The State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness

The State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) is an assessment program developed by many stakeholders in the education sector for students who are in the third grade to grade eight before they have entered high school.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on The State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This program is replaces the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS). In order to conform to the national and international assessment standards, the state of Texas has developed texts which are standardized. They are of two categories and they include the criterion referenced and the norm referenced. This paper helps to explain the validity of the test, its purpose and its effect on the funding mechanism to other districts. There are many reasons as to why the test is replacing the other tests. To begin with, the other tests are norm referenced. This means tha t they compare the performance of a specific student against other students. For instance, the student’s results are compared in three categories; above average, on average and below average depending on the number of students in the class. The performance of the student is thus limited to the classroom level at the expense of the other students who are in other schools. This also locks many students out of high school opportunities due to poor performance in their specific schools. In addition, many schools in Texas are not fully prepared to enter middle level schools due to the poor examination standards (Texas test prep practice test book, 2011). Secondly, the main purpose of having STAAR is to ensure that the student’s performance has been compared against a standard. Being a criterion based examination, STAAR holds each student accountable for failing to meet the accepted standard. The test is also meant to ensure that the student’s performance has been tes ted against the available standards of the curriculum. It thus replaces the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for each grade. The Texas Education Agency planned to ensure that by the year 2030 every state will have reviewed its standards in order to determine the assessed objectives. Many people such as parents and teachers are opposed to the STAAR tests with reasons such as that the students may fail the examinations because they are harder than the TAKS. The parents are on the other hand oblivious of the fact that the examinations will be of high standards.Advertising Looking for report on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The purpose for having achieved this standard is to ensure that the student’s performance has been compared against the general standards of the state. Moreover, the STAAR will be more rigorous and standard than any other test in the history of Texas. The examinations will be base d on accountability system for the students and the teachers to test whether the students have accomplished a specific task (Bessette, 2011). Career and college readiness is also the other objective making of the STAAR. Although the focus of the other tests was ensuring that students passed the internal tests and that they were above average. These tests are different in that they test the student’s knowledge and skills and focus on preparing the students for the future. STAAR thus presents a comprehensive program which incorporates the internal standards of the state with the international standards of student preparedness. Although the committee for test preparation considered improvement of the standards, it also sought the chance to make education in Texas to be of high quality (Pugh, 2007). There are many changes which will be reviewed in the new programs for examination testing and these include the increased assessment for many grades. This will be done by increasing m ore useful and important items which will be used to ensure that the general skills and knowledge for the students has been tested. This kind of tests will also be of high standard than the TAKS due to the fact that more rigorous items will have been increased. Apparently, not only will the student’s performance be tested but the skill acquisition level will also be tested in this new tests. Higher level of competence will also be required so as to ensure that students pass these tests to their maximum requirements (Brown, 2010). There is also a general misconception that the STAAR funding will be higher than the TAKS but the reality is that the funding will be much reduced. This means that the other states will receive sufficient funds for their welfare and also ensure that there are enough resources to support the education sector. This is because the testing will be done for students who are grade 8 and this won’t be done in many times a year thus cutting down the i mminent costs of funding the educational activities. Furthermore, the committee has also proposed software which helps to mark the examination thus ensuring that the human labor is reduced when allocating marks for the students.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on The State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In order to have quality achievement as a goal in preparation of the STAAR, the Texas Educational Agency (TEA) has stated that the new tests will be longer and that they will require high level thinking than any other test in the history of education. There will be open ended questions which will give students a platform to answering without having to choose from specified choices. Proficiency of grammatical knowledge will thus help the students to answer the tests using their own knowledge as they have covered in the curriculum. In addition, there will be less time alloc ated for each question and this makes the tests tougher than even the TAKS (Pugh, 2007). There are many critics to the STAAR test starting with the teachers, students, parents and even the teachers unions. This is because they believe that the new tests will be the end of the course examinations which are done in the system of the TAKS. On the other hand, they do not understand that the examinations are based on the scores which are cumulative over the years from sophomores to upperclassmen who finish their eighth grades. Despite of the increasing criticism against the tests, all the stakeholders should be taught that the new examinations will help to improve the educational standards in Texas and increase student motivation as they bridge to colleges from high school (Brown, 2010). In conclusion, STAAR is a new examination program which has been developed by the Texas Educational Agency to replace the existing program- the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS). STAAR is a criterion based test and this means that the student’s performance are compared against the general education standards in Texas. Although STAAR are tougher than any other form of examination, they test the students on their college preparedness and also help to conform to the national and international standards. To sum up, the long term objective of the STAAR is career and college readiness. Reference List Bessette, Joseph M. (2011). American Government and Politics: Deliberation, Democracy and Citizenship, Texas Edition. Wadsworth Pub Co.Advertising Looking for report on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Brown, L. C. (2010). Practicing Texas politics. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Pugh, S. M. (2007). TAKS Texas high school social studies exit exam. Hauppauge, NY: Barron’s Educational Series.  Texas test prep practice test book: Grade 4. (2011). United States: Test Master Press. This report on The State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness was written and submitted by user Gerardo Campos to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Spend Your Money Wisely essays

Spend Your Money Wisely essays The United States has faced a very significant economic growth after the Second World War. At that time, war was finished, and the American soldiers were back to their homes. There were ready to make their future houses and start families. In other words, they started spending money in the market acquiring commodities and services rendered at that time. The country faced a population growth, -as they are refereed to baby boomers- production growth, and as a result an economic growth. Since then the spending attitude of the American individual was rising. Most of the producers have more than enough customers to buy their commodities in the market. The problem is, spending behavior is becoming worse. Who should we blame here? Is it the customers or the producers? To answer this question, I would like to examine the behaviors of consumers, and producers. Buyers in any society tend to spend more money on commodities that are necessary to life. However, the typical American consumer tends to be one of the highest spenders in the world. Most of the United States consumers save around 5% of his income where, on the other hand, Japanese; for example, have 15% or more of their income goes to their savings accounts. One of the problems that could relate to the spending behavior of the Americans is peer pressure. For example, an individual who buys a product or acquires a service can influence his or her friends to do the same thing. Another problem is self-esteem. Sometimes, people claim that the find their identity by buying more. They follow this equation: BUY MORE = SELF-ESTEEM + IDENTITY. When an individual finds that he/she dont have a specific product, he or she feels that it is important to buy it even if it is not that important thing to have. It is just greed, and to feel that a person can buy a product because others have it. Gr eed can be better seen in children. Children feel happy when they have more of what they want...

The Effects of Disasters on Turkeys Economic Development Term Paper

The Effects of Disasters on Turkeys Economic Development - Term Paper Example The country has an approximate population of 63million people, which is largely young and expanding. It is the largest in terms of landmass in the entire Western Europe region with its economy ranked as one of the largest emerging in the world at number sixteen. The World Bank recently rated the country’s economy among the ten promising ones that may join the top economies category of the world (World Bank 27). The country follows a liberal economic policy based on free market and international orientation principled and has maintained an average economic growth of more than 5% over the last two decades. The various sectors of the economy include industry, which is highly developed and the top driver of the economy with world –wide standards of production. It has several subsectors that include; iron and steel, glass and cement manufacture, sugar production, electronics and defence, agriculture machinery and inputs and textiles processing. The agriculture sector is also a leading foreign exchange earner besides making the country food reliant. It approximately accounts for up to 20% of the country’s GNP besides being one of the leading employers especially for the rural society. It was one of the hardest hit by the 1999 earthquakes leading to sharp decline in its contribution to the GDP, losing to the industrial sector.

