Harvard Business Review Reflection Essay

Introduction The article entitled â€Å"Scorched Earth † written by Elizabeth Economy (senior fellow for Asia with the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations in New York) and Kenneth Lieberthal (William Davidson Professor of Corporate Strategy and International Business, the China director of Davidson Institute, and the Arthur Thurnau Professor of Political Science at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, senior director of Stonebridge International, a Washington, D.C.–based consulting firm, and the co-author, with Geoffrey Lieberthal, of â€Å"The Great Transition† (HBR October 2003)) was published in the Harvard Business Review of June 2007 on the pages 88 to 96. The article deals with the problem of environmental degradation in China which is of great concern for MNEs that are active in, or are going to be active in China concerning both future opportunities and risks. Summary The authors of this article consider the threat posed by environmental degradation as the greatest risk of doing business in China. The problem is that this topic is barely discussed within corporations. This is a serious mistake. Multinationals may be busy with other problems, but the Chinese government, NGOs, and the Chinese press have been focused squarely on the country’s energy shortages, soil erosion, lack of water, and pollution problems. The authors believe that these problems are so severe they might constrain GDP growth. Moreover, it is from the MNEs expected to play a key role in the protection of the environment. If that does not happen, multinationals face clear risks to their operations, their workers’ health, and their reputations. In implementing environmental issues into their strategies, foreign firms need to be both defensive and proactive. Defensive  here means take steps to reduce harm and proactive means investing in environmental protection efforts. Finally, this problem also brings some opportunities along as MNEs can use innovations that are designed for the Chinese market in the rest of the world. This means that China affects the MNEs performance in other important markets. Review Weaknesses and limitations relating to the content First of all, the article only emphasizes the weaknesses of China regarding environmental issues. Instead of laying the responsibility at the Chinese government, the MNEs are somewhat kept responsible. This is quite unfair and this way, the authors create a problem that in reality is way less extensive. Secondly, we would like to quote a part of the article: â€Å"Despite the challenges, multinationals can’t afford not to do the right thing† (Economy, Lieberthal, 2007, p.96)  We believe that this statement is completely wrong as a lot of companies that are active in China, just do not do anything about it. They are even encouraged to do the ‘wrong thing’ by the local governments. Thirdly, time after time, the authors emphasize how big China’s influence is on the pollution in the world. However, this is quite logical as China is one of the biggest countries in the world. Therefore, this is really annoying and not really useful in the article. Fourthly, referring to the challenges described, there is no clear relationship between, for instance, the spill of water by the Chinese population and MNEs. This because MNEs cannot do anything about this issue. Furthermore, it is not really the MNEs’ responsibility. Therefore we consider this challenge as superfluous. (Economy, Lieberthal, 2007) Finally, the authors do spend enough time on the concept of using their new innovations for China (concerning environmental degradation etc.) in other key markets. This is actually the most important part of the article and therefore more attention should be paid to this concept. (Economy, Lieberthal, 2007) Strengths of the article relating to the content and structure To begin with, the authors have done very well in describing the environmental degradation as a problem among a long of other problems in China. The contrast described in the introduction really attracts attention. (Economy, Lieberthal, 2007) Furthermore, the article  describes that MNEs can actually benefit from these environmental problems as they can use innovations from the Chinese market in other important markets. This is quite a creative consideration we could never think of. (Economy, Lieberthal, 2007) Another strong point is that the article gives advice about how to deal with the Chinese political system. A special segment of the article is dedicated to this subject. Moving on with the subject of structure, the article is quite well structured. As a reader, you can clearly distinguish between an introduction to a problem, a detailed description of the problem(s) and finally a part dedicated to the solutions . However, there are a couple of things that we do not like about the article?s structure. First of all, concerning the discussion of China?s challenges (water, energy, soil erosion etc.), the authors spent too much time on the description of these challenges. (Economy, Lieberthal, 2007) These challenges are extensively described along with a lot of specific data which is unnecessary as the article does not directly describe how managers should cope with these challenges. Instead, the authors move on with discussion another set of risks. Then, eventually, some solutions are given. In general this is a good thing. However, we would rather have seen the solution along with the challenges and risks in order to improve the clarity of the article. And as we said before, the authors could spend less time on describing the challenges as all the specific data has no connection with the solutions given. Relation to the course IIB This article concerns environmental problems in China and that is a problem for all MNEs because of the fact that there is only one environment in the world and we have to make sure that does not cause unrepairable damage to that environment. This because it crosses all borders and is not bounded to a certain location. Therefore environmental damage in China can influence business activities in other markets due to, for instance, a shortage of certain raw materials. Moreover, it can limit the possibilities of MNEs in the future. Moreover, the article discusses the opportunities of China-specific innovations that can be applied in other markets. This implies the creation of a FSA. Conclusion One of the things that we have learned from this article is the fact that Chinese local governments, along with a part of the population play a bigger role than expected in the environmental degradation than expected. We assumed that most pollution derived from MNE activity in China. Another thing that we have learned that you eventually pay a high price for your, initially cheap business activities. After extensively analysing this article, a couple of question came to mind. First of all, the article forecasts that the environmental damage will have a great impact on China?s GDP. Quoting the article: â€Å"China’s environmental problems are reaching the point where they could constrain its GDP growth.† (Economy, Lieberthal, 2007, p. 90) We would like to know if the authors, if they had the possibility, would change this statement to let it match the current circumstances. We ask this question because, in our eyes, the impact has not been that great. In the media, for instance, there is nothing said about the constraining factors on China’s GDP growth. Another question that came to mind is the following: According to the article, the Chinese local governments play an important role in the environmental problematic cases. (Economy, Lieberthal, 2007) Doesn’t this mean that the focus should lay at these governments rather than the organizations? In our eyes, these governments should be punished by international organizations. Such intervention would decrease the MNEs’ challenges significantly. Moving on to our final question, we would like to know if the authors expect that this problem will be completely solved, by either the Chinese government or another institutions, in the near future? Full reference list Economy, E. Lieberthal, K. June 2007. Scorched Earth. Harvard Business Review. P. 88-96

Girl Interrupted

Girl, Interrupted was the movie I chose to watch for my experiential paper. This 1999 movie, directed by James Mangold, tells a true tale of a woman’s eighteen-month stay at a psychiatric hospital. This woman, Susanne Kaysen, appears to be depressed and aimless as she finishes her high school career. After a suicide attempt, she finds herself trapped in a mental institution called Claymore Hospital. Although I’ve seen this movie many of times, it always makes an impact on me. Now that I know more about psychology, I feel as though I watched the movie from a different perspective. This new perspective allowed me to analyze and critique the film from through the lens of psychology. The movie ‘Girl Interrupted' is a story of a nineteen year old girl Susanne in the 1960's who, after being suspected of trying to commit suicide, gets sent away to the Mental Institution for a short ‘resting period. Her psychiatrist had suggested to her that the affair with one of her parents' friends, along with her misconception that chasing a bottle of aspirin with a bottle of vodka is anything other than a suicide attempt, could be signs that she may be suffering from ‘borderline personality disorder. ‘ Now she must struggle to remain as sane as possible while being immersed in the hospital with many unstable patients. At the Claymoore Hospital, Susanne quickly becomes friendly with a number of the institution's residents. These residents include Georgina, a pathological liar, Polly a terminally fearful burn victim, Daisy an incest victim and extremely withdrawn agoraphobic, and Lisa, a charming, but manipulating sociopath. The only character to really portray the characteristics of their disorder accurately was Lisa, the sociopath. Antisocial personality disorder is a psychiatric condition characterized by chronic behavior that manipulates, exploits, or violates the rights of others. Individuals with antisocial personality disorder are often angry and arrogant but may be capable of superficial wit and charm. They may be adept at flattery and are very skilled at manipulating the emotions for their own personal gain as we discussed in class. I thought Lisa’s disorder was accurately portrayed because even with her total disregard for the concerns and even the lives of others, she still manages to some how charm the audience with her blunt brutal honesty and her ‘I don't care what people think of me' attitude. People diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder seem to have no emotional connection to any one or anything, and seldom show any signs of emorse for their intrusions on the rights of others like we talked about in class.. Lisa's power of observations gave her the uncanny ability to sense the weakness in other people, which as most sociopaths do, used them for her own personal gain. Another character in the film was Daisy, an obsessive-compulsive agoraphobic whose ongoing affair with her father had left her with a number of various personality disorders to choose from there weren't many disorders that she didn't show symptoms of. Her character did a wonderful job portraying a neurotic recluse whose various disorders took over her life to the point she felt she no longer had any hope for living independently of her sexually abusive father. Other characters include Polly, with her self-inflicted burns that have kept her forever childlike, and Georgina the pathological liar and roommate of the borderline Susanna. It was amongst these characters that Susanna found the strength to confront her own turbulent mentality. Susanna's character did a good job with allowing the narrative to paint a picture of the thought processes of someone who suffers from depression or other personality disorders. Even though she did show signs of having a borderline personality, I personally felt that she showed more signs of depression than anything else. A person with depression or bipolar disorder typically endures the same mood for weeks; a person with BPD may experience intense bouts of anger, depression, and anxiety that may last only hours, or at most a day as we learned about in class.

