The Knight And The Nun In Canterbury Tales - 742 Words

Comparing the Knight and the Nun in Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales The Knight and the Nun are two significant pilgrims in Geoffrey Chaucer’s famous poem The Canterbury Tales. The Knight is respected by many and his main job was to defeat enemies successfully. The Nun had a lower social position than the Knight and her overall job was to praise the Lord and serve others. While the Knight appears to be a more respected pilgrim in comparison to the Nun, Chaucer uses both of the characters to contribute to the overall theme of humankind’s tendency to strive to be accepted and respected by their peers. While the Knight is true to his character and is honest throughout the poem, it is apparent that the Nun tries to act like somebody she is not†¦show more content†¦The Nun is not viewed in the same light, and as a result she wishes to gain the respect of others. The Nun is described as â€Å"a counterfeit of a courtly kind of grace† (Chaucer 148.143). The author views her as a fraud of courtliness because although she possesses a low position in society as a nun, she tries to act in a worldly fashion. Chaucer uses both of these pilgrims to contribute to the overall theme of one’s need to be liked by others by showing how the Nun goes out of her way to look sophisticated to gain others’ respect and fondness of her. Although the Nun holds a lower position in society than the Knight, she tries to act similarly to the Knight by attempting to show good manners and a sophisticated attitude. Chaucer writes that the Knight is â€Å"ever honored for his noble graces† (Chaucer 146.50), demonstrating how the sophisticated way the Knight acts results in him being liked and honored by many. Chaucer describes the Nun’s usage of manners by writing â€Å"no morsel from her lips did she let fall† (Chaucer 148.132). Here, it is made apparent that the Nun did her best to act in an experienced, worldly manner, even though at the time it was unusual for a nun and a knight to have similar manners due to the large hiatus between their positions in the social hierarchy. Chaucer uses both of these characters’ manners to contribute to the overall theme of The Canterbury Tales by giving a specific example ofShow MoreRelatedThe Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer Essay1115 Words   |  5 Pa ges The Canterbury Tales is a set of stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the fourteenth century. The stories were told by a group of pilgrims traveling to Canterbury Cathedral, in hopes to see a shrine of Saint Thomas Becket. To make time go by the host recommended each pilgrim tell a tale. The tale that each character gives, reveals that person’s background and life. Some pilgrims matched their stereotype of that time but most do not. The Prioress, Madame Eglentyne, and Wife of Bath, Allison, areRead MoreGeoffrey Chaucers Style Of Literature956 Words   |  4 PagesThroughout the period of the Medieval Times (449-1485) many different themes and ideas evolved and shaped the literary world in a new way. During these times, there were expectations of all people, Knights were to act with chivalry and dignity, Monks were to solely practice faith and religion, and ordinary people were to have morals. These expectations were just a few of the things that would be considered Ang lo Saxon beliefs, the most popular form of literature of this time. The poems, plays, epicsRead MoreEssay on Geoffrey Chaucers Canterbury Tales1261 Words   |  6 PagesGeoffrey Chaucers Canterbury Tales The Knight, Squire, Prioress, The Monk and the Friar are defined by their settings in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Prologue to The Canterbury Tales. 1. Portnoy says in his article in the Chaucer Review that The General Prologue is like a mirror reflecting the individuals appearance which then defines the character of that person.(281) 2. Scanlon backs up Portnoy in his article from Speculum by saying †¦Characters descriptions somehow emerge inevitably fromRead MoreChurch Corruption Canterbury Tales1168 Words   |  5 PagesCorruption of the Church in The Canterbury Tales Around 1300AD, the Italian Renaissance was introduced, spreading through continental Europe as a â€Å"rebirth† of intellect, culture, and especially in the church. Despite the societal advancement, this religious renewal didn’t reach England until over a century later, which was partly because of corruption. During this period when England was behind the times, world connoisseurs such as Geoffrey Chaucer gradually brought the development into the countryRead MoreAnalysis Of The General Prologue To The Canterbury Tales Essays1044 Words   |  5 Pagesthe lowest order was involved in this practice. Geoffrey Chaucer, one of the most important writers in English literature, was the author of The Canterbury Tales, an elaborate poem about the religious pilgrimage of twenty nine people to Canterbury. In the General Prologue Chaucer introduces each individual along for the journey. Through The Canterbury Tales, we discover the hypocrisy and virtues Chaucer narrates in his characters and can appreciate the nuances in this superior piece of literatureRead MoreWomen As Represented In Society By Anita Kay OPry-Reynolds-Renolds938 Words   |  4 Pagesdifferent Medieval works of literatures to help support her thesis. OPry-Reynolds uses some details from Beowulf, Lancelot, Knight of the Cart, and Sir Gawain and The Green Knight to show the different gender roles between men and women. The details OPry-Reynolds finds from the different Medieval literatures in her essay are not supported in The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales and The Wife of Bath. Anita Kay OPry-Renolds Men and Women as Represented in Medieval Literature in Society explainsRead More The Canterbury Tales Essay972 Words   |  4 PagesThe Canterbury Tales The Canterbury Tales, a masterpiece of English Literature, written by Geoffrey Chaucer, is a collection, with frequent dramatic links, of 24 tales told to pass the time during a spring pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Thomas a Becket in Canterbury. The General Prologue introduces the pilgrims, 29 sondry folk gathered at the Tabard Inn in Southwark (outside of London). Chaucer decides to join them, taking some time to describe each pilgrim. According to the Norton AnthologyRead MoreLearning About Medieval Life and Society from Chaucers General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales1224 Words   |  5 PagesLearning About Medieval Life and Society from Chaucers General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales I have been studying Geoffrey Chaucers General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales, of which I looked specifically at six portraits, these being: the Knight, his son, a young squire, the prioress, the wife of Bath, the Miller and the Pardoner. From these portraits I was able to observe the ways of life and society in medieval times. I found out about social status, fashion, wealthRead More Chaucers Views Exposed in The Canterbury Tales Essay1080 Words   |  5 PagesChaucers Views Exposed in The Canterbury Tales    The Canterbury Tales were written and pieced together in the late 1380s, early 1390s.   The author of the book is Geoffrey Chaucer.   When considering the structure of the tales, one can deduce that they were put together using Framework Narrative, a very unique style of writing.   The opening prologue speaks of 29 pilgrims, including Chaucer, who are all on a pilgrimage to Canterbury. All of them are seeking a certain shrine for spiritualRead MoreThe Significance of Clothing in The Canterbury Tales: General Prologue943 Words   |  4 PagesThroughout The Canterbury Tales: General Prologue, Chaucer’s use of the characters’ clothing, to symbolize what lies beneath the surface of each personality is significant. Chaucer strongly uses the Knight, the Squire and the Prioress’s clothing to symbolize how their personalities are reflected through The Canterbury Tales. The Knight’s true character is portrayed through his modest apparel. His character is displayed by the way he chooses to show himself in public, which is a noble knight, that is

I.On The 23Rd Of November, 2016, The Economist Magazine

I. On the 23rd of November, 2016, the Economist magazine explored the impact of Donald Trump’s (president of the United States) decision to leave the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). II. http://www.smartcompany.com.au/industries/retail/71590-more-than-60-australian-geographic-retail-stores-to-close-in-2017/: On July 11, 2016th Dominic Powell reported on the popular science and Australiana retail brand Australian Geographic Retail has closed sixty-seven stores in order to recover its loss of profit. III. http://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/19/asia/china-coal-north-korea-ban/ On February 20th the CNN reported on China’s decision to halt all coal imports from North Korea as part of its effort to enact United Nations Security Council sanctions†¦show more content†¦II. Popular science and Australiana retail brand; Australian Geographic Retail has begun closing down sixty-seven of its stores across Australia, as owner Myer Family Investments (MFI) seeks to close the loss-making business. MFI bought the Australian Geographic chain in 2007, but due to increased retail competition from stores such as Kmart and Target, the brand has recently failed to return profits. Where the stores have â€Å"recently begun a process which will likely lead to a controlled exit from its retail business during the first half of 2017†. As a result of globalisation, multinational co-operations are forcing smaller and local businesses to close their doors through the use of online retailin g and lower prices, depriving the smaller businesses of demand and revenue. These lower prices will benefit the consumers, saving them money, yet this comes at the expense of others. In particular, third-world countries and their undeveloped regulation systems are being exploited for their cheap labour, lowering their living standards. This decreases the cultural diversity of products, as consumers will be restricted to the goods supplied by the multi-national co-operations. III. China has made the decision to halt all coal imports from North Korea for the remainder of 2017 due to the growing tensions on the Korean Peninsula following Pyongyang s most recent missile test. In 2014 86% of

Electronic dance music free essay sample

On this fateful day I discovered a genre of music that was complete new and fresh that not only did this genre changed my outlook on music, but on my life. This wasnt possible before because the family background I had , this background was mostly based around the genres of hip hop, coca and Ran. Which was fine for me because of my lack of information on the various genres in the world. Also, the comfort of being to converse with members of my family on the same music genres and get the comfort of having similar views on the given subject.Then came the day that change my life forever, It was a summer day and I was on my way to my tutors house for the summer. I was of course listen to music on the bus to pass the time on the way to his house, I was listening to Machine gun Funk by Biggie smalls and was being to get bored of the song. We will write a custom essay sample on Electronic dance music or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page So I began searching through my library of songs and found a song that I have never seen or heard before, this was a weird to say the least because I usually keep constant track of the songs that I have in my library. This new song was interesting to me so I played and what I got was meeting that I have never heard before and It was amazing.The song was a wide mixture of different sounds some being robotic and others being more distorted white noise and based on this description It doesnt like music, but it was. There was synch based melody and drums that went in the complex arrangement that I was used to In hip hop but It Just seemed to fit the music perfectly. Then to add on there was an electronic vocal that sounded robotic and human at the same time. This wasnt Like anything Vive ever heard before with all the various sounds that came together almost magically.It was as If I was transported to a new world and this song was the portal and overtime the song faded you I anxiously w aited for the seconds that I took for the song to play again. Once I returned home from tutoring I rushed to my computer and started my search for the genre of music that this new song followed under. This search lead me to Electronic Dance Music (MED) and wealth this genre held loads of sub-genres that I have yet to fully understand or know about. Electronic dance music By King-Crazy Then came the day that change my life forever, it was a summer day and I was on meeting that I have never heard before and it was amazing. Ewing more distorted white noise and based on this description it doesnt like music, arrangement that I was used to in hip hop but it Just seemed to fit the music the same time.

