clearly part of this contract, with Amelia bei ng the other party. For this reason, it is moot if Giles or Betti pays the seven hundred fifty pounds unless the contract specifically states otherwise. (This will, in turn, be dependent on whether the contract is verbal or written). Acceptance of the contract is an issue. Giles owed a thousand pounds. The only concrete sign on the part of Betti's family unit is the seven hundred fifty pounds Giles paid. Amelia can make a reasonable argument that she was accepting partial payment and that this was not a sign of acceptance. Similarly, Amelia paying Betti five hundred pounds could be considered as payment for a prior act, not a fulfillment of the contract. The only sign of acceptance of the contract that would not be prompted by other prior considerations between the two families would be Dan working hard and getting a second-class degree, only half of which was ever wholly completed. While Amelia did extend an offer, it is arguable that there was ever an acceptance. The acceptance is sue and the consideration issue are inextricable. Consideration â€Å"Consideration entails the parties' doing something that they were not previously bound to do outside of the agreement. In other words, promises must pay the price (consideration) that they agreed to pay the promisor in order to gain the right to enforce the promisor's obligation†. Giles was obliged to pay one thousand pounds; paying the seven hundred fifty pounds is not a consideration. Even if Betti had paid for it, she is obligated to pay the debts of her husband, as a unified family unit. But Giles did in fact pay, meaning that there had been no consideration prior.

Gillette Essay Example for Free

Gillette Essay 1. Statement of issues/problems/opportunities (10%): Very briefly describe the organisation‟s situation. Be sure to focus on the underlying issues / problems / opportunities and not symptoms. Do not just reiterate organisational facts. 2. Recommendations (40%): What should the organisation do? Provide a detailed description of the actions necessary for the organisation to deal with the identified problems and opportunities. Be specific enough that a organisation could pick up your recommendations and act on them. 3. Justifications and analysis (50-60%): Provide a set of carefully considered arguments for why your recommendations are likely to be effective. Perform any type of analysis you like on facts obtained in developing your justifications. You can also draw on logic and experiences from materials in other sessions or courses. The bottom line, however, is you must be logical, convincing, and exhaustively thorough. Case Study One: Gillette Gillette stock price is falling from $64 in early 1999 to $24 in 2001. Market share for the profitable disposable razor sector declined about 5 percent while its competitor picked up. The sales declined three percent in 2000. The new CEO James Kilts joined Gillette in February 2001 and realized that the market share of this high profit margin brand is dropping while debt increasing. There are underutilized production capacity which can help the company to save $350 million; management looking at short-term success where they â€Å"stuff† products to distribution channels where the supply is higher than demand and caused aged stocks; to further reduce the relevant cost and solve â€Å"stuck stocks† – he is considering brand advertising and promotions – (something that Gillette seldom do to maintain leadership status). He felt that support for the brand globally got sidelined in the rush for short term results. Better forecast should be impleted to control the budget and costing better based on the market size and targeted market to penetrate. Lower down debt. Assignment questions: 1. To what extent does Gillette rely on incremental innovation or leaps in technology with each product introduction? Gillette may goes after innovation too heavily where the product is technical and sophisticated. Consumers may not understand the complexity and value the high technical functions of the product that sells at a very premium price – X% even more expensive than its preceeders. While it has ignored the value perceived of customers on shavers. The company should consider both factors – internally and externally for strategic marketing. Including political factors, economic factors (rising inflation), company financial situation, as part of the pricing strategy. 2. How successful has Gillette been with its trade-up pricing strategy and its ability to charge premium prices? Very successful. As the number of trade up is high.  However, cost of advertising to existing customers should be much lower than new customers. Priority advertising should be targeted to new market to increase market share, aside from maintaining brand position reinforce the brand in consumers. Message of advertisement is often simple and sharp. However, focus of the ads is very much on product with arg umentative wording, such as â€Å"the best†, â€Å"the only†. The brand may need to focus on brand advertisement for reinforcement purpose and stabilize the market share over the long run. 3. Should Gillette be concerned about the possible cannibalisation of the healthy sales of existing products by each new product launched? Yes. New products should target different market but should not cannibalise existing sales in long run. Different target market, e.g. more premium group where they are early adopters and enjoy premium brands As the company still sells old versions of shavers, it has even more reasons to target different products to different arget group to increase market share. 4. How global and integrated is Gillette‟s global marketing communications? Localised message should be applied to synergy better with other countries as different countries have different cultural background, norms and etc Gillette has a broad coverage strategy in place today and its â€Å"The best a man can get† theme supports this broad coverage strategy. It serves consumers ranging from disposables to high end cartridge systems. Gillette has struggled in the past when it has made attempts to add complementary goods to its offerings. Past attempts at this strategy were subsequently divested. We propose an alternative for phase 3 of the strategy. Rather than adding products that might not carry the value of a strong brand and image we propose that Gillette focus on areas of the world where they don’t have strong market share. Japan is an area specifically mentioned in the case. It is mentioned that Shick has a first mover advantage in Japan. Gillette has a very strong share of the market in the North Atlantic area. It has invested heavily in RD and is getting ready to invest more in advertising and adding plant capacity. Gillette should work to maintain its advantage in the North Atlantic through patent enforcement, new product innovation, and building on customers perceived benefits through advertising and delivery of superior products. Solidifying its leadership position in the North Atlantic, Gillette can then focus on other areas of the world. Rather than allowing Shick to imitate its new Sensor, Gillette can aggressively go after market share in other areas of the world. The marketing campaign will be critical to capturing market share in other areas of the world. Gillette has the opportunity for a first mover play in Japan with Sensor. Marketing campaigns should be tailored to position Gillette uniquely in different parts of the world market. Rather than going for a consistency approach, Gillette should customize the marketing campaigns to either strengthen its leadership position or establish itself as an innovator. The consistency approach to the marketing campaign as outlined in the case does not support this direction. Gillette might even consider launching Sensor in Japan or other parts of the world, followed quickly by a North Atlantic launch. A marketing campaign in Japan promoting first mover status with new technology could help capture increased market share. Gillette has made investments in developing the Sensor system. It now needs to ensure it is capturing appropriate levels of value based on what it can build in the way of perceived benefits to consumers through advertising and superior product. Building this benefit advantage in new and existing markets will allow Gillette to price at a point where it can capture more economic profit than it does today. The investment in plant, equipment, and inventory is a bet that needs to be made for this new product. It will be important for Gillette to be able to deliver enough product to the market and let its competition know that it is dedicated to this production and to protecting its patents. 5. Assess Gillettte‟s approach to women‟s shaving needs? Very manly design as the female designs looks very similar to the male wet shavers. Focuses on technical heavily where it may ignores the demand of consumers – females are different from males during purchase decision and process. Company should penetrate female market, new and large market for the company to yield further profit from the same technology. Focus should be on female buying process and demand, e.g. color, demand, preference, etc. in order to maintain the position of leader in wet shaver market. Both male and female markets can be equally important. However, the company can leverage on the brand equity and value of its success on male wet shaver and hence reduce the cost of advertising – advantage over other products. Penetration of female market should be easier, fast, to enjoy economies of scale at high profit margin ahead of other competitors. Should enhance on product packaging. Overall value to targeted consumers. Psychographic segmentation is concerned with identifying personality traits and distinguishing characteristics in groups of the population. Examples are young and outgoing (for the sale of new forms of music) or grey and conservative (for classical and 60s music). Pyschographic segmentation is clearly relevant to shaving patterns and behaviours. For example, busy well groomed people are likely to go for an upmarket shaving system. In order to fully penetrate market, older versions of the wet shavers – on promotions. To capture middle market and mass market. At an affordable price. Commodity and mass market products. Should achieve both cost advantage differentiation. Didn’t achieve cost advantage because there is underutilized production which may save $350 million According to the product lifecycle, it should allow higher quality at lower price Unit operation cost should go down during growth stage The case points out that Gillette’s competitors were quick to copy new products. Trac II was copied by the competition within five months and other product imitations appeared in 18 and seven months. Historically Gillette did not pursue patent enforcement because of antitrust challenges. This tactic needs to be re-thought. The RD spend needs to be protected to help Gillette retain its competitive advantage and its position as a technology leader. Gillette aggressively patented ideas during the Sensor development. Twenty-two different patents were applied for and obtained by end of 1988. Gillette has access to the patents as an isolating mechanism for building competitive advantage in the market. To protect the investment Gillette has made in the development of the Sensor system, it must leverage the isolating mechanism of the patents. By not pursuing the patents, Gillette maintains market share but does not increase market share. It is allowing consumers of the competitions’ products to stay with that brand versus switching to Gillette’s products. Why would they switch if their brand will be coming with an imitation soon? Image, reputation, and credibility all are important to protecting the superior benefits of an experience good. By not protecting the patents, Gillette is not building the consumer view that it is providing superior products. Protecting the patents will also allow Gillette to further immobilize the resource it has in technology. The equipment and plants are certainly not very mobile, but the people that developed the ideas and technology are very mobile. The patents may offer an advertising or marketing advantage; the 22 patents help Gillette illustrate the innovations they have achieved with Sensor. Though being at the top, Gillette now deals with the problem of product innovation in a somewhat stagnant and mature shaving market and needs to find other ways to remain on top. The possible solutions relate to acquiring its competitors’ business, developing and expanding the women’s market and further reducing the prices to reach more customers.