Analysis Of Bmw In Uk Market Economics Essay

Analysis Of Bmw In Uk Market Economics Essay Choose a company based in UK or another EU country, use micro and macro data to analyze the company and give recommendations based on previous analysis â€Å"This is to certify that the work I am submitting is my own. All external references and sources are clearly acknowledged and identified within the contents. I am aware of the University of Warwick regulation concerning plagiarism and collusion. No substantial part(s) of the work submitted here has also been submitted by me in other assessments for accredited courses of study, and I acknowledge that if this has been done an appropriate reduction in the mark I might otherwise have received will be made. Analysis of BMW in UK market 2007-2009 Introduction Headquartered in Munich, Germany, BMW Group is one of the leading auto manufacturers in the world. With three of the strongest premium brands in the car industry —BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce, BMW targets at the high-end market. BMW (UK) is a subsidiary of BMW Group. Being t he third largest market for BMW Group worldwide, UK is the only country where all the three premium brands are presented (BMW UK Fact Sheet 2009). This essay intends to use micro and macro tools to analyze BMW’s sales volumes in UK from 2007 to Q3 2009, and to find out dominating factors accounting for changes in the company’s performance. Microeconomics Investigation mainly focuses on the influence of three determinants of demand. Macroeconomics Investigation selects five variables—GDP growth, VAT, interest rate, CPI inflation and average earnings for analysis, and also predicts BMW’s performance in the near future based on the tendency of macroeconomics environment. Finally, the essay gives three suggestions that the company can consider. Data in this essay is from BMW’s quarterly reports and Annual reports, UK Office for National Statistics, SMMT (The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders), fuel reports released by AA Public Affair and Infl ation Report issued by Bank of England. In addition, in order to provide updated information, references in this essay are mainly from authoritative newspaper and press, such as The Times, The Sunday Time and Times Online. I Sales Review Figure 1. BMW UK quarterly sales volume (Source: BMW Quarterly Reports and Annual Report 2007, 2008) Between 2007 and 2009, BMW has experienced great changes in sales volumes in UK market. From the graph, we can see that sales volume rose steadily in the first three quarters of 2007. However, it fluctuated and stood at 44,770 units in Q2 2008. Then a slump followed and sales volume reached a trough of 23,982 units at the end of 2008. Finally, the first three quarters in 2009 witnessed a recovery of sales volumes, which stayed at 39,039 units by the end of Q3 2009. Now, we’d like to analyze the reasons behind the changes in BMW’s sales volumes in UK based on the micro and macro investigation. II Microeconomics Investigation Determinants of demands played an important role in sales volumes. There are three determinants as follows: Price Elasticity According to John Sloman and Mark Sutcliffe (2004), determinants of price elasticity of demand are number and closeness of substitute goods and the proportion of income spent on the good.

Art Criticism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

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History of Canadian Labour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

History of Canadian Labour - Essay Example Unlike many nations, Canada was not built by soldiers, politicians, and traders. It was built on the toil and sweat of those who built canals, cleared forests, prepared vast, uncultivated land for agriculture, and built railways. Cities and downs were made by labors in Canada - the working class people who were designated to write the future course of progression for this country. 'The Best Poor Man's Country' - the term which is ascribed to Canada frequently, hints at how the country's resources were utilized by the working class people under the supervision of labor unions and organizations. Considering the social nature of Canada, especially with regards to the immigration factor, getting cheap manual labor was never easy. In addition to this, the difference between the skilled labor force and not-so-competent workingmen was palpable in early Canada. The early unions in the country, instead of organizing various labor clans, aimed at maximizing their own profits out of the dearth of essential hands. The skilled workers demanded security and status in exchange for a total work commitment. History of Canadian labor in the twentieth century is marked by both achievements and setbacks. The role of unionism in the history of Canadian labor deserves a special mention. Despite the anti-union legislation that was formed in Nova Scotia in 1816, groups of workers in many parts of the country formed their own unions. In those early times in Canada, these labor organizations included shoemakers in Montreal and Hamilton; printers in Halifax, Quebec City, Montreal, Hamilton, and Toronto. Blacksmiths, shipwrights, carpenters, painters, tailors, and seamen also built their unions. Traders coming from the United Kingdom at the beginning of the nineteenth century introduced the British tradition of trade union movements. An international relation between Great Britain and Canada was established, leading to the merger of labors and intellectuals.  Ã‚  

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Assignment Questions - Case Study Example The coefficient of population does not in any way affect any other coefficient or be affected. What we can derive from the population coefficient is that 3.48 is stronger tham 2.0 and 5.5 is stronger than 3.48. Current accounting information is sufficient. Cost of production of the items varies but there is cost that is associated to unused capacity in the firm. If Einstein Inc. decides to stop production of Product to the unused capacity in the factory such as space, engineers and production managers will have extra cost on the produced products. To avoid the extra cost from unused capacity the firm would have to sell more items from the items that are performing or to release the resources that would carry this extra cost such as retrenching managers involved in production of product 2 The period under which the economy heats up will require extra resources to produce product 1 and 4 to the maximum output. The information given in above is not enough to make a decision on how much is maximum output as there resources need to produce any of the products is not included. In calculating the maximum output for product 1 and 4 the firm needs to measure the maximum output of its resources (lumpiness of capacity). They need to establish the maximum capacity they can handle and factor it. The will also need to calculate the cost per unit during the maximum period considering the cost or unused capacity of product 2 and 5 and the limited capacity for product 3. Determining the unit cost of the product will enable the firm to calculate the maximum number of products they can produce for product 1 and 4 and take care of the unused capacity of other products also the firm will need to consider capacity product 3 which might increase the cost of production if the volumes reduce. The information provided is not sufficient, as the cost of production is not separate. While, this is true the focus on products

The Rookie Chief Information Security Officer Term Paper - 1

The Rookie Chief Information Security Officer - Term Paper Example The introduction of IT in business has not only helped these industries to go global but has also facilitated people to get their desired products sitting in any part of the world. In the modern context, the word ‘IT’ plays a very important role as it is not only the businesses that are adapting the new method of storing data but healthcare industries and education sector as well are introducing new approaches of serving the customers with the aid of IT. Therefore, it is vital that adequate measures are taken as misuse of the resources stored in a database may result in causing considerable amount of harm to an individual. The main objective of this paper is to provide a well-designed IT security plan with modern security measures that would help in maintaining a proper database system in the organization (Stoyles, Pentland & Demant, 2003). Part 1: Organization Chart Fig: Organizational Chart With reference to the above mentioned chart, it can be viewed that the differen t personnel are divided according to the three values i.e. physical security professional, privacy professional and procurement professional. Part 2: Request for Proposal (RFP) Plan Request for Proposal (RPF) is a type of bidding solicitation in which an association declares that funding is obtainable for a particular program or project, where companies can place offers for the project’s completion. The RFP outlines the bidding process and contract terms to which the selected company must abide by during the contract. A RFP is typically open to a wide range of bidders providing the association to select the best from a wide range of options available. In the modern day context, RFP is considered to be one of the prime tactics of getting things done without wasting the resources of an organization. It is worth mentioning that every RFP contains qualifying criteria as they help in selecting the most appropriate vendors from the entire applicants (Window on State Government, n.d .). Two perspectives qualifying criteria that need to be carefully monitored while selecting the vendor for the new IT security in the organization are stated hereunder: Company’s Reputation and History The first criterion that is taken into consideration while choosing a vendor or an organization for the proposed RFP is the company’s reputation and the history. Assessing a prospective vendor company’s history and reputation in the current market helps the association in knowing the current capabilities and the future perspectives of the selected company. Another prime objective behind studying the goodwill of the vendor in the market is to calculate the performance of the organization in comparison with the competitors. It facilitates the association to estimate the time they may need to complete the proposed project (Sonoma State University, 2009). Quality Assurance Received By the Vendor: ISO Certified International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a non-government organization composed of associates from the national standards based bodies of 163 nations. The main task of this body is to certify it members with its different titles that help to identify them within a number of similar organizations. The next criteria that would be vital for any association to fulfill the requirement of the RFP are an ISO certificate in quality management. The reason behind accepting the vendor on the basis of the mentioned criteria is

Healthcare Law & Ethics class - online discussion Personal Statement - 1

Healthcare Law & Ethics class - online discussion - Personal Statement Example The court in U.S alone has allowed 130 patients to exercise their right of refusing from help of medical equipments to keep them alive. There are four categories in medical practice, which can lead to death in patients. Foremost, withholding or withdrawing from life saving treatments in patients, euthanasia, provision of palliative treatment and assisted suicide. Any life saving treatment can prolong death, without reversing the cause of dieses or medical conditions. Every physician is the healer and reliever of diseases, injuries and sufferings in patients. It is their ethical and moral duty to try their best to save the lives of their patients. The question arises when this duty comes in clash with the right of the patient to make decision about his own life, known as patient autonomy. When the patient, possesses the capacity of making decision to receive any medical treatment he is offered or to refuse from taking any unwanted treatment, while there are no particular prevailing obligations, then his decision should be weighted more than the ethical duty of the physician. As per the medical principles of ‘beneficence and non-maleficence’, the physicians are required to use the treatment that is best to their knowledge for saving the lives of the patients and provide them with relieve from sufferings and pains. Simultaneously, under no conditions are the physicians allowed to use their knowledge or skills to harm the patients. Prior to undertaking any such action like withdrawing/ withholding medical treatment of patient based on patient’s autonomy, the physicians must carefully value the consequences of making such decision. There are strong societal consequences regarding such acts, where the inability of the patient to bear the medical cost, leading him to voluntarily opt for withdrawing of life saving treatment, can be considered as society/government inability to financially help those who were in dire need

See Order Instructions below Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

See Order Instructions below - Essay Example Discuss the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (ANMC) National Competency Standards for the Registered Nurse and the ANMC Codes of Ethics and Professional Conduct (see www.anmc.org.au to access documents) as they shape the registered nurse role and as they contribute to your understanding of your preparation as a registered nurse. Use the ANMC National Competency Standards for the Registered Nurse as well as the ANMC Codes of Ethics and Professional Conduct as an underpinning to describe and evaluate your preparation for registered nursing clinical practice. This requires that you crystallise, reflect upon and document aspects of your professional development. You will do this through your reflections on both successful and less successful instances from your own learning and clinical practice. Your reflection should be informed by the available literature and integrate any and evidence of your claims from assessments and specific relevant, learning experiences or incidents.

