Internal, External Essay

| Identify the key actors and forces in the company’s marketing environment that affect its ability to serve its target customers effectively.The marketing environment can be defined as everything that surrounds an organization’s environment and can affect its operation.The business environment consists of the actors and forces that affect an organization’s ability to develop and maintain business with its targeted customers. These are the Micro Environment, the Macro environment and the internal environment.The micro-environment of an organization can best be understood as comprising all those other organizations and individuals who directly or indirectly affect the activities of the organization. The following key groups can be identified as: their suppliers, marketing intermediaries, customers, competitors and the public. * Neil Saab, PROCTER’s European head of laundry products development * Edward Arwell, PROCTER’s Chief Marketing Officer * scientists and over 60,000 consumers * Dutch press * PR Firm hired by PROCTER * Europe targeting consumers’ associations, washing machine manufacturers, retailers * and anybody else who would listen * Dutch consumers’ union * Six test institutesThe Macro environment is the non specific aspect in the company’s surrounding that have the potential impact on the organizations strategies. This environment comprises general trends and forces which may not immediately affect the relationships that a company has with its customers, suppliers and intermediaries, but sooner or later, macro-environmental change will alter the nature of these relationships. These are demographic forces, economic factors, natural, technological, political and socio cultural factors. * For ULTRA WASH, they had claimed a technological lead based on their formula and this was keeping them ahead * Environmental campaigners in Sweden were keen on the effects of the product * Freedom of speech allowed Procter to lobby openly against their competitorThe Internal Environment refers to those activities within the local influence which includes it marketing plans and strategies, how they are implemented and its research and development. Actors in the internal environment include: * David Fritz, ULTRA WASH’s global coordinator of detergent marketing * Top executives at ULTRA WASH Head Office in the UK * Other management and staff of ULTRA WASH Show how each of the actors/forces you have identified in question 1, directly (or indirectly) impacted on ULTRA WASH’s final decision to revamp and relaunch the defective Eno/Ersil Power.For ULTRA WASH, the SWOT analysis summarizes the main environmental issues in the form of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.Strengths of ULTRA WASH: * Power branded in Netherlands, UK and France * Biggest advance fabric detergent over 20 years * They had the technological lead Weaknesses of ULTRA WASH: * Did not act on private warning from Procter before they went public * Did not effectively counter Procter’s negative campaign against their product * Ultra Wash image damaged and undermined as they were slow to act Opportunities of ULTRA WASH: * To launch Power in 11 other countries Threats of ULTRA WASH: * Flaw discovered in technology by rival competitor * The need to withdraw their once successful product from the market * Leading supermarket emptying shelves of the product * Various tests confirmed damaging effects of their products With all the negative publicity that ULTRA WASH had received from Procter, various media agencies as well as tests that proved the product was in fact damaging, it was in ULTRA WASH’s best interest to revamp and re-launch their product.The Impact of the Actors in the Micro EnvironmentThe lobbying and negative campaigning done by Procter’s executives sensitized the public on the damaging effects of ULTRA WASH’s product therefore reducing the demand in the market.Various Scientists confirmed that the product was faulty also confirming to the public that this product was not ide al for their laundry.The Press and PR Firm hired by Proctor hammered bad publicity that contributed to the decline in sales of this product. As the Customers are the most important to consider, a re launch was necessary to correct the past manufacturing errors and reclaim their loyalty. It was also important to create a new image in the minds of the target market by changing their perception. The Impact of the Actors in the Macro Environment * Legal: ULTRA WASH also had on going legal battle with PROCTOR, it was important to end that chapter and show some differentiation in their rebranded product. * Technological: Advances in Technology would create opportunity for ULTRA WASH to develop a new detergent with the correct product mix that would meet environmental specifications. * Social and Cultural: PROCTOR was able to freely express their opinions and change the perception of the general product thereby reducing the market share of ULTRA WASH. The Impact of the Actors in the Internal EnvironmentThe entire series of events proved that  the Executives and marketing personnel at ULTRA WASH were not fully equipped to handle all the negative publicity and did not act expeditiously to recover from this problem. Top Executives should have heeded the secret warnings of PROCTOR and test their product privately to prevent an international outburst. The strategies were not enough to protect their product. Internal branding was important as ULTRA WASH needed to re create a core product with distinctive values that distinguishes it from its competition. ULTRA WASH needed to highlight the true benefits to be from using their product. Brand strategies must be communicated to staff so that they understand the company character on which the company brand is built. Investment in staff training is required to achieve the service levels required for the brand strategy.In order to be successful and to reclaim their market share, ULTRA WASH would need to revisit their team strategies, review their research and development strategies and improve on their technological advances.| Question #1 A company’s marketing environment refers to factors outside of marketing, which has either a direct or indirect affect on the company’s ability to develop and maintain successful relationships with its target market. (Various Environmental factors Affecting Marketing Function, 2012) An understanding of a company’s marketing environment is instrumental in the development of its SWOT analysis as the marketing department would be able to identify the strengths, weakness, threats and opportunities. The marketing environment can be divided into three sub- categories which are internal environment, micro- environment and macro- environment. (Various Environmental factors Affecting Marketing Function, 2012) Ultra Wash Power detergent was affected by factors and actors from these three marketing environment which hindered the company from serving its target market. The internal marketing environment of a company refers to factors and actors that are part of the company, which the company has control over. These factors have an influence on the operations of the organization and a high level of control is placed over this environment, as the organization can change it strategies to ensure that these factors support marketing. (The marketing environment, n.d.) (Various Environmental factors Affecting  Marketing Function, 2012) Ultra Wash was affect by the following in its effort to serve its target market: – Research and Development: this is the creation of products, improvements to existing products or the production process through a combination of basic and applied research. The aim of research and development is to position the company as a market leader through competitive advantage. (Research and Development , n.d.) – Company’s Imagine- refers to what consumers think about your business when they hear the name of the product or business. (Image , n.d.) – Top Management: this refers to marketing decisions taken by members of the Board of Directors, shareholders and executives. Micro- environment refers to factors and actors that are closely linked to the organization and their decisions and operations directly affect the company’s ability to serve its customers. (The marketing environment, n.d.) Ultra Wash was affected by the following three factors in this environment: – Consumer Behavior- this is how consumers select, purchase and use goods and services to satisfy their wants and needs. (Consumer Buying Behavior) – Market intermediaries: these are third party persons or organizations between the final customer and manufacturer and given the responsibility of promoting, selling and distributing of the goods and services. (Various Environmental factors Affecting Marketing Function, 2012) – Competitors: firms which sell same or similar goods and services in the same market. (Various Environmental factors Affecting Marketing Function, 2012) Marco – Environment are factors which are uncontrollable external to the company. Although these factors directly influence the company marketing decisions, they do not directly affect the company’s ability to serve its customers. (The marketing environment,n.d.) This environment is analyzed through the STEEPLE analysis. The seven areas of focus in the STEEPLE analysis are political, economic, social, technological, environmental, legal and ethical. (Williams, 2013) Of which, technological, environmental, and ethical affected the ability for Ultra Wash to serve its target customers. (The marketing environment, n.d.) Question#2 Internal Environment: – Research and development directly affected the ability of Ultra Wash  to serve its target market as the company did not undertake sufficient research when developing the product. This was evident when they were faced with the facts about how the enzyme â€Å"dirt buster† affects clothing. Also they did not take heed to the warning made by PROCTER, had the company research the information made by their competitors it could have saved them thousands of dollars in damage control and advertising. – Company’s Imagine- With the information about the effects of their detergent being published in the media, the company’s image began to plummet in the eyes of consumers. The company had to take steps to try to rebuild the company’s imagine by offering a new revamped detergent gave them a chance to do this. – Top Management- David Fritz the global coordinator of detergent marketing and the Ultra Wash executives decided to ignore the warnings about the product made by Edward Artwell with the belief that recalling the product would be costly and humiliating to the company and for David Fritz his career. Micro- Environment: – Consumer Behavior- Ultra Wash revenues for the Power detergent was reducing radically due to the information on the detergent which PROCTER released and their campaign against detergent with â€Å"dirt buster†. In order for any company to be able to remain competitive they must be able to attain profits and with the constant decline in Ultra Wash revenues and profit, the company had to make changes to the product to realize an increase the sales and revenues when advertising and promotions did not work. – Market intermediaries- Many supermarket chains considered removing the products from their shelves after being informed by PROCTER about the harmful effects of the Power detergent. In order to maintain relationships with these market intermediaries, who in turn wants to ensure that they are able to maintain good relationship with their customers, Ultra Wash needed to make sure that the standard of the product was improved. This would satisfy customer wants as well as allow Ultra Wash to maintain good relationships the market intermediaries. – Competitors- The actions of the competitors PROCTOR played the biggest part of the decision to revamp and re-launch the defective Power  detergent. PROCTOR tried to assist the Ultra Wash Company by providing them with research concerning the effects of â€Å"dirt buster†; however the company did not listen and proceeded to mass launch the product. As a result of the launch PROCTER released a statement providing the public with the effects of the detergent. Although Ultra Wash made their own releases refuting those claims, increasing advertisement and promotions they were not able to convince consumers otherwise and realized deduced sales. PROCTOR continued to provide the public, including consumers, retailers and consumers’ associations with information on this product until Ultra Wash finally decided to remove the product from all markets. Marco- Environment – Technological- Ultra Wash believe that this new technology would be able to provide them with competitive advantage of being more advanced that they rest of the market. However, in the hurry to become the market leader the technology was not properly research and developed causing the company to experience major losses. – Environmental- Many environmental lobbyist in European and Sweden released public statements about the effects the Power detergent and its affects on clothes. These statements can persuade consumer behavior against a certain product as in this case. – Ethical- Consumer groups such as the Dutch consumer’s union confirmed the damaging effects of the upgraded Power detergent. Ultra Wash needed to ensure that the product standard are to the level the consumers expect as statement against a product will persuade the consumers decisions against the product. All these factors played a major part in the decision taken by Ultra Wash to revamp and re-launch the defective Power Detergent as Ersil tablets. These tablets were able to provide them with the competitive advantage as well as become the market leader for this product. References: Various Environmental factors Affecting Marketing Function. (2012, July 19). Retrieved June 10, 2013, from ebstudies: http://ebstudies.wordpress.com/2012/07/19/various-environmental-factors-affecting-marketing-function/ Consumer Buying Behavior. (n.d.). Retrieved June 11, 2013, from BusinessDictionary.com:

Active Citizenship Coursework

This coursework is all about being an active citizen, and what it takes to be one. I will be giving an example of an activity in which I was being an active citizen. Then I will be showing how I have been an active Citizen. Brief Details of the Activity From late 2007 to the early months of 2008, I was taking part in a programme of activities known as the Duke of Edinburgh's award (D of E), at the silver level. This involved me carrying out work in different forms of activities with the aim of completing set objectives, as well as planning and training for an expedition by my D of E group to cover 14 miles in 2 days by foot. The activities context The role of other people/planning The D of E award required a lot of planning spread out over different aspects. Below I will explain the layers of planning required in order for me to have successfully completed my D of E. The first level would be organising the instructors. The instructors would have to be trained adequately in order to assist the participants. There are different areas in which they would have to be trained – they would have to have knowledge about the objectives which are required in order for participants to complete the award. Furthermore, if they area assisting with an expedition, they would have to have an even greater knowledge about what is required to complete the objective successfully (such as knowing about map reading or tents). All this training is important for them to be able to help us plan our D of E successfully. As we meet up regularly to check on the progress of our D of E, the instructors will be there to see if we are on target to achieve our set objectives, and their input can be important for us to have our D of E planned. With instructors being trained adequately, the next stage of other peoples planning would be my peers When we take part in the D of E award, we also have to take part in an expedition. In order for the expedition to be successful, a lot of different work will be needed to be carried out before we set out on our expedition. Firstly, the group needs to create a planned route that we set out on, and this requires full participation from all the group's members. After the route has been created, the next aim would be to organise where the camping location would be. Part of the team will be allocated the job of locating possible areas for the location. After possible locations are found, the group has to come together to make a decision on the best camping place, based on location, facilities (such as showers) and costs. Finally, after all the details are agreed on by the group, the instructors have to make sure the route they would take out would be feasible, based on the factors of its distance, contours (up/down hill), or if the route is safe to undertake. After the instructors have accepted the route, they will have to submit the route to the head D of E offices. This is required for the group to have their route validated, as well as make the personnel undertaking the award eligible for the insurance required to do the expedition. This final stage of the planning required lots of paperwork to certify the route to meet the criteria required, such as organising the insurance for the group. [improvement – possibly choose skills I have not already undertaken] What I have done for the award There is a large area of work which I have done in order for me to have achieved the award. My first step towards achieving the award is to sort out my activities I will be undertaking to meet the set objectives of the D of E – the skills, service and physical sections. In my skills service, I had the aim to encourage the discovery and development of practical and social skills and personal interests. I decided to play the piano for my skills section. Choosing to have piano lessons for my skills section was handy, as I already played the piano. I found there were lots of benefits I had when I undertook piano for my skills. It helped me a lot to manage my time, as playing the piano wasn't just about piano lessons, but also find the time to practice. For my service section, I decided to help the Bronze D of E group – the group that were starting doing their D of E for the first time. I helped them forwards in achieving their D of E, especially preparing them for their expedition, giving them advice or skills on map reading, setting up tents, lighting stoves (which could potentially be a hazardous task), and what to bring in your rucksack. I found that doing this voluntary work for my service was really enjoyable, as well as making me an active citizen by supporting and helping others in their goals. Finally, for my physical section, I decided to choose tennis lessons. I feel that choosing tennis for my physical recreation was a good choice, as it was something new, and it gave me a challenge. At the beginning, my tennis was not that good, but after a few months of playing, my tennis has improved. I thoroughly enjoyed taking out those activities, it provided me with an enjoyable, challenging and rewarding programme of personal developments, which has improved my character, given me more self-confidence, and given me a sense of responsibility. What taking part means to me, and what I have learnt Taking part in the D of E means a lot to me. It means that I have achieved a lot personally, and have more confidence in myself. I didn't believe that it was possible for me to walk 14 miles in 3 days, carrying a 25kg rucksack on my back, but I have proved to myself that it is possible. Taking part has given me a range of experiences that I can learn from and improve. One of the experiences I have taken on board is for me to plan prior the routes I take – not just in an expedition, but in life. In one situation, I was stranded on a steep scree face, which I could not climb up. I was map reading, and I took a wrong route, and ended up slipping down a steep hill. I eventually managed to get back up to the top by changing my approach to the situation, but it was a scary experience, unable to crawl back up the hill. I have learnt that your major decisions should be made as soon as they can. Another lesson I have learnt whilst on the expedition is that if my approach to a problem, I need to change it in order to successfully achieve my goals. With this knowledge I have gained, if I were to encounter a similar situation like that one, or if I may encounter another one whilst doing my Gold D of E very soon, I would change my approach to find a solution, such as instead of me trying to climb back up, I could climb safely down and find a rendezvous point for my group. Another situation my group faced was right at the end, after walking around 13 miles, we thought we were in the right place for meeting the instructors, but we found out that we were lost. In this situation, we were very demoralized, exhausted and close to tears. After using the GPS, we found we were about another 2 miles from where we were meant to be. We had to co-ordinate the GPS reference with our OS map, and found out a new route we would have to take. Our legs were so tired, and we were cold, but we all decided to keep each other in good moral so we at least had the mental state to make it. Finally, about another half hour later, we made it to the end, as a group. After this experience, I have learnt that you don't have to make things harder then they are, and you have to make sure that the whole group is fine, because if just one person doesn't want to participate, then it could jeopardize the efforts from the rest of the team. Here we had to make sure that everyone was fine and was willing to carry on walking – otherwise if we didn't arrive back as a group, then they would have failed us for not sticking together, and we would have to re-do our entire expedition. If on my Gold D of E, or anywhere in my life I am working with a group, I have learnt to make sure that everyone in the group is ok, otherwise we won't be as productive as if they are working Problems suffered whilst undertaking the D of E When undertaking any D of E activity on any level, there are always going to be problems. The most common problems suffered were when my group was undertaking the expedition. As the expedition requires a lot of a person, both physically and mentally, it means that you have to prepare yourself; but however much you try to anticipate those problems, some problems which can not be anticipated may happen. One common example of this is when doing an expedition. You can anticipate the fact that there is a large amount of walking, but you can't anticipate the exhaustion you feel if you don't regularly walk that distance.

Frankenrunner

Frankincense: Methods and Techniques: Structure & Narrative Form From Top Notes – Patterson & Strangers Epistolary Narrative Form â€Å"Frankincense† Is written In an epistolary narrative form that was popular at the time in which it was written. The original publication was presented in three volumes and this emphasized the Chinese box structure of the story within a story within a story. This structural device adds a great deal to its stark drama as well as ensuring greater reader engagement.The use of three narrators lends verisimilitude to an unlikely Tory since there is no one omniscient narrator. Our ideas are formulated by responding to multiple narrators and from being able to balance perceptions from one to the other. This method enables the author to maintain a certain objective distance between the text and the reader, allowing her audience to Judge and assess the moral worth of her protagonists. Flaws become evident but rather than the novelist casting asper sions on them; the characters condemn themselves In the reader's mind by their very actions. Multiple NarratorsThe novel is still able to Intrigue contemporary audiences because each of the three separate stories engage our sympathy with the narrator who presents them. This lends a personal voice in their fate. Each story fits neatly into the next. New contributions are made to our understanding which in turn colors our response to what is being recounted. The interlocutory bond between storyteller and listener Is maintained throughout even though the narrators alternate and often overlap. The reader is caught up in the storytellers magic, listening spellbound as different aspects of plot or character are revealed.First person narration offers one perspective but when this is put up against a deferent version of events, out Interpretations shift on response to questionable moral efficacy. Both Walton and Frankincense are linked by their voluntary alienation from society whereas the Creature has been forced to wander the world as an outcast. The narrators are depicted as flawed Individuals and on the absence of any one, single or reliable storyteller, the reader Is forced to assume the mantle of Judge. We, rather Han the novelist, evaluate the narrators and their versions of the truth that are presented to us.Well ? educated Walton seems the most reliable of the three and like Coleridge Ancient Mariner, is left alive to tell the tale that was in turn recounted to him. Shelley makes it clear however that these tales however have been filtered throughout his consciousness. Wallow's sister, Mrs. Seville becomes a surrogate reader, serving narrative function of receiving the letters her brother writes. Dualism Dualism links Victor and his mother which is not given a name, having no identity there than that of being Frankincense's doppelgà ¤nger shadow.Constructed from the dead body parts of others, he is a grotesque parody of life. â€Å"My form†, says the monster, â€Å"is a filthy type of yours, made horrid even in the very resemblance. † Both the scientist and his creation represent the duality of the human condition, the composite blend of good and evil; â€Å"Was man, indeed, at once so powerful, so virtuous and magnificent, yet so vicious and base? He appeared at once time a mere scion of the evil principle, and at another as all that can be conceived of noble and godlike.Frankincense describes the fiend as a monstrous or supernatural devil – â€Å"l was cursed by some devil, and carried about with me mum eternal hell†. Linked by many features such as a desire to learn and extract vengeance and scarred by the emotional suffering that results, they become mirrored reflections of each other. Their identities fuse as part of the Doppelgà ¤nger motif, forging an ambivalent relationship between good and bad. This helps reinforce the central thematic concern of monstrosity, challenging the reader to ponder the n ature of humanity and its evil twin.

Career Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Career Development - Essay Example First, an employee needs to know everything about the company where he or she wants to do the job. Some of the major aspects, which an employee needs to know about a company, include business of the company, major accomplishments, career progress opportunities, financial status of the company, and future of the company. Along with the awareness about all of these major aspects of a company, an employee also needs to know whether he or she meets the requirements of a company or not. In case an employee does not meet the requirements, the employee should know the factors, which are acting as obstacles for meeting the requirements. Moreover, the company should meet the professional and job benefits’ requirements of the employee as well. An employee should start from finding a better place for doing internship because it acts as the foundation for career development by consulting the faculty, fellow students, alumni, websites of different companies, newspapers, journals, and caree r websites. By consulting all or some of these sources, an employee can surely find a perfect place for the startup. If we look from employers’ perspective, we can say that employers have a step-based approach towards recruiting employees.

