A study on the comparison of Nokia and Samsung handsets Essay

CHAPTER 1 The Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communication and information technology Corporation that is head quartered in Espoo, Finland Nokia was the world’s largest vendor of mobile phones from 1998 to 2012. However, its market has been declined since last five years, with the introduction on touch screen Smartphones from other vendors like iphone by Apple, Galaxy series by Samsung. Initially, Nokia’s mobiles were on Symbian OS but with the increasing competition with Smartphones, Nokia tied up with Microsoft and started using Microsoft’s Windows Phone Operating System. Samsung mobile is a South Korean company head quartered in Samsung Town, Seoul. In 1993, Samsung developed its first lightest mobile. The SCH-800 and it was available on CDMA networks. Then they developed Smartphones and a phone combined mp3 player. At present Samsung are dedicated to the 3G industry. Making video, camera phones at a speed to keep up with consumer demand. Nokia Ab’s history started in 1865 when mining engineer Fredrik Idestam established a ground Wood Pulp Mill on the banks of the Tammerkoski rapids in the town of Tampere, in Southwestern Finland. In 1868, Idestam built a second mill near the town of Nokia, fifteen kilometers (nine miles) West of Tampere, by the Nokianvirta river, which had better hydropower resources. In 1871, Idestam, with the help of close friend and statesman Leo Mechelin renamed and transformed his firm into a share company, thereby founding Nokia Ab. Nokia developed a digital switcher for telephone exchanges and also helped develop the world’s first mobile phone network. By the late 1980’s Nokia had helped develop the GSM (Global Standard for Mobile communications) and had built more than 60 GSM networks in 31 countries around the world. The company name came from the Nokianvirta river, nearby which Polon’s factories were located a few years later. Samsung was founded by Lee Byung-Chul in 1938 as a trading company. Over the next three decades the group diversified into areas including food processing, textile, insurance securities and retail. Samsung entered the electronic industry in the late 1960s and the construction and shipbuilding industries in the mid 1970s, these areas would drive its subsequent growth. Following Lee’s death  in 1987, Samsung was separated into four business group- Samsung group, Shinsegae group, CJ group and Hansol group. Since the 1990s Samsung has increasingly globalised its activities, particularly mobile phones and semiconductors have become its most important source of income. Dual SIM: It was an important factors for Samsung in taking over the Market with the release of dual SIM phone. Initially, Nokia was quite rigid till they finally launched their first Dual Sim Mobile Phone. But it was too late and by this Samsung, with its wide range of dual sim mobile, had already captured the market. Basic Features: Samsung integrated with basic features like Color Display, VGA Camera, FM etc with its wide range of Mobile. Initially Nokia concentrated on reliability. Lately, Nokia did also implement these features, but till that time Samsung had captured the section of society who were more interested in having basic features. Battery: Battery is undoubtedly the greatest strength of Nokia. But over the years Samsung did quite a nice job with their R&D and improve their battery quality as well. Smartphone: In today’s world there are huge section users in the society which are more tech savvy. Samsung introduced the smartphone world with galaxy series like Gal axy, Galaxy Ace, Galaxy Fit and Galaxy S Series. Samsung uses the much user friendly Android Operating System by google. Where Nokia stuck to their symbian OS and later with Windows OS. Such wide range of products with user friendly nature helped Samsung to capture the market in very short span of time. Price: It is an important point in capturing the market. There are two sections of mobile user. One which goes for Less Price and other who don’t care about the price. Smartly, Samsung did provide a lot of basic features in low price and also introduced Smartphones series with wide range of products for other section of mobile users. On the other hand, Nokia was again rigid on price level and concentrated more on quality. Build Quality: Nokia is known for the best build quality when it comes to cell phones. Samsung on the other hand is known for using cheap plastic components and making fairly fragile smartphones by comparison. Offline Music and Navigation: In terms of offline music and navigation, Nokia provide better quality. Nokia Music app provides playlist either based on your own listing of artists or premade by Nokia. Samsung does not provide any such features without paying an extra money.  Also Nokia’s here drive gets the lead over Samsung offline navigation. Even in certain areas Nokia’s Navteq map data is better than google’s as per the reviews. CHAPTER 2 Here are the some objectives which Researcher has set up for the research and tried to work on the set objectives which is fully based on â€Å"Comparison of Nokia and Samsung handsets among the people of Gangtok†, and these are as follows: a.To study the marketing strategy adopted by Nokia and Samsung in promoting their handsets. b.To show how they have placed the 4p’s in their strategy. c.To analyse the sales volume and profitability of both the handsets. d.To know the preferences of handsets among different age group and class of people in Gangtok. e.To study the reason for their popularity in this particular area. The Finnish phone maker has updated its handset portfolio at the high end to compete better with Samsung’s super-successful Razor phone, the refresh has been less than inspired. â€Å"[Nokia’s] high-end phones are small, but they’re boxy. Samsung’s high-end [models] are thin and slick†. Samsung went for the wow effect, creating got to have it phones. Now, Nokia is playing catch-up. â€Å"It all comes down to innovation and product development,† says Hoffman. â€Å"Right now, Samsung is head and shoulders above Nokia in creating products that consumer’s desire. â€Å"Something as simple as naming a phone Razor has created enormous buzz for the company,† says Kelleher. Today, mobile phones are very common and prevalent in our society. Human relationship and mental concentration are now placed by electronic connections mobile phones have become a necessity and this industry is taking every one’s mind by storm. While doing the survey various limitations came across interms of collection of data from retailers as well as from the responders. Some questions set for responders remained unanswered and some from retailers as because of  their privacy. As researcher has to face limitation of time and money while doing this survey. Had there been more information researcher would have enclosed many points. CHAPTER 3 To assess the data both primary and secondary method of research has been conducted for more in-depth understanding and interpretation of study. To conduct the research the researcher has used both primary and secondary source of data. †¢Primary Data; Sources for primary data are limited and at times it becomes difficult to obtain data from primary source because of scarcity of information or lack of cooperation. Regardless of any difficulty one can face in collecting primary data, it is the most authentic and reliable data source. Following are some of the source of primary data: Questionnaire Personal Interview Telephone Interview †¢Secondary Data; Researcher has used the secondary data from the following source: Books Magazines Newspaper Internet As there was less time to have a detail survey of Nokia and Samsung comparison. So on conducting this survey researcher has taken 30responders as a sample. While conducting this research, the researcher has used Simple Random Sampling to collect the various data according to the study material. On the basis of collection of data interpretation and analysis has been made. CHAPTER 4 Nokia Nokia has successfully used its marketing strategy to target diverse  customers from around the world. Its products are equally used by rural as well as people of the urban areas. The company is using the right blend of standardization and adaption. Nokia standardized its product when possible and customize its product when needed. As the market for cellular phone is passing through the growth stage manufactures is continued. Nokia is using aggressive marketing strategy in the global market. Nokia is increasing its sales in its market of already available products through increase strong positioning strategy, promotional activities and competitive pricing strategy and thus company is able to increase the sales for its product. Samsung Samsung established many Samsung mobile stores to increase the visibility of the brand promotion. Offering advanced technology products and positioning itself on the technology platform will not help a company sell its products if it fails to communicate properly with the potential customers. Samsung adopted various marketing strategies like celebrity endorsements, corporate advertisements, highlighting its technological superior goods and many promotional schemes. Nokia Retailers Price: The pricing strategies used by Nokia vary from situation to situation and from product to product. For cutting-edge technological products that are newly designed by the company R&D, the company use first the skimming marketing strategy and then decrease the price. While for cost-effective products that focus on economy, the company use penetrating pricing strategy. Place: The company distribution network is situated in 150 countries and the company is still using its aggressive marketing strategy to boost its network and market development strategy to target new markets from around the world. Promotion: The company success can be traced to the excellent promotion activities carried out by the organization. The company use integrated marketing  communication to promote its various products in different region of the world. Nokia tries to attract customers towards their product through various advertising sales promotion etc. Product: The focus of the marketing efforts of Nokia is mostly on handset manufacturing only. The company is constantly enhancing its product portfolio by investing constantly new models. The mobile phones that are manufactured by Nokia have two diverse focuses: either low costs or cutting-edge technology. The products of the company are adopted as per the specific markets situation. Samsung Retailers Price: Because of its presence in different product categories, Samsung uses various pricing strategies. Samsung’s smart phones are one of the best in the market and are the market leader in terms of the features and USP’s that they provide. The recent Samsung Note 3+ Gear is another entrance in the market which is catching peoples eyes. Thus, Samsung uses skimming price for these products wherein in tries to get a high value in the start before competitors catch up. Once the model is old or any competitor has launched a similar products, Samsung immediately drops the price. Place: Samsung is present through various channels in the market. It works on the channel marketing concept wherein there are three segments. Sales and service dealers, modern retail and distributors. The sales and service dealers handle key accounts for Samsung and are involved in corporate sales. These dealers may also open exclusive Samsung showrooms. Samsung being such a branded product, the retailers are bound to keep Samsung as an alternative for their customers. Promotion: Samsung uses multiple forms of promotions. Samsung as a company believes in pulling the customer to themselves through advertising but at the product to the customer through sales promotions. Thus, on one hand, Samsung uses various marketing vehicles across the year covering festive season as well as non-festive time. Product: The benefit of Samsung in terms of its product is that there is a trust on all Samsung products because of the way Samsung products have performed in the last few years. Problems with the products has been negligible. And with its smartphones, Samsung has achieved a status of symbol for its customers. At the same time, Samsung is known for its service and people know that Samsung gives a very fast service for any of its product. Samsung beats Nokia in total phone shipments. It had already overtaken Nokia in sales volume and profitability last year but this is the most cited metric of market performance being the biggest in volume. Samsung growth is shown to be almost entirely due to smartphones while Nokia’s stagnant growth seems to be failure to have any smartphone attraction. CHAPTER 5 Brand and price are the main factors for consumers both in the 18 to 24 and in the 40 to 44 age groups. However, for the younger group, multimedia features such as a camera and styling are more important in deciding which phone to buy. In a generalized view, handsets for young adults serve as part social networking portal, part personal entertainment device and part fashion statement. For the older adults, in contrast, handsets serve a more utilitarian function of basic communications for work and personal use. Savvy service providers and handset brands are figuring out these preference patterns and are devising feature sets and service bundles that are highly targeted for various ages and needs. Popularity of Nokia in Gangtok Nokia offer online troubleshooting, live chat and a support forum through their website. A call centre is in operation seven days a week and the ‘Nokia Care’ app is available to download free for selected devices. Customers covered by warranty are also able to drop damaged products off at any place, to be sent to authorized technicians for assessment free of charge. Most of all because of Nokia Lumia as it is the Window