Rbs – Case Study Example

Case Study Example Section I: Summary of Background and Facts Reliance Baking Soda was discovered by James Stewart Augusta in 1915. He called it the â€Å"miracle compound. † It was founded to serve as a leavening agent in baked goods to let them rise properly. With the invent of self-rising flour and instant cake mixes, baking soda’s original use importance declined. With this decline, Stewart Corporation started promoting baking soda for a myriad of other uses, which include household cleaner, laundry aid, and deodorizer.Reliance baking soda holds a 70% market share. They produce three box sizes, 8oz, 1lb, and 5lbs. The 1lb box holds almost 50% of the sales volume. Reliance has excellent brand awareness and customer loyalty. Stewart Corporation is comprised of four divisions. Reliance Baking Soda (RBS) is in the household division. Anna Regnante was promoted Domestic Brand Director for RBS. She was placed in charge of increasing Reliance’s profit by 10% in 2008 . The Household Division is planning to introduce two new product launches in 2008.According to Chris Dale, Managing Director for Stewart’s Household Products Division, they need the incremental profit increase from RBS to â€Å"fund the marketing launch expenses for the new products. † (Quelch & Beckham, 2009, p1) Regnante needs to figure out how she can generate the required profit growth for the old-fashioned, mainstay product of baking soda. Section II: Statement of the core problems Regnante’s core problem is figuring out what marketing mix to use to increase Reliance Baking Soda’s profit by 10% in 2008. One of the main problems with RBS is the current lack of advertising.Regnante’s predecessor had cut the consumer promotion budget in half. Advertising is a key component in making sure the brand’s product is marketed to its consumers. RBS did not properly advertise the significance for what all baking soda could be used to do, which inc ludes outdoor cleaning, baby care, pet care, and a myriad of other things. RBS had established brand awareness and loyalty with customers; but, they needed to educate the customers and position the brand through advertisements which can give RBS more of a competitive advantage. Decreasing the amount of money allocated owards advertising was not a wise choice, especially, when the company needed to revamp how baking soda was marketed. The trade promotions were effective in moving the product; however, they accounted for around 73% of total sales. This led to the company only selling around 25% of RBS at regular prices, which could be leaving RBS a lot less profitable. The trade was overbuying during the promotional periods, which caused inconsistencies in regular purchasing patterns of the product. Another issue was with the cooperative advertising program.Regnante was concerned that RBS was not getting sufficient advertising in exchange for the trade promotions. In fact, she found t hat â€Å"Advertising trade support for RBS is much lower than our branded competitors. †(Quelch & Beckham, 2009, p. 5) RBS also rarely advertised in retail stores, magazines, or television commercials. If RBS was more diverse with advertising, then, they would be able to capture their target audience in other ways. Section III: Secondary Problems Reliance Baking Soda lacked in providing different promotional discounts to grocery stores.By not providing promotional discounts for grocery stores, the store managers did not have a creative way to attract customers into the store to purchase baking soda. Grocery store chains thought that the Reliance Baking Soda needed to market their products better because baking soda was a boring product. Reliance Baking Soda does not manufacture for private label brands. Therefore, their market share decreased. This lack of going after the private label market has caused the RBS to lose 5% of its market share to private label brands.Reliance Baking Soda was the market leader, so, if they were able to manufacture private labels brands they would have not loss 5% market share; and its overall market share could have increase. Also, a problem existed with trade promotion events due to the fact that the company did not negotiate or set a price with the trade on what to sale its products for when they were purchased during a trade promotion. By not having set promotional retail prices, the trade was allowed to stock up on inventory at reduced prices. They did not have to extend the savings to the consumer.This ultimately caused a loss in profit for RBS. To make matters worse, these trade promotions often overlapped with consumer promotions. Therefore, it is hard to tell what the actual real incremental profits for the promotions were. Section IV: Constraints and Limitations Besides the problems listed in the above sections, Reliance Baking Soda is constrained and limited by the fact that baking soda is in the mature part of its life cycle. When a product reaches maturity, there is no room for traditional growth. The product must discover new uses.RBS is not a â€Å"wow† product that can be categorized as a necessity; therefore, it must be aggressive in its advertising in order to stimulate further purchase. The product was old-fashioned and needed some ‘refurbishment’ to make it attractive to the target market. The need for RBS nose-dived, following the introduction of self-rising flour and instant cake mixes. Naturally, it would be cheaper for bakeries to move to baking soda and reduce costs. This was a very big setback for RBS, as the market leader and the largest provider of the â€Å"miracle compound. Randall Todd, an Account Manager, for several of the major grocery chains, stated that even though the product was physically placed on the store shelves, it was not â€Å"visible† to the consumer. It was a very slow moving product, which needed â€Å"a lot of push marketi ng to stimulate trade interest. † (Quelch & Beckham, 2009, p. 2). Randall further observed that it was â€Å"not a natural traffic builder, it does not have high turnover, and it is boring. †(Quelch & Beckham, 2009, p. 2). RBS needed promotional methods which would turn the tide in their favor. According to Exhibit 3, RBS had â€Å"low advertising recall. There was greater need to refocus marketing communication efforts. Another limitation was the continual price increase for baking soda over the last 5 years. The price changes were not good because it had a negative impact on the numbers of cases that were shipped to the stores. This could lead to stores choosing a competitor’s brand or selling more of its private label brand. The final limitation is that RBS being a mature product is sold on the push system. The household sales force is paid based on quarterly sales quotas. This allows the sales staff to wait on trade promotions to sell the product.Therefore, they are not concerned with the day to day sales of RBS. Section V: Alternative Solutions Reliance Baking Soda must increase profit in its household division by 10% in 2008. In deciding how to do this, Regnante must decide what to do about the trade promotions, consumer promotions and advertising. Since baking soda is a mature product, a push system has been implemented at RBS using a quarterly quota system. In order to deal with the problem of 73% of factory shipments being sold using trade promotions, a new monthly quota system could be placed in service.This would make the sales force focus on selling baking soda all throughout the year, not just when promotions are in place. Another option is to totally revamp the co-op advertising reimbursement system. At this time retailers are not promoting the product with the same size ads of RBS’s competitors. RBS offers a 5% of invoice incentive for any ad. RBS should offer 50% of the ad cost up to a certain percentage of the invoi ce for a purchase made within 45 days of the ad. The ad also needs to be submitted for approval prior to the ad being placed.RBS needs to make sure that their co-op advertising plan states what an acceptable ad size is. This will encourage the retailers to do local advertising for RBS. The third option would be to increase the advertising and consumer promotions through event advertising. With this option, RBS could focus on important events like Earth Day. They could create a whole marketing campaign around this event and others like it. Another option would be to mount an internet campaign on the alternative uses of baking soda. This alternative would not involve huge cash outlays.RBS could create blogs on websites as well as have a complete interactive website devoted to helping the consumer understand the myriad of uses for baking soda. The final option is to focus on pushing the product through trade promotions. RBS could offer 10-15% off total invoice price several times durin g the year to make sure that our product is being shipped. With this increased trade promotion, RBS could list a lower suggested retail price on the promotional packages, so that stores will have to pass the savings along to their customers. This would alleviate the problem of purchasing simply to increase revenue.Section V: Implementation of Best Alternative The best solution is to take a holistic marketing approach and incorporate a marketing plan that uses trade promotions, consumer promotions and advertising in conjunction with one another. This approach should focus on event marketing for its major advertising expenditures. One such event that lends itself to the promotion of the different uses for baking soda is Earth Day. With more and more of the American population focusing on Eco-friendly products, RBS can showcase baking soda as being a one stop wonder.RBS should partner with Earth Day events and hand out 2oz samples with pamphlets on how baking soda is an environmentally safe cleaning agent. It should list all of the possible uses of the eco-friendly baking soda. The pamphlet could, also, reference RBS’s Eco-pack, which will include a $1. 00 off rebate. RBS can package 1 lb boxes of baking soda in twin packs called Eco-packs. The packaging should have new ideas of how to use baking soda in environmental friendly ways. Since this is a special packaging product, RBS should offer a trade promotion on the twin pack only for the six weeks starting the first of March.This promotion should consist of buy eleven cases, get one free. During this time RBS should also beef up television, print and internet advertising, which all should include the environmental aspect of the product. To coincide with the company’s marketing efforts, RBS should offer an incentive for the trade to promote RBS through advertising. RBS could pay for 50% of the advertisement cost attributable the RBS product, up to 5% of a total invoice purchase within 45 days of the advertisement this promotion would run through the entire month of April.Other events that could be marketed include the Start of Summer, Fire Prevention Month and the Holiday Season. For the start of summer, RBS should focus its advertising efforts on its uses for outdoor cleaning, pool, camping and weed removal. This is not a traditional high volume time; therefore, they should also use their trade partners by offering the same advertising incentives that were offered during the Earth Day promotion during the months of May and June. Since RBS can be used to put out certain fires. The company should focus on fire safety and prevention during the month of October.RBS could put a pamphlet and a $. 25 coupon in the bags that children traditionally bring home from school during this month. The pamphlet should focus on key fire safety initiatives and highlight RBS commitment to fire prevention and uses of RBS in fire situations. During the first three weeks in October, RBS should offer a trade promotion of 10% off invoice prices on all sizes. This will help the trade partners get ready for the upcoming holiday season. The final event marketing campaign of the year should focus on the holiday season and getting your home in tip-top shape for the holiday’s in a health conscious manner.RBS should again partner with other Household Division products to advertise nationally how to get your home ready for the holidays. This ad should run in the October/November editions of top Women’s magazines. It should also offer a contest for a $10,000 kitchen makeover. This contest will be open to the purchasers of the products advertised in the magazines. This will also be advertised on the internet and through POP displays in the stores. During the months of October and November, RBS should offer its co-op advertising promotion as defined in the Earth Day section.Section VI: Justification Since Reliance is in the maturity stage of its life cycle, it is important fo r them to focus on extending the usage rate and repositioning itself in the market. According to Shaeffer (2009), â€Å"As a market matures, the customer buys solutions and not products. † Therefore, it becomes more vital to focus advertising efforts on new ways of using baking soda. By focusing on event marketing, Reliance can help the consumers understand all the possible uses of traditional baking soda.This increased knowledge will drive the sale of baking soda to the levels needed to meet the 10% profit increase of the household division. To increase the profit by 10% the Profit before SG&A, Overhead and Taxes needs to be $20,587,000. The event marketing campaign proposed will increase the profit to $20,974,000, which well exceeds the 10% increase. The 2008 Profit and Loss Budget is listed as Exhibit 1. This budget was prepared based upon historical cost and sales data to gauge the response level of both the trade and consumer promotions. Exhibit 1 Reliance Baking SodaPro fit and Loss Budget For the Year Ended December 31, 2008 | | | | | |2007E |2008 | |Manufacturer's Price Per Case | | | | | |8oz | | | |7. 2 |7. 2 | | |1lb. | | | |12. 02 |12. 02 | | |5lb. | | | |54. 28 |54. 8 | | | | | | | | | |Factory Shipments (in 000's of cases) | | | | |8oz | | | |714 |883 | | |1lb | | | |1226 |1531 | | |5lb | | | |648 |660 | | | | | | | | | |Variable Manufacturing Cost Per Case | | | | |8oz. | | | |3. 38 |3. 38 | | |1 lb. | | | |5. 58 |5. 58 | | |5 lbs. | | | |24. 8 |24. | | | | | | | | | |Gross Sales | | | | 55,051 | 60,585 | |Variable Manufacturing Cost | | 25,325 | 27,896 | |Gross Margin | | | | 29,726 | 32,690 | | | | | | | | | |Advertising | | | | | | | |TV | | | 3,815 | 4,300 | | |Print | | | | 694 | 1,000 | | |Internet | | | | 248 | 300 | |Total Advertising | | | 4,757 | 5,600 | |PR/Media Production Cost | | 198 | 297 | |Consumer Promotion | | | 551 | 839 | |Trade Promotion | | | 5,505 | 4,980 | | | | | | | | | |Total Marketing Expense | | | 11,011 | 11, 716 | | | | | | | | | |Profit before SG&A, Overhead and taxes | $ 18,715 | $ 20,974 | Works Cited Shaeffer, Lee. (2009, October 14). Maximize Product Profitability as the Market Matures. Product Management Library of Knowledge. Retrieved October 1, 2010, from http://www. aipmm. com/html/newsletter/archives/000359. php