Prositution free essay sample

Prostitutes in Thailand Should be Legal, Or Not? In 2001, there were 2. 02 million of prostitutes in Thailand according to the research of Thai Child Rights Organization, while in 2005, the number of prostitutes was increasing to 2. 51 million. Although prostitute is an illegal occupation, the number of them is still increasing in each year. Is it better if we use the law to control this Job by making it as a legal occupation? There are 3 advantages to make prostitute as the legal occupation concerning about the economic side which are receiving more taxes, decreasing the healths budget according to sexually transmitted disease, ND decreasing the governments corruption. Firstly, we can receive more taxes from legal prostitute. In Switzerland, the country that prostitute is legal, prostitutes gain 1. 18 trillion Baht (3. 5 billion Swiss Franc) income per year to their country which meaner that the country receives 0. 59 trillion Baht for taxes . According to the thesis of Clangorous University in 2009, the average income of prostitutes which the age of 18-35, 80 percent of all prostitutes, is approximately 85,000 Baht/month and the number of prostitutes is 1. We will write a custom essay sample on Prositution or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 6 million. Thailand uses the progressive tax rates which mean the more you got, the more you ay taxes. Prostitute has to pay income subtracted all expenses)*12*O. 2(rate of taxes for people who have the income more than 500,000 Baht/year]Baht/year for taxes which meaner that the government should receive approximately 13. 4 trillion Baht/year (84,000 Baht*l . 6 million prostitutes). Not only the income of government that will increase, but the expense from healths budget is also decreasing too. Regarding to the latest sentence, being prostitute to be a legal occupation can cost less money on Public Healths budget. In 2012, Thai government spent 134 million on AIDS patients. Government has to spend 2. 74 million Baht on 1 patient per year. It can be said that if number of AIDS is increasing, the budget spending on these patients will increase too. Not only AIDS is the sexually transmitted disease in our world, but there are others like Kangarooed, Scabies, Syphilis, and Coincide too. The number of patients who got sexually transmitted disease in Thailand during the year 2003 is approximately 1. 6 million people according to the World Health Organizations research. Compared to Switzerland, the number of the patients is only 16,000. The reconstitutes in Switzerland have to check up their physical health every month so that the risk of getting sexually transmitted diseases is decreasing as well. If prostitute is a legal occupation, it will easier to control these diseases too. Finally, pushing prostitute to be a legal occupation can decrease the governments corruption. After Mr.. Chit Cosmologist, the former massage parlors owner, entered political roles, he has revealed many shocking information about prostitution in Thailand. In 2003, he unveiled that some of his best customers are politicians and police officers. He lamed that he also have to paid those influential people more than 2 million dollars for the bribes to keep his business goes on. According to Mr.. Cosmologist, some large prostitution rings in Bangkok and other provinces are backed by politicians and other influential people. In 2012, he revealed the information of the sex trade area in Hat Way. He SAA d brothels in Hat Way nave to pay band per month to police. Both politicians and police have been supporting and indulging in the prostitution industry openly. If we push prostitution to be the legal occupation, the corruption will decrease too. To conclude, pushing prostitutes to be a legal occupation can benefit economy of the countries by receiving more taxes, and decreasing the healths budget and the governments corruption.

Information Systems Project Failure essays

Information Systems Project Failure essays Why do information systems projects continue to fail? An information system is a set of people, data, and procedures that work together to provide useful information (Senn, 1990, p8) Given that information systems (IS) seem to be a useful item, which have the potential to ease peoples working lives, why do they create so many problems? That is the topic of discussion for this paper. At first glance the answer seems obvious, it must be due to a technical problem with the system itself. However, after researching this topic, and I hope after you have read this paper, the answer seems quite the opposite. Although technical competence is important it is suggested that social and political situations have more to do with IS projects failure than the presence of technical ability. The basis of my argument will come from an article found in Computer Weekly (February 2002). This article concerns itself with a recent piece of research on the topic of IS failure and its causes carried out by computer Weekly and The Coverdale Organisation, a process consultancy. An IS project is just what it says, a project that builds and implements an information system. Today, when talking about IS, most of us think of computerised systems. Although there are many different types of IS, I shall be concentrating on computerised information systems (CIS) for the purpose of this paper. A CIS may be more specifically defined as: A collection of interrelated hardware and software that responds to input from the environment, processes the input to meet certain criteria objectives, and produces output that acts on the environment. (Shore, 1988, p331) In other words, a CIS consists of an input, a process and an output (Figure 1). In order to understand why IS projects fail, it is important to understand how IS are created. It is also important to keep in mind that these systems are built for a period of days, weeks an...

Increase Your Traffic + Get Better Results With This Content Distribution Strategy Template