Gaggaet Essay Example for Free

Gaggaet Essay Kuma Maka Msenge wewe Unafirwa wewe Kuma wewe Your mum’s pussy Your gay Sexual intercourse of gay Your pussy What kinds of swear words do you use in your own language? Korean English Sexual intercourse Reproductive Organs Idiotic Animalize Malay Babi Pig One of the rudest word in Malaysia Malaysia is a Muslim country and Islam is restricted to pork. The religion has food restrictions according to their own dietary laws, which is â€Å"Halaal† Swahili Msenge Wewe Gay One of the rudest word in Tanzania Homosexuality is not forgived in Tanzania. It’s new to their culture. It is also defined as man is using you. Have you ever spotted some differences between the swear language women and men use? Men tend to use the rudest one. Men use swear words more than women do. -? To establish a masculine identity or to express group solidarity. Men tend to use more swear words related to sexual intercourse and reproductive organs than women do. Men (1) You’re a pussy, dick, jerk, cunt (2) What/Why/How/When the fuck Women (1) You’re a bitch, ass, shit (2) What/Why/How/When the hell Men (1) Unafirwa (2) Pumbaru (silly) Women (1) Malaya wewe (your bitch) (2) Mshenzi (nasty attitude and behavior) Men often use swear words to show or express friendliness ; Women don’t. Hey what the fuck?! How the fuck did you get here? Come and have a bite you dickhead. Why do language learners often find it easy to remember swear words in English? The brain treats swear words differently than other words. From a scientific research, swearing is a motor activity with a strong emotional content. This is one reason that most people remember swear words four times better than they do other words. Swear words trigger emotion. Effects from Mass media Books Society Trend Slang Thank You

The Importance Of Transparency In Lobbying Laws Politics Essay

The Importance Of Transparency In Lobbying Laws Politics Essay This paper underlines the importance of understanding that only setting laws for regulating lobbying practices as anti-corruption measures is not enough. Making the practice as transparent as possible is the key to reach out to civil society. This paper will focus on the lobbying system in Lithuania, where despite having lobbying laws/ regulation of interest groups it has been unsuccessful in integrating the support of civil society. I argue that this is due to the lack of transparency in the lobbying system. This essay will apply a model on how effective it would be to make lobbying costly combined with transparency, that would result in lowering corruption and integrate civilian advocacy in political systems to step up to the democratization process. Outline of Paper: SECTION I INTRODUCTION SECTION II INSIGHTS OF INTEREST GROUPS AND LOBBYING IN DEVELOPING DEMOCRACIES SECTION III CASE OF LITHUANIA SECTION IV ANALYSIS SECTION V RECOMMENDATION-MAKING LOBBYING COSTLY SECTION VI CONCLUSION SECTION VII BIBLIOGRAPHY SECTION I-Introduction All political regimes have organizations like interest groups whether the type of system is democratic, authoritarian or totalitarian. Interest groups have not been studied extensively or analyzed in developing democracies the way they have been in developed democracies. An important characteristic of interest group organization in developing democracies is the history of their authoritarian past. These better described as power groups, tend to dominate interest group and lobbying activities. They differ from the more institutionalized and formalized interest group activity of developed democracies. By institutionalization we are referring to an increasingly independent civil society, a rising range of interests and interest groups and a political culture that views interest group activity and lobbying as legitimate and vital to the long term sustainable democratization process. (Thomas, Hrebenar, 2008). In order for a constitutional democracy to emerge, general societal behavioral change must occur in which a) no significant political group attempts to overthrow the democratic regime; b) even during severe political and economic predicaments, the public will seek political change from within the democratic process; and c) all political players will act to resolve conflict through established constitutional standards. (Przeworski, 1991; ODonnell, 1992; Linz and Stepan, 1996). The objective of this paper is to show that making interest group and lobbying activities transparent and regulated, could result in the emergence of not only a constitutional democracy but in decreasing corruption levels within the political system. In section 2, I will present the specificities of developing democracies interest groups, while in section 3 I will focus on Lithuania. I will analyze the Lithuanian findings in section 4, recommend a blend of transparency lobbying laws coupled with making lobbying costly (based on models) as a corruption deterrent in section 5, and conclude in section 6. SECTION II-Features of interest group systems in developing democracies One of the major roles that interest groups perform in established democracies is being a major medium of representation for various sections of society. This is not really the case in developing democracies. In advanced democracies, because a large percentage of the population belong to interest groups, there is more transparency in their activities and may be even more important than political parties in performing a mass representational task (Thomas, 2001). In developing democracies there are common patterns of interest group activity that are typical of their authoritarian days. This can obstruct the development of an independent civil society and the establishment of an extensive and effective interest group system. The restricted independence of interest groups from the past, where in some countries they were banned as in communist systems may influence their independent functioning under a developing democracy. Special interests were often generally viewed as illegitimate in authoritarian regimes. The general public was socialized to believe that interest groups worked against the national interest. Many developing democracies face a major challenge to foster a political culture that includes acceptance of interest group activities and a belief in their political efficiency so that extent that citizens will join and use them as a major means representational voices. (Thomas, 2001) Informal groups were the norm under the authoritarian regimes and remain a dominant force as opposed to institutionalized structures. Therefore, a very narrow range of groups likely exists when the system begins to transition to democracy. Elites have been very successful in using power groups and so have little incentive to develop formalized and institutional interests that might reduce and destroy their power. Therefore there is little interest group and lobbying structures in a newly democratizing country to provide the foundation for the development of a professional advocacy sector. In 2005 in Lithuania there were only seven individuals who could be considered contract lobbyists, (Thomas,2001) in Bulgaria there were none till 2006. (Thomas, 2004). There are less formalized lobbying strategies and tactics in developing democracies to voice political preferences as compared to those in established democracies. The main tactic used is through insider contact of elite-power groups with public officials. In many societies corruption and payoffs also form major influence. Though protest groups may emerge through the course of these actions, and demonstrations may be used, they seldom affect efficient public policy decision making. (Thomas, 2001). SECTION III-Case Study of Lithuania The lobbying community in Lithuania is underdeveloped, corrupt and negatively perceived by society. This is attributable to their legacy of communism which heavily influences the efficiency with which interest groups and lobbyists operate. This results in rising suspicion among the eyes of the public and government officials which impedes the development of an effective lobbying community. Lithuanian interest groups do not use sophisticated lobbying practices and access is largely based on personal connections and corrupt practices. (Hrebenar; McBeth; Morgan, 2008). Two international indexes illustrated how modernized Lithuania has become since the collapse of the Soviet Union. According to the Heritage Foundation the 2006 Index lists Lithuania as the 23rd most Free Nation. Transparency Internationals 2005 Corruption Perceptions Index holds Lithuania as its 44th least corrupt nation. Overall these international indexes portray Lithuania as a country with moderate levels of corruption, a growing and active interest group system with business interests balanced by an efficient labor movement, with a civil society comprised of a responsible media and the general public willing to engage in regular interest group politics. This, however, is not the case according to a 2005 University of Utah research project, where they found that Lithuanian interest groups and lobbyists were majorly characterized by interests of government elites and business leaders. Interest group and lobbying activity in Lithuania is underdeveloped and unsophisticated in the sense that it is repressed by low perceptions of political effectiveness by the general mass and dominated by business interests. Negative perceptions of lobbying and the ineffective lobby laws contribute to the burgeoning and unrefined state of lobbying in Lithuania. These pessimistic public attitudes are amplified by the effects of communist attitudes and the Lithuanian lobbying law which presents significant obstacles to the formation of interest groups (extensive registration processes) and the implementation of lobbying activities. The prevalence of corruption and long-established personal connections are major lobbying tactics and result in a dichotomy in the minds of the public in differentiating between private and public interests. The present law also fails to elucidate increased transparency and legitimacy of lobbying activities, which are the core artifices of an efficient democ racy. (Hrebenar; McBeth; Morgan, 2008). Labor is weak as a political and lobbying force in Lithuania due to the legacy of its control by communist leaders, and it results in its failure to use modern strategies of lobbying. The labor sector is small and fragmented. However, the business community has transitioned to sophisticated interest group and lobbying systems. This is due to its extensive resources and contacts that the business communities have with the Lithuanian Parliament and the executive branch. It can be said that only those interest groups with a great deal of resources have power in Lithuania. A significant factor to take into consideration in business lobbying is the financial resources that these communities have and that there are more than 100 members of the Lithuanian Parliament that have business connections and interests but only four that represent labor. There are few professional lobbyists who are registered (only 11 registered lobbyists in Lithuania in 2005). Many groups come to the Lithuanian Par liament with their complaints but fail to suggest possible solutions and courses of political action to solve these problems. (Hrebenar; McBeth; Morgan, 2008). The lack of a professional lobbying community in Lithuania may persist in the future because the use of personal contacts to contact public officials makes the development of a lobbying bodies redundant, the lack of knowledge among groups about sophisticated lobbying tactics may include a lack of knowledge about the value professional lobbyists, and the small population of Lithuania infers that informal politics prevails as a result of personal contacts. Hence, there is not enough pressure or incentive to develop advanced interest group techniques including professional lobbying groups. (Hrebenar; McBeth; Morgan, 2008). Corruption is widespread in Lithuania and affects the interest group system. It affects how people go about lobbying, including using bribes to public officials, passing contracts to friends etc. Corruption in the system contributes directly to the very negative view of interest groups and lobbying by the public (Baltic Times, 2004). Corrupt methods of lobbying (bribery and gratuities) are not accepted as ethical, but identified as the most effective and practiced methods of lobbying that can be used for interest group to achieve desired results. (Hrebenar; McBeth; Morgan, 2008). The lobby law is unsuccessful in Lithuania because it is too restrictive. While many individuals engage in activities that are legit lobbying, negative views on the part of the public and public officials along with a troublesome registration process and expensive registration fee, dissuades most individuals engaged in lobbying activity from registering. The general consensus is that the lobby law is not feasible, is ineffective and is likely not applicable to a developing democracy with an emerging interest group system like Lithuania. (Hrebenar; McBeth; Morgan, 2008). Since there are very few registered lobbyists, most lobbying is conducted through unregulated and non-transparent means. Thus the law does not account for the predominant amount of the actual lobbying that takes place in Lithuania. A regulatory system that would be more efficient is a monitoring system which requires reporting of lobbying activity, more information and transparency on lobbyists and their interests, and also providing information on the money that is spent on lobbying. Since the Lithuanian lobbying law is associated with corruption and negative perceptions, registering is a major disadvantage to those who legally register as paid lobbyists. (Hrebenar; McBeth; Morgan, 2008). Overall, there is a disincentive to do so. By simply integrating lobbying laws into a regulatory system will not result in dramatically reducing corruption levels. Lobbying practices should be transparent to the public, the civil society needs to understand the need for the lobbyists activities and be active advocates of it, and therefore transform them into a crucial component of a functioning democracy. SECTION IV-Analysis In order for a successful democracy to emerge, it is vital that the civil society has the confidence in their political infrastructure. Interest groups and lobbyists work towards the benefits of society, and it is important that the general public feel safe and confident in order to integrate voices in parliament. Building an effective interest group and lobbying system in burgeoning democracies requires taking more aggressive steps to fight corruption altogether, since it lies deeply rooted in their systems. Interest group politics and lobbying must be included into the medias discussion of politics. As a matter of fact, in order to tackle it from the bottom, regulated media scrutiny is required. Taking into account the suspicion that most citizens hold and is wary of most political moves, they must learn and understand that such politics are legitimate and acceptable. To achieve this, it may be plausible to introduce studies of legitimate lobbying activities in school/university curriculums. In the Lithuanian system the more difficult aspect to change is probably the civic society ideals and beliefs and the attitudes of the Lithuanian population and elites. An effective interest group and lobbying system is especially difficult to build in a post-authoritarian state, given their ingrained be lief systems and ideals. Lithuanian democracy is nearly two decades old and clearly the interest group and lobbying system has not emerged as a strongly constructed cornerstone. The lack of citizen knowledge about the significance of an independent and politically sophisticated civil society to modern democratic politics indicates that the core requirement of a transparent lobbying system was amiss from the beginning. SECTION V-A Recommendation-Making lobbying costly A way in which extraneous and meaningless lobbying can be overcome is by making the activity itself expensive. Someone considering whether to become a lobbyist has to consider the costs of lobbying activities. These costs consist of organizational costs and informational costs. If they want to perform seriously as lobbyists, they have to show that the information that they obtain is reliable and based on sound evidence and information. In some cases, intricate technical information is difficult and costly to obtain. Lobbyists may have to pay for high costs to obtain expert information to credibly provide what is demanded by the authorities in question. These high costs may sometimes dissuade certain lobbyists from entering the entire race altogether unless they have credible motives to do so. We can refer to Potters and Van Winden (1992) model of persuasive costly lobbying and try to understand it in mathematical equations: Lobbyist incurs a cost C ≠¥ 0 when lobbying  · when C = 0 informative lobbying only occurs when d ≠¤ ( ÃŽ ¸H ÃŽ ¸L ) / 2  · when ÃŽ ¸=ÃŽ ¸H there is no risk of false reporting  · when ÃŽ ¸= ÃŽ ¸L and C > 0, the lobbyist now has to incur a cost to report. Hypothesis: policy maker takes lobbyists claims at face value, and interprets lack of lobbying as ÃŽ ¸= ÃŽ ¸L To understand the incentive for the lobbyist at equilibrium cost, when ÃŽ ¸=ÃŽ ¸H the lobbyist incurs the costs only when (qH qH d) 2 C ≠¥ (qL qH d) 2 C ≠¤ (qH qL) (2 d + qH qL) when q = qL the lobbyist refrains from lobbying only when (qL qL d) 2 ≠¥ (qL qH d) 2 C C ≠¥ (qH qL) (2 d (qH qL) ) There is a range of lobbying costs for which the lobbyist communicates with the policy maker in the high states of the world. In this case the policy maker acknowledges this and always implements his preferred policy. Is the lobbyist better off when costs are positive and d > ( ÃŽ ¸H ÃŽ ¸L ) / 2? C = 0 ⇒ p = E ( ÃŽ ¸ ) and E (ul(p,q)) = 0.5 ( ( E ( ÃŽ ¸ ) ÃŽ ¸H d)2 + 0.5 ( ( E ( ÃŽ ¸ ) ÃŽ ¸L d)2 C > 0 : E (ul(p,q)) = 0.5 ( d2 C ) + 0.5 ( d2 ) = d2 C/2 the lobbyist is better off when C < (qH qL)2 / 2 From this model, we clearly get the intuition that if registered lobbying activities are made costly the lobbyist will have lesser incentive to engage in unnecessary meaningless lobbying activities. Therefore, transparency coupled with making lobbying costly could discourage selfish lobbying practices. SECTION VI-Conclusion In any political power structure the actual bodies that create laws as well as the tools for implementing them are usually at the top of the political hierarchy. Here, we seem to be finding more and more, that it is easier to compromise amongst themselves than to continue guarding and representing the more plebeian interests. This is even more true today where we have a vital separation between national politics and globalization which in principle are at loggerheads. As a result politicians are even more compromised and helpless against the over-powering globalized corporate interests and instinctively know that it is a losing battle to fight against them. As we are now witnessing, politics everywhere is bereft of political ideology and entirely married to economic priorities. In such an atmosphere, creating moral strictures to hem the growing influence of special interest bodies (a majority of which are corporate or backed by very powerful groups (NRA and the Jewish Lobby in the USA are examples) is a dead cause. The BEA scandal in the UK is a fine example of how Politicians hide under a a blanket cover (they have specially created for their own benefit) of national security a catch 22 situation, because, according to them, it cannot be transparent for the very same reason that it is secretive. Increasing, governments everywhere have found this the most useful tool to degrade democracy everywhere. Organizations which use corrupt practices will not take to transparency operation and regulation of lobbying. They will feel exposed as this is associated with changes in laws such as the political parties in proportion to its funding, in terms of laws governing the methods of financing campaigns. While discussing lobbying, unions should also be taken into account, which often become the most influential lobbyists. In the process of building a representative democracy it is necessary to create mechanisms which openly discuss issues that they can be resolved in favor of society and not just for the benefit of private or group interests. A cornerstone to this objective may be a combination of effective and modern lobbying laws, meeting the goals of representative democracy based on principles of transparency and publicity. In developing democracies like Lithuania, it is vital to keep the civil society informed about regulated lobbying activities which are designed to benefit the public . Otherwise there is the risk of them being left to speculate the evils of interest group activities, which their legacies have socialized them to do so.

