Blood Promise Chapter Four

At any other time in my life, I would have loved exploring Moscow. Sydney had planned our trip so that when our train arrived there, we'd have a few hours before we had to board the next one to Siberia. This gave us some time to wander around and grab dinner, though she wanted to make sure we were safely inside the station before it grew too dark out. Despite my badass claims or my molnija marks, she didn't want to take any chances. It made no difference to me how we spent our downtime. So long as I was getting closer to Dimitri, that was all that mattered. So Sydney and I walked aimlessly, taking in the sights and saying very little. I had never been to Moscow. It was a beautiful city, thriving and full of people and commerce. I could have spent days there just shopping and trying out the restaurants. Places I'd heard about all my life-the Kremlin, Red Square, the Bolshoi Theatre-were all at my fingertips. Despite how cool it all was, I actually tried to tune out the city's sights and sounds after a while because it reminded me of†¦ well, Dimitri. He used to talk to me about Russia all the time and had sworn up and down that I'd love it here. â€Å"To you, it'd be like a fairy tale,† he'd told me once. It was during a before-school practice late last autumn, just before the first snowfall. The air had been misty, and dew coated everything. â€Å"Sorry, comrade,† I'd replied, reaching back to tie my hair into a ponytail. Dimitri had always loved my hair down, but in combat practice? Long hair was a total liability. â€Å"Borg and out-of-date music aren't part of any happy ending I've ever imagined.† He'd given me one of his rare, easy grins then, the kind that just slightly crinkled up the corners of his eyes. â€Å"Borscht, not borg. And I've seen your appetite. If you were hungry enough, you'd eat it.† â€Å"So starvation's necessary for this fairy tale to work out?† There was nothing I loved more than teasing Dimitri. Well, aside from maybe kissing him. â€Å"I'm talking about the land. The buildings. Go to one of the big cities-it's like nothing you've ever seen. Everyone in the U.S. tends to build the same-always in big, chunky blocks. They do what's fast and easy. But in Russia, there are buildings that are like pieces of art. They are art-even a lot of the ordinary, everyday buildings. And places like the WinterPalace and TroitskyChurch in Saint Petersburg? Those will take your breath away.† His face had been aglow with the memory of sites he'd seen, that joy making his already handsome features divine. I think he could have named landmarks all day. My heart had burned within me, just from watching him. And then, just like I always did when I worried I might turn sappy or sentimental, I'd made a joke to shift the attention away and hide my emotions. It had switched him back into business mode, and we'd gotten to work. Now, walking the city streets with Sydney, I wished I could take back that joke and listen to Dimitri talk more about his homeland. I would have given anything to have Dimitri with me here, the way he used to be. He'd been right about the buildings. Sure, most were blocky copies of anything you'd find in the U.S. or anywhere else in the world, but some were exquisite-painted with bright colors, adorned with their strange yet beautiful onion-shaped domes. At times, it really did seem like something from another world. And all the while, I kept thinking that it should have been Dimitri here by my side, pointing things out and explaining them to me. We should have been having a romantic getaway. Dimitri and I could have eaten at exotic restaurants and then gone dancing at night. I could have worn one of the designer dresses I'd had to leave behind in the Saint Petersburg hotel. That's how it was supposed to be. It wasn't supposed to be me with a glowering human. â€Å"Unreal, huh? Like something from a story.† Sydney's voice startled me, and I realized we'd come to a stop in front of our train station. There were a number of them in Moscow. Her echoing of my conversation with Dimitri sent chills down my spine-largely because she was right. The station didn't have the onion domes but still looked like something straight out of a storybook, like a cross between Cinderella's castle and a gingerbread house. It had a big arched roof and towers on either end. Its white walls were interspersed with patches of brown brick and green mosaic, almost making it look striped. In the U.S., some might have called it gaudy. To me, it was beautiful. I felt tears start to spring to my eyes as I wondered what Dimitri would have said about this building. He probably would have loved it just as he loved everything else here. Realizing that Sydney was waiting for a response, I swallowed back my grief and played flippant teenager. â€Å"Maybe something from a story about a train station.† She arched an eyebrow, surprised at my indifference, but she didn't question it. Who could say? Maybe if I kept up the sarcasm, she'd eventually get annoyed and ditch me. Somehow, I doubted I'd be that lucky. I was pretty sure her fear of her superiors trumped any other feelings she might have in regard to me. We had first-class train accommodations, which turned out to be a lot smaller than I expected. There was a combination bed/sitting bench on each side, a window, and a TV high on the wall. I supposed that would help pass the time, but I often had trouble following Russian television-not just because of the language but also because some of the shows were downright bizarre. Still, Sydney and I would each have our own space, even if the room was cozier than we would have liked. The colors reminded me a lot of the same fanciful patterns I'd seen throughout the cities. Even the hall outside our cabin was brightly colored, with plush carpet in red and yellow designs and a teal and yellow runner going down the middle. Inside our room, the benches were covered in cushions with rich orange velvet, and the curtains matched in shades of gold and peach, made of thick heavy fabric embossed with a silky pattern. Between all that and the ornate table in the middle of the cabin, it was almost like traveling in a mini-palace. It was dark out by the time the train left the station. For whatever reason, the Trans-Siberian always left Moscow at night. It wasn't that late yet, but Sydney said she wanted to sleep, and I didn't want to make her more irate than she already was. So we turned off all the lights, save for a tiny reading lamp by my bed. I'd bought a magazine at the train station, and even if I couldn't understand the language, the pictures of makeup and clothes transcended all cultural barriers. I flipped through the pages as quietly as I could, admiring summer tops and dresses and wondering when -if ever-I'd be able to start worrying about that kind of thing again. I wasn't tired when I lay down, but sleep took me nonetheless. I was dreaming about water-skiing when suddenly, the waves and sun around me dissolved into a room lined with shelves and shelves of books. Tables with state-of-the-art computers lined the rooms, and there was a calmness that permeated the place. I was in the library at St. Vladimir's Academy. I groaned. â€Å"Oh, come on. Not today.† â€Å"Why not today? Why not every day?† I turned and found myself looking into the handsome face of Adrian Ivashkov. Adrian was a Moroi, the queen's great-nephew, and someone I'd left behind in my old life when I took off on this suicide mission. He had beautiful emerald-green eyes that made most girls swoon, particularly since they were paired with stylishly messy brown hair. He was also kind of in love with me and the reason I had so much money on this trip. I'd sweet talked him out of it. â€Å"True,† I admitted. â€Å"I suppose I should be grateful you only show up about once a week.† He grinned and sat down backward in one of the slatted wooden chairs. He was tall, like most Moroi, with a leanly muscled build. Moroi guys never got too bulky. â€Å"Absence makes the heart grow fonder, Rose. Don't want you to take me for granted.† â€Å"We're in no danger of that; don't worry.† â€Å"I don't suppose you're going to tell me where you are?† â€Å"Nope.† Aside from Lissa, Adrian was the only other known living spirit user, and among his talents was the ability to show up in my dreams-often uninvited-and talk to me. I took it as a blessing that his powers never actually let him know where I was. â€Å"You kill me, Rose,† he said melodramatically. â€Å"Every day is agony without you. Empty. Alone. I pine for you, wondering if you're even still alive.† He spoke in an exaggerated, silly sort of way that was characteristic of him. Adrian rarely took things seriously and always had a flippant edge. Spirit also had a tendency to make people unstable, and while he fought it, he wasn't unaffected. Underneath that melodrama, though, I sensed a kernel of truth. No matter how shallow an appearance he gave off, he really did care about me. I crossed my arms. â€Å"Well, I'm still alive, clearly. So I guess you can let me go back to sleep.† â€Å"How many times have I told you? You are asleep.† â€Å"And yet I inexplicably feel exhausted talking to you.† This made him laugh. â€Å"Oh, I do so miss you.† That smile faded. â€Å"She misses you too.† I stiffened. She. He didn't even need to say her name. There was no question as to whom he was talking about. Lissa. Even saying her name in my mind caused me pain, particularly after seeing her last night. Choosing between Lissa and Dimitri had been the hardest decision of my life, and time passing hadn't made it any easier. I might have chosen him, but being away from her was like having an arm cut off, particularly because the bond ensured we were never truly apart. Adrian gave me a canny look, like he could guess my thoughts. â€Å"Do you go see her?† â€Å"No,† I said, refusing to acknowledge that I'd just seen her last night. Let him think I was truly free of all that. â€Å"That's not my life anymore.† â€Å"Right. Your life is all about dangerous vigilante missions.† â€Å"You wouldn't understand anything that isn't drinking, smoking, or womanizing.† He shook his head. â€Å"You're the only one I want, Rose.† Unfortunately, I believed him. It would have been easier for both of us if he could find someone else. â€Å"Well, you can keep feeling that way, but you're going to have to keep waiting.† â€Å"Much longer?† He asked me this all the time, and every time, I emphasized how long it would be and how he was wasting his time. Thinking of Sydney's possible lead, I hesitated tonight. â€Å"I don't know.† Hope blossomed on Adrian's face. â€Å"That's the most optimistic thing you've told me so far.† â€Å"Don't read too much into it. ? ®I don't know' could be one day or one year. Or never.† His mischievous grin returned, and even I had to admit it was cute. â€Å"I'm going to hope it's one day.† Thinking of Sydney brought a question to my mind. â€Å"Hey, have you ever heard of the Alchemists?† â€Å"Sure,† he said. Typical. â€Å"Of course you have.† â€Å"Why? Did you run into them?† â€Å"Kind of.† â€Å"What'd you do?† â€Å"Why do you think I did anything?† He laughed. â€Å"Alchemists only show up when trouble happens, and you bring trouble wherever you go. Be careful, though. They're religious nuts.† â€Å"That's kind of extreme,† I said. Sydney's faith didn't seem to be anything bad. â€Å"Just don't let them convert you.† He winked. â€Å"I like you being the sinner you are.† I started to tell him that Sydney probably thought I was beyond all salvation, but he ended the dream, sending me back to sleep. Except, instead of returning to my own dreams, I woke up. Around me, the train hummed comfortingly as we sped through the Russian countryside. My reading lamp was still on, its light too bright for my sleepy eyes. I reached over to turn it off and noticed then that Sydney's bed was empty. Probably in the bathroom, I thought. Yet, I felt uneasy. She and her group of Alchemists were still mysteries, and I suddenly worried that she might have some sinister plan going on. Was she off meeting with some covert operative? I decided to find her. Admittedly, I had no idea where she could be on a train of this size, but logic had never really deterred me before. No reason they should now. Thankfully, after slipping on my shoes and stepping out in the hall adjacent to our cabin, I discovered I didn't have to look very far. The corridor was lined with windows, all draped in those rich curtains, and Sydney stood with her back to me, gazing outside, a blanket wrapped around her. Her hair was messy from sleep and looked less gold in the poor lighting. â€Å"Hey†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I began hesitantly. â€Å"Are you okay?† She turned slightly toward me. One hand held the blanket; the other played with the cross around her neck. I remembered Adrian's comments about religion. â€Å"I can't sleep,† she said bluntly. â€Å"Is it†¦ is it because of me?† Her only answer was to turn back to the window. â€Å"Look,† I said, feeling helpless. â€Å"If there's anything I can do†¦ I mean, aside from going back and canceling this trip†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I'll handle it,† she said. â€Å"This is just, well, it's really strange for me. I deal with you guys all the time, but I don't actually deal with you, you know?† â€Å"We could probably get you a room of your own, if that would help. We can find an attendant, and I've got the money.† She shook her head. â€Å"It's just a couple of days, if that.† I didn't know what else to say. Having Sydney along was inconvenient in the grand scheme of my plans, but I didn't want her to suffer. Watching her play with the cross, I tried to think of something comforting to tell her. Bonding over our views of God might have been a way to get closer, but somehow, I didn't think telling her how I had daily battles with God and doubted His existence lately would really help me out with the whole evil creature-of-the-night reputation. â€Å"Okay,† I said at last. â€Å"Let me know if you change your mind.† I returned to my bed and fell asleep surprisingly fast, despite worrying that Sydney would be standing in the hall all night. Yet, when I woke in the morning, she was curled up on her bed, fast asleep. Apparently, her exhaustion had been so strong that even fear of me had driven her to rest. I got up quietly and changed out of the T-shirt and sweatpants I'd gone to bed in. I was hungry for breakfast and figured Sydney might sleep longer if I wasn't around. The restaurant was in the next car over and looked like something out of an old movie. Elegant burgundy linens draped the tables, and brass and dark wood, along with bits of bright-colored stained glass art, gave the whole place an antique feel. It looked more like a restaurant I'd find on the streets of Saint Petersburg than a train dining car. I ordered something that reminded me vaguely of french toast, except that it had cheese on it. It came with sausage, which thus far seemed to be the same everywhere I went. I was just about finished when Sydney wandered in. When I'd met her that first night, I'd assumed her dress pants and blouse had been for the sake of the Nightingale. I was discovering, however, that that was her normal style. She struck me as one of those people who didn't own jeans or T-shirts. She'd been mussed while standing in the hall last night, but now she was in neat black slacks and a dark green sweater. I was in jeans and a long-sleeved gray thermal shirt and felt kind of sloppy beside her. Her hair was brushed and styled but had a slightly messy look that I suspected never went away, no matter how hard she tried. At least I had my sleek ponytail going for me today. She slid across from me and ordered an omelet when the server came by, again speaking in Russian. â€Å"How do you know that?† I asked. â€Å"What, Russian?† She shrugged. â€Å"I had to learn it growing up. And a few other languages.† â€Å"Wow.† I had taken intros to a couple of languages too and performed miserably in all of them. I hadn't thought much of it at the time, but now, because of this trip and because of Dimitri, I really wished I'd learned Russian. I supposed it wasn't too late, and I had picked up a few phrases in my time here, but still†¦ it was a daunting task. â€Å"You must have to learn a lot of stuff for this job,† I mused, pondering what it must mean to be part of a secret group that crossed international lines and interacted with all sorts of governments. Something else crossed my mind. â€Å"And what about that stuff you used on the Strigoi? That disintegrated the body?† She smiled. Almost. â€Å"Well, I told you the Alchemists started off as a group of people trying to make potions, right? That's a chemical we developed to get rid of Strigoi bodies fast.† â€Å"Could you use it to actually kill one?† I asked. Dousing a Strigoi in some dissolving liquid would be a lot easier than the usual ways: decapitation, staking, or burning. â€Å"Afraid not. Only works on corpses.† â€Å"Bummer,† I said. I wondered if she had other potions up her sleeve but figured I should ration my amount of Sydney questions for the day. â€Å"What are we going to do when we get to Omsh?† â€Å"Omsk,† she corrected. â€Å"We'll get a car and drive the rest of the way.† â€Å"Have you been there? To this village?† She nodded. â€Å"Once.† â€Å"What's it like?† I asked, surprised to hear a wistful note in my own voice. Aside from my quest to find Dimitri, there was a piece of me that just wanted to cling to everything I could of him. I wanted to know everything about him that I hadn't known before. If the school had given me his possessions, I would have slept with them each night. His room had been cleared out pretty quickly, though. Now I could only gather what pieces of him I could, as though hoarding these bits of information would keep him with me somehow. â€Å"It's like any other dhampir town, I guess.† â€Å"I've never been to one.† The server set Sydney's omelet down, and she paused with her fork in the air. â€Å"Really? I thought all of you†¦ well, I don't know.† I shook my head. â€Å"I've been at the Academy my whole life. More or less.† My two-year stint among humans wasn't really relevant. Sydney chewed thoughtfully. I was willing to wager she wouldn't finish the omelet. From what I'd seen that first night and while waiting for trains yesterday, she hardly seemed to eat anything. It was like she subsisted on air alone. Maybe it was another Alchemist thing. Most likely it was just a Sydney thing. â€Å"The town is half-human and half-dhampir, but the dhampirs blend in. They have a whole underground society that the humans are completely oblivious to.† I'd always figured there was a whole subculture going on, but I'd had no idea how it would fit into the rest of the town. â€Å"And?† I asked. â€Å"What's that subculture like?† She set her fork down. â€Å"Let's just say you'd better brace yourself.†

