Succubus on Top CHAPTER 5

I jerked my head away from him. â€Å"What?† Bastien didn't miss a beat, obviously amused by my reaction. â€Å"You heard me. We're going to break in. I overheard Bill saying the whole family would be out the night after next.† â€Å"And pray tell, how are we going to lead her to scandal through violating her home? By proving to the world that her security system isn't as good as she thought it was?† He laughed. â€Å"No, by rifling through her paperwork and finding some sort of incriminating evidence. Money laundered from the CPFV. Illegal means of carrying out the group's goals. Maybe even love letters from the infamous pool boy. You know there's got to be something.† â€Å"Bastien, this is – â€Å" â€Å"Ingenious?† â€Å"Ridiculous. Even for us.† â€Å"Hardly. Like I said, it's a backup plan. Probably not even necessary, since I suspect she's probably in the shower right now masturbating to fantasies of me.† â€Å"Yeah, she sure looked like it back there,† I said nastily. â€Å"More likely she's sanitizing her pool after my defilement of it. Well, backup or no, you're going to have to do this break-in on your own. â€Å" â€Å"Come on! We'll bein visible. Nothing to lose.† â€Å"That's not the point. The point is I don't do this kind of thing.† â€Å"We're agents of evil. We lead innocents into temptation and suck away their life. How is breaking and entering that much of a leap?† I tightened my lips and shook my head. â€Å"I thought those broadcasts pissed you off. Don't you want to see her fall?† â€Å"Not enough, apparently.† He fixed me with a sharp stare. â€Å"Did you know that the CPFV recently kicked out a woman for leaving her husband? He had been beating her incessantly – sent her to the hospital twice. When she finally got the nerve to walk out on him, Dana condemned her for violating the sanctity of marriage. Said the woman hadn't tried hard enough to make things work.† I groaned. â€Å"Don't tell me this stuff.† â€Å"So are you in or out?† â€Å"You sure are pushy, you know that?† He kissed my cheek and hugged me. â€Å"I learned from the best.† I went to Doug's concert the following night, showing up about halfway through the opening act's set. I found several of the bookstore staff occupying a corner but saw no sign of Seth yet. Part of me regretted the whole separate-arrival mandate, but then I remembered the part in Seth's story where Genevieve had spanked O'Neill. Suddenly I didn't feel so bad anymore. While waiting at the bar for a vodka gimlet, a familiar shape slid up next to me. â€Å"Hey, hey, pretty lady.† I flashed a smile at Doug's bass player, Corey. â€Å"Hey yourself. You guys ready for this? You're in the big time now.† He returned my smile, eyes alight. Intimidating and fierce looking, he wore a lot of black and had piercings everywhere. He was also one of the nicest guys I knew. â€Å"Hell yeah, we are. We were born for this night. This is the night that's going to define our existence! The night that's going to define existence for everyone in this room!† He extended his hands over his head and whooped with delight, emitting something like a cross between Tarzan and a B movie Apache chief. The silvery glitter of those piercings added to his savage persona. He was as exuberant as Doug had been the other day. Maybe more so. As much as I wanted to see the band succeed, there was no telling what true fame would do to them. They'd be bouncing off the walls. Setting things on fire. When I got the gimlet, Corey tugged at my arm. â€Å"Come on. I'll give you a sneak peek backstage. You can say hi to Doug.† I glanced back at the corner, saw no sign of Seth, and followed him. In the dressing room, the rest of the band was in similar form. They all knew me and cheered my arrival, holding up their drinks in a giddy salute. Doug was dressed in a spectacularly gaudy manner, sporting black spandex biker shorts, a Thundercats shirt Seth would have envied, and a sweeping red velour cape. His shoulder-length black hair was tied back in a sleek ponytail. He scooped me up as I entered, hoisting me so that I nearly sat on his shoulder. Min, the group's saxophonist, waved the instrument over his head in barbaric approval at my capture as Doug roared a cry of victory. â€Å"Here she is! Kin-fucking-caid! You ready to rock, babe?† â€Å"I'm ready to dump this drink on your head. Put me down. â€Å" Doug laughed and eased me down to the floor. I stumbled a bit but not from being set down. It was here again. That weird tingling feeling I'd felt with Doug in our office. Only this time, it was stronger. Much stronger. It pulsed around me, almost making me squirm. I peered around stupidly, trying to figure out where it came from, but it was impossible to tell. The sensation was everywhere, an abrasive vibration singing through the air that only I seemed affected by. Wyatt, a redheaded guitarist, grinned at me. â€Å"How much have you been drinking out there? You look a little glazed over. â€Å" â€Å"Starry-eyed's more like it,† said Doug, teasing. â€Å"Not every day a girl can be around this much sexy action, huh?† â€Å"Whatever. I think her sexiness is a little more lethal than ours,† Wyatt said. He gently turned me around. â€Å"You met Alec yet?† The new drummer, presumably. He stepped forward and bowed before me with a flourish, just as goofily wound up as the rest. He was a little younger than they were, a bit lanky, and had fading blue streaks in his blond hair. He seemed only slightly less keyed up. Still clueless about what was making me feel so weird, I attempted to push it out of my mind and offer Alec a normal smile. â€Å"Hi,† I said. â€Å"You sure you want to hang with this group of misfits?† â€Å"I've seen worse.† â€Å"In an asylum?† He laughed and nodded at my drink. â€Å"What are you having?† â€Å"Vodka gimlet.† â€Å"Nice choice,† he said coolly, though I suspected he'd probably never heard of one before. There was a total look of fumbling inexperience about him. â€Å"Order your next one on me. Tell the bartender to put it on my tab.† I worked hard to keep a straight face. He was attempting suave movie-star lines, but they lost some of their effectiveness coming from someone who was barely old enough to drink himself. He probably hoped Wyatt's earlier assessment of my inebriation was accurate. â€Å"Hey,† said Doug, grabbing hold of me. â€Å"Stop flirting with my Groupie Queen. Only when you can snatch the fly with the chopsticks, Grasshopper, can you accumulate the groupies. For now, the student must leave the groupies to the master. â€Å" Doug marched me around the room in a – very bad – mock tango. The jerking motion, combined with that grating buzzing in the air, made me lightheaded. â€Å"Is the rest of the gang out there?† â€Å"Waiting with bated breath,† I promised. I cocked my head at him. â€Å"Shouldn't you be a little more nervous than this?† â€Å"Sure. If I had anything to be nervous about. Which I don't.† I felt just as astonished now as I had at work. Doug knew his own talent, but I'd seen him before shows in the past. While always joking and in a good mood, there had been a nervousness to him before, a private sort of ruminating while he mentally braced himself to put on the best show he could. I knew he'd said the band had hit some sort of peak recently, but the change was dramatic, to say the least. After a few more jokes and sexual innuendoes, I finally left them. Just like that, the discordant feeling disappeared as soon as I cleared the door. It was like breathing fresh air after a sandstorm. Glancing behind me, I stared into the room, trying to find any indication of what had just happened. Nothing revealed itself. The band had forgotten me already. They were laughing at something else, drinking their beer or pop or whatever, and roughhousing in what must have been some male tension-reliever. Puzzled, I walked away. Seth had joined the others when I finally made my way back to the main floor. I felt a smile creeping up on me in spite of my concerns. His hair was as unkempt as ever, and he wore a Thundercats shirt. â€Å"Hey,† I said when I saw him, conscious that everyone was watching us, apparently waiting for me to pull out my handcuffs. â€Å"Hey,† he returned, hands casually in his pockets, posture relaxed and easy like always. â€Å"You know, Doug's wearing a shirt very similar to that.† â€Å"I know. I lent it to him.† We all shared a good laugh over that, and Beth turned to me. â€Å"You saw Doug? Is he ready for this?† â€Å"The question, actually,† I told them with a small frown, â€Å"is ‘Is the world ready for Doug?'† A half hour later, they saw what I meant. Nocturnal Admission burst onto the stage, and suddenly all that pent-up energy and enthusiasm was channeled into their music. Like I'd told Doug, I'd long been a fan of the group. Their style combined hard rock with a bit of ska, and the fusion always hooked me. After centuries filled with repetition, innovation was a treat. They regularly performed with flair and passion, making them as much fun to watch as to listen to. My biased affection for Doug didn't hurt either. Tonight was unbelievable. All of their songs were new; I'd never heard any of them before. And Christ, what songs they were. Amazing. Incredible. Ten times better than the old ones – which I'd hitherto found hard to beat. I wondered when Doug had had time to compose these. He wrote most of their stuff, and I'd last seen them perform about a month and a half ago. He must have had help to write all of those in so short a time. I knew he usually took a while to compose one, refining lyrics over and over. He never treated the process lightly. And the performance itself†¦Well, Doug was always flamboyant; it was his trademark. Tonight, I swear, he never stopped moving. Pure energy in human form. He danced, he sauntered, he did cartwheels. His between-song monologues were hilarious. His singing voice surpassed anything I'd ever heard from him, rich and deep. It resonated in my body. The audience couldn't get enough. They loved him, and I understood why. No one, even the people who worked there, could take their eyes off the stage. Except one. There, along the far edges of the crowd, was a man casually making his way toward the exit. By his stride and apparent lack of interest, he didn't find Nocturnal Admission as compelling as the rest of us. While this was intriguing enough to draw my own gaze from the band, his attire struck me even more strongly. If GQ magazine had been around in the days of Victorian poets, he would have been their cover model. He wore beautifully tailored black slacks paired with a long, black coat, the tails of which almost touched the backs of his knees. Underneath the coat was a gorgeous, billowing white shirt that might have been silk. Whatever it was, it made me want to touch it and see how soft it was. Unlike Horatio, whose demonic wear had simply been out-of-date, this guy had taken the past and made it his own. His own hot historic couture. The kind the modern day â€Å"goth† movement so longed to achieve. He'd opened the first few buttons to reveal smooth, tanned skin. That skin tone paired with the glossy black hair that flowed halfway down his back made me think he must be of Middle Eastern or Indian descent. When he reached the door leading out, he paused and turned toward the stage, watching the band for a few moments. A small, pleased smile played along his lips, and then he was gone. Weird, I thought. I wondered who he was. Prospective agent maybe? Or perhaps just someone who didn't get down to this type of music. He had looked like the kind of guy who owned Chopin's complete works, after all. I considered the man for a few more moments, then turned back toward the stage. The group was taking a momentary reprieve from their new stash and doing a cover of one of my favorite Nine Inch Nails songs. Nothing like hearing Trent Reznor's lyrics paired with a saxophone. â€Å"I can't believe this,† I told Seth later, moving to the back of our group so I could stand near him. Our friends were so hypnotized by what was onstage that Seth and I could actually talk without drawing attention. â€Å"It's†¦unbelievable.† â€Å"That it is,† he agreed. â€Å"I take it this isn't the norm then?† â€Å"No. Absolutely not. But I hope it becomes the norm. Jesus.† We fell silent then, our eyes and ears drawn back to the band. As we watched, however, Seth rested his hand on my back in a friendly, innocent gesture that made me promptly lose interest in the music. And that was saying something. The shirt I wore was hardly a shirt at all. It was a glittering tunic type thing that covered the front of me only, then tied behind my neck and once below my shoulder blades, thus letting his fingers stroke bare, exposed skin. Less than a week ago, I'd been in a hotel room with a guy who'd massaged scented oil all over my body and then gone down on me in a way that left me gasping. And yet, I swear that didn't do as much for me as Seth's fingers on my bare skin did now. The rest of my body jolted to life, suddenly ravenous for more of him. When he trailed his fingertips down to my lower back, I could perfectly discern every place he had touched me and every place he hadn't, as though his fingers left scorch marks in my flesh. Magic fingers. Seductive fingers. My nerves pulsed hungrily, demanding I take action and give them more. When his hand finally came to rest by my tailbone, right at the edge of my jeans, I murmured, â€Å"You can go lower if you want. â€Å" â€Å"No,† he returned. His voice seemed huskier than usual, holding an unfamiliar intensity. But it was laced with wistfulness too. â€Å"I really can't.