Poverty in Africa the oil-rich Country Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Neediness in Africa the oil-rich Country - Essay Example Significant oil maker nations in Africa are Nigeria, Angola, Sudan, central, Guinea and republic of Congo. Significant oil maker nations in Africa are Nigeria, Angola, Sudan, Equatorial Guinea and republic of Congo, Gabon, Cameroon, Chad. Be that as it may, the oil isn't generally a help. It builds debasement and is answerable for complaint, relative destitution and precariousness. Studies have demonstrated that nations with oil riches in Africa develop all the more gradually, less evenhandedly, more corruptly and all the more viciously. Angola has gigantic oil saves however the common war in Africa made it difficult to reach till 2002. Angola is second enormous maker of oil in the sub-Sahara district. Yet, in Angola, the degenerate government authorities and the very much associated agent develop massively rich utilizing oil assets. The decision administration utilizes oil riches to unite its own position. The normal man becomes more unfortunate. It is evaluated that the legislature gathered more than $10 billion in oil incomes in 2005 and this sum expected to go higher as the creation tops. Be that as it may, the wealth are not equally spread. Over 70% Angolans are as yet under neediness line. Nigeria is the biggest oil maker in Africa and has gigantic oil serves yet it has likewise established precedents for defilement. Nigerian government’s anticorruption wing, the monetary and money related wrongdoings commission figures that somewhere in the range of 1960 and 1999, the nations rulers took $400 billion in oil saves. Over the most recent 47 years, Nigeria lost one million individuals because of common war as they for the most part battled to control oil-rich territories. It has likewise observed 30 years of military standards with six upsets in 47 years. In excess of 67 percent of populaces live under neediness line. Gabon was at one time a tremendous maker of oil and its oil saves are evaporating. The nation despite everything positions 124th on human advancement list. Sudan has a few stores of $63 million barrels of oils yet is perhaps the most unfortunate nation on the planet. Lion's share of African countries are lacking

Updated Information Proposed For Adelaide â€Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Talk About The Updated Information Proposed For Adelaide? Answer: Presentation Emergency clinic Information System is kind of data framework that works for the emergency clinics and clinical focuses and in this way empowers the relationship to diminish the work and augmentation the profitability of the undertaking performed (Oestreicher Eklundh, 2006). Data System (IS) expands the odds of precision and diminishes the odds of blunder, on various occasions as all the work is done by means of machine and machine complies with the orders without the much odds of any mistake event. This IS when utilized for the undertakings at any emergency clinic or clinical focus is named as HIS (Hospital Information System) (Oestreicher Eklundh, 2006). Medical clinic Royal Adelaide has been as of now utilizing an IS since long for day by day activities and the board assignments. All the clinical records are looked after electronically, accounts are taken care of through PCs and a lot other such work (Kirschlin, Rough Ludwig, 2009). Be that as it may, the present programming being used to play out these undertakings are obsolete and not outfitted with current arrangements. Consequently, the directorate of Hospital Royal Adelaide has chosen to supplant each territory of the emergency clinic with world class present day hardware and programming. The point of this report is to recognize all the best programming organizations with best surveys and set up a plausibility investigation of the equivalent. New Information System for Various offices This new medical clinic must be generally imaginative and must give an extreme rivalry to all other top class emergency clinics, for example, Medanta (Kirschlin, Rough Ludwig, 2009). The new programming for new Royal Adelaide must have the option to deal with organization and money frameworks, persistent record and case notes, drug store, finance and mechanical technology. The executives have even chosen to call refreshed medical clinic as New Royal Adelaide. Unmistakable programming will be required for various divisions (Kirschlin, Rough Ludwig, 2009). For example, Tolerant Administration framework The product that is performing best around there is Orion Health. This organization is working in this business for over fifteen years and has a database of famous clients, for instance. NHS in UK is utilizing all there programming since long. This structure is used as a piece of in excess of 30 countries today and by far most of them have positive overviews about this item. It is responsible for passing on much upgraded outcomes and patient experience, sustained by a planned electronic prosperity record (Huttenrauch, Green, Norman, Oestreicher Eklundh, 2014). The item Orion Heath allows the restorative administrations suppliers and clinician staff to get diligent record across over affiliations, regions and any remotely discovered systems. The patients clinical record incorporates essential data like test outcomes, emergency clinic attendances, drugs, hypersensitivities, passing wish and significant contacts. The executives of Linen, Laundry and Inventory Current circumstance of the market signifies appeal of extravagance even at medical clinics, subsequently smoothing out stock and clothing with the assistance of apply autonomy is a huge thought. Nearby, transportation undertakings, for example, tow convey and coordinations task (keeping up lifts and assignment booking) can likewise be accomplished with the assistance of mechanical autonomy as they serve the movement courses. They even impact use of RFID names to follow the on-demand stock. Staff can organize the robot to get dispatched with a lone touch on the screen (Oestreicher Eklundh, 2006). Numerous prestigious emergency clinics everywhere throughout the world are as of now utilizing this method to oversee clothing and stock. In USA, a few emergency clinics are utilizing mechanical technology since 2012 and no negative audits have been produced from that point forward. Indeed there is gigantic decrease in blunders and misfortune and a well recognizable upgrade in the nature of the work done (Huttenrauch, Green, Norman, Oestreicher Eklundh, 2014). Washing and overseeing material is in like manner inconvenient task as it requires a lot of work; advantage robots are furthermore being used as work saving devices. A gathering of two new staff ought to be assigned who have extraordinary experience or data on mechanical innovation and can deal with the staff to use the equivalent. Research facility Information System Research facilities are the preeminent indispensable piece of a medical clinic as it is answerable for all the tests led on people body. All the drugs, activities, medical procedures depend on the consequences of research center tests; henceforth this can never have any opportunity of blunder. Research facilities are associated with pathology, microbiology, organic chemistry, serology, and hematology, etc. The work performed by Laboratory Information System is identified with assortment of tests records, work planning and example enlistment, overseeing section and check of staff individuals and revealing. Labware's ELP (Enterprise Laboratory Platform) is seen all around for giving best Lab's computerization courses of action. Labware's ELP (Enterprise Laboratory Platform) is seen all around for giving best Lab's computerization courses of action. ELP engages the relationship to grow benefit, improve quality, overhaul consistence and reduce funds. ELPs momentous features bring it under the class of most able courses of action (Chiasson Davidson, 2014). Asset Allocation, Finance Management and Activity Planning To play out these assignments which are action arranging, fund the board and asset designation, OASIS programming is being used till date yet it isn't well outfitted with innovation and numerous undertakings should be performed physically as the product doesn't underpins them (Myers, Kappelman Prybutok, 2014). The new day programming which is standing out as truly newsworthy for all the correct explanation is CLASSICA (Niechwiadowicz, Khan, 2008). It is another choice steady system which feasibly supervises staffing, resource circulation, fiscal organization and activity orchestrating. The overviews of CLASSICA recommend that it adequately helps the staff against each endeavor and assistants in performing canny organization (Niechwiadowicz, Khan, 2008). Achievability Study Refreshing programming for every office at Royal Adelaide will open numerous chances and will pass on a lot of favorable circumstances, yet to appreciate these advantages and points of interest, there are an impressive proportion of difficulties to survive (Gardner, et.al. 2012). The possibility of the picked data framework must be estimated and the degree of preparing and training required for the utilization of new programming must be assembled with the goal that new IS can proceed according to desires (Bepkor, Moore Coleman, 2009). An investigation was led to check the attainability of Orion programming. It has been discovered that during winters 2014, a plan named as pilot-plot went on the web and it included in excess of 600 clients all through the world, comprising of pathologists, anesthetists, advisors, etc. These customers acted unequivocally as they had the option to make increasingly successful use of their time on account of the way that the necessary information is by and by open to them at fingertips and they can give best administrations to their patients (Hay, 2012). Research done on another product mechanical autonomy, speaks to it is accountable for acceptable quantifiable benefit. There was a total cost finish of 15% with robot flag-bearers nearby much reduced movement time and extended transport robustness. To accomplish its advantages its obligatory to employ a staff which is liable for furnishing expected preparing to manage robots and make a will of affirmation in all of them by demonstrating positive sides of using this item (Gardner, et.al. 2012). Another data framework which is assigned for account administrations and different distributions Classica was assessed against three test units. Cash related estimations; cost reports were used as data source. A group led interviews with the staff individuals from different emergency clinics who are right now utilizing Classica and results shows a lessening of half in hard and fast costs which has been gone through on extra hours working work and 10% diminishment in control units (Niechwiadowicz, Khan, 2008). Suggestions and Critical Success factors To achieve the most gainful result by the replacement of HIS, particular segments must be taken after. Regal Adelaides managers and officials must play out a month to month assessment of associations benefit and patients and staff fulfillment since substitution. A steady observing ought to be accomplished for support expenses and cost related with taking care of framework mistakes (Oborn, Barrett Darzi, 2011). Nearness of a help work territory and specific assist will with aiding in smooth activities at the middle as the bugs could be settled surprisingly fast which will dodge loss of work. A reasonable review of involvement in the new data framework must be led among its staff individuals that could be accomplished through a criticism structure that doesnt uncover the character of the candidate. The organization must be patient and understanding survey lead of their staff as any kind of progress expects time to get acclimated to it. End The accomplishment of any huge change in an affiliation depends on the conduct and duty of the executives staff, organization and gave backing of each financial specialist. Urging staff individuals to manufacture an inspirational mentality towards new data framework, alongside urging them to speak to eagerness, fiery co-activity and backing including leaders of each division joined with the certainty and objective of administrators that the new office Information structure is correctly a proportion of their need and prerequisites is essential for the general accomplishment of the endeavor (Oborn, Barrett Darzi, 2011). References Myers, B. L., Kappelman, L. A., Prybutok, V. R. (2014). A thorough model for surveying the quality and efficiency of the data frameworks work: Toward a hypothesis for data frameworks evaluation. Data Resources Management Journal, 10(1),