Increase Your Traffic + Get Better Results With This Content Distribution Strategy Template If youve been working on search engine optimization  or any form of promotion for your content, you might have come across the term â€Å"content distribution†. You’ve just spent loads of time and money to produce an amazing whitepaper, video, or other content types†¦ Now, it’s a waiting game as all those readers come rushing in to read your amazing content piece, right? If only it were that easy. Just because you’ve finished the content, doesn’t mean you’re done. In some ways, the hard work is just beginning. Now you’ve got to promote it, and in a world where there are 4 million blog posts published on the Internet every single day, your content distribution strategy has to be on point. This post breaks down the best ways to promote your content, how to create a distribution strategy, and why its so important to your marketing. Recommended Reading: How to Write White Papers People Actually Want to Read (Free Template) The Best eBook Template to Generate More Subscribers (+ Easy eBook Ideas) Download This Content Distribution Template But first, check out this content distribution template. You’ll find an easy-to-follow template to track your entire content distribution strategy from start to finish. It’s also easily customizable for each of your projects to make sure that you’re promoting each content item in the best way. What is Content Distribution? While it's a term thrown around in numerous marketing circles, it can have numerous meanings. As distribution has become more important to the success of content today, it’s important to understand the nuts and bolts of content distribution as a term. Content distribution  is the act of promoting content through any means by companies and brands to provide content to its targeted audience. It breaks down into three different areas, owned channels, earned channels and paid content. These three channels provide the fundamentals of how you distribute the content appropriately. Owned Channels These channels are the foundation of your entire online presence. It's any medium that you create and control. Common examples would be your website or an app you've developed. But these days, your social media page, your blog, or even a YouTube page, are all classed as owned channels. Without sufficient content on your own channels, your brand is not able to build, which can limit your ability to convert customers. To make the most of your own channels, you can break your techniques down into three individual components. The content:  Content is key to your entire operation, and the distribution of content can include blogs, e-books, infographics, as well as videos. Videos have been vital in improving promotion, especially search engine optimization, as videos generate a 41% higher click-through rate  than plain text. Posting and sharing of information:  The bread and butter of engaging with potential and existing customers. By posting information and sharing it via social media platforms, you can build a following and tempt new custom in. This helps to direct traffic to your website as well as using social media to get your content to a broader audience. Marketing via email:  While social media is a great way to engage with your customers, email marketing is a great way to make the most of your existing contacts and to convert them onto your latest products. Earned Channels Earned channels are essentially the equivalent of word of mouth. If the content that you post on your owned media is picked up by third-party sites, this results in organic search engine rankings. The most significant driving forces behind earned media boil down to two things: Search engine ranking:  The rankings can be determined by numerous components, but primarily it's about a good SEO strategy. Search engine optimization  is such an evolving beast that to make earned media shareable by third parties, the content working in conjunction with ranking on the first page are the two components that need to be in tandem with each other. The content distributed by the brand:  no matter how you dress it up, the content has to be good enough to warrant mentions, reposts, recommendations, and shares. Paid Channels The paid channels refer to the external marketing approaches that, as you would suspect, results from a paid placement. It can be argued that paid media appears to be unnecessary, especially in comparison to earned and owned channels, but this third aspect works with the other two channels to help a business grow significantly. Ultimately, paid media is one of the best and quickest ways to get traffic. Think of a stagnating business that's not able to establish its brand. By investing in paid media to display content across social networks, you are getting exposure in a way that would not happen if you were to go through organic methods. For example, a promoted post may very well be a new customer’s first experience of your brand. This results in increased traffic and this traffic can be easier to track than other organic methods. As social media can provide appropriate statistics on the leads or clicks your page content gets, this can give you instantaneous feedback as to whether this method is working for you. And as the three most prominent areas of paid media are branded content, display ads, and PPC  advertising, it's likely you are already making headway through the paid channels anyway. But by using paid channels in conjunction with earned and owned channels, you are supporting your brand with that all-important trifecta of content distribution. Why Content Distribution is Important Content and its success is all about planning and preparation. You could argue that it's about the type of content you create, but content distribution and great content are two sides to the same coin. Recently, 56% of marketers  stated they outsource one part of their marketing strategies, which has resulted in an increased need for help in content creation. And as 78% of marketers have reported that their business has improved due to better content creation, this shows that enhancing the content through these three channels has improved marketing in numerous ways. To improve your marketing capabilities, you cannot rely on one aspect of your content distribution. Breaking it down into these three essential components, and following them to the letter, will result in a brand that is evenly distributed. Content is king, and as content distribution becomes highlighted as one of the biggest marketing opportunities that brands don't utilize, harnessing these three different areas can push a struggling business into more prominent quarters. Many brands may make the most of one or two areas of this trifecta, but, if you recognize that you're not making the most of all of them, this will soon become apparent. So many brands make the most of PPC or plunge their efforts into search engine optimization, but to be competitive and to maintain an edge, content distribution is the missing ingredient. For those brands looking to improve their strategies, looking to keep on top of trends, and make the most of marketing tools, ensure your content distribution is at the forefront of your marketing strategy. How to create a #content distribution strategy with a free template.How to Create a Content Distribution Strategy Step-by-Step Providing relevant content at the right time to the people who need it is an integral part of digital marketing, but it won’t happen by accident. To achieve an effective content distribution, you need to follow a step-by-step strategy. List Your Target Distribution Channels Your target distribution channels are the sites, organizations or entities from which you disseminate content. Content marketing distribution channels may include social networks, your website, a partner blog, a podcast or some other digital medium. Before you begin your content distribution strategy, therefore, it’s worth writing down a list of all the ways you’ll distribute your content with a brief justification for why. Guest Posts on External Websites Guest posts on external websites have two functions: to promote your content  to a new audience and to create links to your site for SEO purposes. These articles can introduce your content to people who wouldn’t ordinarily see it and who might benefit from it in the future. Before posting on external sites, think about whether they attract visitors who could benefit from your product. Here’s an example of a guest post on Convince Convert by . Another strategy for guest posting is to reach out to bloggers of articles that already exist on your target keywords. You can ask the author to add a section about your tool/product with a link back to your website. Online Communities Online communities are any place on the web where people gather to interact. Distributing content through these channels (Facebook groups, LinkedIn groups, Reddit, forums, etc.) can be effective because communities naturally generate interest and engagement. Ideally, you want to create shareable and â€Å"commentable† content that produces a buzz. Be careful with this tactic however, you want to genuinely helpful and not promotional. Here’s an example of a discussion on Reddit regarding Facebook advertising. This would be a good opportunity to link to a content piece from your blog that helps solve the poster’s problem. External Podcasts External podcasts  can be an excellent vehicle for distributing content to a new audience. Many media firms, like the BBC and the Wall Street Journal, give space to businesses on their podcasts to speak about what they do. This example is from the Wall Street Journal is inspired by the popular column which commuters can turn to for insights on business, the economy, markets, and politics. The content on podcasts is usually newsworthy and topical. It can be a great way to increase brand awareness and reach new audiences that are not aware of your product or service. Internal Blog Posts Blog posts on your own site are an opportunity to tell your audience more about yourself and provide them with real value. Coca-Cola  - the world’s premier soft drinks brand - has one of the top company blogs in the world. It talks about its approach to corporate responsibility, its plans to make the business more sustainable, and how the company operates internally. The blog is a great tool to get readers engaged in content and up-to-date with trends. Internal Videos Internal videos are videos that companies make for the benefit of their colleagues. Although most businesses focus on external videos - or those that are customer-facing - internal videos can have tremendous value for training and teaching staff about the company values. Walmart  has been using internal videos to distribute content for many years to teach new hires about the importance of warehouse safety and correct lifting techniques. Webinars Webinars  are interactive online seminars where a company imparts information and then invites guests to ask questions and give feedback. ARK Invest  is an investment broker with a focus on future technology. The firm hosts monthly webinars where it explains to customers why it is investing in certain sectors (like robotics or genetics) and how they think the market will adjust to new technological changes in the future. Investors can then ask questions about why the firm is investing their money in a particular way. Demos Demos of how a product works are a great way to get information across to customers. Although demos are usually explicitly promotional, this doesn't mean that they can't be used to educate customers about the powerful benefits of a new product. In 2018, Google demoed  its new product, Duplex, which is an AI voice bot that can conduct basic conversations on a user’s behalf (for instance, book a table at a restaurant). At Google I/O 2018, the company demonstrated the product live, showcasing it’s audience the benefits directly. Infographics Infographics  use a combination of pictures and text to convey information or statistics readably. Supply Spy, a firm that helps users research Amazon products, has an infographic which breaks down the complicated topic of Amazon seller fees into manageable chunks, helping to make the subject more approachable. Guides Shopify is a platform which provides a range of utilities to budding online retailers, such as website design and payment facilities. Setting up an online store can be a complicated business, so Shopify provides guides  for all sorts of things, such as how to sell on eBay, small business marketing on Twitter, selling products on Amazon, and how to grow an e-commerce business with email marketing. Social Media Channels Pizza Hut  is one of the most interesting examples of a company that uses social media distribution effectively. Rather than use its Twitter feed to advertise money-off coupons (which seems to be the default position of many other pizza chains), it uses social media to celebrate the product that it sells. By doing this, it creates much more engaging, likable and sharable content and video. Email Email marketing has the highest ROI of any form of digital marketing, according to  Litmus Software. Many companies use email to distribute special offers and deals tailored to their customers, but the most successful email campaigns tend to be those that communicate genuinely exciting information. Evans Cycles, a cycling firm based in the UK, sends customers a combination of special offers and informational videos on how to look after their bicycles. Ebook Ebooks are in-depth resources that companies can provide their customers to cement their authority in a particular field. Ebooks demonstrate to customers that a business has substantial expertise, making them a preferred source of reliable information. Deloitte  is a professional services company that provides tax advice, management consultancy and strategy advice to firms all over the world. Its work is detailed, so it often uses ebooks to complement the work that it does with firms. The company’s clients can get bespoke advice direct from consultants and then refer to ebooks if they need a refresher once consulting is finished. A Better Way to Plan Your Content Distribution Strategy Sure the content distribution tracking spreadsheet included in this blog will do the job†¦ But, let’s be honest, the last thing most marketing managers need is another spreadsheet to add to their ever-growing list. The good news is, there’s a better way. Your entire team can collaborate, plan and execute their content distribution strategy with . No spreadsheets, no manual updating, no status updates. Just one amazing hub to plan it all. Here’s how it works: To start, add a new marketing project in by clicking the plus sign on your project kickoff date. Then choose the option entitled â€Å"marketing campaign† on the list. Next, add each individual content promotion and distribution item to your marketing campaign. Once you’ve added all the individual content distribution tactics, you’ll see a visualization of every element on your calendar. Everyone on your team will know exactly what is going live and when, and their tasks for each tactic. Goal Setting Goal setting is an essential aspect of your overall content distribution strategy, whether you’re trying to reach people through social media tools, external blogs, your website. But how do you set effective content distribution goals? Decide on The Nature of Your Goals Some organizations create content for the sake of creating content, thinking that it will put them at an advantage. But any experienced digital marketer worth their salt will tell you that the only way to drive things forward is to make sure that you're clear on why you’re distributing content in the first place. You may want to distribute content for the following reasons: Generate more leads Increase your conversion rate Improve awareness of your brand Increase customer retention To educate your audience Get more traffic to your website The content distribution strategy you choose will depend on your overall goals. A plan designed to improve awareness of your brand will be very different from one that hopes to increase customer retention or upsell customers on various products. Some businesses  try to be smart and align content with multiple goals, hoping to kill many birds with one stone. Companies create content that they expect will improve their ranking in search engines, generate a buzz on social media, increase awareness of their brand and boost leads. But trying to tick all the boxes rarely works and you may find that your content is less useful in certain channels than it would be had you stuck to a specific strategy. For example, you might create a wordy blog to help you rank for specific keywords in Google search.