One scene one and two of the play? Essay

   Another place where Shakespeare has provided the ability to modify mood, is during 1:2 : Anne: ‘And thou unfit for anyplace but hell! ‘ Richard: ‘Yes, one place else, if you let me name it. ‘ Anne: ‘Some dungeon’. Richard: ‘Your bed-chamber’ (lines 109 – 112 inclusive) Shakespeare is creating a new mood on the stage by the event order. He has written it in such a way that the audience can become intrigued by what has happened, and feel characters emotions themselves. He manages to alter mood on stage with just a single sentence if need be. For example, during lines 1 : ii : 109 – 112 Shakespeare has changed the mood from arguing, distraught and anger to a small period of humour. Also in giving him different roles, Richard can succeed in his plans, and manipulate Anne. Richard plays with Anne’s emotions and can be persuasive by flattering her greatly. He is also manipulative to Clarence: †Tis not the King that sends you to the tower My Lady Grey his wife, Clarence – ’tis she’ (lines 63 + 64) Richard is turning Clarence against the queen. He wants to be the last person Clarence suspects of sending him to tower. Shakespeare has written a lot of parts in the play incredibly skilfully and used a personal style of writing (Similar techniques are used throughout his plays, and are notable here. They were especially unique to him). Richard has one last word with Clarence, and promises to get him released. Act One scene two opens with Lady Anne standing next to King Henry VI’s coffin, who was her father in law, but was murdered by Richard before the play started. Anne speaks a long soliloquy of similar length to that of Richard’s at the beginning of the play while weeping. ‘Cursed be the hands that caused these fatal holes! Cursed the heart that had the heart to do it! Cursed the blood that let this blood from hence! ‘ (line 14 – 16 inclusive) Anne is distraught with what has happened and screams upon the murderer. When she curses the blood, she is referring to Richard’s family as a whole, and the rest of the curses, are for Richard himself. It is a very important part in the soliloquy and adds mood to the speech. Shakespeare also uses repetition and imagery to great effect. The audience can really feel strong emotions spoken by characters. Anne says the word ‘wounds’ many times referring to the gashes in King Henry’s body. At one point Anne uses the word windows instead of wounds. This is a simile where she is saying that she is looking into the gashes. She feels that by looking through what are the windows of King Henry, she is looking into the truth behind his murder. Richard enters the scene, and Anne compares him to the devil. Shakespeare shows Richard as a strong, confident, brave man at this point. He is not affected by those he has hurt. ‘O, gentlemen, see, see! Dead Henry’s wounds Open their congealed mouths and bleed afresh! Blush, blush, thou lump of deformity, For ’tis thy presence that exhales this blood† (line 65 – 68 inclusive) Shakespeare creates another play on words, where Richard questions Anne’s foul mouth and she replies exclaiming that he is a villain. Richard introduces compliments, comparing Anne to an angel and she responds consistently with insults. Richard tells Anne to take up his sword and to kill him for his crimes, but she cannot kill him. He says to her: ‘Take up the sword again, or take up me. ‘ (line 184) Despite her prejudice against him, Anne is slowly won over by his pleas and agrees to marry him. Richard’s supreme skill in the art of insincere flattery has won him Anne. When she leaves the stage, Richard feels triumphent about his success in wooing her, but reveals that he will soon be rid of her. In this soliloquy, he reflects back on his evil actions as well as how well everything is going. Shakespeare has revealed to the audience that he can be incredibly persuasive and manipulative that he has succeeded in his task, and is becoming very evil. Shakespeare’s plays were of course not intended to be historically accurate but were designed for entertainment and maximum dramatic affect. In Richard III Shakespeare alters, and adds to the audience’s perception and opinion of Richard using language and by changing historical facts. Richard III has always been one of his most popular plays and, since its earliest performances, great actors have leaped at the chance to play the scheming murderous tyrant. Throughout the play, Richard and many others, call attention to what he himself terms his ‘deformity’. In Shakespearean times, people believed that being ugly was a reflection of a sinful evil nature, or perhaps a punishment for past wrong doings. Richard III didn’t actually have a hunchback or withered arm. But this is not the only historical reference that has been changed. Shakespeare compresses time to suit the play’s performance. To achieve dramatic intensity he made all kinds of alterations and additions. For example, Henry VI’s funeral actually occurred seven years before Clarence’s imprisonment; and Shakespeare invented Richard’s wooing of Anne. Condensing time, and changing details helps the play to ‘flow’. It provides a smoother front to the story, and also allows Shakespeare to write as he pleases. Language was another key ingredient which Shakespeare used to give Richard different personas at different times in the play. Most commonly: during 1:i and 1:ii, Richard could appear to be two different types of people, the villain, or the hero. He uses many metaphors and similes in his plays as they are often clever comparisons or a good way of revealing character’s emotions and events. Word play, and special uses of language including dramatic irony, and dramatic intensity were used. Using cleverly laid out language Shakespeare could easily alter moods and opinions of characters in the play. In this way, Shakespeare has successfully shaped the audience’s perception of Richard which also alters their perceptions of the play itself. Henry Hayhurst-France Coursework Essay: Richard III 10B Draft Version Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Richard III section.