phone with a modern dual-core processor and the first with an HD screen it is most popular among the people of Gangtok. Popularity of Samsung in Gangtok Samsung offer product support in the form of live chat Monday to Saturday, email and a customer support hotline available during standard working hours. They have also established ‘Customer Service Plazas’ in most major cities with showrooms, repair offices and warranty claim and tracking offices. As Samsung has both Android and Smartphones operating system and has superior quality screens and excellent connectivity, as well as social networking capabilities that is the reason Samsung is popular among the people of Gangtok. When was the last time you heard of something new and exciting from Nokia. In last 6 months only talk worthy and successful mobile launched by Nokia is, Nokia N8. Nokia has been really slow in addressing market requirements and new handsets and innovation has been rare. Result: Nokia is losing its market share in each and every geography and market segment. On the other hand, Samsung has been clearly gaining market share as well as mind share in all geographies and market segments. Some of the key reasons for Samsung’s success are Innovation in mobile technology, catching market trends early and serving them well. Following is an analysis of where Nokia and Samsung stand with respect to different segments: Top-end Phones: Samsung has multiple options available in top-end smart phone segment with popular mobiles like Samsung Galaxy S (Android), Samsung Focus (Windows Phone 7) and Samsung Wave Series (Bada OS). Nokia just has 1 decent popular phone in this segment – Nokia N8. While Nokia N8 has got good reviews about its hardware, it has been criticized for its software / OS, as being outdated. Samsung in general has won accolades from both critics and public for its range of top end smart phones. Winner: Samsung Mid-range Phones Nokia has some good midrange phones available like Nokia C6, Nokia C5, and Nokia E5 etc. These are good Symbian devices and do their job well. Samsung has also been able to create a good buzz in this segment with its mid-range  galaxy series and Corby series phones. Winner: Tie. Both Samsung and Nokia have good range of phones in this segment. Entry-Level Phones: Nokia has some good options here. But over last few years, the Indian handset manufacturers are giving Nokia a tough fight with feature rich, value for money phones in this segment. Samsung also has many phones in this segment like Samsung Guru Series which are good value for money. Over all Samsung and Nokia are at par in this segment. Winner: Tie. Both Samsung and Nokia have good range of phones in this segment. Dual SIM Phones Samsung is clearly a winner here. It has many good dual sim phones across entry-level and mid range phones. Nokia just has a couple of dual sim phones. Winner: Samsung CDMA Phones CDMA Phones also have a good market base. Nokia has very few CDMA phones available in the market. On the other hand Samsung has many options in CDMA segment. It also has tie ups with CDMA service providers like Reliance and Tata Indicom. Winner: Samsung Nokia appeared seemingly heading towards becoming the flagship bearer of the Windows Phone operating system, but it has stunned everyone by announcing a phone with the Android operating system. Many have criticized the company for not adopting this Google powered operating system, but they seem to have answered this calls by the launch of the Nokia X. Unlike most of the Android phones in the market, this device uses the free version of the software. One of the phones competing alongside it will be the Samsung Galaxy Core. Philosophy: The Android operating system found on the Nokia X is vastly different from the one found on the Galaxy Core. The latter uses the traditional Android OS along with the Touchwiz user interface to deliver a similar design to most Samsung users. Nokia, meanwhile, tries to bring the best of both worlds. It  not only offers the popular Android operating system with its huge availability of apps, but it also provides the phone its own ecosystem of apps. This is largely built upon the maps, which have till date emerged as one of the greatest competitors of the Google maps. Power: Like the philosophies, the way the phones approach the user are also extremely different. Samsung manages to leap ahead through the use of a slightly powerful processor and significant amount of additional RAM. It comes with specifications of a dual core 1.2 GHz processor and 1 GB of RAM. This is a sharp contrast to Nokia, which offers the Nokia X with a dual core 1 GHz processor and 512 MB of RAM. The difference with regard to power end here because both phones came with the same snapdragon processor and Adreno 203 graphics processing unit. They also come with the Android 4.1 version as standard. The user interface, though, is highly differentiable between the two devices due to the usage of the touchwiz user interface of the Samsung. Google Application: Bringing the full version of the Android operating system in the Samsung has its own advantages since the phone includes a number of Google apps by default. Google search, YouTube, Gmail, Calendar are some of the different Google elements that come integrated with the phone. However, they can be introduced on the Nokia X as well, but most users will prefer their being inbuilt rather than having to install separately. CHAPTER 6 Researcher has analysis the data that are provided by different customers in Gangtok. Researcher further explain the information in the format of pie chart as follows: INTERPRETATION: It is clear that 50% users use Samsung, 34% use Nokia and rest 16% use other phone. INTERPRETATION: we overall can see that 20% of Nokia users are satisfied with the product and 23% of users are not satisfied. Along with this 27% of  Samsung users are satisfied with the product they use and 23% are not satisfied. INTERPRETATION: As we clearly see that most of the mobile phone users are ready to purchase cell phone just because of its brand name and rest 33% are denying with the brand name purchasation. INTERPRETATION: It is clear from the above pie chart that most of the Nokia users says that Nokia gives the good battery back up as compare to Samsung mobile phones. And it is being positive vive within the Nokia users about their preferences. INTERPRETATION: It is noticed that 53% of Samsung users agreed that Samsung mobiles are very good in business point of view because Samsung provide different apps to carry such business work. And 40% Nokia users believe in Nokia for business work. INTERPRETATION: It is clear from the above chart that 67% Samsung users believe that Samsung mobiles provides better camera clearity as compare to Nokia phones. And 33% Nokia users believe that Nokia provides better camera clearity. INTERPRETATION: The above pie chart shows that only 33% of Nokia users believe that Nokia mobiles provide better sound quality. And rest 67% of Samsung users believe that Samsung mobiles provide good sound quality. INTERPRETATION: It is true answer given by Samsung users that Samsung phones provide better dual sim phones as compared with Nokia mobiles phones. Samsung provide dual sim facility right from mid-range phone to top-end phones. INTERPRETATION: It is a tie result from the above pie chart that both the Nokia and Samsung mobile users believe that both the company provides more cell memory storage right from internal storage to external storage. INTERPRETATION: From the above pie chart it is being clear that 67% of Samsung users believe that Samsung mobile has better screen resolution and 27% of Nokia users believe that Nokia mobiles has better screen resolution. CHAPTER 7 SUGGESTION: After completion of field work on questionnaire, objective and based on the data collected, researcher has analyse and made some suggestion according to it. They are as follows: †¢Researcher have seen that 50% users use Samsung mobile phones as compare to Nokia. So, Nokia should focus on the user accessibility and promote their products for the users. †¢Researcher has found that users are very much satisfied with the Samsung handsets. So, the Nokia should provides customer satisfaction either through their apps or various facilities within the handsets. †¢As the brand name provides trust within the customer and are ready to purchase just because of brand name. So, both the company should try to upgrade their handsets widely according to the users. †¢It has found that most of the users are satisfied with the Nokia battery back-up as compare to Samsung. So, in this regard Samsung should improves their battery back-up and retain their market. †¢It has been seen that camera clearity provided by Samsung is most trustable as compare to Nokia as 67% users believe in Samsung’s camera clearity. So, Nokia should focus in their camera so that it does not loss their interest from the users. †¢It has been seen that Samsung has multiple options available in top-end smartphone segment whereas Nokia just has 1 decent popular phone in this segment i.e., Nokia N8. So, Nokia should try to launch new and more top-end segment phones to compete with Samsung. †¢In dual sim phones Samsung is clearly a winner. Nokia just has a couple of dual sim phones. So, to beat Samsung, Nokia should improve their dual sim phones right from entry level phones to top-end phones. CONCLUSION: Over the last two decades the mobile phone market has gone through tremendous changes, with unbelievable products and rapid growth in the market. The growth of the market is still continued. Nokia is using its creative marketing strategies to hold its market through strong positioning and  competitive strategy in order to beat the competition. Whereas Samsung establish many stores to increase the visibility of the brand promotion. Samsung adopt various marketing strategies like celebrity endorsement, corporate advertisement for promotional of their product and capture the market as well. As the popularity of Nokia mobile phones is quite scarce within the Gangtok area as compare to the Samsung mobiles phones, which is highly popular within the teenagers and old age persons of Gangtok. Lastly, if the company continue to tailor its strategies according to the needs and wants of the target market, it chances for success in the market will increase even more. Websites: †¢www.studymode.com/essays/Samsung-Mobile-Phone-39587872.html †¢www.studymode.com/essays/Samsung-Mobile-1211966.html †¢www.studymode.com/essays/Research-Report-On-Comparative-Study-On-1496464.html †¢www.arjunsingh84.hubpages.com/hub/Nokia-Vs-Samsung-Features †¢www.ordoh.com/2014/05/nokia-samsung-galaxy-core-specifications-pricing-comparison/ †¢www.ukessays.com/essays/marketing/marketing-strategies-used-by-nokia-marketing-essay.php Magazine: MY MOBILE (For a connected Lifestyle) Nokia Asha 230 Dual SIM †¢Nokia Asha OS v1.1.1 †¢1.3 MP, 1280 x 1024 Pix.. †¢Price Rs.3,197/- Nokia XL †¢Nokia X OS v1.0 †¢Ext:5.0MP, 2592Ãâ€"1944 Pix†¦ †¢Price Rs.9,195/- Nokia X Plus †¢Nokia X OS v1.0 †¢3.0 MP, 2048 x 1536 Pix†¦ †¢Price Rs.11,000/- Nokia X †¢Nokia X OS v1.0 †¢3.0 MP, 2048 x 1536 Pix†¦ †¢Price Rs.6,849/- Nokia Asha 230 †¢Nokia Asha OS v1.1.1 †¢1.3 MP, 1280 x 1024 Pix†¦ †¢Price Rs.3,210/- Nokia Lumia 630 †¢Microsoft Windows Phone †¦ †¢5.0 MP, 2592 x 1944 Pix†¦ †¢Price Rs.10,500/- Nokia Asha 503 Dual SIM †¢Nokia Asha OS v1.2 †¢5.0 MP, 2592 x 1944 Pix†¦ †¢Price Rs.6,167/- Nokia Lumia 1320 †¢Microsoft Windows Phone 8 †¢Ext:5.0MP, 2592Ãâ€"1944 Pix†¦ †¢Price Rs.17,900/- Nokia Lumia 525 †¢Microsoft Windows Phone 8 †¢5.0 MP, 2592 x 1944 Pix†¦ †¢Price Rs.8,909/- Nokia 515 Dual SIM †¢Nokia Series 40 †¢5.0 MP, 2592 x 1944 Pix.. †¢.Price Rs.8,999/- Samsung Galaxy S3 Neo †¢Android OS, v4.2 (Jelly †¦ †¢Ext:8.0MP, 3264Ãâ€"2448 Pix†¦ †¢Price Rs.22,981/- Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini VE I8200 †¢Android OS, v4.2.2 (Jell†¦ †¢Ext:5.0MP, 2592Ãâ€"1944 Pix†¦ †¢Price Rs.15,960/- Samsung Galaxy S3 Neo Plus I9300I †¢Android OS, v4.3 (Jelly †¦ †¢Ext:8.0MP, 3264Ãâ€"2448 Pix†¦ †¢Price Rs.25,345/- Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo †¢Android OS, v4.3 (Jelly †¦ †¢Ext:8.0MP, 3264Ãâ€"2448 Pix†¦ †¢Price Rs.30,353/- Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo †¢Android OS, v4.3 (Jelly †¦ †¢Ext:5.0MP, 2592Ãâ€"1944 Pix†¦ †¢Price Rs.15,000/- Samsung Galaxy S Duos 2 S7582 †¢Android OS, v4.2 (Jelly †¦ †¢Ext:5.0MP, 2592Ãâ€"1944 Pix†¦ †¢Price Rs.8,309/- Samsung Galaxy Core Plus G3500 †¢Android OS, v4.2 (Jelly †¦ †¢Ext:5.0MP, 2592Ãâ€"1944 Pix†¦ †¢Price Rs.13,251/- Samsung Galaxy Star Pro S7260 †¢Android OS, v4.1.2 (Jell†¦ †¢2.0 MP, 1600 x 1200 Pixe†¦ †¢Price Rs.5,328/- Samsung Galaxy Star Pro S7262 †¢Android OS, v4.1 (Jelly †¦ †¢2.0 MP, 1600 x 1200 Pixe†¦ †¢Price Rs.5,391/- Samsung Galaxy Trend S7392 †¢Android OS, v4.0 (Ice Cr†¦ †¢3.0 MP, 2048 x 1536 Pixe†¦ †¢Price Rs.6,715/- Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini Duos I9192 †¢Android OS, v4.2.2 (Jell†¦ †¢Ext:8.0MP, 3264Ãâ€"2448 Pix†¦ †¢Price Rs.16,999/- Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE L300 †¢Android OS, v4.0.4 (Ice †¦ †¢Ext:5.0MP, 2592Ãâ€"1944 Pix†¦ †¢Price Rs.16,372/- QUESTIONNAIRE Name: Age: Address: Occupation: 1)Which mobile you are using? a) Nokia b) Samsung c) Other 2)Are you satisfied with product you are using i.e., Nokia/Samsung? a) NokiaYes/No b) SamsungYes/No 3)Will you be ready to buy a Nokia/Samsung  handsets just because of its brand name? a) Yes b) No 4)Which provide good battery back-up? a) Nokia b) Samsung 5)Which would you prefer in business point of view? a) Nokia b) Samsung 6)Which gives better camera clearity? a) Nokia b) Samsung 7)Which cell companies have better sound quality? a) Nokia b) Samsung 8)Which company provides better dual sim phones? a) Nokia b) Samsung 9)Which company has more cell memory storage? a) Nokia b) Samsung 10)Which company do you think provides better screen resolution? a) Nokia b) Samsung