Public health science slp 15 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Public health science slp 15 - Essay Example Universities and hospitals offer medical technology programs. 1 Coursework required include courses in biology, microbiology, chemistry physics, math and statistics along with course work to improve communication skills and computer analytics. The field has subspecialties in various departments which include, Hematology or the study of blood(this department often works in conjunction with a Blood bank supplying blood products), Biochemistry and Special Chemistry and the providing of analytical assays on most normally blood and urine and there biochemical and immunological characteristics, Bacteriology and Parasitology which detect infectious agents and Histology and cytology working with tissues and cell samples to slides for pathological examinations. Individual laboratories which are licensed by appropriate state regulatory agencies are also accredited and inspected by professional agencies such as the College of American Pathologists(CAP)2. In addition laboratories must be in acco rdance with public health regulatory bodies regarding the reporting of infectious diseases and the proper disposal of hazardous wastes such as the Center for Disease Control(CDC)3 Environmental health professional go by many titles, Environmental Health Practitioners, Environmental Health Officer, Public Health Officer. ... Most Environmental Professionals sub specialize in one of the following areas: Reducing Air, water, soil, noise, or radiation pollution Protecting the food supply Improving safety in public schools, public areas, and workplaces Ensuring safe living conditions in housing Promoting public health by identifying hazards4 Prevention is a key to environmental health work with education, research and improved public policy employed to make the world a cleaner and safer place to live. To enter the field a college degree in Environmental Health or an associated life-science is required. Two public health regulatory agencies chosen are The Center for Disease Control(CDC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Centers for Disease Control(CDC) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting public health activities in the United States. CDC's focus is not only on scientific excellence but also on the essential spirit that is CDC - to protect the health of all people. CDC keeps humanity at the forefront of its mission to ensure health protection through promotion, prevention, and preparedness. Composed of the Office of the Director, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and six Coordinating Centers/ Offices, including environmental health and injury prevention, health information services, health promotion, infectious diseases, global health and terrorism preparedness and emergency response, CDC employs more than 14,000 employees in 54 countries and in 170 occupations.5 The goal of the CDC is to keep people healthy at every

Bob Dylan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Bob Dylan - Essay Example Kennedy in 1963. It was the January of 1961 when 19-year-old Bob Dylan set off towards New York City to perform and to visit his music idol Woody Guthrie. The trip was to change the course of his life. Born Robert Allen Zimmerman (1941), Dylan spent much of his youth listening to the radio, first to the powerful blues and country music stations and, later, early rock and roll. By the time he was seventeen, he started getting more interested in the subtler, Gaelic-inflected American folk music. The traditional ballads of the common folk, which were mostly vocals accompanied by an acoustic guitar. "Folk song (was) usually seen as the authentic expression of a way of life now, past or about to disappear (or in some cases, to be preserved or somehow revived). " (Middleton 1990, p.127). Folksongs fascinated the young Bob Dylan. His early influences included Joe Hill, a Swedish-American labor activist who protested through his political songs, satirical poems and speeches. Joe, executed for murder after a controversial trial, became the subject of a folksong, and an inspiration to Dylan. His other hero was folksinger Woody Guthrie, of the 'This Land is Your Land', fame. Fired up by Guthrie's passion, Dylan was in total, awestruck emulation of him. John Steinbeck commented on Guthrie, writer, poet and philosopher, "there is nothing sweet about Woody, and there is nothing sweet about the songs he sings. But there is something more important for those who will listen. There is the will of the people to endure and fight against oppression. I think we call this the American spirit." (quoted in Klein 1981) Once in New York, Dylan was swept into the maelstrom of Greenwich Village's thriving folk scene. According to Dylan, "New York was a dream.... It was a dream of the cosmopolitan riches of the mind. It was a great place for me to learn and to meet others who were on similar journeys." (Westwood One Radio, 1985). Dylan started singing in the small 'basket' clubs, where performers were paid the proceeds of a passed around basket., and soon caught the attention of critics and the public. Not long after, he signed up for his first album, which consisted mainly of familiar folk, blues and gospel material, peppered with a few of his own songs. In the meantime, the political scenario all around him was changing. Youth rebellion mainly originated on college campuses, with many emerging directly from the American Civil Rights Movement. People were questioning America's materialistic attitude, and its cultural and political norms. They were protesting racial

Innovation Prowess Leadership Strategies for Accelerating Growth Essay Example for Free