Project Plan For Access Control System In a Dormitory Case Study

Project Plan For Access Control System In a Dormitory - Case Study Example There are following five major tasks that are required for installation of the ACS. It is assumed that the college has all the technical, electrical and mechanical human resources required for this project. Furthermore, it is also assumed that the college has already accurately met all the requirements mentioned above (Cowling, 2008). Planning The first task is the project planning from the initiation to the closure. In this task, the subtasks include development of project plan (given below), resource plan, financial plan, and quality plan. Procurement The second task of the project is to procure all the abovementioned equipment. The subtasks of the procurement include development of Request for Proposals (RFP), publishing RFP, meetings for evaluation of technical and financial proposals received from different bidders. The RFP will contain all the equipment and application software required for installation of ACS; in response, bidders/suppliers will submit their proposals. In order to evaluate the proposals of the bidders, meeting will be held both internally and with all the bidders. Installation All the procured equipment will be installed in the premises of the hostel. The first subtask includes installation of the access control equipment and the performance of related electrical and mechanical work. The second subtask will be the installation of computer software and hardware and the establishment of Local Area Network (LAN).... It is assumed that the college has all the technical, electrical and mechanical human resources required for this project. Furthermore, it is also assumed that the college has already accurately met all the requirements mentioned above (Cowling, 2008). Planning The first task is the project planning from the initiation to the closure. In this task, the subtasks include development of project plan (given below), resource plan, financial plan, and quality plan. Procurement The second task of the project is to procure all the abovementioned equipment. The subtasks of the procurement include development of Request for Proposals (RFP), publishing RFP, meetings for evaluation of technical and financial proposals received from different bidders. The RFP will contain all the equipment and application software required for installation of ACS; in response, bidders/suppliers will submit their proposals. In order to evaluate the proposals of the bidders, meeting will be held both internally and with all the bidders. Installation All the procured equipment will be installed in the premises of the hostel. The first subtask includes installation of the access control equipment and the performance of related electrical and mechanical work. The second subtask will be the installation of computer software and hardware and the establishment of Local Area Network (LAN). A configuration plan will be developed in order to customize/integrate the software application (Visitor Management System) with already/existing deployed software systems in the hostel. In order to establish a LAN, a network diagram/structure will be developed, defining network topology, Internet Protocol scheme, and cabling standards. Testing A thorough testing will be performed through operational and

The relationship between entrepreneurship, innovation and economic Essay

The relationship between entrepreneurship, innovation and economic development - Essay Example Introduction The 21st century corporate world is characterized by numerous business entities that are based on the suitability in their respective markets. Jones (2006) defines entrepreneurship as a way in which an organization or a person realizes a business opportunity, gathers resources and puts in place effective strategies and plans to launch their idea into making profit. Additionally, the author points out that entrepreneurship also involves detecting gaps in the market and using appropriate strategies to take advantage of the opportunity. Innovation refers to the ability of an organization to develop strategies and practices that would appreciate factors on globalization and technology. Innovation is a practice that recognizes technological advances and the benefits that comes with it to generate business opportunities and develop existing business ideas. In an argument by Jones innovation is an important factor in the corporate world as it is used to effectively put organiza tions is position in line with the current emerging trends in the corporate world. For instance, Cullen & Gordon (2007) cite that the use of social media marketing is an innovation example which most organizations in the modern century have implemented into their systems. With social media marketing a company greatly cuts its marketing costs and reaches out to a greater consumer population. Economic development on the other hand refers to the steps which the financial and economic status has improved in a particular period of time. Economic development is enhanced by the indulgence of more organizations and entrepreneurs in the corporate world. This increases the work input hence enhancing the level at which finances in a particular location is generated. Economic development is also defined by Nanda &Sorenson (2007) as the rate of equity turnover increase in a country. Apart from the factors influenced on the financial status, economic development can also be defined by the rate at which entrepreneurs venture into the corporate world. Entrepreneurial activity and its influence on innovation In an argument by Salgado-Banda (2005) entrepreneurial culture aids in the development of innovation and also promotes the culture. Innovation depends on people or organizations to develop new strategies and plans to venture into the market. On the other hand, entrepreneurship depends on innovation for originality and new market entrance. Jones (2005) argues that innovation significantly shapes the direction of both economic development and entrepreneurship. The greater the population of entrepreneurs the greater the level of innovation would rise in the corporate world. While defining entrepreneurship, Salgado-Banda (2005) points out that the vice is a development of ideas and creation of new market strategies. These are the main components of innovation. Additionally, entrepreneurship promotes competition and the emergence of new business entities in the market. An incre ase on the number of suppliers creates a need for every entity to gain a great competitive advantage. For this to be achieved, new entrances need to develop new and unique ideas to satisfy the demanding consumer market. This strive to gain superiority enhances the level of innovation (Salgado-Banda, 2005).The author further argues that innov