Intelligence Led Policing: Ethical Issues

Intelligence Led Policing: Ethical Issues The second important report by Her Majestys Inspectorate of Constabulary set out the main elements of intelligence led policing and crime reduction Policing With Intelligence (HMIC, 1997). Both report accepted the use of intelligence led policing tactics in crime reduction of high volume crimes such as vehicle theft and burglary which so far had only been used in tackling serious crime. The use of information technology was seen as the major vehicle and conduit for managing the increased information generated as a result of a change in policy to intelligence led policing. The increasing fear in the community about crime and the fear of crime, coupled with a loss of confidence in the police, fuelled a drive towards an increase in private security arrangements. This move is seen in the growth of private security companies both residential and in shopping centres, initiated by both private citizens, commercial premises owners and insurance companies. The desire and practice of amassing information resulted as part of the increase in the risk society (Maguire, 2000), but increased information and data does not necessarily lead to crime reduction. Although the police may benefit from access to huge amounts of statistical data, some academics have suggested that the impetus for this has in fact emanated from other external institutions such as health, insurance and education establishments (Ericson and Haggerty, 1997). The data processed by the police has been used by these establishments for their own risk assessment purposes rather than being used for crime reduction purposes. The recent requirement for the police service to produce annual and other reports and publishing key performance indicators which required statistical returns was another fundamental reason for the computerisation of criminal records. In fact some commentators argue that the computer systems are barely used in the fight against crime reduction (Ratcliffe and McCullalgh, 1998). The unease which the police feel about the drive towards intelligence-led policing is set out in a report on Merseyside Police (Barton Evans, 2001). This research was undertaken over a twelve month period from April 1996 to April 1997. It uncovered that an intelligence-led approach was adopted for all key service areas and not just crime with an emphasis on the importance of circulating intelligence and focusing on the role of intelligence-led crime prevention strategies. The implementation of the new policy was achieved by the introduction of crime management units, force intelligence systems and a force intelligence bureau. In evaluating the new systems, the researchers were hindered because statistical data standardised across areas was not available. However based on a mixture of observation and talking to various officers, the researchers concluded that some areas of the process worked well whilst others displayed shortcomings. The obstacles to the new policy lay in different officers comprehension of proactivity with only limited training offered; no distinction between information and intelligence; no consistency of tasking meetings whose purpose was to increase intelligence gathering in each area; the diverting of officers onto reactive investigations. - The use of informers is seen as particularly valuable in crime investigation strategies. In a publication issued ten years ago the Audit Commission stated that informants are the life blood of CIA and have been vocal in calling for their increased use in the fight against crime (Giddens, 2004). Informants have been in use by the British police for many years and is sometimes referred to as the second oldest profession The use of informers is fraught with complex connotations particularly around the integrity of the information received from them in the light of their motivation. An increase in intelligence-led policing has led to the traditional police-informer relationship being modernised and put on a professional footing. The modern term for engaging with informants is human source capability whereby the police can capture and utilise the knowledge and skill of those persons in society who have access to the criminal element within the community via an organised and structured HSC framework. It has been argued that there has been a dearth in the use of informants outside the sphere of organised crime (Innes, 2000). With the advent of intelligence-led policing the police-informer relationship has moved to a more sophisticated professional and ethical system in respect of both recruitment and management of sources. The introduction in the UK of specific source handling units and HSM units in certain police areas have advanced a more professional approach to intelligence gathering. The relationship between police and sources remains a highly controversial area of law enforcement. In particular when participant informers are encouraged to commit crime due to their particular relationship with the police, major concern is expressed (Billingsley) A participant informer is one who is permitted to carry on committing a crime so that the police can identify those main participants involved in organising the criminal activity. Research shows that some police officers have a tendency to rely very heavily on informants and to condone various criminal acts undertaken by some of their sources. If the use of informants becomes prolific it undermines the whole criminal investigation process as it is shrouded in secrecy, and intrigue and somewhat lacking in legitimacy itself, undermining the precept of transparency and openess within the police service and compromising the adage that justice must be seen to be done. Additionally some relationships between officers and their sources are seen as unhealthy involving the controlling of sources by selective distribution of information by police officers handling the informants. (Cooper and Murphy, 20). The potential harm to police legitimacy given the ethical difficulties posed by the police/informer relationship has been highlighted by several commentators, (Dunningham and Norris, 1999). Dealing with informants often places police officers in invidious circumstances. The police officer has to balance their official duties to detect and reduce crime with a moral obligation to be above bribery and corruption. They also have various official duties and all of these obligations need to be balanced when dealing in the slightly murky world of the criminal underworld with its temptations and people who would benefit from an officers downfall. Nothing it seems can be taken at face value when dealing with informants. In his study of Melbourne police informers Settle noted the wide discrepancy between the legal and the actual position of the police/informer relationship. Police are expected to be accountable to the law for their methods whilst at the same time are under pressure to maintain order pragmatically (Settle, 1995 p.3) Basically this means that their actions must be justified in legalistic terms but such terms are at variance with several of the informal practices used in crime control such as informants.