† The audience whooped and demanded an encore when the show ended, which the band was only too happy to give – multiple times. Talk about stamina. As I watched them wrap up the song and make their bows, an idea suddenly struck me. Excusing myself for the bathroom, I headed back in the direction of the dressing room. Once out of any passerby's eyesight, I turned invisible and slipped back into that room, still perplexed about that burning, crawling sensation. It was gone. Everything felt perfectly normal in the room. Jackets and instrument cases lay in unceremonious heaps on the floor, and empty red plastic cups vied with overflowing ashtrays to cover up other flat surfaces. I paced around slowly, peering in corners, looking for something – anything – that would explain what I had felt. And again, I came up empty-handed. All was quiet and still. No person or creature waited to leap out, though I was pretty sure what I'd felt hadn't come from anything living. Yet, it also hadn't resembled any charm or enchanted object I knew of either. If anything, that tingle had felt like something in the middle: half sentient, half not. But that made no sense. Returning to my friends, I saw them making preparations to leave. None of us could stop talking about the show. We separated and met up again at Doug's place for a post-show party he'd invited us to. I'd been to similar gigs of his but saw more people here than ever before. They packed the place. Alcohol and pot flowed like milk and honey, but I stopped after a couple shots since I had to open at work in the morning. Through the smoky, decadent haze, the band worked the crowd like they'd done this sort of PR all their lives. They talked to everyone, charismatic and outgoing, though never too proud or conceited. As this went on, Seth and I kept a respectable distance from each other in order to maintain the illusion we were nothing but friends. While I still believed that was a good idea, it sort of seemed like rubbing salt into open wounds. Bad enough we couldn't touch each other; now we couldn't talk either. Alec found me at some point, attempting to resume the conversation we'd been having when Doug spirited me away. The drummer handed me a plastic cup. â€Å"This guy over there knows how to make vodka gimlets,† he said happily. I sniffed the cup. It smelled like pure vodka. Probably a cheap kind at that. â€Å"Thanks,† I said, literally keeping it at arm's length. Alec leaned against a nearby wall, propping his elbow against it to create a more enclosed sense of space between us. â€Å"So, did you like the show?† â€Å"Yes. Absolutely. You guys were amazing.† His chest puffed up with pride. â€Å"Thanks. We've been working really hard. We've got some other big shows coming up soon – I hope you'll come see us.† â€Å"I will if I can. I seem to be working a lot lately.† â€Å"Over at that bookstore with Doug? I can't figure that out. Neither of you seem like that type. Especially you. You look like someone with a wild side. Someone who likes to party. â€Å" I kept my smile up and took a step back. â€Å"Sure. Just not on school nights, you know?† Ignoring what I thought were obvious â€Å"back off† signs, he took a step toward me with a smile he probably believed was seductive. His clumsy attempts at flirtation suddenly seemed less endearing. â€Å"Come on,† he laughed. â€Å"Call in sick tomorrow. I know somewhere†¦somewhere we could go if you really wanted to have a good time. A more intense scene than this.† â€Å"No. I can't. Sorry. Um, thanks for the drink, but I've got to go ask Doug†¦uh, something about work. I'll see you around.† Clear disappointment flashed across Alec's face at my rejection, but he didn't push the matter as I made a hasty retreat toward Doug. When I found him, he and I didn't really discuss work, but we hashed out a number of other amusing topics, made more so by his increasing intoxication and the fact that he really did now have an entourage of groupies. It looked like he'd be getting lucky after all. If he was still running on the same energy tonight, he'd probably keep a bunch of them happy. Finally, tired of the scene, I told him good-bye and found Seth on the other side of the room. Not surprisingly, he was by himself and not drinking. He'd been born without the small-talk gene, and I knew for a fact interacting with others at parties made him uncomfortable. I had teased him in the past that he might actually be pleasantly surprised if he just made an attempt at talking to new people. He wouldn't have any of it, however. He seemed fairly entertained by people-watching, eyes twinkling and lips quirked in a half-smile as if he were in on some kind of joke the rest of us didn't know about. I wouldn't have been surprised if he was logging all of this for future novels. â€Å"Hey,† I said. He brightened upon seeing me. The twinkling eyes took on a warm, knowing look. Something inside of me heated and tightened. â€Å"Hey.† â€Å"I'm ready to go. You want to come over to my place?† He deserved it after the way I'd neglected him tonight. â€Å"Sure.† We were discussing who would leave first when I looked across the room and saw Alec handing Casey a drink. She looked like she'd already had more than enough, and Alec was doing the same closing-in maneuver he'd tried on me. â€Å"What's wrong?† asked Seth, seeing my frown. â€Å"That new drummer. Alec. He hit on me earlier, and now he's moving in on Casey. I think he's one of those guys who thinks plying girls with liquor is the only way to get laid.† â€Å"Wait. I thought I was the only guy who knew that secret.† I chastised him with a dry look before turning back to Alec and Casey. â€Å"I don't like it. I don't like him thinking he can do that to women.† â€Å"You don't even know he's thinking that. Besides, look around. Every guy here is trying to get laid. Alcohol is par for the course. Casey's old enough to know that.† â€Å"I'm going to go over there.† Seth gave me a warning glance. â€Å"She won't thank you for playing mother hen.† â€Å"Better she's mad at me than does something stupid.† â€Å"Thetis, don't – â€Å" I'd already left him behind, weaving through the people as I honed in on my target. â€Å"†¦look like someone who likes to party,† Alec was saying as I approached. â€Å"Hey,† I said loudly, sort of wedging my way in between them. They both turned to me in surprise. â€Å"Hi, Georgina. What's up?† â€Å"I'm heading home,† I told her. â€Å"Wondered if you wanted a ride.† Casey smiled, glanced at Alec, then back to me. College-age, Casey was Hawaiian and Filipino, with high cheekbones and sleek black hair. Very pretty. â€Å"Thanks, but I'm gonna stay here for a while.† Alec looked very pleased with himself. I turned back to her. â€Å"Okay, but can I ask you something real quick, Case?† I smiled sweetly at Alec. â€Å"It'll just take a minute.† I steered her away, catching her as she stumbled. Closer inspection revealed she'd been indulging in more than just alcohol. â€Å"Casey,† I told her, once we were out of earshot, â€Å"I don't think you should be hanging around with him. â€Å" â€Å"Why not? He's a nice guy.† â€Å"I don't know about that. He just used the same pick-up lines on me. I think he's trying to get laid.† â€Å"Every guy here is trying to get laid. I know the game.† â€Å"Yeah, but – â€Å" â€Å"Look,† she said, â€Å"I appreciate the big sister thing, but I'm not stupid. I can handle this.† A mischievous look crossed her face. â€Å"Besides, I never would have thought you would be the one preaching sexual caution.† Like I didn't know what that was a reference to. Damn O'Neill's libido. I made a face and attempted a few more logical pleas. She rejected them all, indulgence soon giving way to annoyance. By then, Alec hadn't been able to control himself. He came back over and put a possessive arm around her. She looked up at him adoringly, and I knew a lost cause when I saw one. Seth and I met up back at my place, and he listened with admirable patience while I vented about men preying on women. â€Å"Isn't that what you do though?† We were sitting on my living-room floor, setting up a game of Scrabble. â€Å"I†¦no. It's not the same at all.† â€Å"How so?† He held my eyes for a moment, and I finally looked away. â€Å"It just isn't. Do you want to go first?† He let the matter drop. Another nice thing about being with a non confrontational guy. I quickly discovered playing Scrabble with Seth was like playing Monopoly with Jerome. A losing battle from the first turn. Admittedly, my knowledge of more than two dozen languages gave me a large vocabulary, but I didn't craft or manipulate words on a regular basis. Seth was a master. He could study the board, spend a minute calculating, and then play some word that was not only worth tons of points but interesting too. Maize. Hexagon. Tawdry. Bisque. That last one was just cruel. Meanwhile, I was spelling words like as, lit, ill, and tee. And almost never on high-point spaces. â€Å"Wait,† he said. â€Å"That's not a word.† I looked down to where, in a moment of desperation, I'd played zixic on a triple-word-score space. â€Å"Uh, sure it is.† â€Å"What's it mean?† â€Å"It's sort of like†¦quixotic, but with more†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Bullshit?† I laughed out loud. I'd never heard him swear before. â€Å"More zeal. Hence the z.† â€Å"Uh-huh. Use it in a sentence.† â€Å"Um†¦'You are a zixic writer.'† â€Å"I don't believe this.† â€Å"That you're zixic?† â€Å"That you're trying to cheat at Scrabble.† He leaned back against my couch, shaking his head. â€Å"I mean, I was ready to accept the whole evil thing, but this is kind of extreme. â€Å" â€Å"Hey, it's not cheating. Just because your limited vocabulary doesn't include this word doesn't mean there's anything sinister going on.† â€Å"Care to back that up with a dictionary?† â€Å"Hey,† I said haughtily, â€Å"I don't appreciate your zixistic tone.† â€Å"If you weren't such a zixy woman, I'd be angry.† â€Å"Your zixicism is infuriating.† The game forgotten, we spent the next twenty minutes coming up with as many zix variations as we could. Interestingly, it seemed to function just as well as a suffix as a prefix. I suspected that if Bastien had heard this conversation, I'd be accused of more boring geekiness. Seth and I finally went to bed on the verge of hysterics, both of us still giggling once we were wrapped up in my covers. â€Å"You smell good,† I told him, my face close to his neck. â€Å"What cologne is that?† He stifled a yawn. â€Å"I don't wear cologne. Too strong.† â€Å"You must.† I pressed my face closer. â€Å"Hey, be careful. You're giving me funny ideas.† He had skin and sweat smells unique to him and him alone, deliriously delicious. With that, however, was a faint scent of something else. Almost like apples, but not in a girly, boutique sort of way. It was fleeting and lovely, mingled with musk and soft leather. â€Å"No, it's something. You must. Is it your deodorant?† â€Å"Oh,† he mumbled, yawning again. â€Å"I bet it's this soap Andrea and Terry got me. Came as part of some set.† â€Å"Mmm. It's perfect.† It made me want to eat his neck – among other things. â€Å"You know, you still owe me pancakes. I think I could go for†¦apple cinnamon ones now. â€Å" â€Å"Apple cinnamon? You sure are demanding.† â€Å"It's all right. I think you're man enough for it.† â€Å"Thetis, if I actually believed you had either apples or cinnamon in your kitchen, I'd make them for you right now.† I didn't answer. I was pretty sure I had some year-old Apple Jacks, but that was about it. Seth gave a low laugh at my silence and then kissed my temple. â€Å"I don't know how anyone could think you were Genevieve. I couldn't make up someone like you in a thousand years.† I considered that, not entirely sure if it was a compliment or not. â€Å"How do you come up with your characters then?† He laughed again. â€Å"If I didn't know any better – and I'm sure I do – I'd say that sounds suspiciously like ‘Where do you get your ideas from?'† I blushed in the darkness. When he and I had first met, I'd taken a haughty high ground over that question, making fun of the fans that so often asked him that. â€Å"Hey, it's a totally different question.† I could sense his amusement as he contemplated an answer. Part of the reason he stumbled in conversation sometimes was because he didn't like to blurt things out. He chose his words carefully. â€Å"They come from my head, I guess. The stories too. They live there, screaming to get out. If I didn't write them down, they'd eat me up. Give me less of a grip on the real world than I already have.† â€Å"Not that I'm complaining†¦but, if there's so much inside, do you even need to care about the real world?† â€Å"Well, that's the paradox. The stories are born in my head, but my inner self is fueled by my outer self. Symbiotic relationship of sorts. The stories' ideas wouldn't come if I didn't have experiences to draw on. Jealousy. Love. Lust. Anger. Heartache. All that stuff.† Something pulled inside of me. â€Å"You had your heart broken much?† He paused. â€Å"Of course. Everyone does. Part of life.† â€Å"Tell me her name. I'll kick her ass. I don't want anyone hurting you.† He rested his face against my hair, his tone even and gentle when he spoke. â€Å"You're wondrous and powerful and gifted, but even you can't save me from hurting. No one can do that for anyone. I can make things perfect in the fictions I create, but the real world isn't so kind. That's just how it is. And anyway, for every bad thing in life, there are more good things to tip the balance.† â€Å"Like what?† â€Å"Like little blonde nieces. And royalty checks. And you.† I sighed and relaxed into him. His grip on me shifted into something more comfortable, and in a few minutes he was asleep. Amazing. I lay snuggled with him for a while, but sleep proved more elusive for me this time, as I turned over his words. I thought about someone breaking his heart and wondered if I'd be the next culprit, intentionally or otherwise. When sleep came, I immediately dropped into a steamy dream in which Seth and I were having mad, passionate sex. He'd tied my hands to my bedposts, and naturally, he was huge. Each thrust made my headboard bang against the wall, so much so that my neighbors complained. I woke up with a start, suddenly thinking being so entwined with him wasn't such a great idea. Of course, I was apparently the only one who had a problem with it. Seth slept on peacefully and heavily, like I wasn't even there, no doubt having properly chaste dreams. A paradigm of virtue and resolve. I watched him for a long time, admiring the way the soft lighting fell across his features. The fit muscles of his upper body. Eyelashes I wished I could have had as a mortal. Biting my lip, I resisted the urge to reach out and touch him. It was lust and something else, something that just wanted to be close to him. It scared me. Maybe he wasn't the only one who could walk away from this with a broken heart. I wiggled my own weak self away to the other side of the bed, putting what space I could between us. As I lay there, my back to him, Aubrey jumped up and lay next to my stomach. I stroked her black-speckled white head and sighed. â€Å"They were all wrong, Aub,† I whispered. â€Å"There's at least one guy in this world not trying to get laid.†

