Adoption Of Medical Innovations An International Review

Wooding, S., Cochrane, G., Taylor, J., Kamenetzky, A., Sousa, S., Parks, S. (2015). Insights on earlier adoption of medical innovations: An international review of emerging and effective practice in improving access to medicines and medical technologies. RAND Europe Summary of Study The UK Government launched the Accelerated Access Review in November 2014 to evaluate the channels for the advancement, assessment, and adoption of innovative medicines and medical technology. In order to support the Accelerated Access Review, RAND Europe collaborated with the Policy Institute at King’s College London by â€Å"conducting a short study to investigate international instances of accelerating the use of new drugs, devices, and diagnostics† (Wooding et al, 2015). During the first phase of this study, the authors focused on understanding the hypothetical foundations that establish the adoption of creative medicines and medical technologies. The researchers conducted 20 key informant interviews with various stakeholders, including industry, academia, and practitioners. To help examine the issues that surround the process of medical innovation, the researchers grouped the examples of health care system intervention into four categories: â€Å"process improveme nt, risk sharing, process linkage, and addressing market failure or pricing† (Wooding et al, 2015). The lack of comparative empirical data on international adoption rates of medical innovations is seen as an important issue in theShow MoreRelatedEmr Concerns Are Plaguing The Health Care Industry Today1416 Words   |  6 PagesHealthcare professionals, such as nurses, are on the front lines in the defense against medical errors. Closing the gap between current clinical and hospital practices and the various approaches to improving patient safety requires changes that are cultural and systemic in nature. The greatest challenge to hospitals using an EMR system is the expense of the new system, and the challenge nurses face with technology adoption in usage of EMR and protection of records. Even though spending depends on both theRead MoreHealth Wearable Technology1693 Words   |  7 PagesAbstract†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦3 Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..4 Review of the Literature†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..6 Methodology†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦8 Findings†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..9 Summary, Conclusion and Recommendations†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..11 References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..12 Appendix A†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦14 Health Wearable Technology !3 Abstract Innovations in technology paved way for a new category of digital devices aimedRead MoreIbm And The Tabulating Machine Company1512 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"International Business Machines commonly called as IBM is a merger of three nineteenth century companies called as the Tabulating Machine Company, the International Time Recording Company and the Computing Scale Company of America which creates Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR) on June 16, 1911. IBM was formerly known as CTR. In 1914 Thomas J. Watson Sr. joined CTR and over the next two decades transformed it into a growing leader of innovation and technology. The company’s name got changedRead MoreOutline Leadership Practice Issue1336 Words   |  5 PagesIts dedication to clients makes it viable for information delivery, which can bring positive change in the leadership of ophthalmology practice (American Journal of Ophthalmology, 2012). Steps for developing literature review For a clear understanding of the literature review on my topic of choice, which is management of ophthalmic wards, I would start by defining the meaning of ophthalmology. This would be followed by a short history regarding its development and importance in the field of healthRead MoreCleveland Clinic : A Non Profit Academic Medical Center1211 Words   |  5 PagesCleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center, founded in 1921, and located in Cleveland, Ohio. It employs over 42,000 staff members throughout their various national and international campuses (US, CANADA and the United Arab Emirates). It is regarded as the fourth best hospital in the United States according to US News World Report and was even recognized by president Barak Obama in 2012 as â€Å"one of the best health care systems in the world and a model to follow in the delivery of care†Read MoreDigi Marketing Analysis2398 Words   |  10 Pagesprovide appropriate returns to their shareholders and th ey have played am important in improving Malaysians lifestyle by providing up to date telecommunications services. In the long term, DIGI will try their best to increase share values by giving innovations and best telecommunication services to the Malaysians market. RECOMMENDED MARKETING STRATEGIES AND PROGRAMS DIGI telecommunication competitors are MAXIS telecommunication. In order to be successfully within a market, it is also important to studyRead MoreBenchmarking Is A Part Of Total Quality Management1483 Words   |  6 Pagescombination of both. Internal benchmarking involves comparing processes and operations within an organization. Competitive benchmarking is the comparison of processes, products, and services to competitors. Functional benchmarking allows the comparison and adoption of processes and practices from different industries as long as the functions are similar. Generic benchmarking is quite similar to functional benchmarking however, it focuses on the need for drastic process improvement regardless of the industryRead MoreRole And Responsibilities As A Dnp Practice Scholar1704 Words   |  7 Pagestheory and meta-theory, less research methodology content, but a focus on evaluation and use of research rather than conducting a research. According to Marion et al., 2003; A ACN, 2004, the DNP â€Å"emphasis on scholarly practice, practice improvement, innovation and testing of interventions and care delivery models, evaluation of health care outcomes, and expertise to inform heath care policy and leadership in establishing clinical excellence† . Within the long-term care facility, dementia patients demonstrateRead MoreInformation Security Risk Management2820 Words   |  12 PagesDiscussion As observed at the 4th International Conference on Global e-Security in London in June 2008, Information Security Risk Management (ISRM) is a major concern of organizations worldwide. Although the number of existing ISRM methodologies is enormous, in practice a lot of resources are invested by organizations in creating new ISRM methodologies in order to capture more accurately the risks of their complex information systems. This is a crucial knowledge-intensive process for organizationsRead MoreHealth5831 Words   |  24 PagesTerry Campbell Abstract This paper describes the approach taken by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to develop a framework and indicators to measure the impact of health research. The development process included national and international consultations. Key methodology challenges and measurement requirements were identified. The framework that has resulted from this process includes definitions of key concepts, methodology guidelines, identification of the different stakeholders