Essay --

Acknowledgments ______________________________________________________________________________ Thank you for the support and encouragement that you have given me throughout the trials of my experiment. I would like to thank my parents for the support they have given me and for helping me when I was in a tough situation. I would like to thank my teacher, Mr. Johnson for the support that he has given me and for his guidance and encouragement. I would also like to thank my dentist for supplying me with my prime ingredient of this experiment, teeth. Purpose ______________________________________________________________________________ The purpose of this experiment is to investigate the effect of beverages, such as, orange juice, coca cola, milk, coffee, and water, on the rate of decomposition of teeth. This experiment will be able to determine which of the five beverages cause a tooth to decompose faster than the others. These specific drinks were chosen because they are what normal people have in their refrigerator or pantry on a normal basis. Most americans consume coffee, and some sort of juice in the morning, throughout the day they should have at least of glass of water, and most people have at least on soft drink a day. The acid in orange juice and the carbonation in soda can damage the enamel of the tooth causing it to erode faster (Orange, July 2, 2009). The lack of saliva can cause decay of teeth because saliva protects the gums in the mouth from infection. Some causes of reduced saliva are coffee and cola drinks (Reduce,April 21, 2012). This experiment reveals which of these five drinks increase the process of decay faster than others. This will allow the reader to choose a drink that wil... ...rom http://www.questiaschool.com Mays, S. (1998). The Archaeology of Human Bones. London: Routledge. Retrieved from http://www.questiaschool.com Orange Juice Acid 'Can Wash Away Enamel on Teeth' (2009, July 2). Daily Mail (London), p. 22. Retrieved from http://www.questiaschool.com Reduce Dental Decay Factors. (2012, April 21). Coffs Coast Advocate (Coffs Harbour, Australia). Retrieved from http://www.questiaschool.com Teeth. (2013). In The Columbia Encyclopedia (6th ed.). The Columbia University Press. Retrieved from http://www.questiaschool.com Tooth Decay-Cause. (n.d.). WebMD - Better information. Better health.. Retrieved October 9, 2013, from http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/tc/tooth-decay-cause What Kind of Acids are in Soda. (2011, August 17). Live Strong. http://www.livestrong.com/articles/519798-what-kind-of-acids-are-in-sodas/

Essay --

Microchip Implant Technology is defined as an identifying integrated circuit placed under the skin of a dog, cat, horse, parrot or other animal. The chip, about the size of a large grain of rice, uses passive RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology. This device may appear innocent on the surface but as we take a deeper look into the subject the demons reveal themselves. I do not feel it is necessary or ethical to track humans with this form of technology. There has been much controversy over the last decade on the subject of Implant Tracking Technology. Implantations in humans has a lot of futurists worried. In October 2004, the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of the VeriChip in humans. VeriChip is a microchip, the size of a grain of rice, which can be implanted under the skin with a simple injection. Like the bar codes on consumer products, it stores coded information that can be read with a scanner. VeriChip is among the latest versions of an existing technology: radio frequency identification chips (RFIDs) that are small enough to be implanted in human beings, but used mostly by businesses to track their inventories and shipping companies to log cargo. RFIDs are also popular among wildlife managers, farmers, and pet owners: one million chips have been implanted in pets and livestock. The idea of tracking animals does not bring a negative feeling upon me unlike implantation in humans. It is one thing to track your livestock but when it comes to tracking humans it seems like such an invasion of privacy. Many people would likely welcome these tracking devices such as those caring for people with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia, or parents worried about how well their day care center is wa... ...ers? You could be a ticking time bomb with your life in someone else’s hands. The Safe Medical Devices Act, which became a law in 1990, requires USA manufacturers of implants and medical devices, to adopt a method for identifying and tracking their products permanently implanted in humans, and to keep track of the recipients, in case malfunctions arise. Breast implants, pacemakers, replacement heart valves and prosthetic devices implanted in millions worldwide are all to be tracked. And one of the methods used to track these devices is implanting microchips which store data about the manufacturer, the surgeon, the date of implant, etc. The best way to prevent an invasion of privacy by implant tracking technology is to not receive the implant. At this point it cannot be forced. It is rumored that millions may already be carrying microchips in their body worldwide.

Formalistic Approach to Ode on the Death of a Favorite Cat (Favourite)

Formalistic Approach to Ode on the Death of a Favorite Cat (Favourite) Formal analysis of poetry helps to unfold the underlying meaning of a poem. This technique does not focus on the author of the poem, or what was happening in history during the time when the poem was written, but instead puts emphasis on the actual mean of the work. Formal analysis breaths life into the literary work and allows the poem to speak for itself. For example, in Thomas Grays' poem "Ode on the Death of a Favorite Cat, Drowned in a Tub of Gold Fishes," paying close attention to word choice, structure, and rhyme scheme illuminates the actions of the prowling cat. The most important aspect in writing poetry is word choice. Thomas Gray did an excellent job in using descriptive words, along with using assonance and alliteration, throughout this poem to enhance imagery. For example, in the first stanza Gray describes the cat as being "pensive"(5) as it watches the fish below. This is followed in the second stanza as Gray uses alliteration and assonance to describe t...