Ancient China Essay

Q1. How did China’s environment help a civilization to develop there? Because of the areas with a good climate and rich soil, China’s civilization was able to flourish. Although most of china is made up of mountains and deserts, there are some places like the river valleys with good climate and soil that is perfect for farming. These river valleys are formed by the Huang, Yangtze, and Xi Rivers. When they knew they could farm there, people began to settling along the Huang about 5000bc. They learned to make dikes and irrigation systems and started jobs like herding sheep and cattle. Sometimes, the dikes created would not be enough to hold the water, and the Huang would destroy towns and crops. The trials and rewards that the Huang River brought gave it its name, The River of Sorrows. Along with civilization came invasion. China’s civilization was invaded many times by nomads from Mongolia and Manchuria. But even if some of these invaders worked their way up to government, they kept the Chinese culture because it was so strong. Q2. What do we know of China’s first historic dynasty? The Shang Dynasty was China’s first historic dynasty. It began in the Huang River Valley at about 1500bc. They started off only ruling a small portion around the city of Anyang, but even though they didn’t rule certain places, they still promised to fight against all invaders. They had bronze weapons and chariots to help in battle. They slowly gained more power as the population grew, and by 1200bc, the Shang rulers became great. Q3. How was China governed during the Zhou Dynasty? The Zhou Dynasty began at about 1027bc and because of their strong dynasty, they ruled for 800 years. They took over the Shang Dynasty with the help of a few Chinese city-states whose leaders where very powerful, so the ruled their city-states independently. The Zhou Dynasty weakened because of small wars within kingdoms. By 400s bc the Zhou Dynasty was so weak the only ruled over their own city state. These years of weakening were called the Years of the Warring States. China’s government developed the Mandate of Heaven which said that each dynasty would have their own government. A dynasty could rule only as long as it kept its mandate. When a dynasty’s mandate was taken by the gods, the new ruler would have to defeat the old to begin his own dynasty.