Angels Demons Chapter 98-101

98 The six pompieri firemen who responded to the fire at the Church of Santa Maria Della Vittoria extinguished the bonfire with blasts of Halon gas. Water was cheaper, but the steam it created would have ruined the frescoes in the chapel, and the Vatican paid Roman pompieri a healthy stipend for swift and prudent service in all Vatican-owned buildings. Pompieri, by the nature of their work, witnessed tragedy almost daily, but the execution in this church was something none of them would ever forget. Part crucifixion, part hanging, part burning at the stake, the scene was something dredged from a Gothic nightmare. Unfortunately, the press, as usual, had arrived before the fire department. They'd shot plenty of video before the pompieri cleared the church. When the firemen finally cut the victim down and lay him on the floor, there was no doubt who the man was. â€Å"Cardinale Guidera,† one whispered. â€Å"Di Barcellona.† The victim was nude. The lower half of his body was crimson-black, blood oozing through gaping cracks in his thighs. His shinbones were exposed. One fireman vomited. Another went outside to breathe. The true horror, though, was the symbol seared on the cardinal's chest. The squad chief circled the corpse in awestruck dread. Lavoro del diavolo, he said to himself. Satan himself did this. He crossed himself for the first time since childhood. â€Å"Un' altro corpo!† someone yelled. One of the firemen had found another body. The second victim was a man the chief recognized immediately. The austere commander of the Swiss Guard was a man for whom few public law enforcement officials had any affection. The chief called the Vatican, but all the circuits were busy. He knew it didn't matter. The Swiss Guard would hear about this on television in a matter of minutes. As the chief surveyed the damage, trying to recreate what possibly could have gone on here, he saw a niche riddled with bullet holes. A coffin had been rolled off its supports and fallen upside down in an apparent struggle. It was a mess. That's for the police and Holy See to deal with, the chief thought, turning away. As he turned, though, he stopped. Coming from the coffin he heard a sound. It was not a sound any fireman ever liked to hear. â€Å"Bomba!† he cried out. â€Å"Tutti fuori!† When the bomb squad rolled the coffin over, they discovered the source of the electronic beeping. They stared, confused. â€Å"Medico!† one finally screamed. â€Å"Medico!† 99 â€Å"Any word from Olivetti?† the camerlegno asked, looking drained as Rocher escorted him back from the Sistine Chapel to the Pope's office. â€Å"No, signore. I am fearing the worst.† When they reached the Pope's office, the camerlegno's voice was heavy. â€Å"Captain, there is nothing more I can do here tonight. I fear I have done too much already. I am going into this office to pray. I do not wish to be disturbed. The rest is in God's hands.† â€Å"Yes, signore.† â€Å"The hour is late, Captain. Find that canister.† â€Å"Our search continues.† Rocher hesitated. â€Å"The weapon proves to be too well hidden.† The camerlegno winced, as if he could not think of it. â€Å"Yes. At exactly 11:15 P.M., if the church is still in peril, I want you to evacuate the cardinals. I am putting their safety in your hands. I ask only one thing. Let these men proceed from this place with dignity. Let them exit into St. Peter's Square and stand side by side with the rest of the world. I do not want the last image of this church to be frightened old men sneaking out a back door.† â€Å"Very good, signore. And you? Shall I come for you at 11:15 as well?† â€Å"There will be no need.† â€Å"Signore?† â€Å"I will leave when the spirit moves me.† Rocher wondered if the camerlegno intended to go down with the ship. The camerlegno opened the door to the Pope's office and entered. â€Å"Actually†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he said, turning. â€Å"There is one thing.† â€Å"Signore?† â€Å"There seems to be a chill in this office tonight. I am trembling.† â€Å"The electric heat is out. Let me lay you a fire.† The camerlegno smiled tiredly. â€Å"Thank you. Thank you, very much.† Rocher exited the Pope's office where he had left the camerlegno praying by firelight in front of a small statue of the Blessed Mother Mary. It was an eerie sight. A black shadow kneeling in the flickering glow. As Rocher headed down the hall, a guard appeared, running toward him. Even by candlelight Rocher recognized Lieutenant Chartrand. Young, green, and eager. â€Å"Captain,† Chartrand called, holding out a cellular phone. â€Å"I think the camerlegno's address may have worked. We've got a caller here who says he has information that can help us. He phoned on one of the Vatican's private extensions. I have no idea how he got the number.† Rocher stopped. â€Å"What?† â€Å"He will only speak to the ranking officer.† â€Å"Any word from Olivetti?† â€Å"No, sir.† He took the receiver. â€Å"This is Captain Rocher. I am ranking officer here.† â€Å"Rocher,† the voice said. â€Å"I will explain to you who I am. Then I will tell you what you are going to do next.† When the caller stopped talking and hung up, Rocher stood stunned. He now knew from whom he was taking orders. Back at CERN, Sylvie Baudeloque was frantically trying to keep track of all the licensing inquiries coming in on Kohler's voice mail. When the private line on the director's desk began to ring, Sylvie jumped. Nobody had that number. She answered. â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"Ms. Baudeloque? This is Director Kohler. Contact my pilot. My jet is to be ready in five minutes.† 100 Robert Langdon had no idea where he was or how long he had been unconscious when he opened his eyes and found himself staring up at the underside of a baroque, frescoed cupola. Smoke drifted overhead. Something was covering his mouth. An oxygen mask. He pulled it off. There was a terrible smell in the room – like burning flesh. Langdon winced at the pounding in his head. He tried to sit up. A man in white was kneeling beside him. â€Å"Riposati!† the man said, easing Langdon onto his back again. â€Å"Sono il paramedico.† Langdon succumbed, his head spiraling like the smoke overhead. What the hell happened? Wispy feelings of panic sifted through his mind. â€Å"Sorcio salvatore,† the paramedic said. â€Å"Mouse†¦ savior.† Langdon felt even more lost. Mouse savior? The man motioned to the Mickey Mouse watch on Langdon's wrist. Langdon's thoughts began to clear. He remembered setting the alarm. As he stared absently at the watch face, Langdon also noted the hour. 10:28 P.M. He sat bolt upright. Then, it all came back. Langdon stood near the main altar with the fire chief and a few of his men. They had been rattling him with questions. Langdon wasn't listening. He had questions of his own. His whole body ached, but he knew he needed to act immediately. A pompiero approached Langdon across the church. â€Å"I checked again, sir. The only bodies we found are Cardinal Guidera and the Swiss Guard commander. There's no sign of a woman here.† â€Å"Grazie,† Langdon said, unsure whether he was relieved or horrified. He knew he had seen Vittoria unconscious on the floor. Now she was gone. The only explanation he came up with was not a comforting one. The killer had not been subtle on the phone. A woman of spirit. I am aroused. Perhaps before this night is over, I will find you. And when I do†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Langdon looked around. â€Å"Where is the Swiss Guard?† â€Å"Still no contact. Vatican lines are jammed.† Langdon felt overwhelmed and alone. Olivetti was dead. The cardinal was dead. Vittoria was missing. A half hour of his life had disappeared in a blink. Outside, Langdon could hear the press swarming. He suspected footage of the third cardinal's horrific death would no doubt air soon, if it hadn't already. Langdon hoped the camerlegno had long since assumed the worst and taken action. Evacuate the damn Vatican! Enough games! We lose! Langdon suddenly realized that all of the catalysts that had been driving him – helping to save Vatican City, rescuing the four cardinals, coming face to face with the brotherhood he had studied for years – all of these things had evaporated from his mind. The war was lost. A new compulsion had ignited within him. It was simple. Stark. Primal. Find Vittoria. He felt an unexpected emptiness inside. Langdon had often heard that intense situations could unite two people in ways that decades together often did not. He now believed it. In Vittoria's absence he felt something he had not felt in years. Loneliness. The pain gave him strength. Pushing all else from his mind, Langdon mustered his concentration. He prayed that the Hassassin would take care of business before pleasure. Otherwise, Langdon knew he was already too late. No, he told himself, you have time. Vittoria's captor still had work to do. He had to surface one last time before disappearing forever. The last altar of science, Langdon thought. The killer had one final task. Earth. Air. Fire. Water. He looked at his watch. Thirty minutes. Langdon moved past the firemen toward Bernini's Ecstasy of St. Teresa. This time, as he stared at Bernini's marker, Langdon had no doubt what he was looking for. Let angels guide you on your lofty quest†¦ Directly over the recumbent saint, against a backdrop of gilded flame, hovered Bernini's angel. The angel's hand clutched a pointed spear of fire. Langdon's eyes followed the direction of the shaft, arching toward the right side of the church. His eyes hit the wall. He scanned the spot where the spear was pointing. There was nothing there. Langdon knew, of course, the spear was pointing far beyond the wall, into the night, somewhere across Rome. â€Å"What direction is that?† Langdon asked, turning and addressing the chief with a newfound determination. â€Å"Direction?† The chief glanced where Langdon was pointing. He sounded confused. â€Å"I don't know†¦ west, I think.† â€Å"What churches are in that direction?† The chief's puzzlement seemed to deepen. â€Å"Dozens. Why?† Langdon frowned. Of course there were dozens. â€Å"I need a city map. Right away.† The chief sent someone running out to the fire truck for a map. Langdon turned back to the statue. Earth†¦ Air†¦ Fire†¦ VITTORIA. The final marker is Water, he told himself. Bernini's Water. It was in a church out there somewhere. A needle in a haystack. He spurred his mind through all the Bernini works he could recall. I need a tribute to Water! Langdon flashed on Bernini's statue of Triton – the Greek God of the sea. Then he realized it was located in the square outside this very church, in entirely the wrong direction. He forced himself to think. What figure would Bernini have carved as a glorification of water? Neptune and Apollo? Unfortunately that statue was in London's Victoria & Albert Museum. â€Å"Signore?† A fireman ran in with a map. Langdon thanked him and spread it out on the altar. He immediately realized he had asked the right people; the fire department's map of Rome was as detailed as any Langdon had ever seen. â€Å"Where are we now?† The man pointed. â€Å"Next to Piazza Barberini.