Operation Barbarossa

Operation Barbarossa was perhaps the boldest, most ambitious but at the same time most foolish and ill-timed operation executed by Nazi Germany during World War II. This operation committed Germany to war against the Soviet Union which it invaded on June 22, 1941 and terminated on March of 1942. In the early stages of the campaign, the Germans employed the same bilitzkrieg tactics that served them well in the western campaigns.They were hoping to duplicate that same victory against the Soviets and were lulled into a false sense of confidence when they covered a lot of ground and scored many victories which netted them scores of prisoners of war. When 1942 came along, German high command began to realize later on how wrong they were and thus began a protracted war in what they came to call the â€Å"eastern front. † This operation was intended to be the fulfillment of Hitler's vision of lebensraum (living space) in his work, Mein Kampf.â€Å"If land was desired in Europe, it c ould be obtained by and large only at the expense of Russia, and this meant that the new Reich must again set itself on the march along the road of the Teutonic Knights of old, to obtain by the German sword sod for the German plow and daily bread for the nation†¦ †¦ Destiny itself seems to wish to point out the way to us here†¦ This colossal empire in the East is ripe for dissolution, and the end of the Jewish domination in Russia will also be the end of Russia as a state. † (cited in Shirer 124, 1044; Riasanovsky 515; Hitler)Politically, the clashing extremist ideologies of both Germany and the Soviet Union gave the Nazis even more impetus to invade Russia, considering it as a new crusade against communism which they believed was the creation of the Jews for whom Hitler and the Nazis could see no good. Furthermore, Hitler envisioned the Slavic people as a race that would serve the purpose of the Aryan race by wither being their slaves or â€Å"sport† whe rein they would provide them with something to hunt or kill to maintain their virility (Hitler).This was an opportunity for the Nazis to eradicate these enemies in one fell swoop, once and for all. The Spanish civil war of 1936 gave the Germans a taste of war against the communist where they even went face to face against Soviet â€Å"volunteers† in this conflict (Riasanovsky 514-515). As Hitler's armies were annexing neighboring states as part of restoring Germany's glory and patrimony, Hitler began conducting diplomatic overtures as part of his strategy to keep potential adversaries at bay, even for just a while and the Soviet Union was one of them.Thus began secret dipomatic maneuvers which resulted in the non-aggression pact between Germany and the Soviet Union prior to the invasion of Poland where the latter was invited to take part in it. Furthermore, this pact served other purposes other than buying time for Germany to attack Russia. Strategically, Germany needed Russi an territory to be able to transport resources to them following the blockade of the sealanes by the Allies, especially oil which was vital to Germany's war economy and machinery (Shirer 821-822).Despite entering into these agreements, secret or otherwise, both Germany and the Soviet Union still harbored suspicions and animosities against each other, primarily due to irreconcilable differences in ideology where both sides represent the opposite of political extremes, fascism and communism. The Soviets too saw the pact as an alliance of convenience on their part as they began their own expansion by invading the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia as well as Finland, which was an ally of Germany in 1940.For the sake of keeping the peace with the Soviets, the Germans remained silent as their minor ally was attacked by the Soviets. Germany also felt insecure when the Soviets occupied the Baltic states which they also felt was theirs owing to historical precedence and even mor e concerned when the Soviets were also moving into Romania, another German ally further heightening tensions between these two supposed allies but it was rather apparent that conflict between them would be inevitable as both sides were taking advantage of each other, with the Soviets being the first (Riasanovsky 517; Shirer 832-836, 883).The Nazis entered into a treaty with the Soviets as an alliance of convenience hoping to get more from the treaty. As the war was progressing in the west, the Germans were beginning to realize how difficult the Russians were as negotiators as the latter were driving very hard bargains, especially Stalin. It is revealed in captured German government documents that Stalin also took part in negotiations and was a very tough negotiator who could not be pushed into a compromise and always sought a better deal for Russia and was very demanding.No amount of persuasion and even threats could deter the Russian autocrat (Shirer 882). The German war plan calle d for a one-front war in order to conserve and husband their resources. Though most of western Europe was not occupied, Great Britain remained defiant and continued to hold out in a protracted aerial battle over their airspace where they were able to inflict heavy casualties on the German Luftwaffe (air force), thereby forestalling any plans for a seaborne invasion by the Germans well into 1941.By 1941, Hitler began to become impatient on how the campaign against the British was going. It also did not help that Germany was also suffering an acute shortage of resources and this was what prompted Hitler to jump the proverbial gun and attack Russia, thinking also that the British would not give him a problem as he decided to shelve the invasion of Britain and leave it to his U-Boats to strangle Britain economically.By December of 1940, Hitler already had plans for the invasion from his generals and it was hoped that the attack would commence in the spring of 1941. The plan was codename d â€Å"Barbarossa,† after the Holy Roman emperor who was one of the co-leaders of the Third Crusade; an apt name for the operation since Hitler regarded this planned offensive as a new crusade and it also came at a time when relations between Berlin and Moscow were starting to turn sour as both sides appear to sense that they were double-crossing each other (Shirer 1045, 1049).Another reason for Hitler's desire to attack Russia the soonest was to seal Britain's fate, leaving her with no ally when he said: â€Å"But if Russia is smashed, Britain's last hope will be shattered. Then Germany will be master of Europe and the Balkans†¦ In view of these considerations, Russia must be liquidated†¦ The sooner Russia is smashed, the better. † (cited in Shirer 1047) Furthermore, Hitler also said that â€Å"When Barbarossa commences, the world wil hold its breath and make no comment.† (cited in Shirer 1078) Hitler was apparently lulled into a false sense of confi dence following the victories of German forces in Poland and western Europe and he felt they could do it again in Russia which made him even more confident because he regarded the Russians as inferior despite their large population and their inferiority would make it easy for Germany to defeat and conquer them. He was confident that he would succeed where Napoleon had failed, by conquering Russia quickly and in the shortest span of time possible.The rationale for this was to avoid the harsh Russian winter which was one of the reasons why Napoleon failed and he would not want to make that same mistake Napoleon did. Furthermore, if the Russian campaign would drag on beyond winter, they also had to contend with the following spring where the snow-covered ground would turn muddy, which would play havoc on their powerful war machines which they had never encountered in the western front.He was so driven and obsessed in attacking Russia that he disregarded the advice of his commanders to commence campaigns elsewhere by constantly stating Russia had to be eliminated first and that everything else could wait. The plan called for a six-month time table but constant foot-dragging and waging campaigns in the Balkans and North Africa delayed plans well into June of 1941 (Shirer 1087-1088). Alongside the military planning, Hitler also spelled out his political plans for Russia once the invasion commenced in what became known as the â€Å"Commissar Order.† Hitler saw the war also as a battle of ideologies and he saw the need to eliminate those who propagate it when he stated: â€Å"The commissars are the bearers of ideologies directly opposed to National Socialism. Therefore the commissars will be liquidated. German soldiers guilty of breaking international law will be excused. Russia has not participated in the Hague Convention and therefore has no rights under it. † (cited in Shirer 1089) It can further be inferred here that Hitler was intent on deliberately committing murder by ordering the systematic execution of any political commissar captured by German forces.Most of Hitler's commanders objected to it. These were professional soldiers who knew that murder was not part of a soldier's duty and this would be something they would have to deal with when several of them would be brought to trial in Nuremberg in 1945 (Shirer 1089-1090). In an apparent display of overconfidence, Alfred Rosenberg, one of Hitler's lieutenants, prematurely made a proposal on how to divide Russia into political administrations, each with an given German name.The Baltic region and Belarus would be called Ostland; the Ukraine, along with its adjacent areas; Southern Russia running along the Caucasus mountains would be called Kaukasus; the areas surrounding Moscow, Moskau; and Turkestan for the central regions, each ruled by the modern-day German version of the ancient Roman prefect. Furthermore, plans were already in motion on how to best exploit Russia's resou rces. They intend to use it to feed Germany's industries and its people.They were acutely aware of the adverse consequences it would have on the Russian people in terms of hunger but the Nazis could not care less on what would happen even if millions of Russians would perish under their proposed policies (Shirwe 1091-1092). The forces Hitler arrayed against Russia was made up of 175 army divisions, supported by formidable artillery and armored divisions, both from the Wehrmacht (regular army) and his elite Waffen-SS. These were divided into three army groups, North, Center and South, each given specific objectives to capture.To the north, under the command of Field Marshal Wilhelmvon Leeb, the target was Leningrad. As the city's name implies, it was named after Lenin, the acknowledged father of the Russian Revolution which incidentally began in that city, then named Petrograd (St. Petersburg) and the Soviet Union and therefore, one of the symbolic targets of the German invasion forc es. Historially, Hitler believed Leningrad was once part of the territory conquered by the Teutonic Knights of the Middle Ages and he was simply trying to take back what belonged to Germany by virtue of conquest (Salisbury 37).The center group, under Field Marshal Fedor von Bock, would head for the capital Moscow, reminiscent of Napoleon's actions. The southern forces under Field Marshal Gert von Rundstedt would head for Kiev and Rostov-on-Don in what is now part of the Ukraine which was the Soviet Union's agricultural heartland as well as the road to the oil-rich fields of the Caucasus and Black Sea area (Riasanovsky 518-519). Follow-on forces would come soon to do mop-up operations and to deal with any partisan or guerrilla activity in the occupied areas.All in all, the Nazi regime had already made grandiose plans on what to do with Russia, believing they would finally succeed where Napoleon had failed in addition to the fact that Russia's conquest would be the fulfillment of Hitl er's visions defined in Mein Kampf. On the part of the Soviets, they had the numerical superiority over the Germans with roughly 8 million men to the Germany's 4 million which also included its allies from Italy, Hungary, Finland and Romania.They even had ten times the number of artillery, armored vehicles and aircraft arrayed against the Germans as well. In terms of numbers, the Soviets were by no means weak. If there was one weakness of the Red Army, it was its diversity with men from the various Soviet republics and whose dispositions ranged from cooperative to hostile towards one another even before they faced the Germans.Furthermore, majority of the Soviet forces initially arrayed were made up primarily of conscripts coming mainly from the peasantry, a throwback of the Tsarist era. The commissars were the ones who primarily kept them in line, not just to preserve ideological purity but meting out discipline instead of the officers assigned to the units and even tried to lead th em, replacing the ones persecuted even though they lacked the qualifications. Communications and leadership was also poor.This was partly Stalin's fault during the Great Purge of the 1930's where several competent senior officers of the Red Army were victims of the purges, depriving their units of capable leaders. As a result, these units were routed with millions killed and taken prisoner (Parker 60). Overall command was under Field Marshal Georgi Zhukov who had distinguished himself in the far east in border clashes against the Japanese which gave him a reputation of being a successful commander.Countering the three German offensive groups are three â€Å"Directions† tasked with forming the defense of their assigned territory and launch a counteroffensive. They were the North-Western Direction under Colonel Generals Markian Popov and Fyodor Kuznetsov which covers the Baltic region; the Western Direction under General Dimitry Pavlov which covers the areas west of Moscow and the South-Western Direction under Generals Mikhail Kirponos and Ivan Tyulenev concentrating on the Ukraine (Parker 107; Riasanovsky 518).Despite having more war machines compared to the Germans, they were inferior in quality. The Soviets initially had the T-28 medium tanks which could not stand up to the supeior armor the Germans prepared the Panzer I-III series. Although the Soviets had quality armor like the T-34 and KV-1, they were not abundant in number and were reserved for first-line units, particularly the elite â€Å"Guards† units.For air assets, once more, the quality of Soviet combat aircraft was inferior to ther Germans as they fielded the Poikarpov I-16, Lavochkin-3 and Mig-3 which were mediocre compared to the superior Bf109 fighter planes of the Luftwaffe which made short work of the Red Air Force which were on peacetime status, with aircraft parked closely together in the airfields, making them easy targets for high-altitude bombers and the dreaded Stuka dive b ombers of the Luftwaffe (Batty).On the political front, even Stalin was aware of an imminent conflict with Germany and that the treaties they had would not last much longer as tensions between the two supposed allies were increasing as both sides began to sense the duplicity of the other. Yet, he refused to heed the warnings coming from intelligence agents in the field of an impending German attack and those who merely did their duty were branded as â€Å"provocateurs† and censured, if not arrested.He even ignored warnings from British and American emissaries who were aware of the dangers, thinking it was a ruse to make him show his hand prematurely and not wanting to make the mistake Nicholas II did in 1914. Stalin held absolute power and did not permit any autonomy nor initiative among his subordinates (Salisbury 37). Although German aircraft hadalready been intruding into Soviet airspace, Stalin gave orders not to meet or engage them.His hesitation proved costly as it sent a message to the Germans that the Soviets were complacent, making it the ripe time to attack. The first phase of the war began with air strikes on key military bases and cities to sow terror, panic and confusion as well as cripple and hinder Soviet forces. By the end of the opening phase, the Lufwaffe enjoyed total air superiority over Soviet territory, making them virtually unopposed as they managed to destroy a lot of Soviet aircraft on the ground and shoot down those that managed to take off but were inferior in quality.This was followed up by a simultaneous attack by all three German army groups in their respective fronts and they were able to catch the Soviets off guard, resulting in numerous Soviet casualties and prisoners. They would duplicate the same tactic they did in Poland wherein they would bypass heavier enemy units and encircle them, cutting them off from any support and crush them. They would apply the same tactic as well on major Soviet cities, besieging them and s tarving their people although in the case of Leningrad, Hitler wanted it destroyed (Riasanovsky 518; Salisbury 40).Surprisingly, they were happily welcomed by the civilian population in the Ukraine and the Baltic states who hated Stalin and his communist regime. For them, the Germans were liberators instead of invaders and this had helped the Germans gain a foothold into Soviet territory (Batty). However, by the fourth week of the campaign, the progress bogged down as the German forces were overextended and needed time to allow for support units to catch up. By the time they were able to resume again, winter had set in.Even though it provided mobility due to hardened ground, the conditions were do dismal and German forces were beginning to understand now why Napoleon failed as severe blizzards wrought havoc on the invaders who were unprepared for â€Å"General Winter,† the same foe Napoleon faced and had proven to be a far more formidable foe than any army the Germans had fou ght. At the same time, fresh Soviet troops from the east were deployed and they fought doggedly and with more determination, further slowing down the German advance.What had hoped to be finished in three to six months would run for four more years and would eventually bleed German resources dry. The Soviets may have been brought down initially but they were not out of the running as they managed to recover and become stronger in the latter phase of the campaign. In conclusion, Operation Barbarossa started off well but in the middle, it began to lose steam and thus forcing the Germans to fight a kind of war they did not want, especially against Russia which was a war of attrition.It was considered a failure because the Germans failed to meet their objectives of capturing the key cities and failed to meet their timetable, causing them to be caught up in a winter war they were ill-prepared for. This was attributed to the constant delay of the commencement of the attack. The delay cause d them to be caught up by the winter season and Hitler refused to heed his generals' advice for a pause to allow the winter to pass.Hitler's obsession for going on the offensive caused the German forces to be stretched too thin making the rear areas vulnerable to stay-behind forces and partisan attacks which tied down his forces. The dogged and tenacious resistance put up by the Soviets despite their inferior quality bought time for them to transfer their industries to the remote regions beyond the Urals where they were safe from attacks or capture and enabled the Soviets to reconstitute their forces. Finally, they underestimated the capabilities of the Red Army, especially the Nazi leadership who looked down on the Slavs.Finally, the Germans fought a war they did not want, a 3-front campaign: Western Europe, North Africa and Mediterranean and the Eastern Front which severely divided their forces and resources, not to mention fighting multiple enemies, especially with the entry of t he United States into the war. The Soviets too had their faults which nearly cost them the war, and Stalin was to blame for decimating his officer corps during the 1930 purges. His â€Å"iron will† of not permitting retreat also caused numerous casualties and prisoners as his commissars and loyal commanders blindly followed his orders.His saving grace was the leadership in the front provided by Zhukov who cleverly went around Stalin's orders to husband his forces that enabled them to recover and regain lost ground in the subsequent battles owing to the characteristic resilience of the Russian forces, interspersed with patriotic fervor. The Soviets ay have lost the initial battles but they eventually won the war because of this and eventually took the war to the Germans and visited upon them the same havoc they wrought upon them. Works Cited â€Å"Barbarossa (June-December 1941). † The World at War. Writ. Peter Batty. Thames. 1973.Hitler, Adolf. â€Å"Mein Kampf. † Hitler. Org. 1924. Retrieved 17 May 2010 . Parker, Robert Alexander Clarke. The Second World War: A Short History. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. Riasanovsky, Nicholas V. A History of Russia. New York: Oxford University Press, 1984. Salisbury, Harrison E. â€Å"The 900 Days: The Siege of Leningrad. † True Stories of World War II . Ed. Nancy J. Sparks. Pleasantville, New York: The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. , 1969. 35-63. Shirer, William L. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1960.

Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission

This proposal provides insights on the challenges that the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission, the agency that assists in the administration of policies and programs that enable students learning in the United States (US) to meet their needs pertaining to education and culture, and mediates between educational institutions in the US and the other branches based in Saudi as well as the predicament that Saudi students studying in the US under the Saudi government’s sponsorship are facing, which the researcher deems to be primarily.A consequence of the agency’s failure to provide adequate solutions and the resulting students’ powerlessness to raise their concerns to appropriate authorities.An intensive literature review on materials that reflect the interdependence of the Arabian cultural mission and the Saudi students it serves in the United States was conducted to gather pertinent information for this study. Information gathered revealed that the major concerns of the students namely:1) inadequacy in language proficiency due to inappropriate language education curriculum;2) cultural discrimination resulting to isolation and formation of cliques;3) delay in defraying school fees resulting to a number of late registration and, in austere cases, to students having to drop off from school;4) the agency’s reluctance in assisting students to acquire relevant immigration documents; and5) the existing inappropriate matching system that determines students’ eligibility to be accepted to certain courses they intend to apply for are primarily caused by the agency’s current programs’ inadequacy to respond to the needs of their clientele.Recommendations presented propose reasonable modifications to the existing practices carried on by the agency which if ever adopted are deemed to improve the current state of interdependency between the cultural mission and the Saudi students studying under the government sponsorship in the United States.

Pros and Cons School Uniform Essay

Abstract The decision for school district to enforce school uniforms has been in existence since the 16th century. School uniforms were originally created for poor children; however, over time, schools saw uniforms as a way to bring students together. There has been debate whether uniforms improve academic success while reducing affiliation of violence. There is opinion and study that indicate no correlation between school uniforms and academic achievement; however, there were come correlation between school uniforms and student behavior. Among many concerns is the cost of uniforms, especially for a multiple child household. Pros and Cons of School Uniforms History of School Uniforms Uniforms were first instituted in 16th Century England at the charity schools for poor children. It was not until the 19th Century that the great English public schools began instituting uniforms and even later for them to be widely accepted at state schools–especially state elementary schools. There is a lot of debate whether the acceptance of school uniforms is good or bad. Read more: Should school wear uniforms essay Historically, the concept of school uniforms is familiar to many European schools and private schools within the United States. However, much more attention to the controversy over school uniforms arose when a significant movement began in the 1980’s to introduce dress codes within public schools in the United States. . â€Å"In 1996, approximately three percent of all schools in the United States had a school uniform policy (Gentile & Imberman, 2009). † How Society Views Uniforms During the 1996 State of the Union Address, President Clinton discussed school uniforms as one solution to gang-related behavioral problems in the  metropolitan areas. â€Å"That discussion led us to scour the existing literature to determine whether his assertion was supported by empirical evidence. We found a body of literature (largely journalistic and anecdotal) that discussed not only reduction of gang violence in schools but also a host of other possible outcomes of school uniform policies that included decreased behavioral problems, increased learning, and enhanced school climate, self-esteem, school spirit, and academic achievement (Brunsma & Rockquemore, 2003). How students view school uniforms  Many students in grade school to third grade don’t really render any judgment either way favorable or not for the school uniform policy. Students that are more conscious of their appearance and want to be viewed for their individuality are the ones that speak more openly about having the choice to be a non-uniform school. For example, â€Å"as children we always seem to be told â€Å"love who you are and be yourself. † For instance, as a child how many of you were so excited to pick what to wear for the day, to feel that sense of control and to know you could show up to school and say â€Å"this is me and I love who I am! (2012, 10). † â€Å"In the Long Beach Unified School District study, 4th and 5th grade elementary and all middle school students were surveyed for their opinions of the school uniform policy. Students felt uniforms did not lessen the occurrence of fights (80. 9%) and a majority of students did not feel safer at school (Stanley, 1996). Cost of School Uniforms FrenchToast. com, a website that sells school uniforms, listed specific prices on their website. For boys? uniform tops and bottoms in sizes 8-14, prices ranged between $9 and $20 (http://www. frenchtoast. com/). Young Men sizes ranged between $8 and $41. For girls?uniform tops and bottoms in sizes 7-14, prices ranged between $7. 50 and $29. Young Women sizes ranged between $13 and $21. Sweaters were generally the most expensive type of item, and short sleeve tops were generally the cheapest. Pros of School Uniforms Surprisingly, there have been several incidents of violent acts simply over clothing and accessories. A student from Detroit was shot for his shoes, and another student in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was robbed for his jewelry. With these shocking revelations, many schools converted to requiring school uniforms in hopes of preventing any such violent acts (2013, 04). † Many people view the school uniform policy as a way to uniform the schools. By having each student dress the same, the ability to distinguish between the different social classes is obsolete. â€Å"Clothes breed jealously because people will want what another has. If everyone is dressed alike, they will feel equal, and it will help children focus on their studies better (2013, 04). † In today’s schools, there are many issues that may take a child’s focus off education. These problems include social outcast, violence, fashion, cliques, and economic class. School uniforms can eliminate these problems that arise in school and enable to students to focus on their education. Cost of clothing students the same as their peers can be costly for those not in the same economic class as others. School uniforms eliminate this stress since the attire is mostly khaki’s and a plain shirt. In some cases, schools offer the outfits at a low cost to the parent; however, in most cases, schools inform students of certain colors that are appropriate for each school district. By instructing certain colors, this can alleviate any gang affiliation. â€Å"Proponents of school uniforms often cite many reasons for improved academic achievement (Knechtle & Mitchell, 2003). † â€Å"Though there are many arguments for school uniforms, the issue of academic achievement is most pertinent in a society focused on test scores. Arguments abound in the discussion of school uniforms and their relation to academic achievement. Academic achievement, when used in various studies, is the combined subject scores on standardized tests (Bodine, 2003). † Cons of School Uniforms â€Å"The issue of uniforms becoming mandatory in public schools is an outrage. Not only does it infringe on the rights of students to express themselves, but it is unconstitutional. The first amendment states that â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; of abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances (Jacobs 19). † As parents and society, we encourage people to embrace their own diversity and individuality. By enforcing school uniforms, the identity of children is erased. Also, if a parent of more than one child in a uniform school, the cost tends to increase the cost with having to purchase multiple outfits. Additional disadvantages in a school uniform is that many students do not like wearing them. The chosen style of uniform may not suit some students need to express their individuality, which many students thrive on and in some cases lower their self-esteem.. â€Å"While a statistically significant correlation was shown, further analysis of this correlation showed that an increase in academic achievement disappeared in subsequent years. Students who were forced to wear uniforms after the initial year of the study had a three-point decrease in standardized test scores. In addition, students who never wore a uniform during the study had little change in test scores (Brunsma & Rockquemore, 1998). † Conclusion Overall, the debate continues still whether the effect of school uniforms on children is good or bad. In one study, school uniforms had a direct relation to a student’s self-esteem, behavior problems and low academic success. On the other hand, school uniforms seemed beneficial for elementary kids providing less distraction and uniformity. Teachers have also concluded that uniforms bring a distraction to teaching, as some school systems have gotten bogged down in what a child is wearing instead of their academic performance and study. The debate of school uniforms has been ongoing since as far back as 18th Century and more recently the 1980’s. References (2012, 10). com/essays/Pros-And-Cons-Of-School-Uniforms-1598816. html Bodine, A. (2003). School uniforms, academic achievement, and uses of research. The Journal of Educational Research, 97(2), 67-71. Retrieved from www. proquest. com/ Brunsma, D. L. , & Rockquemore, K. A. (2003). Statistics, sound bites, and school uniforms: A reply to bodine. The Journal of Educational Research, 97(2), 72-77. doi: 10. 2307/27548013 Brunsma, D. L. , & Rockquemore, K. A. (1998). Effects of student uniforms on attendance, behavior problems, substance use, and academic achievement. The Journal of Educational Research, 92(1), 53-63. Retrieved from http://www. proquest. com/ Gentile, E. , & Imberman, S. (2009). Dressed for success: Do school uniforms improve student behavior, attendance, and achievement? (No 2009-03, Working Papers, University of Houston). Retrieved from http://www. uh. edu Knechtle, J. C. , & Mitchell, H. W. (2003). Uniforms in public schools and the first amendment: A constitutional analysis. The Journal of Negro Education, 72, 487-494. Retrieved from http:// www. journalnegroed. org Stanley, M. S. (1996). School uniforms and safety. Education and Urban Society, 23, 424-435. doi:10. 1177/0013124596028004003.