The four most significant concepts learn in HRM 6603 Research Paper

The four most significant concepts learn in HRM 6603 - Research Paper Example Under this situation it is important to introduce a legal framework to bind the activities of the employees within the organization and to increase their productivity in work. Feedbacks and evaluation of performance from time to time is very essential to keep the human resources on their toes. The compensation of the employee reflects his value to an organization and hence this is another aspect within the jurisdiction of the human resource management. The paper highlights these four concepts, strategic HRM, Performance management system, legal framework and compensation. Strategic HRM Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) can be recognized as one of the most empowering and significant ideas to have emerged in the trade management field for the last quarter of the century. Policy makers of state levels have long been arguing about the thought regarding conceptualizing promotion of â€Å"high performance workplaces† and â€Å"human capital management†. (Greame, Stor ey, Billsberry, 2005, pp.1-2). SHRM can be regarded as a process of linking human resources with strategic aims in a bid to substantially perk up business- related performance and grow a unique organizational culture that initiates innovation, flexibility and competitive gains. SHRM provides path to building the basis of a long term strategic advantage by creation of effective organizational skill structures and mechanisms, culture, value proposition of the available human resources, a proper communication strategy and preparing an efficient team trained for ups and downs which include mergers and acquisitions. In a more descriptive and theoretical light, strategic management is like a cycle wherein various activities are constantly taking place and are dependent upon one another. This cycle can be sub categorized into five steps: 1. Goals and mission: The first step of a strategic management model initiates with senior managers of an organization evaluating their current position i n relation to the current missions and goals of the organization. Mission explains the values and aspirations of the organization; it is the organization’s main motive and indicates the future directions of the senior management levels. Goals are the desired end results sought through the outcome of the operating methods of the organization and are described mainly in short- run perspectives (Bratton, n.d., pp.40-41).     Ã‚  Ã‚   2. Analysis of environment: It looks at the internal strengths and weaknesses of the organization and looks for external threats and opportunities. The most crucial factors to an organization’s future is referred to as strategic factors  summarized by the acronym SWOT-Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats (Bratton, n.d., p.40) 3. Formulation of strategy: This involves evaluation of the interaction between strategic factors and formulating strategic choices to lead the managers to achieve organizational goals (Bratton, n.d., p.41 ). 4. Strategy implementation: This area of activity focuses on techniques implemented by the managers to execute their strategies. It mainly deals with the organizational formation, leadership styles, information-control systems and human resource management, leadership being the most difficult part of implementation (Bratton, n.d., p.41). 5. Evaluation of the implemented strategy: This activity helps determine the extent of real performance and change matching the desired

Government role in a market economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Government role in a market economy - Essay Example The need of the hour is to have a proper system in place which shall form the basis of immense success for the sake of the organization and hence the government of the land needs to play its quintessential role nonetheless. Moving ahead with the debate, how the government comes into the equation is an interesting debate. This is because the government is usually held responsible for all the actions and undertakings that are being taken on the national level, and thus the brunt is dropped on its head whenever there are serious issues that come to the surface (Rao, 1998). How the government copes with the pressure that is exerted upon it is something that must be understood within the related settings. Proper arrangements should be made to guarantee that these are followed by the organizations within the country, and that success comes about in full circle within the related aegis. The government must give subsidies, lower the taxes and provide relief in different forms – all of which should embody the basis of attaining harmony within a free market economy. ... hat the negativities with regards to the free market structures are taken care of, and if there still exist any further problems, the same are handled in an amicable way. This will resolve the ambiguities that exist within the related fore as well as take care of the free market economic realms in the long run. The government makes sure that the ant-trust laws are reinforced and thus the promulgation of the same would mean success for the sake of the organization in the long run. It would also mean that the government plays its significant part within the protecting of property rights for the free market economic domains and realizes its due role within making the market a freely accessible one. This highlights the proactive role of the government and how it would delve deep into building trust and credibility within its related regimes. The government provides a stable fiscal and monetary environment which shall bring a lot of respect for the government in the long range but what it will really do is to encourage the stakeholders to give in their best time and time again. The political stability is preserved if the government realizes its role towards building the free market scenarios which are indeed something that can go down well within the organizational and indeed the industrial concerns. The role of the free market economic stakeholders is directly dependent on how the government shapes up its own self. If the government realizes its responsibility towards building the economic undertakings, then this would that it is playing its part in a very proactive fashion. However, when this does not happen, there are bound to be serious irregularities. What is most important is to know that such measures would mean failure of the economic undertakings that exist within

One flew over the cuckoo's nest Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

One flew over the cuckoo's nest - Movie Review Example Very much calm and controlled, she runs the ward in a tyrannical fashion and with mechanical precision. Without direct threats or accusations, her authoritative manner bullies all the patients into submission. Her own name is a combination of the words "rat" and "wretched" (H.J. Summers and S. Summers, 2003). In spite of what one would expect, Mc Murphy's charisma and energy win the respect and admiration of the patients in the ward. He fits well within the ward's environment and his presence causes some of the patients to show improvement; for example, he involves the Chief in a basketball game, other patients in card games and takes them all on a fishing trip. However, he soon becomes aware of the injustices and mistreatment they are the subject of and starts a personal battle. The incident regarding the use of the television to watch the World Series is a good example of this. One night, McMurphy organizes a party involving the patients, a couple of women and alcohol. During the party, McMurphy notices that Billy likes one of his female friends and he asks her to sleep with him. In the morning, nurse Ratched finds the ward in a mess with the patients sleeping all over the place after passing out from alcohol consumption. When they perform a head count, the nurses find Billy with the woman in his room. Nurse Ratched confronts him and humiliates him once more. The argument causes Billy to commit suicide. At this point, McMurphy physically attacks nurse Ratched and is close to murdering her. The reprisal is terrible: a lobotomy1 that leaves McMurphy severely disabled. When McMurphy is returned to the ward, the Chief realizes that they will not be escaping together now and, as he does not want to leave his friend behind in that state, he suffocates him with a pillow. The closing scene shows how the Chief followed the plan that McMurphy had proposed, throws a hydrotherapy fountain through a window and runs away in the search of freedom. The movie is a fantastic attempt to encourage debate about insanity. Psychology had gone through a very prestigious phase in the USA at the end of the 1950s; but, by the 1960s, this notion had changed radically. Philosophers and sociologists argued that the modern definition of insanity is a cultural invention and a means of control. In this manner, individuals branded as "mad" or "insane" were isolated from society and secluded into asylums, where they no longer posed a threat for society (K. Kesey, 2002). 2. ANALYSIS Randle Patrick McMurphy and Mildred Ratched are the main characters of the movie. In fact, the plot is a series of confrontations between the two characters. McMurphy is a criminal that seeking to "enjoy" his sentence in comfort, feigns lunacy in order to be admitted into a mental asylum. He is a fun-loving individual, a free spirit that challenges authority and resents any form of control. He is intelligent, flamboyant and energetic. Interestingly, he is described by members of the establishment as belligerent, resentful and lazy. In conversation with

Virtual learning environments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Virtual learning environments - Essay Example However, the long run is equally important, because the students are being prepared for it. This is where losses are experienced. To the administrator, the environment may shorten the processes. However, to some others, pressure is experienced in this kind of an environment. While at it, the way forward is to improve the environment so that there is efficiency in the learning environment. Table of Contents Understanding the Virtual Learning Environment 5 The Virtual Learning Environment as a Walled Garden 7 Conclusion 12 Introduction Technology has in many ways changed everyone’s lifestyle. According to Brown & Adler, (2008, p.16-32) the approach people have to life and the means in which given tasks are accomplished has completely changed. The education system has experienced this change, by the introduction of the concept of virtual learning environment. Virtual Learning Environment is a learning experience where students use the web to access academic resources for example class work, various tests, homework among others (Friedman 2005, p.123-125). It is also referred to as Learning Management System When Virtual Learning Environment was first introduced in the learning institution in 1990’s, a wave of pessimism met the concept (Bush & Mott 2009, p.3-20). Lecturers doubted their ability to use the environment. Students on the other hand were limited on the resources necessary to facilitate the environment (Friedman 2005, p.123-125). The concept looked as though it was something that would enable the teachers to evade administration processes. It looked like something in the mirage, probably to be conceived in the minds of many generations to come. However, Sener (1996, p.19-23) explains that technology has a way of making anything attainable, due to its dynamic nature. There are two forms in which virtual learning environment can take place (Gillmor 2006, p. 1-5). Firstly, it can take the form of synchronous learning. In this case, the teacher gives classes live from the web through tools such as power point videos or chatting. Both the teachers and the students are able to interact as they share their views on a given topic. The second aspect of virtual learning environment is that of asynchronous learning. This is also referred to as self spaced method of learning (Holden 1994, p.70-71). The students here are given a chance to act independently, and do the normal class-work. They are also expected to meet certain deadlines, which require commitment to the given tasks. New and better concepts are introduced everyday into the virtual learning environments to attain efficiency and effectiveness in the targeted areas (Friedman 2005, p.123-125). The idea is not limited to a certain location, or done in a specific way. Rather, the idea is flexible, allowing many students to access the information they need in their studies. There is also a shift from the centralization of the concept from the professional teacher. Today, the concept allows for interaction between students and their teachers, and amongst the fellow students. Several tools are used by teachers and students in the web learning. These include: social networks, blogs, wikis, and media sharing among others. Virtual learning environment was first fully embraced in the universities. The concept today has evolved to include all learning