What is the marketing mix

What is the marketing mix What is the Marketing Mix The marketing mix of Product, Price, Promotion, and Place was introduced to marketing education by McCarthy (Yudelson 1999). First formulated as a pedagogical tool, the concept of the 4Ps represents a comprehensive way to describe the main tasks of marketing managers. (Goldsmith 1999). It is utilised to implement corporate planning after having researched and audited the marketing environment, identified and understood the customer, established a strategy and decided which market(s) or market segments to serve, or want to serve (Anonymous 2006). The Marketing Mix has its origins in the 60s: Neil Borden (1964) identified twelve controllable marketing elements that would result to a profitable business operation. Jerome McCarthy (1064) reduced Bordens factors to a simple four-element framework: Product, Price, Promotion and Place. Practitioners and academics embraced the Mix paradigm that soon became the established and essential element of marketing theory and operational marketing management. (Constantinides 2006) The 4Ps were a suitable framework for the 1960s environment which was characterised by profit making consumer manufacturing companies who were concerned with reaching their customers in an age of emerging mass media and national mass markets. (Anonymous 2006) Eventually the 4Ps of the marketing mix became an unquestionable paradigm in academic research, the validity of which was taken for granted. (Grà ¶nroos 1994). There are voices though from academics and researchers which shout that the Marketing Mix in the fo rm of the 4Ps is not able to face the latest marketing challenges. The components of the Mix Product Since its the consumers perception that should be the centre of product policy, the product should not be defined as just the set of its own physical properties. The perceptions are influenced by different parameters, such as any associated services, the image, the brand name, even the social and cultural connections, or the perception of its own differentiation from competition. A product is a mixture of tangible and intangible attributes, including functional, social and psychological utilities or benefits (Anonymous 2006). Price Price is the only revenue generating element of the marketing mix; the other elements consume resources. There are three basic pricing strategies that all organisations can pursue for existing products: pricing above the market (higher than similar competitve products), pricing below the market (lower than competition) and pricing at the market (almost at the price of competition) (Anonymous 2006). Promotion One long-term purpose of promotion is to influence and encourage buyers to accept or adopt goods, services and ideas. Potential buyers go through a psychological or behavioural process before purchasing a product. AIDA, which is an acronym for Attention, Interest, Desire and Action incorporates psychological processes: attention is a cognitive process, interest and desire are affective processes and action is a manifest behaviour process (Anonymous 2006). Place Place, or distribution strategy concerns the routes by which marketers of products and services can ensure that these reach their intended market. We normally refer to these routes as marketing channels, which include those intermediaries that products and services pass through from the point of production to the point of final use (Anonymous 2006). Criticism TQM and Relationships Management: Adaptation, not Revolution Yudelson (1999) identified six major marketing developments that challenged the 4Ps since the introduction of the Marketing Mix. Focus on the customer via the Marketing Concept (1960s); Broadening of marketing to include not-for-profits, services, causes, and even politics (1970s); Identification of the exchange transaction as the core of marketing (1970s); Introduction of Total Quality Management with its emphasis on customer satisfaction (1980s); Extension from transaction marketing to relationship marketing (1990s); Identification of the firm as a member of a complete value chain (1990s). Since the 80s, the definition of Product as anything offered is challenged due to the new perspective that organisations face: The success depends on the ability to transform satisfaction to delight. Customer satisfaction is identified as the new driving force, and that is one of the foundational ideas of TQM. Place is expanded to include the entire distribution system, which creates time and place utility and may incorporate specific systems such as just-in-time delivery as part of channel management. During the 1990s, another significant shift occurred. The role of relationships in the marketing activities of the organisation replaced the transaction perspective of earlier times. Price is no longer the amount of money paid to acquire a single Product but the lifetime costs associated with the acquisition, use, and ultimately disposal of the benefits attained during a period of time. Place is no longer just the point of exchange since that fails to communicate the interactions that occur as the product changes ownership and utility from conceptualisation to final disposal. Yudelson suggests that after nearly 40 years, the 4Ps need to let go because, as shown, the terminology has not managed to handle the challenges of developments in marketing thought and practice. However, no commonly agreed or satisfactory replacement has appeared and anyone who grew up on the concept of marketing mix (customers, marketing professionals and academics) would face significant dissonance if the key paradigm were dismissed. So, he suggests that the best strategy is Adaptation and not Revolution. His proposed adaptation focuses on the essential aspects of marketing as exchange driven behaviour, maintains the simplicity and familiarity of the 4Ps, recognises the concerns of past critics, and is capable of applying to both single instance transactions and long-term strategic relationships. Product should be redefined as all the benefits (present or anticipated) that the buyer or acquirer obtains from the exchange. It is recommended that Product be renamed as Performance to communicate the sense of benefit to the customer. Price should be redefined as everything that the acquirer gives up to obtain the benefits. It is suggested that we refer to the second P as Penalty to signify those things that the customer would have to give up or seek to minimize while obtaining the benefit or Performance associated with the exchange. Promotion should be redefined to include all of the information that is communicated between the parties to the transaction in keeping with the current thought on Integrated Marketing Communications. The purpose of the communication or information is to influence or encourage each party to enter into the transaction/ relationship. This is accomplished by providing information regarding the costs and benefits of the transaction-or better-the Perception of the Performance and Penalty. Place can be now defined as all that is done and required to facilitate or bring about the exchange and therefore, Yudelson proposes its redefinition as Process. Relationships Marketing A paradigm shift Grà ¶nroos (1994) believes that a paradigm shift is taking place in marketing. One of the main reasons lies beneath the nature of marketing mix. The marketing mix is a list of categories of marketing variables. A list never includes all relevant elements, it does not fit every situation, and it becomes obsolete. Moreover, the 4Ps represent an oversimplification of Bordens original concept, which was a list of 12 elements not intended to be a definition at all. This list would most probably have to be reconsidered in any given situation. Grà ¶nroos believes that McCarthy either misunderstood the meaning of Bordens marketing mix or his followers misunderstood McCarthys intentions. Probably Bordens original idea of a list of a large number of marketing mix ingredients that have to be reconsidered in every given situation was shortened for pedagogical reasons and a more limited number of marketing variables seemed to fit typical situations observed in the late 1950s and in the 1960s. T he 4Ps were never applicable to all markets and to all types of marketing situations. The development of alternative marketing theories (interaction/network approach to industrial marketing and the marketing of services, customer relationship economics) demonstrates that even from a management perspective, the marketing mix and its 4Ps became a problem. Gronroos concludes that in industrial marketing, services marketing, managing distribution channels and even consumer packaged goods marketing itself, a shift is clearly taking place from marketing to anonymous masses of customer to developing and managing relationships with more or less well-known or at least somehow identified customers. Other Reviews and Criticism Constantinides (2006) undertook a literature review on the status of Marketing Mix at the 21st century. He discovered that many researchers express serious doubts as to the role of the Mix as marketing management tool in its original form, proposing alternative approaches: adding new parameters to the original Mix (e.g. 7Ps for services) or replacing it with alternative frameworks altogether. Some of the weaknesses of the 4Ps identified in the study are domain specific: ignoring the human factor, lack of strategic dimensions, offensive posture and lack of interactivity. Two limitations however seem to be common in all reviewed categories: The models internal orientation: The lack of explicit market input in the framework which sources from the fact that the Mix was originally developed as a concept suitable for marketing of consumer products in the mass-oriented US manufacturing sector of the 60s The lack of personalisation: Significant shifts of consumer behaviour such as individualisation, diminishing brand preference, value orientation, increasing sophistication etc. have undermined the effectiveness of the impersonal one-way communication and the mass marketing approaches. Hyman (2004) undertook a similar study on the criticism of the Mix. According to that, some marketers contend that the scope of the 4Ps is insufficient from a pedagogical or applied perspective. To address this limitation, they updated the schema by refining the current Ps, adding new Ps, broadening its perspective, or adapting it to specific industries. Moreover, he summarised previously published criticism of the 4Ps: Inadequate theoretical grounding Not formally integrated into the exchange paradigm Fails three of the five requirements for a sound classification schema Overly focused on consumer goods, yet is production rather than marketing-concept oriented Cannot account for the full range of marketing management activities Ignores strategic marketing Focuses only on the acquisition stage of consumption Contains an increasingly catch-all (i.e. atheoretically focused) promotion category Fails to account for interactions between Ps or boundary-spanning topics Is incompatible with the relationship-marketing paradigm van Waterschoot and Van den Bulte (1992) in their own research identified five key limitations of the 4Ps model: It focuses on what marketers do to customers rather than for them. It is externally directed and ignores the internal market. It says nothing about interactions between the mix variables. It takes a mechanistic view about markets. It assumes a transactional exchange rather than a relationship. The Xbox 360 Marketing Mix The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft, and was developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, and SiS. The Xbox 360 is the successor to the Xbox, and competes with Sonys PlayStation 3 and Nintendos Wii as part of the seventh generation of gaming systems (usually called next-gen) (Wikipedia 2007). Product Name and Concept The term 360 represents a circle and is inline with the concept of the product. The customer is placed at The centre of the experience. Its a videogame and an entertainment system that integrates music, picture, games and movies. Everything revolves around the customer.