† Langdon looked at the angel's spear again to get his bearings. The chief had estimated correctly. According to the map, the spear was pointing west. Langdon traced a line from his current location west across the map. Almost instantly his hopes began to sink. It seemed that with every inch his finger traveled, he passed yet another building marked by a tiny black cross. Churches. The city was riddled with them. Finally, Langdon's finger ran out of churches and trailed off into the suburbs of Rome. He exhaled and stepped back from the map. Damn. Surveying the whole of Rome, Langdon's eyes touched down on the three churches where the first three cardinals had been killed. The Chigi Chapel†¦ St. Peter's†¦ here†¦ Seeing them all laid out before him now, Langdon noted an oddity in their locations. Somehow he had imagined the churches would be scattered randomly across Rome. But they most definitely were not. Improbably, the three churches seemed to be separated systematically, in an enormous city-wide triangle. Langdon double-checked. He was not imagining things. â€Å"Penna,† he said suddenly, without looking up. Someone handed him a ballpoint pen. Langdon circled the three churches. His pulse quickened. He triple-checked his markings. A symmetrical triangle! Langdon's first thought was for the Great Seal on the one-dollar bill – the triangle containing the all-seeing eye. But it didn't make sense. He had marked only three points. There were supposed to be four in all. So where the hell is Water? Langdon knew that anywhere he placed the fourth point, the triangle would be destroyed. The only option to retain the symmetry was to place the fourth marker inside the triangle, at the center. He looked at the spot on the map. Nothing. The idea bothered him anyway. The four elements of science were considered equal. Water was not special; Water would not be at the center of the others. Still, his instinct told him the systematic arrangement could not possibly be accidental. I'm not yet seeing the whole picture. There was only one alternative. The four points did not make a triangle; they made some other shape. Langdon looked at the map. A square, perhaps? Although a square made no symbolic sense, squares were symmetrical at least. Langdon put his finger on the map at one of the points that would turn the triangle into a square. He saw immediately that a perfect square was impossible. The angles of the original triangle were oblique and created more of a distorted quadrilateral. As he studied the other possible points around the triangle, something unexpected happened. He noticed that the line he had drawn earlier to indicate the direction of the angel's spear passed perfectly through one of the possibilities. Stupefied, Langdon circled that point. He was now looking at four ink marks on the map, arranged in somewhat of an awkward, kitelike diamond. He frowned. Diamonds were not an Illuminati symbol either. He paused. Then again†¦ For an instant Langdon flashed on the famed Illuminati Diamond. The thought, of course, was ridiculous. He dismissed it. Besides, this diamond was oblong – like a kite – hardly an example of the flawless symmetry for which the Illuminati Diamond was revered. When he leaned in to examine where he had placed the final mark, Langdon was surprised to find that the fourth point lay dead center of Rome's famed Piazza Navona. He knew the piazza contained a major church, but he had already traced his finger through that piazza and considered the church there. To the best of his knowledge it contained no Bernini works. The church was called Saint Agnes in Agony, named for St. Agnes, a ravishing teenage virgin banished to a life of sexual slavery for refusing to renounce her faith. There must be something in that church! Langdon racked his brain, picturing the inside of the church. He could think of no Bernini works at all inside, much less anything to do with water. The arrangement on the map was bothering him too. A diamond. It was far too accurate to be coincidence, but it was not accurate enough to make any sense. A kite? Langdon wondered if he had chosen the wrong point. What am I missing! The answer took another thirty seconds to hit him, but when it did, Langdon felt an exhilaration like nothing he had ever experienced in his academic career. The Illuminati genius, it seemed, would never cease. The shape he was looking at was not intended as a diamond at all. The four points only formed a diamond because Langdon had connected adjacent points. The Illuminati believe in opposites! Connecting opposite vertices with his pen, Langdon's fingers were trembling. There before him on the map was a giant cruciform. It's a cross! The four elements of science unfolded before his eyes†¦ sprawled across Rome in an enormous, city-wide cross. As he stared in wonder, a line of poetry rang in his mind†¦ like an old friend with a new face. ‘Cross Rome the mystic elements unfold†¦ ‘Cross Rome†¦ The fog began to clear. Langdon saw that the answer had been in front of him all night! The Illuminati poem had been telling him how the altars were laid out. A cross! ‘Cross Rome the mystic elements unfold! It was cunning wordplay. Langdon had originally read the word'Cross as an abbreviation of Across. He assumed it was poetic license intended to retain the meter of the poem. But it was so much more than that! Another hidden clue. The cruciform on the map, Langdon realized, was the ultimate Illuminati duality. It was a religious symbol formed by elements of science. Galileo's path of Illumination was a tribute to both science and God! The rest of the puzzle fell into place almost immediately. Piazza Navona. Dead center of Piazza Navona, outside the church of St. Agnes in Agony, Bernini had forged one of his most celebrated sculptures. Everyone who came to Rome went to see it. The Fountain of the Four Rivers! A flawless tribute to water, Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers glorified the four major rivers of the Old World – The Nile, Ganges, Danube, and Rio Plata. Water, Langdon thought. The final marker. It was perfect. And even more perfect, Langdon realized, the cherry on the cake, was that high atop Bernini's fountain stood a towering obelisk. Leaving confused firemen in his wake, Langdon ran across the church in the direction of Olivetti's lifeless body. 10:31 P.M., he thought. Plenty of time. It was the first instant all day that Langdon felt ahead of the game. Kneeling beside Olivetti, out of sight behind some pews, Langdon discreetly took possession of the commander's semiautomatic and walkie-talkie. Langdon knew he would call for help, but this was not the place to do it. The final altar of science needed to remain a secret for now. The media and fire department racing with sirens blaring to Piazza Navona would be no help at all. Without a word, Langdon slipped out the door and skirted the press, who were now entering the church in droves. He crossed Piazza Barberini. In the shadows he turned on the walkie-talkie. He tried to hail Vatican City but heard nothing but static. He was either out of range or the transmitter needed some kind of authorization code. Langdon adjusted the complex dials and buttons to no avail. Abruptly, he realized his plan to get help was not going to work. He spun, looking for a pay phone. None. Vatican circuits were jammed anyway. He was alone. Feeling his initial surge of confidence decay, Langdon stood a moment and took stock of his pitiful state – covered in bone dust, cut, deliriously exhausted, and hungry. Langdon glanced back at the church. Smoke spiraled over the cupola, lit by the media lights and fire trucks. He wondered if he should go back and get help. Instinct warned him however that extra help, especially untrained help, would be nothing but a liability. If the Hassassin sees us coming†¦ He thought of Vittoria and knew this would be his final chance to face her captor. Piazza Navona, he thought, knowing he could get there in plenty of time and stake it out. He scanned the area for a taxi, but the streets were almost entirely deserted. Even the taxi drivers, it seemed, had dropped everything to find a television. Piazza Navona was only about a mile away, but Langdon had no intention of wasting precious energy on foot. He glanced back at the church, wondering if he could borrow a vehicle from someone. A fire truck? A press van? Be serious. Sensing options and minutes slipping away, Langdon made his decision. Pulling the gun from his pocket, he committed an act so out of character that he suspected his soul must now be possessed. Running over to a lone Citroen sedan idling at a stoplight, Langdon pointed the weapon through the driver's open window. â€Å"Fuori!† he yelled. The trembling man got out. Langdon jumped behind the wheel and hit the gas. 101 Gunther Glick sat on a bench in a holding tank inside the office of the Swiss Guard. He prayed to every god he could think of. Please let this NOT be a dream. It had been the scoop of his life. The scoop of anyone's life. Every reporter on earth wished he were Glick right now. You are awake, he told himself. And you are a star. Dan Rather is crying right now. Macri was beside him, looking a little bit stunned. Glick didn't blame her. In addition to exclusively broadcasting the camerlegno's address, she and Glick had provided the world with gruesome photos of the cardinals and of the Pope – that tongue! – as well as a live video feed of the antimatter canister counting down. Incredible! Of course, all of that had all been at the camerlegno's behest, so that was not the reason Glick and Macri were now locked in a Swiss Guard holding tank. It had been Glick's daring addendum to their coverage that the guards had not appreciated. Glick knew the conversation on which he had just reported was not intended for his ears, but this was his moment in the sun. Another Glick scoop! â€Å"The 11th Hour Samaritan?† Macri groaned on the bench beside him, clearly unimpressed. Glick smiled. â€Å"Brilliant, wasn't it?† â€Å"Brilliantly dumb.† She's just jealous, Glick knew. Shortly after the camerlegno's address, Glick had again, by chance, been in the right place at the right time. He'd overheard Rocher giving new orders to his men. Apparently Rocher had received a phone call from a mysterious individual who Rocher claimed had critical information regarding the current crisis. Rocher was talking as if this man could help them and was advising his guards to prepare for the guest's arrival. Although the information was clearly private, Glick had acted as any dedicated reporter would – without honor. He'd found a dark corner, ordered Macri to fire up her remote camera, and he'd reported the news. â€Å"Shocking new developments in God's city,† he had announced, squinting his eyes for added intensity. Then he'd gone on to say that a mystery guest was coming to Vatican City to save the day. The 11th Hour Samaritan, Glick had called him – a perfect name for the faceless man appearing at the last moment to do a good deed. The other networks had picked up the catchy sound bite, and Glick was yet again immortalized. I'm brilliant, he mused. Peter Jennings just jumped off a bridge. Of course Glick had not stopped there. While he had the world's attention, he had thrown in a little of his own conspiracy theory for good measure. Brilliant. Utterly brilliant. â€Å"You screwed us,† Macri said. â€Å"You totally blew it.† â€Å"What do you mean? I was great!† Macri stared disbelievingly. â€Å"Former President George Bush? An Illuminatus?† Glick smiled. How much more obvious could it be? George Bush was a well-documented, 33rd-degree Mason, and he was the head of the CIA when the agency closed their Illuminati investigation for lack of evidence. And all those speeches about â€Å"a thousand points of light† and a â€Å"New World Order†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Bush was obviously Illuminati. â€Å"And that bit about CERN?† Macri chided. â€Å"You are going to have a very big line of lawyers outside your door tomorrow.† â€Å"CERN? Oh come on! It's so obvious! Think about it! The Illuminati disappear off the face of the earth in the 1950s at about the same time CERN is founded. CERN is a haven for the most enlightened people on earth. Tons of private funding. They build a weapon that can destroy the church, and oops!†¦ they lose it!† â€Å"So you tell the world that CERN is the new home base of the Illuminati?† â€Å"Obviously! Brotherhoods don't just disappear. The Illuminati had to go somewhere. CERN is a perfect place for them to hide. I'm not saying everyone at CERN is Illuminati. It's probably like a huge Masonic lodge, where most people are innocent, but the upper echelons – â€Å" â€Å"Have you ever heard of slander, Glick? Liability?† â€Å"Have you ever heard of real journalism!† â€Å"Journalism? You were pulling bullshit out of thin air! I should have turned off the camera! And what the hell was that crap about CERN's corporate logo? Satanic symbology? Have you lost your mind?† Glick smiled. Macri's jealousy was definitely showing. The CERN logo had been the most brilliant coup of all. Ever since the camerlegno's address, all the networks were talking about CERN and antimatter. Some stations were showing the CERN corporate logo as a backdrop. The logo seemed standard enough – two intersecting circles representing two particle accelerators, and five tangential lines representing particle injection tubes. The whole world was staring at this logo, but it had been Glick, a bit of a symbologist himself, who had first seen the Illuminati symbology hidden in it. â€Å"You're not a symbologist,† Macri chided, â€Å"you're just one lucky-ass reporter. You should have left the symbology to the Harvard guy.† â€Å"The Harvard guy missed it,† Glick said. The Illuminati significance in this logo is so obvious! He was beaming inside. Although CERN had lots of accelerators, their logo showed only two. Two is the Illuminati number of duality. Although most accelerators had only one injection tube, the logo showed five. Five is the number of the Illuminati pentagram. Then had come the coup – the most brilliant point of all. Glick pointed out that the logo contained a large numeral â€Å"6 – clearly formed by one of the lines and circles – and when the logo was rotated, another six appeared†¦ and then another. The logo contained three sixes! 666! The devil's number! The mark of the beast! Glick was a genius. Macri looked ready to slug him. The jealousy would pass, Glick knew, his mind now wandering to another thought. If CERN was Illuminati headquarters, was CERN where the Illuminati kept their infamous Illuminati Diamond? Glick had read about it on the Internet – â€Å"a flawless diamond, born of the ancient elements with such perfection that all those who saw it could only stand in wonder.† Glick wondered if the secret whereabouts of the Illuminati Diamond might be yet another mystery he could unveil tonight.