The History of Nuclear Power Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The History of Nuclear Power - Research Paper Example As a general rule, most of these crucial factors actually denote natural phenomena, whether discovered by sheer chance or due to meticulous research, possessing enormous potential for both destruction and creation; while others appear a genuinely human invention. Notwithstanding their origin, however, the way these factors have been mastered and harnessed to humanity’s advantage reflects the very human nature to test, to observe, and to dream (US Department of Energy/US DOE/, n.d.). Having played their crucial part in the development of Egypt’s ancient societies – the Old, Middle and New Kingdoms – the Nile River annual floods could be considered, beyond any doubt, one of the above-mentioned core phenomena; while the institution of slavery in ancient Rome brought about that little-known settlement on the River Tiber to be transformed into the hub of the then world. Without the driving force of spice trade in medieval times, there might have not come about the Age of Discovery, and neither would the Industrial Revolution without the steam engine. In turn, the commercial drilling for petroleum, which had started at some point in the mid-nineteenth century, not only drove the world into the modernity, but also became the mainspring of present-day geopolitics of the world. The late 1890s, however, witnessed the discovery of a natural phenomenon, which have been given the name ‘radioactivity’ by Marie and Pierre Curie, and later defined by Ernest Rutherford as a spontaneous event emitting alpha or beta particles from the atomic nuclei, and creating a different element (World Nuclear Association /WNA/, 2010). The consequent exploration of this phenomenon had involved many scientists from different countries across the world – from Niels Bohr, Frederick Soddy, James Chadwick, and Enrico Fermi, to Otto Frisch, etc. – and produced major breakthroughs, including the discovery of radionuclides and neutron, as well as the experimental conformation of Albert Einstein’s concept of mass-energy equivalence (WNA, 2010). Exploration of the Atom The idea that invisible particles constitute all matter in the universe is being first developed by ancient Greek philosophers (US DOE, n.d.). The name of those particles – atoms – comes from one of the meanings of the Greek word (atomos), or indivisible (US DOE, n.d.; Liddell and Scott, 1940). This idea reigned supreme at least until the late eighteenth century, but it was not earlier than the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries when the concept had been revised by scientific experiments (US DOE, n.d.). Following the discovery of Uranium in 1789 by the German chemist Martin Klaproth, who named it after the recently discovered planet Uranus (Herschel and Hoskin, 2003; WNA, 2010), there was a gap of nearly 100 years during which nothing in this field of science was to get excited about. In November 1895, Professor Wilhelm Conrad Ro ntgen of the Wurzburg University had unintentionally produced â€Å"a hitherto unknown form of radiant energy that was invisible, could cause fluorescence, and passed through objects opaque to light†, which he named x-rays (Novelline, 2004); six years later Wilhelm Rontgen was awarded the first Nobel Prize in physics for the discovery of ionizing

Language and Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Language and Culture - Essay Example Language can affect the  culture  of a society, especially when the  society  borrows, and then modifies  alien  words from other cultures to  fit  in their own. As such this changes the  culture  making it evolve with time. Language use within a text refers to the combination of various forms of the  linguistic  and  grammatical  technique used within the context with the aim of communicating a message to another party. Its uses can  be  in many different ways and purposes; it  is spoken, written, and referred, from visual representations. Language  is used  to  work, play, praise, insult, court and reduce among other reasons. Throughout the use of language,  various  techniques  are applied  to  simplify  its meanings also to  create  interest  and  humor  such as through the use of rhyme and repetition to create a  musical  effect. The use of  language  can be categorized into much broader uses categories which are the  evocative, the expressive, the performative, the evaluative and the informative. This is for  clear  communication of information and there the use of  various  linguistic techniques. ... For instance, throughout the website the  writer  uses terms such as â€Å"you are not alone† in the start of a  sentence  when describing the  occurrence, effects and handling of peer pressure. This is an already constructed  phrase, and it passes information relating with most people within the society; thus, effectively and  immediately  passing the information to the readers. It also reduces the necessity of  grammatical  correction and the  application  of  further  grammatical  techniques within this part of the text. Within the various passage texts in the website, there are  various  words used that are of other and similar linguistic  background.  These are words obtained from other languages, or are a combination of two or more different ancient  language  words that sum up to the meaning of the intended, in the English context.  Words used such as microscope derived from the Greek words "mikros" referring to  puny  and "skopein" referring to look or  see, the two combined in English forms the word microscope meaning an  instrument  used in the viewing and investigations of objects that minute, and cannot be seen by the naked eye. Semantics The  linguistic  statement  semantics developed from the Greek word semantic, and it refers to the study of meaning focusing on the relation between the use of signifiers such as phrases, words, signs and what they  denote  in the text, in linguistics. It tries to  denote  meaning through the understanding of  different  human expressions through language.  This includes the use puns and conations, among others, in an English language  context  to  magnify  the expressed  message  and to ensure the readers' undivided attention.  It also acts as a  way  of reducing monotony, thus,

Was Alexander II more successful than Alexander III Essay Example for Free

Was Alexander II more successful than Alexander III Essay Was Alexander II more successful than Alexander III in coping with the problems he inherited? During the reigns of both Alexander II and Alexander III both faced significant problems. Both rulers inherited some similar problems when they ascended to the throne for example both faced significant opposition, albeit in different forms. For example, at the time of Alexander II’s ascension to the throne opposition was disparate and far away from what it was by the time he was succeeded in 1881 by Alexander III. Problems regarding domestic policy were also inherited by both Tsars as well as problems on the international stage posing difficulties. It would seem that the more successful of the two leaders in dealing with these problems would be Alexander III as he managed to crush the opposition he faced surviving his reign unlike his father as well as being adept at dealing with international issues. The opposition faced was a serious problem that was faced by both Alexander’s. Opposition to Alexander II was largely based on discontent from the serfs and peasantry that had been festering before he came to power. For example there were 1468 serf uprisings since the turn of the century. This group of the population were seen as potentially dangerous to the regime within Russia and as a result Alexander II recognised there was need for change. As a result he set about with the drafting of the Emancipation Act using the nobility to do it. While he did sympathise with the serfs the reason behind the eventual introduction of this act was to uphold the fundamental principles of Tsarism, these being autocracy, orthodoxy and nationalism. Though this reform was meant to drastically improve the position of the serfs, it instead made their situation worse in many cases. This undoubtedly created more grievances on behalf of the, now, ex serfs. This growing discontent coincided with the emergence of an intelligentsia from the middle class. The intelligentsia were starting to become more organised forming early groups such as the Nihilists and then Populists. These groups were beginning to actively show their discontent at the limited reforms Alexander II had introduced would eventually result in the formation of the People’s Will, the group responsible for the assassination of Alexander II himself on 1st March 1881. It can thus be seen that Alexander II did not successful cope with the opposition he faced. In contrast it can be argued that Alexander III was successful in coping with the problem of opposition. The situation he had inherited in this regard was much worse than that of his father. Opposition had become much more dangerous to the regime in the years between 1855 and 1881 clearly highlighted as they ended Alexander II’s reign. The assassination of the Tsar generated a mass of insecurity and a determination to crush the opposition on behalf of the new Tsar. The creation of the Okhrana was almost immediate; this was essentially a police force that aimed at data collection on political offenders and infiltration of terrorist organisation. This came alongside the policy of Russification which forced the Russian on language onto those of foreign nationality and made the principle of Russian nationality fundamental to life within the country. The Okhrana were dedicated to enforcing religious, racial and national orthodoxy as well as restricting various parts of the population i.e. writers, teachers, Jews etc. As a result any opposition to Alexander III’s reign was suppressed. It would appear that the measures he introduced allowed him to successful cope with this opposition unlike Alexander II whose reforms caused opposition to develop further. Alexander II came to the power with the backdrop of the Crimean War in 1855. This war had highlighted the various incompetency’s of Russia as a nation, making them appear weak and backward in comparison to the Western European nations. As a result Alexander II saw the need for the introduction of reforms to bring Russia up to date with the West. Aside from the aforementioned Emancipation Act there were various other reforms. He decided that the country needed to develop on an industrial level. In order to do this Alexander II drew up plans for a massive investment in railways. The emancipation, he hoped, would lead to greater agricultural output, in order to finance the railways, and the beginnings of Russias industrialisation. He also invested in new iron and steel works for armaments and new manufacturing industries. However these plans never came to fruition during his rule with the dissatisfaction amongst the serfs playing a key part to this. Though he may have not been successful in this area the creation of Zemstvos as well as changes to the legal system and education on the surface appeared to bring Russia up to date with Western Democracies. The Zemstovs allowed people to have more representation at a local level, they were places where people could go to express opinions. The development of education and legal reforms also appeared as though the regime was becoming more liberal and to a certain extent this was true as people enjoyed greater freedom in society and thus showed distinct improvement in modernising Russia. On the other hand the rule of Alexander III can be seen to not offer such modernisation. Though he was successful he in introducing a large system of railways across Russia, most notably the Tran Siberian system these were largely following the plans of his father. On a more social level the repression experienced under Alexander III was somewhat archaic and was a step in the completely wrong direction. The persecution of the Jews was most horrific, they were forced to live in restricted areas and only a limited number were allowed in education. There were even Jewish Pogroms which occurred when gangs of people violently attacked Jewish people. This added to the state interference through the Okhrana mean that Russia had moved away from modernising rather than towards it under Alexander III. In this way Alexander II was more successful in coping with the problem of modernising Russia through domestic policy. A final problem both leaders faced were the issues taking place on the international stage. While the Crimean war had resulted in a need for domestic change it to had required Alexander II make changes to the army after being humiliated. Universal conscription was eventually introduced in 1874. This pointed the way to a large scale armed force with six year service and a long length of time in reserve this replaced the outdated old-fashioned system which had basically seen a serf army. Russia now looked to be on the path to developing a modern army on the Prussian model. However the Russo-Turkish 1877-1888 war saw the limitations of the army with the diminishing Ottoman Empire not being overrun by the new Russian army. Although they made gains in several areas they took a huge financial hit and had been isolated from the other European superpowers as they allied together. When Alexander II came to power he thus inherited these problems. He however was much more adept at dealing with international affairs than his father and predecessor was. Alexander III proved to be quite the negotiator gaining the title of â€Å"Alexander the Peacemaker†. He aimed at avoiding war at all costs and was tolerant of Otto von Bismarck, a conservative German statesman who dominated European affairs from the 1860s to his dismissal in 1890. Bismarck had a quite belligerent attitude towards Russia, and Alexander II was able to revive the ancient league of 3 emperors in 1884. During his reign as Tsar Alexander had managed to avoid war and create some kind of international security whereas under Alexander II Russia still seemed vulnerable as a result the problems inherited on the international stage were handled more successfully by Tsar Alexander III. In conclusion, it can be seen that Alexander III was more successful than Alexander II in coping with the problems he inherited. Although Alexander II’s handling of domestic policy and modernisation was superior, Alexander III’s ability to successfully get rid of opposition, through things methods such as the Okhrana, and his handling of the international situation make it clear that he was the more successful Tsar in coping with the problems he inherited.