(Porcaro 2005) Classification Xbox 360 belongs to the shopping consumer products category, which includes products purchased after the consumer shops around to find the best deal based on comparisons of price, quality, style, durability and other product attributes that are felt to be important. Although due to shortage at its launch many consumers were making effort to find one and others were forced to buy from eBay at inflated prices, 3 months after the launch the console could be purchased with smaller effort. Therefore, a classification of Speciality is not justified. Product Mix The total set of products a company sells is called its product mix, which consists of its component product lines. The product mix of Microsoft regarding console gaming consists of the following product lines: Xbox 360 consoles, the Xbox Live Services (Marketplace, Video and Arcade), console accessories and Microsoft Games. Xbox 360 Product Line During launch only two configurations were available; the Core and the Premium versions. Over time, the product line length rose to 3, in an Up-Market Stretch move from Microsoft, by introducing a high end version (Elite). Product Positioning Microsoft targets both casual and hard-core gamers. The Core and Arcade versions seem attractive to the former, while Premium and Elite are more appropriate to the latter. Product Levels The five levels of customer value hierarchy are as follows (Kotler and Keller 2006): Core benefit: The benefit that the customer is really buying. The buyer of the Xox 360 is buying video gaming. Basic Product: The Xbox 360 includes a video games console and a controller. Expected product: A set of attributes and conditions the buyers normally expect. Gamers expect from the seventh generation of gaming systems good graphics and sound performance, a wireless controller, digital connection with the HD TV and the amplifier, online gaming with friends through the internet and the ability to listen to music and watch videos. Augmented product: The level in which the product exceeds customer expectations. The Xbox 360 through its Xbox LIVE service lets the customers download purchased or promotional material. This includes game demos, movie and game trailers, Arcade games as well as add-on game content (items, costumes, levels, maps etc). Potential product: All the possible augmentations and transformations the product might undergo in the future. Even before the launch of Xbox 360, Microsoft was researching ways to create a video store accessible through the console, as well as a TV service which would add IPTV functionality. One year after the launch of the console, the Xbox Video Marketplace was introduced in the United States, and the Microsoft TV service under development. Pricing The following table summarises competition pricing during their respective launch. Note that Playstation and Wii launched at November 2006, almost a year later than Xbox. The Xbox 360 was the first next-gen console to enter the market. Generally, if the product is an innovation, then the initial price is usually set quite high (Anonymous 2006), but this is not the policy that Microsoft followed. Microsoft used the strategy of Price penetration, in an effort to take as much market share as possible. In fact, it was reported that Microsoft was losing $126 per unit sold (Joystiq 2005). Robbie Bach, president of Entertainment and Devices Division, said that the Xbox 360 business will become profitable in 2008 and that the profit to make is not on the hardware itself, but rather on Live service subscriptions, accessories and games (Gamedaily 2007). In August 2007, Microsoft dropped the prices by à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 20 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 50. In October 2007, they introduced the Arcade version and priced it exactly the same as the Wii, that is At the market. Odd-even pricing assumes product sales benefit from prices such as  £99.99 rather than  £100.00, because customers will think the product is a good deal (Anonymous 2006). As we saw, Microsoft followed this policy, as all next-gen competitors did. Promotion Microsoft utilized the following Marketing Communications Mix for the launch of the console system. Advertising The advertising campaign took place via television, magazines and internet sites. The tag line was Jump In, which was in complete accordance with the name and the concept of the product (the center of the experience). The ads were introducing the idea that its more fun to play when youre part of a community, that games have always been more fun when you play with friends (Porcaro 2005). Sales Promotion The sales promotion took place through online contests and websites. OurColony.net offered challenges to its community, rewarding solutions with cropped pictures of the console and game screenshots. OrigenXbox360.com was offering visitors an opportunity to enter in various contests for a chance to attend promotional pre-launch events. Hex168.com hosted a number of images that appeared to perpetuate obscure conspiracy theories, but sometimes contained oblique references to Xbox 360. The campaign was later revealed to be a U.S. contest that offered participants a chance to win one of three hundred and sixty Xbox 360 console bundles six days before the official launch (Wikipedia 2007). Marketing Public Relations In order to assist the launch and to increase awareness, Microsoft made use of Marketing Public Relations. The official unveiling of the Xbox 360 occurred on May 2005 on MTV in a program called MTV Presents: The Next Generation Xbox Revealed (Wikipedia 2007). Elijah Wood hosted the show which featured a musical performance by the band The Killers. Ten days later the Xbox 360 was featured on the cover of TIME Magazine along with an associated article. Obviously, the viewers of MTV belong to the target market, while the cover of TIME magazine was a huge boost to the hype. Events Microsoft is one of the major exhibitors in the annual E3 Media and Business Summit which is considered as the biggest annual event in the video game industry. The announcements regarding future development are taking place at the Microsoft keynote event, which is highly anticipated by the worldwide video game media and community. Microsoft is also a frequent sponsor to gaming events. In association with adidas and EA Sports, they sponsored the Xbox World Cup, which received a lot of publicity by the gaming community. Gamers who qualified through national preliminary rounds were given an all-expenses paid trip to Berlin to take part in the competition representing their nations in matches that took place in an 8,500 seat stadium. Microsoft managed to identify with the target market as well as increase awareness and express commitment to the community. Place (Distribution) As mentioned earlier, the product suffered from shortages during its launch, due to huge demand and slow production. However, three months later the problems had been bypassed and it is worth noted that in its first year on the market, the system launched in 36 countries, more countries than any console has launched in a single year. Microsoft chose to distribute the products through the Producer >> Wholesaler >> Retailer >> Consumer channel. For the countries where Microsoft has physical presence, the Wholesaler intermediary part was played by the regional division. The Xbox 360 is distributed intensively, which means that all available outlets are used for distributing it. Conclusion The marketing mix of Product, Price, Promotion, and Place was introduced to marketing education during the 1960s. Practitioners and academics embraced the paradigm that soon became the established element of marketing theory and operational marketing management. Eventually the 4Ps of the marketing mix became an unquestionable paradigm in academic research, the validity of which was taken for granted. However, many researchers and academics object. Yudelson believes that the Mix requires adaptation to the challenges of the era (TQM and the role of relationships) and proposes redefinition of the components. Grà ¶nroos argues the 4Ps was never intended to become a paradigm and started as a simple list which was an oversimplification of a larger list. He states that the 4Ps were never applicable to all markets and to all types of marketing situations, and that we have started to experience a paradigm shift towards relationships marketing. Other studies also conclude that the marketing m ix of the 4Ps is getting old and cannot address complex environment issues, such as management of personalisation. The application of the marketing mix model to the Xbox 360 gaming console system revealed that model managed to incorporate some of the major marketing planning activities of Microsoft under its 4Ps components. However, Yudelsons model seems to apply better. Xbox 360 is not just about the actual console product, but through its integration with other products and services its about the Performance of the entertainment experience. Its Promotion is inline with the current thought on Integrated Marketing Communications. And finally, its Place (distribution) is more about the Process of distribution, from which Microsoft actually suffered during the launch. Also, the marketing mix model failed to incorporate the personalisation component of the product. That is, through the LIVE services each user is uniquely identified. Microsoft has access to personal information, such as favourite games, music and movies and is able to propose similar content to the customers upon request. Unfortunate ly, the 4Ps did not manage to capture this aspect of Xbox 360 marketing. We conclude that the marketing mix is a tool which has performed well in the past and may still do in many cases. However, the increasingly complex environment demands adaptation and expansion. Personalisation for example is a very important component and should be incorporated under the umbrella of the new XPs, whatever number the academia decides that X should be. References Anonymous (2006). Strategic Marketing Module Book Edition 10, Management Centre, University of Leicester. Borden, N.H. (1964), The concept of the Marketing Mix, Journal of Advertising Research, June, pp 2-7 Constantinides, E. (2006), The Marketing Mix Revisited: Towards the 21st Century Marketing, Journal of Marketing Management 2006, 22, pp 407-438 Gamedaily, http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/features/bach-xbox-business-profitable-next-year/70371/?biz=1, [15 December 2007] Goldsmith, R. E. (1999), The personalised marketplace: beyond the 4Ps, Marketing Intelligence Planning 17/4, pp 178-185 Grà ¶nroos, C. (1994), From Marketing Mix to Relationship Marketing: Towards a Paradigm Shift in Marketing, Management Decision, Vol. 32 No. 2, 1994, pp. 4-20 Hyman, M. R. (2004), Revising the structural framework for marketing management, Journal of Business Research 57, pp 923- 932 Joystiq, http://www.joystiq.com/2005/11/23/microsoft-losing-126-on-every-sold-xbox-360/, [15 December 2007] Kotler, P. and Keller, K. L. (2006), Marketing Management 12e, Pearson Prentice Hall McCarthy, E.J. (1964), Basic Marketing, a Managerial Approach, Homewood, Ill.: Richard D. Irwin, Inc.. Porcaro, J. (2005), Xbox 360 Marketing, http://www.johnporcaro.com/2006/03/xbox_360_market.html, [15 December 2007] van Waterschoot, W. and den Bulte, C. (1992). The 4P classification of the marketing mix revisited, Journal of Marketing 56 (October), pp 83-93. Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_360, [15 December 2007] Yudelson, J. (1999), Adapting Mccarthys Four Ps for the Twenty-First Century, Journal of Marketing Education 21, pp 60-67