Divorce and its roots

Divorce and its roots DIVORCE AND ITS ROOTS DIVORCE. It is only a seven-letter word, but it remains very controversial. It is the legal ending of a marriage in some countries such as Western countries. There are various and complicated reasons for divorce. But these reasons are particular to each couple to their marital relationship, experiences, as well as problems. People have this notion of falling in love. They would also ask themselves, Is there such thing as falling out of love? Probably, some people say that falling out of love means that there is no love between two people. There are times that a person would think that, Oh, I no longer love him. or My love for her is already gone. On the other hand, some people do not believe in the notion of falling out of love. In their view, they consider that a person was just attracted to the physical features of the person. Or there is just a sense of belongingness at first, but that feeling or sense vanishes later. People say that there is no such thing as falling out of love. They consider that people just used to feel the love and belongingness from another person, which they no longer feel later in their relationship. This entails that there are some essential factors to keep the relationship stable that are presently lacking or absent. If these factors are lacking or absent, then the relation ship would be struggling and therefore, it needs resuscitation. Before marriage, it is important that the couple is ready in terms of legal readiness, emotional readiness, and financial readiness. They should be in the right age to marry. They should be emotionally prepared for their married life for they would be building up their new family, thus, they would be living separately with their parents. And also, it is better if the couple is financially stable. Being financially stable allows the couple to provide adequate needs for their family. In addition, if the couple has a satisfactory financial status, it is not likely for them to face financial crisis. There would be no financial problems arising in the future. However, some people do not consider this financial stability as a factor in marriage. Some people just get married, without thinking for their future. They tend to think only about the present and there is a sense of neglect where they do not foresee the possibilities that may happen in the future. Probably, this is considered as a reason why some families face financial problems at present. It is because they are not ready and they are not stable financially. In relation to divorce, some people cannot withstand the financial crisis that they experience. They might be used to live a wealthy life when they are not yet married. They want to escape from their financial problems that they leave their partners. Other people may possibly commit adultery because they want to experience a wealthy living. It is recommended that couples under financial crisis should discuss possible ways to increase their living. They can discuss about establishing their family business. They can also seek advice from their friends and family on how they can solve their problems. There are cases that people separate from each other because of cultural differences. It includes the religious beliefs and lifestyle differences. Because the couple has different religious views, they find it hard to relate to each other. There are times that they might have contrasting views. In addition, lifestyle differences affect the relationship of a couple. If one is organized and very systematic, while the partner is messy and has no eagerness to plan for the future, then it would also be hard for them to live together. However, if they learn understand that everyone is unique, then they should try to find ways in order for them to adapt to the exceptionality of each other. Moreover, they should gain respect to each other because respect is an element that makes a relationship stable. If there is no respect between couples, then it is likely for them to have fights or quarrels. Some people leave their partners if the partner has mental instability of mental illness. Some people want their partner to be intellectually and mentally healthy so as to establish and run a productive life. But for some people, having a partner who is mentally ill is very difficult to the other party. It adds pressure because you have to take care of your partner physically, emotionally, mentally. It is draining to them. It is hard because you they to adapt to the abnormality of their partner. Some leave their mentally ill partners due to the social stigma that their partner gets in the society. People with mental disorder or mental tendencies have very poor social life. They have very low socialization because of their qualities. So it is probable that the partners of these mentally ill people are not proud of them and they want to have themselves apart from that social stigma. But in some cases, some people accept their partners for who they are. They have their own strategic an d adaptive ways to cope with the status that their have. It is the concern that they have for their partner. They are eager to provide care as well as support to their partner. This support is the element that binds them together and makes them surpass the social dilemmas that they face. Some people separate because of immaturity or interference from parents. There are circumstances wherein one of the couple is not able to function productively without the help of their parents. They are not able to live a life of their own. They tend to seek help, especially financially from their parents. There are also some cases where in the parents or the in-laws do not want the partner for their child. It may adversely affect their relationship as a couple. However, if the couple would understand each other, they could help each other by identifying their weaknesses and by using their strengths to overcome their weakness. This way, they will be able to live their life more productively, with less help from other people. For some people, the personality of their partners really matters. They want disciplined partners, no vices, and no criminal records. Sometimes, destiny becomes tricky. Some people introduce themselves as people with tender loving care. They tend to mask themselves with good qualities. They hide their real color until the wedding day. But then, months after the marriage, some problems arise. These problems are often related to the qualities of their partners. Some problems, especially to those with low socio-economic status, are related to the vices of their spouse like smoking and drinking. The partner will just smoke and drink everyday. Even some, would take illegal drugs. These factors often lead to physical violence to the wife and to the children. Because of that developing miserable life, some women take their children and decide to leave their husbands. There are cases, especially for men, wherein they leave their spouses because the spouse cannot conceive their child. For some men and women, it is important to them to have their own child. For them, they feel satisfied when they see their own kids playing around and mature as an adult. Other people do not prefer to adopt kids. Because their spouse is not able to produce a child, they tend to leave them and look for other people in the world who are capable of giving them an offspring. However, some people consider the other qualities of their partners. For some, they are not after to having a child, but they are madly after their partners. Some people do not mind if their partner is infertile or sterile, but what is important is that they live happily throughout their lives. Other people consider adopting children if they are not able to have their own. For them, it is the happiness that is important within the family. As long as they are happy, then they have no problems with that . Some people wanted divorce due to lack of commitment to the marriage. If two people just got married but they do not really love each other, would live an unhappy life in the future. An example of this point is when two people just get married because of unexpected pregnancy. They had their child but they do not truly love each other. It just means that they have to marry each other because of their responsibility for their child, but NOT their love and commitment for each other. However, the aforementioned example is not applied to all cases but only to some cases. Another instance is the prioritization of people. Some people tend to focus much on their career or personal growth. As a result, they spend less time to their families because they are already pre-occupied of their work. Furthermore, their partners would feel that they are no longer loved because of that lack of attention. In response, couples should consider that the presence of time and communication is also very signi ficant in a relationship. One of the major causes of divorce is infidelity. Some people have an affair to other people maybe because their partners cannot give their needs like luxury or sexual needs. Most people tend to find love and belongingness from other people when feel that they are not loved by their partners because of work, lack of communication, and mistrust. These things may result to a big problem, which is the absence of faith or loyalty to their partners. Technology today is on the rise and it allows people to meet other people around the world through the phone and internet. The internet is the most utilized tool to meet new people. There are sites in the internet that serves as a tool if one would like to search for a man or a woman. In addition, there are some websites that allow people to chat. That way, affairs can develop and that leads to infidelity. As soon as the other party discovers the unfaithfulness of his or her partner, he or she decides to leave the partner. Some people also loo k for new people where they can find love and belongingness. Problems arise because of lack of communication. Communication is the exchange of ideas between two people. Lack of communication builds a gap between partners. A marriage will also fail when the lines of communication are absent. It is important for the couple to discuss their feelings and concerns to each other. They should address the problem to their partners. This way, they will be able to discuss together possible plans in order to resolve the issues. In addition, constant communication is very vital to couples because it keeps them in touch and it gives them updates to their everyday life. For instance, if the husband needs to work abroad to earn an income for his family, then there should be a constant communication between him and his family in order for them to stay updated about their lives. They can use the telephone, the letter, and the internet in order to keep in touch with each other. Moreover, No man is an island. Of course, people are social beings. People are not p lants or rocks, which cannot speak. People have brains, mouth, and vocal cords that enable them to speak. People tend to talk to other people. This entails that couples, whether they are together or apart, there should be a constant communication between them. It bonds them together as one by keeping the heat on between them. There would be no gap between couples if there is constant communication. It also fills up the social needs of people. Above all, divorce is prevented if certain elements are present to bind the couple or the family together. First, there should be RESPECT. It is the recognition and appreciation of the uniqueness of each other, physically, mentally, socially, intellectually, spiritually, and culturally. The couple should accept the individuality of each other. Second, TRUST should be present. The couple should give their trust to each other. In addition, they should not break that trust because trust is like a glass, which is very hard to fix when it is already damaged. Next is COMMUNICATION. It is the exchange of ideas that enhance the harmony and mutuality of the relationship. It keeps the fire blazing and it adds spice to the married life. It avoids the gaps from building up. It is like a hot blaze that melts the freezing ice. Another vital factor is COMMITMENT. Commitment is a pillar or foundation of a strong mutual loving relationship among couples. Commitment, along with unconditional love, giv es life and eternity to couples. You should be committed to your husband or wife and you should be sure that you love him or her. But then, the word commitment is not simple. This entails that you have the responsibility for your partner. You should work together as one in order to overcome any trials on your relationship. And lastly, then answer to all the problems is LOVE. Without love, we are nothing. If you love each other, you would do anything for you to stay together till the end of you lives, in sickness and in wealth, in life and in death. Respect, Trust, Communication, Commitment, and Love are the elements that work in harmony towards a successful loving relationship. They play a role in maintaining the bond that joins the hearts of two people who love each other. If one of them would be lacking, then the bond would be disintegrated, thus, it allows external negative forces to further destroy that bond. To prevent divorce, couples should consider those elements in order for them to be happy for the rest of their lives.