Lucent Technologies Deferred Taxation Free Essays

Executive Summary This memorandum is intended to communicate the deferred tax issues of Lucent Technologies Inc. on the basis of analysis of the veracity of the situation according to the reporting framework’s guidelines to anticipate unfavorable implications that had been resulted due to poor performance of the company over the past years. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) is the recognized body for making pronouncements as Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAPs) in the United States. We will write a custom essay sample on Lucent Technologies Deferred Taxation or any similar topic only for you Order Now The FASB has promulgated Statement of Financial Accounting Standard # 103 â€Å"Accounting for Income Taxes† which specifically prescribes the treatment of income taxes of corporate entities and guidance for how deferred taxes should be recorded either an asset or a liability in the financial statements. It also provides assistance in certain cases requiring a valuation allowance to be used to reduce the carrying value of any deferred tax asset for which it was â€Å" more likely than not† that the asset would not be realized. The main reason behind the issue is the impact of cut-throat competition in the telecom industry and downturn in the economic conditions which had adversely affected the company’s overall financial performance as a result deferred taxes amounting to $ 7. 6 billion as of September 30, 2011 have been recognized against deductible temporary differences, operating losses and tax credit carry forwards. However, under the prevailing circumstances, it is apparent that the company will not be able to generate positive taxable income in the future periods to offset the losses. Accordingly, as per FAS # 109 the valuation allowance has to be reviewed against potential tax assets and for any items in which it is more probable through persuasive and reliable evidence that the asset will not reduce future taxable income Analysis Since after the inception of its operations in November 1995, the quality production and innovation were key business success factors. However, eventually with the passage of time the entry of new firms in the telecom industry such as Alcatel, Ciena, Cisco, Ericsson, and Motorola Inc. , have intensified the level of competition. As a result of this most industry participant opted to strengthen their relationships with large service providers, as they represented over 70% of global carrier spending. The collapse of competitive local exchange carriers and other competitors of incumbent carriers had resulted in fewer customers. In addition the large service providers, has been consolidating, thus giving the remaining service providers additional buying power. Furthermore, as service providers continued to reduce their capital spending, fewer sales opportunities existed. Moreover, a number of its existing competitors were very large companies with substantial technical, engineering, and financial resources, brand recognition and established relationships with global service providers. These competitors were able to offer low prices, additional products or services, or other incentives. These potential competitors were also in a stronger position to respond quickly to new or emerging technologies and to undertake more extensive marketing campaigns, adopt more aggressive pricing policies, and make more attractive offers to potential customers, employees, and third-party agents. During the company’s financial year ending September 30, 2001, Lucent had lost $16 billion placing its retained earnings into a net deficit. Subsequently, in the first and seconds quarters of fiscal 2002, the trend continued with losses of $423 million and $495 million respectively. As of September 30, 2001, Lucent had tax credit carry forwards of $898 and federal, state and local, and non-U. S. net operating loss carry forwards of $ 1,640 (tax effected), most of which expire primarily after the year 2019. As of September 30, 2001, Lucent has recorded valuation allowances totaling $ 742 against these carry forwards, primarily in certain states and foreign jurisdictions in which Lucent has concluded it is ‘more likely than not’ that these carry forwards will not be recognized. The components of deferred income tax assets and liabilities are as follows; Year Ended September 30, | 2001| 2000| |   | $ in ‘000’| $ in ‘000’| Deferred Income Tax Assets|   |   | | Bad Debt and customer financing reserves| $ 1,004| $ 2|   | Inventory reserves| 685| 314| | Business restructuring reserves| 632| -|   | Other operating reserves| 536| 407|   | Postretirement and other benefits| 2,386| 2,352|   | Net operating loss/ credit carry forwards| 2,538| 240|   | Other | 636| 364| | Valuation allowance| (742)| (197)| Total deferred tax assets| 7,675| 3,562| |   | | | Deferred Income Tax liabilities| | | | Pension| 1,971| 2,480| | Property, plant and equipment| 5| 417|   | Other| 521| 734| Total deferred tax liabilities| $ 2,497| $ 3,631| Keeping in view the above figures, it turned out that the company’s remaining deferred tax assets amount to $ 5. 2 billion and since it is a substantial amount the company’s management may however believe that it would be realized based on forecasted taxable income. However, as per FAS # 109, paragraph 17, issued February 1992, whereby it stipulates that a valuation is required when it is ‘more likely than not’ that all or a portion of a deferred tax asset will not be recognized. Therefore, forming a conclusion that a valuation allowance is not needed is difficult when there is negative evidence such as cumulative losses in past recent years as mentioned above. Hence, cumulative losses weigh heavily in the overall assessment. During the fiscal 2002 third quarter end review, the company should need to consider several significant developments in determining the need for a full valuation allowance including; * The continuity and recently more severe market decline * Uncertainty and lack of visibility in the telecommunication market as a whole * A significant decrease in sequential quarterly revenue levels * A decrease in sequential earnings after several quarters of sequential improvements The necessity for further restructuring and cost reduction actions to attain profitability As a result of this assessment, the company has established a full valuation allowance for its remaining net deferred tax assets as at June 30, 2002. Lucent recorded a non-cash charge of $ 5. 83 billion, or $ 1. 70 per share, to provide a full valuation allowance on its remaining deferred tax assets as June 30, 2002. This charge was partially offset by a third quarter income tax benefit of $282 million on a pro forma basis, and $ 50 5 million on as-reported basis. In order for the company’s management to determine whether a valuation allowance is required, managers should consider all available evidence. FAS # 109 divides this evidence into negative (that is, the asset is unlikely to be realized) and positive evidence. Negative evidence includes items such as cumulative losses in recent years; a history of operating loss carries forwards expiring unused, losses expected in early future years, or assets expected to reverse in a single year in a cyclical business. The statement declares that forming a conclusion that a valuation allowance is not needed is difficult when there is negative evidence. In contrast, positive includes a strong earnings history (exclusive of any current loss), existing contracts that will produce taxable income in the period of the asset turnaround, or a large excess of appreciated asset value over a tax basis and tax planning strategies. Accordingly, based on the two types of evidences mentioned above, the views of the SEC staff with respect to valuation allowances on deferred tax assets and the types of questions that they might ask if they reviewed the Lucent’s financial reports are as follows; * With respect to valuation allowances the SEC is likely to look at the basics for having or not having a valuation allowance, the timing of recording changes, or consistency with other forward-looking information * Comments relating to the adequacy of disclosures, the actual descriptions of rate reconciliation items, deferred tax assets and liabilities, uncertain ax positions, timing of reversals, or expiration of net operating losses in various jurisdictions. * The SEC may also ask questions relating to contractual obligations * The SEC may also ask for clarification related to management’s material estimates and/or judgments. It is important that changes in estimates be well documented. * Disclose the amount of pretax income that the company needs to generate to realize the deferred tax assets. The SEC staff may ask to include an explanation of the anticipated future trends included in the company’s projections of future taxable income. Confirmation to them that the anticipated future trends included in the company’s assessment of the realizability of its deferred tax assets are the same anticipated future trends used in estimating the fair value of your reporting units for purposes of testing goodwill for impairment and any other assessment of your tangible and intangible assets for impairment. Disclose that the deferred tax liabilities that the company is relying on in its assessment of the realizability of its deferred tax assets will reverse in the same period and jurisdiction and are of the same character as the temporary differences giving rise to the deferred tax assets. * Indicate the nature of the uncertainty and the nature of each event that could occur in the n ext twelve months that would cause the change for each significant tax position. Conclusion It has been evident from the above analysis that Lucent has been facing poor performance and as many of its assets have very long lives but it’s still not indicative of future viability of these assets. Until an appropriate level of profitability is reached, Lucent should not expect to recognize any significant tax benefits in future results of its operations. The company must use judgment in considering the relative impact of negative and positive evidence. The weight given to the potential effect of negative and positive evidence should be commensurate with the extent to which it can be objectively verified. The more negative evidence that exist (a) the more positive evidence is necessary and (b) the more difficult is to support a conclusion that a valuation is not needed for some portion or the entire deferred tax asset. How to cite Lucent Technologies Deferred Taxation, Papers