Nick Hornbys High Fidelity Essay example -- Nick Hornby High Fidelity

Nick Hornby's High Fidelity In Nick Hornby's High Fidelity, the main character, Rob, relates music to every aspect of his life. He utilizes music as an escape from his anxieties regarding his failing record store, relationship, and sense of self. Music provides Rob with the inspiration that keeps him going: Records have helped me to fall in love, no question. I hear something new, with a chord change that melts my guts, and before I know it I'm looking for someone. (169) Music prompts Rob to isolate himself, hold an unrealistic view of people and sabotage his relationships. Rob allows himself to get overcome with a feeling when listening to a song pertaining to that feeling. Many of the songs he mentions as his favorites or with significant meaning, relate to Rob?s life in that they have a lot to do with loneliness. One song in particular that Rob wants to serve as his eulogy, ?Many Rivers to Cross,? by Jimmy Cliff touches upon aspects of his life, such as loneliness, abandonment and anger. The title, which is repeated throughout the song, relates strongly to Rob due to the fact that it contains the word ?cross? in it. Having just broken up with his girlfriend, coming to grips with his fear of commitment and finding unhappiness with his occupation, Rob has just crossed many boundaries in his life. He has taken on a sense of depression, which leads him to resort to anger all the time. The word ?cross? in the title can also relate to Rob?s anger. He is constantly ?cross? with his coworkers: If I have to listen to one more word of his useless, pathetic, meaningless babble in my entire life I will kill him. When I let him go I am shaking with anger. (56) When on the topic of Ian, the man Laura left him for... ...living in for the past few days has vanished? (60). At this point Rob acknowledges his defeat and realizes he cannot go on without Laura in his life because she was the one person he could rely on and talk to. With Laura gone, Rob resorts to a false comfort, his music. Rob is so passionate about music because it is the one stable thing in his life. No one can take music away from him and it keeps him going. Music is what he uses to start conversations, make a living, fill up his apartment and to motivate him. The lyrics, ?It?s only my wind that keeps me alive? can be related to Rob?s music. The only thing that keeps him going during rough times is his music, his ?wind.? Music is a secure commitment, which will never walk out on him or die on him? music is his High Fidelity. Works Cited: Hornby, Nick (1995). High Fidelity. New York: Riverhead Books.