Practical Risk Management with in Information Technology Project Research Paper

Practical Risk Management with in Information Technology Project Management - Research Paper Example In order to control and manage risk, method and techniques are defined briefly in this article. The definition of Project Management as per the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) Guide is â€Å"a temporary endeavour undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result and the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements.†(Monoharan & Mansor, 2012). There are nine sub categories in project management out of which four are considered as the most important areas. The remaining four is assisting area and one is a general area. These areas are divided as: Scope management: management of work in order to complete the project. Time management: management of time needed to accomplish task on time. Cost management: management of budget regarding cost effective project. Quality management: All the requirements are satisfied and implied. Human resource management: management of employers for their effectiven ess. Communications management: gathering information regarding project. Risk management: recognizing and answering to risks. Procurement management: outsourcing goods and services. Integration management: interlinks all project knowledge areas instantaneously. In order to lead a fruitful project, the Project managers need to shine in each of these nine areas. 2 The Project Management Process Project managers manages the project in a systematic way or method, however, various project management techniques are available that can be used. Likewise, activities that are included in the PMBOK for the definition of the project are â€Å"components of work performed during the course of a project† (Vida, 2012). The primary activities of the project management process are mentioned in the book called as Whitten & Bentley’s Systems Analysis and Design Methods. The book demonstrated negotiation of the scope, identification of tasks, estimation of durations of the tasks, specific ation of dependencies, managing the efforts of the team, resource assignment, controlling the project progress, monitoring the project progress and lastly, assessment of the project results and experience. Scope negotiation is a critical part of any project that needs management. Likewise, the scope of the project is associated with the working that is required to deliver the product or end result with the requirements of the customer. Project failure occurs due to creeping of the scope that transpires in case of some addition of features and functions regardless of the factor that impacts the end result of the project. Moreover, failure of the projects also occurs due to ambiguous or confusing requirements of the customer. If the scope of the project is not clearly defined, there is a high percentage that the outcome of the project will not satisfy project stakeholders as well as the customers. 3 The Importance of Project Risk Management Information Technology Project Management is a methodology or set of technique that is implemented for identification, analysis and countering risks throughout the project lifecycle and supporting every aspect of meeting the requirements and objectives of the project (Schwalbe, 2010). Moreover, Oracle White Paper pressures over the significance of project risk management and states that, â€Å"Projects are becoming increasingly more complex and costly,

Travel industry in Europe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Travel industry in Europe - Essay Example This essay tells that the popularity of British Airways was since the year 1974 after the combination of British overseas airways corporation and the British European Airways Corporation. Since its formation it has been one of the primary airlines in UK and Europe. Since its inception it has been the largest airline based on the fleet size and in respect of the number of passengers in UK as well. It serves a massive number of 150 destinations. The organization has been able to perform consistently over the years and has been one of the major profit making organizations in the airline industry. The operational excellence of the British airways can be linked to the fact that it has successfully implemented the 24 hour IT system. Besides this it has gained significant achievement within its community, market place and workplace. Other than being the largest airline in Britain it has contributed significantly in donations and has devised proper training strategies for noise reductions in the flights. British airways have also developed a lot with respect to the infrastructure. The new terminal 5 has been delivering fantastic service for the airlines and has benefitted the passengers as well. The overall organizational efficiency gained by the organization can be contributed to variety of factors. The general study in management reflects that there are various factors which lead to the operational efficiency of an organization.... Besides this it has gained significant achievement within its community, market place and workplace. Other than being the largest airline in Britain it has contributed significantly in donations and has devised proper training strategies for noise reductions in the flights. British airways have also developed a lot with respect to the infrastructure. The new terminal 5 has been delivering fantastic service for the airlines and has benefitted the passengers as well. (Overview – achievements, n. d) The overall organizational efficiency gained by the organization can be contributed to variety of factors. The general study in management reflects that there are various factors which lead to the operational efficiency of an organization. Research studies reflect that the prime factors leading to operational effectiveness are organization culture, organization operation, and organizational leadership. The paper analyzes each of the above mentioned factors with respect to the British airways. Leadership: The theory of leadership deals with managing a team of people for attaining a common set of goals. In British airways the organization opts for various leadership development programs. The leadership development program focuses on various issues like leaders will skill and commitment. The leaders will helps to identify the willingness of the leader to deliver according to reach the business benefits. The skill assessment measures the current level of skill the leader’s posses and the styles adopted by them to make it an effective learning process. Management ways of the organization emphasizes upon the manager’s response to obeying of

Internet Safety Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Internet Safety - Essay Example Confirmation of declared identity of institutions or users (Bejtlich, 2006). For the verification of identity are required suitable methods for various applications and services, as are the electronic contracting of convention, the control of access in certain data and services (e.g. for the tale-workers) and the verification of web sites (e.g., for internet banks). It should also be included the possibility of anonymity, since a lot of services do not only need the identity of user but reliable confirmation of certain criteria of (called â€Å"anonymous credentials†), as the solvency. Protection of communications or stored given opposite interception and reading by not permitted individuals (Greene, 2004). It is particularly required for the transmission of sensitive data and she is one from the requirements that correspond in the concern of protection of private life of virtuous networks of communications. It is a device which permits, restricts computer traffic in accordance to the security policies enforced in the business rules. Firewalls are either implemented through hardware, software, or both. They work best in detecting attacks that could enter or leave your system through an open port, such as worms and some Trojan horses. They do not scan the fragmented packets so in that way male wares attached to e-mails are still threats inside your network. The electronic communications can intercept and the data can be copied or modified. Interception it can be realized with various ways. Potential damage: The outlaw interception can cause damage, so as much violation of private life of individuals, what via the exploitation of data that they have been intercepted (Panko, 2004). Likely solutions: Defense against interception can emanate with the encryption of data that is transmitted via the network. Potential damage: The not permitted access has occasionally as motive mental challenge and no

Who are the typical winners and losers in an inflation and how does Essay

Who are the typical winners and losers in an inflation and how does inflation make them winners or losers - Essay Example Stockholders will benefit from a higher inflation as the factors that increase the price of goods also increases the values of companies (Money Expert 7). Also, as prices of products increase, owners of small businesses will be in a position to manage fixed-rate debt from investments in different business requirements. Citizens who earn low incomes may find it tough during the times of inflation. Low-income earners tend to have their wealth in cash unlike the wealthy who invest in real and financial assets. Low-income earners face challenges because inflation affects the value of their primary asset, which is cash (Money Expert 9). When a country faces inflation, the value of money goes down, and people tend to spend often since they have to spend all the money in their possession. The people on fixed incomes will find it challenging when inflation is high; unanticipated inflation on fixed income earners will make their income go down. High inflation also affects the economy of a country since the consuming power of citizens goes down while the standard of living reduces (Miller

Nuclear Armageddon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nuclear Armageddon - Essay Example As such, the preceding political and foreign ideologies were mostly controlled by this fear that had affected the entire globe. The competition between the west ideologies and communism was one of the major events that sparked fears of atomic weapons between the Soviet Union and the US. The cold war that emerged immediately after WWII was rapidly taking shape. In this case, the US and USSR were pulling sections of the South East Asia to either side, which was aggravated by China joining the Soviet Union as a strong ally against the west ideologies (Ringer, 320). The struggle over Korea fueled the cold war as the two super powers threatened to use any means possible to win the war. For instance, the coming to power of President Eisenhower in 1952 reintroduced the nuclear threats as a warning to the Soviet Union to desist from any form of aggression (Ringer, 321). Eisenhower had a new defense policy that deferred from Truman’s policies in that the new administration relied more on threatening to use nuclear weapons rather than conventional military weapons as a response to communist aggression during th e cold war (Ringer, 321). The pursuit of brinkmanship involved each side threatening to use nuclear weapons, though with no attempt to engage in any armed conflict. These threats increased fears of an imminent nuclear war across the globe. The formation of SEATO as counterpart to NATO in South East Asia fuelled the fears of nuclear weapons as the conflict took another dimension. Afterwards, the US rejected the USSR proposal to disband NATO and the Warsaw Pact (Ringer, 321). Moreover, the Society denied the possibility of having Eisenhower’s Open Skies ideology that sought to allow the reconnaissance of military empowerment on both sides. The Cuban Missile Crisis was an event pushed the fears of another nuclear confrontation to a new level as the world was on the brink of nuclear war. While the US gladly welcomed Castro’s revolution in 1959,