Content Comprehension and Analysis Task Assignment - 2

Content Comprehension and Analysis Task - Assignment Example The authors argue that with a diverse environment employees are able to learn and benefit from the uniqueness of others ideas. A myriad of businesses across the globe have appreciated and recognized the need to heavily invest in inclusion and diversity as part of talent management within the organization. It is an important concept as organizations can interact with people from different cultures, resulting to an upsurge in the level of creativity, global understanding, and productivity, and greater agility, development of new attitudes, new solutions and innovation that will lead to the growth of the company. Organizations that have not incorporated diversity as part of its talent management strategy have failed to attract the best skills across the globe. Some of the benefits of diversity include; (Yukl, 2002) Increased productivity – The inclusion of pe ople from diverse backgrounds working towards a common goal improves their level of loyalty. They employ peculiar skills to improve the performance of the company. Diverse experience-; People from different backgrounds bring unique understanding of concepts and experiences to the table. By bring the teams together; employees are able to deal with changing conditions. Every employee has a weakness and strengths derived from their cultural backgrounds, when managed properly their strengths can be leveraged and strengths can be complemented to enhance their performance. Increased creativity and problem solving- With a number of different unique and diverse minds, coming together, it is likely that solutions will be adopted since individuals bring unique way of thinking, operating and handling issues. (Yukl, 2002) Attract and retain talent- The attraction of the best employees to the organization will give it a competitive edge over others. The feeling f inclusion and appreciation enhances the feeling of belonging and loyalty to the organization. The

Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 18

Personal Statement Example It is through family that I have learnt to invest in simple things such as happiness and respect, prerequisites to every good life. Playing Persian drums requires both physical and mental skills. Physically, one need to develop a listening ear, it is through listening that one learns how and what to play. Any missed part means a lost rhythm which waters down the efforts of other instrumentalists and that of the lead singer or singers. Secondly, one needs a sense of rhythm and timing, one has to identify a rhythm fast enough to be able to play and aid the other performers. This also means that as a Persian drummer you have to have a fast response in order to coordinate well with the rest. The last physical skill is hands and feet coordination. One has to be able to coordinate their hands and feet to create the required rhythm. This level of coordination should be top notch to ensure a stable rhythm through out a performance. Physical skills and engagements may spell one’s prowess on the drums; however, it is the mental skills that allow one to develop the requisite physical skills. The most important mental skills are: a positive mindset, self-discipline and patience. A positive mindset helps one’s patience and resilience as they learn how to play drums. This is because it is a process and without a positive mindset then one will undoubtedly give up. Self-discipline is also another skill this is greatly informed by a positive mindset. Self-discipline ensures that a drummer becomes committed to his act and manages his time well to provide adequate time for practice. Just like in any other engaging activity, patience is paramount. One has to continually resist the urge to walk before one can crawl, a drummer must learn to make the small steps which ultimately build up the necessary skills. As evident, playing Persian drums is an involving engagement. Taking the learning process and being able to stay focused has required a lot of determination. Thankfully,

Read the requirement paper carefullyall of the requirements are in the Essay

Read the requirement paper carefullyall of the requirements are in the documents - Essay Example Thus based on the product the segmentation is decided. Here segmentation will be done based on demographic, geographic, psychographic and behavioural variables. Demographic segmentation tends to divide the market in segments based on factors such as gender, age, income and others (Ferrell & Hartline, 2010, p.117). Based on demographic segmentation, Sleep Bug application will be made available to both the genders male and female as the application which is designed for windows phone 7 and iOS are used by both the segments and thus the segmentation are done keeping in mind the female market and the male market segment. The sound and the music along with feature installed in the application have also been developed according to the segments likes and dislikes. Age is the next factor in demographic segmentation, and the sleep bug pro will be segmented to the age group 16 years and above. The reason behind selecting the age bar to 16 years is that since everyone in today’s generati on has an access to iPhone, iPad and iPod therefore the application is made available for all the people within the particular age group so that they can enjoy the application and have a sound and proper sleep. Based on the income level, the application are targeted to those having iPhones, iPod and iPads dividing the segment into middle to higher level of income group who has the capacity to afford an iPhone and related product. Geographic segmentation is the process of segmenting the market by region, market size, climate and also market density (Lamb, Hair & McDaniel, 2008, p. 234). Based on geographic segmentation, Sleep Bug will be segmented on population density to the urban people who have problem while sleeping due to heavy work pressure, and other related problems. Behavioural segmentation segments the market based on the usage of the product. Sleep Bug will segment it for those who are conscious about their health and improve memory as proper sleep will boost up health, pe ople who are fascinated towards new applications , who would use it on regular basis and status conscious that is the segment who are not price sensitive. Based on the above segmentation a detailed customer profile has been developed, Sleep Bug is an application which can be used in Windows Phone 7 and iOS and focus mainly on the customer segment. The target market for Sleep Bug is those segments that suffers from poor sleep, secondly the working group who demands peaceful and sound sleep, thirdly for those who like handling new application and show it as a status symbol. The third target market also includes students apart from the college goers. Analysing the growth of mobile application which is expected to grow from $6.8billion to about $25billion in the next four years (App Muse, 2012), there seems to exists potential customer base helping Sleep Bug to generate revenue and profit in the long run. Task 2 Consumer Behaviour Factors Consumers are the centre for the marketers and w ithout satisfying the customer the marketing manager cannot be termed to be successful in his given task. The behaviour of consumers tends to differ from person to person as each of them behaves in respect to their inner motives. As per the definitions given by Philip Kotler, â€Å"Consumer buying behaviour refers to the buying behaviour of final consumers who buy goods and services for personal

Analyze one of the book themes at play in John Demos's The Unredeemed Essay

Analyze one of the book themes at play in John Demos's The Unredeemed Captive - Essay Example The story starts with a reason that further leads to the cultural integration suitable to the situation. It’s a story of abduction and adoption by Indians of the American settlers (Sweeney 32). The Mohawk Indians are assisted by the French in Canada. They together attempt to attack a small village with name of Deerfield located in Massachusetts. They had targeted revered John Williams, the than Minister from Deerfield because they intended they get their man, with the name of Jean Baptist Gayen rescued in return, who had been held from Boston. Two of John William’s kids were murdered the night of the kidnap and the rest of the family was moved to Canada along with a number of other captives who were also taken up from Deerfield for the same cause of personal gain. John Williams’s family saw this event highly distressful and damaging. They kept very little hope of getting to see each other ever again. John William manages to break through the hostage couple of yea rs later. He remarries another lady after back home and recollects his shattered life to give it a new start. His rest of the children were also set free, leaving behind his daughter, Eunice Williams in their custody. The story majorly revolves around her and the way she chooses to built her life with the Native Americans willingly, once she experiences growing up amongst them. John Williams, the famous Revered of Deerfield is illustrated by John Demos to get stunned and spell bound by the choices his daughter, Eunice is shown to make for herself. After being left alone to live amongst them she has no other option rather than to settle herself with their norms and culture. She was at the age seven when she got taken up the Native Americans. In the early years of her captivity, as a young kid she feared the Native Americans when left to live alone with them. She begged her father to manage for her rescue from their custody (The Archive Organization 33). John Williams did nothing prac tically to get her rescued. He met her on regular basis and tried to get the process carried out on the official basis. Her desire to get out of the culture subsided along with the time and alongside developed into a revenge against her father and other protestants who had not dared to get her rescued from the alien culture where as a child she had frequently felt she did not belong to (Sweeney 12). She, along with the time instilled the culture to her roots and felt as a member of the Native Indian culture. She carried her physical appearances in the same way as they did and adopted their norms in her daily life. She also made religious shifts and got converted to Catholicism (The Archive Organization 57). In wider scenario, it’s the description of a girl, who uses a culture she had been abandoned into, to revenge against her own people, who had left her years earlier as young girl- it’s the Indian Culture’s insight through a young girl’s life (Meorial H all Mueseum 11). Cronon’s Changes in the Land William Cronon, the author of another famous book â€Å"Changes in the land† has also investigated the ecological changes from Indian to European dominance during the time period of 1620 to 1800 (William Coron Net 16). Demo’s book in my opinion is not reflective of the true way Cronon has

Summary of text reading week 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Summary of text reading week 3 - Essay Example Immanence and transcendence are concepts that cross various attributes or perfections of God, where two such attributes are goodness and greatness. Immanence is God’s presence and activity within nature, human nature, and history (Erickson p 329). Transcendence is God’s separation from and independence of nature and humanity (Erickson p 338). To over-emphasize immanence would lead to a concept of loss of an active God, or pantheism, they believe God could not have existed before the natural order. To over-emphasize transcendence could lead to deism, where God has no role in humanity. To catalog all the perfections of God would be impossible because, God is above total understanding. Soren Kiekegaard’s view stated in Erickson’s text on page 341: â€Å"God and humans are of a different kind, we cannot reach God by adding more information or works God is God.† However, Ryrie does name a few of God’s perfections in his text. God’s greatness can be seen in His creation; also His greatness is seen in the resurrection of Christ Jesus from the dead. The word omnipotence describes God’s greatness. Omnipotence does not mean that God could always do anything against His nature, for instance God could never sin, lie or deny Himself. The perfection of goodness is another attribute of God. God’s goodness can be described as the ultimate source of all that is good. Swindoll describes on page 187: â€Å"the goodness of God is particularly featured in His Son Jesus who identified Himself as the good Shepherd.† (John 10:11, 14). Two of God’s perfections as described by Ryrie are eternity and infinity. Eternity as described by Ryrie is God existing backward and forward without interruption (Ryrie p 41). Infinity described by Ryrie means God is in no way limited by the universe or limits of time-space. God’s perfection of omnipresence means that God is present everywhere with His whole being at all