Four Theoretical Approaches to Metaphysics Essay Example for Free

Four Theoretical Approaches to Metaphysics Essay There are four theoretical approaches to the metaphysics and they include Dualism and the theory that what exists on can do so on two levels the physical or the mental. The next approach is Materialism which theorizes that everything exists on a physical level. Then there is the Idealism approach which states that everything that exists is mental or spiritual. Finally, there is Alternative Views which theorizes that what exists in neither mental nor spiritual but believed that what exists is both, which means that what exists is neutral. In the Materialism theory of metaphysics it is said that everything is made of some kind of structure that are now called atoms. These atoms are governed entirely by physical laws and are thought to make up everything that we know and see. There were and are still many men in the scientific community that feel this way, but the most pronounced one was named Thomas Hobbes. Hobbes implied â€Å"clearly that all things are made of material particles and that all change reduces to motion. † (cite) His theory states that everything is matter in motion to include an individual’s thought process. Hobbes goes into detail about how this process works and called it perception or sense. His way of describing it is the fact that things have different properties and that the properties do not really exist. The properties of an object are based on what we perceive them to be. We perceive a rose to be beautiful, smell nice, and have red pedals. Those properties according to Hobbes are all based on perception and the rose does not actually have any of these traits. â€Å"The things that really are in the world outside us are those motions by which these seemings are caused. † (cite) Hobbes describes perception as motion from the outside effects the motion of the inside of a person. The motion on the outside affected the motion on the inside and leaves a lasting effect after the motion is complete or dispersed then the motion that remains behind on the inside is left as a memory. The motion that is still on the inside is a perception and in turn is the root cause for thinking, imagination, and memory. As humans we describe this reaction by assigning words to these perceptions and Hobbes labeled that as reasoning. The way that people reason is nothing sort of â€Å"adding and subtracting of the consequences of general names. † (cite) The easiest way that this can be explained would be to refer it to a computer. The hard drive is considered as the movement on the inside and the keyboard and mouse as the outside. The hard drive is made up of a disk and magnet and works by taking the disc and spinning is around at a rapid pace. Next the magnet is moved around to encode the data to the hard drive. This whole process is done through movement and if stationary there is nothing that can be done to retrieve or store information. First to store or retrieve information an external source of movement needs to happen. Movement from the outside was represented as a keyboard and mouse. The keyboard and mouse which is movement from the outside affects the hard drive which is the movement from the inside and vice versa. Now that movement has been represented the reasoning of information needs to be considered. Now we understand what movement effect movement means we can now address the fact of reasoning and perception. All of the information that the computer takes in needs to go somewhere and needs to be retrieved again. The computer makes sense of all the data by assigning numbers to all of the data so that it can be retrieved again. This aspect would be considered our perception which is reasoning which as Hobbes stated before is our thinking, memory, and imagination. Now some people would argue that Hobbes theory does not take into accounts decision making and other voluntary actions, but he does go into detail about how that process works. Hobbes addresses the finer points of the decision process by stating that every decision or movement starts of as an â€Å"endeavor† which was caused by perception. He then breaks it down even into two groups consisting of desire and aversion. When the endeavor is toward something then it is considered a desire and when it is away it is considered an aversion. We associate desire and aversion with words like love and hate or good and bad. So according to Hobbes the basic principle of our decision making is like a magnet. Let’s look at the magnet that is in the computer and affects the hard drive. Sometimes data can be corrupted and the information will not take to the hard drive. The process of corrupt data being entered from the outside can be considered as an aversion. Now any information that the system lets in can be considers as desire. If that did not make sense then lets look at a magnet in general. A magnet has a positive and a negative side. Anything that is attracted to the positive side can be considered a desire and anything that is repelled by the negative side can be considered an aversion. In the recent years there has been some advancements in technology that allows us to uncover the mysteries of the universe. Scientists have found matter that is smaller than atoms and they are calling them subatomic particles. It has been discovered that these particles make up every aspect of the universe and are comprised of some type of energy that is connected with everything else. After this discovery a lot of scientists are rattled about their theory and if Materialism is really the right type of metaphysical theory to go with. However, this does not completely rule this theory out it just seems like that needs to some changes or tweaks to the way that we think about Materialism.