Automobile Sector in India Essay

The Automobile industry in India is one of the largest in the world and one of the fastest growing globally. India manufactures over 17. 5 million vehicles (including 2 wheeled and 4 wheeled) and exports about 2. 33 million every year. It is the world’s second largest manufacturer of motorcycles, with annual sales exceeding 8. 5 million in 2009. India’s passenger car and commercial vehicle manufacturing industry is the seventh, with an annual production of more than 3. 7 million units in 2010. According to recent reports, India is set to overtake Brazil to become the sixth largest passenger vehicle producer in the world, growing 16-18 per cent to sell around three million units in the course of 2011-12. In 2009, India emerged as Asia’s fourth largest exporter of passenger cars, behind Japan, South Korea, and Thailand. We are all well aware of the fact that, for decades the Indian automobile industry was way behind some of the most influential economies in the world like USA and Japan. The Indian automobile industry, though in its nascent stage, is expected to set the ball rolling in the Indian Economy as well. Coming to the automotive trends, today, the Indian automobile industry is one of the most vibrant, modern and upbeat automobile markets in the world. It is also the second largest two-wheeler market in the global map. With the emergence of the financially sound middle class, the four-wheeler segment is set for tremendous growth and one can expect of more impetus to the economy from this sector. No wonder then that this industry has become the centre of attraction for most of the global automotive giants the world over. The factors playing a key role in the Indian automobile industry trends are as follows: Government: Unlike in the past, the Indian Government has gone through a total role reversal by becoming the enabler rather than the controller. In the recent past it has started providing better infrastructure and a conducive atmosphere to attract investments and implementing growth oriented economic policies. Competition: With the coming of the multinationals, an immense pressure has grown on the Indian companies. As a result, a lot of joint ventures have taken place, some others have invested heavily on R&D to build their own empires and the rest have perished. Customer: Armed with higher buying power and an ever increasing expectation from products and services, the customer is undoubtedly the king and has propelled a fierce competition among the major players in the market. Pollution and Safety Norms: cars as well as two-wheelers have met the most stringent international norms of pollution. Euro II vehicles have become the norm of the day all over India. Unfortunately, in the Indian context, safety in motor vehicles is a relatively neglected area. Bad roads coupled with the absence of adequate safety features in the vehicles such as airbag and crumple zone needs immediate attention. But awareness is on the increase and the use of seat belts while driving has been made mandatory. Bikes: Keeping apace with the global trends the two-wheeler segment has witnessed tremendous growth both qualitatively and quantitatively. Bikes with higher engine capacities have done commendably well on the Indian roads. Bike styling and fuel efficiency has also seen major developments. In short, the Indian automotive industry is set for exponential growth in the future. Consistent growth and dedication have made the Indian automobile industry the second- largest tractor and two-wheeler manufacturer in the world. It is also the fifth-largest commercial vehicle manufacturer in the world. The Indian automobile market is among the largest in Asia. The key players like Hindustan Motors, Maruti Udyog, Fiat India Private Ltd, Tata Motors, Bajaj Motors, Hero Motors, Ashok Leyland, Mahindra & Mahindra have been dominating the vehicle industry. A few of the foreign players like Toyota Kirloskar Motor Ltd. , Skoda India Private Ltd. , Honda Siel Cars India Ltd. have also entered the market and have catered to the customers’ needs to a large extent. Not only the Indian companies but also the international car manufacturing companies are focusing on compact cars to be delivered in the Indian market at a much smaller price. Moreover, the automobile companies are coming up with financial schemes such as easy EMI repayment systems to boost sales. There have been exhibitions like Auto-expo at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi to share the technological advancements. Besides, there are many new projects coming up in the automobile industry leading to the growth of the sector. Year All Vehicles (in ‘000) Two Wheelers (in ‘000) Cars, Jeeps and Taxis (in ‘000) Buses (in ‘000) Goods Vehicles (in ‘000) Other Vehicles (in ‘000) 200154,99138,5567,0586342,9485,795 200258,92441,5817,6136352,9746,121 200367,00747,5198,5997213,4926,676 200472,71851,9229,4517683,7496,828 200580,04557,41710,4608224,0537,337 200688,06863,48711,5718794,3457,891 200796,80870,14112,8109364,6528,464 2008106,59177,58814,2221,0035,0189,065. Total Number of Vehicle Registrations in India from 2001 to 2008 Investment in Automobile Sector Nearly every automobile company is investing at a higher rate than ever before to achieve a high growth trajectory. The overall investment in the sector has been increasing quite rapidly. It is expected that by the end of 2010 Indian automobile sector will be investing a huge amount as Rs. 30,000 crores. Top ten players in the Indian automobile sector:- The domestic players as well as the foreign players dominate the Indian automobile sector. The key players contributing to the growth of the sector are discussed below. The key players in Indian automobile industry are: 1) Maruti Udyog Limited 2) Hero Motors Limited 3) Tata Group 4) Bajaj Auto Limited 5) Mahindra Group 6) Ashok Leyland 7) Yamaha Motor India 8) Hyundai Motors India Limited 9) Toyota Kirloskar Motor Private Limited 10) Honda Siel Cars India Limited Growth in the Sector At present the industry is enjoying a growth rate of 14-17% per annum, with domestic sales growth at 12. 8%. The growth rate is predicted to double by 2015. As it is seen, the total sales of passenger vehicles – cars, utility vehicles and multi-utility vehicles – in the year 2005 reached the mark of 1. 06 million. The current growth rate indicates that by 2012 India will overtake Germany and Japan in sales volumes. Financing schemes have become an important factor in the growth of automobile sales. More and more financial schemes are coming up with easy installment plans to lure the customers. Apart from domestic production, the industry is consistently focusing on the automobile exports. The auto component segment is contributing a lot in the export arena. The liberalized policies of the government are now making the companies go for more and more exports. The automobile exports are increasing year by year. According to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufactures (SIAM) automobile exports in the last five years are as follows:- Export trend over the last five years List of predictions for this year by looking at what the bygone year had given us. The Indian automobile industry is going through a phase of rapid change and high growth. With new projects coming up on a regular basis, the industry is undergoing technological change. The major players are expanding their plants and focusing on mass customization, mass production, etc. Domestic Sales Volumes Will Rise but Growth Could Come Down The 2010 calendar year was great for the Indian automobile industry, and sales of vehicles are expected to continue upward journey in 2011. However, the industry may not be able to copy the growth rates registered in the last two years. In the first half of 2010, the industry witnessed a steep 32% average monthly sales growth, which came down to 25% in the latter half. In addition, the year-on-year growth in sales is expected to be higher during the latter half of 2011 as compared to the growth in the first half of the year. Along with the high base effect of 2010, the awaited firm up of interest rates could also bring about the reduction in growth rates this year. Exports to Increase in 2011 Almost 65% of total automobile exports from India are two-wheelers, and as a result, performance of this segment has a major influence on overall auto export volumes. And after experiencing over 30% jump in exports in 2010, the industry is expected to register moderate growths in two-wheeler exports in 2011. Nonetheless, a competitive and aggressive approach from the original equipment manufacturers vehicle categories (commercial vehicles, passenger vehicles and two & three wheelers) would help bring an increase in overall export of vehicles from the Indian market in 2011. Additionally, there are many companies that want to make India their export hub, thereby increasing the chances of increasing exports. Healthy Economic Growth to Uplift Sales Healthy growth of the economy would drive the automobile sales in the domestic market. The chief growth drivers of the automobile industry in the Indian market would be stable economic environment, healthy IIP growth, favourable liquidity and availability of finance. Other things that would positively affect the Indian automobile industry include road network development activities, strong growth in construction activities and the expected healthy performance of the industrial sector. When it comes to personal transport vehicles, increase in disposable income and a strong line up of upcoming new launches is expected to boost demand and sales. The passenger vehicle industry (cars + utility vehicles) is expected to witness launch of as many as 30 new models/variants in 2011. Much in with 2010, 2011 will also see a lot of action in the small car segment. Sales of luxury cars is also going to grow at a fast pace. Sports utility vehicles (SUV), which have a relatively smaller market share in the Indian passenger vehicle market is also going to grow up tremendously as manufacturers have lined up 10 new model launches for the coming year. Indian car manufacturers are also doubling up their efforts to push their passenger vehicles into the rural and semi-urban markets, which would greatly enhance sales. Profit margins to improve marginally The Indian automobile is expected to record growth in revenues supported by in the domestic as well as export market. Nevertheless, as the commodity prices are expected to remain constant, the pressure on margins would increase largely. Besides, the entry of several other OEMs that have lined up elaborate investment plans is also going to benefit the industry in the domestic market. The new car launches that have been lined up for this year are going to increase expenditure on advertising and promotional activities. But that is no cause for the buyers as these companies are likely to transfer only a small part of the cost burden by increasing the car prices. Strategies that manufacturers are likely to adopt are: 1 > Commercial vehicles 2> New model launches 3> Product innovation would take prime importance to create new market segments 4> Launch new cars for the international market 5> Easy car finance options for potential customers 6> Competitive pricing Key Success Factors. The Key Success factors in the Motor Vehicle Manufacturing industry are: Efficiency factor – Improve labour productivity, labour flexibility, and capital efficiency Resource Availability – Quality manpower availability, infrastructure improvements, and raw material availability Effective cost controls – Close relationship with supplies and goods distribution channels. Establishment of export markets – Growth of export markets Having an extensive distribution/collection network – Goods distribution channels. Successful industrial relations policy – Ethical and tactical industrial relations Access to the latest available and most efficient technology and techniques – The degree of investment in technological improvements and product development Optimum capacity utilisation – The level of plant utilisation Management of high quality assets portfolio – Understanding implications from Government policies References:- Wikipedia Rcnos. com Managementparadise. com www. carazoo. com siamindia. com automobileindia. com.