Agriculture of Pakistan Essay Example for Free

Agriculture of Pakistan Essay Agriculture is a vital sector of Pakistans economy and accounted for 25. 9 percent of GDP in 1999-2000, according to government estimates. The sector directly supports three-quarters of the countrys population, employs half the labor force , and contributes a large share of foreign exchange earnings. The main agricultural products are cotton, wheat, rice, sugarcane, fruits, and vegetables, in addition to milk, beef, mutton, and eggs. Pakistan depends on one of the worlds largest irrigation systems to support production. There are 2 principal seasons. Cotton, rice, and sugarcane are produced during the kharif season, which lasts from May to November. Wheat is the major rabi crop, which extends from November to April. The key to a much-needed improvement of productivity lies in a more efficient use of resources, principally land and water. However, change is dependent on the large landowners who own 40 percent of the arable land and control most of the irrigation system, which makes widespread reform difficult. Assessments by independent agencies, including the World Bank, show these large landholdings to be very unproductive. Pakistan is a net importer of agricultural commodities. Annual imports total about US$2 billion and include wheat, edible oils, pulses, and consumer foods. Pakistan is one of the worlds largest producers of raw cotton. The size of the annual cotton crop—the bulk of it grown in Punjab province—is a crucial barometer of the health of the overall economy, as it determines the availability and cost of the main raw material for the yarn-spinning industry, much of which is concentrated around the southern port city of Karachi. Official estimates put the 1999-2000 harvest at some 11. 2 million 170-kilogram bales, compared with the 1998-99 outturn of 8. 8 million bales and the record 12. 8 million bales achieved in 1991-92. The government recently actively intervened in the market to boost prices and to encourage production. A major problem is that the cotton crop is highly susceptible to adverse weather and pest damage, which is reflected in crop figures. After peaking at 2. 18 million tons in 1991-92, the lint harvest has since fluctuated considerably, ranging from a low of 1. 37 million tons in 1993-94 to a high of 1. 9 million tons in 1999-2000. The 2000-01 wheat crop was forecast at a record 19. 3 million tons, compared to 17. 8 million tons produced during the previous year. This increase is due largely to favorable weather and a 25-percent increase in the procurement price to about US$135 per ton. About 85 percent of the crop is irrigated. Despite the record production, Pakistan will continue to be a major wheat importer. The government has imported an average of US$2. 4 million annually over the past 5 years. The United States and Australia are the major suppliers. Demand for wheat is increasing from Pakistans rapidly growing population as well as from cross-border trade with Afghanistan. Pakistan is a major rice exporter and annually exports about 2 million tons, or about 10 percent of world trade. About 25 percent of exports is Pakistans famous fragrant Basmati rice. Rice is Pakistans second leading source of export earnings. Private traders handle all exports. Pakistans main competitors in rice trade are Thailand, Vietnam, and India. Tobacco is grown mainly in the North-West Frontier Province and Punjab and is an important cash crop . Yields in Pakistan are about twice those for neighboring countries largely due to the extension services provided by the industry. Quality, however, is improving only slowly due to problems related to climate and soil. Farmers have started inter-cropping tobacco with vegetables and sugarcane to increase returns. About half of the total production is used for cigarette manufacturing and the remainder used in traditional ways of smoking (in hand-rolled cigarettes called birris, in water pipes, and as snuff). The share of imported tobacco is increasing gradually in response to an increased demand for high-quality cigarettes. Minor crops account for only 5 percent of total cultivated area; these include oilseeds (sunflower, soybean), chilies, potatoes, and onions. Domestic oilseed production accounts only for about 25 percent of Pakistan total edible oil needs. As a result, Pakistan spends more than US$1 billion annually in scarce foreign exchange to import edible oils, while its oilseed processing industry operates at less than 25 percent of capacity due to an inadequate supply of oilseeds. For 2000-01 total oilseed production was forecast to decrease 10 percent to 3. 6 million tons. The government has highlighted development of the oilseed sector as a priority. Pakistans fishing industry is relatively modest, but has shown strong growth in recent years. The domestic market is quite small, with per capita annual consumption of approximately 2 kilograms. About 80 percent of production comes from marine fisheries from 2 main areas, the Sindh coast east from Karachi to the Indian border, and the Makran coast of Baluchistan. Ninety percent of the total marine catch is fish; the shrimp which constitute the remainder are prized because of their greater relative value and demand in foreign markets. During 1999-00, total fish production was 620,000 tons, of which 440,000 tons consisted of sea fish and the remainder were fresh-water species. About one-third of the catch is consumed fresh, 9 percent is frozen, 8 percent canned, and about 43 percent used as fish meal for animal food. Livestock accounts for 40 percent of the agricultural sector and 9 percent of the total GDP. Principal products are milk, beef, mutton, poultry, and wool. During 1999, the livestock population increased to 120 million head. That same year Pakistan generated 970,000 tons of beef, 640,000 tons of mutton, and 190,000 tons of poultry. In an effort to enhance milk and meat production, the government recently launched a comprehensive livestock development project with Asian Development Bank assistance. Poultry production provides an increasingly popular low-cost source of protein. Modern poultry production is constrained by high mortality, high incidence of disease, poor quality chicks, and poor quality feed, combined with an inadequate marketing system. Frozen poultry have only recently been introduced. Forests cover an area of 4. 2 million hectares or about 5 percent of the total area of Pakistan. The principal forest products are timber, principally for house construction, furniture, and firewood. Many of the countrys wooded areas are severely depleted as a result of over-exploitation. The government has restricted cutting to protect remaining resources—though corruption often jeopardizes environmental efforts—and has lowered duties to encourage imports. Forestry production has since declined from 1. 07 million cubic meters in 1990-91 to 475,000 cubic meters in 1998-99. Pakistan imports an estimated US$150 million of wood products annually to meet the requirements of a growing population and rising demand by a wealthy elite.

Social identity and the inevitability of conflict groups

Social identity and the inevitability of conflict groups The topic of this essay is that the Social Identity Theory (SIT) suggests that prejudice and discrimination against out-group members and, as a result, conflict groups may be inevitable; that all that is needed to trigger in-group favouritism and out-group bias is an awareness that one belongs to a particular social group and that another group, of which one is not a member, exists. The SIT was conceived by Henri Tajfel and his student John Turner to amend and supplement Campbells Realistic Group Conflict Theory (Tajfel Turner, 1979). The aim of the SIT was to provide a base level understanding of peoples social identities apart from their individual identities, that is, how people identify with groups that they belong to, the assimilation of in-group ideals as their own, the positive bias toward those of the same in-group, and negative bias (prejudice) toward those who identify with out-groups. It also explained inter group behaviour and its social context and also social comparison. The SIT suggests that the more extremely a person is associated with an in-group, the more likely they are to treat members of out-groups as objects comprised of traits universal to members of their out-group, rather than individuals comprised of both group and unique traits. It points out that, especially in our culture, intergroup conflict and competition is commonplace and easy to trigger. There is also suggestion that in-group bias is a universal trait affecting all social groups. The momentum that helped forge this theory comes from Tajfels own personal history. Born in 1919 as a Polish Jew, Henri was called away from his studies in chemistry to fight with the French against the Nazis. A year later he was captured and survived by not allowing his captors to learn that he was a Jew (The Nazis most despised out-group). After the war, Henri returned home to find all his close relatives had been killed. After a time of helping the aftermath Henri studied psychology with a focus on social identity and group conflict such as he had seen during the war (Reicher). The personal life and times of Henri Tajfel shows some insight into social identity and conflict groups. Such as a young Henri heeding the call to fight the Germans with the French even though he was Polish, in the Second World War the Nazi war machine and its subsequent expansion resurfaced a rift between the Nazis and the rest of Europe that was present in the First World War, leading to two main conflict groups, the Nazis and the Allied Nations. As Tajfel was not a Nazi, He identified with the French (part of his in group) and fought along with them. At the time of his capture, Tajfel had to change a part of his social identity in order to survive. As Nazis were more likely to torture and kill Jews over other captive groups Tajfel had to make sure that his captors never learned that he was a Jew. To do this He had to identify as a non-Jew which to him was an out-group, this however required no alteration physical changes (Providing that he didnt have to expose himself to his capto rs) and psychologically, he was still himself. Tajfel succeeded and survived until the end of the war. This provides a good example of discrimination based on social grouping rather than individual attributes. To this many people would say that those were the war days and that violence and emotion ran high, so it was easy to see such discrimination and hostility as commonplace, but times have changed and we are no longer like that. And, to an extent, they are correct. Though even now in Europe, many still consider the Jews as a powerful, threatening group of social and national outsiders (Werner, 2008), and there is still anti-Semitic violence taking place in this older, wiser world. But still, time has moved on and Western atrocities such as the vast commonplace racism of the early to mid twentieth century has dissipated, though not completely. Much of this is due to changing media portrayals of minorities, with thanks to such trail blazers as Sidney Portier (first black actor to play a lead in a major motion picture), The Cosby Show (first non-stereotyped black sitcom), and even Star Trek (first interracial kiss on U.S. television). By allowing people to identify with minorities in the m edia without stereotyping, aggression toward minorities reduces (Muller, 2009). However lessened, racial discrepancies and violence still occurs in the western world today. It seems that all our attempts to abolish social discrimination and conflict in the past few decades has come a long way, and if you think of things such as the fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of the partite, and the advancement of gay rights, the yes we have. However, if you look at the rise of the Mugabe Regime, the US War on Terror and its subsequent effects on the Muslim population, and even the psudoracism toward the ginger (ging-er) population, then no we really havent. Also, most attempts to abolish group conflict have at best reduced conflict, not ended it out right so long as both groups remain in existence. It seems that intergroup conflict is unavoidable, as we put aside our old differences with one group, we just as quickly discover new differences with another group. Even here in New Zealand in-group bias and out-group prejudice is not only tolerated, it is applauded. Take this personal anecdote for example. In 2005 My best friend and I travelled to the city for my bachelor party. At this time the UK Lions rugby team was touring the country, playing against our All Blacks. Neither my friend nor I were rugby fans of any sort, but when we saw that an English pub was just down the street from where we were staying we decided to don any black clothing we had and go to the English pub to watch the game and give the Lions supporters a hard time. When we arrived we noticed that all the customers inside the pub were dressed in black to support the All Blacks, my friend and I looked around to see if there were any Lions supporters around and indeed we did find them. They had congregated outsi de in a caged off smokers area on the cold July night, watching a T.V. that was barely audible over the sound of traffic. When we asked them if they wouldnt prefer a table inside they responded that they were quite happy where they were. My friend and I returned to our table near the bar to watch the game. Though when a Lions supporter came in to get a refreshment, they were met by a call to go back where they belong or they were informed precisely how useless their team was. During half time, the smokers in the bar went to the smokers area occupied by the Lions fans and once again were insulted for their taste in rugby teams, among other things. The Lions lost the game and at full time the smokers returned to the smokers area to boats their mighty victory to the puny Lions Supporters. This example has a clear cut in-group and a quite literal out-group, the in-group, through force of numbers had dominance in the situation initially. But why, you may ask, did the in group members have to ridicule the out-group members at every available chance? The answer quite simply is self esteem, just as the school bully will put down the smart kids to make themselves feel better, social groups will often discriminate out-groups as a means of enhancing self esteem (Lemyre Smith, 1985). This is not the only example of socially acceptable, intergroup conflict in this country either. The ever continuing Holden versus Ford debate is ever popular and in this case the group conflict is media driven with multiple televised Holden versus Ford races occurring annually and a seemingly unending supply of supporter gear as well as derogatory supporter gear designed to insult and degrade your particular out-group. Some members of both groups can take extreme measures in this conflict, such as disallowing out-group vehicles to park on their property. Attribution has a role to play in social conflict as well. Say for instance a Holden crashes during the Bathurst 1000 race the Ford supporters will commonly believe the fault to be in the car or one of the many short comings of its driver (who obviously must not be bright to be driving a Holden in the first place). The Holden supporters, however, would more likely believe that some external cause (or perhaps a stupid Ford driver cut ting him off) was to blame. This is due to in-group bias causing people to make similar attributions to in group members as they do to themselves (De Cremer, 2000). So far all the examples have involves high levels of emotional attachment toward the in-group. So is it fair to say that in-group bias and out-group discrimination are a result of heightened emotional commitment toward the in-group? To answer this, many experiments have been conducted based on arbitrary groups designed solely for the purpose of the experiment and in most cases the participants are randomly assigned to groups so that there is no predetermined affiliation between group members. The group members are then given simple tasks and the experimenters are looking for signs for in-group bias and out-group discrimination. The results of studies like these has shown that such discrimination does indeed exist, even when the groups are arbitrary and the group assignment is random (Brewer Kramer, 1985) (Sachdev Bourhis, 1985) (Aviram, 2007). This shows that no emotional bond is requires at all for there to be discrimination between in-group and out-group members. All that is real ly required for there to be out-group prejudice is the knowledge that one is in a social group and that another group, an out-group, exists. Summary To summarize the discussion as it stands. The topic was to discuss the SIT and the notion that discrimination and prejudice toward out-groups and intergroup conflict is inevitable, also, that all that is needed for there to be such discrimination is the knowledge that both an in-group and an out-group exists. The personal history of Henri Tajfel and his life during the Second World War was discussed, pointing out the group conflicts and out-group prejudices present during that time. The discrimination of out-group members based on group affiliation rather than individual traits was pointed out. This historical account also gave some insight as to the motives behind the creation of the SIT. Then the role of media in the lessening of racial discrimination and conflict in recent decades was discussed, though it was pointed out that the amount of prejudice and conflict the media had affected had dissipated, it was never truly abolished. There was some discussion on the recent milestones toward intergroup peace globally and also the new found intergroup prejudice and conflict arising at the same time. The view of the discussion then moved to a New Zealand perspective starting with a personal anecdote of the national rugby obsession and the ethnocentric discrimination that arises from the organised conflict of the game itself. It was then discussed how the media and commercial marketing can also induce conflict and discrimination between groups with reference to the local Holden Versus Ford conflict. In this it was pointed out how in-group bias and out-group discrimination can influence the locus of attribution in the inference of others behaviour. Finally, experiments involving out-group discrimination in arbitrary groups of randomly assigned members was discussed, the results of which being in support with the notion that all that is required for there to be in-group bias and out-group discrimination is the knowledge that an in-group (to which one belongs) and an o ut-group (to which one does not belong) exists. The discussion as a whole utilised a combination of empirical research and real life examples to illustrate facts that validate the SIT and support the suggestions that it carries. The SIT provides a good base knowledge of social identity, social discrimination and conflict groups. However this does not make it the be all and end all of knowledge on this subject. With an ever evolving social climate and the development of new experimental techniques, the Sit is rather a solid foundation to which we can build a more profound understanding of the social world.