Business Decision Making Process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Business Decision Making Process - Essay Example It is because of this reason that it is often important for the higher management to improve upon the decision making process by learning tools and techniques which contribute towards improving the overall effectiveness of the decisions made. It is important to note that decision making and problem solving are often considered as the same however, there are certain subtle differences which need to be taken into account for decision making and problem solving. It is important to understand that decision making takes place at every level of the organization i.e. from top management of the organization to the operational level and as such magnitude, nature and importance of decision making at each different level differs from each other. This paper will apply the analyses and techniques of business decision making in planning and delivery of the Ashes Test to be played at Cardiff during 2009 providing at least three illustrations or examples. Business decision making process is quite complex process as it draws upon data from different sources and utilizes them in different manner in order to achieve the desired results. In order to make better and more effective decisions, it is therefore important that almost every possible aspect of decision making shall be taken into consideration. Cost and benefit analysis is the major criteria based on which most of the business decisions are made and as such there are different tools and techniques which are used to make decisions more effective. Over the period of time the general theoretical thrust behind the business decision making has been based on finding the quantitative aspects of the decision making whereas on the other hand qualitative aspects of decision making were not taken into consideration. (Baker,1981). This focus on the quantitative aspects of decision making has greatly improved the capability of

Paintings of Paul klee Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Paintings of Paul klee - Essay Example There are two major conspicuous colours used in this painting; to begin with, there is the use of red colour and grey colour. In addition, it is evident that there is a picture of a lady who is probably surrounded by some birds and some flying images, which can be interpreted as spirits. On the other hand, there is a red colour at the bottom of the painting indicating direction. It is quite challenging to have a conclusive idea of the information expressed by other red colours in the painting. This is another great piece of art work painted by Paul Glee in 1921; it is quite obvious that the information expressed in this painting. In relation to the spatial analysis of the painting, the images appear to occupy the central part of the frame which measures 305mm by 454mm. There is also two major colours that are conspicuous in the painting; white and grey. Moreover, there seem to be only one painting of a man surrounded by what appears to be animals. Additionally, there is no conflict o f colours, they properly match the intentions of the artist and expresses a scenario that attempts to depict a man on a theatrical stage. That is, there is proper use of colours hence indicating a proper colour harmony. In relation to the intention of the painter of the information expressed by the painter, there seem to a series of comic actions occurring in the scenario expressed; to begin with, the man in the painting is surrounded by what appears to be birds, dressed in skirts. Moreover, the man is the painting does not have arms.

Tom Clancy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Tom Clancy - Essay Example Tom Clancy is something else again. The flap jacket of Tom Clancy's first successful book, The Hunt for Red October, contains this anecdote: "He has had a private chat with President Reagan, and lunched with the White House staff. His maiden novel was a top seller at the Pentagon. Yet the author is neither a former intelligence nor a naval officer. Rather, Tom Clancy is an insurance broker from a small town in Maryland whose only previously published writing was a letter to the editor and a three-page article about the MX missile. He always wanted to write a suspense novel, and a newspaper article about a mutiny on a Soviet frigate gave him the initial idea for Red October. He did extensive research about Soviet-American naval strategies and submarine technology. Then in the time he could spare from his insurance business, Clancy sat down at his typewriter and wrote. The rest is history." This insurance man with very little writing experience invented the "techno-thriller" genre, a hybrid of military, spy, political and suspense thrillers which became part of popular American culture 20 years later (Greenberg, M., 1992). Clancy's suspense thrillers are political intrigues mixed with rich details of modern military technology, which are focused on the Cold War and take a grim view of the former Soviet Union. This struck a responsive chord among political conservatives. These novels are also distinguished by the intricacies of their plots, attention to detail, and technical accuracy in military and intelligence topics (Wikipedia). An amazing achievement for one who never had any training in intelligence or military affairs, which gives his popularity a dimension bigger than that of all the best-selling authors combined who are known to have some previous expertise in the fields they are writing on. As a result of the immense popularity of Clancy's books, he became the only author in history whose works have been "branded,' a new publishing phenomenon in which other authors publish books using his name to ensure brisk sales. These publishing ventures are called "Apostrophe Books" as in "Tom Clancy's Op-Center with Steve Pieczenik." (Britannica.com) Tom Clancy's initial attempt at novel writing, The Hunt for Red October, was modeled after authors he admired most. These include the British masters of suspense and spy thrillers - Frederick Forsyth, John le Carre, Alistair MacLean and Len Deighton. Martin Greenberg, who collaborated with Clancy on his Mirror Image series, recalls that Clancy worked on the novel from November 11, 1982 to February 23, 1983, or within a space of only three months. The novel concerns a prolonged sea chase involving high-tech submarines so he referred it to the Naval Press Institute, hoping to obtain the stamp of authenticity that he doubted from the start. As Clancy feared at the time, his knowledge of submarine technology and weaponry was found wanting in places by the Naval Press Institute. Thus, the manuscript was returned to him three weeks later, full of suggested rewrites. Clancy dutifully did the rewrites, learning from that experience as he did so. In November 1983, sometime after Clancy brought back the revised manuscript to the Naval Press Institute, the institute was impressed enough to make an offer to publish it on a $3,000 deal with the first-time author. The institute had never published a book before and it was a measly contract by industry standard, but Clancy

Last Day at School Essay Example for Free

Last Day at School Essay As we come to the end of 2012-13, the words that come to mind are â€Å"thank you. † This has been an amazing year !! As we reflect on the 2013-2014 school year, please join me in acknowledging and celebrating the many wonderful learning experiences and educational opportunities that have taken place for our students at school, in numerous classrooms and in very creative and innovative ways. Together we have planned and executed best teaching practices and held students to high standards and expectations. The schools unique character, excellence in teaching, and the tremendous dedication and talent of all staff members continues to make it a wonderful and special learning environment. It is my deep belief that the hallmark of a great school is to continuously work to improve learning for each and every child. As the leader of the school, I see this is as my most important responsibility and I take it very seriously. Therefore, creating strong and effective teacher teams at each grade level each year is a top priority for me as I work to ensure positive and effective teacher collaboration on behalf of children’s learning. As principal, I am solely responsible for the supervision and evaluation of every staff member at School. In doing this, I visited every classroom several times throughout the year for extended periods of time as well as made numerous informal visits. These observational visits have given me a unique perspective on the teaching life of the school. I have been able to see firsthand how and what kind of learning is taking place in every classroom. In addition, I have also gained knowledge and perspective in working with faculty members both in groups or individually, throughout the year. This year can be summarized in a few words: In the face of significant challenges, we made significant progress. I thank you for your continued commitment and all that you did to deliver on our purpose – to help students and parents seize opportunities at every stage. I wish Mr Shawn and Ms Charo a wonderful future in terms of their careers and personal lives. Please enjoy some well deserved rest with family and friends during this holiday season, and let’s get right back to school on 13th July 2013 at 8. 00 am.