Innovation Prowess Leadership Strategies for Accelerating Growth Essay Innovation management Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Innovative management is a strategy in which a company manager utilizes all the available resources and develops a working community where ingenuity and innovativeness work together with practicality in order to formulate reforms. Today’s fast changing business environment calls for innovation management which will help companies to achieve their long term objectives. Innovation management will help companies to maintain competitive advantage. Long term sustainability of a company may be determined by its ability to expertly direct innovation assets to address a swiftly changing economic and market setting. Innovation management includes the activities, decisions and practices that propel an opinion to realization for the rationale of breeding business worth. This paper is about software development by Samsung Company. The Company has come up with an advanced wireless disk drive that is the champion in the Google industry (Day, 2013).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Samsung unlike Apple reveal good consumerist skills in the course of innovativeness. The Company usually manufactures differentiated products that ensure that consumers choose from variety of Samsung devices. For example, Samsung products are of high quality with OS and software thus thriving well especially in OS and android market. Samsung have advanced strategic capacity which enable them hang about as the greatest threat to Apple. For example, their marketing strategies are outstanding. They augmented their cost of advertisement from $78 million to $401 million. In addition Samsung association capability is first-class. They exceedingly believe in providing people with opportunities to excel. They slot in the five hub values in every action taken which enable them to prosper. They are dedicated in ensuring that they are socially and environmentally liable wherever they are operating from (Michell, 2010).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Innovation management is very important owing to the fact that Samsung Company have to work under tight budget and the increased demand from the customer who prefer high quality products and services at affordable prices. Innovation management emphasizes on production of new technologies, products and services. Samsung is also known as the giant electronic maker, it is planning to launch the advanced wireless disk drive to the android users. The advanced disk drive Crystal Disk Mark chronological read and writes scores of 300MB/sec and 250MB/sec are around three times as fast as the swiftest hard disks from any other company and the disk’s LaCie’s small-file scores are excellent: its 300KB and 250MB/sec write and read results of 700MB/sec places the advanced disk drive at the front line. The advanced disk drive is expected to be more durable as compared to other disks. Durability is more important than speed and capacity. Ide ntifying and implementing investments repetitively and effectively make up the vital purpose of innovation management. Various decisions that are prepared in Samsung Company affect the succession and eventual success of superior ideas. New innovative ideas must be aimed at solving an existing business problem or growing an opportunity (Ernst, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Successful innovation management in Samsung Company follows the following guidelines; first, whether the potential innovation is aligned with the company’s strategy. Second, how the proposed change will add value to the customer. That is how the advanced wireless disk drive will add value to the customer, the third guideline is the amount of investment that is required and whether the investment will generate good returns. Whether the advanced disk drive will attract more customers? Forth, the possible impact of innovation to the current business and whether it would affect the existing returns. Also, the time frame for the effect to be realized and the impact to the business, how the innovation will alter or disrupt current markets; whether the new idea will generate additional revenue or reduces operating costs, the other guideline is how the latest innovations improve existing or build up new obstacles to competition and finally whether there is an effortless access to the competencies required to apprehend the new idea.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The new strategy that Samsung Company should slip in when launching the advanced wireless disk drive is pricing strategy. They should employ customer-based pricing. Samsung Company is well-known for hasty production of differentiated products thus penetration pricing will work best. The purpose of penetration pricing is to enlarge market share of the product. Samsung Company by the use of penetration pricing will be able to raise prices once they penetrate the market. The new strategy will draw many customers to buy the wireless disk drive and other products. The long term gain is that Samsung will accomplish a higher market share as compared to other rivalry companies in the industry. Samsung products are somewhat differentiated and owing to price inelasticity of demand in the market; this new strategy will work best for Samsung. This will be a very competitive tool for Samsung as they launch the advanced wireless disk drive and other inn ovative products. Retrieved from http://www.samsung.com/africa_en/aboutsamsung/Samsung Company is conversant that innovation management requires an innovation framework that will enable effective and repetitive change which will increase the capacity of the company to generate high quality goods and services. Innovation encourages the need for rapid change and rejuvenation, potentially affecting all sectors of a company. Samsung does not engage its workers in long working hours like Apple and Google since they believe in innovativeness. Transform is usually opposed which calls for necessary rewards and incentives to endorse the required innovation. The weekly meetings and workshop with the team of 8 members will be very significant since it will help me to diagnose the hindrances to innovation in the company (ArguÃÅ'ˆden, 2011).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The workshop and meetings will be exceptionally useful in understanding how verified framework to make the company more inventive. The workshop and weekly meetings will help us to find out examples of appropriate practice in innovation management and compose an action plan that will boost the innovation performance of the company. The other chief benefits of holding weekly meetings and workshops in Samsung Company include; gain awareness of how to develop excellent ideas that focus on adding value to the customer. For example, Samsung is planning to launch the advanced wireless disk drive and other products such as Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S5. Samsung operates under the philosophy of ‘people first.’ Second, help to gain self-assurance to manage the company’s assortment and shield the most innovative ideas. Third, help people to gain capacity to borrow ideas from chief management team for the company’s innovation acti on plan. Third, help individuals to gain ability to endorse an organizational culture that embraces creativity and innovativeness. It also helps to increase the alertness of apposite application of strategies so as to improve company presentation. Finally, help to build up confidence to communicate about the need for innovation and how to achieve it (Chang, 2008).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The new idea of advanced wireless disk drive must offer competitive advantage to attract new clients, maintain existing clients and cut-down the production cost with an aim of maximizing profits. Innovation is not hard but it is a complex process which involves change. Change on the other hand necessitates learning. High improbability and likelihood makes innovation management very complex, since it calls for the learning speculation to be concentrated on the areas of alteration that represent the highest possibility or uncertainty for gradual sustainability and intensification of the company. For more than 70 years, Samsung has focused on advancing the world through diversification that has led to advanced technology fashion, skyscraper, hotels, medicine, petrochemicals, semiconductors, finance and plant construction. Samsung Electronics lead takes the top position in the global market in high-tech digital media and electronic manufacturi ng. Through innovative, reliable services and products, talented personnel, collaboration with customers and other stakeholders, and responsible approach to business and global citizenship, Samsung is moving the world in imaginative new commands (Bessant, 2009).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are several external and internal triggers facing Samsung Company; however, there are many potential solutions to these problems. Three pillars of innovation must also be considered in development of innovation framework. These pillars include strategy, competency and management. Innovative competency of the company will depend on the set of capabilities and the history. Samsung main objective is making a better world through innovation. Powerful framework is based on commitment and competence which will help the company to propel forward. As the company manager it is vital to come up with strategies in the resource allocation. The strategies will also be significant in improving the existing processes and products, finding adjacencies and discovering totally new markets. A competent firm is required to manage its innovation in an appropriate manner. Samsung have to be hasty in its production so that it can cope with competition from Apple and Google. People everywhere, regardless of their earnings; desire to use superior and innovative products. Thus Samsung Company has to come up with strategies to make their products more affordable to the customers. People have different tastes, budgets, preferences and lifestyles. Through provision of innovative products that offer value for money, the company will meet different needs of the clients all over (Ghemawat et al, 2011).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The diversification strategy should focus on ensuring that the new product gives the customers confidence that the product will deliver on its promise so that they feel their money is spent appropriately. Improving brand quality will make business sense and enhance the company’s capacity to improve the lives of the low-income customers. The Samsung Company has the necessary resources, skills and the will to produce high-quality products at a lower price which meet the customer’s demands. Samsung Company must to come up with innovative strategies such as diversification strategy since the competitors are not willing to move back from breakthrough designs, very responsive and mass customizing variety strategies among other strategies that enhance production of superior products (Kenny, 2009).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The innovation team will be of great importance since they will help in generation of a set of innovation activities which amalgamates the activity into a regular cycle of running the company. The following phases in innovation management will assist Samsung to amalgamate the set of innovation activities in order to realize a fruitful end (Trauffler et al, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   They include: Setting the objectives for the process   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Innovation is all about change and starts with a goal in mind. The major problem is developing a strategy that will ensure provision of quality products at affordable prices which will attract more customers as well as retaining the existing customers. The team of innovation management has come up with diversification strategy that solves this predicament. Once the goal is identified, it will be discussed by all the members in the problem solving team. I am the leader of the team being in charge of other 8 members. These individuals are professional functional areas. The team will have weekly meetings and workshops where they will provide feedback and suggestions regarding their personal experience with the company’s product and services. I will be the leader of the team and I will oversee all the parts of the process from the beginning to the end (Hill, 2012). Cooperation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As an innovation team in Samsung Company we will work together so that rather than raising separate ideas, we can amalgamate them and develop a collaborative solution. This will be achieved through the weekly meetings and workshops. I have great experience as a manager in the company thus there is no need of hiring a trained business coach to facilitate the discussions. In addition, the prosperity of Samsung Company can be attributed to the uphill struggle and proficiency of its employees, whose mutual efforts boost the company’s competitive advantage and speed up innovation. It is also doubtless that the previous success would have been impractical without the intense interest and packed support from all stakeholders. Retrieved from http://www.samsung.com/us/aboutsamsung/ Combination of ideas   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The team highlights the ideas, and then they select the most suitable ones and then evaluate to see whether they can be combined to come up with an excellent idea. In deed, bold ideas will be complementary to each other and will combine to a better result. The whole result is likely to intensify with every member contributing to the process. The success of this combined ideas require representative from every stakeholder in the process. This is because these stakeholders are experts and have crucial information that individuals from other departments could not raise. As the team leader I will ensure that every angle of innovative process is covered. The business idea is to develop an advanced wireless disk drive. Evaluation of Innovation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This is a very crucial aspect of innovation management; however, it is usually ignored. When the most suitable ideas are fine-tuned, combined, and polished they should be subjected to peer review for evaluation. This will ensure the efficacy of the idea of advanced wireless disk drive. Deprived ideas will be identified in the evaluation stage before Samsung commits its funds, time and resources to them. Evaluation stage will also help the team to select idea with great potential from the other ideas that seem to have equal chances of success. This is the stage where the innovation team can alter the strategy of innovation with a lot of ease as compared to later stages. The stages after evaluation stage are more costly and thus require a lot of caution. The advanced wireless disk drive will enable customers to; access their Media Wirelessly, stream media wirelessly to Tablets or Smartphones among others, customers can also stream to up to 4 diverse devices concurrently, the drive also can operate the disk drive as a moveable DVD Writer and finally the wireless disk drive can as well be paired with Samsung Smart TV. The advanced disk drive is the quickest of all other wireless disk drives. Testing the ideas   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Once the innovation team identifies the potential idea, in this case developing an advanced wireless disk drive, they will test it so that they can identify the weak areas that require development. One of the most common method of testing service delivery or product quality is creation of test group. This will enable the innovation team, the customers, and the investors to familiarize with the new product in terms of its functioning and the necessary changes to be made to improve the product. The strategy is to ensure that the product raise interest as well as generating more orders. Customers will get interested to the high-quality products such that they will order more products from the company. Execution of the innovation implementation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If the idea of advanced wireless disk drive passes through the testing process, it can be further modified and changed until it is ready to be implemented as a component of the company offerings. The execution of implementation is unique for every business. Unless the idea of advanced wireless disk drive calls for alteration of marketing strategies, then this step for innovation management process should be basic for the company. It will be effortless for Samsung Company to move from testing of the product to the execution if the new product were able to create interest and generate orders in the testing stage (Zacharias, 2011). Assessment of Innovation Life-cycle   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This is the step that follows after the execution of the business idea. Implementation should be closely monitored and assessed regarding the targets to be set. If the target is unattainable, the idea will be turned down calling for developments. Customer is always considered in the execution stage, the team will design measuring systems which can measure the value added to the customer through application of new strategies. Samsung work under the philosophy of ‘people first.’   