The Marketing Strategy Of Vietnam

The Marketing Strategy Of Vietnam Tourism industry worldwide is one of the largest sectors which have greater contribution in the growth of economy. It is obvious that tourist from one continent travel to other continents. Southeast Asian countries have become popular destination for European tourists and the government in each respective country from Southeast Asia putting significant efforts to attract the tourists across the world. However due to economic recession there was a record downfall of tourists from Europe in the region. In this view this assignment report discusses the marketing strategy of Vietnam to attract customers from European countries including the market, segmentation, targeting and positioning strategy (Akaah and Korgaonkar, 1988). 2. Target Country of Tourist Destination: The number of tourists from Italy has seen a significant downfall to visit Vietnam in the tourism statistics during the past four months however the total in flow of the tourists in the country has been increase by 103% as per the tourism statistics issued by Vietnam tourism government. Among other European countries the flow of tourists from Italy was equal and in last four months this figure has been decreasing continuously (Berthon, Lane, Pittand Watson, 1998). According to the tourism government in Vietnam, the tourist flow from Italy was 11,243 in December 2009 which has been reduced to 5796. There is great potential of tourist in Italy since during Easter most of the population in Italy go for outbound vacations and Southeast Asian countries they found attractive place to visit due to heritage, culture and monuments. Based on these observations I have chosen Italy as a target market to attract tourist from Italy. (Source: http://www.vietnamtourism.gov.vn/) 3. Resorts on Facilities and Services: Windsor Plaza Hotel is one of the preferred choices for tourists to get accommodation as the hotel has branches across the country. The hotel is located at heart of the capital city of Vietnam Ho Chi Minch City which is situated in the mid way of historic china town district and business district. The hotel provides world class five star services with a combination of luxury and hospitality services. Windsor plaza provides superior hospitality services to both the business travelers and leisure travelers (Bocij, Chaffey, Greasley, and Hickie, 1999). There are the set up of professional services offered by Windsor plaza where the travelers can make the choices among shopping, entertainment, meeting and dining facilities. In addition to this the tourists can have the great experience of perfect gifts, boutique, shopping and discotheque which has been built with the inspired theme of American style discos. The luxurious service described above has become the unique choices and needs of travelers from Italy and these are the USP of hotel to attract tourist across the world countries (Agrawal, Arjona and Lemmens, 2001). Tourists from Italy travel outbound to get relax from work, entertainment and enjoyment. Therefore in this view they always seek for the place where they can have the experience of all luxuries, sources of entertainment and facilities under one roof. Windsor plaza provides the accurate services as per the need of European tourists. In addition to this the hotel provides multi-cuisine food with the specialization of each European country, so that the tourists from Europe should not miss their choice of food. Another advantage provided by Windsor Plaza is the low rates than the other hotels. The hotel offers best possible low rates where the customers can negotiate and much cheaper than the booking rates directly. All the rates are finalized after consent of the customer and no hidden charges applied into the service hotels. Along with the low rate ben efit, the hotel provides first hand information that meets the expectation of the tourists (Business Wire, 2002). 4. Marketing Strategy: In order to attract the tourists from Italy, the country requires robust marketing plan which should cover every aspect of market strategies to target the tourists. This section provides the segmentation, targeting and positioning analysis for Vietnam . 4.1 Target Market: Target country in Europe will be Italy as it is the most preferred destination for Vietnam where a significant share of tourists flow exists among other destinations. The major destinations from European countries include France, UK, Germany, Italy and Spain where the majority of tourists visit the Southeast Asian countries specifically for leisure purpose. Each of these countries have equal tourists flow however it has been assessed that due to economic recession tourists visit from Italy has been reduced tan the previous year visits (Cohen, 2002). Therefore it should be essential for Vietnam to develop a strategy to capture the lost share of tourist from Italy. Most of the population in Italy usually goes for outbound travel in vacation time such as Easter, Christmas and summer holidays. Southeast Asian region is the preferred destinations for these tourists (Festervand, Snyder and Tsalikis, 1986). 4.2 Segmentation: Before targeting the tourist it is essential to segment them based in their demographics, psychographic, behavioral and geographic factors. Below is given the segmentation analysis for tourists in Italy. 4.2.1 Demographic Segmentation: The demographic segmentation refers to the gender, age, income level and education level of the target segment based on which a marketer defines the profile of its target customer. The target profile of tourist will be population with age more than 18 years who are graduates with monthly income more than Euro 3,500 and good equal proportion of male and female (Hoffman and Novak, 1996). 4.2.2 Geographic Segmentation: Geographic segmentation is based on the location of the target segment where is resides. The target location will be major cities in Italy since majority of population in Italy resides in urban areas and reach of the communication channel is higher among the urban areas. Apart from this the target customers identified at the outskirts of urban areas since a good proportion of population also resides in such areas due to low cost of index (Jasper and Ouellete, 1994). 4.2.3 Behavioral Segmentation: Behavioral segmentation is based on the consumer behavior, culture, values and beliefs. Consumers in Italy are reserved in nature and very price sensitive. They have the cultural values to spread happiness with enjoyment and entertainment. The purpose behind leisure traveling is to enjoy the vacations without any stress and with full of comfort. Tourism government in Vietnam is making efforts to fulfill the basic tourism needs of the tourists (Kehoe, Pitkow, Sutton, Aggarwal and Rogers, 1998). The core focus of the government is emphasizing on developing and renovating the tourist sites in the country with old heritage monuments and all facilities with latest technology in the hospitality sector. Beaches in Vietnam are very popular. In this way the marketer will target the tourists in Italy who are seeking place for their comfort and likely to enjoy the beaches (Machlis, 1998). 4.2.4 Psychographic Segmentation: Psychographic segmentation is based on the lifestyle, mind set and thinking of the consumers for availing the particular product and services. Marketer will target tourist in Italy who visit the tourists destination for reliving from the stress from their busy life. In addition to this the mind set of the tourist towards leisure purpose to pass the vacation with full of enjoyment and luxury. They feel that visiting tourists place will provide the experience of new learning and entertainment (Oberndorf, 1999). 4.3 Targeting: The target profile of the tourist will be divided into two segments such as those tourists who have already visited Vietnam and those who will visit Vietnam first time. The aim of targeting first segment of tourist will be the add on benefit to the marketer as it will be easy to capture this segment and require less efforts to attract the tourists again to visit Vietnam (Millman, 1998). Moreover they are potential customer as they are well aware about the tourist place in Vietnam which enables to plan their visit easily. On the other hand aim of targeting the fresh tourists is to increase the market share and provide the expedience of this segment with enjoyable life and comfort by the attraction of tourism in Vietnam. The profile of target customer will be population of age 18 to 25 years, 26 to 35 years and 35 to 55 years who are likely to enjoy their vacations in comfortable place. Various holiday packages will be promoted among the target segment to promote the tourism in Vietnam . The core target segment will be consumers of age group 26 to 35 since they are the decision makers in the households and level of income and spending power is higher of this segment (Lewis, 2000). 4.4 Positioning Strategy: The positioning strategy includes the advertising and communication to the target segment. A marketer must choose the advertising and communication channel with high reach among the target segment. Online advertising is the optimal method of promoting the tourism in Vietnam. A marketer can select the social networking popular in Italy to advertise the tourism in Vietnam (Quelch and Harding, 2009). The marketer can also select the email marketing, web blogs and RSS feeds to promote the tourism among Italian tourists. Under the promotion strategy the Windsor can offer family package or group package by highlighting the major facilities, services and popular destinations in Vietnam (Oliver, 1999). The marketer at Windsor can also select some choice of discount package with visual presentation of popular tourist sites to attract the customers. In addition to this a differential and low cost strategy will work to promote the tourism in Vietnam. Apart form this; the Tourism government in V ietnam should upgrade the website by installing the virtual tour of popular tourist destinations so that the tourists can have the view of tourists places and tourism in Vietnam virtually. Events should be promoted on the website in order to attract the tourists. The promotional activity will be implemented by engaging the local travel agents and travel companies in Italy (Porter, 2000). 5. Marketing Mix: Marketing mix is the critical factor which enables the marketer to deploy the marketing strategy in optimal way and also provides the growth and expansion of an organization. Until the sound marketing mix is developed a company can have several challenges in the market place to promote its products and services. In this way the seven Ps of marketing mix of Windsor Plaza are defined below (Shankar, Rangaswamy and Pusateri, 1999). 5.1 Product (Services): In case of hotel the product will be services which are intangible in nature. Therefore based on the service offerings the Hotel can forecast its sales to be generated and the margins of the Hotel will be estimated in the coming years (Reda, 2000). Windsor can offer varieties in its hospitality services such as house saloon service, multi cuisine food specifically all verities of European cuisine. In order to promote the services, Windsor will engage with the local travel agencies in order to make the tourist aware about the available services and related facilities for tourism in Vietnam. The incentives and commission will be provided to the travel agents and travel companies based on the revenue generated and recommending the tourist about the hotel (Van den Poel and Leunis, 1999). The services will be included all the modern facilities so that the tourists get fascinated hotel services. at the same time the hotel will realize where there service are lacking and using this opportun ity the marketer can boost up their sales (Riedman, 1999). 5.2 Place: Place has of its primary importance in marketing mix, the marketing and sales manager should understand the appropriate market in Italy to promote the hotel service along with the tourism in Vietnam. Before implementing the marketing plan the marketing manager should study about the general demographics about Italy for example moot of population in Italy resides in metro areas and tourists came from the outskirts of the metro cities and urban areas. In the internet era, most of tourists in Italy do not visit the travel agencies and book their tourist plan online. Therefore the service will marketed through major internet portal (Woolley, 1998). Apart from this the metro city malls will be targeted first to promote the tourism. 5.3 Promotion: As already discussed, the hotel will use the differentiation and low cost strategy to develop the competitive advantage under the promotion strategy. Online marketing channel will be used to promote the hotel service and tourism. Some of the communication channel includes, social networking sites, website, email marketing, RSS feed and Blog. Advertising will be utilized through various websites which are most often visited by the tourists in Italy (Warner, 2000). In order to promote the services, Windsor will engage with the local travel agencies in order to make the tourist aware about the available services and related facilities for tourism in Vietnam. The incentives and commission will be provided to the travel agents and travel companies (Warner, 2000). 5.4 Price: Under the promotional strategy the hotel will use the low cost strategy in which the hotel will offer discount and best possible low price for its services in the industry. Since the tourists in Italy are more prices sensitive and it should have the worth as per the offerings. Pricing will be offered by covering the all the hotels expenses and kept the margin at lower side. The hotel can therefore make the volume based profits and utilize it in the long term (Wingfield, 2001). 6. Extended Ps: The extended Ps of marketing will be used to reinforcing the positioning strategy of the hotel as described below (Ansoff, 1957). 6.1 Process: In service industry process is the key marketing mix since the customer feels happy if they find the service process is easy and services of the company can be accessible in the easiest possible manner. The marketer will pace self made process in the hotel with signage to get the access of each service easily. In addition to this the hotel will use intercom facility to by just dialing one number and the hotel staff will provide the instant service within maximum of 10 minutes. It will be highlighted in during the hotel promotion (Baker, 1998). The hotel will provide the below services for its tourists: Executive lounge Business center Meeting facilities Recreational facilities Kids playroom Tour desk Airport pick-up service: USD18/way/4seats and vehicles for rent Outside swimming pool Multi-lingual guest service staff Laundry and dry-leaning service Modern elevator and baggage storage Souvenir/Gift shop and ATM in hotel Doctor/Nurse on call Foreign currency exchange Travel tour arrangement Business Center with ADSL Internet and Email Beauty salon and beauty treatment center Gymnasium and fitness center Massage, Spa, Sauna, Steam-bath and Jacuzzi Shopping center, Games and Casino room Ngan Dinh Restaurant Cafà © Centra America Discotheque An Dong shopping plaza (Source: http://www.vietnam-hotels.net/hotels/Windsor-Plaza-Hotel) 6.2 People: The hotel will employ best of industry experience in order to provide highly acclaimed services to the tourist. People are the first face in the service industry and they are like the tangible asset of the company. In hospitality business, people are only the evidence where the customer feels the experience of services. Hence the hotel will employ the hotel management professionals with minimum 3 years of experience of the industry to provide betters service to the tourist (Agrawal, Arjona and Lemmens, 2001). 6.3 Physical Evidence: Physical evidence includes the proper display of the services which are visible during the hotel visit. In this way the hotel will use the signage merchandizing where the each facility will be marked with proper sign. The interior of the hotel will be designed by the architect and interior designer. During the positioning, a virtual tour of hotel will be created and displayed on the communication channel such as websites and internet portal (Berthon, Lane, Pitt and Watson, 1998). 7. Budgetary Requirement: Since the Windsor plaza is already an established chain in Vietnam, therefore the hotel requires the renovation in its hotel and promotion expenses. Since the hotel will use the digital marketing concept to promote the service and incentive commission to be provided to the travel agents and companies. Hence the forecasted budget is provided in the below table for the period of six months: Month Estimated Expenses 1st month USD 55,000 2nd month USD 40,000 3rd month USD 25,000 4th month USD 25,000 5th month USD 15,000 6th month USD 7,000 The progress will be monitored through weekly sales sheet in which the company will make the comparison of actual revenue generated with the target revenue and based on the figures the target for subsequent months will be assigned to each sales manager (Festervand, Snyder and Tsalikis, 1986). In addition to this the company will prepare expense ratio chart every month to monitor the cost over revenue generated. Apart from this the number of visits on the web portal and networking sites will be recorded to monitor the progress of advertising and promotion. The marketer can also check the user review to monitor the impact of its marketing campaign (Cohen, 2002). 8. Recommendation: In order to gain the long term advantage and global marketing benefits the marketing manager should perform different marketing activities which will enable the hotel to gain the competitive advantage for minimum of five year period. Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Focus in Marketing Campaign Flexibility of Rates Online Considering the Channel Management Products Investment in the Website Optimization of Website E-mail marketing Protection of Online branding Monitoring the Users Review Online and Accordingly devise the marketing strategy Offering a analytical package Responding to the market condition Lewis (2000) suggested that the company should optimize those key steps which enable to understand its advertising and promotion. Since Windsor Plaza will use digital marketing therefore user review will provide the necessary information to the marketing manager to understand what the hotel can best offer to the tourists. Apart from the protection of online branding is essential as it will enable the marketer to protect other websites to advertise companys image in the negative way such as low rate hotel.