Factor Contributing to Customer Relationship-Samples for Students

Question: Anayse the Factor Contributing to Customer relationship Management. Research Title Analyzing factors contributing to customer relationship management Introduction The study examines and evaluates the factors that contribute to customer relationship management structure. In addition, the research conceptual framework focus mainly on factors that affect customer relationship management practices was developed by assessing the CRM strategies (Trainor et al. 2014). Establishing strong relationships with customers is significant for attainment of future success rates in any business enterprise. Business organization understand that customers are the real asset and viewed as maintaining customer relations as profitable transactions as well as opportunities that need in administration. Customer Relationship Management is one of the business strategies that attracts retains as well as elevates the clientele. It needs proper accomplishment of the strategy that will help business enterprise for performing the three tasks with lower costs. The current research segment uses mixed methods that include qualitative and quantitative approaches that come under research methodology section. In this study, data was collected by using interview and survey method with the staff members, clientele and administrators. Analysis will be done by using Pearsons correlation coefficient, multiple regression examination and factor investigation (ebjan, Bobek and Tominc 2014). Research Questions What are factors that contribute to customer relationship management? How to find out or what is parameter to understand whether customer is satisfied or dissatisfied? Research Objectives To find out the current services given To find out if customer is satisfied or dissatisfied To find out how information technology is linked with Customer Relationship Management (Peppers and Rogers 2016) To highlight facts on how commitment of management links with Customer Relationship Management (ebjan, Bobek and Tominc 2014) To elucidate facts about knowledge of human resources and how it links with Customer Relationship Management To understand how knowledge of Customer Relationship Management links with CRM activities Research Hypothesis H1: Information technology is association with Customer Relationship Management H2: Managements commitment is associated with Customer Relationship Management H3: Human resource knowledge is associated with Customer Relationship Management H4: Knowledge of Customer Relationship Management is associated with CRM Literature Review and theoretical framework As rightly forward by Tseng (2016), Customer Relationship Management is one of the philosophies of clientele as well as marketing that had been derived from the advertising for creating association. In addition, Customer Relationship Management in marketing defines as the communicating process between customers as well as service of organization for attracting and maintaining the clientele who will become true customers of association and uses services. Furthermore, consumers will pay for the services that are provided by the association at a higher level (ebjan, Bobek and Tominc 2014). As opined by Peppard and Ward (2016), the factors for Customer Relationship Management that include people, technology and procedure. Furthermore, it is important to drive for other plan as well that include technology-driven process, customer-centric business process as well as cross-functional integration. Customer Relationship Management is composed of people, technology as well as culture and leadership (Peppers and Rogers 2016). Research Conceptual Model According to Lusch and Vargo (2014), the conceptual model of the research help in providing a general vision of the relations between management commitment, human resource knowledge as well as management commitment as well as knowledge of CRM and organizational culture. Figure: Conceptual Framework proposed by the researcher (Source: ebjan, Bobek and Tominc 2014) Information Technology In recent times, information technology as well as communication is used as a tool for knowledge administration, strategies and organizational communication (Ho et al. 2015). In addition, Customer Relationship Management Technology is one of the essential strategic tools of business for attaining success in Customer Relationship Management application that owns basic arrangement of information technology as well as information from the customer databases. At first place, Customer Relationship Management strategies are used as a center to store all types of customer news as well as information. Furthermore, the center will get access to competent information technology architecture that is adaptable in accordance to the changing work surroundings. It is all about the value of information that is sent to the consumers that deals with maintaining good relationship with the customers (Armstrong et al. 2015). Management commitment According to Bavarsad and Hosseinipour (2013), management commitment means to support implementation of Customer Relationship Management in a work environment that acknowledges Customer Relationship Management as an essential element of business strategy. In addition, when top management communicates strategy where Customer Relationship Management indicate strategic orientation of the company that leads to leveraging the effectiveness of organizational implementation Human resources As opined by Davand and Hozouri (2013), employers are central to an effective to an effective Customer Relationship Management where business firms manage its relationships with their employees. The company gives employees all they need to be happy and satisfied so that they it can