Film Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Film Analysis - Essay Example r who is not convinced of the boy’s guilt and how he combines a mixture of persuasion and indictment to change the 11-1 voting position of the jury against the defendant to a unanimous verdict of not guilty. An uneducated, Puerto Rican adolescent is on trial for murdering his father with a switchblade. The jury of 12 all white, all male, mostly middle class men retire to the chamber for their deliberations. Only one juror has a dissenting vote of not guilty. At first the others are impatient to get it over with, but the lone juror slowly and persistently forces the other members to re-examine the shaky evidence against the defendant and the unreliable eye witness testimony. He also points out that the court appointed attorney had not tried to serve his client’s best interests and had further compromised the defendant’s case. On this basis, heated exchanges and discussions take place between the other members of the jury, revealing deep rooted prejudices and biases. The arguments bounce back and forth, anger and uncomfortable feelings are unleashed in that closed room, but the outcome is that the existence of a reasonable doubt of the accused’s guilt is acknowledged by all the jury members and the boy is exonerated. The pragmatic approach takes into account the paradoxes between the overt, verbal communication and the interpretation by the listener of the language that is used, as a reflection of the true intentions of the speaker which may be different from the actual verbal message being conveyed. This process of meta communication that goes on at a different level from the outward conventional one and therefore can sometimes result in miscommunication. Bateson reframed psychotherapy based on a horizontal approach that examined an individual’s relationships with those around him rather than focusing on Freud’s intensive vertical approach that stressed the process going on within the individual. This horizontal approach was directed towards the study

Business to Business marketing and supply chain management Essay

Business to Business marketing and supply chain management - Essay Example A supply chain is an inter network for facilities and distribution solutions that does the functions for procuring the materials, transforming these raw materials into usable intermediate and finished goods, and finally distributing these finished goods to the customers (Hugos, 2006, p.3). It consists of all the stages that are related in completing a customer request. The goal of SCM should be to link the marketplace, the distribution network, the manufacturing process and the procurement (or purchasing) activity in such a way that customers are serviced at higher levels and yet at a lower cost (Business-to-business marketing and supply chain management, 2008, p.4). Business-to-business (B2B) describes the commercial transactions between businesses that can be between manufacturers and wholesalers or in between wholesalers and retailers. Relation between SCM and B2B For any supply chain management to sustain in a B2B environment, the focus must lie on providing the customers with th e best in quality of services. The B2B customers usually have very particular demands (Withey & lancaster, 2012, p.258), and the best solution in these situations is to have a consumer friendly supply network chain which would operate in a real-time, would be data driven and would be able to supply the products on demand. The key features of B2B marketing such as placing demands, the buying process need to be incorporated in the SCM of a company to boost sales (Business marketing and supply chain management, 2008, p.19). Relationship marketing in B2B communications Effective business to business (B2B) relationships in the context of supply chain management are mostly important for the organizations to strengthen their ability in order to be more competitive and leader in the marketplace (Clement, 2009, p.3). There has to be certain limitations between the supplier and the purchaser so as to maintain a healthy relationship. The relationships also need to focus on the pricing issues t hat are determined by the market forces. Apart from this, there must be continuous initiatives to strengthen the partnerships in the B2B marketing scenarios. Aim of the paper The paper is based on a case study what will try to highlight the importance of relationship management in SCM and in a B2B marketing. It will be based on the conditions of the chemical industry as presented in the case study and draw insights from it regarding the issues of supply chain management, B2B marketing, key account management and how they are related with each other. The case study – Chemco and the chemical industry Chemco is a company operating at the global level in the chemical sector. Its products include chemical additives designed to enhance a base chemical’s properties. These products are used by blenders/manufacturers to create branded products for the global market, including the oil and petroleum sectors. Chemco was once regarded as the highest owner in market share and the te chnical leader. This had been achieved through their investment in R&D and a widespread geographical coverage of the local agents by offering close customer liaison. Towards the end of the decade, the condition in the chemical industry was deteriorating because of which the demand was cut down. This forced the manufacturers to cut down on their costs. Chemco's

Western Art and History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Western Art and History - Essay Example The lower ground floor houses the Greek sculptures, Egyptian mummies, Etruscan art as well as some artifacts dated from Ancient Rome. The upper ground floor holds a collection of ecclesiastical art from the Middle age, carved wooden ceilings, and some tapestries. Upon visiting the first floor, one would see a vast collection of paintings. Special exhibitions are usually displayed on the mezzanine. B. The artwork contained some elements that art critics have found interesting such as the very specific landscape and the water effects ( Kleiner, 2003) . Indeed, the water effects really showed the expertise of Witz in portraying images in plastic form using contrasting colors and strong shadows. The water seemed so real that accurately reflects the mirror images of the people on the boat as well as the piece of rock on the right side of the painting. The very stark colors in the background complement some of the subjects in the painting: Jesus Christ on the shore and Peter on the water. The vivid red robe of Christ stands out showing his magnificence as compared to the drab wardrobe of Peter struggling in the water. Another interesting feature of this painting is the fact that Witz used Lake Geneva as the setting of the incident instead of Lake Galilee. This resulted to Witz capturing the real background of Geneva during that time it was painted, as described by Hagen ( 2003 )â €  mountains can still be clearly identified: on the right, the Petit Saleve, in the middle the Mole Pointu, on the left the tops of the Voirons†. It can also be observed how Witz shows the position of Christ’s head against the mountain backdrop. The artwork is trying to emphasize Jesus as the figurehead of the church. In addition to that, landscape painting was not yet fully developed that time but the artwork shows how Witz gave justice to the piece. Aside from that