Am a Filipino, a Proud One Essay

The Philippines. The Pearl of the Orient Seas, a country full of wonderful places, places being visited of tourists from different countries. A great country with great people called Filipinos. Filipinos, people with such nice traits. Tan, the color of their skin, the color that makes many foreigners envy them. They have rich black hair that flows naturally. Twinkling eyes some have black ones, some have hazel brown. They have such lovable characteristics. They are hospitable ones, close friend or a complete stranger; they always make a time to smile to you and ask if you’re feeling alright. Cheerful, they are, and talented too! Reciting poems expressing the appropriate feelings, singing to the top of their lungs, dancing so gracefully that you want to join them. They are hard-working, industrious they are. They are also religious of course, they surrender all to God. There are lots of traits of the Filipinos that are to be proud of. And I am one of them, one of the â€Å"They†. I am a Filipino, a proud one. And you, I suppose, are one too. I just can’t think why we, Filipinos are not proud of our nationality, our country. Why we, choose other products than ours, because in our mind things made locally are ‘CHEAP’ which is totally not true, we are makers of world class items. We should be proud of our country. Don’t you know that we, Filipinos, are admired by people around the world? They love the Philippines AND the Filipinos. There is nothing, absolutely nothing to be ashamed of being a Filipino. Neither our physical traits, nor our characteristics should be ashamed of. So, how do we show our love to our country? Easy. Simply choose our own products instead of the imported ones. This will also help our country arise in terms of economy. Learn about our country, this will also help you love our country more. We shouldn’t be ashamed of our beloved country.

Writing Assignment #2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Writing Assignment #2 - Essay Example This is because; absorption of U.s domestic demand for goods by exporters in China and Oil exporting countries has widely suppressed domestic job creation in the U.S. In 2011 and 2010, the increasing trade deficit with China led to 2.8 million jobs displacement in the U.S (Bordon 2011). Other factors that have led to the shrinking of the manufacturing sector include rising technological changes, which have increased labor productivity, forcing firms to hire few workers. It is incorrect for the Business and Industry Council to blame imports alone for the international imbalance that have led to manufacturing crisis. Manufacturing crisis refers to the long-run trend of failing employment in the manufacturing sector in the United States. The macroeconomic policies that China has adopted of currency devaluation, increasing U.S dollar holding and, subsidies advancement to a range of industries are some of the major causes of the high trade deficit. By 2011, China had accumulated $3.26 trillion in foreign reserves in U.S treasuries. In Chinese auto-parts industry, both domestic and foreign owned plants have received $27.5 billion in government subsidies. In 2006, 58.2 per cent of China’s exports were from foreign firms operating in China. These firms are taking advantage of the subsidy policy and availability of cheap labor in China. China and other low wage rate countries enjoy availability of cheap labor, relative to their counterparts in the U. S and other developed countries. This is the area where they have a comparative advantage in manufacturing. Global economists have argued that the main cause of the U.S. trade deficit is saving-investment disproportion as opposed to the common idea of Chinese Yuan devaluation (Hall and Lieberman 913). The economists propose that the country’s policy makers need to focus more on how to solve saving-investment imbalance. The main cause of the U.S. deficit is basically excess consumption and low saving rate among

An analysis of the Culture of an organization Essay

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No need for topic Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

No need for topic - Assignment Example Race. This is a concept that defines and signifies elements of social conflicts and varied interests that describe different types of human bodies. It is a social and historical descriptor of individuals with great significance and cannot be used to divide individuals through any biological basis. Theory of racial formation. It states that a society is defined and made of racial subjects, both large and small, to which all individual hare subjected. Hence everyone abides to some grouping as a version of racial classification and of her own racial identity without any teaching or inculcation Racial project. A term thatch the authors have used to allow and facilitate deeper understanding of racism, in a partial context. A racial project can thus be defined as racist only when such a project creates and amplifies structures of domination over others purely on essentialism. Racial dictatorship. Refers to the stubborn persistent cases of racial inequality in a society, where one race is favored and gets special attention at the expense of others for being considered superior to another race in a social context. The article, Science and the Idea of Race: A Brief History by Smedley illustrates how historical developments in different sciences and the idea behind race were strongly interwoven, in understanding the background behind certain persons, and IQ tests and how the mental testing activities came to be developed in understanding different individual in terms of their mental capacity and abilities. The article investigates how race is connected to the above developments. Single origin theory of the universe. This is an important theory among Christians that unified all humanity and made them equal before the eyes of God as the universal being; it implied that even the savage could be made civilized making any human being equal. Psychic unity of the human kind explains that all men are of one species, and have been

External and Internal Environments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 9

External and Internal Environments - Essay Example From this study it is clear that people bewildered by the business strategy of the company which lead to the rapid upsurge of Starbucks. The rapid growth of the Starbucks has made rivals challenging to match the speedy success. The prime purpose of the company is to maintain old-fashioned way of making coffee by creating a culture of belonging and warmth with implementation of new technology. Furthermore, these values and mission can help to retain old customers and attract new customers.This paper highlights that the general environment of the company is defined as the conditions and factors that are uncontrollable and can affect everyone in a market or industry. It is difficult for a firm to control forces affecting the general environment. Moreover, the evaluation of the general environment can benefit companies to identify future opportunities and predict changes. There are seven segment of general environment which includes demographic, legal, technological, sociocultural, globa l and economic segments. It is pivotal for Starbucks Corporation to assess the changes and continually monitor necessity changes for the benefit of organization. Two segments that can effectively influence Starbucks Corporation are technological and economic environment.  Emergence of technological advancement has forced organization to innovate to sustain in the market. The capture of Chinese market has been one of the prime objectives of Starbucks Corporation.