Strategic Management Evaluation

Strategic Management Evaluation Strategic Management Evaluation Draper IT Strategic Evaluation ModuleBusiness Innovation Management 1.Introduction In today’s marketplace, businesses are constantly under to maintain profitability and competitiveness and their success or failure can depend on the quality of the strategic thinking and strategic management undertaken by the business (Campbell et al 2002). Thus in order to participate any level of strategic thinking or strategic management and undertake a strategic evaluation it is essential to understand exactly what a strategy is. Mintzburg (1987 cited by Campbell et al 2002) suggests the ‘five Ps of strategy; A plan; A ploy; A pattern of behaviour; A position in respect to others A perspective. Adding that it is not possible to see any of these P’s in isolation. However, this is a very simplified view of strategy and perhaps a much better definition from a business perspective is given by Johnson and Scholes (1999); â€Å"the direction and scope of an organisation over the long term: which achieves advantage for the organisation through its configuration of resources within a changing environment to meet the needs of markets and to fulfil stakeholder expectations.† Thus in essence a strategy is deciding what way is best and what tactics will be employed to achieve the business goals. Naoum (2001) suggests that developing a business strategy can take seven stages; Stage 1. Strategic Analysis Stage 2. Strategy Formulation Stage 3. Evaluation Of Alternative Strategies Stage 4. Strategic Choice Stage 5. Action Plan Stage 6. Strategy Implementation Stage 7. Strategic Control And Feedback The aim of this assignment is to undertake the processes required for some of the stages for the Draper Engineering case study, notably stages 1 to 4. This will be undertaken through the completion of the tasks shown in Figure 1. A copy of the complete case study can be found in Appendix One. Figure 1 Assignment Tasks 2.Task One – Strategic Analysis Strategic analysis is define by Morris (2001, p25) as â€Å"the collection and analysis of information relevant to the long term prospects of an organisation, comprising of both external and internal analysis† which is shown diagrammatically in Figure 2 Implementation Analysis Choice External Internal Figure 2 External Internal Strategic Analysis. Morris(2001) External analysis looks outside the organisation at the competitive environment to determine future implications, whilst internal analysis looks inside the business to identify strengths and weaknesses that will affect its ability to compete in the long-term (Morris, 2001). One tool used in strategic analysis is SWOT or TOWS analysis, an acronym for Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats. It is a very powerful tool for understanding and decision-making for all sorts of business situation in order to focus on the things you do well, whilst reducing weaknesses to make the best possible advantage of opportunities available (De La Salle University, 2002). Further summary information on SWOT analysis can be found in Appendix Two A SWOT analysis was undertaken for Draper Engineering and the results are presented in Figure 3. Figure 3 SWOT Analysis For Draper Engineering Ltd 2.1Five Issues For Improvement By Draper Engineering Ltd. A Warehouse Management System (WMS) fully integrates warehouse management operations with the rest of the business, such as sales, purchase and accounts and subject to the installation the warehouse operations can be world class. However, this technology is not cheap and suitability can be dependant upon the type of solution sought, such as to build or buy (Frazelle, 2002) Draper should not consider implementing a WMS with no guarantees of the final contract as this would mean that although they would experience the benefits of the system, they would also have to shoulder the full burden of the costs with possibly no contract from either of these companies. In order to improve this situation and produce the best business solution for Draper Engineering they need to have a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with each of the companies. An SLA is â€Å"an explicit statement of the expectations and obligations that exist in a business relationship between two organisations: the service provider and the customer† Verman (1999, p1). Were Draper to agree an SLA with the other parties this could ensure that not only would they be guaranteed the contract, but that they would also have a written document of the expectations of each of the parties involved in advance of implementing the WMS. Should these expectations be unrealistic, Draper could withdraw from the negotiations and reconsider their position with respect to the WMS without having incurred any expenses. The key issue identified here, is the ageing workforce of Draper, which can be explained by the work by Warr (2000 cited by Furnham, 2005) where he poses and answers five questions on the ageing workforce and job performance. Figure 4 illustrates his findings; Figure 4 Warrs Five Questions on Job Performance and the Ageing Workforce. Warr (2000 cited by Furnham, 2005, p764-765) The implications of Warr’s (2000 cited by Furnham, 2005) findings on Draper are profound, as many of the personnel issues experienced by Draper are explained in his work. The fact that the workforce is loyal is only to be expected and other benefits careful, reliable, knowledgeable and socially skilled, but unfortunately they are less willing to change, which may be why many of the new initiatives have failed. Also, the high turnover rate in e-commerce could be linked to younger staff (though the case study does not specify this. However, to improve the personnel structure at Draper, they have a number of options available to them; Change management. It is not enough to simple understand how change is going to be administered but it is imperative that staff understand why change is happening so that they can engage with the solution and the change. As part of the change management employers need to provide support and training to encourage staff buy-in and deal with any resistance upfront (Hiatt and Creasey, 2003. Prosci, 2006) Andragogical Training directed at older learners. Warr (2000 cited by Furnham, 2005, p764-765) states that â€Å"older people are slower and have more difficulty remembering, however, training can be adapted to an older person’s limitations and expertise†. One such method is referred to as andragogy, how adults learn. If Draper developed a training scheme that implemented an andragogical approach to training that targeted the older members of staff, they could experience very positive results from their staff, in the form of learning and motivation. Incentives for younger staff to reduce absenteeism and retain staff. Although Drapers need to look after their loyal team of workers it is essential that they can actively encourage younger members to the team and reduce the turnover in this area. One such method is to introduce incentives into new contracts which actively encourages longevity of service, such incentives could include; Annual incrementing pay scales Flexi-time Annual leave rewards for zero absenteeism Team building exercises Gift vouchers Purchase schemes for personal IT equipment at corporate reductions The fact that Draper Engineering have a large product development team is a strength of the business, however, spending the majority of their time improving existing products and solving customer complaints is a fundamental weakness; Draper’s need to be looking to the future and their long term goals, which should involve new product development. To overcome this problem and move the business forward, a small working group should be set up within the department, consisting of the most motivated and technically up-to-date members of staff to brainstorm and generate project ideas that can be developed into new products. This has an added benefit of staff participation and ownership which encourages the desire to succeed as the products are their own ideas. Generally speaking the term outsourcing means to transfer previously internal products or services to an outsider provider (Roeben, 2004), which is as it suggests is where a third party carries out functions which was previous undertaken within the business. However, in the case of Draper Engineering, a medium sized IT business, it appears that they have outsourced their core competency, which is the means by which they should be able to separate themselves from their competition. The decision to outsource the IT division is a fundamental error to the business and weakens their internal and external strength, that they are particularly vulnerable from competition from Hardy’s to whom they originally outsourced. To overcome this problem and improve the company position radical action is required such as; Diversify into new areas. Insourcing Collaboration with Hardy’s for key contracts. If Drapers’ is to survive in the long term they need to resolve this fundamental issue and redefine their core competencies in order to compete effectively in the market place. In addition to outsourcing a core competency, the IT division, being a fundamental error, it is also had a negative effect on Draper’s reputation. Simply by virtue of the fact that Draper’s originally undertook this work, previous customers are making their complaints to Drapers, which indicates that customers or potential customers still make the association and are dissatisfied with the service. It is essential that Drapers rectify this problem otherwise they are likely to experience a backlash in other areas of their business. To improve the situation Drapers have two options; Act as consultants for Hardys on Draper products Instead of letting the reputation of Draper’s be damaged by Hardy’s lacklustre performance, Drapers could offer to act as consultants on the major products and services they previously provided. The benefit of this action to Drapers could be twofold, the reputation of their business would be saved and would also generate revenue for the value of the consultation work. Re-Establish IT Division If Hardy’s were unwilling to agree to a consultant agreement, it would be possible for Drapers to re-establish the IT division once again and encourage previous customers (existing Hardy’s customers) back to them through promises of commitment to service and new product development. 2.2Other Tools For Strategic Analysis. In recent years business practices have evolved in terms of thought, practice and analysis tools. Consequently there are a large set of analytical tools which provide insight, identifying capabilities and strategic options (Khosrowpour, 1998). A SWOT analysis of Draper Engineering Ltd has already been undertaken; however this does not scratch the surface of the analysis tools available. Other suitable tools for analysing Draper Engineering would be; PEST or PESTEL Analysis PEST is an acronym for Political, Environmental, Social and Technological factors whilst PESTEL is extended to include Economic and Legal factors. PEST analysis is a commonly used tool for analysing the external environmental influences on a business, Figure 5 illustrates the PEST grid and the areas that should be considered (Gregory, 2000) Figure 5 PEST Analysis Matrix. Gregory, 2000 The benefit of undertaking a PEST analysis for Draper Engineering is that it would be undertaken in addition to the SWOT analysis and give a good understanding of the global and external environment; however it is essential that Draper follow the PEST analysis with how to respond to these issues and not simply see these points in isolation. Together PEST and SWOT analysis are able to look at the global picture and then the specific detail of the business Porter’s Five Forces Another tool for analysing the external environment of a business is Porter’s Five-Force Model, it is however one of the most influential models for assessing the nature of competition. As the name suggests opportunities and threats are assessed by analysing five forces; Figure 6 illustrates the model. Porter (1980, cited by Campbell et al, 2002) suggests that the five competitive forces shown in Figure 6 determine the nature of competition within an industry. Thorough understanding of each force enables the production of a competitive strategy that embraces the forces, rather than working against them and enable the business to position themselves to take advantage of opportunities whilst minimising threats (Campbell et al, 2002) Draper Engineering would need to undertake this form of analysis in addition to SWOT and PEST to gain the most detailed picture for an effective strategy. The benefit of Porters Five Force Model is they would be able to identify who they are competing against in the marketplace, it currently appears that they are suffering threats from their customers who are refusing price increases and wanting price reductions; and Hardy’s whom Draper outsourced their IT division to are a threat either from the provision of substitute products or directly competing as a new entrant in the same field. Whilst some of these issues were covered in the SWOT analysis, Porter’s five forces views the business solely from the competition perspective that it offers a very focussed approach. Intensity of rivalry in the industry Threat of substitute products Bargaining power of buyers Bargaining power of suppliers Threat from new entrants Figure 6 Porters Five-Forces Model. Porter (1980, cited by Campbell et al, 2002) 3.Task Two – Strategic Choice Macmillan and Tampoe (2001 p132) state â€Å"choice is at the centre of strategy formulation, if there are no choices to be made there can be little value in thinking about strategy at all.† Adding that there are limitations to the range of choices such as small businesses are limited by their resources and large companies are unable to change quickly or are restricted by decisions made in their past. However, in good management the â€Å"strategic choices have to be challenging enough to keep ahead of competition but also have to be achievable† Macmillan and Tampoe (2001 p133) Akin to strategic analysis, strategic choice has a large number of tools available to help focus thinking and produce solid strategic decisions. Two such tools available to Draper Engineering Ltd are; Ansoff Matrix Porter’s Generic Strategy 3.1Ansoff Matrix Igor Ansoff was the first to suggest the diagram shown in Figure 7, for structuring choices of which products or services to offer in which markets. Present Market Need New Market Development Diversification (related or unrelated) ‘Do Nothing’ Withdraw Consolidate Market penetration Product Development PresentProduct New New Market Geography Present Figure 7 Ansoff Matrix. Ansoff (1987 cited by Macmillan and Tampoe, 2001 p137) The axes of the diagram are; Macmillan and Tampoe (2001, p135-137) Product – including services and any form of offering Market Need – any group of potential customers whether defined by their needs, inclinations or income bracket Market Geography – geographical location For the present market geography the model defines four cells, with the top left representing the present status of the business. Movement within or away from this cell represents the possible future choices about products and markets. Macmillan and Tampoe (2001, p135-137). Figure 8 summarises the strategy for each quadrant. Market Penetration Product Development Market penetration is the name given to a growth strategy where the business focuses on selling existing products into existing markets. Market penetration seeks to achieve four main objectives: Maintain or increase the market share of current products. Secure dominance of growth markets Restructure a mature market by driving out competitors. Increase usage by existing customers A market penetration marketing strategy is very much about â€Å"business as usual†. The business is focusing on markets and products it knows well. It is likely to have good information on competitors and on customer needs. It is unlikely, therefore, that this strategy will require much investment in new market research. Product development is the name given to a growth strategy where a business aims to introduce new products into existing markets. This strategy may require the development of new competencies and requires the business to develop modified products which can appeal to existing markets. Market Development Diversification Market development is the name given to a growth strategy where the business seeks to sell its existing products into new markets. There are many possible ways of approaching this strategy, including: New geographical markets; for example exporting the product to a new country New product dimensions or packaging: for example New distribution channels Different pricing policies to attract different customers or create new market segments Diversification is the name given to the growth strategy where a business markets new products in new markets. This is an inherently more risk strategy because the business is moving into markets in which it has little or no experience. For a business to adopt a diversification strategy, therefore, it must have a clear idea about what it expects to gain from the strategy and an honest assessment of the risks Figure 8 Summary of The Ansoff Matrix. Tutor2u Limited (2006) Thomas and Egan (1998) identify that the Ansoff matrix is suitable for both situation analysis, ‘Where are we now?’ and directional policy modelling, ‘where do we want to be?’, adding that it excels at profiling product/market alternatives whilst identifying the risks of different strategic options. Curtis (2006) however suggests that to use the model effectively needs the ‘X’ factor, imagination, without which it is difficult to identify what new products your existing customers may want. This tool would be particularly useful at Draper Engineering as it would identify exactly what their current market position is in terms of products and customers. It appears from the case study that whilst they currently have four major European car manufacturers and two American truck manufacturers as customers, there is no clear description of the products and services that they provide. Ansoff’s matrix would focus their attentions to what it is they produce and where they would like to go in the future, as it seems to date that although they are willing to try new strategies there is little coherence in their intensions or achievements. Additionally, whilst Draper have started developing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems and their associated software there is little suggestion of imagination in their approach, SAP and Oracle were marketing their ERP systems in the late 90’s early 00’s and are now the principle vendors, that if Draper are to enter the market now almost 6 years later they are entering as underdogs. Such analysis using Ansoff would identify a need for greater imagination in identifying the next big trend, one in which Draper could be involved in from the outset rather than midway through the product lifecycle. 3.2Porter’s Generic Strategy. Porter (1979 cited by Gilligan and Wilson, 2003, p2) states that â€Å"a firm’s relative position within its industry determines whether a firms profitability is above or below the industry average, the fundamental basis of above average performance in the long run is sustainable competitive advantage†. Competitive advantage can be of two basic types: low cost or differentiation, which combines with the scope of activities to produce three generic strategies for achieving above average performance (University of Cambridge, 2006), illustrated in Figure 9; Cost leadership Differentiation Focus Cost focus Differentiation focus Competitive Advantage Lower Cost Differentiation Competitive Scope Broad Target 1. Cost Leadership 2 Differentiation Narrow Target 3a. Cost Focus 3b.Differential Focus Figure 9 Porters Generic Strategy. University of Cambridge (2006) 1. Cost Leadership 2 Differentiation In cost leadership, a firm sets out to become the low cost producer in its industry. The sources of cost advantage are varied and depend on the structure of the industry. They may include the pursuit of economies of scale, proprietary technology, preferential access to raw materials and other factors. A low cost producer must find and exploit all sources of cost advantage. if a firm can achieve and sustain overall cost leadership, then it will be an above average performer in its industry, provided it can command prices at or near the industry average In a differentiation strategy a firm seeks to be unique in its industry along some dimensions that are widely valued by buyers. It selects one or more attributes that many buyers in an industry perceive as important, and uniquely positions itself to meet those needs. It is rewarded for its uniqueness with a premium price. 3a. Cost Focus 3b.Differential Focus The generic strategy of focus rests on the choice of a narrow competitive scope within an industry. The focuser selects a segment or group of segments in the industry and tailors its strategy to serving them to the exclusion of others. In cost focus a firm seeks a cost advantage in its target segment Differentiation focus a firm seeks differentiation in its target segment Figure 10 Summary of Porters Generic Strategy. University of Cambridge (2006) Following a cost leadership, differentiation or focus approach has advantages to the business; however it is the strategic choice to decide which option to follow. The University of Salford (2006) identify some anticipated benefits of each of the strategic options (Figure 11); Cost Leadership Earn high profits because its costs are lower than competitors charging a similar price Charge a lower price than competitors so increasing sales and market share Enter new markets charging a lower price than competitors Differentiation Sell their products at a premium price Create a barrier to the entry of new competitors Earn above average profits by reducing elasticity of demand for the product. Focus Does not require so many resources as a broad strategy Allows specialisation Lowers the cost of entering new markets for small firms. Figure 11 Benefits Of The Strategic Options Identified In Porter’s Generic Strategy. University of Salford (2006) However, when Porter developed the strategy he argued that an organisation that did not choose between a cost leadership or differentiation would be ‘stuck in the middle’ and consequently he believed they would not achieve competitive advantage. Subsequently one of the criticisms of the model is that it is possible to have a hybrid strategy that combines low cost with differentiation. A further criticism is that low cost itself does not sell products, customers have other reasoning such as quality that affects their decision. That said in the case of Draper and many other businesses Porter’s generic strategy is a very useful tool for understanding how to achieve competitive advantage. 4.Task Three – Strategy Selection As Macmillan and Tampoe (2001, p132) state â€Å"choice is at the centre of strategy formulation†, but selecting an appropriate strategy and direction from all the available strategic choice tools can be a difficult decision. To overcome this problem and ensure that each option is fairly and equally assessed a further evaluation tool or framework may be used, examples include RACES (Haberberg and Rieple, 2001 cited by Evans et al, 2003), SCARE and CARES standing for Resources, Acceptable, Consistent, Effective and Sustainable. However a more popular framework is the SFA framework (Evans et al, 2003; Little, 2006) Suitability – does the proposal fit with the organisations strategic plan or organisational values? It is essential to identify if a particular option would make full use of an organisations strengths, whilst avoiding its weaknesses or any external factors such as changes in legislation or government policy (Butler, 2001) Feasibility – can it be carried out and will the desired results be available in the timescale? In many cases the feasibility of any option is limted by the firm’s capacity and resources (Butler, 2001) Acceptability – whilst being more subjective, relating to organisational values, this is key to whether the strategy will cause any major crises with stakeholders. Some stakeholders may find one option appealing whilst it is decried by another, this is particularly the case in partnerships and small firms where one wants to grow the business whilst the other wants to consolidate the business (Butler, 2001). To which a fourth criterion has been added; Achieving competitive advantage – this can be low cost or differentiation, as explained in Section 3.2. In order to implement this framework, it is essential to set an initial basis for comparison; for Draper like any business this could be a baseline scenario of do nothing, absolute or relative positioning or finally comparison with industry norms. Once this initial phase of preliminary analysis is complete, it is necessary to develop scenario’s within which to analyse various strategies, which are compared with the initial baseline scenario. The final stage of preliminary analysis is to narrow the range of options to a limited number of strategies in order to undertake a more detailed analysis, this can be achieved through ranking and decision trees. It only on completion of the preliminary analysis, that it is possible to undertake an in-depth assessment using the SFA framework. Based on the choice of strategies in Section 3, Ansoff Matrix and Porter’s Generic Strategy; Draper would need to collate data on their position within the industry, though they would need to decide on the basis for comparison for scenario examination. Finally, whilst there appears to