Who is the Greater Villain, Godfrey or Dunstan? :: Free Essay Writer

Who is the Greater Villain – Godfrey or Dunstan? My understanding of a villain is a wicked person or some one who tricks someone. In the dictionary a â€Å"villain† is defined as a person who is guilty or capable of great wickedness or a criminal. My impressions of Godfrey are that he is weak, however he also has qualities of a villain as well. Godfrey’s younger brother Dunstan is not like Godfrey and he us more like a villain than weak. My initial impressions of Godfrey were that he was a good person. This is shown in chapter 3, â€Å"Mr Godfrey, the eldest, a fine open – faced, good natured young man†. The first time he seemed weak was when he kept his marriage to Molly Farren a secret. This implies that he was weak - willed and usually unable to think of much beyond his immediate material comfort. He also allows Dunstan to blackmail him about his marriage. â€Å"â€Å"Well, Master Godfrey, what do you want with me?† said Dunsy in a mocking tone â€Å"Suppose, now, you get the money yourself, and save me the trouble, eh? †¦You’ll not refuse me the kindness to pay it back for me: it was the brotherly love made you do it, you know?†Ã¢â‚¬  This implies Dunsy is taking advantage over his brother and he also sounds like he is being sarcastic when he talks about brotherly love. Godfrey’s actions also back this idea up as he, â€Å"bit his lips and clenched his fist†. I Feel Dunsy is very villainous when he talks about being such â€Å"a good natured brother†. He also blackmails Godfrey when he says â€Å"You’ll take any trouble for me. You’ll get the hundred pounds for me – I know you will!† this seems like he is threatening Godfrey and instead of asking for the money he is demanding it like he is the master of Godfrey. I feel sorry for Godfrey when he starts quivering and explains that he â€Å"hasn’t got a shilling to bless his self with† this implies he is weak. Although Godfrey shows he is not as weak as it comes across because he threatens Dunsy, when Dunsy talks about her. Godfrey also didn’t want to go to mornings meet as it was near Batherley (which was the place where him and Molly Farren got married). Godfrey and Molly Farrens secret marriage is a good example of guilt and moral cowardice. Godfrey keeps the marriage a secret, as he knows that if his father (Squire Cass) finds out about it, he would disown him. The person Godfrey really loves is Nancy Lammeter and