Argumentative Essay Wealthy and the Poor

Question: Expound on theArgumentative Essayfor Wealthy and the Poor. Answer: The Increasing Gap Between the Wealthy and the Poor The issue of expanding float between the rich and the poor is squeezing since it is legitimately corresponding to the quantity of rich and needy individuals in the public arena for a long time now. This is astounding on the grounds that the numbers are on the ascent as time advances. Normally, the disparity between the rich and the poor exist as far as amassed abundance of an individual or a gathering in the public arena (Gap among rich and poor 'continues developing' - BBC News, n.d). Additionally, divergence can be acknowledged between nations whereby one nation is invested with an excessive number of assets which it can tap to support the economy particularly the created nations. On the opposite finish of the range, the creating nations trouble in destitution in light of economy battle and absence of sufficient assets. Thusly, difference is a common issue that has been in presence will even now exist. The expanding hole between the range and the poor is a worldwide issue that prac tically all the leaders of large countries have not as yet understood its fix. Furthermore, to exacerbate the situation, this is a widespread issue that cuts across both the created and the creating nations. As much as financial development is understood the divergence is a typical marvel. As indicated by this article (The Real Reason for the Growing Gap Between Rich and Poor, n.d), innovation is a twofold blade that is shaping the premise of expanding difference among the residents of America. Innovation has welcomed an extraordinary effect on work. Keep in mind, innovation has prompted the conservation of individuals from their work environments. Capacities that low talented individuals were utilized to do, have now been supplanted by utilization of PCs or incorporated frameworks which have quickly rendered individuals jobless. A nation like U.S utilizes media transmission frameworks to source laborers from other outside nations with less expensive work cost than the local residents. The suggestion for modest work is that numerous specialists will pursue see compensation which will prompt poor wages (Morris, 2015). Then again, innovation is aid to those talented individuals from the fields of designing, law and software engineering subsequently it goes about as a sup plement to their aptitudes their creation such individuals to draw sought after for their administrations in this manner high wages at last extending the uniqueness hole. Likewise, the issue of sex has achieved the divergence in the salary as in many nations a few occupations are intended for men while others are exclusively intended for women anyway most governments have sanctioned guideline and rules to battle for sexual orientation fairness in the general public. Disparity comes because of men taking admirably paying occupations, for example, CEO of the organization while the women are given lower position in the work environment. All the more explicitly, a spot like India, it is realized women have their particular employment in the general public just as men. The Indians have a culture that a lady can't do an all the more acquiring activity or a desk work while her better half is making a low showing in the general public (Lau,2008). Accordingly, this suggests if couples are conceived in a poor family, they will be perpetually poor, while if couples have a place with a rich family they will be always rich. All things considered, the float between the individuals of the social class will remain. Prominently, globalization is a contributing variable to uniqueness since s nations endeavor to impact worldwide clients and addition an enormous piece of the overall industry they will in general bring dissimilarity (Bergh et al.,,2016). It is somewhat specialized to get this however basically, nations might want to work with different nations that are of a similar level like they are blessed to the equivalent monetary bit of leeway. Hence, rich nations might want to relate and do organizations with arrive at nations and the other way around. The a greater amount of the essential issue of this divergence is achieved by the distinction of wages and pay rates. The article (Why the Gap Between Rich Poor Is Widening - Salary.com, n.d.) delineates, in many nations, the degree of training and aptitude abilities decide the pay of a person. In this way, those individuals who have procured information to advanced education learning will in general secure well paying employments cubicle occupations) that draw in better pay rates. For example, in China, out the all out populace 10% are the most extravagant and are 9.6 occasions rich as contrast with poor people. Then again, individuals who are non-talented or low gifted or dropout will acknowledge to offer modest work just to continue them. Along these lines, there is no day harmony can be built up between the two sorts of individuals. Thus, the hole will in any case exist since individuals acknowledge this culture and are prepared to keep up the norm. Also, in U.S the present pace of assessment favor the rich. The expense rate structures have been seen to support the rich individuals. As indicated by this article (Income disparity, 2014), the Bush tax reductions instituted in 2001 and 2003 brought down the peripheral assessment for high pay workers from 36.9 percent to 35 percent. Thus, the activity brings is an inconvenience to low salary workers on the grounds that the wealthiest will have a huge remove on account of the decreased duty as the poor face the anger of the forced standard. In another point of view, lessening charge rates offers opportunity to the top workers to battle for more remuneration. Eventually, this will prompt further enlarging of the hole between poor people and the rich. Aside from showcase driven variables Lau (2008) contends that there is a solution for the expanding incongruities. The usage of explicit standards will make correspondence among individuals of any age in the public eye. The legislature can build the training gracefully to residents which will mean gifted work. For this situation, the administration can execute strategies that help to offer instruction to all, either offer training at a modest expense or give endowments and gracefully enough gear to instructive organizations. Over the long haul, training will be open to all resident consequently individuals mess of instruction differential will be halted. Thus, the work market will be provided with learned individuals with nearly similar abilities consequently compensations will be cut to fit every one of them. In this way, the issue will be endless supply of such approaches. Apparently, if the administration can actualize a dynamic duty structure the extent of the uniqueness will die down (Bergh, Nilsson Waldenstro?m, 2016). The dynamic expense structure will force high assessment on the well off individuals as their will be low duty among poor people. Consequently, the poor will have a benefit of profiting by low charges henceforth the salary disparity will be diminished in the general public. Such a cure is predominant particularly on the off chance that it is executed as a drawn out undertaking. Likewise, enactments like planning strategies, for example, raising the salary of low pay of the poor will assist with lessening the hole between the individuals of various social class. Presenting the lowest pay permitted by law enactment approach assists with battling for those people who are least paid in the work showcase. Also, the administration can select to offer endowments to the assembling firms which will mean low item costs. By giving merchandise and enterprises modest costs for the items poor people will have the option to manage the cost of the item thus expanding the buying intensity of poor individuals from the general public. All in all, the response to the expanding difference isn't found in winning business sector work yet the circumstance can be turned around if the legislature will team up with significant bodies to roll out central improvements in the present arrangement of dissemination of riches. Balance can be acknowledged by turning around the guidelines of the market with the end goal that the normal pay individuals are given favorable position of haggling power consequently share supplied an enormous portion of the addition from financial development. In another viewpoint, the administration can work to grasp a few approaches to bring uniformity like planning the lowest pay permitted by law enactments, making instruction modest and accessible to all, and grasping a dynamic duty framework are among the techniques that can lessen the hole existing in social class. References Bergh,A., Nilsson,T., Waldenstro?m,D. (2016).Sick of disparity?: A prologue to the connection among imbalance and wellbeing. Hole among rich and poor 'continues developing' - BBC News. (n.d.). Recovered from https://www.bbc.com/news/business-32824770 Developing Gap Between Rich and Poor. (n.d.). Recovered from https://www.boundless.com/humanism/course books/unlimited social science reading material/separation disparity and-social-class-in-the-u-s-9/social-portability 76/developing hole among rich-and-poor 450-2081/ Salary disparity. (2014).Inequality. doi:10.1787/459aa7f1-en Lau,O.C. (2008).Mind the (sexual orientation) hole: Institutions, disparity, and individual opportunity. Morris,P.A., Hill,H.D., Gennetian,L.A., Rodrigues,C., Wolf,S., University of Wisconsin- - Madison. (2015).Income unpredictability in U.S. family units with kids: Another developing dissimilarity between the rich and poor people? National Symposium on Family Issues, In Amato,P.R., In Booth,A., In McHale,S., In Van,H.J. (2015).Families in a period of expanding imbalance: Diverging fates. The Real Reason for the Growing Gap Between Rich and Poor. (n.d.). Recovered from https://www.newsweek.com/genuine explanation developing hole among rich-and-poor-377662 Why the Gap Between Rich Poor Is Widening - Salary.com. (n.d.). Recovered fromhttps://www.salary.com/why-the-hole between-rich-poor-is-augmenting/slide/5/Wolff,E.N., Twentieth Century Fund. (1996).Top substantial: The expanding disparity ofwealth in America and what should be possible about it. New York, NY: New Press.