Textual Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Textual Analysis - Essay Example For the beauty being objective, there must be a single eternal and unchangeable idea of it that all sensible things re to be judged. Similarly, just and holiness is subjective and variable because their very nature is impermanent. The objects of opinion, such as beauty, just and piety is in constant flux; thus, they cannot be termed knowledge because knowledge is permanent in nature (being). Leadership and opinion vary based on the situation and the environmental factors. However, in its fundamental nature, knowledge is permanent and remains so regardless of the situation or circumstances. In application, a leader makes decisions based on his knowledge of a matter but the decision is influenced by other factors such that the conclusion arrived at one particular time under special circumstances can vary from another occasion in similar circumstances. Similarly, opinion about an issue is impermanent because, under dissimilar circumstances, individuals give different views on the same subject. Regardless of this, the knowledge of these persons does not change irrespective of the condition. In that accord, it agrees that the concept of leadership and opinion has a similar definition as the notion of justice, piety and

Hart's Hotel Nottingham Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Hart's Hotel Nottingham - Essay Example An organization always aims at giving quality service to the customers. This is meant to attract more customers thus leading to profit maximization and business expansion. This paper discusses in depth about Harts Hotel Nottingham, its accommodation and front service management. Hart’s hotel is said to be a magnificent place for exploration. It’s a classical 17th century mansion owned by Tim and Stefa Harts and under management of Rupert Elliot. The hotel maintains high standards of modernization with light and airy modern space. It presents beautiful scenery with walls decorated in a range of bright abstract canvasses and no echoes of its previous incarnation (Vickers, 2005:42). Not only is the place fantastic to the viewer’s sight but also a very clean environment with friendly and helpful staff. Scholar depict that the restaurant advocates for excellent service and delicious menus. The hotel is located approximately a 3-minute walk form the city centre hence c onvenient enough for visitation. Moreover, it portrays a quiet environment away from noise of traffic and nightlife thus relaxing and comfortable for stay (http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g186356-d292105-r14432692-Hart_s_Hotel-Nottingham_Nottinghamshire_England.html). Hart’s hotel has quite a pleasant accommodation service. The rooms have high ceilings thus making the place light airy, contemporary, and comfortable. The top quality beds are neatly and stylishly equipped with goose down pillows and duvets, and Egyptian cotton bed linen. Once, a customer visited the

In Arthur Millers play the crucibl Essay Example for Free

In Arthur Millers play the crucibl Essay In Arthur Millers play the Crucible, Reverend Hale changes as the plot unfolds. When Reverend first arrives in Salem he is certain he will use scientific methods to find witches. As the court hearing begins to unfold, Reverend Hale opposes the actions being taken, thus begins using his own judgments. Hale attempts to save the guiltless when he realizes they were convicting innocent people. The plot takes place in 1619, in a small town named Salem. The town was young; being only 40 years old was very religiously strict. A group of teen girls were caught dancing naked in the woods. They started making accusations of witchcraft across the town. Reverend Hale, who was a witch expert, was called from a near by town to put a stop to the matter. One reason Reverend hale changed as the plot unfolds is because he at first believes that he will be using scientific methods to find witches. Hale firmly follows the law to sustain order. By keeping to his books he prepares himself to pay no heed to conclusions. He trusts his books to keep control over the problems arising in Salem. all the invisible world, caught defined, and calculated. In these no fear now-we shall find him out if he has come among us, and mean to crush him utterly if he has shown his face. (Miller, 39) One reason Reverend Hale changed as the plot unfolds is because he at first believes that he will be using scientific methods to find witches. Subsequently Reverend starts to evolve his thinking during the trail and starts going by his own judgment. He pleads with the judge to let Proctor return, only to be rejected by him. Hale fought against the judges verdict realizing it was unjust. Hale then decided to leave the court. I denounce these preceding. I quit the court. (Miller, 115) Subsequently Reverend starts to evolve his thinking during the court hearing and starts going by his own judgment. Then at the end, Reverend changes even more when he realizes they were accusing every one of witchcraft and tries to save the innocent. Reverend declares he will not take a life of an innocent person I am a minister of the Lord, and I dare not take a life without there be proof so immaculate no slightest qualm of conscious may doubt it. (Miller, 99) He realizes that it is not the convicted people, but that of a hunt to find a cause for there problems. He encourages Mr. proctor to confess to witchery. Also pleading with Procters wife, he protests the foolishness of admitting to something you did not do. Finally Reverend Changes for the better realizing that not everyone is a witch and attempts to save the innocent Hale changes from being in favor of the witch trails to opposing it due to the amount of unnecessary convictions with sentences of death. He finds that, when you stop accusing people every for every incident and mishaps, many of the folks are innocent. It is hard to believe that many innocent people were killed during the Salem witch trials. Certainly nothing like that will ever happen today. Reverend Hale changes as the scheme unfolds in Arthur millers play, the crucible. Work Cited Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York Penguin, 1952 Jonathan Schneider Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Miller section.

Policy of Medicare System Essay Example for Free

Policy of Medicare System Essay With the evolution of new drug-resistant strains of maladies in the contemporary period, scientists are now going back to nature in pursuit of pristine defenses. Says Dr. Robert Nash, research director of Molecular Nature in the United Kingdom, â€Å"Dandelions, sea pinks, nettles, even bluebells were used to treat diseases. There is a good reason for going back to see if there was anything behind these traditional uses† (Amundsen 132).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In our backyard, there is a bed of bluebells and never had it dawned on me that bluebells prove to have anti-virus and anti-cancer properties. That they were used in the 13th century against leprosy (Amundsen 155). Not that I would really want to prepare for any possible leprosy case that may stem at home; but the thought of having nifty bluebells in the garden can give comfort on good health and brainy ancestors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the library, the books speak of one thing about healthcare; that it is the management of the resources of healing. Darrel Amundsen, in his book Medicine, Society, and Faith in the Ancient and Medieval Worlds, pointed up the wonder of natural medicines and traditional medicine. Stanley Reiser tells us of how medical care evolved from technological point of view. Dorothy Porter’s Social Medicine and Medical Sociology in the Twentieth Century talks about where the health care industry has drifted through different eras. It has had a major impact on how people perceive health on the whole. From the unborn and mothers to all the phases of childhood to the youth and the adults to the older people, health care has been in packages essential at various stages of the human being. Additionally, the practitioners have done a lot of education, investing awe-inspiring sum of finances and effort in educating the public. Professional patronizing and obscure terminology will give way to cooperative educational approaches, and client-oriented rehabilitation. This approach is estimated to provide the most appropriate package of health services suited to ensure a healthy well-being of all age groups. In every industrialized country, excluding the United States (U.S.), the provision of health care has become the financial responsibility of the state over the past 100 years. Taxes on both employers and workers and general tax revenues financed the health care insurance system. This was the procedure in Western Europe and Great Britain (Warner 360-368).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The exception of the U.S. can be credited to the native value the Americans placed on self-help and repulsion against dependency. After 80 years of anxiety, the federal government of the U.S. has accepted the system but with some degree of responsibility. When the medical care program was introduced to them, it has become a complex mix of public and private payments. The extent covered the maldistribution of resources and disproportions of access (Porter 9). Nevertheless, across the surveys, the U.S. health care system becomes the country’s largest employer. Approximately, 597,000 are physicians, 137,000 are dentists, 1.8 million are nurses, and nine million are field workers (Warner 356).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Administering the federal health care activities was charged to the Department of Health and Human Services. Health insurance comprises all forms of insurance against financial loss resulting from injury or illness. The most common health insurance coverage is for hospital care, including the physician services in the hospital. Major medical policies protect the insured against calamitous charges, paying a sum of that ranges from $10,000 to $1,000,000, after the policyholder has paid a preliminary deductible amount (Warner 371). Patients usually have out-of-pocket expenses since doctors’ charges are not entirely covered by the insurance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Overheads for healthcare services in the U.S. alone have been mounting sharply for about over a decade. Insurance coverage is potholed. Coverage for home care of the chronically ill is nigh on absent. A fixed sum is paid for a service except for hospital insurance. More often than not, this payment must be supplemented by the patient (Warner 358).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Problems also arose in the aspect of recruitment and distribution of physicians. About one-fourth of U.S. physicians were engaged in primary patient care. That included obstetrics, internal medicine, pediatrics, and family medicine. In the slums of big cities, physicians are sparse but profuse in the more affluent sub-urban areas (Porter 12). One of the more daunting areas of health care is the prohibitive cost of medicines. At present, there is no governing body that regulates the price of medicine. This means that the manufacturers dictate the prices. With this discretion, expectedly the prices could be set as high as excusably possible. To ornament with justice, their marketing strategy has spawned the mentality that â€Å"branded is better.† Came the managed healthcare system. The genesis of contemporaneous managed care can be trailed to the prepaid plans providing healthcare to rural, shipbuilding and construction workers in the U.S. in the 1920s and 1930s. Managed healthcare have likewise existed in ancient China when doctors were supposedly paid only while they kept their patients healthy. Although many of the procedures used by managed healthcare to regulate expenditures have existed in African countries for a time, it was only since the latter part of the 20th century that the concept of managed care has been both in full swing in an effort to provide Africa with low-priced quality healthcare and denigrated by others (Porter 10-11). But in the U.S., managed healthcare was only firmly established when briskly swelling healthcare costs in the 1970’s and 80’s led to the passing of legislation providing for the establishment of Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) (Warner 370).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   HMOs and the government has since then been on the lookout for effective alternatives. The government and the private sector all face the problem of financing the uncontrolled inflation of cost in the medical care program. Others blame it on the growing numbers of people who seek care. Some on the greater use of laboratory costs and of specialists in diagnosis and treatment (Reiser 16). Needless to say, the synergistic force of the sectors wanted programs that were cheap but were at least, effective.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hospitals were responding to increasing cost demands. They attempted to introduce more competent management schemes. Proprietary hospitals have found greater earnings in chain operations. Other efforts to slash costs included hiring less-expensive professional workers, like nurses and paramedics, in the hope of getting basic care to patients at a lower fee (Porter 10). The health care system has indeed been an entrepreneurial idea. However, paradox has it that in due time, antibiotics, vaccines, and other vital medicines will be short of availability at least, among the 5.6 billion people, according to the World Health Organization (Porter 18). Scarcity of producers of medicines has nothing to do with it. Maldistribution and capitalistic exploitation will make the medicines inaccessible to the poor. Over 40 million Americans have some form of heart or blood vessel disease, and the combined costs of treatment and lost income exceed 50 billion dollars annually. About 4 million people, 10 percent of those with cardiovascular diseases, have coronary artery disease. Because of these findings, the Framingham Study considers cardiovascular disease as one of the leading epidemiological diseases in the country. A more distressing fact rings throughout the Third World countries whose healthcare programs are financed by their governments on less than 1 percent cut from the gross domestic product (Porter 15-16). At this reality, whose son or daughter will not be underfed? Every major city had slum areas that housed the poor and unemployed, and declining farm incomes created rural poverty. Amid the growth and confidence of the postwar years, United States leaders initiated programs of aid to help people at home and abroad improve their way of life. Programs of domestic aid included funds for education, medical care for the poor, and urban renewal programs. International air programs begun soon after the war sought to help United States maintain economic and political stability (Fusfeld and Bates, 1984). Poverty-stricken people suffer from the lack of many things they need. For example, they are less likely to receive adequate medical care or to eat the foods they need to stay healthy. The poor have more diseases, become more seriously ill, and die at a younger age than other people do. Poor people often live in substandard housing in socially isolated areas where most of their neighbors are poor. Many low-income families live in crowded, run-down buildings with inadequate heat and plumbing. The jobs most readily available to the poor provide low wages and little opportunity for advancement. Many of these jobs also involve dangerous or unhealthful working conditions. Financial, medical, and emotional problems often strain family ties among the poverty-stricken. Furthermore, the healthcare system of countryside Americans is dense. For instance, Indians are lacking relative to their urban equivalents in many important ways that shape their health: they are unduly economically inferior, proportionately lesser are of working age, and they have not fulfilled as much of education. Topographical access is of principal interest in several rural states. Indians who reside in remote areas, comparatively far from urban areas or centers, sometimes find it hard to get in touch with healthcare personnel or services. In respect of urban inhabitants, rural dwellers have to trek farther to care and tackle other problems such as mediocre road and rail network, and short of public transportation. These problems are distinguished yet their resolution escapes the labors of the U.S. Legislature, and local governments. Culture is another driving factor, including influential customs (Nabokov). The Indians’ unfavorable health behaviors, employment of folk medication, the impact of traditional religion on healthcare, and estrangement from countrywide society all play a part to the way they care for their health. To make the decisions centralized, World Medical Association was founded as an organization of several of the world’s national medical associations. Instituted in 1947, this medical society has embraced an international code of medical ethics and many other ethical pronouncements. The center of operations is in Ferney-Voltaire, France (Porter, 2000). One of the pivotal epidemiological methodologies for an improved healthcare provision is an informed public. If the individual does not understand what he or she must do to preserve health and reduce his or her risk of a probable epidemiological disease, if he or she does not recognize when he or she needs outside help, and if he or she or members of his family are not prepared to take the appropriate steps to obtain this help, then all of the world’s medical knowledge will be of little value. The educational process that would prepare an individual to help preserve his or her own health and reduce his or her epidemiological risk should ideally begin in his or her youth when lifelong patterns are being formed, and continue throughout his or her adult life. A hospital management’s role is twofold: helping to build good health habits in the young, and serving as agents in adult health habits through public information and education programs designed to teach preservation of health and raise the general health consciousness of the people. The practicing physician, emergency medical services, the clinic or neighborhood health center, the hospital as a whole stand to be prepared in implementing medical line of defense. Even at times the nonmedical person who is on the scene when an acute emergency occurs are relied on. In order to be effective, the hospital carrying out the epidemiological measures, together with these individuals and services, are obliged and expected not only to be capable of providing healthcare, but must be prepared to do so in a manner that is acceptable and accessible to, and understood by, the public. The epidemiological measures of a hospital in this area shall also address such things as professional education, healthcare standards, and public information regarding access to care and services. Another approach is that which serves as the underpinning of the rest of the strategies and plans; it is the biomedical research to identify such epidemiological factors as dietary fats, smoking, hypertension, etc., that adversely affect human health and to devise methods for preventing, diagnosing, and treating these conditions and the diseases to which they contribute. In this regard, the hospital has a unique role to play, in that while they cannot the huge sums needed for large-scale clinical trials or epidemiological studies, they claim to have an excellent mechanism for supporting young investigators who are juts beginning their research careers, helping them gain the experience and results necessary to compete for larger grants in the national and international arenas. The emphasis is practically placed on the support of quality research projects having high merit ratings. To adequately develop such improved measures by Medicare, it should have the hospital require a programmed effort that first takes into consideration the fact that the hospital cannot be all things to all people. It may have quite limited resources in terms of money, volunteers, and staff in other departments, and the need for each of these resources may always seem to exceed the supply. Since there are numerous programs and activities that are capable of improving health of the patients to some degree, hard choices must be made regarding the disposition of these resources. This implies priority setting, which is made more efficient by the establishment and implementation of a hospital-wide, goal-oriented, long-range planning process. Such a process helps the hospital focus its epidemiological measures on high yield, cost-effective projects that either help prevent the healthcare provision, or provide ongoing relief and control, yielding the highest return on time and money invested. All in all, medical institution evolved across time to deal with problems of health and disease using epidemiological measures that are based on mortality, morbidity, disability, and quality. More specifically, medical institution was perceived performing a number of key functions in modern societies. First, it treats and seeks to cure disease. Second, the medical institution attempts to prevent disease through maintenance programs, including vaccination, health education, periodic checkups, and public health and safety standards (administrative medicine). Third, it undertakes research in the prevention, treatment, and cure of health problems (preventive medicine). And fourth, it serves as an agency of social control by defining some behaviors as normal and healthy and others as deviant and unhealthy. Although health care can take its roots back when one of the greatest achievements of civilization was the naissance of medicine, real health comes from within. The quality of life of an individual is governed by the swelling bearing of his positive personal health-seeking activities and behaviors. And with the help of heath care, tomorrow’s health centers will fill out today’s precision diagnostic services with equally scientific self-care and wellness programs. Future healthcare will increasingly concede to the empowerment of the individual. Perhaps the way healthcare began more than two thousand years back differs from the way it will continue in the next two thousand years or so. The gods may still have a role but not for the folks to plead to for kinder nature. A common Supreme Being might then take the place of them and be prayed to in exchange for a kinder world. If in the past, the causes of illnesses may have been shared between man and nature, from this time forth, diseases would be brought about by the caustic arms of industrialization.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Whose healthcare would not be needed most in the midst of volatile worldwide climate and industrial population? Typhoons come and leave natural borne diseases. McDonald’s open their stores and send resentful stomachs to the healthcare clinics. Who would not consequently draw a smart plot from the commercial appeal of healthcare? For healthcare, this means an upsurge in affliction as well as a digression of resources away from healthcare toward reform. The pandemonium disrupts food supplies, infectious diseases multiply, and alarm triggers stress-induced illnesses. The beginnings of medical care may have been deemed mad and laughable. Then again, its inheritance, with the help of worsened worldwide scenarios, is rendering the underprivileged mad and the moneyed having the last laugh. References Amundsen, Darrel W. (1996). Medicine and faith in early Christianity. Medicine, Society, and Faith in the Ancient and Medieval Worlds. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. Chambers, Donald and Kenneth Wedel. Social Policy and Social Programs: A Method for the Practical Public Policy Analyst, 4th edition. Pearson Publishing. Fusfeld, Daniel R., and Timothy Bates. (1984). The Political Economy of the Urban Ghetto. Southern Illinois University Press. McDaniel, W. B. (1959). â€Å"A view of 19th century medical historiography in the United States of America.† The History of Medicine. Nabokov, Peter. Native American Testimony: A Chronicle Of Indian-White Relations From Prophesy To The Present (1492-1992). Penguin Publishing. Porter, Dorothy E. (1975). Social Medicine and Medical Sociology in the Twentieth Century. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. Reiser, Stanley J. (1984). â€Å"The machine at the bedside: Technological transformations of practices and values.† The Machine at the Bedside: Strategies for Using Technology in Patient Care. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Warner, Martin S. (1985). Medical Practice and Health Care During the Revolutionary War and Early National Periods. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press.