Marketing Strategy For Daily Telegraph Marketing Essay

Marketing Strategy For Daily Telegraph Marketing Essay Each company must find the game plane for long term survival and growth that makes the most sense given its specific situation, opportunities, objectives and resources. It is important to understand the overall companies strategic planning to understand the marketing strategy. Strategic planning usually sets the rest of the company planning. It is the mix and match of companys objectives, goals and capabilities. In the recent days effective marketing strategy are equally important for newspaper industries. Generally news paper tells about other business marketing but the marketing strategy for the newspaper are never been discussed. (Peter J P Olson 2004). With the changing of Global Business environment, the marketing strategy of news paper is changing. In this particular paper the researcher will demonstrate the marketing strategy for one of the UKs leading news paper Daily Telegraph. The Daily Telegraph is one of the famous and effective daily morning newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. It was first founded in June 1855 by Colonel Arthur B. Sleigh. It is the only remaining major newspaper in UK. It is now owned by David and Fredrick Barclay, and it is the ninth largest newspaper in UK. In the recent days Daily Telegraph, has become one of the successful newspaper not just in UK market also in International market. In January 2009, the Telegraph was the highest selling newspaper, with average daily circulation of 842,912. The daily telegraph has a significant influence in British Politics. The significant number of readers shows that Daily Telegraph is popular in the newspaper market. Effective marketing strategy leads them to this successful condition. As like other business, newspaper business has a marketing strategy, which they follow to compete with the market. For the purpose of this particular paper, the researcher constitutes several of factors that might influence the marketing strategy for Daily Telegraph. The researcher will start with discussing about the objectives of daily Telegraph, researcher then discuss about business environment that might influence Daily Telegraphs marketing strategy. The researcher also demonstrate the factor involve in 7 Ps. The researcher also constitute situation of Daily Telegraph in global market. Marketing Objective for Daily Telegraph: Informing: Objectives should provide with the information about functional and psychological needs that the services satisfies. It is very important especially for new product. In the case of Daily telegraph they just need to set their communication objectives as to inform audience in more sophisticated way because they already know the needs of their potential buyer. Persuading: Objective should set to persuades consumer to move towards some action or attitude. It should be appropriate for competitive growth products. The Daily telegraph is a growing business in a competitive market. Reminding: In the objectives companies initiate a communication approach that reminds that the product or services is still available. As a existing company Daily Telegraph will set their marketing communication objectives in reminding that the services are still available for them. Marketing Strategy for Daily Telegraph: Before go the marketing strategy for Daily Telegraph the leading news paper in the UK, we need to understand the concept of marketing strategy. Marketing strategy is a marketing process and a marketing method which justify and focuses an organizations energies and resources on a course of action (Christopher M, Payne A Ballantgne D 2002). Marketing strategy eventually can lead to increased sales and dominance of a targeted market niche. A marketing strategy consists several of elements such as product development, promotion, distribution, pricing, relationship management and other elements. It help in identifies the firms marketing objectives as well as organizational objectives and goals. It also explains how they can be achieved, ideally within a stated timeframe. Marketing strategy determines the choice of target market segments, positioning, marketing mix, and allocation of resources. Business Environment for telegraph: It is very important to consider the business environment for any organization before established a marketing strategy. Studying the external and internal environment which influence organizations overall business strategy including marketing strategy. As different organization work in different industries and business environment, it is important to find out appropriate business environment for them. UK news paper market is very competitive. So it is important for Telegraph to consider the business environment first, before concentrating towards their consumer. There is several of factor need to be considered to evaluate the environmental issues for newspaper Daily Telegraph. There are two different business environments, one is internal and other is external. To measure those issues, organization needs to use several of marketing model and theory. SWOT and PESTEL is important model in this regard. SWOT Analysis for Daily Telegraph: SWOT Analysis is a strategic planning method used to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats involved in a project or in a business venture. It involves specifying the objective of the business venture or project and identifying the internal and external factors that are favorable and unfavorable to achieving that objective. SWOT provides convenient headings under which to study an organization in its environmental setting and may provide a basis for decision making and problem-solving (Mullins J L 2005). Internal Environment: Strengths: Strengths are those positive aspects or distinctive attributes or competencies which provide a significant market advantage or upon which the organization can build for example, through the pursuit of diversification (Mullins J L 2005). Strength is the measurer of internal business environment for any organization. As far as Telegraph is concern, is has got the competency because it has been working as an influential in this particular industries for the past several of decades. Because of its strong work ethic, internal business environment are in favor of it which put it in a competitive advantage situation. Weakness: Weakness is those negative aspects or deficiencies in the present competencies or resources of organization or its image or reputation, which limits its effectiveness and which needs to be corrected or need action taken to minimize their effects (Mullins J L 2005). Every organization has some negative aspect, so do Telegraph has some. It has some political influence which sometime work as negative business environment for Telegraph. Different political views some time reflects on it writing and information. External Environment: Opportunities: Opportunities are favorable conditions and usually arise from the nature of changes in the external environment (Mullins J L 2005). As far as Telegraph is concern it has got the potential which work as its opportunity towards the newspaper market. So considering the external business environment Telegraph is in competitive position. As the researcher mentioned that in January 2009 it has been selected as one of the highest selling newspaper, it reflects the external environment is in its favor and it in fact an opportunity for Telegraph. Threats: Threats are the converse of opportunity and refer to unfavorable situation which arise from external developments likely to endanger the operations and effectiveness of the organization. It includes political and economical, new product by competition and other external factor. Same as the opportunity we have to assume that some external factor of Daily Telegraph has became a threats for him. Because of its traditional working patterns, it will face some threats from outside market because there are some developments of new ideas in these particular industries. PESTEL Analysis: PESTELstands for Political, Economic, Social, Technical, Environment and Legislative. It is a strategic planning technique that provides a useful framework for analyzing the environmental pressures on a team or an organization.PEST analysis is also know as a useful strategic tool for understanding market growth or decline, business position, potential and direction for operations Kotler (1998). Political factor: Political factor includes Government, tax, trade barriers, and infrastructure. Considering Political situation in UK, Daily Telegraph has been influenced by it for last several of decades. It is known to every one that, daily Telegraph indirectly a conservative party newspaper and 65% of its reader is conservative party supporter. Its make a great deal of impact on its marketing strategy. It is am external business environment which not just influence its marketing decision but also the overall business strategy as well. Economic factor: Economic factor are the most important for any organization towards its growth. These include interest rates, taxation changes, economic growth, inflation and exchange rates. In the recent days, economic crises are the major concern for UK and it hits the newspaper industries as well. Most of the business organization has to change their marketing strategy because of the economic factor which works as both internal and external business environment. Social Factor: Changes in social trends can impact on the demand for a firms services and the availability and willingness of individuals to work. UK has got multicultural environment. Considering the social factor Daily Telegraph should concentrate on planning for their marketing strategy. Generally every news paper has some responsibilities towards the society. So daily star should consider the social influence as well as social responsibilities towards its marketing strategy. Technological factor: New technologies create new services and new processes. Because of globalization technology are developing rapidly. The impact of technological development mostly effect on the media sector. Technological development increases the marketing opportunity for news paper industries. Legal: Legal factor put impact on companys legislation such as employment, competition and health safety. It is vary important for every company for their marketing strategy. Legal factor are important in media industries because it deals with very sensitive matter. As far as news paper is concern they have to consider the ethical and unethical, legal and illegal advertising. In UK every newspaper has to follow the EU law and trading policies including the marketing strategy. Environmental: Environmental factor influenced the level of pollution created by the product or service. News paper should take in to consideration of environmental issues and encourage general people regarding this. So the marketing strategy is influenced by the environmental factor for Daily Telegraph. Marketing Strategy and Marketing Mix: Marketing mix and marketing strategy has a positive relationship. As far as marketing strategy and marketing mix is concern, company has to consider several of factor such as product, price, place, promotion, people, process and physical evidence which is know as 7Ps. (Hawkins I, Roger D Best J 1998). Product: Product means the goods and services combined the company offer to the targeted consumer market. In the case of Daily Telegraph news paper is the product and every one is the consumer. Daily telegraph has to consider their product and service level to create an effective marketing strategy. Price: Price is the money that consumer pay for their consumption of goods and services. Daily telegraph has to consider the price for their goods and services they provide to the consumer in respect of marketing purpose. Place: Place includes the companies activities that make the product available to target consumers. Promotion: Promotion activities that communicate the merits of the product and persuade target customers to buy it. People: People are generally known as consumer who will buy the product and services. Process: Process is the marketing process that involve in promoting the product and services. It is one of the vital parts of marketing strategy. Physical Evidence: Physical evidence consist the physical existence of the product and services. Marketing Communication Tools Integrated marketing communication refers to the management and control of all marketing communication; in fact it is the implicated level of marketing communication which is a part of marketing strategy. The strategic analysis, choice and control of all elements of marketing communications that efficiently, economically and effectively influence transaction an organization and its consumer (Smith P, Berry C Pulford 1997, 1999). Conclusion: During the analysis of different field of marketing strategy the researcher found several of ideas that could be implemented in Daily Telegraph marketing strategic process. Because of the recent changing global business environment, it is vital for Daily Telegraph to take appropriate initiative to build a relationship with the existing customer and also to focus on creating new customers. As recent days corporate responsibilities are a key issue in terms of ethical marketing communication process, Daily Telegraph should follow the truthful and sensible marketing communication concept but in new approach which refers to the integrated communication tools. Daily Telegraph should take in to consideration of buyer behavior seriously because of changing environment. Reference Cited: Christopher M, Payne A Ballantgne D (2002); Relationship Marketing: Creating Stockholders Values; 2nd rev edition; A Butterworth-Heinemann. Peter J P Olson (2004) Consumer Behavior : Series in Marketing, McGrew Hill Irwin Simons, J. A., Irwin, D. B., Drinnien, B. A. (1987). Psychology: The search for understanding. New York, West Publishing. Smith P, Berry C Pulford A (1997, 1999) Strategic Marketing Communication, Kogan Page Limited, USA Mullins J L (2005), Marketing Strategy; Ney York, McGraw Hill. Hawkins I, Roger D Best J (1998) Consumer Behavior: Building Marketing Strategy, 7th Edition, Mc Grow Hill, Boston.