Cost of the Death Penalty Essay - 1190 Words

Costs and Consequences of the Death Penalty, written by Mark Costanzo, neatly lists reasons for opposition, and abolishment of, the death penalty. Costanzo provides a review of the history of the death penalty, a review of how the death penalty process is working today, questions on whether or not if the death penalty is inhumane and cheaper than life imprisonment. He also questions if the death penalty is fairly applied and the impact, if any, that it has on deterrence. He closely examines the publics support of the death penalty and questions the morality of the death penalty. Finally, Costanzo provides his own resolution and alternative to the death penalty. Each of these items allows the reader an easy, and once again, neat view†¦show more content†¦With the process at this point, there was no way of knowing why juries were choosing death in one case, yet choosing life in others. Also, blacks were being killed at a much higher rate that any other offender. These two reas ons, long with others, led the high court to claim the death penalty unconstitutional until further revamping, which was soon to come. The second major decision from the Supreme Court was in the Gregg v. Georgia case. Here the court approved a series of reforms intended to eliminate arbitrary and discriminatory death sentences and established the two-phase system for the death penalty. The first phase is the quot;guilt phasequot; which is conducted on its own to find guilt or acquittal, without the job of issuing punishment. The second phase is the quot;penalty phasequot;. Here the same jury decides if the defendant is to live or be given the death sentence. Each phase allows the jury to focus on one task, instead of letting death sway their decision on guilt. This bifurcated jury system is in place today. For those sentenced to death, Costanzo argues that it is inhumane due to the fact that those on death row, going through appeals, sit in basic isolation for years being forced to face the thought of death each and every day and how this constantly occupies the boredom. He also arguesShow MoreRelatedCosts Of The Death Penalty1237 Words   |  5 PagesCosts of the Death Penalty. Death Penalty Information Center. Death Penalty Information Center, n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2016. This article evaluates studies done in states all over the U.S to show much money is spent on capital punishment. For each state, the author provides a small summary, including statistics, and then provides the link to the original article where the information derived from. Thus, giving this article authority, by citing all sources, and also accuracy because of the studiedRead MoreThe Cost For A Non Death Penalty1432 Words   |  6 Pagessurrounding the death penalty. â€Å"Each execution can cost between $2.5 mil lion and $5 million.† (Fagan 1). Compared to the millions of dollars it takes to execute a single to person to the more affordable cost of housing a prisoner of a range of $20,000-$40,000 a year; we as a society could punish these people for their crimes without killing and for less money.(Hirby 1). The cost for a non-death penalty trial is in the area of $250,000 whereas a trial concerning the death penalty will be in the areaRead MoreThe Death Penalty Is Not Cost Efficient2596 Words   |  11 PagesJessica Turman Senior Seminar Spring 2015 Research Paper For this paper, my topic of choice is on the death penalty versus life in prison. My thesis for this paper is that the death penalty is not cost efficient. The financial comparison between death penalty cases and life in prison has a significant gap. Throughout this paper, statistics, examples, and information about the death penalty will be shown and given to prove my thesis accurate. Another topic that is going to be discussed inRead MoreThe Costs of the Death Penalty in the United States Essay1518 Words   |  7 PagesThe Costs of the Death Penalty in the United States Capital punishment has existed in the US since colonial times. Since then, more than 13,000 people have been legally executed. Today, there are only twelve states which do not have the death penalty: Alaska, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin, as well as Washington D.C. The locations of these states are importantRead More Capital Punishment: Costs Of The Death Penalty Essay624 Words   |  3 Pages Capital Punishment: Costs of The Death Penalty Let us suppose that killing as a form of punishment is a moral and universally accepted practice. Would it then be acceptable to issue this irreparable sanction to a select few while allowing others, equally accountable, to avoid it? It is acceptable to our criminal justice system for it seems to be standard operating procedure. Many embrace the death penalty based on the quot;eye for an eyequot; concept. There is certainly some merit to this argumentRead MoreA Halt On The Death Penalty Is Necessary Since The Cost1265 Words   |  6 Pageson the death penalty is necessary since the cost of maintaining it extends far beyond keeping criminals in prison, it proves to not serve as a deterrent to criminals, and it is inherently racist based on our application to this day. The controversy linked to the expenses of the death penalty compared life in prison is known to be higher. According to Times, the death penalty has three stages. These stages include the cost of prosecution, the cost of defense, and the cost of housing a death penaltyRead MoreDeath Penalty1333 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿ Death Penalty: Yes or No? Amanda Nichole Hester ENG 2001 Instructor Gary Henry September 28, 2013 The debate over the death penalty has been looming over the United States of America for numerous years. The death penalty/ sentence has been around since 5th century B.C. The practice of sentencing someone to death dates back to when the colonists settled in the New World. The controversy that the death penalty has caused in the United States is startling withinRead MoreDeath Penalty Essay1155 Words   |  5 PagesDeath Penalty Virtually every major program designed to address the underlying causes of violence and to support the poor, vulnerable, powerless victims of crime is being cut even further to the bone†¦ In this context, the proposition that the death penalty is a needed addition to our arsenal of weapons lacks credibility†¦ Scott Harshbarge, Attorney General of Massachusetts Across the United States, police officers are losing their jobs, prisoners are obtaining parole early, courts areRead MoreThe Death Penalty Is Justified995 Words   |  4 PagesThe Death penalty has been a controversial topic for many years and recently the debate about it has been getting bigger and bigger to where at some point soon a decision will have to be made. Many people will disagree with the death penalty because it goes against their moral beliefs, this is thought process is seen more in the northern states. However, here in the south the death penalty is strongly believed in by most, but who is put to death and why? Did they deserve this sentence or were theyRead MoreDeath Penalty1135 Words   |  5 PagesNovember 2012 The death penalty was reinstated in the United States in 1977, and since then murderers and rapist have been executed for the violent and harsh crimes they were found guilty of committing. In the past thirty years over 1,200 prisoners have been put to death for crimes in which they were convicted. The government of each state executes these prisoners by way of the electric chair, gas chamber, and the most common way lethal injection. A survey, from the Death Penalty Information Center

My Very Own Declaration of Independence on My School...

I N C O N G R E S S A U G U S T 2 0 1 2 A S C H O O L D R E S S-C O D E B Y A S T U D E N T O F W E S T L A K E H I G H S C H O O L Introduction When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the academic and educational bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of this school building, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of administration entitles them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they have to declare the causes which don’t necessarily impel them to the Dress-code Law. Preamble We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all students of Westlake High School are created with creative†¦show more content†¦The outfit we may choose to wear causes certainly, absolutely no harm to others surrounding us. Thus, what may be the point? Why must they enforce it? Therefore, now is our time, as students of Westlake High School, to stand up for what we believe in and declare we be given the right to wear whatever we may please. Under certain circumstance of course, nothing outrageous, or whore-like. And as for males of our society, no pants must expose thou of thy nature below the waist. Conclusion I, therefore, a Representative of Westlake High School, and by Authority of the good Citizens as a part of Fulton County, solemnly publish and declare, That this school building is, and of Right ought to be Freely respectful of our, as students, meaningful opinions; that we shall have the right to express how we do feel upon the matter of Westlake High School Dress-code; and that as Free and Independent Adolescents, we shall have full Power to wear what we desire to school, Westlake High School, conclude Peace, distribute freedom to wear what we please, with the exception of outrageous clothing, establish Our Young People’s Justice, and to do all other Acts and Things which we, as Independent Adolescents, may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, we mutually pledge to each other, respect of our Clothing, Demand your attention to our opinions, and Demand you act on this conflict; to discontinue Westlake High School Dress-code. *____Elizabeth Hardy___,Show MoreRelatedEssay on Personal Narrative - Our Marriage2114 Words   |  9 PagesOur Marriage Our official journey began on August 2, 1997 in Las Vegas. That was our wedding day and my official entry into married life. Tim and I said, ?I do? in Clark County, Nevada. The clerk declared us best friends for life in a ceremony with just the two of us. That declaration was more profound and welcomed than one any priest could have made. Our wedding cost a total of seventy-two dollars, this included the license and ceremony. I should also include the cost of what I call ourRead MoreThe Theory of Absolutism Essay3273 Words   |  14 Pagesa ruler sovereign. One of the chief theorists of divine-right monarchy in the seventeenth century was the French theologian and court preacher Bishop Jacques Bossuet (1627-1704), who expressed his ideas in a book entitled Politics Drawn from the Very Words of Holy Scripture. Bossuet argued first that govemment was divinely ordained so that humans could live in an organized society. Of all forms of gov ernment, monarchy, he averred, was the most general, most ancient, most natural, and the bestRead MoreAssignment 1 – Understanding Development and Supporting Equality, Diversity and Inclusion9386 Words   |  38 PagesNCFE LEVEL 3 SUPPORTING TEACHING AND LEARNING IN SCHOOLS Please  save  the Learners Declaration to your PC, add your details, and upload with your completed assessments. Assignment 1 – Understanding development and supporting equality, diversity and inclusion. QUESTION 1 a. Explain the sequence and rate of each aspect of development from birth – 19 years The main areas of development include: physical development, social and emotional development, intellectual development and languageRead MoreFreedom of Speech, Comparing Freedom of Expression in the Statutory Law and the Sharia Law19992 Words   |  80 Pagesfirst semester of my Masters gave me a sense of the importance of law in general because it consists of acts and articles which organise most issues in the human’s life in a way that protects ethics and morals. Regardless of the hypocrisy and double-standards of the countries which raise high the slogan of Human Rights, I liked the Human Rights Conventions that were laid down by these countries. Therefore, I decided to research some points in these conventions that are related to my study in order toRead MoreMarrige and Divorce11102 Words   |  45 Pagespaper is assigned to us in â€Å"Introduction to Social Science† course. 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Digital Marketing a Case Study of Mango - Free Sample