Personal Reflection Of My Learning Style

Personal Reflection Of My Learning Style Introduction: After doing this course my weaknesses and strengths become apparent through my lecturers, and my mates. At first, I despised my lecturer critiques, I took it personally, and I thought they were just being nasty to me. After reflecting on their reviews and critiques, I can now say that I actually appreciate all their comments because they make me see where my shortcomings and strength are. They have shown me how to address my shortcomings and improve on my strengths. In the preceding chapters I will aspire to demonstrate what I have learnt, the assessment of my personal learning style and strategic plan I have devised for future essay writing. PERSONAL REFLECTION: Personal reflections constitute a large part of my development learning process that take place spontaneously. I perceive essay writing as a daunting task, this is the experience of most if not all students in my year. Unfortunately no matter how frightening we found it, it is mandatory in every part of our course as we do not sit for exams. I have always struggled with bad grammar, clarity, choice of words, word count, and non-qualitative work. So many times my Lecturers had to return my work to me and asked me to explain a statement that does not make sense to him. Along with struggles of choice of words and grammatical errors came other struggles. I often struggle with researching, academic writing, materials resources and referencing. Beside my imperfect writing also come the problems of footnotes, prioritising, and procrastination. All the aforementioned problems were addressed in this course. What I learned most in the course is that it helps me to study efficiently, enhance my researching skills. The course teaches me to take active step in reading, writing techniques, applying algorithm to read my text in any subject. Though it makes me read and learn slowly but actively. It also provides opportunity for me to interact with fellow students and facilitate group discussion, which enable us to talk about what we learn, reformulate and restructure the information. This course has also strengthened my learning style and has made me to be an aggressive learner. I have learnt so many writing techniques and terminology in this course which I must familiarize myself with, as they are mandatory to apply them in my future essay writing. Not doing that will jeopardise my expected standard. LEARNING PREFERENCES As you can see in the abovementioned chapters, what my writing skills are like. As unique as individual so also everyone has his or her own unique learning styles and preferences. This course demonstrated varieties of ways which students can learn and out of these modes and styles of learning it makes me identify suitable learning styles that are most appropriate for me, which are active and visual learning. To maximise and strengthen my learning it required me to attend lectures regularly, take notes and elaborate them after lectures, record lectures if allowed, talk about what I learn, add diagram to notes whenever ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s possible, work in peer or group. These learning styles also enable me to capitalize on my strength and give room for improvement on my weaknesses. This style of learning helps me to organise and manage my time effectively, it provides me with various approaches to studying, vocabulary building, researching, analytical skills, writing skills and othe r successful learning strategies. My burning desire to excel has plunged me into great analytical thinking, which will enhance my future essay writing and learning. ESTIMATED WORK PLAN FOR COMPLETION OF MY DEGREE In the next chapters I will aspire to demonstrate the strategic sequential steps I will be applying for the completion of my degree course. Approaching my studies with positive habits and perceive it as nothing else but a possession of mind, and in other for me to succeed I have to make decision about my priorities, my time and my resources. I will devise an action plan for the areas I need to develop further and I will give more attention to reflective experience and applying knowledge. Arrange and prioritise myself to eliminate distractions, knowing when I am more focus and productive. Studying at the same time everyday makes me establishes routine and this has become my pattern and I stay clear of scheduling any other things at this time. I will also avoid doing too much studying at one time, stick to my routine and follow the priorities I have set for myself and not allowing any other interest to sidetrack me from my goal. Implementing all this will makes me more systematize, col late the notes I have taken at lectures and in study groups together, reformulate, and restructure them in organization method I can develop. I will Investigate, question what my lecturers taught me, critically view the contents and quality of the lectures as I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t want to accept what I was taught as what passes from my lecturer notes into my notes without questioning or critically think about it or without reacting. I will also refer to my manual, other textbook, and web sites for assistance. I will also reflect on how I can relay or apply what I learn into my callings. One of my most difficult challenges is procrastination. This makes me struggling meeting up with the deadline and accomplish my goals. After this course, I have started to overcome the problem. However, I still put some things up for later but not as much as before. STRATEGY DEVICE FOR FUTURE ESSAY WRITING Below are the structures I will use for successful production of my future essays writing. First class academic essay writing requires analytical demonstration of my knowledge and skills of the topic. I will analyse, dissect the topic, pre and post the questions to get an overview. I will interpret the question, decode the question, and explain it in my own understanding. What is the main subject or content of the question, focus on the contents or else I will lose the track. Highlight the content. Identify the task, as this is where I am going to extract my essay introduction. I will follow the criteria, the guidelines and look for relevant resources. After doing all this I will start planning my essay, commencement of my essay, timing, what I need to focus on, what need to be included in the essay? The vital information I need to gather, materials needed. The next step I will take is to start researching, at the completion of my research, I will start writing an outline, organize l ist of points I want to make in the essay in a way it will make sense. Start drafting as it comes to my mind, collate them in correct format, and check grammatical errors and spelling. Do additional research to beef up the amount of words required. After doing all this then I will start writing my essay in the following order. An introduction A main body A conclusion A critical evaluation Meeting up with the deadline is very pivotal in essay writing as there is specific time of handing it in, but in situation where it is tough and strenuous I will talk to my lecturer as they are quite considerate and they do usually give extension. Conclusion Having realised that there is no quick or easy way to studying. I can only achieve through endurance, hard work, staying focus, immerse myself into rigorous swotting, and sequentially pursue my action plan. Implementation of the above plan and commitment will make me achieve my goal.

Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots Essay -- Biography

Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots She became queen when she was only 6 days old. She was sent to France at age six to get married. She is the cousin of Queen Elizabeth I. Who is this elegant, yet struggling woman? Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland. Beautiful and brave, Mary Stuart was known for being the Queen of Scotland, France, and was in line for the throne of England and she was also considered the true queen of England. Mary Stuart was born on December 8, 1542, in Lithingow Palace, Scotland. She was the daughter of King James V of Scotland and Mary of Guise. Her father died only six days after Mary was born, so she became Queen of Scotland when she was only six days old (Haws Early Life par 1). She was crowned on the ninth of September the following year at Sterling. Mary was christened in the Parish Church of St. Michael, near the palace (â€Å"Mary, Queen of Scots† par 1). Later, when Mary turned six, she was sent to France by her French mother for her protection. While she was there, she lived as the French royal family (Haws Early Life par 1 and 2). When she set off to France, she traveled with the Children of Scotland’s Nobility, which included the Four Marys. They are the women who would stay with her throughout anything (â€Å"Mary Queen of Scots Bio† par 5). They were also educated at the French court with Mary, where she was brought up. During her stay in France, King Henry gave Mary precedence over his own daughters, since she was going to marry his son in the future. Later, in April 1558, she married Henry’s son, the Dauphin Francis, when she was 15 years old. Soon after, in July 1559, when King Henry died, Francis became King Francis II of France, thus making Mary the Queen of France also (Haws Early Life par 1-2). Since Fran... ...he gave birth to her only son James VI. After Henry died, she married the Earl of Bothwell, even after he was accused for the death of Henry (â€Å"Mary, Queen of Scots† par 6-12). They ran away together and formed an army to protect them and fight with them (â€Å"Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots† par 7-8). Mary had confusing and specified accomplishments in her life, many of which were marriage and her being a queen of many countries. To conclude, Mary had a very hard and complicated life, especially with England tying to kill her. James VI replaced his mother’s throne, and later he took the English throne after the death of Queen Elizabeth I in 1603. Mary was bought up in France. She only had reign over Scotland for 6 years. Mary and Elizabeth I never actually met. Mary died on February 8, 1587 (â€Å"Fun Trivia MQoS†). â€Å"In my end is my beginning.† – Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots.

Characteristics of Magical Realism in If Dinosaurs Were Cats And Dogs :: Dinosaurs Were Cats And Dogs Essays

Characteristics of Magical Realism in If Dinosaurs Were Cats And Dogs      Ã‚  Ã‚   "If Dinosaurs Were Cats And Dogs" is a short story written by Colin McNaughton. "If Dinosaurs were Cats And Dogs" was published in 1981. It is classified under the fantastic sublime. However, based on the analysis of "If Dinosaurs were Cats And Dogs" one would believe that magical realism is a genre of the sublime.    While reading "If Dinosaurs Were Cats And Dogs", one comes upon the illustrations in the book. Through out all of the illustrations, the people are on a smaller scale then the animals. Scale is a sign of a sublime work. It creates a mood of nature being more important than humans or anything else for that matter. Scale, when used in sublime works, sets a universal or macroscopic tone.    I would confidently maintain that nothing contributes so decisively to the grand style as a noble emotion in the right setting, when it forces its way to the surface in a gust of frenzy, and breathes a kind of divine inspiration into the speaker's words (Longinus 109). Longinus is explaining how a moment in a story line becomes clear to the reader out of a turbulent setting. It is considered by Longinus to be a perfect specimen of the sublime. In the short story "If Dinosaurs Were Cats And Dogs", many examples of the emotion force their way to the surface in an uncontrollable frenzy. A good example from "If Dinosaurs Were Cats And Dogs' would be this excerpt: " This snake is over ten miles long, which makes it very hard to steer. When people shout, "Look out! Look Out! Its head's too far away to hear"(McNaughton 21). In the excerpt from the story, when it is explained that even though people are shouting for the snake to watch where it is going, the snake can't hear because the it's head is ten miles away. This is a brilliant examples of sublime literature.    Although "If Dinosaurs Were Cats and Dogs" is classified as fantastic sublime, the story has many examples of magical realism within its pages. The way in which the animals in the story are humungous is one of the many examples of magical realism. A parrot that is twenty-nine feet tall is extraordinary. Even more extraordinary is a snake that is ten miles long.

Power of Wind

Power of Wind Jason A. Jennings Principles of Marketing (BUS 330) Instructor: Debra McCoskey-Reisert January 28, 2012 Power of Wind There is a large sector in the United States that believes wind energy is an excellent alternative resource. There is also a group of people that believe that the wind turbines that are used to generate wind energy is a bad idea because they obstruct the natural view, causes death to birds, and generates noise pollution. They also argue that wind energy is not a dependable source of energy because the wind does not blow continually.Wind as a viable source of energy will be evaluated from a positive and negative perspective. Wind energy has long history of being used as a power source (Berry, History of Windmills, 2011). Considering the current issues that the global community faces concerning green house gases and pollution alternative energy sources must be evaluated. As of 2010 the United States Energy Information Administration listed Saudi Arabia, Ru ssia, and the United States as being the top three world oil producers (U. S. Department of Energy). The top three oil consumers are the United States, China, and Japan.As of 2009 the United States Energy Information Administration listed Saudi Arabia, Canada, Iran, Iraq, and Kuwait as having the highest level of proven world oil reserves (U. S. Department of Energy). In 2010 the United States Imported close to forty nine percent of the petroleum products that it consumed in that same year (U. S. Department of Energy). About half of those imports came from nations located in the Western Hemisphere. The world currently faces a shrinking petroleum based energy supply and a rapidly growing pollution problem as a result of the dependency on petroleum.Countries around the world increasingly have to compete with each other in order to secure petroleum based energy resources. China and India continue to place a higher demand on the worlds petroleum supply because of their rapidly growing e conomies. High gasoline prices, global warming concerns, and fears that fossil fuel resources are likely hitting peak supply while global demand is surging demands the modern world’s undivided attention. Oil producing countries in the Middle East currently hold a forty percent share of the world’s oil market.Wind energy has the ability to market itself. There is a large sector around the world with a belief that wind energy is an excellent alternative resource. Wind farms are also one of the emerging green technologies that are beginning to show their true value. Between the year 2000 and 2010 the wind power capacity of the United States jumped exponentially (see page 6). That is a direct result of the hundreds of new wind farms that came on line in the American power grid. In 2010 global wind installation hit 196,000 gigawatts.In a recent study conducted by the United Nations said renewable energy accounted for sixty percent of new electricity generation capacity in E urope and more than half in the United States of America. The human relationship with the wind has been a long one with the use of sailing ships and windmills. For centuries past the wind was used as the main power source for sailing ships. The use of windmills seems to have started with the Persians for grinding grain (between 500 and 900 A. D. ). Windmills started appearing in Europe around the time of the Crusades (1096 -1270).The European design is very different from the Persian one and there is an ongoing debate whether the Europeans developed the windmill themselves or the Crusaders had taken the idea back to Europe (Berry, History of Windmills, 2011). The earliest windmills found in Europe were a post mill construction. The main structure of the windmill sits on top of a post and could be rotated to face the wind. Human power was needed to rotate the windmill to face the direction of the prevailing winds. The windmill was turned by a long beam that was attached horizontally to the body of the mill.The mills sat upon a tripod structure that consisted of two crossed beams resting on the ground with four angled beams coming up to support the post in the center. These windmills used a horizontal axis allowing the sails of the windmill to take better advantage of the wind. The power was then transferred to machines by cogs and gears. In 1650 smock mills were developed with just the top part of the windmill being turned to face the wind. This was a huge improvement to the windmill because the sail structure was much lighter and easier to turn.Permanent structures could be built to house the mill. Brick and stone tower mills were built using the new smock mill method. Smock mills received that name because they resembled a nineteenth century countryman’s smock. They were built in a tapered, boarded, Octagonal shaped tower form. The Chinese built their first documented windmill in 1219 A. D. and was used to grind grain. In the late 1300’s the Dut ch developed a new sail design that increased efficiency. The sail was constructed with a leading edge that created aerodynamic lift.Windmill sails were made of cloth stretched over a wooden frame. Some windmill designs incorporated trimmed sails allowing them to take better advantage of the variable wind conditions. The English used a fantail on their windmills that allowed them to be turned by the wind. The large Dutch designed windmills continued to be used all across Europe until the development of the steam engine in the 1880’s. The use of steam power caused a decline in the use of large tower windmills. In the United States windmills were used in the west for pumping water to the ranchers live stock.In the mid 1900’s Charles Brush developed a huge wind dynamo that generated electricity and became fascinated with the possibility of producing free energy for the general public. Beginning in the 1930’s a group of disgruntled ranchers got together and started the development of wind energy. The ranchers were facing rising prices, power outages and poor customer service. Robert Righter is a historian that has done extensive research on wind energy in the United States. The first wind farms were built in the state of California in the 1980’s.The Altamont Pass, located near the San Francisco Bay area there are still some of the older and much smaller turbines. They only had a rotor diameter of 15 meters and a capacity of tens of kilowatts. The new turbines being manufactured today have a capacity of 1. 5 – 2. 5 megawatts (MW), rotor diameters as great as 100 meters allowing the blades to sweep an area the size of a football field. Wind power is on the rise in the United States with capacity jumping by 45 percent at the end of 2007 and capacity reaching to 17 gigawatts (GW).Wind power is an attractive alternative to fossil fuels such as coal and oil because it is an energy source that does not produce pollution or climate alter ing greenhouse gases. When the massive turbines have been installed the only fuel that is needed to run them is the wind. Wind resources found around the world are so massive that they could easily meet the worlds current energy needs. A study that was conducted by researchers at Stanford University found that global wind energy potential in the year 2000 was about 72,000 gigawatts (GW), almost five times the world’s total energy demand at that time.The technology used to tap into the wind energy resources is getting much cheaper. In the early 1980’s electricity produced by the wind cost as much as 30 cents per kilowatt hour. In 2007 the cost had fallen to 10 cents per kilowatt hour. There are various incentives in the form of tax credits and feed in tariffs that make electricity generated from the wind cost competitive with electricity generated from natural gas and coal. Maria Sicilia of the International Energy Agency (IEA) has stated that a $30. 0 dollar tax per to n of carbon dioxide emitted would allow electricity produced on wind farms could compete in most markets without subsidies [ (International Energy Agency, 2009) ]. Even with no tax being placed on carbon emissions the growth of wind power is very likely to continue. The European Union has set a goal of getting 20% of its energy from renewable resources by 2020, with a large portion of it coming from wind power. The United States Department of Energy has laid out a plan to get 20% of the energy needed in the United States from wind power by 2030 [ (U. S.Department of Energy, 2008) ]. Asia may become the biggest market for new wind installations over the next five years. The wind does not blow all of the time and wind farms cannot be placed in some areas of the United States. For wind to stay on the path of expansion the industry will have to build new transmission lines and improve the integration of electricity produced by the wind into the power grid [ (IBM) ]. The industry is also vulnerable financially if subsidies are suddenly phased out. Some groups will say that the massive wind turbines cause the needless deaths of birds.The effect that the wind farms have on the view is one reason that has been cited for saying no to wind power. There have been issues concerning the noise that the turbines create. Wind energy is an excellent and valuable resource that can be used as a replacement for dirty fossil fuels and the dangers of nuclear power. It cannot be the only replacement for those energy sources but it can be used in conjunction with solar power, geothermal, and hydroelectric to fulfill our nation’s energy requirements.The use of coal as an energy source for the generation of electricity can gradually be scaled down. Mankind has had a long relationship with the wind as an energy source and should continue to use it well into the future. Pollution has become a major problem that is affecting the climate and that problem should be resolved on a glob al scale with all nations working together for the common good. A comparison of year end wind capacity in the United States between 2000 – 2010 (U. S. Department of Energy, 2011) References Berry, M. (2011, May 24). History of Windmills.Retrieved January 28, 2012, from Windmill World: http://www. windmillworld. com/windmills/history. htm GWEC. (2011). GWEC. Retrieved January 5, 2012, from Global Wind Energy Council: http://www. gwec. net/http://www. gwec. net/index. php? id=28 IBM. (n. d. ). Wind power is the fastest growing source of electricity. Retrieved December 26, 2011, from IBM – Greener Energy – Smarter Planet: http://www. ibm. com/smarterplanet/us/en/smart_grid/article/wind_power. html International Energy Agency. (2009, October 1). Renewable Energy Essentials: Wind.Retrieved January 5, 2012, from iea. org: http://www. iea. org/Papers/2008/Wind_Brochure. pdf Kotler, P. , & Armstrong, G. (2010). Principles of Marketing. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prenti ce Hall. National Renewable Energy Laboratory. (2011, July 22). Wind Research. Retrieved December 28, 2011, from NREL: http://www. nrel. gov/wind/ U. S. Department of Energy. (2008, May). 20% Wind Energy by 2030. Retrieved January 1, 2012, from Increasing Wind Energy's Contribution to U. S. Electricity Supply: http://www. 20percentwind. org/default. aspx U.S. Department of Energy. (n. d. ). Oil Production. Retrieved January 28, 2012, from Independent Staistics ; Analysis: http://38. 96. 246. 204/countries/index. cfm? view=production U. S. Department of Energy. (2010, September 1). Wind ; Water Program. Retrieved December 26, 2011, from Technologies: http://www1. eere. energy. gov/windandhydro/wind_how. html U. S. Department of Energy. (2011, September). Wind Powering America. Retrieved January 7, 2012, from Energy Efficency ; Renewable Energy: http://www. windpoweringamerica. gov/