The Organization System - Organizational Change and Stress Management Term Paper - 1

The Organization System - Organizational Change and Stress Management - Term Paper Example The response to the first and the ninth question indicates that physical exhaustion is the major reason which is pushing me towards job burnout while mental exhaustion is also taking over as indicated by the response towards the second and the last question. Everybody experiences job burnout at one point in their career. It is a kind of job stress which affects a person physically as well as emotionally. A person feels utterly exhausted and doubts his abilities and competence. Job burnout was identified in the early 1970s and since then has become a topic of study with researchers and psychologists trying to determine the various causes and factors which often leave a person frustrated and drained. Job burnout is a global problem but is treated differently in different societies. In some countries it is considered a social problem while others treat it as a medical problem. At first it was thought that job burnout was restricted to those workers involved in human services such as nur ses, policemen, social workers and legal workers etc. However, as further studies were carried out, it was noted that job burnout was not restricted to people associated with social and health services only; even entrepreneurs, managers and white and blue collared persons suffered from a deep sense of depression and depletion in their jobs (Schaufeli et al, 2009). Job burnout reduces productivity as the worker begins to question his own talents and abilities and fails to come up with any useful contribution let alone face challenges. Although job burnout is quite common and is a hazard that plagues every occupation, the professionals who suffer from this emotional trauma the most are those associated with the police department and nursing. Pines (2005) devised the Burnout Measure or the BM method comprises of twenty one items pertaining to feelings and attitudes such as physical exhaustion; feeling weak or sickly and losing sleep; emotional exhaustion such as feeling depressed and h opeless and mental exhaustion such as feeling worthless like a failure and disappointed with people (Pines 2005). The answers were judged on a scale of 1 to 7 with responses ranging from never to always. According to Pine, a score of 4 indicates a burnout. The BM is the most commonly used burnout inventory and also enjoys a high internal consistency. A study of correlation between various work stressors and BMS scores in table four showed that the work environment factors contributed strongly towards burnout. The people examined were Israeli Jews and Arabs who were involved in police work force, nursing or were MBA students. Table 4 showed the responses of the police workforce and it is evident that the personnel are experiencing high job burnout which may affect the safety in jails and prisons. Poor working conditions, under staffing which means working under pressure to complete tasks such as cell searches, inmate count, paper work, security rounds and apathy and lack of interest from superiors led to job dissatisfaction and growing negative feelings. The Burnout Measure devised by Pines is the second most important measure of job burnout; the first one being the Maslach Burnout Inventory which according to Schaufeli is the â€Å"gold standard to assess burnout† (Schaufeli et al, 2009). Researchers and practitioners view burnout differently; according to some, exhaustion is the only force behind job burnout

Discuss the logics, illogics, meanings, function, or non functions of Essay

Discuss the logics, illogics, meanings, function, or non functions of war from an anthropological viewpoint - Essay Example The matters of anthropological discussion are the individual motivations, socio-cultural purposes, biological predispositions, and causal significance manifest in warfare (Peter, Ember and Human Relations Area Files 415). For example, in Yanomani territory, there lived uncontested Yanomani known as Moxateteu that had the highest population of illegal gold miners. The gold miners, who were illegally working in yanomani, transmitted deadly diseases such as malaria and caused pollution in forests and rivers with mercury. Ecological models illustrated that war had a constructive feedback for smaller scale communities by exercising a hidden role in intervening relationships with the surrounding. However, warfare was ethnographically considered to maintain a space between settlements and therefore, prevented the degradation of the resources. Lastly, the models of socio culture developed the fact that some social organization encouraged people to war as illustrated by (Lockard 944). The opp osed constitution clan and linage groupings were practiced to create perennial tensions that might result into war. Nevertheless, the inadequacies of such models become very clear when clarifying the meanings and motivations that warriors gave to their acts.

Primary and Secondary Sources Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Primary and Secondary Sources - Coursework Example It is the strongest source identified. The agreement represented the actual plans and activities of United States government and her allies on the World War II. It is a strong source written by an important agent in the war. Nevertheless, it just provides the final copy of the agreement. The author wrote several articles as the wars progressed. It stated the way the Prime Minister of Britain announced the war against Germany on September 3, at 11: 15 AM. The article is unedited and represents a very strong source. However, the copy obtained was not original and published on eyewitness online source. A very credible source written in 1943 as the war progressed. It covers the Japan plan to evacuate its soldiers from regions occupied. The US, army wrote the report and it may contain elements of bias. Albert wrote the letter to Franklin on the plan to use uranium in the war. The copy of the original letter obtained contained actual communication and it is not biased. Nonetheless, Albert wrote the letter three years before the actual use of the atomic bomb. New Yorker magazine first published the interview with Hallock. He described the use of B-17 planes in the war against Germany. It a very strong source because Hallocck took part in the bombing against Germany as a lieutenant. Nevertheless, the writings were not obtained in the original source. The book critically links the way the World War II generated from the results of World War I. It also covers all the activities carried out by all the continents in the World War II. The coverage of the events of World War II is more comprehensive. The book incorporates the elements of religion during and after the Second World War. It explores the structure of religion during the World War II. Wuthnow also shows the changes that occurred after the war. It incorporates a very important element in the

Main activities of commercial and investment banks in the capital Essay

Main activities of commercial and investment banks in the capital markets - Essay Example Commercial banks provide capital market related services, depository services, advises on portfolio management or investment counseling, etc. Many banks have now started offering investment services to the retail customer, which is essentially advice and execution of mutual fund investments and redemptions.The Commercial Banks can be referred to as institutions that are involved in credit activities. Credit activities can be classified into deposit acceptance and borrowing funds from other banking institutions. Other activities are credit extension, risk management and risk advice.The classification of the types of services that are offered by a commercial bank is as follows:†¢ Discretionary Services – Decisions are taken on behalf of the clients/customers by a portfolio manager keeping in view the different parameters of asset allocation. †¢ Non-discretionary Services – In this kind of services, portfolio managers do not have the right to take decisions on behalf of clients/customers. The client or the customer is needed to authorize all the transactions happening with respect to their account.Advisory services – Flexible, unbiased investment advice customized to meet the client’s needs.Transaction support – All transactions, both in the primary and secondary markets facilitated through a panel of brokers.Custodial services – Important from the point of view of removal of settlement hassles and efficient follow-up of all corporate actions.Commercial banks approach the brokers for information about the quotes of other commercial banks. The broker serves three important purposes in the foreign exchange markets. First, instead of hunting around in the market for quotes, one can approach a broker and find out these prices. Second, brokers help the prospective buyer or seller keep his identity secret till the deal is struck. This prevents the quote being affected by the inquirer's position, i.e. whether he needs to buy or to sell. Lastly, even when there is no buying or selling requirement, commercial banks can keep their quotes from going too far away from the quotes being given by other banks, by inquiring about the market quotes from the brokers. Investment banks help both the government and corporate in raising money by trading in the securities markets. Large investment banks deal in the market both to execute their clients', (both corporate and individuals) orders and on their own account. They act as market makers in the foreign exchange markets, i.e. they stand ready to buy or sell various currencies at specific prices at all points of time. The commercial banks give, on demand, a quote for a particular currency against another currency, i.e., the rate at which they are ready to buy or sell the former against the latter. At these rates they stand ready to take any side of the transaction (buy or sell) that the customer chooses. The maximum and the minimum amount of the currencies acceptable to the bank at these rates, though not specified at the time of making the quote, are generally understood according to the conventions of the market. These rates may not necessarily be applicable to amounts smaller or larger than th ose acceptable according to the going conventions. In the foreign exchange markets there are numerous market makers, and all of them would be giving different quotes for the same pair of currencies simultaneously, at any point of time. It would be very difficult for a player to keep track of all the quotes available in the market, and hence choose one which is considered the most favorable. As a result, a number of trades may be taking place simultaneously at different exchange rates. The market making activity of the commercial banks, along with speculation, makes markets extremely liquid, especially for the major currencies of the world

The origins of jazz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The origins of jazz - Essay Example Where did it begin? What makes it distinct as a musical style? Most people equate jazz with the early to mid 20th century. However, many music historians today believe that the earliest seeds were planted in the United States as far back as 1819, when African-American slaves were performing public African tribal dances and playing string and percussion instruments, the sounds of which would be hinted at later in the jazz music to come.(Gioia 1) That said, it validates the ideals that jazz has strong and deep connections to African sounds and musical influence that contribute incredibly to the art form known as â€Å"jazz.† Historically, the â€Å"Original Dixieland Jass Band,† is credited with the first â€Å"jazz† recording intended for distribution. However, many experts believe that the band was a â€Å"copycat† group and not one of the true â€Å"pioneers† of the jazz genre; but the recordings popularity gave the music exposure all over the country.(Parker) The jazz that the public is most familiar with wa s that which was born and cultivated in New Orleans, Louisiana, when great performers, like King Oliver, a cornet player, began entertaining in the early 1900s. The sound was, also, gaining even greater exposure and popularity because many jazz bands traveled as the onboard entertainment on passenger river-boats. By the 1920’s jazz began evolving towards the big band formats, which allowed for different influences from blues, ragtime, African American spirituals, and European music.(Parker) In the 1930s and 1940s the jazz epicenter had become New York City, particularly the clubs of Harlem being the most popular. Jazz as a musical movement was born in the south, then grew and evolved as it migrated to the east, and has maintained itself as one of the most beloved musical forms across the country and throughout the world. Musically, many historians explain that there are specific elements that are expressed that are unique to jazz music. The