Question: Describe about the case study of Mango? Answer: Introduction: This assignment deals with the online shop Mango. I have chosen this company for analyzing digital marketing activity of this company. Mango designs and manufactures clothes and various types of accessories for men, women as well as kids. This company is founded in Barcelona. Mango has created more than 2000 stores among 107 countries. This company has aimed to open more stores across the world. Mango also provides online shopping facility to the customers (Shop.mango.com, 2015). On the other hand, Mango also offers franchise through various countries of European Union and other continents, like Asia, USA etc. Mango provides a unique collection of products and concept of those products are very effective among the customers. In-house technology of Mango is very unique that attracts the customers in order to shop from the products of Mango (Shop.mango.com, 2015). As Mango offers extensive products through its websites and other websites that offer online shopping facility to the customers the website needs to very efficient and attractive. On the other hand, for providing marketing activity through online media various necessary activities have to be taken by the company. Therefore, this assignment has discussed some issues and overcoming factors of digital marketing of this company. 2. Product: Mango offers an extensive choice of products. Mainly Mango offers clothing products for men, women and kids. Different types of dresses have offered by this company. However, shoes, bags and other accessories of women have also sold by Mango. Apart from selling clothing accessories, it also offers bags, leather goods, hats and belts for women. This company also offers clothes, accessories, bags, leather products, sunglasses and belts for men as well as kids. Mango also offers winter garments for men, women and children. Mango tries to design its clothes in accordance with the latest trends of the market. On the other hand, Mango also tries to focus upon the demand as well as need of the customers. 3. Target audience: As defined by, Shaffer (2014) target audience is the specific group within the market for whom the marketing message of the particular product of the company has been aimed through advertising and other promotional tools of marketing. Every company has particular target audience within the operating market. Several factors are there to determine the target audience of the particular products. Figure 1: Target audience formation (Source: Sribnyak, 2012, pp-45) Demographic: As stated by, Jinnai (2014) demographic factors relate to the gender, age, education and income of the people. By considering these socio-economic factors a company can be able to understand the target audience of the specific market segment. By considering demographic factors, the target audience of this brand is women who are fashion conscious as well as trendy and highly educated. The age group of those women is 20-35. Mango has focused upon the urban young women who are also concerned about their career. Psychographic: As defined by, Pant et al. (2014) VALS theory refers to the factors of value, attitudes and lifestyles those have influenced the psychographic segmentation of the audience. VALS refers to a method of research that is mainly used for doing market segmentation by psychologically. This helps in the process of segmenting the target audience or the product. Key dimensions of VALS framework are resources (vertical dimension) and motivation (horizontal dimension). Therefore, vertical dimension of this framework targets those people who have such economical and social resources, like education, income, respect etc. On the other hand, the horizontal dimension of this framework presents the motivations. This framework helps as a tool for determining the target audience of a product or the position of the particular company within the competitive market. Every individual customer have different Val factor. By determining these factors a company can be able to draw its targeted audience. For the case of Mango, women who lead a high lifestyle are the main targeted audience of this company. Women who are trendy and choose only high class branded products are mainly the high income women. These high class women are the targeted audience of Mango. Geographic: On the other hand, Durkin (2013) stated that, geographic segmentation can be a useful strategy for segmenting the market. Locating the cultural diversification of different geographical area is also an important task for the marketers in order to know the segmentation of market. Mango has targeted the urban customers of Malaysia in order to implement digital marketing strategy of the company. This company has also targeted this population of this geographical area for delivering the products. 4. Positioning: According to Gupta et al. (2013) the positioning of brand describes the difference of the brand of the competitors within the same market segment. Every company needs to position the brand of the product of the company. A company should make the brand different from the other brands of the same market. At first, Mango should recognize the competitors of the market. There are other clothing manufacturers in the market who offer same types of clothing as well as accessories for men, women and kids. Mango therefore should check the position of those competitors within the market. This company should therefore take extensive techniques of advertising and other promotional tools in order to implement the strategy of branding within the competitive market sector. 5. Issues: There are some issues on the website of Mango. For delivering the products through online medium a company needs to maintain a well-designed website. Customers often face some problems in order to shop from the website of Mango. There are some issues for providing online shopping experience to the customers. There are some issues of customer service in the website of Mango. Some customers often have lost money while buying from Mango. Several people have to face damage while shopping the products of Mango. However, Mango has not provided any compensation to those customers who have lost their money in order to buy products of Mango. However, many customers have not found perfect size of the clothes. Customer service also has stopped to reply the customers. Customer service is therefore very poor (Vermeulen, 2014). On the other hand, there are problems regarding refunds of the products. Canceling the order and tracking order is also very difficult for the website of this company. On the other hand, Alavi and Ahuja (2014) stated some problems regarding communication and interaction with the customers and the company. Once the products have been dispatched for the customers no additional information will be given by the company. Company does not take part in the process of communication. According to, Shi (2014), there are also lack of facilities of web chat with the customers. They cannot participate in the process of chatting with the service providers of the particular company. This company does not offer the facility of web chatting among the customers. On the other hand Chaffey and Patron (2012), stated that, the communication as well as interaction is very useful and important things to do. A company who delivers products through online medium should provide better communication medium for the customers. Therefore, this company has not focused upon the factor and medium of communication. Position of the sale button is not effective for the customers. Place of the sale button should be on the right side of the page as per the advantage of the eye of human being. Present placing of the le button therefore irritates the eye of the customers. They often do not find the sale button in the website of Mango. Therefore, they miss the features and advantages of sale of various types of products. The logo of the payment method should be put on bottom right. The logo of the site should be big in size. Therefore, big size of logo will provide a clear picture for the customers. However, Durkin (2013) argued that this company also has a problem with delaying the refund for the customers. Many customers have faced problems regarding refund activity of this company. Mango has delayed refund for more than two months. This happens only for the lack of communication activity and refusal of helping customers. Website of the Mango therefore lacks from EVENTS and CONTESTS button. Position of the logo of payment method and social media icons are not so effective for the eyes of the customers. No feedback form is presented in the particular website of Mango. This company does not provide any newsletter to the customers. Providing a newsletter help to subscribe this and will be able to provide more information to the customers about their company and products. By analyzing several issues of digital marketing of Mango, the author has come to the conclusion that major problems of digital marketing activities of Mango are related to the problems of effective customer service and lack of communication activities through the website that help in order to shop products through online medium. Refunding activity is also very problematic of this company. Effective refunding process does not take place within this company as because there is lack of communication within the process of online shopping. 6. Recommendation: For these problems of digital marketing of Mango, author has recommended some improved techniques for providing better service to the customers. Recommendation 1: This Company can use effective technique of Customer Relationship Management (CRM). According to Hemann and Burbary (2013) with the help of this process a company can manage effective interaction as well as communication with the existing customers and future customers of the company. Mango can take the strategy of CRM for managing the relationship and interactions with the potential and loyal customers as well as new customers. Implementation of effective CRM therefore helps to improve the profitability of the organization. Therefore, Mango can utilize the advantage CRM software in order to record a database of customers. This software can also record the interaction of customers over the mail, phone calls and different channels of online medium. Most of the CRM software includes marketing automation, sales force automation, contact center automation and location based services (Communications, 2015) On the other hand, Springer and Carson (2012) argued that, effective use of Electronic Customer Relationship Management is necessary for the company. Electronic Customer Relationship Management therefore offers all functions of customer relationship management with effective use of online environment. Information Technology is very important as well as necessary for engaging the customers with the business activity of the company. Electronic customer relationship management has the concerns about maintaining effective relation with customers (Wolny, 2014). Recommendation 2: Mango can utilize the benefits of different social media. Effective utilization of social media therefore maintains relationship with the customers. Now days, use of social media has increased a lot among the people. Therefore, Mango can create a page on Face book, Twitter and describes about their products and other necessary information. Therefore, using social media can benefit the company in order to maintain the effective relation with the customers (Kozinets, 2014). Recommendation 3: For those who sell products through online should effectively use a well-designed e-commerce website. Customization of the website is very much necessary. Website must be easy for all the users of the particular company (Tkachenko, 2014). Some features of the e-commerce website are recommended here: Recommendation A: The button of EVENTS and CONTESTS should be placed on Mango sites. Recommendation B: Mango website should provide the logo of different payment method and icons of different social media on the bottom right side of the page. Recommendation C: Feedback form should be there within the website. It will help to provide feedbacks and comments of the customers about their service or products. More or less all online shopping websites provide feedback form for the customers. By using this feedback form a customer can provide feedbacks about the service. This will also help to improve the service of the company as per the requirements of the customers. Recommendation D: Mango should put a newsletter on the top of the website. Customers will be able to see the newsletter about this particular company. This position of newsletter will help the customers that they dont have to scroll down the page for seeing the newsletter. Newsletter will provide information about the new products and offers of the company. Customers can see these by opening the page. Recommendation E: Web chat facility should be there as the customers lack this facility on the webpage of Mango. Proposed web link: https://igoutamdas2011.wix.com/newmango Conclusion: This assignment has dealt with the aspect of digital marketing. I have taken the case study of Mango in order to understand the products, target audiences and issues of this particular company. Therefore, by this analysis, I have founded that, this company is facing some problems regarding the process of digital marketing. This company lacks from interaction and communication with the online customers who buy products from their website. On the other hand, customers of Mango also suffer from delaying the refund. The e-commerce website is also not effective of this company. However, I have also recommended some effective technique for designing the ecommerce website of this company. Reference list Books Gupta, D., Massisimo, A. and Koontz, C. (2013) Marketing Library and Information Services II. Berlin: De Gruyter. Hemann, C. and Burbary, K. (2013) Digital marketing analytics Indianapolis, Ind.: Que. Jinnai, R. (2014). Innovation, product cycle, and asset prices Review of Economic Dynamics Springer, P. and Carson, M (2012) Pioneers of digital London: Kogan Page. Journals Alavi, S. and Ahuja, V. (2014) Digital Marketing Analytics:. International Journal of Innovation in the Digital Economy, 5(4), pp.50-65 Chaffey, D. and Patron, M. (2012). From web analytics to digital marketing optimization: Increasing the commercial value of digital analytics. J Direct Data Digit Mark Pract, 14(1), pp.30-45. (https://www.palgrave-journals.com/dddmp/journal/v14/n1/abs/dddmp201220a.html) Sribnyak, O. (2012). Mini Cooper: Current Marketing Strategy, Digital Marketing Approach, the Brand Ethical Values. Bulletin - Prague College Centre for Research and Interdisciplinary Studies, 2012(2). (https://www.degruyter.com/view/j/cris.2012.2012.issue-2/v10284-012-0001-3/v10284-012-0001-3.xml) Durkin, M. (2013) Tweet me cruel: Perspectives on battling digital marketing myopia1. The Marketing Review, 13(1), pp.51-63 Kozinets, R. (2014). Creating Sustainable Digital Experiences GfK Marketing Intelligence Review, 6(2). Pant, A., Hsieh, Y., Lee, M. and Shen, C. (2014) Pointing Out Differences: Consumer Evaluations of Comparative Information Across Product Types. Journal of Promotion Management, 20(3), pp.390-409 Shaffer, J. (2014). Innovating Advertising: Conventional vs. Innovative Anthropomorphic Advertising Approaches in the Twenty-First Century. Advertising Society Review, 15(1) Shi, X. (2014) The Study on Product Promotion Design and its Mechanism AMM, 701-702, pp.1343-1347 Stone, M. (2014). Building digital skills through training J Direct Data Digit Mark Pract, 16(1), pp.3-14 Tkachenko, Y. (2014). Optimal allocation of digital marketing budget: The empirical Bayes approach. J Market Anal, 2(3), pp.162-172 Vermeulen, K. (2014). Understanding Your Audience: How Psychologists Can Help Emergency Managers Improve Disaster Warning Compliance. Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, 11(3) Wolny, J. (2014). Marketing transformations: Re-thinking marketing, digital first. J Direct Data Digit Mark Pract, 16(2), pp.150-151 Websites Communications, N. (2015) New York University [online] Nyu.edu Available at: https://www.nyu.edu [Accessed 17 Feb. 2015] Iusb.edu, (2015) IU South Bend Home [online] Available at: https://www.iusb.edu [Accessed 17 Feb. 2015] Shop.mango.com, (2015) Mango. [online] Available at: https://shop.mango.com [Accessed 17 Feb. 2015]. Www8.gsb.columbia.edu, (2015) Home | Columbia Business School [online] Available at: https://www8.gsb.columbia.edu [Accessed 17 Feb. 2015] Appendix: Old web page: Proposed web page:

The Gatsby Essays - The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby, Nick Carraway

The Gatsby The Great Gatsby Juxtaposing two scenes in a narrative allows them to be easily compared and contrasted. In F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby, two such scenes require specific attention. The impromptu party that is thrown by Tom Buchanan and his mistress, Myrtle Wilson, followed immediately by Jay Gatsby's party at his house, call for the attention of the reader because of the implications of these contiguous scenes. The result of analyzing the two scenes is that one can infer certain qualities of each man's character. By paying specific detail to the d?cor of the parties, the respect that each character commands from people at their parties, the guests who arrive at the parties, and the overall purpose of hosting the party, one can deduce that Tom and Gatsby are polar opposites. The first element of the parties that should be examined is the d?cor of Myrtle Wilson's apartment compared to that of Gatsby's house. In the first line describing the apartment, the narrator, Nick Carraway, informs the reader of the lack of comfort in the apartment and the ensuing awkwardness of the setting: The apartment was on the top floor - a small living room, a small dining room, a small bedroom and a bath (33). Nick's description makes it amazingly clear to the reader how unhappy and unpleasant the situation was, not only for himself, but for Tom and Myrtle, as well as the other guests in attendance, Catherine, Myrtle's sister, and the McKees, neighbors who live in the same building. One can imagine the walls virtually closing in because of the overcrowding furniture, the overpowering size and strength of Tom and his ego, and the oversized picture of Myrtle's mother. Tom is a large figure who is awkward, unintelligent, and curt; therefore, situations that involv! e him adopt his negative attributes. Even the literature that is scattered about the room is a reflection of Tom's character. Simon Called Peter and Town Tattle are the only available items to read and they are of an extremely unintelligent nature. Gossip magazines and this popular immoral novel (209) are telling evidence of Tom's immaturity. When contrasting Tom and Myrtle's set of rooms to Gatsby's mansion, it is immediately possible to see the differences in their lifestyles. Tom and Myrtle's apartment is as tiny as his character, and Gatsby's house and character are equally enormous in comparison. This argument is founded in the description of Gatsby's house. The reader can gain an understanding of the size of the party from Nick's (and Jordan Baker's) attempt to find their host, Gatsby. The bar, where we glanced first, was crowded but Gatsby was not there. She couldn't find him from the top of the steps, and he wasn't on the veranda. On a chance, we tried an important-looking door, and walked into a high Gothic library, panelled with carved English oak, and probably transported complete from some ruin oversees (49). Gatsby's house was obviously palatial with an air of dignity, class, and confidence. This description can be applied to Gatsby as well. Another point of contrast is the respect that each character commands from his hired helpers. Tom and Myrtle do not have a butler or a maid in their apartment, but they make a point of trying to command respect from one of the bellhops in the building. When Tom says, You McKees have something to drink. Get some more ice and mineral water, Myrtle, before everybody goes to sleep he is showing his dominance over Myrtle to the other guests. However, Myrtle tries to avoid the servile role by deflecting her responsibility to others when she replies: I told that boy about the ice.Those people! You have to keep after them all the time (36). The only problem with this pretense is that there is no other person who will listen to his or her requests. They make demands, but nobody obeys them. In the end, there is no evidence that anybody follows through with this order and nobody actually g Theater

Abortion misc1 essays

Abortion misc1 essays Abortion, the ending of pregnancy, has been a very controversial topic for decades. Is abortion moral or immoral? People all over the world have different opinions. There are different ways that abortion can be performed: surgically or medicinally. The 1973 Supreme Court decision known as Roe vs. Wade marked an important turning point in abortion. This decision made it legal to have abortions. Different states have various laws on abortion. Abortion continues to be debated worldwide. Abortion is the ending of a pregnancy. It is the removal of a fetus from the uterus before the fetus is mature enough to live on its own. Abortion has been around for decades. Each year, more than 50% of all pregnancies among young woman are unintended. Half of the unintended pregnancies will end in abortion, which is 1.5 million each year. There are no specifications on who will have an abortion. Women who have abortions come from all racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and religious backgrounds. Calculating abortion rates, older teenagers and young adults have the highest abortion rates. Young women between the ages of 11 and 19 account for about 21% of all abortions; women 20 to 24 account for another 34 %; and about 22% of abortions are brought about by women who are 30 or older. Over half of all abortions are obtained within the first eight weeks (Women who..., 1995). Is abortion moral or immoral? People who favor abortion most invoke the right to choose of woman who conceived the child. The people who oppose abortion focus on the right to life of the fetus. John Paul II, the pope of the Roman Catholic Church, contends that abortion is a particularly heinous crime because it kills an innocent human being who has yet to be born. He feels that every human being has a sacred and inviolable right to life. New York Archbishop John J. OConnor linked abortion with the Nazi Holocaust. He stated Now Hit...

Why Do People Go to School Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

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What do qualitative methods have to offer clinical psychology as Essay

What do qualitative methods have to offer clinical psychology as research tools - Essay Example Qualitative researchers more than often have a common intention to enrich their interpretations or critiques of symbols and subjective experiences or social structures through these methods. (Glaser and Strauss, 1967). According to Guba and Lincoln (p. 106), there is an identified set of four conditions that are essential for a naturalistic inquiry when talking in terms of clinical psychology and it is these conditions which underline the criteria for trustworthiness between a psychological researcher and a patient. Now this goes without saying that trustworthiness is a critically important issue in psychological research and the criteria for assessing trustworthiness in naturalistic inquiry especially, profoundly relies on qualitative research. The primarily important condition among the rest relates to the methods applied in the research. These are the qualitative methods which heavily depend on human senses and these are considered the most appropriate and beneficent methods for carrying out investigation of multiple realities, worldwide. This is so because such methods are highly adaptable to mutually shaping influences and value patterns that gradually arise in the clinical research. This all ows open discussion among the participants and the researcher allowing them to elaborate their understandings in addition to creating a setting that enables the researcher to appreciate and grasp the verbal responses of the participants. The whole point of qualitative methods generally is to gather information through loosely-structured interviews, critical analysis of the participants’ responses as well as the scientific literature and transient observations. Defining qualitative research, Cook and Reichardt (p. 7) stated: Qualitative research methods include ethnography, case study, in depth interviews, and participant observation. Ethnography is a