The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 1

â€Å"Dear Diary,† Elena whispered, â€Å"how frustrating is this? I left you in the trunk of the Jaguar and it's two o'clock in the morning.† She stabbed her finger on the leg of her nightgown as if she had a pen and was making a period. She whispered even more softly, leaning her forehead against the window, â€Å"And I'm afraid to go outside – in the dark – and get you. I'm afraid!† She made another stab and then, feeling tears slip down her cheeks, reluctantly turned her mobile on to record. It was a stupid waste of the battery, but she couldn't help it. She needed this. â€Å"So here I am,† she said softly, â€Å"sitting up in the backseat of the car. This has to be my diary entry for today. By the way, we made a rule for this road trip – I sleep in the Jag's backseat and it's the Great Outdoors for Matt and Damon. Right now it's so dark outside that I can't see Matt anywhere†¦. But I've been going crazy – crying and feeling lost – and so lonely for Stefan†¦. â€Å"We have to get rid of the Jaguar – it's too big, too red, too flashy, and too memorable when we're trying not to be remembered as we travel to the place where we can free Stefan. After the car is sold, the lapis lazuli and diamond pendant Stefan gave me the day before he disappeared will be the most precious thing I have left. The day before†¦Stefan got tricked into going away, thinking he could become an ordinary human being. And now†¦ â€Å"How can I stop thinking about what They might be doing to him, at this very second – whoever ‘They' are? Probably the kitsune, the evil fox spirits at the prison called the Shi no Shi.† Elena paused to wipe her nose on her nightgown sleeve. â€Å"How did I ever get myself into this situation?† She shook her head, hit the seatback with her clenched fist. â€Å"Maybe if I could figure that out, I could come up with Plan A. I always have a Plan A. And my friends always have a Plan B and C to help me.† Elena blinked hard, thinking of Bonnie and Meredith. â€Å"But now I'm frightened that I'll never see them again. And I'm scared for the entire town of Fell's Church.† For a moment she sat with her clenched fist on her knee. A small voice inside her was saying, â€Å"So stop whining, Elena, and think. Think. Start from the beginning.† The beginning? What was the beginning? Stefan? No, she had lived in Fell's Church long before Stefan came. Slowly, almost dreamily, she spoke into her mobile. â€Å"In the first place: who am I? I'm Elena Gilbert, age eighteen.† Even more slowly, she said, â€Å"I†¦don't think it's vain to say that I'm beautiful. If I didn't know I was, I'd have to have never looked in a mirror or heard a compliment. It's not something I should be proud of – it's just something that was passed down from Mom and Dad. â€Å"What do I look like? I have blond hair that falls in sort of waves past my shoulders and blue eyes that some people have said are like lapis lazuli: dark blue with splashes of gold.† She gave a half-choked laugh. â€Å"Maybe that's why vampires like me.† Then her lips tightened and, staring into the utter blackness around her, she spoke seriously. â€Å"A lot of boys have called me the most angelic girl in the world. And I played around with them. I just used them – for popularity, for amusement, for whatever. I'm being honest, all right? I considered them to be toys or trophies.† She paused. â€Å"But there was something else. Something that I knew all my life was coming – but I didn't know what. I felt as if I were searching for something that I could never find with boys. None of my scheming or playing around with them ever touched my†¦deepest heart†¦until one very special boy came along.† She stopped and swallowed and said it again. â€Å"One very special boy. â€Å"His name was Stefan. â€Å"And he turned out not to be what he looked like, a normal – but gorgeous – high school senior with rumpled dark hair and eyes as green as emeralds. â€Å"Stefan Salvatore turned out to be a vampire. â€Å"A real vampire.† Elena had to pause to take a few choked breaths before she could get the next words out. â€Å"And so did his gorgeous older brother, Damon.† She bit her lips, and it seemed a long time later that she added, â€Å"Would I have loved Stefan if I'd known he was a vampire from the beginning? Yes! Yes! Yes! I'd have fallen in love with him no matter what! But it changed things – and it changed me.† Elena's finger traced a pattern on her nightgown by touch alone. â€Å"You see, vampires show love by exchanging blood. The problem was†¦that I was sharing blood with Damon, too. Not really by choice, but because he was after me constantly, day and night.† She let out a sigh. â€Å"What Damon says is that he wants to make me a vampire and his Princess of the Night. What that translates into is: he wants me all to himself. But I wouldn't trust Damon on anything unless he gave his word. That's one quirk he has, he never breaks his word.† Elena could feel an odd smile curling her lips, but she was speaking calmly now, fluently, the mobile almost forgotten. â€Å"A girl involved with two vampires†¦well, there's bound to be trouble, isn't there? So maybe I deserved what I got. â€Å"I died. â€Å"Not just ‘died' like when your heart stops and they resuscitate you and you come back talking about almost going into the Light. I went into the Light. â€Å"I died. â€Å"And when I came back – what a surprise! I was a vampire. â€Å"Damon was†¦kind to me, I suppose, when I first woke up as a vampire. Maybe that's the reason I still have†¦feelings for him. He didn't take advantage of me when he could have easily. â€Å"But I only had time to do a few things in my vampire life. I had time to remember Stefan and love him more than ever – since I knew, then, how difficult everything was for him. I got to listen to my own memorial service. Ha! Everybody should get a chance to do that. I learned to always, always wear lapis lazuli so I wouldn't become a vampire Crispy Critter. I got to say good-bye to my little four-year-old sister, Margaret, and visit Bonnie and Meredith†¦.† Tears were still sliding almost unnoticed down Elena's face. But she spoke quietly. â€Å"And then – I died again. â€Å"I died the way a vampire dies, when they don't have lapis lazuli in the sunlight. I didn't crumble into dust; I was only seventeen. But the sun poisoned me anyway. Going was almost†¦peaceful. That was when I made Stefan promise to take care of Damon, always. And I think Damon swore to take care of Stefan, in his mind. And that was how I died, with Stefan holding me and Damon beside me as I simply drifted away, like going to sleep. â€Å"After that, I had dreams I don't remember, and then suddenly, one day everyone was surprised because I was talking to them through Bonnie, who is very psychic, poor thing. I guess I had landed the job of being Fell's Church's guardian spirit. There was a danger to the town. They had to fight it and somehow, when they were sure that they had lost, I got dumped back to the world of the living to help. And – well, when the war was won I was left with these weird powers I don't understand. But there was Stefan, too! We were together again!† Elena wrapped her arms around herself tightly and held on as if she were holding Stefan to her, imagining his warm arms around her. She shut her eyes until her breathing slowed. â€Å"About my powers, let's see. There's telepathy, which I can do if the other person is telepathic – which all vampires are, but to different degrees unless they're actually sharing blood with you at the time. And then there are my Wings. â€Å"It's true – I have Wings! And the Wings have powers you wouldn't believe – the only problem being that I don't have the faintest idea how to use them. There's one that I can feel sometimes, like right now, trying to get out of me, trying to shape my lips to name it, trying to move my body into the right stance. It's Wings of Protection and that sounds like something we could really use on this trip. But I can't even remember how I made the old Wings work – much less figure out how to use this new one. I say the words until I feel like an idiot – but nothing happens at all. â€Å"So I'm a human again – as human as Bonnie. And, oh, God, if I could only see her and Meredith right now! But all the time I tell myself that I'm getting closer to Stefan every minute. That is, if you take into account Damon's running us up and down and everywhere to throw off anybody trying to track us down. â€Å"Why would anyone want to track us down? Well, you see, when I came back from the afterlife there was a very big explosion of Power that everyone in the world who can see Power saw. â€Å"Now, how do I explain Power? It's something that everybody has, but that humans – except genuine psychics like Bonnie – don't even recognize. Vampires definitely have Power, and they use it to Influence humans to like them, or to think that things are different from reality – oh, like the way Stefan Influenced the high school staff to think his records were all in order when he ‘transferred' to Robert E. Lee High School. Or they use Power to blast other vampires or creatures of darkness – or humans. â€Å"But I was talking about the burst of Power when I dropped down from the heavens. It was so big that it attracted two horrible creatures from the other side of the world. And then they decided to come see what had made the burst, and if there was any way they could use it for themselves. â€Å"I'm not joking, either, about them being from the other side of the world. They were kitsune, evil fox spirits from Japan. They're something like our Western werewolves – but much more powerful. So powerful that they used malach, which are really plants but look like insects that can be no bigger than a pinhead or big enough to swallow your arm. And the malach attach themselves to your nerves and feather out along your entire nervous system and finally they take you over from inside.