Agents of Socialization Essay -- essays research papers

Agents of socialization in short are the people, groups, and social institutions, as well as the interactions within these groups that influence a person’s social and self-development. Agents of socialization are believed to provide the critical information needed for children to function successfully as a member of society. Some examples of such agents are family, neighborhood, schools, peers, religion, sports, the workplace, and especially the mass media. Each agent of socialization is linked to another. For example, in the media, symbolic images affect both the individual and the society, making the mass media the most controversial socialization agent. One of the most obvious places agents of socialization lay is in the malls of America. Malls are filled with advertisements and consumed by the mass media touching on all levels of society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  No one is immune from the affect of the agents of socialization that exist in malls. Anyone and everyone who is part of a society is a product of socialization. Within every advertisement, clothing store, toy store, arcade, music store, etc, there is a gender preferred subliminal message being sent. The way toys are divided into male sections and female sections and the way advertisements portray all men and women in a certain way contribute to societies â€Å"norm† of gender roles. The mass media is one of the most influential agents of socialization and malls are surrounded by it. The messages given through the media act as the teachers of gender roles, values, ideologies, and beliefs, and individuals who pick up on these messages eventually take on, whats thought to be, the normative roles of society. Both boys and girls rely on society’s expectations in regard to both masculinity and femininity in order to interpret interaction and to develop exp ectations for themselves and those around them. It is because of these agents of socialization, that gender roles are created. Advertisements portray both men and women in characteristically stereotypical fashions that support the various institutions and socialization agents. The women depicted in these advertisements fit the stereotypical roles related to sexuality by focusing on beauty, body image, and physical attractiveness. They are skinny and tan, with teeth as white as paper and hair looking healthy and fresh. Girls in society look up to th... ...re much more scarce. For the more adult cards, those for women all had jokes pertaining to looks, weight and/or sex life, while the men’s cards had jokes pertaining to hair loss, blindness, beer belly’s etc. One card I noticed entailed for women had a picture of a gorgeous, tan, and muscular male with the â€Å"washboard stomach†, and on the inside was a joke saying something along the lines of how one would love this as her present. This send the message to guys that to be a desirable man, they need to be the typical â€Å"tall, dark, and handsome† prince of their dreams, and vise versa for the men’s cards. One card for a male had a picture of a â€Å"Bay Watch Babe† assuming that any typical guy would want a woman like that. This tells women that in order to be desirable to men they need to be skinny, gorgeous, and have a high sexual appeal. Wrapping paper is available to â€Å"fit† both sexes. In one bin there’s a collect ion of wrapping paper with trucks, tractors, bulldozers etc, and in the other there is a collection of wrapping paper with Barbie and friends, dolls, butterflies etc for girls. Anyone would get the message that one bin is entailed for males, and the other is entailed for females.