Internet mini case Essay Example for Free

Internet mini case Essay Williams-Sonoma (WSM) was a specialty retailer of products for the home. The company’s products were sold through two channels: the retail channel and the direct-to-customer channel. The retail segment comprised four retail concepts: Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, and Hold Everything. The direct-to-customer segment sold though eight retail catalogs: Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Pottery Barn Bed + Bath, PB Teen, Hold Everything, West Elm, and Williams-Sonoma Home (which incorporated elements from the previously separate Chambers) as well as through four e-commerce sites. The catalogs reached customers throughout the United States, and the four retail businesses operated 522 stores in 42 states and Washington, DC. The retail segment accounted for 58.9% of total sales; the direct-to-customer segment accounted for 41.1% in fiscal 2003. Charles E. Williams, Director Emeritus of the company in 2003, founded Williams-Sonoma in 1956 to offer high-end culinary and serving equipment in an upscale retail environment. The company entered the direct-to-customer channel in 1972, with the introduction of its flagship catalog, â€Å"A Catalog for Cooks,† which marketed the Williams-Sonoma brand. In 1983, the company internally developed the Hold Everything catalog to offer innovative and stylish storage solutions for home and home office. The success of the catalog led to the opening of the first Hold Everything retail store in 1985. In 1986, the company acquired Pottery Barn, at that time a marginally successful retailer and direct-to-customer merchant featuring a large assortment of casual home furnishings and accessories including furniture, lamps and lighting fixtures, rugs, window treatments, linens, dinnerware, and glassware. In 1989, Williams-Sonoma created Chambers, a direct-to-customer merchandiser of high-quality, premium-priced linens, towels, robes, soaps, and accessories for bed and bath. This case was prepared by Professor Maryanne M. Rouse, MBA, CPA, University of South Florida. Copyright  © 2005 by Professor Maryanne M. Rouse. This case cannot be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the copyright holder, Maryanne M. Rouse. Reprint permission is solely granted to the publisher, Prentice Hall, for the books, Strategic Management and Business Policy – 10th and 11th Editions (and the International version of this book) and Cases in Strategic Management and Business Policy – 10th Edition by the copyright holder, Maryanne M. Rouse. This case was edited for SMBP and Cases in SMBP – 10th Edition. The copyright holder is solely responsible for case content. Any other publication of the case (translation, any form of electronics or other media) or sold (any form of partnership) to another publisher will be in violation of copyright law, unless Maryanne M. Rouse has granted an additional written reprint permission. In early 1999, the company launched both its Williams-Sonoma Internet wedding and gift registry web site and its Williams-Sonoma e-commerce site. Later that year, the company launched a separate Pottery Barn Kids catalog to offer well-made, stylish children’s furniture and decorative accessories. (Pottery Barn Kids was one of the first concepts to market in what is expected to be a major growth segment during the next decade, as birthrates in the United States. are expected to surpass rates achieved at any time in the past 30 years. Birthrates among older women are soaring, and older moms tend to be wealthier and more willing to splurge on their children.) Pottery Barn Kids stores were opened adjacent to Pottery Barn stores across the United States, and by September 2004, there were 78 stores. Edward Mueller, Williams-Sonoma CEO, expected Pottery Barn Kids to be the primary growth vehicle for the company over the next several years. Williams-Sonoma launched its Pottery Barn web site and created a separate Pottery Barn Bed + Bath catalog in 2000. In 2001, the company added a Pottery Barn Kids web site, and a Pottery Barn online gift and bridal registry, and it opened five new retail stores in Toronto, Ontario. In line with its related diversification growth strategy, Williams-Sonoma tested a new catalog in summer 2002, under the West Elm brand. This new brand targeted young, design-conscious customers seeking to furnish first homes/apartments/lofts with quality furniture and accessories at affordable price points. West Elm product categories included furniture, decorative accessories, and an extensive textiles collection. In 2003, Williams-Sonoma expanded its catalog mailings for West Elm, added a web site, and opened its first retail store. Williams-Sonoma launched PB Teen with a catalog and web site in late April 2003. PB Teen was intended to fill the market space between Pottery Barn and Pottery Barn Kids with hip, exclusively designed furniture, rugs, lighting, bedding, and accessories promoted with its catalog, interactive web site, special sales campaigns, and contests. The company’s newest concept, Williams-Sonoma Home, was introduced in third quarter 2004 to tap into what company Chairman William H. Lester noted had been an empty space between the Pottery Barn demographic and designer home furnishings. Lester hoped to position this brand extension as an upscale furniture concept that would be more classic and less fashion-forward than Pottery Barn. Dave DeMattei, Williams-Sonoma’s President of Emerging Brands, noted that the look of casual elegance was â€Å"aspirational,† using an industry term for a product that helps a consumer trade up without necessarily spending top dollar. This new home collection, put together by Steven Brady, former President for Home Design at Ralph Lauren Home, featured down-plumped sofas ranging from $2,200 to $5,800 and $3,000 leather headboards as well as crystal lamps, cashmere throws, and the upscale linens formerly featured in the company’s Chambers catalog. (The company planned to fold the Chambers catalog into the Williams-Sonoma Home catalog.) Although some industry watchers questioned whether consumers would be willing to buy somewhat pricey furnishing sight-unseen, the company’s alliances with decorators, who would get trade discounts, were expected to help overcome initial resistance. The first Williams-Sonoma Home retail stores were expected to open early in 2 005. Retail Stores As of September 2004, Williams-Sonoma operated a total of 522 retail stores located in 42 states, the District of Columbia, and Toronto, Ontario: 242 Williams-Sonoma, 176 Pottery Barn, 82 Pottery Barn Kids, 7 Hold Everything, 1 West Elm, and 14 outlet stores. The company leased rather than owned its retail space. As of September 2004, the company’s gross leased square feet totaled 4,292,000, with 2,705,000 â€Å"selling† square feet. Lease terms ranged from 3 to 23 years. The average square feet per retail location increased from 7,660 in 2002 to 8,200 by August 2004, as the company replaced older, smaller Pottery Barn stores with larger stores carrying a wider variety of merchandise, including furniture. Direct-to-Customer Operations The direct-to-customer segment sold a variety of products through eight catalogs and e-commerce web sites. The company sent its catalogs to addresses from its proprietary customer lists as well as to names it received in exchange (or purchases) from other mail-order merchandisers, magazines, and other companies. The direct-to-customer business complemented the retail business by building customer awareness of the brand and acting as an effective promotional vehicle. Williams-Sonoma also used its catalogs and e-commerce sites as a cost-efficient means of testing market acceptance of new products. As of 2004, of the eight merchandising concepts, the Pottery Barn brand and its extensions had been the major source of sales growth in this segment for the previous several years. A good deal of Pottery Barn’s success was attributed to its ability to create a â€Å"lifestyle brand.† A brand gained â€Å"lifestyle† status via style, innovation, and appeal to customers who wanted to lead a particular style of life; in short, it allowed the company to reach a higher level in terms of the connection it made with the customer. Facilities/Locations Williams-Sonoma leased centralized distribution facilities in Olive Branch, Mississippi (2,152,000 square feet), and Memphis, Tennessee (1,515,000 square feet), and call centers in Las Vegas, Oklahoma City, and Camp Hill, Pennsylvania (approximately 36,000 square feet in each location). Distribution centers served both the company’s retail locations and fulfillment operations. The company also leased office, warehouse, design/photo studio, and data center space in California, New York, and Florida. In February, Williams-Sonoma purchased headquarters offices in San Francisco. Suppliers The company’s sourcing strategy included relationships with manufacturers in over 40 countries. Approximately 58% of merchandise purchases were from non-U.S. vendors, most of which were located in Europe and Asia. Substantially all of the company’s foreign purchases of merchandise were negotiated and paid for in U.S. dollars. Any event causing a sudden disruption or delay of imports from foreign vendors, including the imposition of additional import restrictions, restrictions on the transfer of funds and/or increased tariffs or quotas, or both, against home-centered items could increase the cost or reduce merchandise availability. No supplier accounted for more than 4% of Williams-Sonoma’s total purchases. Finance In fiscal 2003 (fiscal year ended February 1, 2004), Williams-Sonoma reported a 16.7% increase in net revenues over the prior year, the highest pretax operating margin and earnings per share in the company’s history and an increasing return on assets. Williams-Sonoma’s profit for the quarter ended August 1, 2004, jumped 55% as sales surged at the company’s Pottery Barn and outlet stores. Revenue for second quarter 2004 increased 19%, to $689.6 million, with direct-to-customer sales up an impressive 27%. Pottery Barn and Pottery Barn Kids drove second quarter retail growth with same-store sales increases of 10.2%; however, same-store sales at the company’s Williams-Sonoma stores slid 1.6%. The closing price for Williams-Sonoma stock on October 14, 2004, was $36.33. (Note: Williams-Sonoma’s annual and quarterly reports and SEC filings are available via the company’s web site, www.williams-sonomainc.com, and www.wsj.com ) The Industry The specialty retail business was highly competitive and characterized by a number of challenges, including: Anticipating and quickly responding to changing consumer demands Maintaining favorable brand recognition and effectively marketing products to consumers in diverse market segments Developing innovative, high-quality products in colors and styles that appealed to consumers of varying age groups and tastes Competitively pricing products and achieving customer perception of value Providing strong and effective marketing support Specialty retail exhibited the low entry barriers characteristic of fragmented industries, barriers that may be all but eliminated with the increased popularity of the Internet. Favored products for online shopping included computers, books, CDs, electronics, toys, and housewares. Over time, industry analysts expected catalog retailing to merge with e-tailing as web sites become electronic catalogs. For successful companies with strong brand names, the combination of stores and web sites would be a powerful one; however, expenditures for e-commerce sites would hurt profitability in the short run. Competitors Williams-Sonoma’s specialty retail stores, mail-order catalogs, and Internet web sites competed with other retail stores, other mail-order catalogs, and other e-commerce web sites that marketed similar lines of merchandise. The company competed with national, regional, and local businesses as well as traditional furniture stores, department stores and specialty stores. The substantial sales growth in the direct-to-customer industry within the past decade had encouraged both the entry of new competitors and an increase in competition from established companies. Direct competitors included such national companies as Crate Barrel, Restoration Hardware, Pier 1 Imports, and Bombay Company, as well as regional companies such as the Door Store, Rolling Pin Kitchen Emporium, Home Elements, and Expressions. Crate Barrel A counterculture story of the 1960s, Crate Barrel opened its first store in Chicago’s Old Town in 1962 and mailed its first catalog in 1967. Privately held Crate Barrel prided itself on designing beautiful store displays that were difficult to copy and worked diligently to find products from smaller, out-of-the way factories that made beautiful products that consumers could afford. Although the company had significantly fewer brick-and-mortar locations (84 retail and outlet stores) than the Williams-Sonoma retail concepts with which it competed, Crate Barrel marketed nationwide via its catalogs and web site. Restoration Hardware Restoration Hardware grew from just 20 stores in 1997 to 104 at the end of 2001, barely 37 behind Pottery Barn in brick-and-mortar locations; however, the company had had a difficult time managing growth. Its aggressive expansion between 1998 and 2000 cost it two years of profits and sank the value of its stock to as low as $.50 a share in December 2000, from $37 a share in 1998, the year it went public. The closing price for its stock on May 19, 2002, was $10.19. Both Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn sold high-dollar, vintage-style furniture and home furnishings and had many other characteristics in common, including significant growth in direct-to-customer sales. Industry observers estimated that while Pottery Barn targeted the wealthiest 20% of Americans, Restoration Hardware targeted the wealthiest 10%. Whimsical nostalgia had been a big seller for Restoration Hardware for several years, with such items as retro tools, steamer chairs that could have come straight from the set of Titanic, shot glasses decorated with optometrists’ eye charts, and down-filled â€Å"foot duvets† proving hugely popular with shoppers. Restoration Hardware’s not-so-secret weapon in the battle for upscale customers could well have been Gary Friedman. In spring 2001, Friedman, who managed Pottery Barn’s explosive growth in the 1990s, was named CEO of Restoration Hardware after having been passed over for the top job at Williams-Sonoma. Pier 1 Imports Pier 1 Imports comprised three chains of retail stores operating under the names Pier 1 Imports, The Pier, and Cargo. Products offered included a wide variety of furniture, decorative home furnishings, dining and kitchen goods, bath and bedding, and other specialty items for the home. During the fiscal year ended February 28, 2004 (fiscal 2003), it operated 1,015 Pier 1 stores in the United States and 68 Pier 1 stores in Canada, and it also supported 8 franchised stores in the United States. In addition, it operated 29 stores located in the United Kingdom under the name The Pier and 40 Cargokids stores located in the United States. Pier 1 also supplied merchandise, and it licensed the Pier 1 Imports name to Sears Mexico and Sears Puerto Rico, which sold Pier 1 merchandise in a store-within-a-store format in 20 Sears Mexico stores and in 7 Sears Puerto Rico stores. The Bombay Company The Bombay Company’s retail stores and catalog emphasized classic traditional furniture, wall decor, and accessories. Furniture included both wood and metal ready-to-assemble furniture designed for the bedroom, living room, dining room, and home office. Functional and decorative accessories included lamps, jewelry, baskets, candles, scents, ceramics, frames, and desktop items. Wall decor included prints and mirrors. On January 31, 2004, the company operated 415 stores in 42 states and 56 stores in 9 Canadian provinces, as well as 46 outlet stores. The company viewed the outlets as an opportunity to increase sales to a different customer base, to assist in the orderly clearance of merchandise, and to further capitalize on its strength in designing and sourcing proprietary products. Accessories, the broadest category offered by the company, accounted for 43% of sales in 2003, while large furniture accounted for 31%, and ready-to-assemble products 14%, with wall decor accounting for the remaining 12%. Door Store The privately held Door Store operated nine retail locations in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Its products included contemporary and traditional case goods and upholstered furniture; it competed with both Pottery Barn and Hold Everything. The company’s product strategy was to anticipate trends in furniture and to make quality furniture available to style-conscious customers at â€Å"prices almost too good to be true.† The Door Store also marketed via its web site and shipped nationwide. Rolling Pin Kitchen Emporium This privately held franchise kitchen and housewares concept, with headquarters in Little Rock, Arkansas, had store locations in regional and upscale malls in Arkansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida. In addition to retail sales, the company marketed nationwide via catalogs and its web site. The Rolling Pin competed with Williams-Sonoma. Other Competitors Other competitors across retail concepts included local and regional furniture and specialty stores, department stores, and direct-ship manufacturers. Williams-Sonoma’s expansion from the kitchen into the rest of the home with its flagship brand via the new Williams-Sonoma Home concept was expected to reorder a landscape dominated by traditional retailers such as Ethan Allen and Room Board and by â€Å"tastemakers† such as Martha Stewart for Bernhardt and Ralph Lauren Home.