Increasingly multicultural Essay

Montreal is a vibrant cosmopolitan city that is becoming increasingly multicultural. although this is the case Quebec’s language laws have made it all but impossible to post outdoor signs in languages other than French. Other disadvantageous do not point just to those who do not speak French. Since Bill 101 was passed in 1977 many were skeptical over the change in the school system when it urged Quebec to change a law that requires most immigrant children to get their schooling in French. The law that now keeps most immigrant children out of English schools, Bill 101, was enacted 22 years ago under the authority of our good old friend Rene Levesque in response to nationalist fears that a pronounced tendency among Quebec allophones to choose an English education for their children – together with a low francophone birth rate – posed a long-term threat to the future of the French language, especially here in Montreal. Why couldn’t the city be left the way it was, the needless threat of all of Quebec’s language laws have posed a menace to society. The more laws that have been passed the more the French Majority have become involved resulting in a greater vigor to stay free from English. There have been in the past many riots and angered separatists willing to give their lives for the right to keep the French language intact. If the Government hadn’t been so enthusiastic over efforts to change the face of the province maybe the majority of the population would have left the issue of language alone and accepted the English for what they are. Many have grown through the upbringing of their parents to treat everybody the same, and also by the old saying. Don’t judge a book by its cover. It is a complete outrage for the Government to witness crimes of hate and to ignored them by making the problem worse by going ahead with their proposed we hate the English lets get them out of here law. That has definitely been the way that allophones have felt and they were never given a fair share of anything, not even a vote. After the referendum this had become the talk of the nation when rumors suggested that die-hard separatists had tampered with the votes after the 1994 referendum when Quebec narrowly escaped separation from Canada by just a hair’s breadth. But the havoc hadn’t only just begun, there were incidents in the past when Prime Minister Trudeau was in charge that literally tested the lives of allophones, closer to home over here in Westmount. Alleged obstinate separatists preformed acts of hate on Montreal’s well-known English community. Bombs were neatly placed in to mailboxes that were, appallingly, set to detonate once opened. This spelled danger to Montreal’s allophone community who flocked elsewhere to get away from the unbearable tensions that were built amongst them by these alleged terrorists. That is exactly why I disagree with Mordecai Richler’s opinion over Montreal’s status. He once said. â€Å"We Haven’t Lost our heads only our apostrophes†¦. Montreal however diminished is still to my mind the most agreeable city in Canada. And this is because the two cultures not only confront eachother but also continue to enrich eachother. † How could such a knowledgeable man ignore all the violence and the lack of equality. It has to be said that there has never been a time when it was liberated to say that we have grown to enrich each other because it quite simply isn’t true. Problems between the two vibrant cultures have not caused astronomical damage, but enough damage to believe that allophones are not wanted. Tensions for a while remained calm, but more recently the bombings that plagued some second Cup coffee shops, in a furious scuffle just to change the name to Deuxieme Tasse. Similar incidents include Jacques Villneuve’s opening of his bar called new town the translation of his last name. The successful Formula 1 hero was the target of many unpleased individuals over the name of his bar. Villneuve was later asked to reply and give his opinion to the miserable reaction over the name and quite simply stated that people in this city must become more open minded. Can’t really disagree there. It comes to show that times haven’t changed and that tensions are still sky high. That is exactly why I disagree with Mordecai Richler’s opinion over the Montreal’s status. He once said. â€Å"We Haven’t Lost our heads only our apostrophes†¦. Montreal however diminished is still to my mind the most agreeable city in Canada. And this is because the two cultures not only confront eachother but also continue to enrich eachother. â€Å"

Addressing Barriers to Learning and Closing

Addressing Barriers to Learning and closing the Achievement Gap: New Directions for Student Support Closing We all recognize the urgency arising from the demands made by the No Child Left Behind Act. Many schools are being designated as low performing. Increasing accountability demands require demonstrating progress for students who are â€Å"economically disadvantaged, from racial and ethnic minority groups, have disabilities, or have limited English proficiency. † All schools will be evaluated on criteria designed to identify sites that are â€Å"persistently dangerous. With increasing ccountability tor student outcomes and dwindling budgets, it is essential to rethink use of existing learning support resources to maximize a school's capability for addressing barriers to student learning and teaching. Beyond the Learning Gap Americans increasingly are aware of this learning gap and are seeking ways to address it. The international comparisons grab the front-page headlines, and officials try to Infer recommendations from how one country performs compared with the performance of another.Policymakers carefully study, state by state, scores on the ost recent National Assessment of Educational Progress, as if one could divine a strategy, from the scores, for improving performance. Scores of all local schools are printed in the newspaper, and school boards and parents discuss why students In some schools score much lower than others. As important as it is to know how well students are learning, examinations of achievement scores alone can never reveal how the scores might be improved.We also need information on the classroom processes on teaching that are contributing to the scores. unfortunately, many olicymakers have ignored this fact, making decisions about the future of education without even the most rudimentary information about what is happening In classrooms. In 1995, faced with low reading and mathematics performance on the National Assessment of E ducauonal Progress, California's superintendent of public instruction formed two task forces, one for mathematics and one for reading, to study the situation and propose solutions.California, after all, was highly respected for Curriculum Frameworks that guide reading and mathematics instruction in the state. The Frameworks provided a comprehensive outline for what students should learn and guidelines for appropriate Instructional methods. If the Frameworks were so good, why was achievement so low? In meetings of California's mathematics task force, the discussion often turned to the Frameworks. Were the teaching methods or curricular emphases recommended in the Mathematics Framework perhaps to blame for students' low achievement?A debate ensued among members of the task force, a debate that has been reflected more broadly in public debate around the country etween proponents of â€Å"reform† teaching and those in favor of more â€Å"traditional† teaching methods. Some believed that the Frameworks were not working and should tOf2 the discussion was a key fact: the state of California had collected no data on the extent to which the Frameworks had been implemented in the state's classrooms.This did not stop the state, however, from undertaking a revision of its Mathematics Framework. But on what basis could the Framework be revised? Without knowing what teachers were doing, how could the effectiveness of the Framework be determined? We do not mean to single out California; no state that we know of regularly collects and uses data directly related to instructional processes in the classroom. Policymakers adopt a program, then wait to see if student achievement scores will rise.If scores do not go up and this is most often what happens, especially in the short run – they begin hearing complaints that the policy isn't working. Momentum builds, experts meet, and soon there is a new recommendation, then a change of course, often in the opposite direction. Significantly, this whole process goes on without ever collecting data on whether or not the original program as even implemented in classrooms or, if implemented, how effective it was in promoting student learning.If we wish to make wise decisions, we need to know what is going on in typical classrooms. Fortunately, the same TIMSS that generated a new wave of concern about students' achievement also collected a wealth of information about educational factors that might help us understand the different levels of performance in different countries. TIMSS researchers analyzed textbooks; asked administrators, teachers, and students about their beliefs and practices; and ideotaped teachers teaching typical lessons.The TIMSS video study of teaching, which forms the basis for this book, is especially significant because it provides a penetrating and unparalleled look into classrooms in three different countries. For the first time, we had a full video record of a representative sample of U. S. classrooms. More than that, we had the same kind of information from Germany and Japan. We could now compare more than achievement scores. We could examine similarities and differences in the instructional methods that lay behind these scores.