Solve equations and word problems Speech or Presentation

Solve equations and word problems - Speech or Presentation Example Thomas had a checking account there for 8 months and was charged $53.10 in service charges. How many checks did he write during that period? Geometry; Dave and Jane wells have a new rectangular driveway. The perimeter of the driveway is 168 feet. The length is 12 feet longer than three times the width. What are the dimensions of the driveway? Geometry; a leather coin purse has the shape of a triangle Two sides are equal in length and the third side is 3 centimeters shorter than one and one-half times the length of the equal sides. The perimeter is 28.5 centimeters. Find the lengths of the sides Health Club Memberships: In 2006, the number of Americans who were members of a health club was 42.7 million. This was an increase of 106% from the number of health club members in 1990. How many Americans were health club members in 1990?(Source: www.emaxhealt h.com) The Clarke family went sailing on a lake. Their boat averaged 6 kilometres per hour. The Rourke family took their outboard runabout for a trip on the lake for the same amount of time. Their boat averaged 14 kilometres per hour. The Rourke family travelled 20 kilometres farther than the Clarke Family. How many hours did each family spend on their boat

Book Report on Earth in the Balance by Al Gore Essay

Book Report on Earth in the Balance by Al Gore - Essay Example Everyday there is a threat posed to our climate, water, soil, and diversity of plant and animal life. A passionate, lifelong defender of the environment, Gore describes in brave and unforgettable terms how human actions and decisions can endanger or safeguard the vulnerable ecosystem that sustains us. Al Gore's passion for the environment started when he was a boy growing up on a farm. His parents taught him the importance of soil erosion, having to stop river gullies before they got started. His mother read Rachel Carlson's book, Silent Spring in 1962 and he remembers how she told everyone the dangers of pesticide abuse like DDT are doing to the environment. She had emphasized to him and his sister that the book was different from others, and it was important. As a student in college his professor Roger Revelle had introduced the idea of carbon dioxides threat on the global environment. Revelle started sampling the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in 1958 only to watch it rise from 315-360 parts per million. The cover of Earth in the Balance is strikingly meaningful in black and red with the globe displayed at the background right. The book mainly touches topics on the globalecologicalsystem, dysfunctionalcivilization, climateequilibrium, and GlobalMarshallPlan. In writing this book, Al Gore said, "The time has long since come to take more political risks - and endure more political criticism - by proposing tougher, more effective solutions and fighting hard for their enactments." The book is arranged into three sections: the first describes the plagues; the second looks at how we got ourselves into this mess; and the final chapters presents solutions. By way of introduction, the book talks about the importance of the 1992 Earth Summit. This was a world-wide meeting to discuss and implement a new generation of global treaties aimed at promoting sustainable economic progress and healing the relationship between civilization and the fragile ecological system of the Earth. At the summit the Bush administration declined to sign the treaty to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, hence disappointing many other countries. The book soonest ships in the desert, talks about Al Gore's many travels and horrifying discoveries that are murdering our environment. First, Al Gore went to the Aral Sea which at one time was the 4th largest and now to an irrigation scheme to grow cotton in the desert it has greatly diminished. Then he spoke of the white sea in 1990 where millions of starfish where killed because the military dumped radioactive waste. All across the world, mysterious mass deaths have been happening in our oceans; some scientists say it is because of accumulated environmental stress. The Trans-Antarctic Mountains was Al Gores next stop to see for himself the studies of the effects of glaciers. He discovered from ice core samples that a small reduction in one country's emissions from the Clean Air Act had changed the amount of pollution found in the remote and least accessible place on Earth. He recounted that in 1989 the Amazon rain forest was being burned to provide pastures for fast food beef. The amount burnt added up to the state of Tennessee, killing thousands of species. According to Al Gore, a record of living species of plants and animals are now vanishing around the world one thousand

Internet Browser Essay Example for Free

Internet Browser Essay Despite the fact that Internet Explorer 5. 5 is one of the most popular in companies, I’d like to recommend another one – Maxthon Browser 2. 0, because it is much more convenient for office working. Maxthon Internet Browser 2. 0 is a powerful tabbed browser nowadays. Its main advantage is a highly customizable interface. Although Maxthon Browser is based on the engine of Internet Explorer, it has many additional efficient features. What works in Internet Explorer works as well in Maxthon Browser and even better and faster. (Maxthon). Maxthon Browser includes many new features involving full customization of layout, new clean interface, multi-tab workspace, better security and improved rss/podcast reader. Until nowadays a big inconvenient was: bookmarklet, toolbar and 3rd party plugins. Maxthon 2. 0 supports all of the functions compared with Internet Explorer, Opera, etc. Additionally Maxthon has few exclusive screenshots below. Nevertheless the most interesting feature of new Maxthon is its possibility to create an account and to store all necessary information and settings online. The function is simply used just by logging in. Although Opera, Internet Explorer and FireFox are more sophisticated and have got more market share, Maxthon is swiftly gaining popularity. (Maxthon) Today is the era of Internet and application functionality is able to expand beyond the operating system into the desktops and the web. Personalization and delivery is very important and Maxthon Browser with its organic growth is a serious representative of such trend. In several years Maxthon will become a key player in the Internet market, because it has serious investors such as Morten Lund, CRV, and WI Harper, growing community and actually beautiful product. I recommend Maxthon, because it differs from other browsers and makes working process with Internet easier as it includes the visible gestures and customizable Tab handling. But the most useful is if the browser is closed accidentally with ten tabs open, the next time it is opened, they are still there. (Maxthon). References â€Å"Maxthon: the Browser that Rocks†. (2006, February 28) Retried September, from http://www. techcrunch. com.

Communication Methods: Advantages and Disadvantages

Communication Methods: Advantages and Disadvantages BUSINESS COMMUNICATION SHEIKHA A SEIF COMMUNICATION Communication is the process of exchanging and transferring information, ideas and knowledge from one person to another in organization. Business communication is the process of referring the information of the company and how to promote the product and services to potential customers of an organization. They are four types of communication such as written communication, on screen communication, verbal communication and web based communication. Verbal or oral communication is the process of transferring information and exchange ideas from one person to another through mouth such as speaking, telephone and radio. Samsung Company they are using radio in order to advertise product in the society for example Samsung S4 they use radio(FM) to advertise the product in Oman ,so this help Samsung company to get more customers who will buy the product. Source of Samsung is internal which come from marketing department to radio station. The purpose of this information to advertise the product by using mouth such as speaking for example promotion people they advertise product by using mouth so this help to get more customers in their market. Advantages and disadvantages of verbal communication Advantages of verbal communication It is simple to detect the problem this means that by using verbal communication it is simple and easy to know the problem by using mouth, for example it help to know people who have conflict among two people or more than two and this it is easy to solve the problem. It is one to one conversation it is one among advantage of the verbal communication it is simple to talk with people (employee) face to face without fearing anybody in any place for example in MBPS company manager he talk with his employee by using verbal so this to know employee his or her problem without fearing you as a manager. Disadvantages of verbal communication It is easy to forget this verbal communication it is easy to forget the words you want to talk to people or employee, for example in MCBS College when you want to talk to DR. MUNIR sometime time you will forgot the question you are supposed to ask . This is one among the disadvantage of verbal communication. It require special area to conduct this is one among the disadvantage of verbal communication because when you want to communicate with people or customer you should have to talk to the special like in the office(between employee and C.E.O). This information it is very important to use because it increase most of customers in your company so by using verbal communication it help people to watch (television) and hear about the product. Written communication this is the process of transferring information through writing document such as letters, emails, texting faxes, and reports. For example MBPS Company they are sending they are emails by using computer or laptop from the other organization in order to get more information about external company. The source of this information is internal which come from IT department to emails this means that it is easy to use internet than another organization. The purpose of this information it help people ,customers and employees in order to get different ideas and getting information from different people through writing for example email when you have new product and you want to advertise by using emails it will easy to get new customers and existing customers by email. Advantages and disadvantages of written communication Advantages of written communication It provide proof it is one among the advantage of written communication because it is not easy to exchange the information it is already written so by using written information it is better than using another communication. It covered a lot of information this written information it helps people in an organization to cover a lot of information concerned to different issues because it is not easy to forget you are information. Disadvantages of written communication It take time written communication when you are writing or sending information from one person to another person it take time to reach to the place you want to reach because of the transport for example letters if you want to send to the company you should have to give somebody in order to reach. It is expensive is one among the disadvantage of written communication it is expensive for example by using letters when you want to send to someone information or massage you should have to buy pen, paper ,envelope and transport so it cost a lot of money and it will expensive to reach at the place you need to reach. This written information it is very important to use because it help people (customers) to keep their record from the place they are buying or selling the product such as letters. On screen or visual communication it is one among the consumer communication. This is the process of communicating with people by using visual such as drawing, face to face television and smartphone. For example Samsung Company in SOUTH AFRICA they are using MBC station to show customers or peoples they are product. Source of this information is internal which come from sales department to television in order to advertise the product more. The purpose of this communication is to advertise Huawei product by using social network such as Instagram, twitter and Facebook in order to get new customers, existing customers and to show their competitor about the new product. The following are the advantage and disadvantage of on screen customer communication. Advantages of on screen or visual communication It gain faster the concept ,this means that easy to understand the concept because it does not use words but it using for watching television it can show as like a reality so it gain the concept faster than another communication. It easier to understand and more effective, it is easy to understand each other for example by using body language it show that more understanding like Samsung they are television to advertise they product so it is easy to understand fast than using radio. Disadvantages of visual on screen communication Cost, this means that it is cost by using television for example when you want to advertise you are product or services it cost a lot of money to advertise than using radio, so radio it is good because it did not cost a lot of money by introducing you are product. It take time to understand by using this visual communication it takes time customer or people to understand what you are product about so they have first to watch then after a few minute they will understand about the product. Visual communication it is very important to use because you sell you are product by using television and easy to get more customers, because of people watching television so if they see they want and you will gain more customers. Web based this means that you communicate with people or customers and transferring, sharing ideas and exchanging information through online such as company website and social media. The following are the advantage and disadvantage of web based. Advantages of web based It is easy to use, when you are using internet it is good because you will send and receive information fast, also you will get more customers around the world. Disadvantages of web based Hackers, by using this internet they are people who hack and stole all you are information which is illegal so this internet it is not because of this hackers as we know information you have it is very important. This web based information it is really important to use when you want to advertise you are product and you need get more customers you should have social network such as Instagram to get more customers and people can buy. THREE METHODS IN BUSINESS INFORMATION INTERNAL. Verbal or oral communication is the process of transferring information from one person to another through mouth such as telephone is an internal business information. Telephone is an electronic instrument which transfer the information (news) by using voice system. The following are the advantage and disadvantage of telephone. Advantages of telephone Cheap using telephone it is cheaper than other network to advertise you are product for example now days when you want to advertise product in social media such Instagram it is cheap than to advertise in the television(external) it cost a lot of money so by using telephones it better than using other network or written . Disadvantages of telephone Network problem, because of network problem you cannot talk properly sometime especially when there is rain season it will be big of problem for example when you have important customer and you want to talk to them by using telephone it will be problem because you did not hearing properly that is the big problem. Written communication is the process of transferring information by using words such as emails is internal of business information. Emails is the process of transmission of message by sending and receiving messages electronically in a system of computer. The following are the pros and cons of email. Pros of email Email are fast this means that, it is fast to delivered at once around the world not like other written communication is fast as email for example when you want to send some information to your friend who live in TANZANIA and you are in OMAN you can send it take only 1 minutes to reach because it is fast. CONS OF email Virus email may carry viruses for example those small programs can harm you are computer system such as sending email to your customers or read your email so this virus it is not good because later on it will cause a lot of problem. On screen or visual communication is the process of transfer information and sharing ideas form one person to another by using mouth such as face to face. This is internal factor of business information means that is the process of sharing ideas from one person to another through face to face. The following are the pros and cons of face to face. Pros of face to face Express of feelings this means that by using face to face communication it helps people to share some ideas, and feelings better than using words so it good to use face to face because of the eye contact for example people who promote their product they use eye contact that help them to get more customers by using face to face. Cons of face to face Cost by using face to face it require a lot of money to conduct the interview which means that getting someone for interview is the higher cost in a business for example most of they use interview which is face to face in order to get employee who have enough so this cost a lot money. TASK 4 –D1 In Samsung company they are using verbal, written on screen and web based this help to archive their goals and also it help them to increase sales, increase their profit and also bring good image and reputation of the company . The following are the business information used to make strategic decisions in Samsung. Verbal communication Samsung Company they are using radio to advertise the product. this help to increase sales because of most people(customer) listening to radio they usually going to look and buy the product so this will increase the profit case they are increasing sales and later on it will be good for staff retention. By using radio it is a proper way because it is easy people to get the information at specific time. Written communication is used in Samsung Company to provide the information about the product. This written communication it helps to increase good image, and reputation of the company. So this help to increase number of sales who are going to buy the product by reading the information. Using a letter to supply is not a proper way because sometime it can cause to despair so it is not good to use letter. Visual communication Samsung company they are using television to advertise they are product this help to increase number of their customers. to advertise you are product by using television it make more profit as we see now days when you advertise your product by using television it is like you telling thousand people(customers) so this means that you will making good sales and later on you will gain more profit. By using television it is a proper way because thousands of people they can watch television. Web based this means that in Samsung Company they are using internet to increase sales of the product so if anyone searching for new telephone they will see by using website. This will increase the profit of Samsung around the world people (customers) will know about the product. Internet is a proper way because anyone around the world they can see the new product and also easy to buy by using online. Conclusion in any organization they should have to use this types of communication in order to have good image and reputation of the company such as written (letters), visual(smartphone), verbal(telephone), and web based(internet) communication this help to receive, sending message in order to reach the goals of the company. REFERENCES: Paper camp. (n.d), advantage and disadvantage of radio. Retrieved on 8 Feb 2015 from  http://www.papercamp.com/essay/40210/Advantages-And-Disadvantages-Of-Radio Zawya. (n.d), television. Retrieved on Feb. 5 2015 from  https://www.zawya.com/story/Samsung_partners_with_MBC_Group_to_launch_SHAHID_Application_the_leading_premium_video_on_demand_for_viewers_across_MENA-ZAWYA20140629124129/ MBPS. (2015), Mb company. Retrieved on 6 Feb 2015  http://www.mbpetroleum.com/ir_corporate_announcement.shtml WBTIC. (2015), web based advantage and disadvantage. Retrieved on 6 Feb 2015 from  http://www.webbasedtraining.com/primer_advdis.aspx Visual or screen communication. (n.d), advantage and disadvantage. Retrieved on 7 Feb 2015  http://thebusinesscommunication.com/what-is-visual-communication-advantages-and-disadvantages/ BCA. (n.d), telephone advantage and disadvantage. Retrieved on 8 Feb 2015 from  http://www.businesscommunicationarticles.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-telephone/ Sam mobile. (n.d), radio. Retrieved on 4 Feb. 2015-02-4 from  http://www.sammobile.com/2013/04/17/samsung-explains-why-missing-fm-radio-on-the-galaxy-s4/