generate revenue for the business. If the customers are not happy, the company will not be satisfied customers in the near future. Knowledge of Customer Relationship Management The above factor deals with people or group that administers who is involved in drafting policies as well as driving Customer Relationship Management into success (Han and Hyun 2015). In addition, it is needed for administrators to have supervision capacity that they should know about Customer Relationship Management. It is expected to start visions that lead the business through use of Customer Relationship Management in an effective way for taking accountability for the growth of Customer Relationship Management plan and implementing some securities that support Customer Relationship Management that include resources, time, working environment and technology. Organizational Culture As rightly put forward by Demo and Rozzett (2013), organizational culture originates as well as accumulated from attitudes, beliefs, common values and expectations. Some of the aspects are involved in cooperative learning as well as implementing ways for attaining organizational aims and transferred to one generation to other. Research Methodology Research Philosophy Researcher will be using realism research philosophy that includes Positivism and Interpretivism. Positivism means collecting scientific data by the researcher as they have conducted survey techniques for the current research study. Interpretivism means understanding the emotional side of human beings as the researcher conduct interview techniques for the present research study. Therefore, realism is the combination of Positivism and Interpretivism that are used by the researcher that aligns with the research topic on Analyzing factors contributing to customer relationship management (Peppers and Rogers 2016). Research Approach There are two types of research design that need to be evaluated by the researcher namely inductive approach and deductive approach. Deductive approach will be used by researcher as existing theories and techniques will be taken into study and then drawn conclusions at the end. Sampling methodology The researcher will be using both quantitative and qualitative method for analyzing the research topic. In case of quantitative research design, the researcher will be distributing survey questions to 150 people on matters relating to analyzing the factors that govern customer relationship management. In case of qualitative research design, the researcher will be conducting interview session from 5 managers and ask them about the factors that leads to customer relationship management. Expected Outcomes It is suggested that implementation of Customer Relationship Management is done in other domestic as well as foreign firms that uses cost and benefit analysis methods (ebjan, Bobek and Tominc 2014). In order to become economically viable, it is recommended to further investigate by use of cost and benefit analysis by conducting human resource training as well as application of information technology. Reference List Armstrong, G., Kotler, P., Harker, M. and Brennan, R., 2015.Marketing: an introduction. Pearson Education. Bavarsad, B. and Hosseinipour, G., 2013. Studying the Factors Affecting the Customer Relations Management (CRM) in Marun Petrochemical Company.Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business,4(11), pp.845-857. Davand, Z. and Hozouri, S., 2013. An exploration study to detect important factors influencing customer relationship management on reducing unhappy clients.Management Science Letters,3(12), pp.3059-3064. Demo, G. and Rozzett, K., 2013. Customer relationship management scale for the business-to-consumer market: exploratory and confirmatory validation and models comparison.International Business Research,6(11), p.29. Han, H. and Hyun, S.S., 2015. Customer retention in the medical tourism industry: Impact of quality, satisfaction, trust, and price reasonableness.Tourism Management,46, pp.20-29. Ho, C.T.B., Yang, J.M.D. and Hung, C.S.V., 2015. The Factors of Information System Success: An Example of Customer Relationship Management Implementation in Food Beverage Industry.International Journal of e-Education, e-Business, e-Management and e-Learning,5(3), p.114. Ho, C.T.B., Yang, J.M.D. and Hung, C.S.V., 2015. The Factors of Information System Success: An Example of Customer Relationship Management Implementation in Food Beverage Industry.International Journal of e-Education, e-Business, e-Management and e-Learning,5(3), p.114. Lusch, R.F. and Vargo, S.L., 2014.The service-dominant logic of marketing: Dialog, debate, and directions. Routledge. Pedron, C.D. and Saccol, A.Z., 2009. What lies behind the concept of customer relationship management? Discussing the essence of CRM through a phenomenological approach.BAR-Brazilian Administration Review,6(1), pp.34-49. Peppard, J. and Ward, J., 2016.The strategic management of information systems: Building a digital strategy. John Wiley Sons. Peppers, D. and Rogers, M., 2016.Managing Customer Experience and Relationships: A Strategic Framework. John Wiley Sons. Peppers, D. and Rogers, M., 2016.Managing Customer Experience and Relationships: A Strategic Framework. John Wiley Sons. ebjan, U., Bobek, S. and Tominc, P., 2014. Organizational factors influencing effective use of CRM solutions.Procedia Technology,16, pp.459-470. Trainor, K.J., Andzulis, J.M., Rapp, A. and Agnihotri, R., 2014. Social media technology usage and customer relationship performance: A capabilities-based examination of social CRM.Journal of Business Research,67(6), pp.1201-1208. Tseng, S.M., 2016. Knowledge management capability, customer relationship management, and service quality.Journal of enterprise information management,29(2), pp.202-221