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The next step after assessment is starting again, identify new strategies, solutions and inspirations and taking them through the cycle until the company come up with appropriate strategies that ensure value is added to the customers. Over the last two decades, Samsung Electronics utilized a series of turn around strategies that basically altered the approach of managing Samsung Company. The employees will be forced to learn from the new speed. Creativity calls for speed in the processes, inventory turns, functions, data access and market response. The style of management which includes control and command is obsolete and the modern way of business success is accommodating new technologies as well as open leadership styles where leaders consider other people’s opinions. The innovation team has to determine how the problem is defined in order to come up with appropriate strategy. For example, Samsung identified the problem associated to access of media. They decide to solve the problem by developing an advanced wireless disk drive where people can stream at ease. This will help the company to develop and raise ideas based on the need and how to improve the brand while maintaining low prices. Capacity to come up with new ideas should be one of the most crucial priorities in an organization. Retrieved from http://www.samsung.com/us/aboutsamsung/   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Innovation process will also include the Samsung’s internal and external elements. The team of innovation includes eight members who are company employees, customers and other stakeholders in the company. The innovation process will consider the following: Industry and cultural context.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This refers to the environment and culture existing in Samsung Company. Samsung Company main objective is to produce first-rated product and services. The company officials also are very considerate since they respect other people’s opinions. This cultural background has greatly contributed to the expansion of the company since the employees have learnt to work under minimum supervision. The relationship between employees and the supervisors is excellent. The company is also deeply concerned with the future path of the employees and thus provides mentoring, training and essential coursework as well as coaching them. The company is also concerned about the employee’s social life and thus offers flexibility in schedules (Michell, 2010).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Employee’s opinions are also taken seriously so as to involve them in decision making. Decision making is very important and everyone should be involved since decision made will affect every individual related to the company operations. This employee relationship enhances engagement thus workers are motivated and thus will be crucial to company’s performance. Samsung Company recognizes that a company is its people, thus they operate under the value of integrity. Operations in Samsung are guided by moral values which ensure respect, complete transparency, fairness, for all employees as well as stakeholders (Mellor, 2003). Organizational context   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Samsung’s structure is very distinct because although there are representatives in every sector; respect remain paramount in the company. Employees respect their bosses and works under minimum supervision. Moral ethics is fundamental principle in Samsung Company. Samsung Company believes in use technology and innovation instead of control and command. The main goal is to be the best company in product and service. Customer satisfaction is the main objective since Samsung seeks to produce high-quality products while maintaining low prices. Company culture is very crucial since it can shape or break down the company. Samsung operates under team-based culture where employees participate on all levels. Samsung Company’s culture is adaptive and hence has enabled Samsung to outshine its competitors (Haig, 2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Adaptive culture accommodates change which is very essential for innovation management. It is very imperative for Samsung Company to understand its culture since it will learn to shape it according to their wish. The company’s culture has experienced changes due to hiring and replacement of employees. New employees bring new values and practices to the company’s culture. Thus it is vital to access the company culture by listening to comments from suppliers, customers and the employees. The common behaviors and noticeable symbols comprise the company culture. The team should also determine the desired company culture before any change is implemented. Samsung innovation team must find out the appropriate culture that suit the company in its desired future situation. The team will also review the company’s mission, values and vision to ensure that the culture being designed will support them effectively. Samsung Company c ulture is aligned to its strategic goal (Krug, 2009).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Aligning company culture to the strategic goals includes; developing a strategy that endorses the good things in the current culture and correcting the unaligned sectors, the team should brainstorm developments in the formal laws and daily duties, the team should develop strategic plan of the desired behaviors and actions, the innovation team should communicate the recent culture to all employees, and finally the innovation team should also over-communicate the recent culture and its practices to every individual. Strategic model of innovation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Samsung electronic main focus is strategic innovation endeavors on product improvement which are usually addition and convey diminutive new significance. Though the aim might be to improve the brand quality it is also good to consider company culture, resources and network. Samsung can avoid diminishing returns from increased competition by creating a new model for the product. The more the innovation team will succeed in advancement of unique features in their production, product and marketing the more the innovation will be. Samsung uses four main areas to come up with a successful new business model of innovation for secure competitive advantage.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The first chief area is the core strategy which implies how the company will compete. The innovation team will develop core strategy such that it includes the company mission with key objectives such as strategic intent and value proposition. The company can use the strength of the current strategy or consider generating a new one. The core strategy should focus on competitive markets, defining the environment, customers and segment. A strategic core strategy is different from that of the competing firms and builds on the company’s features and strengths. Samsung Launch of advanced wireless disk drive is a significant step that enables customers to enjoy the quickest wireless streaming from SMART hub. Retrieved from http://www.macworld.com/article/1162103/samsung_announces_new_optical_drive_with_wi_fi_connectivity.html   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The innovation team will also focus on strategic resources. Samsung will also highlight the areas that require reorganization and improvement of the existing staff. The team should understand the company’s patents, brands and infrastructure. The company resources are expensive to imitate as they are associated to high cost and thus scare off competing firms. The company should use its strengths to improve competition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Customer interface is the other key factor to consider, where Samsung considers the market and the existing competition. Samsung should identify the type of service, channels and support involved or that it controls with the available one so that they can add value to the product. Samsung innovation team should also use its client’s insight and use every opportunity to improve market understanding and how the market understands the company. Understanding the information requirements of chief customers and their dynamic interaction with the product or company is very important in strategic innovation. Pricing strategies might also be considered since the new product might alter the company’s practices (Michell, 2010).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Value network is another crucial factor to take into consideration. Samsung should consider the value network from the top to bottom of the value chain. The company stabilizes when it attract more finances and better partnership as compared to its competitors. The rapport between company and its suppliers influence opportunities for faster changes, price and quality of a product. The partners of the company can supply critical solutions and mechanism to the product, or create synergies or symmetries to augment sale. If Samsung innovation costs are projected to be high, the innovation team can consider a coalition even with the competing firm to enhance radical change in the market. The framework of meta-innovation is very important strategy to apply since it challenges the firms to think beyond product quality, markets and processes. Innovation does not necessarily have to be a high cost, but it should be an appropriate idea (Chang, 2008). 4. Knowledge deployment   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Samsung is committed to inspire people across the world by developing innovative products, new technologies and creative solutions. Samsung is changing rapidly to cope with the changing world. The company is relentless in innovation and pursuit of discovery thus creating possibilities. The launch of the wireless disk drive among other excellent products has enabled Samsung to be a world-class company. Samsung innovation has enabled advancement in technology, skyscraper, medicine, semiconductors, hotels, plant construction, finance and petrochemical among other significant application that help to push industries forward. Through creation of superior product and services, Samsung struggle to augment the lives of people across the world and ensuring positive change to the world. Samsung believe in power to connect people to what they are today with what they aspire to be in future. Samsung Company is the leader in high-tech digital products such as LCD and color television, EMS micro chip and mobile phones (Michell, 2010). 5. Methods of collaboration   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Samsung has taken full advantage as a latecomer and outshined various leading companies by employing a powerful engineering of core technology. Samsung does not engage its workers in long working hours, but it believes in innovation management. Samsung work under the philosophy of ‘people first’ thus they are able to develop products that attract more customers. For example, the wireless disk drive is a very advanced tool that will enable customers to enjoy wireless streaming among other uses. Samsung has never thought of quitting transformation and innovation. History reveals how, Kun-Hee Lee, Samsung chairman is excellent in deciding and forecasting. Samsung is also able to be the world leading company because of continuous development and investment. Samsung also changed from massive imitational production to independent product development based on digital technology. Samsung endeavors to make an integrated world through g lobal citizenship and responsible approach to business as well as collaboration with their customers and stakeholders (Krug, 2009). 6. Protecting innovation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This paper explains how Samsung internalization in China helps it secure a competitive advantage. Samsung has three lasting forces namely promotion force, force of internal motivation and organization force. Promotion force is the company and entrepreneurship culture which control strategic decision making and approach of development of a company and determine the character of a company. Force of internal motivation is the capacity in engineering of key technology and its application which forms Samsung’s competence. Organizational force is under scientific management which enables Samsung to execute its strategy. Samsung company management involves innovation in reducing transaction cost as well as innovation in utilizing capital. Retrieved from http://www.samsung.com/us/aboutsamsung/ 7. Managing risks: failure and imitation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Diversification is the key strategy that enables Samsung to cope with risk and uncertainty. Samsung philosophy is ‘people first’ which enable them to develop products that align with customer’s needs. Samsung chairman is also excellent in forecasting and deciding power which has greatly helped the company to develop products that attract more customers. Samsung success is not measured in terms of achievement, but how they have improved the lives of the people. Samsung also manage risks by changing rapidly to cope with the changing world. Samsung is a leading company in production of high-tech digital products which are unique. For example, the launching of wireless disk drive is a significant step where customers will be attracted by the drive unique characteristics. Samsung strive to make a better world through innovation, trustworthy goods and services. Samsung utilizes diversification which helps it to produce differ entiated products ranging from LCD and color television, smart phones and EMS memory chip. Customers are able to choose from variety of Samsung products which place the company at a competitive advantage. Samsung also utilizes cost-benefit analysis which helps the company to manage risks and uncertainty. Samsung measure the efficacy of a strategy by testing the ideas mainly through insights from customers, employees or other stakeholders (Kenny, 2009). 8. Commercialization   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Samsung products are widely used across the world. Samsung has enhanced the growth of many businesses that use their high-tech products. Samsung strive to make the world integrated through advanced technology, finance, medicine, semiconductors, hotels skyscraper, petrochemicals, and plant construction among others. Samsung is made up of more than 78 distinct companies and joint ventures in an extensive assortment of businesses. Samsung objective is to diversify into medicine, health and biotechnology. Samsung is recognized as the leader in technology and is now ranks as a top 10 global brand. Diversification strategy has also helped Samsung to develop different products of high quality at cheaper prices as compared to products from other companies; for instance, Samsung receive massive sale of smart phones. The company also project that the newly launched advanced wireless disk drive will attract more customers and gain more orders (Arguà Å'ˆden, 2011). References About Samsung. (n.d.). Samsung. Retrieved May 22, 2014, from http://www.samsung.com/africa_en/aboutsamsung/ ArguÃÅ'ˆden, R. Y. (2011). Keys to governance Strategic leadership for quality of life. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Bessant, J. R. (2009). Innovation. London: DK. Chang, S. (2008). Sony vs. Samsung: the inside story of the electronics giants battle for global supremacy. Singapore: Wiley. Day, G. S. (2013). Innovation Prowess Leadership Strategies for Accelerating Growth.. New York: Wharton Digital Press. Ernst, H. (2007). Innovation orientation, innovativeness and innovation success. Wiesbaden: Gabler. Ghemawat, P., Siegel, J. I. (2011). Cases about redefining global strategy. Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business Pub..Haig, M. (2004). Brand royalty: how the worlds top 100 brands thrive and survive. London: Kogan Page. Hill, K. (2012). International directory of company histories. Detroit, Mich.: St. James Press. Kenny, G. (2009). Diversification strategy how to grow a business by diversifying successfully. London: Kogan Page. Krug, J. A. (2009). Corporate strategy. London: SAGE. Mellor, R. B. (2003). Innovation management (1. ed.). NÃÆ' ¦rum: Globe. Michell, T. (2010). Samsung Electronics and the struggle for leadership of the electronics industry. Singapore: Wiley. Samsung Receives 49 Awards across Multiple Product Categories at CES 2014. (2014, January 15). Health Beauty Close-Up, 23, 43. (2014). Samsung S5 to feature biometric access control and secure mobile PayPal. Biometric Technology Today, 2014(3), 1.Samsung announces new optical drive with Wi-Fi connectivity. (n.d.). Macworld. Retrieved May 22, 2014 http://www.macworld.com/article/1162103/samsung_announces_new_optical_drive_with_wi_fi_connectivity.html (2007). Samsung does six sigma: A case study on supply chain management. Strategic Direction, 23(9), 15-17. Trauffler, G., Tschirky, H. (2007). Sustained innovation management: assimilating radical and incremental innovation management. Basingstoke [England: Palgrave Macmillan in association with the European Institute for Technology and Innovation Management. Trott, P. (2008). Innovation management and new product development (4th ed.). Harlow, England: Financial Times/Prentice Hall. Welcome to Samsung. (n.d.). Samsung. Retrieved May 22, 2014, from http://www.samsung.com/us/aboutsamsung/ Zacharias, N. (2011). An integrative approach to innovation management patterns of companies innovation orientation and customer responses to product program innovativeness. Wiesbaden: Gabler Verlag. Source document