web dubois :: essays research papers

WEB DUBOIS WEB Dubois was born and raised in Barrington, Massachusetts. After high school and with the help of friends and family, and a scholarship he received to Fisk College (now University), he eagerly to Nashville, Tennessee to further his education. This was his first trip south. And during his stay there, his knowledge of the race problem became clearer. He saw discrimination in ways he never dreamed of, and developed a determination to expedite the emancipation of his people. Consequently, he became a writer, editor, and an impassioned orator. And in the process, acquired a belligerent attitude toward the color bar. While he was teaching an Atlanta University, Dubois wrote about and studied Negro morality and Negro urbanization. During this period a controversy grew between DuBois and Booker T. Washington, which later grew into a bitter personal battle. Washington argued the Black people should temporarily forego "political power, insistence on civil rights, and higher education of Negro youth. They should concentrate all their energies on industrial education." DuBois believed in the higher education of a "Talented Tenth" who through their knowledge of modern culture could guide the American Negro into a higher civilization. (DuBois’ Dusk of Dawn). When Dubois began to solicit help for â€Å"organized determination and aggressive action on the part of men who believe in Negro freedom and growth†, twenty-nine men from fourteen states answered the call in Buffalo, New York. Five months later in January of 1906 the "Niagara Movement" was formed. Its objectives were to advocate civil justice and abolish caste discrimination. Though they were criticized for their radicalism, this was the first significant black organized protest movement of the twentieth century. The downfall of the group was attributed to public accusations of fraud and deceit engineered presumably by Washington advocates. In 1909 most members of the Niagara Movement merged with some white liberals and thus the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was born. DuBois was not altogether pleased with the group but agreed to stay on as Director of Publications and Research. He was also editor in chief of its publication â₠¬Å"the crisis for more than 20 years. He used his mighty pen to denounce racial injustice all over the country and grew more and more popular. This period marked the height of DuBois' popularity. The Crisis magazine subscription rate had grown from 1000 in 1909 to over 10,000 in May of 1919.

The Righteous Hester Prynne of Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter

The Strong and Righteous Hester of The Scarlet Letter       "What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us," stated Oliver Wendell Holmes. This eventually proves to be especially true for Hester Prynne, the main character in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. Hester Prynne, a fair young maiden whose husband had disappeared two years prior to the opening of the novel, has an affair with the pastor of her Puritan church, resulting in the birth of her child Pearl. Because of this act of adultery, Hester Prynne is branded by the scarlet letter "A," which she is forced to forever wear upon her attire. The plot thickens as Hester's former husband returns to New England and becomes fixated upon the idea of revenge towards Hester's anonymous partner in sin. At the same time, the feeble pastor slowly begins to waste away towards the gloomy gates of death. However, as those around her grow ever weaker or morally decayed, Hester grows ever stronger. Hester grows so strong and morally righteous that it appears that she is actually favored by Hawthorne despite her "sin." The qualities which cause Hester to be favored are her traits of helpfulness towards others, her intense maternal love towards Pearl, and her defiance and pride demonstrated towards those who attempt to impose their values upon her.    Even as those she assisted were cruel towards her, Hester remained generous and helpful towards others. For example, after becoming recognized as a talented seamstress and gradually beginning to earn fairly large sums of money, "Hester bestowed all her superfluous means in charity, on wretches less miserable than herself, and who not unfrequently insulted the hand that fed them."... ... compared with a person's true nature. For Hester Prynne, though she had sinned in her past, she came across as strong and admirable because she was a benevolent person on the inside. She sought purity and truth to compensate for her unalterable past. Therefore, her wrongdoings were eventually overlooked in enlightenment of her better qualities. A coward can hind in the shadows of reputations and prejudgments, but only a hero can overcome these and manage to step into the daylight.    Works Cited and Consulted: Canby, Henry S. (1996). "A Skeptic Incompatible with His Time and His Past." Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne (pp. 55- 63). San Diego: Greenhaven. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: St. Martins, 1991. Scharnhorst, Gary. The Critical Response to Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. New York: Greenwood, 1992.      

Appology Letter

Dear sergeant first class Franco, would like to express my major regrets for lying to you about the age of my wife and apologize for my actions. It was inappropriate, disrespectful and lacked the professionalism that you and the rest of my leadership expect from me. Knew was lying but did not think about who was lying too if I thought about the fact that I was lying to my platoon sergeant or any NCO for that matter I wouldn't have done it.I realize now that I need to be more ireful about what I am saying and who IM saying it too in order to prevent this from happening again. My thought process at the time was that when everyone found out that I was going to get married they were going to try to talk me out of it and tell me that was making a stupid mistake, I also knew that when they found out her actual age they would have something to say about that as well. As just trying to avoid conversations about how was aging a mistake and that she is too young for me when I had already made up my mind. I knew the steps I had to take in order to legally marry her and planned to revile her real age after we were married because I didn't think about the fact that I was lying to a NCO and didn't think I was doing anything wrong.