In Organic We Trust by Kip Pastor Essay -- Organic Foods vs. Non-organi

Check your supermarket, there could be lies on your food, telling you that what you are eating is organic and cared for but most of it is not. The documentary In Organic We Trust by Kip Pastor focuses on organic foods, what they are, how they are grown, and what makes them â€Å"organic†. What he finds is shocking and relevant to society today in every way possible. Pastor proves this to the audience by using a strong form of logos throughout the documentary. He conveys it to those watching by using pathos to play on their heart strings, but lacks via ethos to win over the rest of the audience. A great job is done in this film of convincing the audience that Pastor is on their side and fighting for the health of America, even questioning what â€Å"organic† actually is. The first example is ethos, meant to describe ones character through morals, ethics and ideals. Pastor questions the ethics of the corporations and the government for its involvement in the ordeal but never answers the question to show ethos. These large corporations are questioned as to what their involvement in the â€Å"organic† industry is and the extant but never having got an answer, all Pastor is left with is to question their motives. Pastor had the same problem when it came to the government, he could only speculate as to why they were even involved with the â€Å"organic† industry if they were subcontracting everything out. He never got a straight answer, so it would be hard to determine whether the government was sincere in wanting to regulate â€Å"organic† food or just wanting a piece of the money pie â€Å"organic† is made up of. Pastor did attempt to track down both of these giants which show his credibility in wanting to get both sides of the story, but he was shu... ...g statistics about the public’s health and make the future seem bleak, â€Å"the lifespan is shortening for new American children† (Pastor) and â€Å" one in three children born after the year 2010 will develop type II diabetes† (Pastor). Pastor says that he is shocked by the impact and wants to break away from the cycle created. In his closing statements he convinces the audience to break away from the cycle away as well, by drawing on the seeds he planted with pathos, ethos, and logos. The film was well made and addressed all the issues of â€Å"organic† food and well informed the audience of what is occurring. Next time, an audience member goes to the supermarket to buy food they will probably remember what their children will look like in twenty years if they don’t take a more â€Å"organic† approach to their lives. Works Cited In Organic We Trust. Kip Pastor. 2012. DVD.

The New Land Of New Ideas :: essays research papers

The New Land of New Ideas   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The 18th century Americans turned their backs on the old ideas of the Puritans. The Puritans believed in the population acting within the religious ways of the times. The 18th century population turned their lifestyles to a lifestyle of self interest. This lifestyle was dedicated to the goal of obtaining wealth and prestige among the community. DeCrevecouer writes: He is arrived on a new continent; a modern society offers itself to his contemptation, different from what he had hitherto seen. It is not composed, as in Europe, of great lords who possess every thing and of a herd of people who have nothing. Here are no aristocratical families, no courts, no kings, no bishops, no ecclesiastical dominion, no invisible power giving to a few a very visible one; no great manufacturers employing thousands, no great refinements of luxury. The rich and the poor are not so far removed from each other as they are in Europe. In the old mother land, one could work all day and still not produce very much. However, in the new land there was more opportunity for entrepreneurship. This led to a increase in the self-interest principle and a decrease in the principles of religion. In Old England, it was believed that the few that had the wealth were blessed. Even the King was viewed as the Lord's represantive on Earth. In the new land one had to work to gain faith. Wealth that the individual created was viewed as being faithful to the Lord. The new America gives birth to a true entrepreneurship among the races, if they are going to have anything at all they are going to have to work for it. DeCrevecouer explains this: Men are like plants; the goodness and flavour of the fruit proceeds from the peculiar soil and exposition in which they grow. We are nothing but what we derive from the air we breathe, the climate we inhabit, the government we obey, the system of religion we profess, and the nature of our employment This was not the land where wealth would be left to you in a will, this was the