Home Burial: Gender Roles In Grief Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When it comes to dealing with grief there are very distinct gender roles. In a marriage or a relationship there is always the so-called strong one who never shows any emotion, which is usually the male. Then there is what people call the drama queen, who often lets her emotions control her entire life; more than likely this describes the woman in the relationship. In this poem, â€Å"Home Burial†, Amy and her husband fit these gender roles perfectly. They argue about the way grief should be express and fail to see it from the other’s point of view.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We learn that Amy’s sorrow began from the moment that she saw her husband â€Å"making the gravel leap into the air† (982) as he dug the grave. She believed through what she saw him do that he could have no â€Å"feelings† (982). This forces Amy to go to â€Å"somebody else† (983) and share her feelings instead of bonding with her husband, who also shares the loss, but remains unable to discuss it. Amy needs to express her feelings with somebody who feels her pain, and she thinks that her husband is not capable of doing such a thing. Later in the poem, she goes onto say that she doesn’t think that any man can do such a thing. This shows the way that many people perceive men to be unable to show their feelings as easily as women do. It isn’t as if they cannot feel, but it is that they have difficulty expressing their emotions as freely as women do. Part of this can be blamed upon the way that...

Non-conformity in The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea, Medea, a

Non-conformity in The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea, Medea, and The Stranger      Ã‚  Ã‚   We are constantly being affected our surroundings. As a result, our attitudes and personalities are a product of our experiences and the various environments in which they occurred . Furthermore, the society we live in presents to us a set of standards, values, and givens that we may or may not agree with. In literature, the society plays a major role in affecting the characters' thoughts and actions. In The Sailor who Fell From Grace with the Sea, The Stranger, and "Medea", the characters are affected by their society, and their actions reflect their conformity (or non-conformity) to it. Ultimately, non-conformity in these works create the conflicts that make the plots interesting.   Ã‚  Ã‚   In Yukio Mishima's The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea , the characters are presented with the relatively modern society of post World War 2 Japan. Since the war, as Japan underwent their "second" industrial revolution, it became more permeable to western culture(since it was a major contender of international business). Since Japan has always been a nation that stressed the importance of preserving its culture(imposing isolationism at one point), these changes did not go down so smoothly. Mishima expresses this discomfort by depicting two characters with opposite grounds of non-conformity. One being Fusako; a non-conformist in a traditional perspective, and the other Noboru, a non-conformist in a contemporary perspective.   Ã‚  Ã‚   In Albert Camus' The Stranger, society only affects the main character, Meursault, after he comes to a mid-story crisis. For all practical purposes, Meursault was living in a French society of the 30's, whereas Al... ...rent does not conform.   Ã‚  Ã‚   The authors' relations to us on the characters' places in society help us to relate to and comprehend their actions. If Meursault hadn't been so detached from society, Noboru so discontented with society, and Medea so vengeful toward society, we wouldn't have half of the justification needed to understand the murders that took place in the works. Given the presented material about conformity, I conclude that the stories' plots indeed grow around the unique attributes of the non-conformers, and as result, spark the reader's imagination to the fullest.    Works Cited    Euripedes "Medea", Greece 431 BC Camus, Albert (Translated by Matthew Ward) The Stranger , New York, Vintage International, 1988 Mishima, Yukio. (Translated by John Nathan) The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea, New York, Vintage International, 1993.

Report on an interview

On October 16th, I spoke with hypermarkets customer concerning the products and services that they are offering. The interviewee was 28 year old man, who is single and he is living with his parents and sister . Annual income of his family is approximately 80. 000 KM which is above average annual income per household in Sarajevo. His generally view on hypermarkets is positive and he thinks they are great because they offer a large selection of different products in one place. He regularly visits specific Hypermarket and he has chosen Mercator solely for the diversity of it’s products and brands, and the availability of everything necessary in one place. When it comes to choosing products to purchase, quality plays a critical role and price of the particular product is less relevant. When I asked him about Mercator’s line of products for personal hygiene, the responses could conclude that he does not like them because they are cheap and available to everyone, which he considers to mean lower quality. He likes to buy products with tested quality and brand name means a lot to him when deciding on purchasing a particular product. Based on the above I conclude that his motives for purchases are emotional, such as pride, attraction and status. Purchasing products of famous brands, he acknowledges his social status, for which he paid a higher price and he is sure that he receives and the higher quality. When it comes to product brand, which he prefers, rarely gives up the quest, and hardly find a particular product substitutes which represents the characteristics of loyal consumers. People who buy cheaper products, such as Mercator’s line of products for personal hygiene â€Å"potpuna njega†, he perceives as a lower class with lower income to whom quality is not at the first place, who primarily watch price of the specific product. Based on information gathered in-depth interview I can say that the influence of family, culture, and social status, at the attitude of respondents toward a particular product is very pronounced and depends primarily on financial and leisure habits. It should be noted that past experience is very important for him, and that future decisions about the purchase depends on his personal past experience. Listen Read phonetically He uses the Internet as a source of information about different products, but he does not visit a Web sites of domestic hypermarkets, because he thinks that they are not regularly updated and can not find new information by visitng them. And he's also never read the advertising post and promotional flyers. Listen Read phonetically Listen Read phonetically