Does the FBI have the right to use Carnivore? :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Does the FBI have the right to use Carnivore? Carnivore is an unnecessary system that should be replaced by one that infringes less on the privacy of Internet users, such as one that records the data of certain subscribers and sends only that information to the FBI. The methods used for intercepting communications, from simple wiretapping to the NSA’s ECHELON satellite surveillance system, have been designed as a means of intercepting information concerning criminal and terrorist plans and using that information to apprehend suspects before they cause any harm. Carnivore, the FBI’s email â€Å"wiretapping† system, is used to scan emails on a specific ISP that is believed to be hosting a suspected criminal. Carnivore was designed to scan packets of information passing through a router in search of suspicious activity. It looks for keywords and names in the headers of emails and other data that may lead to the prevention of crimes or apprehension of suspects. It is believed that Carnivore was derived from commercial online detection software known as Etherpeek. [Tyson] In February 1997, the system known as â€Å"Omnivore† was proposed to run on Solaris X86 computers. In June 1999, it was replaced by the Carnivore system, which runs on Windows NT-based computers. [Konrad] Carnivore is part of a system known as the DragonWare Suite. This system contains three parts: Carnivore, the system that captures information; Packeteer, which is believed to be used as a packet reassembler; and Coolminer, an application that is thought to be capable of analyzing the data collected. [Tyson] It was recommended that Carnivore’s name be changed because its current name caused people to infer that it would aggressively invade their privacy. Because of its job as a â€Å"digital collection system,† it was recently renamed DCS1000. [Luening] It has also been said that the FBI has merely â€Å"dressed its online wolf in sheep’s clothing† [Luening]. When a suspected criminal is detected, a court order for investigation must be issued, and then a Carnivore machine is set up at the suspect’s ISP. It then scans all incoming and outgoing data for every user on that ISP. It is claimed that only the headers of emails are scanned for information and that the contents are left alone, but there are questions as to whether or not this is true and, if it is not, whether citizens can trust the government not to read personal email while searching for their suspect.