† Now Elena was shuddering, and her voice was hushed. â€Å"That's what happened to Damon. A tiny one got into him and it took him over from inside so that he was only a puppet of Shinichi's. I forgot to say, the kitsune are called Shinichi and Misao. Misao is the girl. They both have black hair with red all around the tips, but Misao's is long. And they're supposed to be brother and sister – but they sure don't act like it. â€Å"And once Damon was fully possessed, that's when Shinichi made Damon's body†¦do terrible things. He made him torture Matt and me, and even now I know that sometimes Matt still wants to kill Damon for it. But if he'd seen what I saw – a whole thin, wet, white second body that I had to pull out with my fingernails from Damon's spine – with Damon finally passing out from the pain – then Matt would understand better. I can't blame Damon for what Shinichi made him do. I can't. Damon was†¦you can't imagine how different. He was crushed. He cried. He was†¦ â€Å"Anyway, I don't expect to ever see him like that again. But if I ever get my Wings' powers back, Shinichi is in big trouble. â€Å"I think that that was our mistake last time, you see. We finally were able to fight Shinichi and Misao – and we didn't kill them. We were too moral or too gentle or something. â€Å"It was a bad mistake. â€Å"Because Damon wasn't the only one who got possessed by Shinichi's malach. There were girls, young girls, fourteen and fifteen and younger. And some boys. Acting†¦crazy. Hurting themselves and their families. We didn't know how badly until after we'd already made a bargain with Shinichi. â€Å"Maybe we were too immoral, making a bargain with the devil. But they had kidnapped Stefan – and Damon, who was already possessed by then, had helped them. Once Damon was unpossessed, all he wanted was for Shinichi and Misao to tell us where Stefan was, and then for them to leave Fell's Church forever. â€Å"In exchange for that, Damon let Shinichi into his mind. â€Å"If vampires are obsessed with Power, kitsune are obsessed with memories. And Shinichi wanted Damon's memories for the last few days – the time that Damon was possessed and torturing us†¦and the time when my Wings made Damon realize that he had done it. I don't think Damon himself wanted those memories, either of what he'd done or of how he'd changed when he had to face that he'd done it. So he let Shinichi take them, in exchange for Shinichi putting Stefan's location into his mind. â€Å"The problem is that we were trusting Shinichi's word that he would leave then – when Shinichi's word meant nothing at all. â€Å"Plus, ever since then he's been using the telepathic channel that he opened between his mind and Damon's to take more and more of Damon's memories without Damon even knowing. â€Å"It happened just last night, when we were pulled over by a policeman who wanted to know what three teenagers in an expensive car were doing that late at night. Damon Influenced him to go away. But just a few hours later Damon had forgotten the policeman completely. â€Å"It frightens Damon. And anything that frightens Damon – not that he would ever admit it – scares me to death. â€Å"And, you might ask, what were three teenagers doing out in the middle of nowhere, in Union County, Tennessee, according to the last road sign I saw? We're heading toward some Gate to the Dark Dimension†¦where Shinichi and Misao left Stefan in the prison called the Shi no Shi. Shinichi only put the knowledge into Damon's mind, and I can't get Damon to say much about what kind of place it is. But Stefan is there and I'll get to him somehow, even if it kills me. â€Å"Even if I have to learn how to kill. â€Å"I'm not the sweet little girl from Virginia I used to be.† Elena stopped and blew out her breath. But then, cuddling herself, she went on. â€Å"And why is Matt along with us? Well, because of Caroline Forbes, my friend since kindergarten. Last year†¦when Stefan came to Fell's Church, she and I both wanted him. But Stefan didn't want Caroline. And after that she turned into my worst enemy. â€Å"Caroline was also the lucky winner of Shinichi's first visit to any girl in Fell's Church. But more to the point: she was Tyler Smallwood's girlfriend quite a while before she was his victim. I wonder how long they were together and where Tyler is now. All I know is that, in the end, Caroline hung on to Shinichi because she ‘needed a husband.' That was how she put it herself. So I assume – well, what Damon assumes. That she's going to†¦have puppies. A werewolf litter, you know? Since Tyler is a werewolf. â€Å"Damon says that having a werewolf baby turns you into a werewolf even faster than if you're bitten, and that at some point in the pregnancy you gain the power to be all wolf or all human, but before that point you're just a mixed-up mess. â€Å"The sad thing is that Shinichi scarcely gave Caroline a second glance when she blurted it all out. â€Å"But before that Caroline had been desperate enough to accuse Matt of – of assaulting her – on a date that went wrong. She had to have known something about what Shinichi was doing because she claimed her ‘date' with Matt was at a time when one of the arm-swallowing mallach was attacking him, making marks on his arm that looked like a girl's fingernail scratches. â€Å"That sent the police after Matt, all right. So basically I just made him come with us. Caroline's father is one of the most important people in Fell's Church – and he's friends with the district attorney in Ridgemont and the leader of one of those men's clubs where they have secret handshakes and other stuff that makes you, you know, ‘prominent in the community.' â€Å"If I hadn't convinced Matt to run instead of facing Caroline's charges, the Forbeses would have lynched him. And I feel the anger like a fire inside me – not just anger and hurt for Matt, but anger and the feeling that Caroline has let all girls everywhere down. Because most girls aren't pathological liars, and wouldn't say something like that about a boy falsely. She's shamed all girls by doing what she did.† Elena paused, looking at her hands, and then added, â€Å"Sometimes when I get angry at Caroline, cups shake or pencils roll right off the table. Damon says all this is caused by my aura, my life force, and that ever since I came back from the afterlife it's been different. First of all, it makes anyone who drinks my blood incredibly strong. â€Å"Stefan was strong enough that the fox demons could never have forced him into their trap if Damon hadn't tricked him in the beginning. They could only deal with him when he was weakened and surrounded by iron. Iron is bad news for any eldritch creature, plus vampires need to feed at least once a day or they get weak, and I'll bet – no, I'm sure that they used that against him. â€Å"That's why I can't stand to think about what shape Stefan might be in right this minute. But I can't let myself get too afraid or angry or I'll lose control of my aura. Damon showed me how to keep my aura mostly inside, like a normal human girl. It's still pale gold and pretty, but not a beacon for creatures like vampires. â€Å"Because there's one other thing my blood – maybe even just my aura – can do. It can†¦oh, well, I can say anything I want to here, right? Nowadays, my aura can make vampires want me†¦the way human guys do. Not just to bite, get it? But to kiss and all the rest. And so, naturally, they come after me if they sense it. It's as if the world is full of honeybees and I'm the only flower. â€Å"So I have to practice keeping my aura hidden. If it's just barely showing, then I can get away with seeming like a normal human, not somebody who's died and come back. But it's hard to always remember to hide it – and it hurts a lot pulling it in suddenly if I've forgotten! â€Å"And then I feel – this is absolutely private, all right? I'm putting a curse on you, Damon, if you replay this. But it's then that I feel like I want Stefan to bite me. It eases up the pressure, and that's good. Being bitten by a vampire only hurts if you fight it, or if the vampire wants it to hurt. Otherwise, it can just feel good – and then you touch the mind of the vampire who's done it, and†¦oh, I just miss Stefan so much!† Elena was shaking now. As hard as she tried to quiet her imagination, she kept thinking about the things that Stefan's jailers might be doing to him. Grimly, she gripped her mobile again, letting tears fall on it. â€Å"I can't let myself think of what they might do to him because then I really start to go crazy. I become this useless shaking insane person who just wants to scream and scream and never stop. I have to fight every second not to think about it. Because only a cool, calm Elena with a Plan A and B and C is going to help him. When I have him safe in my arms, I can let myself shake and cry – and scream, too.† Elena stopped, half laughing, her head bent against the passenger's seatback, her voice husky with overuse. â€Å"I'm tired now. But I have a Plan A, at least. I need to get more information from Damon about the place we're going, the Dark Dimension, and anything he knows about the two clues Misao gave me about the key that will unlock Stefan's cell. â€Å"I guess†¦I guess I haven't mentioned that at all. The key, the fox key, that we need to get Stefan out of his cell, is broken into two pieces that are hidden in two different places. And when Misao was taunting me about how little I knew about those places, she gave me flat-out clues about where they were. She never dreamed I'd actually go into the Dark Dimension; she was just showing off. But I still remember the clues, and they went like this: The first half is ‘in the silver nightingale's instrument.' And the second half is ‘buried in Bloddeuwedd's ballroom.' â€Å"I need to see if Damon has any ideas about these. Because it sounds as if once we get to the Dark Dimension we're going to have to infiltrate some people's houses and other places. To search a ballroom, it's best to somehow get invited to the ball, right? That sounds like ‘easier said than done,' but whatever it takes, I'll do. It's simple as that.† Elena lifted her head in determination and went still, then said in a whisper, â€Å"Would you believe it? I looked up just now and I can see the palest streaks of dawn in the sky: light green and creamy orange and the faintest aqua†¦. I've talked all through the darkness. It's so peaceful now. Just now the sun peeked up o – â€Å"What the hell was that? Something just went BANG on the top of the Jag. Really, really loud.† Elena clicked off the recorder on her mobile. She was scared, but a noise like that – and now scrabbling sounds on the roof†¦ She had to get out of the car as fast as possible.