On March Fourth, 1801, Thomas Jefferson Was Elected President Essays

On March fourth, 1801, Thomas Jefferson was elected President of the United States of America. Thomas Jefferson was a Republican. Republicans strongly supported farmers, and they wanted an agrarian nation. An agrarian nation means some changes had to be made in the country. The country needed strong trade with other countries, and they also needed more land to farm on. This led to the Louisiana Purchase. The French owned a huge amount of land west of the United States. Inside all of this land was the mouth of the Mississippi River, New Orleans. Because the Republicans wanted a farming nation, America needed a port like New Orleans. Jefferson didn't think that Napoleon would sell all of this land, but he asked him anyway if he was willing to sell. To his surprise Napoleon did want to sell this land because he needed more money for his fight with Great Britain. So Jefferson bought the Louisiana Territory, and doubled the nation's size. This purchase was a mastermind move by Jefferson that let the farming nation trade using the whole Mississippi. Another achievement of Thomas Jefferson was the exploration of the Louisiana Territory. He hired Lewis and Clark to explore the uncharted territory. He told them to search the land for a river passage to the Pacific Ocean. Jefferson also told them to keep diaries and make maps. This was Clark's task. In May, 1804, forty-four men set out on the expedition. The travelers tried to be friendly with the Indians on their way. When they reached North Dakota they hired the French trapper Toussaint Charbonneau, and his wife Sacajawea to be guides and interpreters. With them they traveled all the way to the Pacific Coast and back. Even though many people were disappointed upon their return that they had not found an all water route, Lewis and Clark were the first to map most of this land we call America. They also aroused an interest in the people to move westward in the growing nation. Let's go back a little bit to when Napoleon sold the Louisiana Territory to the United States. He needed money to fight in the war he was having with Great Britain. Since the United States had a small military, it did not want to be involved in the French-British War. America tried to stay neutral while trading with Europe, but France and Great Britain kept on violating their neutrality rights. The United States kept on trying to trade, but both sides put blockades on each others ports. This meant that the other countries took their ships. The British, however, not only took their ships, but they also impressed American sailors. During all of this mayhem President Madison came to power. Because of Britain's violations of America's sailors, he asked congress to declare war against Britain. Congress voted yes to the war. Afterwards, it was named the War of 1812. After two years of fighting, General Andrew Jackson came out victorious. A treaty was signed in Belgium, and the growing nation finally earned a little respect. They did this by changing the attitude of the Europeans towards them. Following the War of 1812, Andrew Jackson ran for president in 1828 and won. Jackson is said to be the first western president. President Jackson was odd in a the way he sided with states on some things and on other things he did not. He wanted to remove the Indians, get rid of the National Bank, and in 1828 he let a tariff pass that taxed imports. This angered Vice President Callhoon, and other people from South Carolina who said it was unfair. The consequence was that South Carolina nullified the tariff, Callhoon resigned, and South Carolina threatened to form their own government. Even though the Civil War wasn't until many years later, this was a sign of internal conflict that could threaten the growth of the country. Part of the reason that there was this internal conflict was that our nation was growing very rapidly, and each area of the country had huge differences. For example I will take political parties. The Republicans were farmers. They wanted a farming nation much like the South was. The Federalists were much different being from New England. They supported industry and manufacturing goods. An example of party differences is that of the Whisky Rebellion. In this the Federalists who were in power at the time past a law which put a twenty-five percent tax on whisky. This angered Republican farmers who turned their grain into whisky. A full scale revolt came out of this which threatened the ever-changing young country. Another difference was

Free Essays on Honduras

Honduras Essay written by: q_bert The Republic of Honduras is a comparatively large country in Central America. Its area is at 112,088 km2, and has about 13,000,000 people in which about 60% are literate. Honduras is the 2ed largest country in Central America. Their national holiday is their Independence Day and they celebrate this on the 15th of September, although it is not the only time they gained their independence, it is the only time they celebrate. The nation also escaped from the United Provinces of Central America. The capitol of this mainly Spanish and English speaking nation is Tegucigalpa. The history of the country begins when Columbus saw the country, but he generally stayed farther north. Spain began to settle the country in 1524. The two men in charge of the colony were Davila and Orid. The country was largely unprosperous until 1536 when Gold was discovered in the city of Gracias. The discovery of gold got new settlers to come and also created more demand for miners to mine the gold. The indigenous peoples were forced into this job. One year later in 1537 an uprising occurred and it was led by Lempira, who the national currency would be later named after. His base was on a hill known as Pe »ol de Cerqu ¡n and successfully defeated all efforts to subdue him until the year 1538. In 1538 other native groups began following his example and started small uprisings. Lempira was ultimately killed while negotiating with the Spaniards. The fighting was greatly weakened but continued for 3 more years. The defeat of Lempira’s revolt accelerated the decimation of the indigenous peoples. In 1539 there was approximately 15,000 people and two years later there was approximately 8,000. Most of the remaining peoples were divided into encomiendas, a system that left the native people in their villages, but placed them under the control of Spanish settlers. Under the terms of the system the Spanish were to provide the natives wit... Free Essays on Honduras Free Essays on Honduras Honduras Essay written by: q_bert The Republic of Honduras is a comparatively large country in Central America. Its area is at 112,088 km2, and has about 13,000,000 people in which about 60% are literate. Honduras is the 2ed largest country in Central America. Their national holiday is their Independence Day and they celebrate this on the 15th of September, although it is not the only time they gained their independence, it is the only time they celebrate. The nation also escaped from the United Provinces of Central America. The capitol of this mainly Spanish and English speaking nation is Tegucigalpa. The history of the country begins when Columbus saw the country, but he generally stayed farther north. Spain began to settle the country in 1524. The two men in charge of the colony were Davila and Orid. The country was largely unprosperous until 1536 when Gold was discovered in the city of Gracias. The discovery of gold got new settlers to come and also created more demand for miners to mine the gold. The indigenous peoples were forced into this job. One year later in 1537 an uprising occurred and it was led by Lempira, who the national currency would be later named after. His base was on a hill known as Pe »ol de Cerqu ¡n and successfully defeated all efforts to subdue him until the year 1538. In 1538 other native groups began following his example and started small uprisings. Lempira was ultimately killed while negotiating with the Spaniards. The fighting was greatly weakened but continued for 3 more years. The defeat of Lempira’s revolt accelerated the decimation of the indigenous peoples. In 1539 there was approximately 15,000 people and two years later there was approximately 8,000. Most of the remaining peoples were divided into encomiendas, a system that left the native people in their villages, but placed them under the control of Spanish settlers. Under the terms of the system the Spanish were to provide the natives wit...