The Changes in Employment Law Introduced by the Equality Act 2010 Essay

The Changes in Employment Law Introduced by the Equality Act 2010 - Essay Example The paper discusses the changes on the employment law as a result of introduction of the Equality Act 2010. Equal Pay The Equal Pay Act of 1970 prohibits discrimination in pay between men and women. The Act emphasizes equal pay for equal work. Despite the act being in place gender wage gap continues to rise and women are segregated in low paying service sector jobs such as education and health. However, the claimant pursuing this allegation should be able to proof that the difference in pay is as a result of discriminatory act by the employer. To proof this, there needs to be a comparator of opposite sex performing similar work in the establishment or in a similar establishment offering same terms and conditions of employment (Kelly et al. 2011). The Act gave employers right to secrecy in remunerations thereby preventing employees from getting information as to whether they are being discriminated thus making it hard to claim unequal pay discrimination. The Equality Act 2010 however makes some changes which removed the clauses on secrecy. Employees are thus free to get information regarding remuneration. It also made it unlawful for employers to prohibit employees from discussing pay. The Act requires organizations with 250 or more employees to publish pay differences for males and females (Directgov, 2011). The Act also enables claimants to make a claim even if there is no comparator. This implies that employers need to be very cautious when offering terms of payment to avoid discrimination allegations. It has also to publish pay differences to avoid paying fines. This may affect performance related pay as those performing equal work need to be paid similar wages. While Equal Pay Act incorporates equality clause in all contracts, Equality Act incorporates sex equality in the contract (Kelly et al. 2011, p. 465). Sex Discrimination Treating one less favourably on the grounds of sex is prohibited in the Sex Discrimination Act of 1975 (Kelly et al. 2011). The act also prohibits harassment based on sex and victimization as a result of giving evidence on sex discrimination cases or for filing a complaint based on sex. The Employment Equality (sex discrimination) Regulations 2005 require a claimant to proof they were discriminated because of their sex by use of a comparator hence according to Clarke (2006), discrimination laws emphasize on differences between complainant and comparator rather than the disadvantage the complainant has experienced (161). The Equality Act has extended the associative and perceptive discrimination based on sex. It is therefore unlawful to treat someone less favourably because of having an association with a person of a particular sex or because of being perceived as belonging to a particular sex. Disability Discrimination The Disability Discrimination Act of 1995 prohibits unfair treatment on the grounds of being disabled. It prohibits direct discrimination and disability related discrimination whereby one is disc riminated due to reasons associated to disability such as sickness. However, the employer can discriminate if the nature of activities does not allow hiring a disabled person, if costs involved are high or as a result of genuine

Asset Management Discussion Post 6 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Asset Management Discussion Post 6 - Coursework Example For purposes of recording keeping, a broker may inquire about the customer’s name, address, and date of birth, driver’s license, employment status, annual income, and net worth. This information helps to verify identification of the client and check whether the client appears in any known or suspected terrorists groups or agencies. Other questions would be whether a brokerage firm and their annual income employ them. Details of telephone number and account investment objectives are also crucial questions. This information must be obtained in good faith but if the customer neglects to provide such information then a broker can break the rule of good faith in obtaining such information. As a broker, questions asked must be periodically repeated to check accuracy over a certain period. According to the SECs, rules every brokerage firm is required to send information obtained from a client periodically for verification (Markham, 2014). There are certain characteristics that a client must possess for the investment to make sense. The main characteristic of the client is the suitability for investments. The broker might inquire about the income of the client and their net worth. The broker may inquire about security holdings, risk tolerance, and investment objectives of the client. All this is contents that must be there for one to be deemed suitable to create a portfolio in any

Maternal Obesity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Maternal Obesity - Essay Example The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports reveals that at the beginning stage of pregnancy, one in five women are obese. Hence reducing obesity during, before, and after the pregnancy should be considered as a matter of public health importance. The obesity in pregnancy has been rapidly increasing and has now become a common risk obstetric condition in many countries. The reason for the health organizations to take extra care in the issue of maternal obesity is that the consequences of it are high and associated with adverse reproductive outcomes and hypertensive disorders and also causes for gestational diabetes mellitus, cesarean delivery, and increased risk for obesity of the child. Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) As Rivis and Sheeran (2003) explain, the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was derived from the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and explains the three predicator of behavior – attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control. Attitude refers the beliefs of an individual about the outcomes of the behavior mixed with an evaluation of the significance of these outcomes. The Theory of Planned Behavior is somewhat similar to the Health Belief Model. ... The results explain that both models were able to predict an important part in the variance of dieting and fasting follow-up behavior. The direct aspect of the perceived control evaluates the extent of access that the individuals believe to have in formulating the behavior question. On the other hand, the indirect aspect of perceived control is normally obtained by assessing some definite aspects, called control beliefs, which have the capability both to make it easier and to make it difficult to achieve a behavior. The Theory of Planned Behavior analysis reports no direct connection between the intention to eat healthfully and eating behavior. Besides, age, gender, and BMI were the important factors forming the response of the people. The TPB is formulated on the idea that the stronger the intention to carry out a provided behavior, the greater the chance that a person will execute that behavior. The results from the various studies prove that TPB is helpful in predicting the factor s that are directly connected with healthy eating behavior. Many factors lead to healthy eating behaviors, and the TPB can be used as a tool to formulate intervention strategies to promote healthy eating habits among the youth, especially the women who are more faced with the risk of obesity and overweight. Other factors such as attitude, barriers, are subjective norm which have chances to influence the eating behaviors, are also added to the model of TBP. At last, the suggestion is towards the parents to take reasonable care in maintaining a healthy eating habit for their children. Social and Cultural factors affecting the maternal Obesity. The causes behind the obesity are multifaceted and consist of social, cultural, genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors. Generally, obesity

A Report and Analysis of Dont Fire Them-Fire Them Up Essay Example for Free

A Report and Analysis of Dont Fire Them-Fire Them Up Essay In many cases, the principles that lead to success in the business world translate very well to other disciplines, such as military leadership and operations. An excellent example of such principles can be found in Frank Pacetta’s â€Å"Don’t Fire Them, Fire Them Up†, a work that is considered by many to be a pivotal piece of literature in the field of business management, more specifically sales management, as well as any other endeavor which requires the ability to motivate, lead and encourage others, in addition to one’s self. This paper will present an overview and discussion of Pacetta’s book; moreover, this paper will also discuss how the principles put forth in â€Å"Don’t Fire Them, Fire Them Up† have relevance in military settings as well. Upon conclusion of this research, the reader will not only better understand the mindset of Frank Pacetta, but will also hopefully find motivation to read his work for themselves and utilize his principles for their own enrichment and to guide and mentor those to look to them for leadership and support. An Overview of the Book Before a meaningful discussion of the key elements of Frank Pacetta’s book can take place, it is important to take a closer look at the book as a whole. In â€Å"Don’t Fire Them, Fire Them Up†, Frank Pacetta uses his own personal experiences as a sales manager for Xerox Corporation as the template for the story he is telling and the concepts he is sharing with the reader. Having found himself with the ironic responsibility of improving the worst performing sales region for one of the world’s most profitable corporations, Pacetta realized early on that his work was certainly cut out for him. To his credit, he also came to an early realization that the first instinct to fire the entire sales force was not the appropriate course of action; rather, motivation was needed for the salespeople and support staff, as they were not deliberately poor performers or underachievers, but in Pacetta’s own words â€Å"the plane was on autopilot and falling fast† (Pacetta, 1994), meaning that the sales department overall was failing tremendously, but apathy ruled the day, whether due to fear of inappropriate actions or perhaps even a self fulfilling fatalism. Whatever the case, Pacetta chose to lead by example, which is clearly illustrated by his concepts of The Power of Personal Example and Being Who You Say You Are (Pacetta, 1994). In other words, he practiced what he preached, and in the final result of his actions, the failing department he entered was transformed into an effective team environment that became on of Xerox’s most profitable territories. While Pacetta started the transformation by introspection, he did not achieve this success single handedly; rather, he found the best in each of his team members and honed it into what was needed for the well being of the entire operation. Perhaps most importantly, Pacetta reached the realization that people are in fact the organization’s best asset. Perhaps the author himself said it best with this statement:† What folks need desperately are people who believe in them, and are committed to their success, and people who will do everything possible to empower them to fulfill and live their dreams (Pacetta, 1994). The Author’s Maverick Attitude The subtitle of this book, so to speak, is â€Å"A Maverick’s Guide to Motivate Yourself and Your Team†, which in retrospect embodies the leadership by example and individual motivation that Pacetta used in his own experiences, which ultimately formed the backbone of his book. The â€Å"Maverick Attitude†, so to speak, is worthy of note and discussion because of the important contributions it made to the book and the success story around which the plot was developed. Someone once said that desperate times call for desperate measures; faced with a quickly dying sales department in what could be a promising and profitable territory with the proper cultivation, Pacetta was not afraid to step out of the conventional comfort zone for the sake of better results in a sort of tough-love situation. One of Pacetta’s key philosophies is to tell his personnel where they are headed, for better or for worse. Through a creative combination of compassion and candor, he was able to tell his staff that while there were things that they had done quite well, there was a problem that held the potential to lead to the destruction of the department from the inside out. In this way, Pacetta was able to project the understanding that some possibly painful actions needed to be taken for a better end result, but each individual properly understood that they were not being abandoned, and moreover, were being retained and mentored because of their past contributions and future potential. Application of Pacetta’s Techniques in a Military Environment Moving from a topical discussion of â€Å"Don’t Fire Them, Fire Them Up† to actually putting its principles into practice, it is valuable to consider the application of Pacetta’s techniques to a military environment. When the book’s concepts are applied to the military environment, there are several very important philosophies that would serve military leaders and their personnel quite well. At the risk of stating the obvious, perhaps the most apparent and valuable of these is the afore mentioned adage that the personnel of a leader are perhaps his or her best asset. Even the greatest of leaders and motivators would be set up to fail without reliable and motivated people within their command who, properly led, would make endless contributions to the welfare and effectiveness of the unit. As the old saying goes, the chain in final analysis is only as strong as its weakest link. Leadership by example is also worthy of extraction from Pacetta’s book and application into military management. Such attributes as performance under pressure, courage, perseverance and integrity are best learned by seeing them in practice, and as the most visible member of a military unit, the leader is looked to as a pacesetter for subordinates. Without strong examples of leadership, even the best laid plans may be doomed to fail. Lastly, a concept which may stretch the boundaries of military order but is noteworthy nonetheless is that of not being afraid to be a trendsetter in leadership, a quality which Pacetta calls being a maverick (Pacetta, 1994). This does not mean insubordination or dereliction of duty, but rather the unique ability to use one’s own initiative to achieve goals and objectives while still remaining within the boundaries of regulations and acceptable practices. While this may sound like a contradiction in terms, it has been proven to be effective in the world of business, and should neatly lend itself to military matters. Conclusion In his book, Frank Pacetta not only shares a classic, real-life tale of triumph over adversity, but also a story of the value of the individual, the team, and the leadership of both. Through actual anecdotes and intelligent analysis, â€Å"Don’t Fire Them, Fire Them Up† makes valuable points for the executive and Admiral alike. In closing, the researcher hopes that the spirit of Pacetta’s teachings carries through in this paper as well; further, it is hoped that the readers of this paper will take the time to read and practice what can be found within the pages of Pacetta’s classic work of business literature. References Pacetta, Frank (1994). Dont Fire Them, Fire Them Up. New York: Simon Schuster.