The New Deal Essay -- American History Great Depression Essays

The New Deal In the early 1930's in the midst of the largest economic crisis our country has ever seen newly elected Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt was faced with the task of figuring out a way to pull our country out of the terrible depression that seemed to have no end. To rally the country and try and jump start the economy and the people from the apparent standstill that gripped the nation President Roosevelt implemented a plan that became known as the ‘New Deal’. The New Deal was America’s introduction to government entitlement programs. The era of President Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal sparked change in the country that has left lasting effects on our economic, political and social behavior. The New Deal was not purely economically rooted. Roosevelt rather than basing his strategies on the rules of economics he implemented projects based on opportunity and practicality. The overall goal of the New Deal was to introduce America to a larger more expansive federal government which took control and provide services to assist the country out of the depression. The New Deal began with several programs some successful other not so successful, known as the â€Å"Alphabetical Agencies†. These programs and administrations were spread out over the first two terms of President Roosevelt which are seen as the ‘first’ and ‘second’ New Deals. The first New Deal began when Roosevelt entered office in 1932. He opened his New Deal with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation(FDIC), which is still in use today. At its inception, the FDIC insured bank saving up to $5,000 and there were also very severe regulations put upon the sale of securities on the stock exchan... ...s Act, the Social Security Act was also enacted at this time two mainstays of our government even today. The political implications are along party lines. In the 1936 election, because of the New Deal certain groups became strongly aligned with the parties. The Democratic party became the party of labor groups, farmers, immigrants and urban ethnic groups from eastern Europe, African Americans and the South. The Republican Party found its support in the businesses and middle and upper class people in small towns and suburbs. Many of these political alliances continue today as a result of the New Deal. The New Deal also gave us our first and last President to serve 3 terms. FDR won three consecutive Presidency terms on the momentum of the New Deal and the ensuing war. The New Deal although seen as a short term failure by many has turned out to be a long time success.