Guadeloupe History Essay

1-The history of slavery in Martinique Before 1635: Era of French colonial discovery and settlement, with slavery forbidden on French territory. Pierre Belain d’Esnambuc (wiki), a former pirate from Normandy, is dispatched to the Caribbean colonies by the Compagnie des ÃŽles d’Amà ©rique (â€Å"American Island Company†), one of the main shareholders of which was Cardinal de Richelieu (wiki), an original founding father of the French colonial movement.. 1635 : Discovery and settlement of Martinique by d’ Esnambuc. 1639 : The Company begins importing both indentured servants (wiki) (French workers who have voluntarily committed to a 36-month work contract) and slaves purchased on the coast of Africa. Tobacco production is introduced into Martinique and requires little manual labor, which is performed mainly by the â€Å"concessionaire† (a person who has been awarded a land grant as a â€Å"concession† or a sort of homestead) and his indentured servants. At the end of the 36 months, the indentured servants could request their own homesteads (â€Å"concessions†). 1640 : The company, encountering severe financial problems, is forced to sell off the island to Dyel Duparquet, a Norman nobleman, who forms an alliance with the Caribbean Indians, and a royal edict is decreed forbidding their use as slaves, for strategic reasons. During this period, there are very few slaves on Martinican plantations (just a few dozen, approximately). 1645 : A group of Dutch Jewish colonists, driven out of northeastern Brazil by the Portuguese, land on Martinique, bringing with them the knowhow and technology involved in the production of sugar. Sugar-cane begins to replace tobacco as the primary crop in the West Indies and will eventually lead to a period of enormous prosperity in Martinique through the rest of the XVII century. The era of alcohol begins with the first techniques of distillation of juice from the sugar-cane plant , perfected by Pà ¨re Labat (wiki). The first sugar refineries are established in Martinique, with the  start-up capital coming from merchants from the various ports of France and the Paris region. But it soon becomes evident that manual labor from indentured servants alone will not be adequate to stoke the broad development of sugar production, with the result that traders and ship-captains begin to promote the use of slave-labor. It is first the Dutch, then shortly thereafter the French, forming the Sà ©nà ©gal Company, who are to launch the full-scale slave-trade. The Company, earning a royalty from the French Crown (Louis XIV) for every slave brought to Martinique, turns Goree island (wiki), off the Senegalese coast near Dakar, into one of the main focal points of French slave-trading activity, with ships leaving from Le Havre, Nantes (wiki), and la Rochelle, bringing trinketry and other cheap goods to exchange with the slave-traffickers of the â€Å"slave coast† (the part of the African coast stretching from Senegal to what is now Nigeria). 1685 : Colbert, Finance Minister under Louis XIV, drafts a set of rules governing the status of slaves in the colonies, called the â€Å"Code Noir (wiki)†. 1685-1717 : Sugar plantations progressively cover Martinique, which is bought back by the the French Crown. The economics of sugar production require two or three slaves per hectare, with the result that Martinique now has more slaves than free colonists, in turn resulting in twin social problems: one, a general rebelliousness among the slaves in various forms (revolts, poisonings, suicides); and, two, the high male-female ratio in the population, which has to be adjusted to allow for adequate levels of slave-breeding. Thus, the importation of slave women becomes a necessity. The status of all children derives from the status of their mother: a child born of a slave mother and a free father becomes a slave. 1715 : More than 1400 regular slave-trading sailings leave Nantes. 1717 : A revolt, called the â€Å"Gaoulà ©Ã¢â‚¬ , breaks out among white population, against the governor and the intendant, who are deposed by the regent. The port of Nantes gains the legal right to operate the slave trade. 1787-1788 : Martinique becomes a trans-shipping point for arms being sent to the colonial  revolutionaries in North America, for use against the British. Rochambeau (wiki), commander-in-chief of the French royal armies in North America, is sent to Martinique as governor at the outbreak of the American Revolution. 1789-1790 : In response to British threats against the island, Rochambeau mobilizes the militia and recruits slaves into its ranks by promising them their freedom if they behave like proper soldiers. By the Bourbon Restoration of 1818, these freed slaves will have come to be known as â€Å"Rochambeau freedmen†, or, alternatively, â€Å"the de facto free† or â€Å"Savanna freedmen†. Since, during the French Revolution, the export of sugar to France and the importation of food supplies, especially for the slaves, have become exceedingly difficult or impossible in full revolutionary wartime, the slaves in the colonies are forced to plant crops for their own consumption — a practice requiring, and resulting in, a general erosion of the authority of the slavemasters. 1793 : French Revolution continues Under pressure applied by the Society of Friends of Blacks and by humanists like Abbà © Grà ©goire (wiki), the French Convention (revolutionary governing body in mainland France) proclaims the abolition of slavery. But Martinique refuses to recognize the abolition decree (unlike Guadeloupe, which did recognize it because the settlers there , led by Dubucq, were having their attention diverted by the British). January, 1794: The Republican government agrees to a broader enforcement of the law of equality voted in March, 1792, by the Legislative Assembly. The majority of the freedmen of color change sides, while their former allies negotiate the surrender of the island to the British, who, upon the capitulation of March 1794, deport to France the defenders of the Republic. The decree of abolition of slavery voted by the Convention on February 4, 1794, has no effect in Martinique due to the fact that the island belongs to the English at that time. This is in contrast to the situation in Guadeloupe, where slavery has already been abolished during the administration of Victor Hugues, the prefect. But slavery was to be re-established there, eventually, too (on May 19, 1802, under the emperor Napoleon Bonaparte). 1814-1830 : The majority of the white population believe that only a non-egalitarian regime, free of separation of powers and a representative system, will permit the colony to survive. In 1814, during the drafting of the constitutional charter of that year (â€Å"La charte de 1814†), they manage to win inclusion of provisions for the reinstatement of slavery-related Ancien Rà ©gime institutions. Gradually, though, the various governments under the Bourbon Restoration will make huge efforts to get the colonists to accept the new laws forbidding slavery. 1822-1826 : Deteroration of the economic situation due to import duties imposed by the French government upon entry to the mainland, and the beginning of the sugar beet industry, produces various forms and incidents of rebellion among slaves and freedmen alike, who begin to be held suspect of separatist sedition, with some even being accused of including the use of poison as part of their tactical arsenal. In October, a rebellion of the â€Å"half-free† population breaks out in le Carbet. Neither charges of subversion lodged in December, 1823, against an activist of color named Bissette, nor massive deportations in 1824 designed to discourage the burgeoning desire for egalitarian reform, are able to prevent the representative system from reappearing in 1826, in the form of a General Council, elected by only a tiny percentage of the population. However, two years later, an attempt to reform the justice system was to fail completely. 1830-1846 : Sugar loses a third of its value while the improvement of the quality of life of the slaves requires increased government spending. On the homestead, replacement of the hoe by the plough contributes to a lightening of workload. The appearance of the first steam mills, however, brings changes. 1830-1833 : Despite the freed slaves’ newly-won eligibility for any job or profession or position, and the right to vote and hold office, and despite the emergence of a state primary-education system, social progress still remains modest. In Dec., 1833, during the lead-up to the election of a colonial council to replace the General Council which causes some social unrest, in the parish  of Grand’Anse (today Le Lorrain) the planters reject the appointment of a colored officer of militia, and a revolt ensues in the town of Marigot, precipitating the complete dissolution of the royal militia. The improvement of the freed slaves’ lot brings a spike in the birth-rate which compensates for the loss of black population due to cessation of the slave trade. This partially counteracts the efforts of the State, which, in the wake of the freeing of 26,000 slaves, is really able to help only the de facto freed slaves, persons freed in fact but whose freedom is not officially recognized by the law or the administrative bureaucracy. 1845 : The first sugar-cane mill (â€Å"usine†), belonging to one John Thorp, is built, resulting in a shift in power relations by limiting the function of the surrounding plantation (wiki) to that of mere suppliers. On the other hand, the plantations no longer require nighttime labor, and their revenues increase. But the need for manual labor in the mill, which will be readily available to the company only under the social conditions necessary for each person to have the right to offer his labor freely, contributes to social acceptance of the replacement of slave-labor by paid labor. 1848 : In February, the revolution in mainland France is greeted with relief. A decree of emancipation is signed in Paris on April 27, but it will finally only become publicly announced on June 3. In April, the March 4 decree which has created the Emancipation Committee has the population buzzing about official (as opposed to de facto) emancipation â€Å"because no French territory should have the right to hold slaves any longer†. Instead of trying to recapture the marrons (wiki), the slaveholders start to drive the strongest of their leaders off the plantations. Strikers at work places begin to demand housing, surrounding property, and wages, as the perquisites of freedom. Victor Schoelcher(wiki), Secretary of State for the navy and the colonies, is a very important figure of this period: he is the sworn enemy of Bissette, who has refused to appoint him to the Emancipation Committee. His political allies mobilize to gain redress for this injustice, and rioting breaks out. May 22, 1848: While capitalists clamor for immediate emancipation, the abolitionists, who  have been awaiting the arrival of the colored, technocratically-educated Franà §ois Auguste Perrinon(wiki), decide to take things back into their own hands. The local decision on abolition of May 23 provides the occasion for the Martinican population to proclaim proudly that they have taken over their own affairs at this dramatic moment in their history. The riots of May 22 have forced a de facto proclamation of emancipation eleven days before the arrival of the official decree. The blacks break and throw off their chains (â€Å"Nà ¨g pà ©tà © chenn†). 2- Guadeloupe: Columbus is credited with discovering the pineapple on the island of Guadeloupe in 1493, although the fruit had long been grown in South America. He called it pià ±a de Indias, meaning â€Å"pine of the Indians.†[2] During the 17th century, the Caribs fought against the Spanish settlers and repelled them. After successful settlement on the island of St. Christophe (St. Kitts), the French Company of the American Islands delegated Charles Lienard (Lià ©nard de L’Olive) and Jean Duplessis Ossonville, Lord of Ossonville to colonize one or any of the region’s islands, Guadeloupe, Martinique, or Dominica. Due to Martinique’s inhospitable nature, the duo resolved to settle in Guadeloupe in 1635, took possession of the island, and wiped out many of the Carib Amerindians. It was annexed to the kingdom of France in 1674. Over the next century, the British seized the island several times. The economy benefited from the lucrative sugar trade, which commenced during the closing decades of the seventeenth century. One indication of Guadeloupe’s prosperity at this time is that in the Treaty of Paris (1763), France, again defeated in war, agreed to abandon its territorial claims in Canada if the British returned Guadeloupe, which they had captured in the British Invasion of Guadeloupe (1759). In 1790, following the outbreak of the French Revolution, the monarchists of Guadeloupe refused to obey the new laws of equal rights for the free people of color and attempted to declare independence. The ensuing conflict with the republicans, who were faithful to revolutinoary France, caused a fire to break out in Pointe-à  -Pitre that devastated a third of the town. The monarchists ultimately overcame the republicans and declared independence in 1791. The monarchists then refused to receive the new governor that Paris had appointed in 1792. In 1793, a  slave rebellion broke out, which made the upper classes turn to the British and ask them to occupy the island. In an effort to take advantage of the chaos ensuing from the French Revolution, Britain seized Guadeloupe in 1794, holding control from 21 April until December 1794, when Victor Hugues obliged the English general to surrender.[3] Hugues succeeded in freeing the slaves, who then turned on the slave owners who controlled the sugar plantations. In 1802, Napoleon Bonaparte issued the Law of 20 May 1802. It restored slavery to all of the colonies captured by the British during the French Revolutionary Wars, but did not apply to certain French overseas possessions such as Guadeloupe, Guyane, and Saint-Domingue. Napoleon sent an expeditionary force to recapture the island from the rebellious slaves. Louis Delgrà ¨s and a group of revolutionary soldiers killed themselves on the slopes of the Matouba volcano when it became obvious that the invading troops would take control of the island. The occupation force killed approximately 10,000 Guadeloupeans. On 4 February 1810 the British once again seized the island and continued to occupy it until 1816. By the Anglo-Swedish alliance of 3 March 1813, it was ceded to Sweden for a brief period of 15 months. However, the British administration continued in place and British governors continued to govern the island.[4] In the Treaty of Paris of 1814, Sweden ceded Guadeloupe once more to France. An ensuing settlement between Sweden and the British gave rise to the Guadeloupe Fund. The Treaty of Vienna in 1815 definitively acknowledged French control of Guadeloupe. Slavery was abolished on the island on 28 May 1848 at the initiative of Victor Schoelcher. Following the signing of the Whitehall Accord by (representing Guadeloupe), a British task force successfully invaded the island in April 1794. The planters and other Royalists had signed the Whitehall Accord with the British and colluded with France’s rival as a way of rejecting revolutionary events, particularly the abolition of slavery. When Hugues disembarked on 21 May 1794, he had a small force of 1,150 soldiers. He immediately declared an end to slavery and so rallied the slaves and gens de couleur. Within five days he took the capital, Pointe-à  -Pitre. Hugues was able to retake the island by 6 October 1794, when he obliged the English general to surrender in his camp of Barville with his whole force, in which were comprised 800 French emigres and 900 soldiers of African descent. *Vitor Hugues Even though he abolished chattel slavery, he still maintained a system of unpaid obligatory work. He reorganised the army, recruiting a large number of African former slaves, until his armed force amounted to around 10,000 men. Soldiers of both African and European descent were integrated imnto the same units with no racial distinctions. He ruled for four years before being recalled to France and was replaced by General Edme Desfourneaux. During that time, he purged the island of counter-revolutionaries, using a guillotine brought from France, and also worked to create a viable post-slavery regime, in which the island’s farms and plantations still functioned. Hugues is perhaps best known for authorizing privateers to attack shipping through the Caribbean, which brought great wealth to the island but also was part of the tensions between France and the United States (known as the Quasi-War in American history). With an army composed of White, Mulatto and ex-slave soldiers, Hugu es worked to export the revolution to neighboring islands, including Dominica, Saint-Martin, la Grenade, Saint-Vincent and Saint Lucia. *Louis Delgrà ¨s Louis Delgrà ¨s (177 66 – 1802) was a mulatto leader of the movement in Guadeloupe resisting reoccupation (and thus the reinstitution of slavery) by Napoleonic France in 1802.[1] Delgrà ¨s was born free in Saint-Pierre, Martinique.[2] An experienced military officer who had a long background fighting Great Britain in the many wars that country had with Revolutionary France, Delgrà ¨s took over the resistance movement from Magloire Pà ©lage after it became evident that Pà ©lage was loyal to Napoleon. Delgrà ¨s believed that the â€Å"tyrant† Napoleon had betrayed both the ideals of the Republic and the interests of France’s colored citizens, and intended to fight to the death. The French army led by Richepance drove Delgrà ¨s into Fort Saint Charles, which was held by the slaves. After realizing that they could not overcome the French forces and refusing to surrender, Delgrà ¨s left with 400 men and some women. At the battle of Matouba on May 28, 1802, Delgrà ¨s and his followers ignited their gunpowder stores, committing suicide in the process, in an attempt to kill as many of the French troops as possible.[3] *Victor Schoelcher Victor Schoelcher (1804-1893) was born in Paris in 1804 into a family of porcelain manufacturers, originally from Alsace. Sent to the Americas in 1829-30 by the family’s commercial house, he visited Mexico, Cuba, and the southern United States. That voyage occasioned several studies of American slave society which appeared in the Revue de Paris (â€Å"Letters from Mexico†, â€Å"The Blacks†). This began a long career as an abolitionist writer. A series of articles followed between 1833 and 1847: De esclavage des noirs et de la là ©gislation coloniale (1833), Abolition de l’à ©sclavage: examen critique du prà ©jugà © contre la couleur des Africains et des sang-mà ªlà ©s (1840), Des colonies franà §aises: Abolition immà ©diate de l’esclavage (1842), Colonies à ©trangà ¨res et Haà ¯ti: rà ©sultats de l’à ©mancipation anglaise (1842-43), Histoire de l’esclavage pendant des deux dernià ¨res annà ©es (1847). His writings betwe en 1841 and 1848 were esspecially consecrated to descriptions of the advantages from the abolition of slavery, drawn from a long comparative analysis of the results of emancipation in the British colonies (1834-38), the often pointed and precise denunciation of the â€Å"anti-social enormities of colonists†, and the elaboration of a project of social, economic, and political reorganization of the colonies after the juridical suppression of the slavery system. Advocating the rationalization of sugar production by the construction of large central factories, establishment of credit agencies in the colonies, a movement of concentration of land parallel with the constitution of a category of part-time agricultural workers, Schoelcher recommend finally a recourse to immigration of European farmers to the colonies. Engaged since his youth in the republican movement, a free mason, member of the society â€Å"Aide-toi, le ciel t’aidera†, Schoelcher was a regular contributor to La Rà ©forme. The first European abolitionist to visit Hati after independence, he alone recognized and markedly influenced all three phases of the abolitionist process in the French Caribbean colonies: the pre-abolitionist period, the juridical abolition, and long post-slavery period. His actions in 1848 as under Secretary of State for colonies in the Provisional Government–named by Franà §ois Aragoto this function–, his presidency of the commission for the abolition of slavery and the preparation, under his direction of the French decree abolishing slavery of April 27, 1848–which made slaves â€Å"newly freed† and â€Å"new  citizens†Ã¢â‚¬â€œgave birth to a republican political movement in Guadeloupe and Martinique, â€Å"Schoelcherism†. The â€Å"Schoelcherist† tendency, especially strong in Guadeloupe, received a majority of votes in legislative elections between 1848 and 1850 and after 1871. Closely tied to local free masons, the Schloecherist current sustained the appearance of a republican press in the French colonies during 1849. Schoelcher was the foremost French specialist on the Caribbean in general and on colonial questions in the 19th century. Exceptionally well informed by his political functions and by his membership on all the commissions which the Ministry of Marine and Colonies formed between 1848 and 1851 and after 1871, he fashioned a network of correspondents throughout the entire Caribbean, Great Britain, and the United States. In the National Assembly, Schoelcher sat on the extreme left. In 1849 he wrote his electors in La Và ©rità © aux ouvriers et aux cultivateurs de la Martinique, â€Å"Above all one is never pardoned for being called a ‘montagnard,’ a socialist. . . . [That is not] because I am one but rather I was a socialist that they so label me.† Schoelcher analyzed no less minutely the political effervescence experienced in the French Caribbean colonies. He published notably Le procà ¨s de Marie-Galante in 1850. Schoelcher and â€Å"schloelcherism† created in 1848 a myth, the myth of slavery, savior of the colonial population bound in servitude, defender of civil rights which recognized the decree of abolition of 1848. The myth of colonial assimilation, the principle of the inheritance of 1789, European colonists and colonial administrators have judged dangerously â€Å"revolutionary† since that period. The carrier of profound contradictions, the myth has been narrowly associated with the ambiguities of the French republican movement’s attitude toward colonial questions.