A Review On Communication And Collaboration Education Essay

A Review On Communication And Collaboration Education Essay Communication and Collaboration Engaging learners in the learning progression encompasses communication and collaboration skills, practices and sympathies. Providing for students requirements is a composite process and it may even be more difficult when a class has learners with special needs or disabilities. In this case, a teacher may find it necessary to interact efficiently with other teachers, school administration, and professional support staff in addition to other special education suppliers. Teacher’s capability to collaboratively work collectively as a group of experts impacts on the learning results desired by all students (Friend therefore, communication can happen across huge distances in space and time. Communication necessitates that the connecting parties share a region of talkative harmony (DeVito, 2005). The communication practice is complete as soon as the receiver has apprehended the meaning of the sender Communication and collaboration goes hand in hand with one another in education particularly in teaching and learning (Bauwens, 1989). There is therefore a need for advanced collaboration among tutors in the schools specifically in centering on ways of boosting collaborative planning timeline adherence and a combined collaborative focus on differentiated learning for students with special needs (Phillips, 1990). The aim of this paper is to refer to communication and collaboration processes and skills that would be utilized by a year level coordinator to encourage collaborative planning timeline adherence and a combined collaborative focus on differentiated learning for students with special needs. The atmosphere of educational collaboration as one essential key to professional sharing of finest practices in the rationalization of schools in order to take care of distinguished learning for learners with special needs will be deliberated. Issues of Collaboration Processes, Collaboration skills, Communication Processes and Communicati on Skills will form the center of discussion in this paper. Communication Processes The fundamental to successful collaborations is communication. There is need therefore for development of collaborative and communicative expertise and skills which could be useful to different scenarios in teaching and learning activities, especially where student with special needs are involved. Communication process takes different forms depending on the parties involved in communication (DeVito, 2005). There is verbal communication in which words are used to exchange message and non-verbal communication which uses sign, body movement, and facial expression to convey message. There is another form called interpersonal communication that occurs between individuals who have a connection or affiliation. Interpersonal communication happens when one sends or obtains messages and when an individual allocate meaning to such messages (DeVito, 2005).

Current State of the Indian Economy Research Paper

Current State of the Indian Economy - Research Paper Example The country focused on fulfilling the local demand and through the process was able to recover from the economic crises (CIA, 2013). CPI (Cost Price Index): Year Average CPI 1970 5.09% 1971 3.07% 1972 6.43% 1973 16.79% 1974 28.52% 1975 6.62% 1976 -7.57% 1977 8.31% 1978 2.54% 1979 6.23% 1980 11.38% 1981 13.11% 1982 7.93% 1983 11.83% 1984 8.43% 1985 5.55% 1986 8.72% 1987 8.79% 1988 9.39% 1989 7.11% 1990 8.92% 1991 13.88% 1992 11.88% 1993 6.31% 1994 10.24% 1995 10.22% 1996 8.98% 1997 7.25% 1998 13.17% 1999 4.84% 2000 4.02% 2001 3.77% 2002 4.31% 2003 3.81% 2004 3.77% 2005 4.25% 2006 5.79% 2007 6.39% 2008 8.32% 2009 10.83% 2010 12.11% (Inflation.eu, 2013) Inflation rate of the country has varied since 1970s. As seen in the graph the CPI value was the highest in the year of 1974 and was the lowest in 1976. The reason for such a dramatic increase in the country’s CPI value was mainly due to the 1971 conflict of the country with its neighboring country Pakistan. As a result of the war inflation rate in the two countries significantly increased. The same reason can be given for the dramatic decrease in the inflation rate during the time period of May 1976 (The Economist, 2012). The country’s CPI is considered one of the highest in the world and is also considered as the second highest amongst the major economic countries. Inflation has been one of the major concerns of the country with the government trying to develop reforms to manage inflation rates within the country. Prices of goods consumed on a daily basis have significantly increased over the years. With the continuous rise in inflation of the country many experts fear that high inflation rates within the country might lead to a wage spiral within the country (The...This paper offers a comprehensive review of the recent developments in the Indian economy, which is regarded by many economists as a country with a huge growth potential. In order to become one of the leading economic superpower, the cou ntry has to overcome a number of hurdles. These obstacles are complicated and initiatives are needed by the government, industrialists and people alike to work for the progress of the country. The GDP of the country has remained constant over the years with little or no fluctuations occurring. The GDP of the country has seen a sharp increase in recent times mainly due to the measures taken by the government of the country. These measures helped India overcome the economic crisis Cost Price Index of the country has varied over the years with the highest and lowest CPI rates occurring within two years of each other. Inflation has been one of the greatest challenges that the country has to face. With a constant rise in the inflation rates basic commodities within the country are becoming more and more expensive. The government of the country is trying to implement measures that would control inflation rate within the country. Unemployment is a hurdle in the country’s progress. The recent financial crisis have left a large population of the country unemployed. Job opportunities within the country are hard to find and the job creation rate is also on the decline. The government is trying to bring investment back into the country to help job creation within the country.

The Civic Hybrid Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Civic Hybrid - Essay Example In the business industry, there are a lot of products available. In order to evaluate the best purchasing alternatives is a good practice to compare similar items from different manufacturers. The products that I’m going to compare are automobiles that are fuel efficient. These types of automobiles are categorized by the media as green vehicles. The three car models analyzed are the Honda Civic hybrid, the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf. The Honda Civic hybrid is a vehicle that combines gas and electric technology. The Civic hybrid has a starting price of $24,050 (Honda). The car gives an mpg rating of 44 miles per gallon. The car is power by a 1.5-liter V-tech engine that incorporates an electric motor for friction reducing and airflow improvements. The car has 110 horsepower.  In the business industry, there are a lot of products available. In order to evaluate the best purchasing alternatives is a good practice to compare similar items from different manufacturers. The pr oducts that I’m going to compare are automobiles that are fuel efficient. These types of automobiles are categorized by the media as green vehicles. The three car models analyzed are the Honda Civic hybrid, the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf. The Honda Civic hybrid is a vehicle that combines gas and electric technology. The Civic hybrid has a starting price of $24,050 (Honda). The car gives an mpg rating of 44 miles per gallon. The car is power by a 1.5-liter V-tech engine that incorporates an electric motor for friction reducing and airflow improvements. The car has 110 horsepower.   The second car featured is the Chevy Volt. The Volt is a hybrid vehicle that combines electric and gasoline technology. The car is very unique because it has different modes that allow for different performance and fuel efficiency. The maximum fuel efficiency of the Volt is 230 miles per gallon. The price of the Volt is $32,780 (Chevrolet). The automobile is power by an electric drive unit wit h 150 horsepower with an 80 horsepower 1.4-liter combustion engine.   The third auto featured is the Nissan Leaf. The Leaf is priced at $25,280 (Nissanusa). The car is powered by an all-electric motor 80 kW A/C synchronous motor with a 24 kWh lithium-ion battery.   The range of one full battery is 100 miles per trip.  