The Female Reproductive System :: essays research papers

The reproductive system is one of the most vital systems because it determines whether a species will survive. The reproductive system produces human offspring. One of the most prevalent diseases of the reproductive system is prostate cancer. Prostate cancer occurs when the cells of the prostate begin to grow and divide uncontrollably. One out of six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in the United States. Some of the key parts of the reproductive system are to learn how a female egg is fertilized by a male sperm cell, about the parts of the male and female reproductive system and learn about prostate cancer. The male reproductive system works to create sperm and then release it into the female during sexual intercourse. The organs in the system are the testes, the epididymides, hanging in a skin bag called the scrotum, the sperm ducts, the prostate gland, and the penis containing the urethra. The testes are also known as sperm glands. They make tiny sperm cells called spermatozoa. They also produce hormones especially testosterone (this activates the production of sperm cells). Epididymides are tightly coiled tubes on each side of the testes. They help sperm become mature. The sperm ducts carry fresh sperm towards the outside. The ducts join with the urethra inside of the prostate. The urethra carries the sperm through the penis to the outside. This pathway is also known as the male reproductive tract. The parts of the female reproductive system work together to produce pin- head size eggs that join with a male's sperm to fertilize one of the eggs. The system nourishes the egg until it forms a full-grown baby. Then, once the baby is born, it produces milk for the baby. The main parts of a female reproductive system are the ovaries, the oviducts (also called the fallopian tubes), uterus (womb), vagina, vulva and the breasts (where the milk for the baby is released). The ovaries are called "egg glands". They store tiny eggs called ova. These will develop into a baby, if a man's sperm fertilizes them. The ovaries also produce hormones. The two oviducts each link the two ovaries with the uterus. They carry the ripe eggs to the uterus. When a male fertilizes a female's egg, it usually occurs in the oviduct. The uterus is where the fertilized egg grows and is nourished until it is ready to come out. At first, the uterus is about the size of a baseball or a tennis ball.