Future of Policing Proposal Essay

Policing is not just keeping the peace in today’s society. Police officers have several responsibilities and also new technology to learn. New technology helps law enforcement preform a better job in communication, crime solving, decreasing crime and making communities a better place to live for citizens and their families. Biometrics and GPS tracking are two useful technologies’ that have made the police able to catch criminals, and solve crimes quicker and more sufficient. Biometrics modalities used by law enforcement is fingerprints, DNA (Blood), and patterns of the voice and faces of victims. Then GPS Tracking helps law enforcement keep track of other police officers, or GPS can be used to tract a suspect if he or she is running away from the law. There are many vehicles that come standard with the GPS system that makes it easier for law enforcement to track a car if it has been stolen the owner. The future of the GPS tracking system may be identifying as leaving things like, the satellites, cameras, computers that will have been powerful, all in all just leaving all the â€Å"complicated† technology in the past. In today’s time you need three working satellites in order to get a good enough signal for your GPS, and even then you it might take a minute or two to get an accurate destined location. There are places all around the world where you cannot get any satellite signal, and even in big cities, it can become very difficult to get signal. â€Å"The world-first approach to visual navigation algorithms, which has been dubbed SeqSLAM (Sequence Simultaneous Localization and Mapping), uses local best match and sequence recognition components to lock in locations. SeqSLAM uses the assumption that you are already in a specific location and tests that assumption over and over  again. For example if I am in a kitchen in an office block, the algorithm makes the assumption I’m in the office block, looks around and identifies signs that match a kitchen. Then if I stepped out into the corridor it would test to see if the corridor matches the corridor in the existing data of the office block lay out. Said by Dr. Michael Milford from Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Biometrics is all the quantifiable biological or behavioral characteristics used for the identification and classification of individuals. Fingerprints are the most common biometric modality used by law enforcement, but there are others. These modalities include deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), voice and facial patterns. Biometrics also consists of all the various technologies used to categorize and recognize human characteristics. Biometric fingerprint scanning works because fingerprints are unique to each individual. People are born with a pattern of ridges and valleys on their fingers. These patterns are created thru a number of genetic and environmental factors. As a unique marker, a skilled analyst or a fingerprint scanner can recognize the patterns and use it to identify the person the fingerprint belongs to. Biometric fingerprint authentication is used to securing access to information and technology. The fingerprint of an authorized user is scanned and kept on record. The user swipes its finger along the scanner and only those with the proper clearance is allowed to enter or have access to the information. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has a biometric system known as Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS). The system is a national fingerprint and criminal history catalog. The system is available to law enforcement officers from the local, state, and federal levels. It allows an agency to makes inquiries 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. IAFIS aids policing organizations in solving and preventing crimes and catching criminals before they break the law again. The system gives law enforcement access to its automatic fingerprint database, its considerable search capacity, electronic picture storage, and allows for the electronic exchange of fingerprints. The system contains the information on over 70  million criminal subjects in its master file along with the fingerprints of 73,000 known and suspected terrorists investigated by the United States and international law enforcement agencies. All biometric systems do have a potential weakness associated with it. Unlike passwords and pin codes which can be changed easily, fingerprints cannot be altered. Should the stored digital copy be stolen and used for fraudulent transactions, the user would have little recourse to fix the situation as they cannot change their prints. They would be unable to use any biometric fingerprint scanner in the future as there will always be doubts and concerns about the authenticity of their prints. Gun use and safety is an important issue around the world and especially in the United States. Mytec Technologies are working with American firearms manufacturer Smith & Wesson on a â€Å"smart gun.† The partnership is intended to create a gun that will prevent anyone other than authorized users from shooting the weapon. The focus of the joint venture is to build a programmable handgun which will prevent any accidental shootings. The system will use finger tip sensor on the handle of the gun that will â€Å"read† the fingerprint. It will then convert the fingerprint into a digital medium and compare the newly scanned fingerprint against the authorized directory stored inside the scanner. The weapon will unlock and can be fired if and only if a match is found. An issue yet to be remedied is the control of the user’s biometric data. A database of authorized users will need to be created and kept secured. Will a government agency have to be created to control of this data or will it be under the purview of the users? The second issue which has arisen is how many authorized fingerprints will be allowed per weapon? Should there be a limit or will it be at the owner’s discretion as to how many fingerprints are authorized? These issues must be solved before the technology is allowed to be sold to the public. Being efficient and effective is a must when it comes to policing this includes using any and all forms of modern technology. Relying on technology is a must especially when it comes to the need and the importance of vital information. Since this information can  have an extreme amount of influence on any given the circumstance, it is important that the information being provided is accurate. Biometrics and GPS Tracking are important forms of modern technology that help provide such information such as facial recognition and location of suspects at a very accurate rate. Without the use of modern technology to aid the police with the work they do, providing efficient and effective police work can prove difficult. References Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2014, May 08). Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System. Retrieved from http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/fingerprints_biometrics/iafis Fox News. (2001, January 25). Smart Gun, Smart Solution? Retrieved from http://www.foxnews.com/story/2001/01/25/smart-gun-smart-solution/ Global Security.org. (2011, July 13). Homeland Security Biometrics. Retrieved from http://www.globalsecurity.org/security/stsyems/biometrics.htm