Course Management Systems - Moodle Essay Example for Free

Course Management Systems Moodle Essay Moodle is an open-source course management system designed to host online courses and facilitate academic interaction between students and their instructors. The program was created by Martin Dougiamas, who formerly worked with WebCT. Because of this the program features many similarities to WebCT, but is more flexible overall due to its open-source nature. Moodle can be accessed via more than eighteen-thousand registered websites and is used by approximately eight million students worldwide. The program supports sixty-one languages as of November 2006 and is constantly expanding. Students simply download the program, register a username and connect using an enrollment key code provided by their professor. The site can host single teacher classes, or link various classes within an academic institution. Moodle also offers the option of designing complete lessons online, which can consist of class material as well as optional end-of-chapter review questions. Instructors have a variety of options for posting assignments on Moodle, and can set their own preferences on how student submitted files can be accepted for grading. Teachers have the option to allow students to upload files, including text documents of various formats as well as images. After grading the instructor has the option to post grades directly, as well as leaving comments regarding their response to the assignment. They can also format assignments for direct editing online, allowing students to type their response directly into the program and submit it for grading. Instructors can also use Moodle as an online grade book for assignments complete in class (offline), so that students can have easy access to their grades. Quizzes can be constructed and assigned to students in Moodle as well, with several format options available. Teachers can design tests consisting of various question formats, including multiple choice, true-or-false and short answer questions. They also have the option of giving students multiple attempts to complete the quiz, and can set other variables such as time limits (quiz is timed and may only be completed within the allotted time limit), or password protection to limit access. Students have a variety of options for interacting with fellow classmates as well as the instructors via chat, forums and surveys. They can also access course-relevant resources via glossaries (which can be student or teacher-defined) and a fully-interactive Wiki (user-defined encyclopedia).

Occupy Wall Street Movement Essays -- Political Science

Occupy Wall Street Movement If heavy student loan debt , soaring tuition fee, climbing taxes, plummeting financial aid, nose-diving employment opportunities, exacerbating inequality between common people and wealthy class, are some of the issues that infuriate you and lead you to blame government’s generous bailing out failed banks and other financial institutions then you cannot not know about Occupy Wall Street(OWS) movement. List all information you know about your subject Occupy Wall Street is one of the top 10 US protest movements inspired by popular revolts against authority in Egypt and Tunisia which finally led to toppling of their respective presidents. It began on 17th September 2011 in liberty square in Manhattan’s Financial District (occypywallst.org). As per Special news in Times Of India, OWS was initiated by Canadian Activist group, Adbusters. So far, this movement has spread over across 1500 cities globally and around 100 cities in US. According to Drake Benett, David Graeber is an anthropologist, who played a key role in transforming a small rally into global protest movement, this movement is in response to the common people’s frustrations and resentments with two important issues. The first issue is the influence of the corporates on government decision making system. The second issue is the way government treated debt issues of financial industry as opposed to individual borrowers as a consequence of financial crisis i n 2008.(Benett,†David Graeber-the Anti Leader of Occupy Wall Street, Oct,20011) According to the protesters, current dismal economic situation is a result of government bailing out the insolvent brokerage firms, banks and corporation in 2008. OWS has adopted the slogan; we are 99%. Paul... ...e a leader who is sensitive to issues and sensible enough to direct the movement to achieving its targeted goals and making us realize the dream of living in the utopian world! Works Cited Bennet, Drake. â€Å"David Graeber-The Anti-Leader Occupy Wall Street.† Business week. Bloomberg L.P, 26 Oct. 2011. Web. 19 Apr. 2012. Brenac, Sacha. â€Å"The Failures of Occupy Wall Street.† The Bullet. The Bullet, 25 Jan. 2012. Web. 19 Apr. 2012. Gray, Heather. â€Å"Occupy Wall Street vs Kingian Methods.† Positive Peace Warrior Network. N.p., 4 Oct. 2011. Web. 19 Apr. 2012. Krugman, Paul. â€Å"We Are the 99%.† New York Times. The New Yorks Time Co, 24 Nov. 2011. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. â€Å"99% vs 1%.† Times Of India. Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd, 1 Jan. 2012. Web. 19 Apr. 2012. Solomomn, Daniel. â€Å"Occupy Wall Street’s Failed Revolution.† PolicyMic. Mic Networks Inc., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2012.