Storm Born Chapter Eighteen

It was like deja vu. Two fights, two blackouts, and two â€Å"mornings after† back in my own bed. Talk about tedious. Only this time, I wasn't alone in bed. I knew Kiyo was with me even before I opened my eyes. I recognized his smell, the way his arms wrapped around me. They held me with delicacy now, not with the fierceness that usually seized him. â€Å"You don't quit,† I murmured, blinking the sleep out of my eyes. â€Å"Even wounded, you're still trying to get me back in bed.† â€Å"I've already got you here.† He lay on his side, his eyes staring into mine. Smiling, he ran a hand over my hair, smoothing it back. â€Å"I was so worried about you.† I snuggled against him, slowly dredging up memories from last night. â€Å"I was worried about you too. What happened? Why wouldn't you change back?† â€Å"I did†¦eventually.† Well, that was obvious. I waited expectantly, needing more. â€Å"Being a kitsune isn't just about the novelty of turning into a fox. It's more than that. It's like†¦I also can turn into – I don't know – a fox god. No. That's not right. I don't know how to describe it.† â€Å"A superfox?† His soft laughter vibrated against my forehead, and he kissed the skin there. â€Å"That's not quite right either. The foxes of the Otherworld are like the progenitors of mortal foxes in this world. They're stronger, more powerful, wilder. I can change into one of those, but to do so†¦I almost have to give up my humanity. They're too animal, too†¦I don't know, primordial. When I'm a normal red fox, I'm still pretty much the same as I am now unless I've been in that form for a really long time. Then the human part starts to go. But for your ‘superfox,' I'm already gone in one transformation. I can hang on to only a few human instincts – like that I had to fight that thing and that I had to protect you.† I took all this in, frowning. â€Å"But that doesn't explain why you didn't change back.† â€Å"It takes time to go in and out of that form. The change is more than physical. I have to give up my human nature to go in, my fox nature to come out. Both are hard. That's why it took me awhile to even help in the first place. I had to make a quick call, even though it left you undefended. I thought I'd do more damage in the other form.† â€Å"Yeah, you did do a pretty good job. But you sure scared me there.† I fell silent, recalling those terrible moments of uncertainty while I bled all over myself. â€Å"When did you finally change back?† â€Å"Not long after you passed out, I think.† â€Å"That would explain why I'm still alive.† He nodded. â€Å"You lost a lot of blood. You needed ten stitches.† I blinked. â€Å"Did you take me to a doctor?† He grinned. â€Å"You bet I did.† It took me a moment to catch on. I pulled back the covers and lifted the skirt of one of my racier and rarely used nightgowns – how'd I get dressed in that anyway? – and saw black stitches standing out starkly against my skin, off to the side of my stomach. â€Å"You did this?† I exclaimed. â€Å"You stitched me up? Without a doctor?† â€Å"I am a doctor. I do this all the time.† â€Å"Yeah†¦to cats and dogs. Not to people.† â€Å"It's exactly the same. We're animals too.† I eyed the stitches uneasily. The skin around them was red. â€Å"Was everything sanitized?† He made a disparaging sound in his throat. â€Å"Of course it was. The standards are the same. Come on, stop worrying. It was either that or let you bleed to death in the car. I had a kit in the back and used it.† â€Å"How'd you have enough light out there?† â€Å"The overhead lamp still worked.† I couldn't believe he'd stitched me up in a smashed car with a vet's kit. Improvisation at its best. â€Å"Did the car actually start?† â€Å"Sort of†¦I got us back to the freeway before it died. I found your cell phone and called Tim.† â€Å"Poor Tim. When I first told him I was a shaman, I think he thought it was as fake as his own Indian charade.† â€Å"Wait – he's not actually Indian? I've been trying forever to figure out what tribe he's from.† â€Å"He's from the tribe of Tim Warkoski. It's ridiculous, but – â€Å" The air in the room rippled, pressure building. I had to blink a few times to ensure the shimmering around us wasn't in my head. Kiyo propped himself up, alert and wary. The pressure abruptly faded. A rift from the Otherworld opened up in front of us, and suddenly Dorian stood on a small table in the corner. Not unexpectedly, it promptly broke under his weight, making a horrible crashing sound as its pieces and contents fell to the floor. To his credit, he sidestepped the disaster rather gracefully, easily landing both feet on the floor. I winced, seeing the anchor ring lying among the debris. I'd set it on the table, not considering the consequences of Dorian arriving exactly where it lay. â€Å"What the hell – † Kiyo started to climb out of bed, but I was in his way. I laid a restraining hand on his chest. â€Å"No, it's all right. He's here for our next lesson. Jesus†¦I can't believe it's that time already.† I'd lost a lot of time since the car. Dorian wore his usual simple but fine clothes, covered by another elaborate robe. This one was black satin, edged in silver and small seed pearls. If the present circumstances surprised him, he didn't show it. He kept his face typically unimpressed and sardonic. His smile twisted as he regarded us. â€Å"I can come back later if it's more convenient. I do so hate to interrupt.† â€Å"No, no,† I said hastily, sitting up and swinging my legs over the bed's edge. The movement uncomfortably tugged the skin around my stitches. â€Å"We were just, um†¦resting.† Dorian arched an eyebrow. â€Å"You rest in that?† I glanced down, flushing. I'd worn this exactly once when Dean and I had gone to Mexico for a weekend. The nightgown was pale green, its top and bottom hems ornamented with elaborate green leaves and tiny pink flowers. The mid-thigh-length skirt was sheer chiffon. Note to self: Never let Kiyo dress me again, unconsciousness notwithstanding. Tim chose that moment to walk in, summoned by the noise. â€Å"Eug, what†¦Ã¢â‚¬  His mouth dropped – and not just because of me. I looked around at us all: me in my nightgown, Kiyo bare-chested, Dorian in his extravagant robes, and Tim in his Native getup. â€Å"God,† I muttered, standing up, â€Å"we look like the Village People.† I pulled the terry cloth robe over me, wondering how I always seemed to be half-naked lately. Tim continued to stare, wearing the shocked look of one who has just walked in on his parents having sex. â€Å"Everything's fine,† I told him. He still didn't move, and I waved a hand in front of his face. â€Å"Hey, wake up. Think you can make some breakfast?† He blinked. â€Å"It's three in the afternoon.† I gave him a pathetic look. The familiarity of it seemed to snap him back to normal. He could never resist it. That, or he felt he owed me food for the free rent. â€Å"What do you want?† â€Å"Eggs and toast.† â€Å"Healthy or unhealthy toast?† I considered. â€Å"Healthy.† â€Å"Are your, uh, friends eating too?† I glanced at the other two men. â€Å"I'd love to,† replied Dorian with a cordial half-bow. â€Å"Thank you.† â€Å"Famished,† said Kiyo, eyes still narrowed on Dorian. â€Å"Thanks, Tim, you're the best.† I practically pushed him out the door. â€Å"Charming man,† remarked Dorian politely. He glanced around. â€Å"And a charming room.† The broken table aside, the room's other contents included: a pile of laundry, the wicker chair, a case of ammunition, a dresser, and a small desk with my laptop and a half-finished puzzle of the Eiffel Tower. The room didn't have a lot of space, so everything had been jammed in. It all seemed so chintzy compared to the opulence of his bedroom. Kiyo also got out of bed, wearing just a pair of jeans. â€Å"You want to tell me again what's going on?† â€Å"I already did.† I opened my dresser and pulled out a pair of jeans and a shirt that said I'LL GIVE YOU SOMETHING TO CRY ABOUT on it. â€Å"We're doing my next lesson.† â€Å"She can't do it today,† Kiyo told Dorian. â€Å"She was in a fight last night.† â€Å"Unless I'm mistaken, she gets in a fight every night.† â€Å"This one was bad. She was injured. Didn't you see the stitches?† â€Å"My humble eyes had better things to occupy themselves with than her stitches.† â€Å"Hey, guys?† I snapped. â€Å"I'm still here, you know. Stop talking about me in the third person.† Kiyo walked over and touched my arm. â€Å"Eugenie, this is crazy. You need to go back to bed.† â€Å"Today's lesson will not require physical exertion,† said Dorian primly. â€Å"There, you see?† I said. â€Å"I've got to keep going with our deal.† Kiyo looked darkly from me to Dorian. â€Å"Your ‘deal' doesn't seem to be doing a lot of good. I thought it was going to keep your would-be rapists away.† I had turned my back to them, opened the robe, and started pulling my jeans on. I froze, considering. â€Å"The fachan wasn't trying to rape me,† I said slowly. â€Å"He wanted to kill me.† â€Å"Are you sure?† â€Å"He tried to throw me through a windshield. That's not very romantic.† â€Å"A fachan?† asked Dorian. I shed the robe and nightgown and pulled the shirt over my head before turning back around to face them. I gave Dorian the short version of what had happened. He stood up from where he'd been leaning against my desk and strolled over to the window, hands clasped behind his back. â€Å"A fachan,† he mused. â€Å"Here. Curious.† â€Å"Not really. Not compared to anything else that's happened to me,† I reminded him. He pointed out the window. â€Å"You live in a desert. Fachans like bodies of water. You have a lot of enemies, my dear, but I doubt any fachan would hate you enough to show up here of his own volition.† â€Å"What are you saying?† asked Kiyo. â€Å"That someone went to considerable trouble to summon him here. Someone with either a lot of raw power or simply an affinity for water creatures.† â€Å"Who could do that?† I asked. â€Å"Any number of people. Maiwenn could.† Kiyo took a few dangerous steps toward him. â€Å"Maiwenn didn't do that.† Dorian smiled, unfazed by Kiyo's intimidating presence. They were the same height, but Dorian's frame was lean and slim, Kiyo's broader and more muscled. â€Å"You're probably right,† Dorian said after several tense moments of silence. â€Å"Particularly since she's been so under the weather lately.† Kiyo's face grew darker. I glanced back and forth uneasily, uncertain as to what I was in the middle of. â€Å"Do you guys know each other?† Dorian extended a hand to Kiyo, cool and collected. â€Å"I know of you, but I don't believe we've been properly introduced. I am Dorian, king of the Oak Land.† Kiyo grudgingly took his hand. â€Å"I know who you are.† â€Å"This is Kiyo,† I said. â€Å"Delightful to meet you. You're a†¦kitsune.† Dorian said the word in an odd tone. It wasn't exactly disrespectful, but it clearly implied they were not equals. I grabbed both their arms and steered them out. â€Å"No pissing contests. Come on. It'll only take Tim about five minutes to whip up the food.† Whatever antagonism existed between Kiyo and Dorian, it took a break as the gentry king entertained himself with the rest of my house. He was like a kid, unable to keep his hands off of everything. Well, everything that wasn't made of plastic or an iron affiliate. My living room was a veritable wonderland, with everything conveniently piled up in junk heaps for him to explore. â€Å"What's the purpose of this?† He held a fluorescent pink Slinky, tossing it from side to side so he didn't have to touch the plastic extensively. My impression was gentry could touch the taboo substances in small doses with minor discomfort; prolonged exposure grew much more uncomfortable. Charge it up with power, and it could kill them. â€Å"It doesn't really have a purpose,† I decided. â€Å"You just sort of†¦play with it when you're bored.† He tossed it back and forth, watching it spring up in arches. â€Å"Let me see it,† I said. I held it, closing my eyes. My focus was back now with the excruciating pain vanquished. I concentrated on the Slinky, putting a small piece of my essence into it. I handed it back. â€Å"Wrap it up and take it with you. It'll be my anchor.† He grinned. With so many other distractions, we eventually had to drag him to the kitchen table when the food was ready. â€Å"Haven't you ever been in the human world before?† I asked, once we all sat down. â€Å"There you go again, assuming we all just traipse over here for no good reason.† â€Å"So you haven't.† â€Å"Well, actually, I've vacationed here a number of times. Not in this desolate place, of course, but several other nice spots.† I rolled my eyes and slapped butter on my toast. It was made of good, hearty bread, chock-full of whole wheat and about a billion other grains. You could use this stuff as sandpaper. I doused my coffee with sugar and cream, gulping it to chase down some ibuprofen. I might not be dying anymore, but myriad aches and stiffness filled my body. I didn't think I could handle regularly getting into high-magnitude fights every other night. When the whole prophecy thing had surfaced, I had joked that I preferred attempts on my life to sexual advances. I didn't really believe that anymore. At least when the bad guys wanted my clothes off, it bought me some time. That fachan, however, had had no intentions short of crushing me. And he'd done a pretty good job of doing that. I had never fought something so massive before. Most of my fights, before this all started, had been with spirits and elementals. I could take them out with barely any effort. The fachan had been in a different league. The spirit army from the other day had also been new. Dorian's words rang back to me. The fachan had been deliberately sent. But by whom? One of the many who had a grudge against Odile? Someone like Maiwenn who wanted the prophecy to fail? Maiwenn herself? This latter thought bothered me. She'd seemed more or less trustworthy, despite her bland personality. If she turned into an enemy, it was going to create some serious friction between Kiyo and me. We finished breakfast, and Dorian declared we had to go outside for our lesson. I took one look at him and the scalding sunshine and saw imminent disaster for that perfect, alabaster skin. Figuring he wouldn't want my prissy, vanilla sunscreen, I dug him out a wide-brimmed cotton hat of Tim's that looked only mildly ridiculous. â€Å"Are you going to be able to do this?