Art Assignment: Iconoclasm Essay

Research for religious art destroyed during conflict. Cite the website. What was the item, and when, where, why, and how was it destroyed? Was the site rebuilt? Who destroyed it? Discuss in length considering the following: What was the original significance? How did the culture go about remembering, or honoring that site after the destruction ? Have you ever had any significant item of spiritual relevance destroyed, and how did you handle it? Cite.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iconoclasm â€Å" Iconoclasm[1] is the deliberate destruction within a culture of the culture’s own religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually for religious or political motives. It is a frequent component of major political or religious changes. The term does not generally encompass the specific destruction of images of a ruler after his death or overthrow (damnatio memoriae), for example Akhenaten in Ancient Egypt.People who engage in or support iconoclasm are called â€Å"iconoclasts†, a term that has come to be applied figuratively to any individual who challenges established dogma or conventions. Conversely, people who revere or venerate religious images are (by iconoclasts) called â€Å"iconolaters†. In a Byzantine context, they are known as â€Å"iconodules†, or â€Å"iconophiles†.Iconoclasm may be carried out by people of a different religion, but is often the result of sectarian disputes between factions of the same religion. In Christia nity, iconoclasm has generally been motivated by people who adopt a literal interpretation of the Ten Commandments, which forbid the making and worshipping of â€Å"graven images or any likeness of anything†.[2] The degree of iconoclasm among Christian sects greatly varies. Example of iconoclasm in the 16th century during the Reformation. Relief statues in St. Stevenskerk in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, were attacked and defaced in the Beeldenstorm. in Europe in the 16th century. During these spates of iconoclasm, Catholic art and many forms of church fittings and decoration were destroyed in unofficial or mob actions by nominally Calvinist Protestant crowds as part of the Protestant Reformation. Most of the destruction was of art in churches and public places. The Dutch term specifically refers to the wave of disorderly attacks in the summer of 1566 that spread rapidly through the Low Countries from south to north, but similar outbreaks of iconoclasm took place in other parts of Europe, especially in Switzerland and the Holy Roman Empire in the period between 1522 and 1566, notably Zà ¼rich (in 1523), Copenhagen (1530), Mà ¼nster (1534), Geneva (1535), and Augsburg (1537). In England there was both government-sponsored removal of images and also spontaneous attacks from 1535 onwards, and in Scotland from 1559.[2] In France there were several outbreaks as part of the French Wars of Religion from 1560 onwards. â€Å" I’ve never had anything of such significance been broken of mine.