Ethical and Legal Issues

Ethical and Legal Issues in Nursing Over the last several decades, professional nursing has evolved and changed because of the influence of ethical and legal issues. There may be a variety of reasons for the changes. Examples in changes are advances in medical technology, legal changes about abortion and euthanasia, a push toward patient rights and litigation, and ever decreasing resources in which to provide nursing care. With all these influences affecting care, it has become increasingly difficult to have a true understanding of the direction nursing should take when faced with moral, ethical, and legal issues. Examination of personal moral and ethics along with utilization of available resources will no doubt aid nurses in sorting out feelings, strategizing for the patient and families, and providing guidance to give the best care possible. One resource available is the American Nurses Association, they have developed a code of ethics that should act as a guide in directing care and solving the ethical and legal dilemmas that surface. When applying the code of ethics resource; nurses can assist their patients families in making informed decisions as well as understand their own and their colleague’s responsibilities. By examining two case scenarios, the first involving end of life decisions, the second involving nursing conduct, the application of the code of ethics, the legal aspects, and the nurses responsibilities would be better understood. It is prudent to begin by examining the legal responsibilities of the nurse in the work setting. A Registered Nurse carries a legal responsibility in the work setting. A nurse has a commitment to the safety of the patient and must be aware of inappropriate practice. All nurses have ethical duties to the patients they serve. According to the American Nurses Association; a nurse â€Å"promotes, advocates for, and strives to protect the health, safety, and rights of the patient† (ANA, 2001, p. 18). If an action is taken that poses harmful effect on a patient’s health this needs to be immediately reported to a higher authority within the workplace or if necessary to a suitable outside authority. A nurse must be accountable for his or her individual nursing practice. The nurse’s duty is to identify anyone with questionable practice. All workplaces have guidelines set in place for these types of events. A nurse should concern herself about repercussions when reporting unethical practice. A nurse should be familiar and compliant with his or her state’s nurse practice act and his or her workplace policies applicable practice standards of care for each clinical area. In the malpractice exercise the nurse was observed on several occasions violating standards of care. The occurrences were reported immediately through the chain of command which in this case was administration. After anecdotal notes were kept by the nurse, she should prepare written documentation, including the time and location of the incident and names of any witnesses. Time should be taken to think about the incident and write down all important points that come to mind, who and, when, she notified in administration and what was told to them. This way everything would be in order and accessible if you need to recall when answering questions. Be honest and truthful if there is something you cannot remember you, state that you do not recall. There should be no disregard during this process, it is the ethical and legal duty of a nurse, as the patient advocate, to stand up, and protect the patient. Every nurse is equally responsible for his or her own actions. Responsibility also carries over to patients not under her direct care, the obligation for all patients. The incident was reported in the correct manner and she kept personal anecdotal records and upheld her ethical duties. Personal and societal views play a major role in the way a nurse views a current ethical situation. As nurses and as human beings, we each will have our own way of evaluating and assessing different circumstances that we are part of daily. No matter what kind of nursing or nursing experience that you may have, you cannot run from these trying predicaments. â€Å"Our ethical framework assists us when we experience serious ethical dilemmas† (Cameron & Salas, 2010, p. 655). In the case regarding Marianne, there are countless ways in which personal and societal values could have played a part. They could affect how the family would be viewed by society if they did not try everything to save their loved one, or how would it look if they went through with the surgery and it looked as if Marianne was experiencing torture. Ethical dilemmas are never straightforward and never with a right or wrong answer. It is our job as nurses to put aside our feelings and beliefs and to educate the family on all of the potential outcomes that may be expected. We must remember as health care providers, to be non-judgmental. When reviewing the case of Marianne, the significant legal aspect to consider is the lack of a Healthcare Power of Attorney and Living Will. Not possessing Marianne’s documented wishes creates a legal ethical dilemma and creates family conflict. The responsibility of deciding the future of Marianne’s care will fall on the family with guidance from the hospital’s Ethics Committee. The ANA Code of Ethics provides nurses with guidance in legal and ethical responsibilities. The code describes the obligation of treating patients and families with autonomy. Lachman describes the role of autonomy in nursing care: â€Å"patients have a moral and legal right to determine what will be done with their own person; to be given accurate, complete, and understandable information in a manner that facilitates an informed judgment; to be assisted with weighing the benefits, burdens, and available options in their treatment, including the choice of no treatment; to accept, refuse, or terminate treatment without deceit, undue influence, duress, coercion, or penalty; and to be given necessary support throughout the decision-making and treatment process â€Å"(Lachman, 2009, p. 55). Providing autonomous nursing care to Marianne and her family will ensure all the options are presented. The family members place trust in the nurse to provide good care and be supportive, regardless of the decision they make for Marianne’s future. The trust placed on nurses includes responsibility to the patient and the institution ensuring policies are adhered to thus avoiding the possibilities of negligence. With trust, nurses have an obligation to society. Legally we are â€Å"responsible to preserve integrity and safety, to maintain competence and to continue personal and professional growth† (ANA, 2001, p. 8). No matter the situation of the patient in regard to age, race, religion, economic status, etc. We are to treat each patient and family member with the same amount of respect. Both case studies The Nurse as the Witness and The Six Caps are unique in different ways. Nurses often have the tendency to develop close relationships with patients. Reminders may be ne eded often that the purpose of nursing is not friendship but to alleviate suffering, protect the patient, promote wellness, and to help restore the health. In Marianne’s case the legal responsibility of the nurse is to communicate all possibilities of Marianne’s care. The nurse in this situation has an obligation to provide all the information possible to help the family come to a decision in regard to Marianne’s life. Nurses are to be truthful and never withhold any information. No matter what a family or patient decides, the nurse is to advocate for that decision. Family decisions are not the function of nurse, no matter what the nature. There may be instances when a nurse will be a witness or perhaps a defendant. Medical professionals see many and unique situations some will have to be reported and investigated. Documentation is a huge legal aspect of nursing. It will be always important to document exactly what you do and see. Opinions and assumptions are not good practice for documentation purposes as this would not hold up in court and may sway decisions. The malpractice case regarding the nurse as the witness is a fine example of the need to be proficient in documentation. Months and years later, what is in writing is what will count. As nurses we know, if it was not documented, it did not happen! For this particular case study, the nurse was obligated to report exactly what she wrote about the nurse in question. That nurse has an obligation to report any suspicions of abuse and neglect to administration even repeatedly if necessary. In any situation, the nurse has an obligation to act in the best interest of the patient. It may have consequences but, the overall nurse’s responsibility is to keep the patient safe. Summing up, it is clear that nursing practice can be influenced by personal ethics and morals. The American Nurses Association’s code of ethics provides a guide for practice. When applied to a practical case, such as Marianne and her family, the code of ethics allows the nurse caring for here to remain professional and objective without letting her own feelings influence the family. The nurse has a responsibility to Marianne, her family and the employing institution. Overall, these guidelines extend throughout practice and are set in place to protect society. It becomes a mutual trust and is why nursing is held to such a high standard. References American Nurses Association (ANA). (2001). Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements. Washington, DC: ANA. Blais, K. K. , Hayes, J. S. , Kozier, B. , & Erb, G. (2006). Professional nursing practice. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson, Prentice Hall. Cameron, B. L. , & Salas, A. S. (2010). Ethical openings in practical home care practice. Nursing Ethics, 17(5), 655-665. Retrieved from http://web. ebscohost. com. ezproxy. apollolibrary. com Practical use of the nursing code of ethics: part I. Medsurg nursing: official journal of the academy of medical-surgical nurses, 18(1), 55-57. Retrieved  from  http://EBSCOhost

Robinson Crusoe2 essays

Robinson Crusoe2 essays Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe, is a story about a man and his extraordinary travels throughout the world. In the beginning, Robinson Crusoe travels out to sea against the will of his father. He learns to regret this, though, as he becomes enslaved, and later shipwrecked. He became shipwrecked on an island where was the sole survivor. As a shipwrecked man, he had few possessions and had to use his surroundings to survive. He painstakingly constructed his needs and wants until, after twenty-six years he was finally able to leave the island. Although very exciting and adventurous, Robinson Crusoe is more than just a story about a mans adventure and struggle to survive, it depicts one mans quest for spiritual salvation. In the beginning of the book, Robinson Crusoe is not a devout Christian. He disobeyed his parents when he ran away to sea. He called upon God only in times of trouble. He rarely used Gods name unless to swear, and in turn blasphemed it. Although he coped with the hardships of slavery and suffered its wickedness, he took a slave of his own after he escaped from his master. This behavior does not represent a devout Christian nor does it represent a person with high moral standards. Later in the book Crusoe described his attitude when he said, I had no more sense of God or His judgments ....... than if I had been in the most prosperous condition of life. This shows the reader that Crusoe was virtually unaware of Gods presence. Later in the book he becomes aware, and after becoming shipwrecked on the island, Robinson Crusoe asked God for his survival. He later realized that he should have actually thanked God for helping him survive the wreck and for helping him survive on the island. This action marks Crusoes change from a person who is unaware of God into a person who believed that God has control of the Earth and that God directly affects every mans life. ...

Groups and Teams in the Contemporary Organizations Essay

Groups and Teams in the Contemporary Organizations - Essay Example It has also made the top management realize that if proper undertakings within these domains are made, there is no doubt that the groups and teams would bring in more success and higher profits. The only shortcoming, however, lies in the ideology that these groups and teams have a number of different problems, all of which will be mentioned within the length of this paper. This paper takes a concise look at how the groups and teams in the contemporary business world have played their quintessential role and what these roles have meant to the different business quarters, not to forget the grave issues which have surfaced for quite a period of time now. The groups and teams within the aegis of an organization have meant that the company accepts that shared efforts are important in order to have goals achieved and objectives accomplished, for the sake of the said company. This is a reality that has dawned upon the modern day organizations because these organizations have understood the ideology of team formation and how these can bring success for the sake of the whole company. The formation of teams within an organization signifies the need for a collective thought that can envision success domains within a short-term time period or a duration that is geared to meet the needs and challenges within the long run. However one thing is certain – the organization by now has understood the premise of having groups and teams within its aegis, which will essentially play a very solid role at convincing its own people that individual efforts are not worth and that groups and teams would bring about more sanity and be strengthening effects for the sake of the company.  

SWOT Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

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