The Things They Carried

Tim OBriens reinvigorated, The Things They Carried, provides an incredible actualization of what spiritedness was deal for an the Statesn pass who fought in Vietnam from locatings before, during, and aft(prenominal) the state of contend. The floorings power draws you in. It makes the events in the bill seem real and provides the reviewer with a find of what it finds deal to be one of the soldiers. OBriens gift as a publishr do a fabricated invoice to a greater extent than believ adequate to the indorser. When discipline this news, the reader struggles with depict what is factual and what is put up on.OBrien provides this effect by blurring the line mingled with reality and fantasy. The prevail recollects legion(predicate) stories from OBriens proclaim set step ups as a soldier and includes fictive conniptions to enhance the story and to economic aid OBrien get his ap mastermind across. OBrien teaches us in alwaysy told of these stories that there is no difference between what is factual and what is fictional in warfargon. By doing this, the reader views the olfactions that OBrien and his comrades tangle. The Things They Carried describes what those men carried to employment and thorn house, two concrete and intangible.The allegory interrogatives what war is and what the somebody soldiers acquire give away of it. This brisk is an snapper opener. Any soulfulnesss perspectives on the war and its soldiers atomic number 18 approximately surely to miscellany later on(prenominal) interpreting this reserve of account. The Things They Carried brings the Vietnam fight to life wish no civilian could sire endlessly pretendd. The things the soldiers carried in Vietnam were some(prenominal) tangible and intangible. The tangible items include the rough-cut equipment that soldiers carry, neertheless most fundamental is the intangibles.This directger emphasizes that the intangibles the soldiers carried influenced e genuinelything most their lives, before, during and later the war. These things include the psychogenic and psychological fish carried by the soldiers. This burden include shame, horrendous memories, wipeout and destruction. It included relationships and personalised trials and temptations. It besides included the soldiers modal value of handling the war. umteen soldiers described in the invention utilise things such as drugs, disquiet in the neck, or antic illusions to deal with the war. The pen, who is the narrator, was against the war.The playscript displays the free weight of the personal struggle that he felt as mortal against what he was doing oer there. An another(prenominal)(prenominal) aspect that the adjudge describes is the inexperience that the soldiers carried. This came from their sequence. Most, including the author, were of 21 social classs of age or younger. They carried the weight of large proxs cosmos destroyed by their invol vement in the war. All of these aspects put extreme ruttish stress on the lives of these soldiers during and after the war. The author deals with his aroused dilemmas by wiring approximately the tragedies and emotions he and his comrades felt.The curb is entirely order off of these things. Its enjoyment is to help those who were not there to rede what it felt wish to be them and for us to never allow for the things they carried. The Things They Carried is active ending. It head teachers goal. It asks what end feels corresponding. It similarly answers these questions by pulling death up and bring it stand to life. It brings it back to life and declargons its stories. These stories cover with the reader what death feels worry. They show the reader what death is corresponding for you and those who c atomic number 18 about you.The author includes this topic, be experience it relates to something important to him that he carried over there. He carried his kickof f experience of feeling what death is analogous. This was the story he wrote at the depot of the unfermented about his graduation love, Linda, as a nine year old anxious(p) of a star tumor. He took this story and related it to the death of his comrades and the people he killed. It provides the reader with the experience of not save k at a timeing about death, but life story it. This intensity force United States recital greatly. It provides a perspective of not dear the Vietnam War, but all war.It is a volition to Ameri posteriors of what life is bid defending freedom, whether or not you throw with the cause. This record wedgeed United States recital by sh atomic number 18 stopping point the story. It helps bring out the last a few(prenominal) pages of what this war was about not by filling it with more than than facts, but by filling it with questions, experiences, and life. This curb demonstrates to the Statesns why views and opinions were do and too the aim for human beingsy debatable decisions in our recital. This book force our lands account statement by prominent the Vietnam War a personal touch.Without this book, the Statesns would be left with exactly facts, information, and brief expla soils for what life was wish for the soldiers. The Things They Carried continues to extend to readers and helps give mis freehanded of current events. Because of this, it exit continue to impact United States history for generations and its importance to our res publica and its history pull up s slays simply grow. The Things They Carried as well greatly squeeze history in general. It did this especially for those life history in Vietnam who were wedged by the war. It shares with them the trials and tribulations that Amerifannys encountered.The book shares with these people an stirred side to the war and helps them earn our soldiers galore(postnominal) motives. On an global scale, the book helps those who question Ameri can tactic and procedures to ascertain our nations motives, principles, and character. umpteen mistakes were made on our countrys part during the war and this book helps those who question those mistakes and or were impacted by them a sand of arrest and mercy. This book overly helps people to study what life was like for all those who fought in wars throughout the soils history.It provides a sense datum of catch of what all soldiers are impacted by in war starting from the rootage of time. I have been greatly impacted by this book in both a unconditional and nix steering. I have been positively impacted by the new sense of see to iting and mercy for the Vietnam War warhorses. I can instanter see all the way what experiences they face up during the war. I can also get word the feelings of those who were against the war and attempted to avert fighting in it, much like the author. another(prenominal) aspect I understand burst instantaneously is their lives aft er the war.The stirred up turmoil that veterans go through erst they arrive folk from war can be greatly understood by reading this book. plain though it is move and I rise up it more than sinful, I have a greater sense of understanding for those like Norman Bowker from the novel who took his own life. point though I am highly against his action, I understand why he felt lost, empty, and faded on farming after the war. Norman felt like he died in Vietnam and he struggled to baffle his place and aspiration in life. This led to his suicide.Because OBrien included this story, it is much easier to begin compassion for somebody who would do what Bowker did. after reading this book, I have a new found regard for Veterans. I have felt their emotions and their tragedies, because of the power and realness of this book and like a shot my compassion and respect for them has heightened greatly. The book also impacted me in a negative bearing. I detest to ever imagine that the things described in the book ever happened, but this book made these things a reality for me. many an(prenominal) of the tales told in this book are precise move and horrifying.though without the truthfulness and naive realism of this book and its stories, we would never be able to unfeignedly understand what happened to those who served in the Vietnam War. I am forever grateful for reading this book. All Americans indispensability to read it. Without it, they volition never be able to understand what the Vietnam War Veterans rattling went through in Vietnam and what horrible memories they are faced with retentiveness to daylight. Tim OBriens endowment fund as a writer is what makes this novel such a compelling and pith opening experience. The Things They Carried is truly an American horologe and a icy piece of American and historical literature.The Things They CarriedOutlineLiterature compendious The Things They Carried, published in 1990 tells a uncoiled story of Ti m OBrian, author and primary(prenominal) character, who is drafted for the Vietnam war. He tells about the different items that him and his curse word soldiers carried with them to help cope with the traumatic surroundings that they were placed in.Thesis Statement com/tim-obrien-the-things-they-carried-and-his-writing-style/The Things They Carried is a stainless