Night World : Spellbinder Chapter 8

A sharp, acrid odor assaulted her nostrils. She had to blink away tears as she held the bottle over the fire and very carefully tipped it. One drop, two drops, three. The fire flared, burning blue. It was ready. The balefire that was the only way to get a spirit from the other side-apart from crossing the veil and fetching it back yourself. Thea took Phoebe's amulet in both hands and snapped it, cracking the clay and breaking the seal. Then, holding the broken amulet over the fire, she said the words of power she'd heard the elders speaking last Samhain. â€Å"May I be given the Power of the Words of Hecate.† Instantly, she found words coming to her, rolling off her tongue. She heard them as if it were somebody else talking. From beyond the veil†¦ I call you back! Through the mist of years†¦ I call you back! From the airy void†¦ I call you back! Through the narrow path†¦ I call you back! To the heart of the flame†¦ I call you back! Come speedily, conveniently, and without delay! She felt a rumbling vibration like an earthquake rock the floor. Above the ordinary fire different flames seemed to burn; cold, ghostly flames that were pale blue and violet and rose to lick at her knuckles. She started to open her hands, to let the amulet fall into the magical flame. But just as she was about to do it, there was a bang. The door to her bedroom swung open, and for the second time in twelve hours she found herself horrified to see Blaise. â€Å"The whole place is shaking-what are you doing?† â€Å"Blaise-just stay back!† Blaise stared. Her jaw dropped and she lunged forward. â€Å"What are you doing?† â€Å"It's almost finished-â€Å" â€Å"You're crazy!† Blaise grabbed at the amulet in Thea's hands, and then, when Thea snatched her hands back, at the silver box. â€Å"Leave it alone!† Thea grabbed the other side of the box. They were struggling with it, each trying to pull it from the other. Fire scorched Thea's hands. â€Å"Let go!† Blaise shouted, trying to twist the box away. â€Å"I'm warning you-â€Å" Thea's fingers were damp with sweat. The box slipped. That was when it happened. The silver box flipped in Blaise's hands, sending a spray of amulets everywhere. Locks of gray hair, black hair, red hair, all flying. Most of them hit the floor-but one landed directly in the balefire. Thea heard a crack as the clay seal broke. For one second she was frozen, then she plunged her hand into the fire. But the clay was already burning-not red hot, but white hot. She couldn't close her fingers around it. For just an instant she seemed to see a symbol etched in blue flames, and then a flash like sheet lightning exploded from the fire. It knocked her into Blaise's bed and Blaise into the wall. The lightning formed a column and something shot out. Thea didn't so much see it as sense it. A wraith shape that tore around the room like a blast of arctic wind. It sent books and articles of clothing flying. When it reached the window, it seemed to pause for an instant, as if gathering itself, and then it shot through as if the glass didn't exist. It was gone. â€Å"Great Mother of life,† Blaise whispered from against the wall. She was staring at the window with huge luminous eyes-and she was scared. Blaise was scared. That was when Thea realized how bad things were. â€Å"What have we done?† she whispered. â€Å"What have we done-what have you done, that's the question,† Blaise snapped, sitting up and looking more like her ordinary self. â€Å"What was that thing?† Defensively, Thea gestured at the scattered amulets. â€Å"What do you think? A witch.† , â€Å"But who?† â€Å"How should I know?† Thea almost yelled, fear giving way to anger. â€Å"This is the one I was going to call back.† She snatched up the â€Å"auburn hair and cracked amulet of Phoebe Garner. â€Å"That one was just whichever one fell out when you grabbed the box.† â€Å"Don't try to make this my fault. You're the one doing forbidden spells. You're the one summoning ancestors. And whatever happens with that one†- Blaise pointed at the window-â€Å"you're the one responsible.† She got up and shook out her hair, standing tall. â€Å"And that's what you get for trying to sic the spirits on me!† She turned and stalked out the door. â€Å"I wasn't trying to sic the spirits on you!† Thea shouted-but the door had already slammed shut. Thea's anger collapsed. Feeling numb, she looked at the overturned silver box, where she had temporarily stored the tissue with Eric's blood. I was just trying to find a protector for him. Somebody who'd help him fend off your spells, who'd understand that he's a person even though he's a human. She looked forlornly around the room. Then, feeling older than Gran, she struggled to her feet and started mechanically cleaning up the mess. When she dumped the ashes out of the bowl she found some sort of residue sticking to the bottom. She couldn't wash it off and she couldn't pry it off with a steak knife. She stashed the entire bowl under her bed. All the while she cleaned, her mind kept churning. Who got out? No way to know. Process of elimination wouldn't help, not with all those unmarked amulets. What to do now? She didn't know that either. If I tell anyone-even Gran-they'll want to know why I was trying to summon the dead. But if they find out the truth, it means death for me and Eric. Around sunset, a limousine pulled up in the back alley. Thea saw it from her window and rushed downstairs in alarm. Grandma was being helped out of the car by two politely expressionless vampires. Servants of Thierry's. â€Å"Gran, what happened?† â€Å"Nothing happened. I had a little weak spell, that's all!† She whacked at one of the vampires with her cane. â€Å"I can help myself, son!† â€Å"Ma'am,† said the vampire-who might have been three or four times Grandma's age. To Thea, he said, â€Å"Your grandmother fainted-she was pretty sick there for a while.† â€Å"And that good-for-nothing apprentice of mine never showed up,† Gran said, making her way to the back door. Thea nodded good-bye to the vampires. â€Å"Gran-it was my fault about Tobias. I let him have the day off.† Her stomach, which had been clenched like a fist all day, seemed to draw even tighter now. â€Å"Are you really sick?† â€Å"I'm good for a few years yet.† She began laboriously working her way up the stairs. â€Å"Vampires just don't understand old age.† â€Å"What did you go there for?† Gran stopped to cough. â€Å"None of your business, but I had to settle some arrangements with Thierry. He's agreed to let the Inner Circle use his land on Samhain.† Upstairs, Thea made some herb tea in the tiny kitchenette. And then, when Gran was in bed with the tea, she gathered her courage. â€Å"Gran, when the elders call up the spirits on Samhain-how do they send them back?† â€Å"Why should you want to know?† Gran said crossly. But when Thea just looked at her, she went on. â€Å"There are certain spells that are used for summoning-and don't you ask me what they are-and you say those backwards to send them back. The witch who calls a spirit has to be the one to dismiss it.† So only I can do it. â€Å"And that's all?† Thea asked. â€Å"Oh, of course not. It's a long process of kindling the fire and strewing the herbs-but if you do it all right, you can draw the spirit down from between the standing stones and send it back where it came from.† Grandma went on muttering, but Thea had snagged on a earlier phrase. â€Å"From between-the standing stones†¦ ?† she got out. â€Å"The standing stones that encircle the spirits. Well, think, Thea! If you didn't have a circle of some kind to hold them in, they'd just-voom.† Gran made a gesture. â€Å"They'd zip out and how would you ever find them again? That's why I went to Thierry today/' she added, taking a noisy sip of tea. â€Å"We need a place where the sandstone forms a natural circle†¦ and naturally it's up to me to arrange everything†¦.† She went on grumbling softly. Thea felt faint. â€Å"You have to be-physically close to them-to send them back?† â€Å"Of course. You have to be within spitting distance, And don't think I don't know why you're asking.† Thea stopped breathing. â€Å"You're planning something for Samhain- and it's probably all Blaise's idea. You two are like Maya and Hellewise. But you can forget about it right now- those spells are for the elders, not for girls.† She stopped to cough. â€Å"I don't understand why you want to be crones before you're done being maidens. You ought to enjoy your youth while you have it†¦.† Thea left her still grumbling. She hadn't cast any kind of a circle before calling the spirit. She hadn't realized she was supposed to. And now†¦ how could she ever get close enough to the spirit to send it back? Well-it'll just have to stay out in the world, she told herself bravely. Too bad†¦ but it's not as if there aren't other spirits floating around out there. Maybe if it doesn't like roaming around, it'll come back. But she was sick with guilt and disheartened. Not to mention worried-if only a little-about Gran's fainting spell. Blaise didn't come to bed. She stayed downstairs and worked on her necklace long into the night. On Monday, everyone at school was talking about Randy Marik and the ruined dance. The girls were annoyed about it and furious with Blaise; the boys were annoyed and furious with Randy. â€Å"Are you okay?† Dani asked Thea after world lit class. â€Å"You look kind of pale.† Thea smiled wanly. â€Å"It was a busy weekend.† â€Å"Really? Did you do something with Eric?† The way she said â€Å"do something† alerted Thea. Dani's heart-shaped face looked as sweet and concerned as ever†¦ but Thea couldn't trust even her. She was a Night Person, a witch, a human-hater. It didn't matter. Thea was so edgy that the words just seemed to burst out. â€Å"Do something like what? Smash his car? Turn him into a toad?† Dani looked shocked, her velvet-dark eyes wide. Thea turned and walked quickly away. Stupid, stupid, she told herself. That was so dumb of you. You may not have to pretend to be playing with Eric in front of Blaise anymore-but in front of the other witches you've got to keep acting. She headed almost blindly for Eric's locker, ignoring the people she passed. I've only been here a week. How can everything in my life have become so awful? I'm at war with Blaise; I've worked a forbidden spell; I don't dare talk to Gran-and I've broken Night World law. â€Å"Thea! I was looking for you.† It was Eric's voice. Warm, eager-everything that Thea wasn't. She turned to see green eyes flecked with dancing gray and an astonishing smile. A smile that drew her in, changing the world. Maybe everything was going to be all right, after all. â€Å"I called you yesterday, but I just kept getting the machine.† Thea hadn't even looked at the answering machine. â€Å"I'm sorry-there was a lot going on.† Eric looked so kind that she groped for something that had been going on that she could tell him about. â€Å"My grandmother's been sick.† He sobered at once. â€Å"That's terrible.† â€Å"Yes.† Thea fished in her backpack for the small herb pillow she'd put there this morning. Then she hesitated. â€Å"Eric†¦ is there somewhere we could go to talk alone? Just for a few minutes? I want to give you something.† He blinked, then waggled his eyebrows. â€Å"Nothing I'd like better. And I know just the place. Come on.† He led her across campus to a large building that stood apart from the rest of the complex. It had a shabby look and the paint on the double doors was blistered. A banner announced in orange and black letters: don't miss the .ultimate Halloween party. â€Å"What is this?† Eric, who was opening the door, put a finger to his lips. He glanced inside, then beckoned to her. â€Å"It's the old gym. They're supposed to be renovating it as a student center, but there isn't enough money.† He snorted. â€Å"Probably because they're spending too much on renovating downtown. Now- what was it you wanted to give me?† â€Å"It†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Thea stopped dead as she took in her surroundings. All thoughts of the herb pillow vanished. â€Å"Eric-†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She stared around her, feeling a slow wave of sickness roil through her stomach. â€Å"Is this†¦ for the Halloween party?†. â€Å"Yeah. They do a couple fund-raisers a semester here. This is kind of a weird one-but they did it last year and it brought in a lot.† Not weird, Thea thought numbly. Weird doesn't begin to describe it. Half the room was empty, just scuffed hardwood floor, a broken basketball backboard, and exposed pipes in the ceiling. But the other half looked like a cross between a medieval dungeon and a casino. She walked slowly toward it, her footsteps echoing. Wooden booths of various sizes were decorated with orange and black crepe paper and fake spider webs. Thea read one banner after another. â€Å"Fortune telling†¦ Drench a Wench†¦ Bobbing for Shrunken Heads?† â€Å"It's bobbing for apples really,† Eric said, seeming embarrassed. â€Å"And the gambling isn't real. You do it all with goblin money and exchange it for prizes.† Thea couldn't stop looking at the booths. Wheel of Torture: a money wheel with a dummy dressed like a witch spreadeagled in the middle. Bloody Blackjack. Devil's Darts†¦ a dart game with a cork witch as a target. And there were witch figures everywhere. Cloth witches on nooses hanging from the overhead pipes. Cardboard witches leering from the tops of booths. Paper witches dancing on the wall. They were fat, skinny, white-haired, gray-haired, cross-eyed, squint-eyed, warty, funny, scary†¦ and ugly. That was the one thing they all had in common. That's what they think of us. Humans. All humans†¦ â€Å"Thea? Are you okay?† Thea whirled. â€Å"No, I am not okay.† She gestured around the room. â€Å"Will you look at this stuff? Do you really think it's funny? Something to party about?† Hardly aware of what she was doing, she spun him around to face The Iron Maiden-a wooden replica with rubber spikes. â€Å"What are people going to do? Pay to step into that? Don't they realize that it used to be real? That real people were put in it, and that when the door closed, those spikes went into them, into their arms and their stomachs and their eyes†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She couldn't go on. Eric looked as stricken as Dani had earlier. He'd never seen her like this. â€Å"Thea-look, I'm sorry†¦ I never thought†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Or that.† Thea gestured toward the Wheel of Torture, the words tumbling out. â€Å"Do you know how they really put a witch on the wheel? They broke every bone in her body so they could just thread her arms and legs through the spokes like spaghetti. Then they put the wheel on a pole and left her up there to die†¦.† Eric's face contracted with horror. â€Å"God, Thea†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"And these pictures–the witches who got tortured didn't have green skin and evil eyes. They weren't monsters, and they didn't have anything to do with devils. They were people.† Eric reached out for her, but she spun away, staring at a particularly ugly hag on the wall. â€Å"Do you think this place is all right for a party? That this is good fun? That witches look like that?† She flung out an arm, close to being hysterical. â€Å"Well, do you?† In her mind's eye she could see the world: Dani and Blaise and all other witches on the left; Eric and the students here and all other humans on the right, both races hating and despising each other-and herself somewhere in the middle. Eric caught her shoulders. â€Å"No, I don't think it's all right. Thea, will you just listen to me for a second?† He was almost shaking her-but she could see that there were tears forming at the corners of his eyes. â€Å"I feel awful,† he said. â€Å"I never thought about taking this stuff seriously-and that's my own stupid fault, and I know it's not an excuse. But now that you say it, I do see how terrible it is, and I'm sorry. And I never should have brought you here, of all people†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Thea, who had been starting to relax, stiffened again. â€Å"Why me ‘of all people'?† she demanded. He hesitated a moment, then met her eyes and spoke quietly. â€Å"Because of your grandma's store. I mean, I know it's just herbs and positive thinking- but I also, know that in the old days, there would have been somebody out there pointing a finger and calling her a witch.† Thea relaxed again. It was okay for people to think Gran was a witch-if by â€Å"witch† they meant someone who talked to plants and mixed up homemade hair tonic. And she couldn't disbelieve Eric, not under the intensity of those steady green eyes. But she saw an opportunity and seized it. â€Å"Yeah, and they'd probably have burned me for giving you this present,† she said, opening her hand. â€Å"And you'd probably have been scared or superstitious if I asked you to keep it with you all the time: you'd think I was putting some kind of a spell on you-â€Å" â€Å"I wouldn't think anything,† he said firmly, taking the little green pillow from her. It smelled like fresh New Hampshire pine needles, which was what was in it-mainly. She'd also added a few protective herbs and an Ishtar crystal, a golden beryl in a star cut with thirty-three facets, carved with the name of the Babylonian mother goddess. The charm was the best she could do to help him fend off Blaise's spells. â€Å"I would just kiss it and put it my pocket and never let it out of my sight,† Eric went on. And he did, stopping after the kiss to say, â€Å"Mm, smells good.† Thea couldn't help smiling at him. She chanced saying, â€Å"Actually, it's just to remind you of me.† â€Å"It will never leave my pocket,† he said solemnly. Well, that worked out nicely. â€Å"Look, there's probably something we can do about this place,† Eric said, glancing around again. â€Å"The school board doesn't want any bad publicity. Why don't I run and borrow a camera from the journalism class, and we can take some pictures so people will see what we mean when we complain?† Thea glanced at her watch. â€Å"Why not? I think I've already missed French.† He grinned. â€Å"Back in a minute.† When he was gone, Thea wandered slowly among the silent booths, lost in her own thoughts. For a few minutes there, when I was ranting, I almost told him the truth. And then later I thought maybe he'd figured it all out for himself. And would that be so terrible? He's already under sentence of death just because I love him; it doesn't matter if he knows or not. But if he did know†¦ what would he say? Witches may be okay in the abstract-but does he really want one for a girlfriend? The only way to find out was to tell him. She leaned against a ladder and gazed sightlessly at an oilcloth lying beneath a hanging noose. Of course, it was probably all academic anyway. What kind of future could they possibly have†¦ ? Suddenly Thea realized what she was looking at. Underneath that oilcloth was a shoe-and the shoe was connected to something. Subconsciously, she'd been assuming it was another witch dummy†¦ but now she focused. And she felt the hairs on her arms lift and tingle. Why would they dress a witch in black Nike high-tops?