“What Are Some Issues That Indigenous Australians Still Face and Some Solutions” Essay Example for Free

â€Å"What Are Some Issues That Indigenous Australians Still Face and Some Solutions† Essay We have all heard of the stolen generation in Australia’s history, and know of the issues and problems the indigenous Australians faced and although modern times for indigenous Australians are a lot better than previous times, they are still faced with many issues. These include education leading onto high unemployment, remoteness of some living lands, problems proving rightful lands and culture clashes of today. However some solutions I think will work are mentioned later on, which I think could possibly help future generations to come. Education and high unemployment are all issues that the indigenous aboriginals face. They have the lowest attendance rates and this leads onto high unemployment rates. Some aboriginals do not believe in European education, and others it is sometimes too far for them to travel to get proper education. This all has future effects on the children that do not attend school, as they are unable to be employed and therefore cannot lead a better life. It is a cycle that will continue until something is done. I believe that we should build more schools so the children can attend it daily, and for those who do not believe in European education, I believe that we should have a regular consulter who ever week will talk to the adults to try and convince them and change their views (gently), and not only that, but check on the children and make sure they are attending school. I think governments should help schools who have this commonly occur, and have a consulter and check up on the kids who haven’t been attending. The next issue is remoteness of land that leads to lack of proper facilities, and problems with proving rightful land. Some indigenous Australians prefer to live on their ancestor’s land and continue traditional life; however sometimes these places are too remote for proper facilities. Facilities such as health, education and more are too far to reach. I think we should build more facilities nearer to the lands so they are now closer and can get use them. The next problem is a big one. Ancestral land is vital to indigenous culture and is a link to their past, so when they lose that important land, it is hard to win it back as a lot of evidence must be given. I believe we should reduce the amount of evidence given, and depending on case to case, give it up easier. Because without their land they have lost their culture, their land and are displaced within society. The last issue I will mention is culture clash. Here in the modern world,there is not much room for other cultures. It is a major role within many indigenous Australian lives, however its customs sometimes clash with the new beliefs creating strains on the younger generations beliefs. I believe we should create more schools, meant mainly (but not only for) aboriginals, which encourage many of their cultures and customs which will help encourage the younger generations to connect with it. So although there is still many issues that many indigenous Australians face, I believe that they can all be solved with enough time, effort and belief, we can make it better for them.

Obfuscated Data Storage For Cloud Environment

Obfuscated Data Storage For Cloud Environment Ravi Pandey, and Kamlesh Chandra Purohit Abstract. Data storage service is one of the most attractive services provided by the cloud service provider. Despite the benefits of cloud computing threat to data confidentiality, integrity and availability may stop the data owner from switching to a cloud environment. Handing over the data to a third party to store and manage may generate data security issues as owner of the data cannot deploy its own security policies in storage service provider’s premises. A storage service provider may misuse the client’s data. In a cloud environment data is stored in the service provider’s premises so there should be a mechanism which hides meaning of the data from the service provider or any other unauthorized entity. In this paper, we propose a mechanism which utilizes some existing schemes like erasure correcting code, AES, SHA256 and some new techniques to achieve data security guarantees against any unauthorized entity. Keywords: Data storage service, cloud computing, erasure correcting code, AES, SHA256. 1. Introduction Cloud computing technology, which is popular for its pay as you go model attracts enterprises and individuals to host their data in a cloud environment. Based on results from IDCs 2012 North American CloudTrack Survey â€Å"more than 30% of organizations expect that within five years, the majority of their IT capability will be delivered through public cloud services and that within three years, they will access 45.5% of IT resources through some form of cloud — public, private, or hybrid†. As Cloud Computing has advantages for both providers and users, it is developing in an amazing pace and predicted to grow and be adopted by a large amount of users in the near future [1]. Cloud storage is an important service of cloud computing, which allows data owners (owners) to move data from their local computing systems to the cloud [2]. The storage space requirement is increasing every day as rate of data generation is very high. According to IDC Digital Universe Study, June 2011, â€Å"In 2011, the amount of information created and replicated will surpass 1.8 zettabytes (1.8 trillion gigabytes), growing by a factor of nine in just five years. That’s nearly as many bits of information in the digital universe as stars in the physical universe†. Various surveys show that the issue of data security is highest among clients who wish to switch their data in the cloud. Existing encryption schemes assure security guarantee for data while traversing in the network, where data resides for very short time. In case of data stored in a cloud environment, data resides for a long time in the service provider’s storage premises, so the service provider or its any employee can attempt brute force attack to get information from the client’s stored data. In a cloud environment there can be some internal attackers like employee of service provider who can behave dishonestly. Some applications stored by other client on the same server may be malicious which try to access data of other clients. Although it becomes difficult for an external attacker to attack intended data as in cloud where data is stored is not known to attacker but they can try to attack any random data. Therefore, client expects a secure network in which client can upload data, an honest service provider and a third party auditor who can take responsibility to check integrity of data stored in cloud server. This paper is extension of our previous paper []. Here we will explain proposed scheme in more detail and we will analyze the complexity of our algorithm. 2. System Model Cloud storage auditing system consists of three entities client, cloud server and third Party auditor. Client is the owner of data to be stored in cloud. Client generates the data to be hosted in cloud and can access, modify or delete the data to be hosted. Cloud storage server stores the data and provides mechanisms to access, modifying or deleting the data. Fig. 1. Cloud data storage architecture. Storage servers are geographically distant located, data is redundantly stored in multiple servers for security reasons. Third party auditor is an authorised system to check integrity of data storage. Data flow in between any pair of entity happens in encrypted form. We know that system is prone to internal and external attacks; other issues like hardware failure, software bugs, networking may also impact the system. We believe that, the third party auditing scheme, proposed by many researcher with some modification can make the whole cloud storage environment more reliable and secure. 3. Design Goal In Existing scheme key problem is that data stored in cloud data storage server is in meaningful manner. Our design goal is to obfuscate data before uploading it to the cloud server. After that we utilize existing data encryption techniques and hashing algorithm for providing user authentication and ensuring data integrity. 4. Proposed Work 4.1. Data Obfuscation Algorithm Let F be the private file, which is to be uploaded in the cloud environment. (we can see file F as an array of bytes from 0 to Flength.) Select a key K, an array of 10 digits from 0 to 9 without any repetition. Initialize 10 files f0,f1,f2,f3,†¦f9., we call them file components. For each byte F[i] of file F, calculate j= i %10; For each j, look for K[j] and append F[i] byte on fK[j] component. Figure 1. Demonstration of the file F, which is to be uploaded in the cloud environment. Figure 2. Demonstration of the key K. Figure 3. Demonstration of the file component fj. 4.2. Program Code for data obfuscation algorithm Program code in python for splitting file in components. count=0 n=0 path=I:\abcd; khol = open(path,rb) clone1=open(I:\115,wb) clone2=open(I:\116,wb) clone3=open(I:\117,wb) clone4=open(I:\120,wb) clone5=open(I:\121,wb) clone6=open(I:\123,wb) clone7=open(I:\124,wb) clone8=open(I:\125,wb) clone9=open(I:\126,wb) myL=[clone3,clone5,clone2,clone7,clone1,clone9,clone4,clone8,clone6] byte=start while byte!=: byte = khol.read(1) n=count%9 count=count+1 if byte: if n==0: clone=myL[0] clone.write(byte) elif n==1: clone=myL[1] clone.write(byte) elif n==2: clone=myL[2] clone.write(byte) elif n==3: clone=myL[3] clone.write(byte) elif n==4: clone=myL[4] clone.write(byte) elif n==5: clone=myL[5] clone.write(byte) elif n==6: clone=myL[6] clone.write(byte) elif n==7: clone=myL[7] clone.write(byte) elif n==8: clone=myL[8] clone.write(byte) else: break khol.close() clone1.close() clone2.close() clone3.close() clone4.close() clone5.close() clone6.close() clone7.close() clone8.close() clone9.close() Program code in python for regenerating main file from components. clone1=open(I:\115,rb) clone2=open(I:\116,rb) clone3=open(I:\117,rb) clone4=open(I:\120,rb) clone5=open(I:\121,rb) clone6=open(I:\123,rb) clone7=open(I:\124,rb) clone8=open(I:\125,rb) clone9=open(I:\126,rb) recover=open(I:\abcd,wb) myL=[clone3,clone5,clone2,clone7,clone1,clone9,clone4,clone8,clone6] byte=start while byte!=: if byte: for x in myL: byte=x.read(1) recover.write(byte) else: break clone1.close() clone2.close() clone3.close() clone4.close() clone5.close() clone6.close() clone7.close() clone8.close() clone9.close() recover.close() 4.3. Erasure Correcting Code After division of File F in 10 components, we use erasure correcting code [] to achieve data availability against byzantine failure. Erasure coding (EC) is a method of data protection in which data is broken into fragments, expanded and encoded withredundantdata pieces and stored across a set of different locations or storage media. Erasure coding creates a mathematicalfunctionto describe asetof numbers so they can be checked for accuracy and recovered if one is lost. Referred to aspolynomial interpolationor oversampling, this is the key concept behind erasure codes. In mathematical terms, the protection offered by erasure coding can be represented in simple form by the following equation: n = k + m. The variable â€Å"k† is the original amount of data or symbols. The variable â€Å"m† stands for the extra or redundant symbols that are added to provide protection from failures. The variable â€Å"n† is the total number of symbols created after the erasure coding process. For instance, in a [10:16] method six extra symbols (m) would be added to the 10 base symbols (k). The 16 data fragments (n) would be spread across 16 drives, nodes or geographic locations. The original file could be reconstructed from 10 verified fragments. 4.4. Component Encryption (AES) Now we can encrypt each file component with AES using 128 bit, 192 bit, or 256 bit key for encryption. 4.5. Token Generation(SHA256) We calculate hash function SHA256 for every data component H(fi)=xi. TheSHA algorithm is a cryptographic hash functionwhich produces a 64 digithash value. We use this token as a challenge token for auditing the storage server. Third party auditor keeps token value of each encrypted file component. File components are identified by a random_number generated by the client. Size of random_number depends on the requirement of the storage space by the client. 4.6. Database description After uploading files in the data storage server the client can delete the files in its local machine. Client keeps database of each file which contains file name, AES encryption password , file distribution password. Besides this for each file client keeps database for file component of that file. It contains random_number associated with each file component. Third party auditor keeps clients id, random_number associated with file components and challenge token corresponding to each component. Storage server stores client id and file component named with random_number generated by the client. 5. Third Party auditing TPA sends random_number to the cloud storage server. On receiving this random_number, cloud storage server calculates hash function of corresponding file component. Storage server encrypts this hash value with a shared key among TPA and storage server and sends encrypted hash value to TPA. TPA matches this received value with its database. If the stored hash value of a file and received hash value are same then file component is stored correctly, otherwise TPA sends alert message to the corresponding client of that file. 6. Algorithm Analysis In this section, we evaluate the complexity of the proposed scheme under the section 4.1. We took files of size 10 kb, 100 kb, 1000 kb and 10,000 kb for analyzing time complexity of the algorithm. Using time function of python we majored repeatedly the time of execution of proposed algorithm. We found that time of execution linearly (O(n)) depends on the size of file. Similarly, we majored time of execution at the time of regeneration of file from its components, and we found that time of regeneration of file is also linearly (O(n)) depends on file size. After execution of algorithm we found that total size of file components generated from the file to be uploaded is equal to the size of original file. In this way proposed scheme do not impose any extra storage burden. 7. Conclusion To ensure cloud data storage security, it is essential to hide meaning of data from all the third party entities like storage service provider and third party auditor. This is only possible when owner of data obfuscate the file to be uploaded in its own machine before uploading. The scheme which we have proposed ensures that information stored in the file cannot be interpreted by the third party auditor and storage service provider. Hence, client’s file is safe from both internal and external attackers. Utilization of existing scheme erasure correcting code ensures security against byzantine failure and use of random_number associated with file components together with secure hash algorithm allows third party auditor to audit file components without sharing any information which can help storage service provider to interpret the meaning of stored file. References Agrawal, R., Srikant, R.: Fast Algorithms for Mining Association Rules. In Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Very Large Databases. Morgan Kaufmann, Santiago, Chile, 487-499. (1994) Garcia-Molina, H., Ullman, D. J., Widom, J.: Database Systems: The Complete Book. Prentice Hall, New Jersey, USA. (2002) Wang, X., Bettini, C., Brodsky, A., Jajoida, S.: Logical Design for Temporal Databases with Multiple Granularities. ACM Transactions on Database Systems, Vol. 22, No. 2, 115-170. (1997) Bruce, K. B., Cardelli, L., Pierce, B. C.: Comparing Object Encodings. In: Abadi, M., Ito, T. (eds.): Theoretical Aspects of Computer Software. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Vol. 1281. Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg New York, 415–438. (1997) van Leeuwen, J. (ed.): Computer Science Today. Recent Trends and Developments. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Vol. 1000. Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg New York (1995) Ribià ¨re, M., Charlton, P.: Ontology Overview. Motorola Labs, Paris (2002). [Online]. Available: http://www.fipa.org/docs/input/f-in-00045/f-in-00045.pdf (current October 2003)