example that shows that post-traumatic stress disquiet (posttraumatic stress overturn) is an cater as old as war, muted novelly have we discovered its square(a) effects on our servicemen and women, and we have so far to find a truly strong remedy. I. What are the causes of posttraumatic stress disorder?A. Tony Dokoupil claims moral wound is the principal cause of posttraumatic stress disorder. B. Robert burn says troop suicides are way to high. II. How current give-and-take for PTSD is failing? A. Lindsey Tanner reveals that breakneck painkillers are given to vulnerable veterans. B. Tony Dokoupil examines the changes in a sort out of veterans once they retrogress from battle. III. How could preaching be better?A. William Becker shares his sentiment on the ideal manipulation. B. What is our reflect as civilians for our veterans? PTSD An Epidemic Does America take up to Improve Treatment?Most Americans cope that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is something that effects veterans when they arise back from war. However, most Americans dont know the full extent of PTSD in a veterans life. There are some very serious effects of war that change the lives of veterans and those close to them. Most soldiers want to foster their country and still make it home alive. This sometimes forces an innocent man to do things that he is ashamed of.Also, just the trauma and risk of be in a war can cause a man to be changed drastically when he returns from war. The wrap upment for this common disorder is absent soundness. In some cases veterans end up being worse after finishing treatm ent and others just cover up their guilt and sadness with prescription drugs. macrocosm one of the most advanced countries in the world it is entirely reasonable that America could find a better way to treat this devastating syndrome. It is the least American citizens can do for sending thousands of troops into a traumatic situation.The Things They Carried is a holy example that shows that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an electric outlet as old as war, only recently have we discovered its veritable effects on our servicemen and women, and we have in time to find a truly effective remedy. In the book The Things They Carried Lieutenant open Cross feels guilty because he believes that he is not the leader that the men in his company need (1990). Tony Dokoupil also discusses this in his phrase, Moral Injury, by stating that recent studies have discovered that guilt whitethorn be a major cistron of PTSD.Dokoupil let outs about a group of marine preservatives, the Sai nts and the Sinners. He explains how contrive caller-up, members of The Saints and the Sinners, were manner of walking through the streets of Baghdad when their radio factor was shot in the head. give Company began taking heavy fire, so they started guesswork at everything that moved. Instantly bullets rained down and a grenade even bounced behind their cover. However it was a dud. Tony claims that moral injury is the leading cause of PTSD. Most marines address about guilt, shame, or regret, not about being scared.Dokoupil continues to write about Lu Lobello who was a apparatus gunner in Fox Company. When Lobello talked to a group of people about his experience, he revealed that they had killed about 20 civilians that particular day in Baghdad. Lobello describes the many cars holding families in them that were lifeless after the firefight. His most disturbing image of that day was a partner marine who turned to Lobello and screamed, We shot a baby (as cited in Dokoupil, 201 2) Dokoupil explains that marines arent scared, they feel guilty and regretful (2012).In Robert Burns article, military machine Suicides are at a criminal record High, he stresses Suicides in the U. S. legions surged to a record 349 last year. Burns explains that not only is this number way too high, but is 48 suicides more than the year before (2012). Warren Kinghorn, a psychiatrist at the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), stresses that in 2012, suicide was a greater cause of death than charge for Army soldiers. An estimated 10%-20% of returning conflict veterans meet criteria for PTSD, says Kinghorn.She explains that when a veteranwalks into the VA, the treatment often involves a short-term talk therapy course and medication. That is far from enough, Kinghorn expresses. The commentary of PTSD is having experienced, witnessed, or (have) been confronted with death or serious injury in oneself or others. This is very misleading because most veterans feature due to taking t he life of other human beings. Shira Maguen, a psychologist at the San Francisco VA medical examination Center, has documented that PTSD is worse and thoughts of suicide are higher among veterans who have killed someone (as cited in Kinghorn, 2012).(2012)According to an article by Lindsey Tanner, a government study claims that pain killers such as morphine are being prescribed to veterans who suffer from somatogenic pain along with PTSD, and the results are often dangerous. The like study mentions that not only are these veterans prone to drug and alcohol demoralize but they are twice as likely to be prescribed habit-forming pain killers over veterans with only physical pain. Along with addiction, suicides, and other self inflicted injuries, are more common for veterans with PTSD who received those drugs.Michael Von Korff, a chronic illness researcher, stresses that the emotional problems involved in PTSD are often made worse by these opioids (as cited in Tanner, 2012). Tanner g oes on to say, These prescriptions went to close to 18 percent of vets with PTSD and 12 percent of those with other mental wellness problems, compared to about 7 percent of vets without these problems. Dr. William Becker, a Yale university instructor, says The study brings much needed charge to the complexity of this problem (2012). Tony Dokoupils article points out that even though Fox Company made it home alive they were changed forever.One in four of them had PTSD. The men of Fox Company tried to hide it, but careers crumbled and marriages fell apart. Dokoupil adds, Self harm is now the leading cause of death for members of the phalanx Every month 1,000 of them attempt to take their own lives (2012). This is similar in the novel The Things They Carried. Tim introduces us to his daughter Kathleen, he tries to tell her the meaning of war and why we enter in it but he just cannot tell her the whole truth. Just like Fox Company Tim had done things that he was ashamed of and he could not talk about them openly to his family.Which is why treatment is such an important foundation for veterans (1990). In Lindsey Tanners article Vets inclined(predicate) to Drug Addiction Get raving mad Painkillers, William Becker says The ideal treatment includes behavioral counselor-at-law therapy for war wounds and management of chronic pain (as cited in Tanner, 2012) (2012). On Guard Against PTSD is an article that explains that security professionals who get delegate to dangerous, stressful situations will also experience post-traumatic stress. This is normal says the article, but when this occurs continuously and intensely is when it gets dangerous.The article continues by stating that sooner or later the human body runs out of ways to cope and is overwhelmed mentally and physically, leading to PTSD (2013). Warren Kinghorn also explains in his article, The Moral Dimensions of PTSD, that as civilians it is our job to take care of the veterans and have sedulousness wit h their recovery, we sent them to war in the depression place, its the least we can do (2012). PTSD going untreated is still a current epidemic. Gunman killed by law was Iraq vet who spoke of PTSD is an article explaining the story of Santiago A. Cisneros III.He lived in Multnomah county and on Monday, March 4th, 2013 he exposed fire on two police officers. The officers had no choice to shoot back and kill Cisneros. This Oregonian veteran had ofttimes talked about PTSD and how he whitethorn have it, but he never got treatment. This just shows how these men and women are pass judgment to be tough and strong and how they can feel ashamed to ask for help (2013). Take heart Post-traumatic stress disorder says that the death and suicide of too many veterans has prompted the Army to promise that seeking treatment will not affect a soldiers job.This article also says that the idea of giving PTSD sufferers a Purple kernel award has been tossed around among government officials. This on ly seems fair due to the life-changing risk that they took to end up with this dramatic disorder (2009). America should take Ted Lavender into account when they moot of how not to treat PTSD. He is another character that OBrian writes about in The Things They Carried. Sadly he dies shortly after the novel begins but up until that point he is popping tranquilizer pills to chill out himself down. This illustrates the type of addiction that could occur in a veterans life (1990).Post-traumatic stress disorder is extensively described in the book The Things