Night World : Dark Angel Chapter 15

Melusine was watching her. â€Å"You're strong. I think you can do it, daughter of Hellewise.† â€Å"I'm not strong. I'm scared.† â€Å"I think it may be possible to be both,† Melusine said wryly. â€Å"But, Gillian? If you do get through it, please come back. I want to talk to you about some things. About the Night World-and about something called Circle Daybreak.† The way she said it alarmed Gillian. â€Å"Is it important?† â€Å"It could be very important to you, a witch with human ancestors and surrounded by humans.† â€Å"Okay. I'll come back-if.† Gillian glanced once around the shop. Maybe there was some sort of talisman or something she should take†¦ But she knew she was just stalling. If there were anything helpful, Melusine would have already given it to her. There was nothing left to do now but go. â€Å"Good luck,† Melusine said, and Gillian marched to the door. Not that she had any particular idea where she was going. She was almost at the creaky front door of the Five and Ten when she heard Melusine calling. â€Å"I forgot to mention one thing. Whoever your ‘Angel' was, he was probably from this general area. Earthbound spirits usually hang around the place they died. Although that's probably not much help.† Gillian stood still, blinking. â€Å"No †¦ no, it w helpful. It's great. It's given me an idea.† She turned and went through the door without really seeing it, stepped out into the square without really hearing the piped-in Christmas music. At least I've got a place to go now, she thought. She drove south, back toward Somerset, then took a winding road eastward into the hills. As she rounded a gentle curve she saw the cemetery spread out beneath her. It was a very old graveyard, but still popular. Steeped in tradition, but with plenty of room. Grandpa Trevor was buried in the newer section, but there were ancient tombstones on the wooded hill. If she had a chance of finding Angel, it might be here. The only way to the older section was up a wooden staircase held in place by railway ties. Gillian climbed it cautiously, holding the handrail. Then she stood at the top and looked around, trying not to shiver. She was among tall sycamores and oaks which seemed to stretch black bony fingers in every direction. The sun was falling lower in the sky and long shadows tinged with lavender were reaching out from the trees. Gillian braced herself. And then, as loudly as she could, she yelled. â€Å"Come on, you! You know what I want!† Silence. Gillian refused to feel foolish. Gloved hands tucked under her arms, she shouted into the stillness. â€Å"I know you can hear me! I know you're out there! The question is, are you in here?† She kicked a foot toward a snow-covered sandstone marker. Because of course there was nothing she could do here on her own. The only way to get the information she needed, about who Angel had been in his earthly life and what he'd done or left undone, was from Angel himself. Nobody else could tell her. â€Å"Is this you?† Gillian scraped snow from a granite gravestone and read the words. † ‘Thomas Ewing, 1775, Who bled and Dyed for Liberty.' Were you Thomas Ewing?† The ice-coated twigs of the tree above her clashed together in the rising wind. It made a sound like a crystal chandelier. â€Å"No, he sounds too brave. And you're obviously just a coward.† She scraped some other stones. â€Å"Hey, maybe you were William Case. ‘Cut down in the flower of Youth by falling from the Stagecoach.' That sounds more like you. Were you William Case?† (Are you all finished singing?) Gillian froze. (Because I've got one for you.) The voice in her head began to sing raucously. Eerily. (The Pha-a-antom of the Opera is here, inside your mind†¦) â€Å"Oh, come on, Angel. You can do better than that. And why aren't you letting me see you? Too scared to meet me face to face?† A light shimmered over the snow-a beautiful pale golden light that rippled like silk. It grew, it took on a shape. And then Angel was standing there. Not floating. His feet actually seemed to touch the snow. He looked-terrific. Haunting and beautiful in the gathering twilight. But his beauty was only frightening now. Gillian knew what was underneath it. â€Å"Hi there,† she almost whispered. â€Å"I guess you know what I'm here to talk about.† â€Å"Don't know and don't care. Should you be out here alone, anyway? Does anybody know where you are?† Gillian positioned herself in front of him. She looked directly into eyes that were as violet and darkly luminous as the sky. â€Å"I know what you are,† she said, holding those eyes, giving every word equal weight. â€Å"Not an angel. Not a devil. You're just a person. Just like me.† â€Å"Wrong.† â€Å"You've got the same feelings as any other person. And you can't be happy being where you are. Nobody could. You can't want to be stuck there. If I were dead, I'd hate it.† The last words came out with a force that surprised even Gillian. Angel looked away. An advantage. Gillian leapt in. â€Å"Hate it,† she repeated. â€Å"Just hanging around, getting stagnant, watching other people living their lives. Being nothing, doing nothing-unless it's to make a little trouble for people on earth. What kind of a life is tha-† She broke off, realizing her mistake. He was grinning maliciously, recovering. â€Å"No life!† â€Å"All right, what kind of existence, then,† Gillian said coldly. â€Å"You know what I mean. It stinks. Angel. It's putrid. It's disgusting.† A spasm crossed Angel's face. He whirled away from her. And for the first time since Gillian had seen him, she saw agitation in him. He was actually pacing, moving like a caged animal. And his hair-it seemed to be ruffled by some unseen wind. Gillian pressed her advantage. â€Å"It's about as good as being under there.† She kicked at the dead weeds over a grave. He whirled back, and his eyes were unnaturally bright. â€Å"But I am under there, Gillian.† For a moment, her skin prickled so that she couldn't speak. She had to force herself to say steadily, â€Å"Under that one?† â€Å"No. But I'll show you where. Would you like that?† He made a grand gesture, inviting her down the stairs. Gillian hesitated, then went, knowing he was behind her. Her heart was pumping wildly. This was almost like a physical contest between them-a contest to see who could upset the other more. But she had to do it. She had to make a connection with him. To reach into his anger and frustration and despair and somehow drag answers out of it. And it was a contest. A contest of wills. Who could shout louder, who could be more merciless. Who could hold on. The prize was Angel's soul. She nearly tripped at the bottom of the stairs. It was too dark to see her footing. She noticed, almost absently, that it was getting very cold. Something like an icy wind went past her-and there was light in front of her. Angel was walking there, not leaving any footprints in the snow. Gillian staggered after him. They were heading for the newer section of the cemetery. Past it. Into the very new section. â€Å"Here.† Angel said. He turned. His eyes were glittering. He was standing behind a gravestone and his own light illuminated it. Chills washed over Gillian. This was what she had asked for, it was exactly what she had asked for. But it still made the hair on her neck stand on end. He was under here. Right here. Beneath the ground. The body of the person she'd loved and trusted†¦ whose voice had been the last thing she'd heard at night and the first thing each morning. He was under here in some kind of box, unless maybe that had rotted. And he wasn't smiling and golden-haired and handsome. And she was going to find out his name from a stone. â€Å"I'm here, Gillian,† Angel said ghoulishly, leaning over the granite marker, resting his elbows on it. â€Å"Come up and say hello.† He was smiling, but his eyes looked as if he hated her. Wild and reckless and bitter. Capable of anything. And somehow, the sick horror that had been sweeping through Gillian disappeared. Her eyes were full, spilling over. The tears froze on her cheeks. She brushed at them absently and knelt beside the grave, not on it. She didn't look at Angel. She put her hands together for just a moment and bent her head. It was a wordless prayer to whatever Power might be out there. Then she took off her glove and gently scraped snow away from the marker with her bare hand. It was a simple granite headstone with a scrolled top. It read â€Å"In loving memory. Our son. Gary Fargeon.† â€Å"Gary Fargeon,† Gillian said softly. She looked up at the figure leaning over the stone. â€Å"Gary.† He gave a mocking laugh, but it sounded forced. â€Å"Nice to meet you. I was from Sterback; we were practically neighbors.† Gillian looked back down. The date of birth was eighteen years ago. And the date of death was the previous year. â€Å"You died last year. And you were only seventeen.† â€Å"I had a little car crash,† he said. â€Å"I was extremely drunk.† He laughed again, wildly. Gillian sat back on her heels. â€Å"Oh, really. Well, that was brilliant,† she whispered. â€Å"What's life?† He bared his teeth. † ‘Out, out, brief candle'-or something like that.† Gillian refused to be distracted. â€Å"Is that what you did?† she asked quietly. â€Å"Got yourself killed? Is that unfinished business somehow?† â€Å"Wouldn't you like to know?† he said. Okay, retreat. He wasn't ready yet. Maybe try some feminine wiles. â€Å"I just thought you trusted me-Angel. I thought we were supposed to be soulmates †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"But by now you know we aren't, don't you? Because you found your real love-that jerk.† Gary turned up the brilliance of his smile. â€Å"But even if we're not soulmates, we are connected, you know. We're cousins. Distant, but the bond is there.† Gillian's hands fell to her sides. She stared up at him. Lights were going on in her brain, but she wasn't quite sure what they illuminated yet. The strangest thing was that she wasn't entirely surprised. â€Å"Didn't you ever wonder why we both have the same color eyes?† He stared down at her. Although everything was dark around him, his eyes were like violet flame. â€Å"I mean it isn't exactly common. Your great-grandmother Elspeth had these eyes. So did her twin brother, Emmeth.† Twins. Of course. The lost Harman babies, Melusine had said. Elspeth and Emmeth. â€Å"And you're†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He smirked. â€Å"I'm Emmeth's great-grandson.† Now Gillian could see what her mind was trying to illuminate. Her thoughts were racing. â€Å"You're a witch, too. That was why you knew how to do the spells and things. But how did you figure out what you were?† â€Å"Some idiots from Circle Daybreak came,† Gary said. â€Å"They were looking for lost witches. They'd managed to track Emmeth's descendants down. They told me enough that I understood what kind of powers I had. And then-I told them to get lost themselves.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"They were jerks. All they care about is getting humans and Night People together. But I knew the Night World was the place for rne. Humans deserve what they get.† Gillian stood. Her fingers were getting red and swollen. She tried to pull her glove back on. â€Å"Gary, you are a human. At least part. Just like I am.† â€Å"No. We're superior to them. We're special-â€Å" â€Å"We are not special. We're no better than anyone else!† Gary was grinning unpleasantly, breathing quickly. â€Å"You're wrong there. The Night People are supposed to be hunters. There are even laws that say so.† A chill that had nothing to do with the wind went through Gillian. â€Å"Oh, really?† Then she had another thought. â€Å"Is that why you made me go to that club? So they could hunt me?† â€Å"No, you idiot!† Gary's eyes flashed. â€Å"I told you-you're one of them. I just wanted you to realize that. You could have stayed, been part of them-â€Å" â€Å"But why?† â€Å"So you would be like me!† The wind was gusting wildly again. Frozen tree branches creaked like creatures in pain. â€Å"But why?† â€Å"So you could come be with me. So we could be together. Forever. If you joined them, you wouldn't have gone on to the Other Side-â€Å" â€Å"When I died! You wanted me dead.† Gary looked confused. â€Å"That was just at first-† Gillian was angry now. Yelling. â€Å"You planned the whole thing! You lured me. Didn't you? Didn't you? That crying I heard in the woods-that was you, wasn't it?† â€Å"Everything you did was designed to kill me! Just so you'd have company!† â€Å"I was lonely!† The words seemed to hang and echo. Then Gary's eyes darkened and he turned away. â€Å"I was so lonely,† he said again, and there was something so hopeless in his voice that Gillian stepped toward him. â€Å"Anyway, I didn't do it,† he said over his shoulder. â€Å"I changed my mind. I thought I could come live with you here-â€Å" â€Å"By killing David and taking his body. Yeah. Great plan.† He didn't move. Helplessly, Gillian reached out a hand. It passed right through his shoulder. She looked at the hand, then said quietly, â€Å"Gary, tell me what you did. What the unfinished business is.† â€Å"So you can try to send me on.† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"But what if I don't want to go on?† â€Å"You have to!† Gillian clenched her teeth. â€Å"You don't belong here, Gary! This isn't your place anymore! And there's nothing you can do here, except†¦ except evil.† She stopped, breathing hard. He turned, and she saw the wild look again. â€Å"Maybe that's what I like to- do.† â€Å"You don't understand. I'm not going to let you. I'm not going to stop or give up. I'll do whatever it takes to make you move on.† â€Å"But maybe you won't have the chance.† A blast of wind. And something else. Stinging granules that struck Gillian's face like tiny needles. â€Å"What if there's a blizzard tonight?† â€Å"Gary, stop it!† The gale buffeted her. â€Å"A freak storm. Something nobody expected.† â€Å"Gary†¦Ã¢â‚¬  It was very dark-the moon and stars had been blotted out. But Gillian could see a driving, swirling whiteness. Her teeth were chattering and her face was numb. â€Å"And what if Amy's car won't start? If something went wrong with the engine †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Don't do this! Gary!† She couldn't see him now. His light was gone, swallowed in the storm. Snow slashed her face. â€Å"Nobody knows where you are, do they? That wasn't very smart, dragonfly. Maybe you need somebody to look after you, after all.† Gillian gasped, open-mouthed, for breath. She tried to take a step and the wind thrust her against something hard. A tombstone. This was what she'd been afraid of. That her angel would turn against her, try to destroy her. But now that it was happening, she found that she knew what to do. Gary's voice came out of the gale. â€Å"What if I just go away and leave you for a little while?† Gillian's eyes were watering, the tears freezing on her lashes. It was hard to get a breath. But she gathered herself, hanging on to the tombstone, and yelled. â€Å"You won't! You know you won't-â€Å" â€Å"How can I know?† She answered with a question, shouting over the wind. â€Å"Why didn't you kill David?† Her only answer was the howling gale. Gillian's sight was dimming. The cold hurt. She tried to ding on to the tombstone, but her hands were numb. â€Å"You couldn't do it, Gary! You couldn't kill someone! When it came right down to it, you couldn't! And that's how I know.† She waited. At first she thought that she'd been wrong. That he'd left her alone in the storm. Then she realized the wind was dying. The curtains of snow were thinning. Stopping. A light formed in the empty air. Angel-no, Gary-was standing there. She could see him clearly. She could even see what was in his eyes. Bitterness. Anger. But something like a plea, too. â€Å"But I did, Gillian. That's exactly what I did. I killed someone.† Gillian took a breath that started out quick and ended long. Oh. Oh †¦ that was bad. But there might have been some justification. A fight. Self-defense. She said quietly, â€Å"Who?† â€Å"Can't you guess? Paula Belizer.†