Burnout in Nursing Profession

Burnout in Nursing Profession The aim of this literature review is to identify the significant factors related to burnout in the nursing profession. Nurses are most susceptible and vulnerable to the development of burnout, mainly because of the nature and emotional demands of their job. Burnout in the nursing profession is a significant concern in nursing, because it has detrimental effects both on individuals and organisations. For the individual nurse, the neuroendocrine response yields physiologic reactions that may ultimately contribute to illness. In the health care organisation, work burnout may contribute to absenteeism and turnover, both of which detract from the quality of care. Burnout is reported to originate from work itself as well as from characteristics of the individual nurse. There are also buffers to mitigate the development of burnout. Background Freudenberger (1974) first coined the term burnout to describe the build-up of feelings that professionals experience when their emotional resources are depleted (Janssen, Schaufeli Houkes 1999). Maslach and Jackson (1981) further refined this term as a syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and reduced personal accomplishment. Their study is a piece of seminal work and their concept on burnout has been widely accepted since. Emotional exhaustion manifests in nurses as a general loss of feeling and concern, trust, interest, and spirit. It also involves feelings of fatigue, being used up, irritability, frustration and wearing out (Maslach et al 1981). Depersonalisation refers to showing a detachment of the nurse from the patient by actively ignoring the qualities that make them unique and engaging people (Maslach et al 1981). The third dimension of the burnout syndrome is the tendency of nurses in evaluating their work negatively. Nurses feel unhappy about themselves and dissatisfied with their accomplishments on the job (Maslach et al 1981). Burnout is measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory (Maslach et al 1981). The internal consistency of this tool has been widely tested using Cronbachs coefficient alpha (Maslach, Jackson Leiter 1996) and hence could be considered to be a standard measure for burnout (Hannigan, Edwards, Burnard, Coyle Fothergill 2000). This survey tool is a 22 item questionnaire consisting of the three subscales mentioned above of the burnout syndrome. The items are scored in a 7-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (never) to 6 (daily). A high degree of burnout is reflected in high scores on the emotional exhaustion (EE) and depersonalisation (DP) subscales and a low score on the personal accomplishment (PA) which is rated inversely. An average degree of burnout is reflected in average scores on the three subscales and a low degree of burnout is reflected in low scores on the EE and DP subscales and a high score on the PA subscales (Maslach et al 1981). Rationale Burnout is often been reported as a causing factor for attrition of nurses from the nursing profession (Armstrong-Stassen, Al-Maaitah, Cameron Horsburgh 1994). In addition burnout in nursing has been associated with poor patient satisfaction and poor patient outcome (Vahey, Aiken, Sloane, Clarke Vargas 2004, Nayeri, Negarandeh, Vaismoradi, Ahmadi Faghihzadeh 2009). These adverse outcomes of burnout could have significant indelible impact on the Singapore governments aim to establish Singapore as a reputable medical hub in the ASEAN region. Studies and statistics have shown that nurses in Singapore are at risk of developing burnout (Boey, Chan, Ko, Goh Lim 1997, Lim Yuen 1998, EnterpriseOne 2006), however, surprisingly, no research have been done in Singapore to assess the level of burnout and the related factors of burnout in their nurses. Therefore, this literature review is initiated to generate a comprehensive understanding of what is known about burnout in the nursing profes sion. This could have implications for understanding the overall well-being of the nurses in Singapore. Aims and Objectives Aim and objective: To identify the significant factors related to burnout in the nursing profession. Method A literature search was conducted using the keywords nurses and burnout on CINAHL and MEDLINE. The search is supplemented with a manual search in journals published in Singapore for further information regarding related research conducted in the local context and a supplementary follow-up of other cited materials in Google Scholar, where appropriate. Findings Collating the evidence from the literature led to the identification of three main themes for the related factors of burnout for nurses. The themes are stress of the health care professionals, individual variables and leadership as the buffering factor. The proposition that high stress clinical care settings as organisational stressors have been extensively examined. Therefore not surprisingly, studies on burnout done in medical, surgical and high dependency units were most prominent (Nayeri et al 2009, Adali Pirami 2002). Gillespie and Melby (2003) purported that the reason is because the nursing staffs working at these demanding areas are likely to spend considerable time during their working day in intense interactions with people. While Maslach-Pines (2000) suggested that it is because the nature of the work of these departments is often described as physically demanding and nurses are also continually faced with heavy demands for pity, sympathy and compassion. However, while many studies demonstrate a strong correlation between high levels of stress in high stress work environments and increased incidence and degree of burnout among nurses (Schmitz, Neumann Oppermann 2000), others produce evidence showing there is no correlat ion (Buunk, Ybema, Zee, Schaufeli Gibbons 2001). In the study conducted by Buunk et al (2001), it is being demonstrated that nurses working in high stress, specialised environments are less burned out than their counterparts working in those perceived as low stress environments. However, it should be noted that the participants for their research are nurses who have at least 10 years of working experience. They would have been able to handle their stress more efficiently and would have been less prone to burnout. Therefore, it can be argued that this research lost its reliability because the sample represents a group of generally healthy workers (Demerouti, Geurts, Bakker Euwema 2004:997). Moreover, the researchers also conducted a face-to-face interview with the participants. By the interview questions, the participants could infer that the researchers are interested to determine their stress related behaviour. Therefore, the sensitive nature of these questions would have inflict ed a response bias as participants do not want to be stigmatised as not being able to cope (Maslach, Jackson Leiter 1996). In more recent years, among the organisational stressors, workload as a contributing factor to burnout is more commonly reported and associated with the emotional aspect of the burnout syndrome (Greenglass, Burke Moore 2003, Lin, St John McVeigh 2009). Taris, Le Blanc, Schaufeli and Schreurs (2005) suggested that a high score on this single aspect of the burnout syndrome will be sufficient enough to predict burnout. Authors proposed that the 21st century health care reform has further intensified nurses workload. The work intensification studies in and around health care are providing convincing evidence on the extent to which efficiencies achieved by health care organisations are largely due to the increased workloads of nurses as a result of both staff reductions and increasing activity and patient complexity (Green 2004, Aiken, Clarke, Sloane Sochalski 2001). It is argued that increased workload will lead to increased stress and in turn leads to higher chances of burnout (Masla ch Leiter 2008). Therefore, it can be speculated that there should be widespread concomitant increase in reported severity of burnout due to the increased pressure on nurses. Nonetheless, the question remains as to why in the same situational conditions, some nurses burn out, whereas others show no syndrome. The most likely explanation is that causes of burnout are found in both the environment and the individual. Significant relationships between burnout and certain demographic characteristics have been reported but the results are still far from conclusive. The few socio-demographic variables most commonly being investigated are age, gender and marital status. In their study, Maslach, Schaufeli and Leiter (2001) reported that age has most consistently been related to burnout. Burnout has been observed more often among young workers than among those aged over 30 or 40 years and it seems to occur rather early in ones work career. Schaufeli and Greenglass (2001) accounted that regarding gender differences in burnout, results are mixed and may reflect difference in roles or occupations. Maslach et al (2001) found that emotional exhaustion has usually been reported to be more common among women, whereas depersonalisation has been more common among men. Bakker, Demerouti and Schaufeli (2002) conducted a study in which a wide range of different occupations and organisations were recruited and answered through the internet, women reported higher levels of burnout than men did, particularly when they were relatively young or had relatively little work experience. However, the respondents were mostly men and rather young (Bakker et al 2002). Schaufeli and Enzmann (1998) with regard to marital status, those who are unmarried, especially men, appear to be more prone to burnout compared with those who are married. Singles seem to experience even higher burnout levels than those who are divorced. Personality characteristics as the psychological aspects of individual variables were explored as an important variable in the burnout process in a number of investigations (Simoni Paterson 1997, Allen Mellor 2002, Bà ¼hler Land 2003). However, the specific features of personality that affect the perception of burnout remain unclear. Garrosa, Moreno-Jimà ©nez, Liang and Gonzà ¡lez (2008) proposed a model of prediction of burnout in nursing and they reported that their findings give support that personality factors are significant predictors of the three aspects of burnout. But the authors were not clear on which personality characteristics were investigated. Allen et al (2002) and Zellars, Perrewà © and Hochwarter (2000) reported that neuroticism is associated with the emotional exhaustion aspect of burnout and external locus of control also demonstrated positive relationship with burnout. However, Bà ¼hler et al (2003) and Toscano and Ponterdolph (1998) reported that finding s are mixed for hardiness. Interestingly, more recent studies indentified leadership as a factor related to burnout (Kanste, Kyngà ¤s Nikkilà ¤ 2007, Corrigan, Diwan, Campion Rashid 2002). Leadership issues did not appear as a noteworthy factor related to burnout in earlier studies, even though it had been discussed some twenty years ago by Bass (1985). Nonetheless, leadership issues cannot be considered as new, but rather they appear to have increased in relative significance. Weber (2007) articulated that the increasing calls over the last decade for considering leadership as a related factor of burnout is particularly because of the chronic recruitment and retention issues confronting the nursing profession. There is also a rich source of comment on the impact of health care reform on nurses and nursing in the health care sector research literature (Aiken et al 2001). In a study conducted by Laschinger and Leiter (2006), their findings also support the key role of strong nursing leadership in creating c onditions for work engagement and ultimately, safe, high-quality patient care. Demerouti, Bakker, Nachreiner and Schaufeli (2000), in their proposed model of burnout and life satisfaction amongst nurses, identified that an individuals engagement with their work will predict a degree of low burnout. However, Stordeur, Dhoore and Vandenberghe (2001) warned that if leaders are too tyrannical and control-oriented, their leadership could exacerbate the burnout process. Among the different types of leadership, transformational leadership has been most commonly proposed and viewed as a buffer which moderates the impact of burnout (Stordeur et al 2001). Transformational leaders are visionary, balanced, self-aware and confident of breaking existing professional boundaries (Stordeur et al 2001). Nonetheless, findings from the study by Stordeur et al (2001) have to be viewed with cautious. This is because they only attempted to measure the relationship between leadership and the emotional aspects of the burnout syndrome. The other two dimensions, depersonalisation and lack of personal accomplishment were not measured. Further studies would have to be taken to establish implicit links between leadership and burnout. Ulrich, Buerhaus, Donelan, Norman Dittus (2005) found that effective control over practice resulted in increased status, respect and recognition. Hochwà ¤lder (2008) further emphasised that through a chain reaction, transformational leadersh ip style engenders group cohesion and empowerment in nurses and hence it has been found that transformational leadership is inversely correlated with burnout in nurses. Discussions Past research on burnout in Singapore is generally anecdotal in nature (Tung 2000). Others attempt to investigate the nurses stress level and their association with the psychological well-being and several work-related outcomes such as job satisfaction, organisational commitment, intention to quit and job-induced tension (Boey et al 1997, Lim et al 1998). In a study on stress among nurses in the emergency department in Singapore, Lateef, Ng and Anatharaman (2001) reported that the nurses who are older, have more working experiences and hold higher positional post had lower stress scores as compared to those who are younger, have less working experience and have lower positional post. However, the authors did not proffer insights to explain these observable facts. While such research gives indication that there is a high level of stress in the nurses in Singapore, it cannot be implied that there would be a high degree of burnout in these nurses. While it is clear that stress results i n burnout among some individuals, also apparent, yet not explained by the empirical evidence is the fact that others faced with high levels of stress do not experience burnout. Therefore an implicit relationship of high level of stress and high degree of burnout cannot be deduced because there is evidence of high stress being associated with low burnout (Bunnk et al 2001). Therefore, studies on burnout have to be conducted to investigate the burnout phenomenon among the nurses in Singapore. For the time being, it could only be speculated that nurses in Singapore are at risk of developing burnout. From the findings, it is shown that nursing burnout appears to be the result of not only contextual factors but also individual factors. Results from the studies on the socio-demographic variables and personality characteristics are weak and ambiguous. Only age has been identified as a relatively good correlate to burnout, with younger nurses being more susceptible. It would be reasonable to believe that younger nurses are more at risk to burnout because they have to move from a familiar educational environment into the workforce where there are high expectations of them to rapidly function as a competent nurse (Schaufeli et al 1998). As a result, they experience challenges transitioning from student to practicing professional nurse (Godinez, Schweiger, Gruver Ryan 1999). Transformational leadership could result in low burnout. It is important to note that low degree of burnout represents a positive psychological state and an effective state of well-being (de Rijk, Le Blanc, Schaufeli de Jonge 1998). In the emerging literature, there is a shift from the traditional focus on weaknesses and malfunctioning toward understanding human strength and optimum functioning at work (Gustafsson Strandberg 2009). Conceiving of low burnout as wellness makes a contribution to the literature because it focuses on the positive aspects of work. Positive research has the potential to improve the image of nursing and attract a new generation to the profession. It also have implications for identifying and modifying possible areas of frustration that would result in burnout and thus help relieve the high costs of turnover by improving nurse retention (Teng, Shyu Chang 2007). The major contribution of such an approach is that it enhances the understanding of how the mana gement of the health care organisational can affect nurses well-being. This knowledge is essential for the future development and well-being of all nurses and the profession of nursing. Research implications Current research focuses on examining the burnout phenomenon in acute settings and their findings have presented evidence that the level of burnout might not be influenced by different clinical settings. Therefore, future studies should move beyond the acute care settings to better understand the burnout phenomenon. Except for one, all authors of the research used for this literature review utilised cross-sectional methodology, therefore, casual relationships cannot be made from their results. Their findings also cannot be generalised in another milieu. Longitudinal research is required in order to enhance the understanding of the burnout process. Maslach et al (1981) had pointed out that longitudinal research although presents a large challenge, it is of critical importance for the comprehension of burnout. Future longitudinal examinations should establish a profile of the nurses at the beginning of their employment then follow up over a longer period of time in correlation with burnout status and the related factors influencing the development of the burnout process (Ekstedt Fagerberg 2005). For all of the studies used for this literature review, the data are collected using self-reports from the participants. Many authors warned that self-reported data might be contaminated by common method variance, because both the independent and dependent variables are based upon one source of information which is the participants (Demerouti et al 2000). Therefore, future research should also utilised objective means for collecting the result findings. Conclusion The concept of burnout has sustained the interest of nurses and researchers for several decades. Despite the large amount of studies done in attempt to investigate and predict the related factors of burnout, no conclusive data could be drawn. This is because the health care system is in constant change. The factors that relate to burnout will present different relative significance with the changes. Notwithstanding this, the related factors to burnout could generally be classified as both organisational and personal related. Therefore, to base practice, burnout intervention programmes should be multidimensional consisting of work-related as well as personal directed approaches.

Temporal Becoming and the A- and B- Theories of Time :: Philosophy Philosophical Time Papers

Temporal Becoming and the A- and B- Theories of Time It is interesting to note that many of Saint Augustine's concerns about time around 400AD are the same as we have today. For example, Augustine was puzzled about the nature of the distinction between the past, the present and the future. He was also concerned about the nature and status of the apparent flow of time. In this essay we will consider a much more recent approach to time that came to the fore in the twentieth century. In 1908 James McTaggart published an article in Mind entitled 'The Unreality of Time', in which, as the title implies, he argued that there is in reality no such thing as time. Now although this claim was in itself startling, probably what was even more significant than McTaggart's arguments was his way of stating them. It was in this paper that McTaggart first drew his now standard distinction between two ways of saying when things happen. In this essay we shall outline these ways of describing events and then discuss the merits and demerits of each, and examine what has become known as the 'tensed versus tenseless' debate on temporal becoming. One way which we speak, experience and conceive of time is that time is something that flows or passes from the future to the present and from the present to the past. When viewed in this way, events which are present have a special existential status. Whatever may be the case with regard to the reality or unreality of events in the future and the past, events that are in the present exist with a capital 'E'. It can then be postulated that it is the 'present' or 'now' that shifts to even later times. If events in time (or moments of time) are conceived in terms of past, present and future, or by means of the tenses, then they form what McTaggart called the A-series (from which the A-theory of time is derived). This type of change is commonly referred to as 'temporal becoming', and gives rise to well known perplexities concerning both what does the shifting and the type of shift involved, which we will discuss later. On the other hand, we experience events in time as occurring in succession, one after another, and as simultaneous with other events. When viewed in this way, events stand in various different temporal relations to each other but no one event, or set of events, is singled out as having the property of being present or as occurring 'now'.