† I asked, leading Dorian out to my back patio. Tim had left for drumming practice, but Kiyo followed us, still watchful. â€Å"Your magic's weaker on this side.† Dorian draped his elegant robes over a lawn chair. â€Å"Not me who needs to do the magic. And really, I doubt you will either. Not in the way you're thinking of. Hmm†¦yes, this area may work better than I'd hoped.† He surveyed the patio area and the small grassless yard surrounded by a stucco wall. Dragging up another chair, he set it near the center of the patio, facing the house, and beckoned me to it. I sat down. â€Å"Now what? More meditation?† He shook his head. â€Å"Now we need a bowl of water.† â€Å"Kiyo? Can you grab us one? There's a big ceramic bowl in the back of one of my cupboards.† Kiyo silently complied, looking as though leaving us alone for even one minute would result in Dorian trying something. I found that protectiveness endearing, albeit a bit over the top. And then Dorian did try something. â€Å"What are those?† I exclaimed. â€Å"Think of them as†¦learning aids.† He had produced a handful of silken cords from the deep pockets of his robe, all in different colors. â€Å"What are you – no. You are not serious.† He had moved behind my chair and grasped my hands. I jerked away. â€Å"You're trying to tie me up?† â€Å"Not for sinister purposes, I assure you, although if you'd like to experiment with them later, I'd be happy to show you their various and sundry uses. For now, simply trust me that they'll be useful.† I continued to regard the cords warily. He shook his head, smiling. Moving behind me, he gently ran his hands down my arms. â€Å"You still don't trust me. And yet you do. An interesting mix. You fear me but want to connect with me. Do you remember what I said the night we met?† He knelt down, speaking softly in my ear. â€Å"This is exactly the way it will be when you come to my bed. You'll surrender yourself, and though it'll scare you, you'll exult in it too.† â€Å"I think you're imagining more to our charade than there is. And I don't really see myself feeling exultant over being tied up.† â€Å"Have you ever tried it?† His fingers slowly slid back up to the sleeves of my shirt, like butterflies on my skin. It was†¦nice. I shrugged him off. â€Å"No. And I don't need to. Besides, whatever your kinky intentions are, it doesn't matter. I've got something going with Kiyo.† â€Å"Ah. Of course you do. From what I hear, he's always ‘got something going.'† I stiffened. â€Å"Don't try to cause trouble.† â€Å"I'm attempting nothing of the sort. Just stating a fact. A man with human blood is just as appealing to our women as you are to our men.† â€Å"I already know about Maiwenn.† â€Å"I see. What do you know?† â€Å"The truth. They used to be involved. Now they're not.† â€Å"Ah. And that doesn't bother you? Especially considering it's likely she'll try to kill you someday?† I turned around as much as I could and glared at him. â€Å"I meant it: Don't try to pick a fight. I trust Kiyo, and I like Maiwenn. End of story. Now if you're going to tie me up, just get it over with.† He rose from his crouch, the sensuality gone from his voice as he began the business of binding me. â€Å"I'd never dream of picking a fight. Your pet fox in there will break my neck if I so much as look at you the wrong way.† â€Å"Don't act like you're actually afraid of him. You can supposedly bring down buildings.† I relaxed back in the chair and let him tie my hands together behind me. He took a long time in doing it, like he was weaving or braiding. â€Å"Why, Eugenie, are you saying you'd wager on me in a fight? I'm touched. Very touched. Although, I do hear foxes have very sharp claws. How are those scratches on your back, by the way?† Kiyo walked out just then, carrying the bowl of water. He froze when he saw Dorian tying a cord above my breasts and around my upper arms. â€Å"What's this?† â€Å"An awakening,† said Dorian. â€Å"It's fine,† I said. â€Å"Set the water over there.† Kiyo did so and then stood next to me, arms crossed and eyes on the gentry king. Again, Dorian took his time in tying my upper body. He used multiple cords, and able to see better this time, I realized he had indeed woven them into an intricate pattern. Aesthetic and functional. â€Å"There.† With a last tight knot, he straightened up and regarded his work. â€Å"Not bad. It seems I haven't forgotten how to tie a decent knot after all. One more thing, and we're set.† â€Å"One more thing† turned out to be a blindfold. â€Å"No way,† I said. â€Å"Eugenie, my sweet, your outraged protests are adorable, but they only continue to slow us down. If you want me to help you, then let me. If you don't, then take me to one of those places where human women wear revealing clothing and quickly lose their virtue through alcohol.† I let him blindfold me, feeling uneasy. I trusted Kiyo and sort of trusted Dorian, but the other bindings had already unsettled me. I didn't like being trapped or in someone else's control. The bright world went dark as fabric covered my eyes. â€Å"This is all giving me a bad feeling,† Kiyo said nearby. â€Å"On the contrary,† said Dorian, â€Å"it's giving me a very warm, very pleasant feeling. But I suppose we should return to the lesson at hand, hmm?† â€Å"Is this the part where you explain the bondage getup?† I asked. â€Å"Or where I find out you just did it for fun.† â€Å"No, no. As hilarious as that would be, I do have my reasons. Now. I'm going to pick up this bowl of water that Kato so kindly fetched – â€Å" â€Å"It's Kiyo,† came the irritated response. â€Å"So sorry. Anyway, I'm going to set it somewhere out here in this miniature wasteland, and you will tell me where it is.† â€Å"Oh. I get it. I'm supposed to, like, work on my non-visual senses? Listen to where you set it?† â€Å"You won't use any of your physical senses at all.† I heard him walk away, presumably with the water, but I couldn't tell where he set it. He paced and paced in circles, kicking rocks and scuffing his shoes so I was clueless by the time he returned to me. When he spoke next, his words were right by my ear again. â€Å"Now, given freedom, even with just a blindfold, you'd be inclined to move and want to use something – anything – to find the water. You'd turn around, sniff the air, whatever. Now you have to accept that all of that is gone. You cannot rely on what you usually can. You are trapped and powerless – more or less. Give in to that. Open yourself up to whatever comes. Find the water.† â€Å"How?† â€Å"By reaching out to it. Tap into a sense other than the usual five. Remember the exercises we did last time, about reaching beyond yourself – in this world, not the spirit one.† â€Å"I thought magic was inborn. Isn't that what separates humans and gentry?† â€Å"It is inborn. And your inner magic summons and controls storms. To do that, you must summon and control the appropriate elements. And to do that, you must be able to find them. Hence, you focus outward.† â€Å"How do I do that?† â€Å"Just concentrate. But relax too. Think about the water. How it feels, what it's like. Spread your consciousness out around you, but don't go into a trance and let your spirit slip out. That'd be cheating.† â€Å"How long does it take?† â€Å"As long as you need.† He retreated, and I sat there and waited for some revelation. Okay. Somewhere around me was a bowl of water. And something inside of me was supposed to be able to sense it. I wouldn't have believed any of it if the living room on the other side of the patio door didn't stand as proof of my supernatural powers. But I hadn't had to think to cause the storm. This was different. All I mostly felt at first was my own body. Dorian's binds didn't hurt me, but they were snug. The stitched-up cut stung a little. The back of my head ached. My leg muscles felt stretched and inflamed. I slowly took inventory of every part of me, assessing how each one felt. I could feel the beat of my own heart, the steadiness of my breathing. After that, I started concentrating on the stuff around me. I heard someone, Dorian maybe, slide up a chair and sit down. A plane droned overhead. One of my neighbors kept a bird feeder, and sparrows regularly chirped and squabbled around it. The harsher cries of less melodic birds sounded in the distance. My street had few houses and was removed from real traffic, but a block or so away, a car started and then drove off. I thought about water, its appeal growing as the sun beat down. I had put on my own sunscreen and was grateful for it. Still, I could feel sweat pouring off of me. Water would be cool, refreshing. My mom's house had a pool, and suddenly I wanted nothing more than to dive into that crystal-blue surface. I thought about the bowl of water, thinking of its cool temperature, the wetness on my skin. I tried to feel it, to call to it. â€Å"There,† I said at last. I don't know how much time had passed. Awhile. â€Å"Where?† asked Dorian. â€Å"Four o'clock.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"She means over there,† I heard Kiyo say. Presumably he pointed. â€Å"No,† said Dorian. â€Å"What?† â€Å"Sorry.† â€Å"Was I close?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Not even a little?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Damn it! Get me out of this.† I wriggled against my constraints. â€Å"Hardly.† Dorian's voice held mild surprise. â€Å"We must try again.† â€Å"Oh, dear lord. This might be even more boring than the meditation,† I grumbled. â€Å"Can I at least get something to drink?† He hesitated. â€Å"Actually, I think your odds will increase if you're thirsty.† â€Å"Oh, come on – â€Å" â€Å"Here we go,† said Dorian. I heard him get up and walk around again, and once more, I couldn't tell where the bowl ended up. When he returned to his chair, I tried again. More time passed as I concentrated my little heart out. At one point, I heard someone get up and move toward the door. â€Å"Who is that?† â€Å"Me,† said Dorian. â€Å"I'm bored.† â€Å"What? You're my teacher.† â€Å"The kitsune will call if you need me.† â€Å"I don't believe this,† I said when he was gone. â€Å"Hey, this was your idea,† said Kiyo. I heard him shift in a chair, getting comfortable. I was on the verge of my next guess when Dorian came outside again. â€Å"There. Nine o'clock.† Kiyo must have pointed again. â€Å"No,† said Dorian. He made me do it again, and by then, I was furious. My poor muscles, already put through enough, were locking up from lack of movement. The heat was unbearable. To make matters worse, Kiyo asked if Dorian wanted something to drink and then went inside. He returned, and I heard the sound of a two-liter of pop opening, followed by the filling of two glasses. After that, they started carrying on casual conversation. â€Å"Eugenie will be at my Beltane ball,† Dorian explained, â€Å"as my special guest.† â€Å"Sounds great.† â€Å"Your enthusiasm is palpable.† â€Å"Just not my thing, that's all.† â€Å"Ah, pity. Because if you wanted to come, I'd be happy to extend the invitation.† â€Å"I wouldn't want you to go to any trouble.† â€Å"It's no trouble at all. You could come with Eugenie. I always make special arrangements for dignitaries' entourages and servants.† â€Å"Will you two shut up?† I asked. â€Å"I'm working here.† They fell silent. Water, water. I needed that goddamned water so that Dorian would untie me and I could return to air conditioning. I'd also drink a gallon of water while I was at it. Maybe two or three. In fact, when I found that stupid bowl, I'd dump it over my head. Sweat pooled along the hem of my shirt and where the cords and blindfold pressed against my skin. I'd probably sweated away the sunscreen and would burn. As if my body hadn't been through enough. Where the hell was that water? Why couldn't I find it? I thought again about my mom's pool, vowing I'd pay her a visit tomorrow. God, it was so hot. I just wanted to be cooler. Water, water, water. I felt like Helen Keller. Or maybe one of those people in the Lakota sun dances where excessive heat exposure induced hallucinations. Maybe I could imagine the water. I sighed, and then, somehow, I felt coolness touch me. It was a reprieve from the heat. I straightened up as much as I could. Had I done it? Was this what it felt like to touch the water? The third time was the charm. Yes. There it was again. Like cool, moist air blowing at me from the east. I could taste its dampness, hanging around me like humidity in the sauna. I inclined my head in the direction I'd sensed the cool air. â€Å"I've got it. Three o'clock.† â€Å"No.† â€Å"The hell it isn't!† I heard Dorian get up. He sighed. â€Å"I think we'd better quit for the day.† â€Å"But I swear I had it! I could feel it! I was thinking about water so hard.† â€Å"I know you were.† He undid the blindfold, and I looked up. Billowing clouds, colored like lead, inked out the sky. Wind blew at me from the east – not imagined after all – picking up in strength. Great, heavy drops fell around us, landing with loud splashes. Water at last.