Henry Ii Of England :: essays research papers fc

I.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Early life A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Birth B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Family C.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Education D.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Marriage II.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Reign A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Early difficulty B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  King’s personality C.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Government policies D.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Thomas Becket III.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Death A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Achievements B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sons revolt C.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Successor Henry II Henry II was the first of eight Plantagenet kings. He neither ignored his island kingdom nor dragged it into continental trouble. Along with Alfred, Edward I, and Elizabeth I, Henry II ranks as one of the best British monarchs. Henry II was born in Le Mans, France in 1133. Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou, and Matilda, daughter of Henry I, were his parents. Henry’s younger brothers were Geoffrey and William (Bingham 22; Tabuteau 185). Henry’s father gave Henry the best education possible at that time. Peter of Saintes, who was a well-known poet, was Henry’s first tutor. Adelard of Bath also taught Henry. William of Conches and Henry’s other previous tutors instilled in Henry the appreciation for literature. Soon after Henry II’s education, he became Duke of Normandy. With the death of his father, Henry II became the Count of Anjou at age eighteen. Once he became Count of Anjou, Henry married Eleanor of Aquitaine on May 18, 1152, in the Cathedral of Poitiers. Their children were William, Henry, Matilda, Richard, Geoffrey, Eleanor, Joan, and John (Bingham 22; â€Å"Henry† 835-836; Tabuteau 185). Once Stephen, who was a well-known king, died, Henry II became lord of all land between the Pyrenees and Scotland (â€Å"Henry† 835). Henry had to deal with problems as soon as he became king. Once the Danish kingdoms established themselves in Ireland, the Danish colonists were at war with Irish people and the Irish people were at war with themselves. King Henry II realized he needed to stop all the chaos with a conquest of Ireland. In a few months, every part of Ireland except Connaught was under King Henry II’s control. The regions that the British controlled slowly dwindled away and soon vanished (Larned 114-115). Even though Henry II was a king, he did not resemble a king. He had a freckled face, gray eyes, and tawny hair. He also had a very short temper. At times, King Henry II would be as ruthless as a savage (â€Å"Henry† 835). In 1166, Henry instructed all the sheriffs to make lists of known or suspected criminals. The accused person did not go through trial by jury; instead, he or she went through trial by ordeal. The accused person had their hands and feet tied together and then dropped in a lake. A person who sank was considered innocent, and a person who floated was guilty of the crime (McKay 413).

Sharpios auto Wreck: The Theme Of Death Essay example -- essays rese

Sharpio's "Auto Wreck": The Theme of Death Few subjects can be discussed with more insightfulness and curiosity than death. The unpredictability and grimness of it are conveyed well in Karl Shapiro's poem, "Auto Wreck". The poem starts with a description of an ambulance rushing to the scene of a crash, and hurriedly gathering up the victims and rushing them away. The aftermath of the police investigation that follows leaves the crowd gathered around the scene to explore privately and individually a range of feelings and emotions about the reality of death. Shapiro's usage of imagery together with figurative language is a key element in getting the theme of death across to the reader. By bringing the scene of the accident to life and relaying the emotions of the spectators with language and several metaphors, the poem gains a realistic and sometimes transcendent effect. In some places in the poem, the words can easily be taken literally to convey scenery or an emotion, but they can also be taken so as to make the reader think about possible higher meanings. The thoughtsexpressed in the poem help to suggest these other meanings by clearly stating what is being felt by the speaker and the crowd around the accident. By stating clearly and vividly the emotions of the scene, it is easy for the reader to identify the theme itself, and also to identify with it. In the first stanza, the speaker describes the ambulance arriving on the scene more so than the actual scene itself. The ambulance is described using words such as "wings", "dips", and "floating", giving the impression of the hectic nature of its business at an accident. When the ambulance arrives and breaks through the crowd, "the doors leap open" to further convey the hurried state it's in. In line 5, as the ambulance passes the beacons and illuminated clocks, it gives the reader an obvious clue about setting. To take the words' meaning further, it can be argued that the illumination of the clocks and the emptying light in line 8 symbolize life itself as light in an otherwise dark situation. Also, the allusion to a heart by use of the words "pulsing", "artery" and "beating" personify the ambulance as the new life giving support of the victims of the crash. ... ... our physics with a sneer". Taking the meaning from these parts and the last lines of the poem takes the speaker and reader through the realization that death is unpredictable and thought provoking, knowing that it can happen in the worst way at any given time. "Auto Wreck" deals with the complex subject of death by exposing the reader to the feelings of the speaker after witnessing a crash. The theme that death is unpredictable and grim is presented through these feelings. The stanzas are set up such that the steps from shock to realization of what death contains can be presented in order of occurence. The first stanza describes the ambulance coming to try to save the victims, and the second stanza deals with the immediate aftermath of the crash. These first two stanzas really create a background to the final stanza, which takes the reader through a range of emotions along with the speaker. The last stanza entirely is the perfect example of how the imagery and figurative language get these emotions across to the reader. In doing such, the theme is revealed very clearly and the reader can think to himself for whom the bell really tolls.