The Graphic Novels: Maus, Persepolis, Fun Home, and Barefoot Gen Essay

The super-genre of what collectively can be called ‘comics’ represents a cultural phenomenon which has exploded in the last fifty-plus years onto the public scene. Evolving from newspaper strip comics to superhero stories in paperback periodicals, the world of comics spread further and further into public appeal. With the publication of Art Spiegelman’s Maus, however, comics opened the door onto a world of possibilities. After Maus received high acclaim, despite its academic taboo as a medium, many more historical-commentary graphic novels found their way into the public eye: Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis, Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home, Keiji Nakazawa’s Barefoot Gen, and a legion of others. Taken together, this new sub-genre of the super-genre provides a personal glimpse into many historically tragic, enlightening, or revolutionary events. These historic-autobiographic stories can effectively introduce people, whether students in a classroom or a curious independent reader searching for truth, to history, because of the format, the popularity of the historical events they encircle, the relatable personal perspective, and the groundbreaking, attention-amassing approval they enjoy. While graphic novels such as Maus, Persepolis, Fun Home, and Barefoot Gen may differ greatly in content, the format of conveying a story of novel-length complexity through sequential art consolidates all these titles into one sub-genre. These graphic novels would effectively represent history in a classroom setting (besides a personal, individual enjoyment) due to the changed demographic of students in high schools and colleges in the United States (if not throughout the world). With the advent of the Internet and the popularity of the television and video... ...tting within significant historical periods, and relatable, personal point of view, historic-autobiographic novels effectively represent historical events. The next step toward gaining academic respect requires proving their efficacy to scholars both of history and of literature. Once these works secure an educational following similar to the public fanbase, perhaps history classes and interdisciplinary venues may begin incorporating the graphic novel into their reading lists. Until then, the usefulness of Maus or Barefoot Gen as commentaries on World War II, Fun Home on homosexuality and the Sexual Revolution, and Persepolis on the Iranian revolution must be enjoyed purely from an individual standpoint. Works Cited "Your Right-Brained Visual Learner." Time 4 Learning. Time 4 Learning, Web. 6 Oct 2009. . The Graphic Novels: Maus, Persepolis, Fun Home, and Barefoot Gen Essay The super-genre of what collectively can be called ‘comics’ represents a cultural phenomenon which has exploded in the last fifty-plus years onto the public scene. Evolving from newspaper strip comics to superhero stories in paperback periodicals, the world of comics spread further and further into public appeal. With the publication of Art Spiegelman’s Maus, however, comics opened the door onto a world of possibilities. After Maus received high acclaim, despite its academic taboo as a medium, many more historical-commentary graphic novels found their way into the public eye: Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis, Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home, Keiji Nakazawa’s Barefoot Gen, and a legion of others. Taken together, this new sub-genre of the super-genre provides a personal glimpse into many historically tragic, enlightening, or revolutionary events. These historic-autobiographic stories can effectively introduce people, whether students in a classroom or a curious independent reader searching for truth, to history, because of the format, the popularity of the historical events they encircle, the relatable personal perspective, and the groundbreaking, attention-amassing approval they enjoy. While graphic novels such as Maus, Persepolis, Fun Home, and Barefoot Gen may differ greatly in content, the format of conveying a story of novel-length complexity through sequential art consolidates all these titles into one sub-genre. These graphic novels would effectively represent history in a classroom setting (besides a personal, individual enjoyment) due to the changed demographic of students in high schools and colleges in the United States (if not throughout the world). With the advent of the Internet and the popularity of the television and video... ...tting within significant historical periods, and relatable, personal point of view, historic-autobiographic novels effectively represent historical events. The next step toward gaining academic respect requires proving their efficacy to scholars both of history and of literature. Once these works secure an educational following similar to the public fanbase, perhaps history classes and interdisciplinary venues may begin incorporating the graphic novel into their reading lists. Until then, the usefulness of Maus or Barefoot Gen as commentaries on World War II, Fun Home on homosexuality and the Sexual Revolution, and Persepolis on the Iranian revolution must be enjoyed purely from an individual standpoint. Works Cited "Your Right-Brained Visual Learner." Time 4 Learning. Time 4 Learning, Web. 6 Oct 2009. .

Women of the Iliad :: Homer Women Iliad

Women of the Iliad In the Iliad we saw women as items of exchange and as markers of status for the men who possessed them (Chryseis and Briseis, whom Agame mnon and Achilles argue over in Book I). We saw them in their normal social roles as mothers and wives (Hecuba, Andromache in Book VI). We saw stereotypical characterizations of them as fickle (Helen in Book VI), seductive, and deceitful (Hera in Book XIV). We see them as an obstacle that the male hero has to overcome or resist to fulfill his heroic destiny (Andromache's entreaties to Hector in Book VI). In all, the few times women show up in what is basically a story told in the male sphere, the story is nothing that subverts or calls into question the structure of the society that is being portrayed... or is there? To the extent that the Iliad has a moral lesson to impart to its readers, part of it would have to be that the behavior of Agam emnon and Achilles in the first book (and beyond) is excessive. Both men are so fixated on their own images as heroic warriors that they end up bringing woe upon themselves and the rest of the Greeks. Part of that behavior is the way they treat the wome n not as human beings but as emblems of their own status and martial prowess. Look carefully at what Agamemnon says to the prophet who declared that he had to give back Chryseis (Page 62): Now once more you make divination to the Dana ans, argue forth your reason why he who strikes from afar afflicts them, because I for the sake of the girl Chryseis would not take the shining ransom; and indeed I wish greatly to have her in my own house; since I like her be tter than Klytaimestra my own wife, for in truth she is no way inferior To those who already knew the stories of the Trojan War heroes (which all of the original Greek audience of the epic would), these words would be ominous ones. They would know that Agamemnon had angered hi s wife Klytaimestra (Clytemnestra),