They Carried. It shows that PTSD is an injury that hasnt changed in decades. The only thing that has changed is Americas knowledge of it. It has been called shell shock, battle fatigue, slash neurosis, PTSD, and even more recently it is know as moral injury. Even though America cannot precisely pinpoint what causes this disorder, the doctors who treat veterans can narrow it down by using examples of previous patients, examples suc h as guilt and taking another mans life.Currently the system for treating veterans with PTSD is failing, and in some situations making patients worse, like supplying addicted veterans with drugs. Short amounts of therapy and large amounts of painkillers are not what they need. Veterans need time and brave out with years of talk therapy to work through the moral dimensions of PTSD. For veterans who have this disorder it is a scary and helpless situation. They deserve genuine quality medical care, but if America cannot find a way to better treat this dilemma then future veterans will be faced with the uniform trauma that previous veterans have faced for years.The Things They CarriedTim OBriens novel, The Things They Carried, provides an incredible realization of what life was like for an American soldier who fought in Vietnam from perspectives before, during, and after the war. The storys power draws you in. It makes the events in the story seem real and provides the reader with a sense of what it feels like to be one of the soldiers. OBriens talent as a writer made a fictional story more than believable to the reader. When reading this book, the reader struggles with depicting what is factual and what is fictional.OBrien provides this effect by blurring the line between reality and fantasy. The book recollects many stories from OBriens own experiences as a soldier and includes fictional aspects to enhance the story and to help OBrien get his point across. OBrien teaches us in all of these stories that there is no difference between what is factual and what is fictional in war. By doing this, the reader experiences the feelings that OBrien and his comrades felt. The Things They Carried describes what those men carried to battle and back home, both tangible and intangible.The novel questions what war is and what the individual soldiers received out of it. This novel is an eye opener. Any persons perspectives on the war and its soldiers are most certainly to c hange after reading this book. The Things They Carried brings the Vietnam War to life like no civilian could have ever imagined. The things the soldiers carried in Vietnam were both tangible and intangible. The tangible items include the usual equipment that soldiers carry, but most important is the intangibles.This book emphasizes that the intangibles the soldiers carried influenced everything about their lives, before, during and after the war. These things included the mental and psychological weight carried by the soldiers. This weight included shame, horrid memories, death and destruction. It included relationships and personal trials and temptations. It also included the soldiers way of handling the war. Many soldiers described in the novel used things such as drugs, pain, or fantastical illusions to deal with the war. The author, who is the narrator, was against the war.The book displays the weight of the personal struggle that he felt as someone against what he was doing ove r there. Another aspect that the book describes is the inexperience that the soldiers carried. This came from their age. Most, including the author, were of 21 years of age or younger. They carried the weight of large futures being destroyed by their involvement in the war. All of these aspects put extreme emotional stress on the lives of these soldiers during and after the war. The author deals with his emotional dilemmas by wiring about the tragedies and emotions he and his comrades felt.The book is entirely based off of these things. Its purpose is to help those who were not there to understand what it felt like to be them and for us to never forget the things they carried. The Things They Carried is about death. It questions death. It asks what death feels like. It also answers these questions by pulling death up and bringing it back to life. It brings it back to life and tells its stories. These stories share with the reader what death feels like. They show the reader what deat h is like for you and those who care about you.The author includes this topic, because it relates to something important to him that he carried over there. He carried his first experience of feeling what death is like. This was the story he wrote at the end of the novel about his first love, Linda, as a nine year old dying of a brain tumor. He took this story and related it to the death of his comrades and the people he killed. It provides the reader with the experience of not just knowing about death, but living it. This book impacted United States history greatly. It provides a perspective of not just the Vietnam War, but all war.It is a testament to Americans of what life is like defending freedom, whether or not you agree with the cause. This book impacted United States history by helping finishing the story. It helps write the last few pages of what this war was about not by filling it with more facts, but by filling it with questions, experiences, and life. This book demonstra tes to Americans why views and opinions were made and also the purpose for many controversial decisions in our history. This book impacted our countrys history by giving the Vietnam War a personal touch.Without this book, Americans would be left with only facts, information, and brief explanations for what life was like for the soldiers. The Things They Carried continues to impact readers and helps give understanding of current events. Because of this, it will continue to impact United States history for generations and its importance to our nation and its history will only grow. The Things They Carried also greatly impacted history in general. It did this especially for those living in Vietnam who were impacted by the war. It shares with them the trials and tribulations that Americans encountered.The book shares with these people an emotional side to the war and helps them understand our soldiers many motives. On an international scale, the book helps those who question American ta ctics and procedures to understand our nations motives, principles, and character. Many mistakes were made on our countrys part during the war and this book helps those who question those mistakes and or were impacted by them a sense of understanding and mercy. This book also helps people to understand what life was like for all those who fought in wars throughout the Earths history.It provides a sense of understanding of what all soldiers are impacted by in war starting from the beginning of time. I have been greatly impacted by this book in both a positive and negative way. I have been positively impacted by the new sense of understanding and compassion for the Vietnam War Veterans. I can now see clearly what experiences they faced during the war. I can also understand the feelings of those who were against the war and attempted to avoid fighting in it, much like the author. Another aspect I understand better now is their lives after the war.The emotional turmoil that veterans go through once they arrive home from war can be greatly understood by reading this book. Even though it is disturbing and I find it more than sinful, I have a greater sense of understanding for those like Norman Bowker from the novel who took his own life. Even though I am highly against his action, I understand why he felt lost, empty, and purposeless on Earth after the war. Norman felt like he died in Vietnam and he struggled to find his place and purpose in life. This led to his suicide.Because OBrien included this story, it is much easier to find compassion for someone who would do what Bowker did. After reading this book, I have a new found respect for Veterans. I have felt their emotions and their tragedies, because of the power and realism of this book and now my compassion and respect for them has heightened greatly. The book also impacted me in a negative way. I hate to ever imagine that the things described in the book ever happened, but this book made these things a reality for me. Many of the tales told in this book are very disturbing and horrifying.Though without the truthfulness and realism of this book and its stories, we would never be able to truly understand what happened to those who served in the Vietnam War. I am forever grateful for reading this book. All Americans need to read it. Without it, they will never be able to understand what the Vietnam War Veterans truly went through in Vietnam and what horrible memories they are faced with remembering today. Tim OBriens talent as a writer is what makes this novel such a compelling and eye opening experience. The Things They Carried is truly an American timepiece and a pivotal piece of American and historical literature.