Globalization: What It Is and How Can We Improve for the Better Essay

You can interpret globalization in any way you want because it is not a word but a way of living, be it bad or good. Where did the term globalization come from and what does it mean for consumers, corporate factories, and workers? How did it affect their lives? Despite all of its different sides, globalization is a good thing but to a certain extent. Globalization is in our world now and we should focus on what we should do to regulate globalization to where we are progressing as a whole and not returning to the dark ages. In order to answer these questions we must ask ourselves what does globalization mean? The dictionary definition of globalization is the act of globalizing, or extending to other or all parts of the world. According to Charles Tilly, ‘globalization means an increase in the geographic range of locally consequential social interactions, especially when that increase stretches a significant proportion of all interactions across international or intercontinental limits’ (qtd. in Kesselman 2). It also means it is a worldwide integration and development of countries for the benefit of the world. Economic globalization is a little different. According to the dictionary, economic globalization refers to increasing interdependence of and national economies across the world through a rapid increase in inter-border movement of goods, service, technology, and capital. Even though we hear about globalization a lot recently, the term is not new. People have been selling and trading with different nations for thousands of years before the Great War (World War I) broke out; putting it on hold. In fact, globalization has been around for many centuries now. It has just been a pattern ever since man first traded. A new era of globalization started and has continued since the 1980s (Kesselman 4). Many believe globalization to be spread by westerners. Since the new era of trade, the west did have a large part in influencing globalization, many of which were manufactured automobiles or textiles. â€Å"Globalization is often seen as global westernization† (Sen 28). Even though globalization is most commonly viewed as such, it is not entirely an invention of westerners. There has also been a large influence from the easterners too. Globalization can be a good thing. One good reason why globalization is good is because of international trade. Trade has increase and production has increased. Goods and products have been traded internationally around the world. We get bananas, sneakers, and clothes from other countries. When we trade internationally, it helps both sides of the trade. One country gets the profit to help its’ country out and the other gets its product. â€Å"The bottom line then is that†¦trade is beneficial† (Wolf 76). An example of trade that is beneficial: Of the countries of the world, those in East Asia have grown the fastest and done most to reduce poverty. And they have done so, emphatically, via â€Å"globalization.† Their growth has been based on exports—by taking advantage of the global market for exports and by closing the technology gap. It was not just gaps in capital and other resources that separated the developed from the less-developed countries, but difference in knowledge. East Asian countries took advantage of the â€Å"globalization of knowledge† to reduce these disparities. (Stiglitz 87) Another reason why globalization can be a good thing is knowledge and communications. Without the invention of telephone, it was hard to communicate with one another in the United States. Before phones or telegrams, there were carrier pigeons, letters by mail, or person-to-person conversations. Now almost everywhere around the world has some sort of communication; cell phones, internet, video chats, blogs, etc. The internet is also a means to free information. Of course, there are plenty of negative impacts of globalization. The spreading of information and the spreading of factories causing severe side effects that could cause destruction throughout the world and already has. â€Å"As your country puts on the Golden Straitjacket, two things tend to happened: your economy grows and your politics shrinks† (Friedman 61). In other words, once a country plays into the global economy they have to make huge sacrifices. Globalization is driven by investments, trades, and information. With this rapid form of sharing, it has major effects on the environment and cultures along with the people. Some of them are even harsh. â€Å"Flames and smoke swept the cramped textile factory in Baldia Town, a northwestern industrial suburb, creating panic among the hundreds of poorly paid workers who had been making undergarments and plastic tools†¦almost killing 300 workers† (ur-Rehman, Walsh, and Masood 2012). This is one of the many reasons of the negative impacts of globalization. With globalization many corporations only care about production and how fast they can produce it. Many of the factories, like the one in Baldia, had no safety regulations because the factory wanted more production and more money. Instead of using that money to get better safety for the factory, almost 300 people died that day. I believe that globalization is a good with regulations in place. There will need to be a lot of rules and regulations of globalizations like safety and health. I believe in free information and knowledge. It should be free in order for us to go and become a better people. Without these rules, things like Baldia happen. Globalization plays a big part in our lives today. Even if we tried, we would not be able to stop globalization. We can only regulate it. With globalization we can move towards a more peaceful future where we can understand each other. To improve safety and have regulations is a way to improve globalization. This will make it a whole lot better. If the factory in Baldia had better safety regulations and pay, then the outcome of the burning would have been different. There would be 300 people alive today. Despite all of its different sides, globalization is a good thing only when it is kept regulated. Globalization is in our world now and we should focus on what we should do to regulate globalization to where we are progressing as a whole and not going backwards. With all of the bad and the good, only we can make the difference however small that change may be it is still a difference for the better. Actions that will help others are the only way to go and understand one another more. With all of our technology and knowledge, we can solve many of the worlds’ problems if we just were not so greedy. With globalization, we can change the world; hopefully for the better. Works Cited Friedman, Thomas L. â€Å"The Lexus and the Olive Tree.† The politics of globalization: a reader. Mark Kesselman. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2007. 59-69. Print. Kesselman, Mark. â€Å"Globalization as Contested Terrain.† The politics of globalization: a reader. Mark Kesselman. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2007. 1-13. Print. Sen, Amartya. â€Å"How to Judge Globalism.† The politics of globalization: a reader. Mark Kesselman. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2007. 28-36. Print. Stiglitz, Joseph E. â€Å"Globalism’s Discontents.† The politics of globalization: a reader. Mark Kesselman. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2007. 86-96. Print. ur-Rehman, Zia, Declan Walsh, and Salman Masood. â€Å"Pakistan Factory Fires Kill More Than 300.† The New York Times – Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 12 Sept. 2012. Web. 2 Oct. 2012. Webster, Inc. Merriam-Webster’s collegiate dictionary. 11th ed. Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2003. Print. Wolf, Martin. â€Å"Why Globalization Works.† The politics of globalization: a reader. Mark Kesselman. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2007. 74-85. Print.

I’m the King of the Castle †with close references to the text discuss the relevance of the novel’s title Essay

â€Å"I’m the King of the Castle†: with close references to the text discuss the relevance of the novel’s title. This novel tells the story of two boys who, basically, are at war with each other. At first, it is hard to understand what the point in them being at war is. There seems to be no special prize for the winner, and it is hard to find any goal which they are aiming to achieve. However, what is evident , is that there is a strong drive to war behind one of the boys, and this rubs off on to the other boy has he tries to counteract. ‘I’m the king of the castle†¦ and your the dirty rascal’ This is well known children’s playground saying. It is said by a child who finds himself in a position, where he perceives himself standing higher, than any other child around him. This saying is usually just passed off as a bit of child play. However, I believe that it illustrates a natural instinct amongst humans. And, as a dominating theme of this novel is human instinct, we can see that there is a relevance to the title. The human instincts that are illustrated are, the desire to have their own home and space, where they are free to do what they like, and also to acquire territory. If you take a look at almost any history text book, you will see that wars dominate. The whole of human history is riddled with wars. Wars have become landmarks in the history of civilised human society. All these wars, all these lives lost, stem from one thing, the instinct among humans to acquire territory and the instinct among humans to defend and not to back down. Not to back down, from invaders, persecution or oppression. Susan Hill demonstrates this in her characters, Kingshaw and Hooper , in ‘I’m the king of the Castle’. At first we read about Hooper. We read about his family history, and about Warings, a house which is part of the Hooper family history. Hooper didn’t think much of the house physically. â€Å"It was an ordinary house, he thought†. However, we go on to learn that there were aspects which he did like. â€Å"the idea it was his, the idea of family history, pleased him† This statement reflects a lot about Hooper. It shows that he likes owning things, he may like the feeling of being superior, ruling over places, having his own home, his own territory. This is shown , in his reaction , when he learns that Kingshaw is coming to stay. † ‘It is my house’, he thought , ‘†¦I got here first’ † . Hooper’s territorial instincts are revealed, when he immediately resists the idea of Kingshaw coming to stay in his house and shows a dislike for him , even though he has not met him- thus starting a conflict situation from the beginning, a typical human reaction. Hooper views Kingshaw as a threat- a person who could take from him. Kingshaw finds a piece of paper, upon which was written in bold capital letters . â€Å"I DIDN’T WANT YOU TO COME HERE â€Å". From here on , Hopper treats Kingshaw with disdain and resentment. We learn that Hooper confronts his unwanted guest , ‘Hooper said, † why have you come here?† ‘ By saying this Hooper strongly suggests to Kingshaw that he is not wanted . Not only did he treat Kingshaw as an intruder into his house, Hooper also wanted to assert a superior position as the king of his castle . â€Å"‘When my father dies,’†¦ ‘this house will belong to me, I shall be master'† The statements by Hooper to Kingshaw shows an clear relevance to the title of the book because effectively, Hooper is saying â€Å"I’m the king of the castle†. ‘I’m the king of the castle ,your the dirty rascal’ this is also a game played by children. Hooper , sometimes seems as though he is playing games with Kingshaw, almost like he is using him as a toy, or scoring points every time Kingshaw is made to feel bad by him. He tries to find different ways of insulting Kingshaw, putting him down, scaring him, putting him in situations he doesn’t like, and generally making his life unpleasant. We see a number of examples in which Hooper succeeds in doing this. In Chapter X we read about how Hooper alleges to Joseph Hooper, Hooper’s father, and Kingshaw’s mother, Helena Kingshaw, that Kingshaw was to blame for his injury. Hooper claimed that Kingshaw pushed him while they were in the woods together. â€Å"It was Kingshaw, it was Kingshaw, he pushed me in the water.† This is in fact completely untrue. His bruised head was caused by an accident on his part. By saying this, Hooper is trying to make Kingshaw feel unwanted. This is one example of the tactics he uses in the game he is playing with Hooper. An other example of how Hooper scores points over Kingshaw, is by making him feel inferior. This is done right throughout the book. In Chapter VI, Hooper talks about Kingshaw’s mother , as a servant to Hooper’s father, that Kingshaw is simply the son of someone who works for his father. He even says â€Å"she [Kingshaw’s mother] has to do what my father says, and that means you have to do what I say† That would either make Kinshaw angry, or feel inferior, probably a bit of both. Hooper would definitely have felt that he had got one over Kingshaw in any case. The title , is also relevant because we also know that Hooper behaviour reveals his concept of territory and possession is strong. He expects to succeed to his fathers house , after his fathers death, and as owner of the house, he will expect to be obeyed and that people will do as he says. Hooper also enjoyed drawing up plans for battles to defend his territory, for example, we learn that in Hoppers bedroom , † ‘ the battle charts with its coloured pins and flags and symbols , was propped up on its easel. On the table were Hooper’s long lists of regiments..,† ‘. We are reminded again that ownership of property , makes people like Hooper feel important, like a king in his castle, ready to defend at a moments notice. Conflicts and wars often start with fights by kings over the ownership of castles and territory . In conclusion the title of the book , remained relevant throughout the story ,through to the end , when Hooper eventually got the better of Kingshaw , who in the end took his own life. Even then Hooper saw this incident as a triumph, just as a king in his castle might do , if he had won a victorious struggle. We read that Hooper discovers Kingshaw had died , and then † ‘ Hooper thought suddenly , it is because of me , and a spurt of triumph went through him† ‘.