Spirit Bound Chapter Seven

â€Å"NOT WITH YOUR TEETH,† I added hastily. â€Å"Throw yourself at me. Swing your shackles. Whatever you can do.† Victor Dashkov was not a stupid man. Others might have hesitated or asked more questions. He did not. He might not know exactly what was going on, but he sensed that this was a shot at freedom. Possibly the only one he'd ever get. He was someone who had spent a large part of his life masterminding complicated plots, so he was a pro at slipping right into them. Holding his hands up as much as he could manage, he lunged at me, making a good show of trying to choke me with the chain between his cuffs. As he did, I gave a bloodcurdling shriek. In an instant, the guardians were there to stop this crazy prisoner who was senselessly attacking a poor girl. But as they reached to subdue him, I leapt up and attacked them. Even if they'd expected me to be dangerous–and they hadn't–I had so much surprise on them that they had no time to react. I almost felt bad at how unfair it was to them. I punched the first hard enough that he lost his grip on Victor and flew backward, hitting the wall near Lissa as she frantically compelled Northwood to stay calm and not call anyone in the midst of this chaos. The other guardian had slightly more time to react, but he was still slow in letting go of Victor and turning on me. I used the opening and got a punch in, forcing the two of us into a grappling match. He was big and formidable, and once he deemed me a threat, he didn't hold back. A blow to my shoulder sent shooting pain through my arm, and I responded with a swift knee in his stomach. Meanwhile, his counterpart was on his feet heading toward us. I had to end this fast, not only for my own sake but also because they would undoubtedly call for backup if given a moment's chance. I grabbed the one closest to me and pushed him as hard as I could into a wall–headfirst. He staggered, dazed, and I did it again, just as his partner reached me. That first guardian slumped to the ground, unconscious. I hated doing that, but part of my training had been learning to differentiate between incapacitating and killing. He should only have a headache. I hoped. The other guardian was very much on the offensive, however, and he and I circled each other, getting in some shots and dodging others. â€Å"I can't knock him out!† I called to Lissa. â€Å"We need him. Compel him.† Her response came through the bond. She could compel two people at the same time, but it took a lot of strength. We weren't out of this yet, and she couldn't risk burning herself out so soon. Frustration replaced fear within her. â€Å"Northwood, go to sleep,† she barked. â€Å"Right there. On your desk. You're exhausted and will sleep for hours.† Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Northwood slump, his head hitting the desk with a thump. Everyone who worked here would have a concussion by the time we were through. I threw myself at the guardian then, using my full weight to get him within Lissa's line of sight. She pushed her way into our fight. He glanced at her in surprise, and that was all she needed. â€Å"Stop!† He didn't respond as quickly as Northwood, but he did hesitate. This guy was more resistant. â€Å"Stop fighting!† she repeated more forcefully, intensifying her will. Strong or not, he couldn't stand against that much spirit. His arms fell to his sides, and he stopped wrestling me. I stepped back to catch my breath, straightening my wig back into place. â€Å"Holding this one's going to be hard,† Lissa told me. â€Å"Hard as in five minutes or five hours?† â€Å"Somewhere in the middle.† â€Å"Then let's move. Get Victor's key from him.† She demanded the guardian give her the key for the shackles. He told us the other guardian had it. Sure enough, I frisked the unconscious body–he was breathing steadily, thank God–and retrieved the key. Now I turned my full attention on Victor. Once the fight had started, he'd stepped out of the way and simply observed quietly while all sorts of new possibilities undoubtedly formed in his twisted mind. I approached and put on my â€Å"scary face† as I held up the key. â€Å"I'm going to unlock your cuffs now,† I told him, in a voice both sweet and menacing. â€Å"You're going to do exactly what we tell you to do. You're not going to run, start a fight, or in any way interfere with our plans.† â€Å"Oh? Are you using compulsion nowadays too, Rose?† he asked dryly. â€Å"I don't need it.† I unlocked the shackles. â€Å"I can render you unconscious as easily as that guy and drag you out. Makes no difference to me.† The heavy cuffs and chains fell to the floor. That sly, smug look stayed on his face, but his hands gently touched each wrist. I noticed then that there were welts and bruises on them. Those shackles weren't meant for comfort, but I refused to feel sorry for him. He glanced back up at us. â€Å"How charming,† he mused. â€Å"Out of all the people who would attempt to rescue me, I never would have expected you two†¦ and yet, in retrospect, you're probably the most capable.† â€Å"We don't need your running commentary, Hannibal,† I snapped. â€Å"And don't use the word rescue. It makes it sound like you're some wrongfully imprisoned hero.† He arched an eyebrow, like he believed that might indeed be the case. Instead of disputing me, he nodded toward Bradley, who had actually slept through the fight. In his drugged state, Lissa's compulsion had been more than enough to knock him out. â€Å"Give him to me,† said Victor. â€Å"What?† I exclaimed. â€Å"We don't have time for this!† â€Å"And I have no strength for whatever you have in mind,† hissed Victor. That pleasant and all-knowing mask vanished, replaced by one vicious and desperate. â€Å"Imprisonment involves more than bars, Rose. They starve us of food and blood, trying to keep us weak. Walking here is the only exercise I get, and that's effort enough. Unless you really do plan on dragging me out of here, give me blood!† Lissa interrupted any response I could make. â€Å"Be fast.† I stared at her in astonishment. I'd been about to deny Victor, but through the bond I felt an odd mix of feelings from her. Compassion and†¦ understanding. Oh, she still hated him, absolutely. But she also knew what it was like to live on limited blood. Mercifully, Victor was fast. His mouth was at the human's neck practically before Lissa finished speaking. Dazed or no, feeling teeth in his neck was enough to wake Bradley up. He woke with a start, his face soon moving into the delight feeders took from vampire endorphins. A short burst of blood was all Victor would need, but when Bradley's eyes started to go wide in surprise, I realized Victor was taking more than a quick drink. I leapt forward and jerked Victor away from the scattered feeder. â€Å"What the hell are you doing?† I demanded, shaking Victor hard. It was something I'd wanted to do for a long time. â€Å"Did you think you could drain him and become Strigoi right in front of us?† â€Å"Hardly,† said Victor, wincing at the grip I had on him. â€Å"That's not what he was doing,† said Lissa. â€Å"He just lost control for a second.† His bloodlust satisfied, Victor's smooth demeanor had returned. â€Å"Ah, Vasilisa. Always so understanding.† â€Å"Don't make any assumptions,† she growled. I shot glares at both of them. â€Å"We have to go. Now.† I turned to the compelled guardian. â€Å"Take us to the room where they monitor all security footage.† He didn't respond to me, and with a sigh, I looked expectantly at Lissa. She repeated my question, and he immediately began to leave the room. My adrenaline was running high from the fight, and I was anxious to finish all of this and get us out of here. Through the bond, I sensed her nervousness. She might have defended Victor's need for blood, but as we walked, she kept as far away from him as possible. The stark realization of who he was and what we were doing was creeping up on her. I wished I could comfort her, but there was no time. We followed the guardian–Lissa asked his name; it was Giovanni–through more halls and security checkpoints. The route he led us on went around the prison's edge, not through the cells. I held my breath almost the entire time, terrified we'd run into someone. Too many other factors were working against us; we didn't need that too. Our luck held, though, and we ran into no one–again probably a result of doing this near the end of the night and not passing through a high-security zone. Lissa and Mia had gotten the Court guardian to erase the security footage there too, but I hadn't witnessed it. Now, when Giovanni led us into the prison's surveillance room, I couldn't help a small gasp. Monitors covered the walls, and consoles with complex buttons and switches sat in front of them. Computer-covered desks were everywhere. I felt like this room had the power to blast off into space. Everything in the prison was in view: each cell, several halls, and even the warden's office, where Eddie sat making small talk with Theo. Two other guardians were in here, and I wondered if they'd seen us in the halls. But no–they were too fixated on something else: a camera that had been turned to face a blank wall. It was the one I'd adjusted in the feeding room. They were leaning toward it, and one of them was saying how they should call someone to check down there. Then they both looked up and noticed us. â€Å"Help her subdue them,† Lissa ordered Giovanni. Again, there was hesitation. We would have been better off with a â€Å"helper† with a weaker will, but Lissa had had no idea when she chose him. Like before, he eventually sprang into action. Also like before, surprise went a long way in subduing these two guardians. I was a stranger–immediately raising their guard–but still appeared as human. Giovanni was their coworker; they didn't expect an attack from him. That didn't make them easy to take down, though. Having backup went a long way, and Giovanni was good at his job. We rendered one guardian unconscious pretty quickly, Giovanni using a choke hold to briefly cut off the guy's air until he collapsed. The other guard kept his distance from us, and I noticed his eyes continually shifting toward one of the walls. It had a fire extinguisher, a light switch, and a round silver button. â€Å"That's an alarm!† exclaimed Victor, just as the guardian lunged for it. Giovanni and I tackled him at the same time, stopping the guy just before his hand could brush the button and send a legion of guards down on us. A blow to the head knocked this guardian out too. With each person I took out in this prison break, a knot of guilt and nausea twisted tighter and tighter in my stomach. Guardians were the good guys, and I couldn't help but keep thinking I was fighting on the side of evil. Now that we were left to ourselves, Lissa knew the next step. â€Å"Giovanni, disable all the cameras and erase the last hour's worth of footage.† There was a greater hesitation on his part this time. Getting him to fight his friends had required a lot of forceful compulsion on her part. She was keeping her control but growing weary, and it was only going to get harder making him obey our commands. â€Å"Do it,† growled Victor, coming to stand beside Lissa. She flinched at his proximity, but as his gaze joined hers, Giovanni complied with the order and began flipping switches on the consoles. Victor couldn't match Lissa's power by a long shot, but his small burst of compulsion had strengthened hers. One by one, the monitors went black, and then Giovanni typed in a few commands on the computer that stored digital footage from the cameras. Red error lights were flashing on the consoles, but there was no one here now to fix them. â€Å"Even if he erases it, there are those who might be able to recover it from the hard drive,† noted Victor. â€Å"It's a chance we'll have to take,† I said irritably. â€Å"Reprogramming or whatever isn't really in my skill set.† Victor rolled his eyes. â€Å"Perhaps, but destruction certainly is.† It took me a moment to get what he meant, but then it clicked. With a sigh, I grabbed the fire extinguisher from the wall and beat the computer to a pulp until it was nothing more than a pile of plastic and metal fragments. Lissa winced at each blow and kept glancing at the door. â€Å"I hope that's soundproof,† she muttered. â€Å"It looks sturdy,† I said confidently. â€Å"And now it's time to go.† Lissa ordered Giovanni to return us to the warden's office at the front of the prison. He complied, leading us back through the maze we'd gone through earlier. His codes and security card got us through each checkpoint. â€Å"I don't suppose you can compel Theo into letting us walk out?† I asked Lissa. Her mouth was set in a grim line. She shook her head. â€Å"I don't even know how much longer I can hold Giovanni. I've never used someone as a puppet before.† â€Å"It's okay,† I said, trying to reassure both of us. â€Å"We're almost done with this.† But we were going to have another fight on our hands. After beating up half the Strigoi in Russia, I still felt good about my own strength, but that guilty feeling wouldn't leave me. And if we ran into a dozen guardians, even my strength wasn't going to hold. I'd lost my bearings from the blueprint, but it turned out that Giovanni's route back to the main office was taking us through a block of cells after all. Another sign read overhead WARNING–NOW ENTERING PRISONER AREA (PSYCHIATRIC). â€Å"Psychiatric?† I asked in surprise. â€Å"Of course,† murmured Victor. â€Å"Where else do you think they send prisoners with mental problems?† â€Å"To hospitals,† I responded, holding back a joke about all criminals having mental problems. â€Å"Well, that's not always–â€Å" â€Å"Stop!† Lissa interrupted him and came to an abrupt halt before the door. The rest of us nearly walked into her. She jerked away, taking several steps back. â€Å"What's wrong?† I asked. She turned to Giovanni. â€Å"Find another way to the office.† â€Å"This is the fastest way,† he argued. Lissa slowly shook her head. â€Å"I don't care. Find another, one where we won't run into others.† He frowned, but her compulsion held. He abruptly turned, and we scurried to keep up. â€Å"What's wrong?† I repeated. Lissa's mind was too tangled for me to pull out her reasoning. She grimaced. â€Å"I felt spirit auras behind there.† â€Å"What? How many?† â€Å"At least two. I don't know if they sensed me or not.† If not for Giovanni's clip and the urgency pressing on us, I would have come to a stop. â€Å"Spirit users†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Lissa had looked so long and hard for others like her. Who'd have thought we'd find them here? Actually†¦ maybe we should have expected this. We knew spirit users danced with insanity. Why wouldn't they end up in a place like this? And considering the trouble we'd gone through to learn about the prison, it was no wonder these spirit users had remained hidden. I doubted anyone working here even knew what they were. Lissa and I exchanged brief glances. I knew how badly she wanted to investigate this, but now wasn't the time. Victor already looked too interested in what we'd said, so Lissa's next words were in my head: I'm pretty sure any spirit users would see through my charms. We can't risk our real descriptions being discovered–even if they came from people who are allegedly crazy. I nodded my understanding, pushing aside curiosity and even regret. We'd have to check into this another time–say, like, the next time we decided to break into a maximum-security prison. We finally reached Theo's office without further incident, though my heart pounded furiously the entire way as my brain kept telling me, Go! Go! Go! Theo and Eddie were chatting Court politics when our group entered. Eddie immediately leapt up and went for Theo, recognizing it was time to go. He had Theo in a choke hold as efficiently as Giovanni had managed earlier, and I was glad someone else was doing this dirty work besides me. Unfortunately, Theo managed a good yelp before passing out and falling to the ground. Immediately, the two guardians who had escorted us in earlier charged the office. Eddie and I jumped into the fray, and Lissa and Victor got Giovanni in on it too. To make things more difficult, just after we subdued one of the guardians, Giovanni broke out of the compulsion and began fighting against us. Worse, he ran to the wall where I discovered–too late–there was another silver alarm button. He slammed his fist against it, and a piercing wail filled the air. â€Å"Shit!† I yelled. Lissa's skills weren't in physical fighting, and Victor wasn't much better. It was all on me and Eddie to finish these last two–and we had to do it fast. The second of the escort guardians went down, and then it was just us and Giovanni. He got a good hit in on me–one that knocked my head against the wall. It wasn't good enough to make me pass out, but the world spun and black and white spots danced before my eyes. It froze me up for a moment, but then Eddie was on him, and Giovanni was soon no longer a threat. Eddie took my arm to steady me, and then the four of us immediately ran out of the room. I glanced back at the unconscious bodies, again hating myself for it. There was no time for guilt, though. We had to get out. Now. Every guardian in this prison would be here in less than a minute. Our group ran to the front doors, only to discover them locked from the inside. Eddie swore and told us to wait. He ran back to Theo's office and returned with one of the security cards that Giovanni had often swiped at the doors. Sure enough, this one let us out, and we made a mad dash for the rental car. We piled in, and I was glad Victor kept up with all of us and made none of his annoying comments. Eddie stepped on the gas and headed back toward the way we'd come in. I sat beside him in the front. â€Å"I guarantee the gate guy's going to know about the alarm,† I warned. Our original hope had been to simply leave and tell him there'd been a paperwork mix-up after all. â€Å"Yup,† Eddie agreed, face hard. Sure enough, the guardian stepped out of his gatehouse, arms waving. â€Å"Is that a gun?† I exclaimed. â€Å"I'm not stopping to find out.† Eddie pushed hard on the gas, and when the guardian realized we were coming through regardless, he jumped out of the way. We crashed through the wooden arm that blocked the road, leaving it a mess of splinters. â€Å"Bud's gonna keep our deposit,† I said. Behind us, I heard the sounds of gunshots. Eddie swore again, but as we sped away, the shots grew fainter, and soon, we were out of range. He exhaled. â€Å"If those had hit our tires or windows, we'd have had a lot more to worry about than a deposit.† â€Å"They're going to send people after us,† said Victor from the backseat. Once again, Lissa had moved as far from him as she could. â€Å"Trucks are probably leaving right now.† â€Å"You don't think we guessed that?† I snapped. I knew he was trying to be helpful, but he was the last person I wanted to hear from at the moment. Even as I spoke, I peered back and saw the dark shapes of two vehicles speeding down the road after us. They were gaining quickly, leaving no question that the SUVs would soon catch up to our little compact car. I looked at our GPS. â€Å"We need to turn soon,† I warned Eddie, not that he needed my advice. We'd mapped out an escape route beforehand, one that took lots and lots of twisty turns on these remote back roads. Fortunately, there were a lot of them. Eddie made a hard left and then almost an immediate right. Still, the pursuing vehicles stayed with us in the rearview mirror. It wasn't until a few turns later that the road behind us stayed clear. Tense silence filled the car as we waited for the guardians to catch up. They didn't. We'd made too many confusing turns, but it took nearly ten minutes for me to accept that we might have actually pulled this off. â€Å"I think we lost them,† said Eddie, the wonder in his voice matching my feelings. His face was still lined with worry, his hands gripping the wheel hard. â€Å"We won't lose them until we clear Fairbanks,† I said. â€Å"I'm sure they'll search it, and it's not that big.† â€Å"Where are we going?† asked Victor. â€Å"If I'm allowed to ask.† I squirmed around in my seat so that I could look him in the eye. â€Å"That's what you're going to tell us. As hard as it is to believe, we didn't do all that just because we missed your pleasant company.† â€Å"That is hard to believe.† I narrowed my eyes. â€Å"We want to find your brother. Robert Doru.† I had the satisfaction of momentarily catching Victor off guard. Then his sly look returned. â€Å"Of course. This is a follow-up to Abe Mazur's request, isn't it? I should have known he wouldn't take no for an answer. Of course, I never would have guessed you were in league with him.† Victor apparently didn't know I was actually in the familial league with Abe, and I wasn't about to enlighten him. â€Å"Irrelevant,† I said coldly. â€Å"Now, you're going to take us to Robert. Where is he?† â€Å"You forget, Rose,† mused Victor. â€Å"You aren't the one with compulsion here.† â€Å"No, but I am the one who can tie you up by the side of the road and make an anonymous call back to the prison with your whereabouts.† â€Å"How do I know you won't get what you want from me and then turn me back in anyway?† he asked. â€Å"I have no reason to trust you.† â€Å"You're right. I sure as hell wouldn't trust me. But if things work out, there's a chance we might let you go afterward.† No, there really wasn't. â€Å"Is this something you want to gamble on? You'll never get another opportunity like this, and you know it.† Victor had no witty quip for that. Score another one for me. â€Å"So,† I continued, â€Å"are you going to take us to him or not?† Thoughts I couldn't read churned behind his eyes. No doubt he was scheming about how he could work this to his advantage, probably figuring out how to escape us before we even reached Robert. It was what I would have done. â€Å"Las Vegas,† Victor said at last. â€Å"We need to go to Las Vegas.†