Bed & Breakfast Pet Hotel

When people go on vacation or on a business trip, sometimes it is impractical to bring the family pet. Not long ago many would just ask a neighbor to keep an eye on the pet while the family was gone. Others would leave the pet with enough food and water to survive during the trip, although this was impractical for long trips.These options each come with advantages and disadvantages, but they fail to ensure that the family pet is not just watched, but pampered. This concept of pampering the family has sprouted a whole new industry of pet facilities.With more people seeing the pet as of a family member, the care of the pet is becoming more important. In 2006 families spent approximately $38 billion on their pets and around 63% of household own at least one pet (Koncius, 2006).This has brought about a rise in pet hotels / pet bed and breakfasts. PetsHotel, a division of PetSmart, is a leader in this rising industry. PetSmart purchased a pet hotel in 2000 in the Tucson, AZ area and has e xpanded it to over 50 stores since then. PetSmart’s goal is to eventually have over 400 PetsHotel facilities nationwide and in Canada.However, PetSmart is not the only company getting into this rapidly expanding industry. This report is evaluating PetsHotel and its place in the industry. Specifically this report will demonstrate its position in the market through a Strength, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats analysis, or SWOT analysis.This analysis will provide a clearer picture of what PetsHotel is facing in regards to the competition, trends, and future expansion. It will demonstrate where PetsHotel has a significant advantage over its competitors and where it has shortfalls. StrengthsThe most notable strength PetsHotel is the strong brand name and familiarity of its parent company, PetSmart. According to PetSmart’s website, the company has almost one thousand stores in the United States and Canada (PetSmart, 2007).PetSmart entered the pet hotel industry in 2000 w hen it recognized â€Å"its huge potential and it fits perfectly into [its] strategy of providing the lifetime needs of pets and their parents† (PetSmart, 2008). Customer loyalty and name recognition provides assurance for those customers who may not want to take a risk with a local, known pet facility.With how important pets have become to the owner, many owners will not want to take the risk of a bad facility. Jim Krack, founder of American Boarding Kennels Association, or ABKA, stated that â€Å"Pet owners expect the same type of amenities from their pet care providers as they receive from their child day care providers† (Shim, 2007).It is assumed that most people would not just place their children in any childcare facility without first ensuring a certain level or standards and safety. The name brand of PetSmart gives PetsHotel that instant recognition. In the fiscal year 2007, PetSmart posted $4.2 billion in sales and has $209 million in cash (Yahoo! Finance, 200 8). This cash cow can aid in the design and construction of new facilities. This will allow PetsHotel to quickly expand into competitive areas and into new, untapped market areas. Other competitors will not have the cash available without going into substantial debt to expand as quickly as PetsHotel can.Economies of scale also provide PetsHotel with a significant strength. Since smaller pet facilities will be unable to purchase items in the bulk level that PetsHotel can, the per item cost will be much greater than PetsHotel.Overhead and other expenses can be spread out amongst the over 50 PetsHotels already built. In comparison, Wags Hotel only has three stores to spread its costs around. Weaknesses Although the size PetsHotel is an advantage, it also lends itself to outside threats.The perception by some is larger companies many not provide as intimate and caring service for the pets. Consequently, many will prefer smaller, local services over the big corporate service of PetsHotel . Others will not want to go to the corporate establishment in favor of the local â€Å"ma and pa† pet facilities.The reasons for this could be the perception of intimate pet care with the smaller facility or it could just be hatred toward corporate America. Another weakness is a lack of accreditation. The American Boarding Kennels Associate, or ABKA, is a non-profit organization that seeks to assure high standards in pet care.ABKA provides pet owners with a set standard of quality of different hotels and kennels through a Pet Owner’s Bill or Rights and certifying different pet hotels. Out of 93 accredited pet facilities, none of them are PetsHotel brand pet facilities.To obtain certification the facilities must be â€Å"in compliance with the standards of the ABKA Voluntary Facilities Accreditation Program and have successfully completed an on-site evaluation by ABKA† (ABKA, 2008). A lack of certification from a reputable firm such as ABKA is a strong weakness for PetsHotel.ABKA’s website does list PetsHotel as a facility that can house a pet, but it also lists their lack of accreditation. This could sway a potential pet owner customer away from PetsHotel in favor of a pet facility that is accredited. OpportunitiesThe nearly 1000 PetSmart locations provide ample opportunity for quick expansion of the PetsHotels. By utilizing the PetSmart facilities, PetsHotels can quickly set up operations and provide services already at the PetSmart stores such as grooming, training, and Bansfield pet hospital. Some of these features have already been added to PetsHotel’s Add-On features.These features include nail clipping, bath time, and access to a Banfield clinic in an emergency (PetsHotel, 2008). By utilizing PetSmart’s other services, PetsHotel could offer other services such as pet training and grooming beyond a simple bath.In 2006, PetsHotel announced that it wanted to reach a total of 435 hotels throughout the United States and Canada (PetSmart, 2008). This is an achievable goal in part because of the huge cash flow PetSmart can generate through its other business segments and because of the already established name brand in those areas. Companies such as Wags Hotels only recently added two more hotels.Those two new hotels are still within the general geographic area of central California (WagsHotel, 2008). However, PetsHotel is already in 26 states and plans three more openings in the next few months (PetsHotel, 2008).Threats PetsHotel’s website lists its hours of operations 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM Monday thru Saturday and 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sundays. PetsHotel has a check-in and check-out time of 12:00 PM (PetsHotel, 2008). The problem that PetsHotel can run into is a 24-hour service such as Wags Hotel. By offering 24-availability, Wags Hotel allows travelers who arrive late at night to pick up their pet once they arrive. PetsHotel’s model would force the traveler to pick up their pet the next day and charge them for that extra night.Smaller pet facility companies are seeing the need for emergency veterinarian services. PetsHotel uses Banfield which is partnered with PetSmart. These smaller companies are starting to team up with the local veterinarians to provide the same quality service.Although the overhead for this service is spread out amongst the larger PetSmart Corporation, PetsHotel will further have to demonstrate that its corporate services are as good, caring and intimate as the local facilities and veterinarians. An example of this is Wagg Inn Pet Hotel with the Animal Hospital of Ashwaubenon, WI.At home pet nannies are another source of threat to PetsHotel’s business. People have been turning to high-class pet hotels because of how much they care about their pets. However, many feel reservations about leaving their pet in a facility at all.The alternative is to leave the pet at home and hire a pet nanny. One concern is whether the other â€Å"gues ts† at the pet hotel are current on their vaccinations. If the pet is left at home, there is no concern at all. Also, the pet will be comfortable in its normal routine and happy places.This alleviates any concerns of trying to settle the pet back into normal routines, especially where to go to the bathroom. Conclusions and Recommendations PetsHotel is in a very good strategic position compared to its competition.Availability of cash in conjunction with the strong brand recognition of PetSmart means it can place a facility anywhere in the United States and Canada and have instant credibility as a company that will provide quality pet care. PetsHotel should continue to innovate in pet quality and care through better designs of its facilities and services.It needs to continue to emphasize its high pet care and quality of service of both PetsHotel and PetSmart. Because PetsHotel is a division of PetSmart, and damage to the brand reputation of PetSmart will instantly translate into damage to the PetsHotel reputation. If the quality of service at the PetSmart stores declines, the perception will be that quality has also decreased in its pet hotels.Where PetsHotel needs to be concerned is in its accreditation and availability. Although AKBA is just one organization, PetsHotel can ill afford to ignore any organization devoted to pet facility quality and care.For people who want to ensure their pets are well taken care of, the lack of accreditation could mean a loss in customers. If the people are happy with both the service of AKBA and the local pet hotel, PetsHotel could lose more potential customers through word of mouth. By gaining accreditation, PetsMart not only retains its corporate brand of quality, but it is substantiated through AKBA.PetsHotel must also find a way to address those who do not want to disrupt their pet’s routine. PetsHotel and other pet hotel websites do list how the pet will re-enter its routine once it goes home.However, more is needed than just a small blurb on the website. PetsHotel needs to reassure anyone who inquires about this and possible provide examples through customer satisfaction surveys and testimonials. References American Boarding Kennel Association. (2008). American Boarding Kennel Association.Retrieved on January 25, 2008 from http://www. abka. com/abka/. Koncius, Jura. (Apr. 2006). Pet Hotels Really Puttin' on the Dog. The Washington Post. Retrieved on January 25, 2008 from http://www. projo. com/pets/content/projo_20060430_petshotel.80bdaa6. html. Petsmart, Inc. (PETM). (2008). Yahoo! Finance. Retrieved on January 26, 2008 from http://finance. yahoo. com/q? s=PETM. Shim, Joan. (Sept. 2007). Pampered pooches, fat cats living large in luxury pet hotels. CNN. Retrieved on January 25, 2008 from http://www. cnn. com/2007/LIVING/worklife/09/12/travel. pets/index. html. Wagg Inn Pet Hotel. (2008). Wagg Inn Pet Hotel, LLC.Retrieved on January 25, 2008 from http://www. wagginn. com/. Wags Hotel. ( 2008). Wags Hotel. Retrieved on January 25, 2008 from http://www. waghotels. com/.