Thorn Queen Chapter Seventeen

Jasmine nearly leapt ten feet in the air when I came tearing through the hall that led to her cell. â€Å"You!† I exclaimed. â€Å"You can summon water demons.† She widened her eyes, speechless for a change. It appeared as though I'd interrupted her doing†¦well, nothing. In a fit of guilt, I'd sent some books down to her to pass the time, but reports from the guards said she did little but sulk. Well, that and try to cajole them to let her out. I guess she figured she'd deal with Volusian after she got one of the guards to crack. Recovering herself a moment later, she adopted a sneer reminiscent of Ysabel's. Considering their mutual hatred of me, maybe I should have sent her down here to entertain Jasmine. â€Å"Maybe,† Jasmine conceded. â€Å"Why? Afraid I'll use them to break out?† â€Å"No,† I said. â€Å"But I need them to get rid of some fire demons.† Roland had told me the best way to oust the demons would be by summoning their opposites. I'd dismissed the idea then, knowing it was beyond my capability. At the same time, I'd considered the possibility that Jasmine could do it†¦though it had seemed a useless sentiment considering I'd had no clue to her whereabouts or any reason to think she'd help me. But now? Well, things were different. Art's attitude had left me feeling helpless and ineffectual. Now, I suddenly felt as though I had the means to take control and actually right some wrongs in this kingdom. â€Å"So?† Jasmine asked, not seeming startled in the least. â€Å"That's got nothing to do with me.† â€Å"Not true. You're going to help me. We're going to face them and their master, and you're going to summon water creatures to take down those demons.† Jasmine's expression was almost comic in its disbelief. â€Å"Why would I help you?† I tried good cop first. â€Å"Because it's the right thing to do. They're hurting innocent people.† â€Å"So? Like I said, that doesn't affect me.† â€Å"Spoken like the selfish child you are.† She flushed. Considering her obsession with having a baby and ruling over both worlds, she didn't like having her age or capabilities mocked. â€Å"I thought you wanted to be the queen of this land once.† She glowered. â€Å"Yes. And I would have been if you hadn't stolen it!† â€Å"Why? Why be queen if you have no intention of doing anything? Did you just want to wear a crown and have people grovel?† She didn't acknowledge that and instead replied stonily, â€Å"I'm not helping you.† I stepped toward the bars, smiling sweetly, even though I was about to enter bad-cop mode. â€Å"Oh, you are. Whether you like it or not.† â€Å"What, you're going to force me or something?† In a matter of seconds, I had my Glock out and pointing straight at her. She paled and backed up against the wall, looking very much like she wanted to melt into it. Behind me, I heard a slight shuffling among the guards. Guns were a very human weapon, made of steel and alloys and other substances that were anathema to the gentry. They were equally deadly to humans-or, in Jasmine's case, half-humans. â€Å"You're crazy,† she said. I shrugged. â€Å"I've got a job to do, and you're key to getting it done. You can cooperate, and maybe I'll improve your living arrangements. Give you a room instead of a cell.† I could see thoughts and schemes spinning behind her eyes. Jasmine was young, inexperienced, and self-centered†¦but she wasn't stupid. I had to think somewhat cheerfully that that too was a family trait. â€Å"And if I don't do it, you're going to shoot me?† â€Å"Well, everyone says I should kill you anyway.† My voice was calm, my face hard. I didn't know if she would believe me or not. Hell, I didn't know if I believed myself. She knew I had little love for her after everything she'd done, and I'd long had a reputation as a ruthless fighter and-as many gentry saw it-murderer. Jasmine swallowed. She was trying to look calm too, but her eyes betrayed her. â€Å"How do you know I won't summon them and have them turn on you once my cuffs are off? You know I can't wear them and still have that kind of power.† I released the safety on the gun, which was still pointed at her. â€Å"Because I'll have this on the back of your head the entire time.† Long silence fell. Volusian was so still that I'd nearly forgotten he was there. Finally, Jasmine said, â€Å"I hate you.† â€Å"So†¦that's a yes?† I took her silence as a confirmation and put the gun away, putting the safety back on and feeling a bit surprised at the pounding of my own heart. Had I really just pointed a gun at a fifteen-year-old girl? Roland and Kiyo both believed dealing with magic could change the kind of person you were. Was messing with lightning and air turning me into someone who could easily threaten others to get my way? No, I decided. This had nothing to do with the magic. This was necessity. I needed to oust those fire demons, and this was the way to do it. â€Å"Eugenie?† A soft voice pulled me from my churning emotions. â€Å"Kiyo!† He stood there in the hall, and I wondered how much he'd overheard. It didn't matter. I was just so insanely happy to see him. The heaviness in my heart lightened, and if there hadn't been so many witnesses, I would have run into his arms. He looked amazing, dressed in human garb: jeans and a plain gray T-shirt that hugged his muscles perfectly. The silken black hair curled around his chin, and his skin looked like caramel. But his eyes†¦his eyes were hard. I gave Jasmine a warning look. â€Å"We'll talk later.† â€Å"Fuck you, Eugenie,† she called. I caught hold of Kiyo's hand and walked back upstairs with him. Seeing him released all the nervous tension in me that had been building up since last night. I'd been so wound up, so worried and afraid. Now, it was like all was right in the world once again. The news about the baby was hard on me, but I still wanted to congratulate him. The words were on my lips as soon as we were alone, but he spoke first. â€Å"Really, Eugenie? This is what it's come to?† My head was still giddy over seeing him. â€Å"What do you mean?† He pointed back toward the dungeon door from which we'd just emerged. â€Å"That! I never expected to find you with a gun to a teen girl's head.† â€Å"It wasn't exactly to her head,† I said. â€Å"And she can help us get rid of those demons. Even if she can't summon true water demons herself, we both know she can call other water creatures.† Kiyo and I had fought off some such creatures-including one that had caught us in a compromising position in his car and nearly killed both of us. â€Å"Those could give us the edge.† â€Å"And if she doesn't, you really are going to kill her?† I sighed and stopped walking, leaning against one of the tapestry-covered walls so I could face him. â€Å"Do you really think I'd do that?† â€Å"She seemed to think you would, and to tell you the truth, I kind of did too. I don't think you realize how scary you can be.† He stood in front of me, with little distance between us, and there was an odd mix of sexual chemistry and antagonism in the air. â€Å"There's a strange feel to you†¦have you been practicing magic?† I didn't answer immediately, which was as good as an admission of guilt. The look he gave me was almost more horrified than when he'd thought I was going to shoot Jasmine. â€Å"A little.† â€Å"A little! Eugenie,† he hissed, leaning close. â€Å"There's no in-between with this stuff. You keep doing it, and you're just going to fall farther and farther down the rabbit hole.† I laughed and threw my arms up, gesturing to the castle. â€Å"I fell into Wonderland a long time ago.† â€Å"You know what I mean. I thought you weren't going to do it anymore. I thought we agreed it was bad.† â€Å"You agreed,† I corrected, feeling my own temper start to rise. â€Å"I had a chance to learn more, and I decided to take it. And like I said, it's only been a little.† â€Å"Learn from who?† he asked suspiciously. â€Å"A woman from Dorian's kingdom. She has some ability with controlling air and has been showing me how to use it. I might be on the verge of calling lightning too.† In front of his furious gaze, there was an instinct to be sheepish†¦and yet, I felt kind of proud at what I'd accomplished. â€Å"Of course. Dorian. Somehow, I'm not surprised.† â€Å"Hey, Dorian's been nice to me lately.† My defense of the gentry king surprised me-as did the truth of it. With so much in chaos recently, I'd found Dorian's presence almost comforting. Kiyo rolled his eyes. â€Å"Yes, and I'm sure he'd love to be nicer still. Look, you start putting all those magical elements together, and you're going to have some serious power on your hands. You're going to be like-â€Å" â€Å"Do not say like Storm King!† I cried. â€Å"I wish everyone would just stop assuming that's inevitable. Plenty of gentry use magic without becoming tyrannical warlords. Give me some credit here.† â€Å"I'm just worried about you,† he growled. â€Å"And do you know what I'm worried about? I'm worried about people starving here, about people not getting enough water. I'm worried about brigands and demons preying on innocents. I'm worried about girls disappearing and possibly being abducted by those who face no accountability. And all of this is on top of trying to still live my human life and keep every goddamned Otherworldly guy out of my pants. So don't come here and start dictating to me. You're never around. You have no idea what I'm going through!† I was shouting, and it was a wonder none of the servants had come scurrying to see what was wrong. My breathing was heavy, and I'd clenched my fists without even realizing it in my anger. â€Å"Why are you here anyway?† I demanded. Kiyo's dark eyes were hard to read, but I could see some of his earlier fury had cooled. I wasn't sure if he'd reconsidered his accusations or simply decided I wasn't worth arguing with. â€Å"I came to see if you wanted to visit the baby.† â€Å"Oh.† For whatever reason, it was like a bucket of cold water on the rest of my anger. I sighed. â€Å"Kiyo†¦I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you-â€Å" He raked a hand through his dark hair. â€Å"And I shouldn't have jumped all over you.† A sly grin turned up the edges of his lips. â€Å"Well, not that way at least. But you're right-I haven't been around. You're going through a lot that I've missed, and I don't know fully what's going on. I mean, that doesn't change how I feel about Jasmine and magic-â€Å" I held up a hand. â€Å"Enough. We can fight about those later. Tell me about the baby.† And like that, Kiyo's face completely transformed. Joy and wonder of such purity filled his features that it was amazing to behold. I'd hardly ever seen him look like that-no, scratch that. I might have never seen him look like that. â€Å"Oh, Eugenie. She's so beautiful. So perfect. I never†¦she's like nothing I ever could have imagined.† Something sank in the pit of my stomach, something cold and leaden. I almost wished he'd get angry again so that my own fury would return. Anger was warmer than sadness. Forcing a smile, I reached for his hand. â€Å"I'm so happy for you,† I said. â€Å"I'd love to see her. What's her name?† â€Å"Luisa.† He said the name like a prayer, like a magic word that could fix all the world's ills. I'd heard him say my name like that too, often in the midst of sex. Obviously, his attitudes toward the two of us were a bit different, but the intensity of his love was similar. â€Å"It's a pretty name,† I said, still trying to smile. A moment of uneasy silence fell. â€Å"Ready to go?† I was growing better at convincing Rurik to let me leave without an escort, and Kiyo and I were able to make good time to the Willow Land. I rode on horseback, and he ran alongside in fox form, able to easily match my pace. While this wasn't an official state visit, I'd grumblingly put on a gentry dress in recognition of my queenly status. It was a simple one, pale blue with cap sleeves and light material. It actually had kind of a Jane Austen feel. The worst part was that since I refused to ride sidesaddle or anything ridiculous like that, the skirt rode up on my legs. With only Kiyo to see me, it didn't matter too much, and he certainly didn't mind. Along the way, we passed another village in my kingdom, one I had yet to visit. I recognized it from Shaya's descriptions. I was pretty sure it was one of the ones with copper ore. Near its outskirts, I could see people working and digging. I made a mental note to stop on the way back-if the Otherworld didn't decide to send me through a different route. Kiyo's fox form meant we didn't have to make any conversation. Spring was progressing rapidly in the Willow Land when we arrived. In fact, it had come much more quickly than I would have expected based on my last visit. There was no snow, and buds were bursting on the trees. The air was warm and picnic-perfect, with crocuses, daffodils, and other spring bulbs sprouting in brightly colored clusters. I was startled at the change until I remembered how the Otherworldly kingdoms were tied to their monarchs. I could pour my energy into the land and help heal it. Dorian kept the Oak Land in a perpetual state of autumn because it brought on memories of his youth that made him feel good and strong. If Maiwenn had just given birth, wouldn't her land reflect that burst of new life? Kiyo shifted back to human shape as we approached the castle's main gates. Those guarding it gave me curious looks but welcomed him with cheers and genuine affection. Indeed, the happy energy was palpable as we walked the halls. Everyone in Maiwenn's hold acted as though they were on their way to a party. Smiles shone on everyone's faces. Kiyo required no escort or guide as he led us swiftly through the halls, up a few flights of stairs, and into Maiwenn's bedroom. As soon as we entered, I decided I might need to have a talk with Shaya about redecorating. The bedroom I'd inherited from Aeson was that of a medieval warlord, with blocky furniture, few windows, and everything-from the thick stone walls to the bedding-in dark, somber colors. Maiwenn's room was light and airy, ringed in windows and filled with exquisite, delicate-looking birch furniture. The sheets on her bed were lavender silk, and gauzy material hung from the canopy. It looked like a room befitting a fairy princess-er, queen. â€Å"Eugenie,† she said, smiling. She was sitting in bed with pillows propped behind her. â€Å"I was hoping you'd come.† Were you? I wondered. A day after having a baby, she looked as gorgeous as usual, her golden hair cascading over a soft pink nightgown. A delicate crown of pearls, even in bed, adorned that luxurious hair, and I pettily thought again about my alleged need for a crown. Kiyo claimed it would send the wrong message, but I suddenly kind of wanted one. A small bundle was in Maiwenn's arms, but mostly all I could see of Luisa was a lacy white cap and a shock of black hair. I smiled back and approached tentatively. Had I treated this visit too casually? Should I have dressed up even more than I had and come bearing gold and frankincense? â€Å"Congratulations. You must be so happy.† Maiwenn's smile became even more radiant. She met Kiyo's eyes, and something passed between them-not romantic, exactly, but a strong emotion I wasn't privy to. Maiwenn carefully lifted her blanket-wrapped bundle, and he took it from her with equal gentleness. â€Å"See?† he said, coming to stand beside me. â€Å"Isn't she beautiful?† Beautiful wasn't quite the word I would have used, though Luisa was definitely cute-which was a relief. I'd met people with ugly babies, and in those situations, you almost always had to lie and say the baby was cute. No need for lies now. Luisa was adorable-which was no surprise with her parentage-and indeed, it was obvious whose genes she'd gotten the bulk of. With her black hair and tanned skin, Luisa was clearly her father's daughter. â€Å"Here,† he said, handing her to me before I could stop him. I hadn't held many babies before, and I took her awkwardly, one arm supporting the length of her body while the other supported her head. She was warm, nearly round with all those blankets, and shifted ever so slightly as she slept. Everything about her was tiny-tiny nose, tiny fingers, tiny eyelashes. A weird feeling built up at the back of my throat, and I remembered my conversation with Dorian. My hips would forever stay slim. My body would never create anything like this. When Luisa briefly opened her eyes to look at me-they were dark blue, no doubt to become brown-I handed her back to her father. Kiyo took her happily, still wearing that wondrous look on his face, and sat on the edge of the bed. He placed Luisa in Maiwenn's arms, and while there was no more touching than such an act required, I again had that sense of connection between them all. An intangible bond that would keep them together forever. I wanted to leave after that. I wanted to run from this place and never come back. But, I had to stay because Kiyo wanted me to be a part of this and because it was the polite thing to do for Maiwenn. So I kept that smile frozen on my face and made small talk that I barely heard, like whether Luisa would inherit any kitsune abilities and when Maiwenn should host the celebration of her birth. At long last, Kiyo said we had to go, and I could tell he only did so for my sake. If he'd had his way, he would have stayed all night. I told Maiwenn congratulations again and assured her of my happiness and the baby's cuteness and a dozen other things new mothers like to hear. Kiyo was full of smiles too, but as soon as we left the room, his faded. â€Å"Was it really that awful?† he asked. I did a double-take. â€Å"What are you talking about? Did I say something wrong?† â€Å"No, Eugenie. You were perfect. Everything was perfect. I don't think Maiwenn noticed a thing-but then, she's pretty distracted.† He sighed. â€Å"But I know you. I can see you're upset. Are you really still that worried about Maiwenn and me getting back together?† Maiwenn and him? How could I explain that what I felt went beyond simple jealousy? It wasn't just that I feared the birth of this baby might bring them together-and that was a legitimate fear of mine-but Luisa's birth impacted me in so many other ways too. I thought about Kiyo and how much I loved him and wanted as strong a relationship as we could have-but that no matter what happened with us, we could never have a family like that. I worried again if he might cast me aside for my inadequacies. And while I was still a long way from being baby crazy or hearing my biological clock, how awful was it going to be if someday I did want a baby and couldn't have one? Or what if-God help me-I did have a baby through some accident? I could never love it, not with that prophecy hanging over my head†¦. â€Å"It's complicated,† I said, realizing Kiyo was waiting for an answer. â€Å"Eugenie,† he said wearily. â€Å"I love you. I love you so much. This isn't going to change that. Maiwenn and I are through as lovers. I will always care about her, and we're going to work together to make sure Luisa's raised with all the love and attention she needs. But you're the woman I love, the woman who's my partner and who I want to be with forever.† His words were sweet, and they did warm part of me up. But he still didn't get the whole picture, didn't understand the tangle of emotions this birth had stirred up in me. It was so hit or miss with Kiyo lately. Some days, I felt like he knew me better than I knew myself. Other days, when it came to the issue of babies-or magic or ruling a kingdom-it was like he didn't get me at all. â€Å"I know,† I said, laying my hand on his. I certainly wasn't going to fight or debate this in the middle of Maiwenn's castle. â€Å"Look, it's okay. We'll talk about this later. Right now†¦well, I can tell you don't really want to go.† He shook his head. â€Å"No, no. I'm coming with you-â€Å" â€Å"Kiyo,† I said, unable to help a small smile, â€Å"I know you. I saw your face up there. You want to be with Luisa more. And you should. Stay awhile, and I'll just go back myself.† â€Å"Eugenie†¦Ã¢â‚¬  But I could tell I was right. â€Å"It's fine. And I'll be fine. I'm the big bad Thorn Queen, remember? Besides, I want to visit that village we passed.† He was silent for several seconds. â€Å"Where will you be tomorrow? I want to find you.† â€Å"I'm not sure. In the morning I have to be back in Tucson for a job-and to talk to Roland-but after that†¦Ã¢â‚¬  So much kept happening lately that I was always shuffling one problem around for another. I hadn't had the chance to talk to Roland about Art and the Yellow River connection, nor did Kiyo know about the recent developments around that either. Before I could start to explain, Kiyo turned us in an unexpected direction. â€Å"Do you want to go hunting fire demons?† I regarded him with surprise. â€Å"Really?† â€Å"Well, if you've got Jasmine and your new tricks, you've got more of a fighting chance, so I figure you might as well make it a slam dunk and bring me along. You've been wanting to get rid of them, right?† We'd come to a stop in the hall, and the scenario was eerily parallel to when we'd been in my castle earlier. There was no chastisement or echoes of that argument now, and I was grateful. â€Å"Thank you,† I said, leaning toward him. I placed a light kiss on his lips-or at least, I tried to make it light. His hand reached out and grabbed my shoulder, bringing me closer still and intensifying the kiss. I pulled back, wondering just how weird it would be for a servant to see the father of their queen's child making out with someone else. Of course, among the gentry, that kind of thing was probably pretty typical. â€Å"Go,† I said, stepping back before I was tempted to kiss him again. â€Å"Go see your beautiful daughter. We'll talk tomorrow.† â€Å"Thanks, Eugenie.† His face split into one of those wonderful grins. â€Å"And thank you for†¦I don't know. You understand me. I don't think anyone else does.† I smiled back and then watched him turn around. A few moments later, I turned as well. As I stepped outside into the balmy spring air, I wondered if anyone truly understood me.