Succubus Shadows Chapter 21

Maddie claimed that even Seth's family didn't know where he was. According to her, he'd really just†¦vanished. He wasn't answering his phone. He wasn't showing up at the bookstore. When people disappeared, I immediately jumped to supernatural conclusions, but Maddie then added – through more tears – that she used her key to get her belongings from Seth's place and found a suitcase and some clothing missing. Feeling guilty about having the key anymore, she then shoved it into my hand and told me to return it. Or throw it away. I did my best to comfort her some more and then offered to take her over to Doug's. Roman shot me a warning look as we were about to leave. â€Å"Don't do anything stupid,† he said out of Maddie's hearing. â€Å"I knew your nice bedside manner wouldn't last,† I returned. Despite Doug's slacker rocker-boy lifestyle, I knew Maddie'd be in good hands with him. I dropped her off there and found Doug a mixture of personas. To Maddie, he was astonishingly kind and gentle – the caring brother as opposed to the usual teasing brother. Once she was lying down in the other room, he made sure I knew exactly what he thought of Seth in very explicit detail. There wasn't much I could say to that except that they should call me if they needed anything. I left. In spite of Maddie's words, I drove to Terry and Andrea's anyway. Seth ending things with Maddie so abruptly was crazy – almost crazier than him proposing to her in the first place. But him disappearing without telling his family? No. He wouldn't do that. He was too responsible. Most likely he'd told them not to tell Maddie where he was. Kendall opened the door when I arrived, her face lighting up like Christmas morning. â€Å"Georgina! Georgina's here!† Morgan and McKenna, who had been watching cartoons, came tearing over and each wrapped themselves around a leg. â€Å"Nice to see you guys too,† I laughed. Terry had been sitting on the couch near the twins and came over to me with a little less zeal. â€Å"Hey, Georgina,† he said, face typically friendly. He was shorter than Seth and a few years older, but overall, they bore a notable resemblance. â€Å"Sorry for the mass assault.† â€Å"No problem.† I unwound Morgan from me, but McKenna proved a little more resistant. Glancing back at Terry, I said hesitantly, â€Å"I was wondering if I could talk to you, uh, about something.† Terry wasn't stupid. None of the Mortensens were. â€Å"Sure,† he said. â€Å"Girls, let go of Georgina and go back to the cartoons. We're going to go into the kitchen.† â€Å"But we want her to watch TV with us!† â€Å"Can we come?† Terry laid down firm but friendly fatherly law, and with great reluctance, the girls returned to the couch. I was impressed. I wasn't sure I could have refused that group anything. He led me to the kitchen, but before either of us could say anything, Andrea came in from down the hall, smiling in surprise when she saw me. I smiled in surprise right back at her, but it was more from her appearance than anything else. It was the middle of the day, but she wore a robe over pajamas. Her mussed blond hair and dark eye circles suggested she'd been sleeping. Terry had been leaning against the counter but jumped up when he saw her. â€Å"Oh, honey, you should go back to bed.† She shrugged him off. â€Å"I wanted to see who's here. How's it going?† â€Å"Fine,† I said. Then, unable to resist: â€Å"Are you feeling okay?† â€Å"A little under the weather. Fortunately, Terry's manning up today. He does almost as good a job as me with the girls.† I laughed politely at the joke, but it soon faded. We stood awkwardly for a moment, everyone knowing why I was here but no one doing anything about it. Finally, I took a deep breath. â€Å"I've come to ask you where Seth is.† â€Å"Funny,† said Andrea. â€Å"We were going to ask you the same thing.† I was taken aback. â€Å"How would I know?† They both just stared. â€Å"I don't!† â€Å"When this happened a couple days ago†¦this thing with Maddie†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Terry glanced uneasily at his wife before continuing. â€Å"We just assumed, well, that it was because of you.† â€Å"Why would it be because of me? I just found out about this today.† â€Å"It's always been because of you,† said Andrea gently. â€Å"There was never anyone else. We like Maddie. He likes her. But that's the problem. Throughout it all, we could just tell that you were always the one. Now, whatever happened between you guys to make it go bad isn't any of our business. We're just not that surprised to see this new development.† â€Å"We would, however, like to know where he is,† said Terry more pragmatically. â€Å"I don't know,† I said helplessly, still a little stunned by Andrea's words. â€Å"Maddie said he'd packed up, and I figured you guys were keeping his location a secret from her.† I eyed them suspiciously. â€Å"And me?† â€Å"No,† said Terry. â€Å"We really don't know.† I didn't have an angel's talent, but I believed he was telling the truth. Andrea nodded in agreement. â€Å"He just called us a couple days ago and said he'd ended things. Didn't give any explanation – but well, you know how he is. He doesn't explain much anyway. Then, when Maddie and no one else had seen him, we started to get worried.† A couple days ago. Seth had ended things with her a couple days ago – when the whole soul retrieval gig had gone down. â€Å"We actually tried calling you,† added Terry. â€Å"But never got an answer.† â€Å"Ah, yeah. I've been sick this week too.† Eyeing Andrea – who looked exhausted – I suddenly felt bad for taking up any more of their time. â€Å"Look, I should go. Thanks for the info. Will you†¦let me know if you hear from him?† Andrea smiled again. â€Å"Something tells me you'll hear from him before we do.† I wasn't as confident. Leaving the house was a little tricky since the other girls didn't want me to go, but I managed to escape their adorable clutches at last and make a break for it. I was walking toward my car when a voice said, â€Å"She's sick, you know.† I turned, startled, and saw Brandy standing near a gate that led to their backyard. She had the same sullen look about her she'd had for so long. â€Å"Hey,† I said in greeting. â€Å"Where'd you come from?† â€Å"I was around. I heard you talking to Mom and Dad.† I replayed Brandy's initial words. â€Å"Your mom†¦you mean she's sick, right? I could tell.† â€Å"No, I mean she's really sick. She's really sick, and they won't talk about it.† Brandy gave a nod toward the front door. â€Å"No one else knows. Not even Uncle Seth knows just how sick she is.† A chilly breeze stirred dried leaves around my feet, but it was nothing compared to the cold starting to fill me. â€Å"Just how sick are we talking, Brandy?† Brandy scuffed her feet against the driveway, eyes averted. â€Å"She has ovarian cancer. It's bad†¦but they're still trying to figure out just how bad it is.† â€Å"She was going to the doctor that day I was here,† I recalled aloud. Andrea had been so bright and cheery, I'd assumed something routine was going on. I also realized I hadn't technically been here; I'd seen it in a dream. Fortunately, Brandy was too distracted to notice my slip. â€Å"She's been at the doctor a lot. Dad's missing tons of work. Uncle Seth's helped out sometimes, and I've been babysitting all the time.† I suddenly felt incredibly selfish. I'd been assuming Brandy's moodiness was all over me and Seth breaking up. But that was only a symptom of the larger problem. Her mother was dangerously ill, and every part of her world was destabilizing. Her own life was probably being put on hold to watch her sisters, and even something like her uncle's romantic life could ripple what she'd regarded as the norm. All the constants in her world were disappearing. â€Å"Brandy, I – â€Å" â€Å"I have to go,† she interrupted, heading back toward the gate, face stony. â€Å"Kayla'll be up from her nap soon. I'm supposed to keep an eye on her today.† Brandy disappeared around the corner before I could say anything. I stood there, feeling lost. I didn't know who I felt worse for: Brandy and Terry for knowing what was going on or the little girls for being oblivious. I felt bad enough for myself because there was nothing I could do. There was never anything I could do. I had powers beyond human imaginings, but they were nothing that could actually help humans. I drove downtown with a heavy heart, trying hard – and failing – not to overreact. Brandy herself had said things were bad but that they were still learning the extent of it. Surely there were more tests, tests that would give some hope. And surely there was treatment. Humans could do that much on their own. Jerome was where I'd hoped he'd be. Really, I decided, the Cellar was nearly as good as him having an office. Carter was by his side at the back table, both of them doing shots from a bottle of Jà ¤germeister. Those two didn't discriminate among their liquor. I wondered if they were drinking away the hardships of the other day or toasting their success over it. It must have been the latter because Jerome almost smiled when he saw me. â€Å"Georgie, out among the living and back to your petite self. Yet†¦so blue. Blue like always.† Yes, they'd been drinking. Angels and demons could sober up at will, and he was apparently indulging in the full effects. â€Å"I got some bad news,† I said, sitting opposite them. â€Å"What, about losing Mortensen?† asked Jerome. â€Å"How do you know about that?† â€Å"I talked to Roman. He recapped your day – the old man checking in, you comforting your romantic rival†¦it was quite moving.† I scowled. â€Å"Great. You have Roman spying on me.† â€Å"It's not spying. I just demand answers from him. If it makes you feel better, he's never very happy to give up those answers.† â€Å"How often do you do it?† I asked incredulously. â€Å"Not that often.† A waiter set down a new bottle. â€Å"Mostly I wanted to see how you were recovering post-dream.† â€Å"Fine. I'm fine.† I glanced at Carter. â€Å"No comments from you today?† â€Å"Leave me out of this,† he replied. â€Å"I'm just drinking.† So he said, but he was also watching and listening very carefully. He was not letting the alcohol affect him. I turned back to Jerome. â€Å"I've come to call in my favor.† The dark amusement in his eyes turned to suspicion. â€Å"What favor?† â€Å"The one you promised me for helping save you from Grace, remember?† Yes, no amusement at all anymore. â€Å"I just rescued you from another plane of existence from creatures who were torturing your mind.† I flinched but pushed on with my words. â€Å"You promised a favor, and I didn't call it in for that. Besides, you would have done it anyway so that you wouldn't get in trouble.† â€Å"That favor offer was brought on by the drama at the time,† he countered. â€Å"I probably said all sorts of things.† â€Å"You promised,† I repeated. â€Å"I can understand you just fine without putting italics in your voice, Georgie,† he snapped. â€Å"You did, though,† pointed out Carter. Demons could lie – and did – but certain deals they were bound to. Jerome had said he'd grant me a favor out on the beach, and it had been a true promise. â€Å"Fine,† he said irritably, gesturing for another shot. â€Å"What is it you want? And I don't have to grant it if it's something totally unreasonable.† â€Å"I want to know – â€Å" â€Å"Careful,† interrupted Carter. I paused, and Jerome glared at the angel. Carter offered no other insight, but those gray eyes were still watchful – and cautious. Which was what I needed to be. Jerome had promised me a favor, and like all demons, he would try to find as many loopholes in it as possible. I had been about to ask where Seth was, but that wouldn't necessarily do me any good. I wouldn't be able to get to Seth. â€Å"I want you to send me to Seth so I can spend a few days with him.† Jerome studied me, expression shrewd. â€Å"There's a couple problems. One is that you've kind of asked for two things. The other is that I'm not omniscient. I don't know where he is.† â€Å"You can find out,† I said. â€Å"At least, if he's flown anywhere, you can find out.† Seth packing indicated serious travel. Maddie had said his car was still at the house, meaning he hadn't driven somewhere. If he had, he'd be harder to track. But airports had records, and Hell had its hand in that kind of thing. Jerome could easily get an imp or lesser demon to access Sea-Tac's records this week and see where Seth had gone. I probably could have asked Hugh to do it, but that wouldn't have gotten me leave to actually go to Seth, hence my wording. â€Å"And we both know it'd be stupid for you to send me right there and right back. Asking for a few days makes it worthwhile or else it's a shitty favor.† â€Å"Debatable,† Jerome replied. â€Å"It could be worse,† said Carter. â€Å"She didn't ask for world peace or anything.† â€Å"Stay out of this,† returned the demon. â€Å"I know what you want.† Carter shrugged and ordered another drink. â€Å"Fine,† said Jerome at last. â€Å"I'll have Hugh check travel records. You know there might not be a paper trail.† â€Å"I know. But if you find him?† â€Å"Then you can go to him. For now, go home. You're ruining my good mood. I'll find you if there's news.† I didn't need to be told twice. â€Å"Soon,† I said. â€Å"You have to search soon.† Jerome's lips quirked. â€Å"You didn't put that into the wording.† Carter elbowed him, and I had to take it on faith that Jerome would act in a timely manner. My words had implied that I wanted to be where Seth was now. One could argue that waiting meant Seth would change locations, meaning I couldn't have what I wanted. I also had to believe that Carter had a point in saying this was a relatively easy favor. I could have demanded more. Simple or not, it was hard to wait to hear back. Roman was gone when I returned to my condo, and I had nothing to do but ruminate. I'd given myself a leave of absence at work and didn't regret it. Still, being alone with my thoughts was never a good thing, and I had far too many to trouble me: the Oneroi, Seth, Andrea†¦ â€Å"Okay, Georgie.† It was four hours later when Jerome appeared in my living room with a pop. I sagged in relief. â€Å"You found him?† â€Å"I did.† â€Å"And you'll send me to him – for a worthwhile amount of time?† â€Å"Three days,† the demon said. He sounded irritable and impatient. I'd wondered if he'd been drinking this entire time and was angry at the interruption. â€Å"I want you back here in seventy-two hours, and you're on your own as to how you do it. Do you understand?† â€Å"Yes,† I said eagerly. â€Å"Just send me to him.† I had to talk to him. I had to find out exactly what had happened. I had to make sure he was okay. â€Å"And that settles the favor. Agreed?† â€Å"Agreed,† I said. There was power in that word, just as there had been in Jerome's initial promise. I could ask for nothing else. â€Å"Then go,† he said. I vanished from my living room†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦and reappeared on a busy sidewalk. People swarmed around me, none of them seeming to notice I'd appeared out of thin air. The sun was on its way down, but the sky was bright and clear – and hot. Very hot. The masses around me were dressed in beach clothes and had the feel of tourists. I stepped out of their path and found myself standing in front of a large, resort-type hotel. The abrupt change in location – and discomfort of teleportation – had left me disoriented, and I needed to get my bearings. Taking in more of my surroundings, I could hear people speaking in both Spanish and English. I turned to the closest person near me, a short, deeply tanned man in a hotel uniform who was directing taxis around the building's driveway. I started to ask where I was and decided that would be a little too stupid sounding. I pointed at the hotel and asked him what its name was. I knew tons of languages perfectly, and Spanish rolled off my lips easily. â€Å"El Grande Mazatln, seà ±orita,† he replied. Mazatln? This time, I did ask a stupid question: â€Å" ¿Estoy in M? ¦xico?† He nodded, giving me the are-you-crazy look I'd expected. It was probably made worse by my jaw dropping. Well, I supposed if you were going to run away, you should run away somewhere warm.