The Twilight Saga 3: Eclipse Chapter 13. NEWBORN

â€Å"THE SAME THING THAT HAPPENED TO YOUR HAND,† Jasper answered in a quiet voice. â€Å"Repeated a thousand times.† He laughed a little ruefully and brushed at his arm. â€Å"Our venom is the only thing that leaves a scar.† â€Å"Why?† I breathed in horror, feeling rude but unable to stop staring at his subtly ravaged skin. â€Å"I didn't have quite the same . . . upbringing as my adopted siblings here. My beginning was something else entirely.† His voice turned hard as he finished. I gaped at him, appalled. â€Å"Before I tell you my story,† Jasper said, â€Å"you must understand that there are places in our world, Bella, where the life span of the never-aging is measured in weeks, and not centuries.† The others had heard this before. Carlisle and Emmett turned their attention to the TV again. Alice moved silently to sit at Esme's feet. But Edward was just as absorbed as I was; I could feel his eyes on my face, reading every flicker of emotion. â€Å"To really understand why, you have to look at the world from a different perspective. You have to imagine the way it looks to the powerful, the greedy . . . the perpetually thirsty. â€Å"You see, there are places in this world that are more desirable to us than others. Places where we can be less restrained, and still avoid detection. â€Å"Picture, for instance, a map of the western hemisphere. Picture on it every human life as a small red dot. The thicker the red, the more easily we – well, those who exist this way – can feed without attracting notice.† I shuddered at the image in my head, at the word feed. But Jasper wasn't worried about frightening me, not overprotective like Edward always was. He went on without a pause. â€Å"Not that the covens in the South care much for what the humans notice or do not. It's the Volturi that keep them in check. They are the only ones the southern covens fear. If not for the Volturi, the rest of us would be quickly exposed.† I frowned at the way he pronounced the name – with respect, almost gratitude. The idea of the Volturi as the good guys in any sense was hard to accept. â€Å"The North is, by comparison, very civilized. Mostly we are nomads here who enjoy the day as well as the night, who allow humans to interact with us unsuspectingly – anonymity is important to us all. â€Å"It's a different world in the South. The immortals there come out only at night. They spend the day plotting their next move, or anticipating their enemy's. Because it has been war in the South, constant war for centuries, with never one moment of truce. The covens there barely note the existence of humans, except as soldiers notice a herd of cows by the wayside – food for the taking. They only hide from the notice of the herd because of the Volturi.† â€Å"But what are they fighting for?† I asked. Jasper smiled. â€Å"Remember the map with the red dots?† He waited, so I nodded. â€Å"They fight for control of the thickest red. â€Å"You see, it occurred to someone once that, if he were the only vampire in, let's say Mexico City, well then, he could feed every night, twice, three times, and no one would ever notice. He plotted ways to get rid of the competition. â€Å"Others had the same idea. Some came up with more effective tactics than others. â€Å"But the most effective tactic was invented by a fairly young vampire named Benito. The first anyone ever heard of him, he came down from somewhere north of Dallas and massacred the two small covens that shared the area near Houston. Two nights later, he took on the much stronger clan of allies that claimed Monterrey in northern Mexico. Again, he won.† â€Å"How did he win?† I asked with wary curiosity. â€Å"Benito had created an army of newborn vampires. He was the first one to think of it, and, in the beginning, he was unstoppable. Very young vampires are volatile, wild, and almost impossible to control. One newborn can be reasoned with, taught to restrain himself, but ten, fifteen together are a nightmare. They'll turn on each other as easily as on the enemy you point them at. Benito had to keep making more as they fought amongst themselves, and as the covens he decimated took more than half his force down before they lost. â€Å"You see, though newborns are dangerous, they are still possible to defeat if you know what you're doing. They're incredibly powerful physically, for the first year or so, and if they're allowed to bring strength to bear they can crush an older vampire with ease. But they are slaves to their instincts, and thus predictable. Usually, they have no skill in fighting, only muscle and ferocity. And in this case, overwhelming numbers.† â€Å"The vampires in southern Mexico realized what was coming for them, and they did the only thing they could think of to counteract Benito. They made armies of their own. . . . â€Å"All hell broke loose – and I mean that more literally than you can possibly imagine. We immortals have our histories, too, and this particular war will never be forgotten. Of course, it was not a good time to be human in Mexico, either.† I shuddered. â€Å"When the body count reached epidemic proportions – in fact, your histories blame a disease for the population slump – the Volturi finally stepped in. The entire guard came together and sought out every newborn in the bottom half of North America. Benito was entrenched in Puebla, building his army as quickly as he could in order to take on the prize – Mexico City. The Volturi started with him, and then moved on to the rest. â€Å"Anyone who was found with the newborns was executed immediately, and, since everyone was trying to protect themselves from Benito, Mexico was emptied of vampires for a time. â€Å"The Volturi were cleaning house for almost a year. This was another chapter of our history that will always be remembered, though there were very few witnesses left to speak of what it was like. I spoke to someone once who had, from a distance, watched what happened when they visited Culiacn.† Jasper shuddered. I realized that I had never before seen him either afraid or horrified. This was a first. â€Å"It was enough that the fever for conquest did not spread from the South. The rest of the world stayed sane. We owe the Volturi for our present way of life. â€Å"But when the Volturi went back to Italy, the survivors were quick to stake their claims in the South. â€Å"It didn't take long before covens began to dispute again. There was a lot of bad blood, if you'll forgive the expression. Vendettas abounded. The idea of newborns was already there, and some were not able to resist. However, the Volturi had not been forgotten, and the southern covens were more careful this time. The newborns were selected from the human pool with more care, and given more training. They were used circumspectly, and the humans remained, for the most part, oblivious. Their creators gave the Volturi no reason to return. â€Å"The wars resumed, but on a smaller scale. Every now and then, someone would go too far, speculation would begin in the human newspapers, and the Volturi would return and clean out the city. But they let the others, the careful ones, continue. . . .† Jasper was staring off into space. â€Å"That's how you were changed.† My realization was a whisper. â€Å"Yes,† he agreed. â€Å"When I was human, I lived in Houston, Texas. I was almost seventeen years old when I joined the Confederate Army in 1861. I lied to the recruiters and told them I was twenty. I was tall enough to get away with it. â€Å"My military career was short-lived, but very promising. People always . . . liked me, listened to what I had to say. My father said it was charisma. Of course, now I know it was probably something more. But, whatever the reason, I was promoted quickly through the ranks, over older, more experienced men. The Confederate Army was new and scrambling to organize itself, so that provided opportunities, as well. By the first battle of Galveston – well, it was more of a skirmish, really – I was the youngest major in Texas, not even acknowledging my real age. â€Å"I was placed in charge of evacuating the women and children from the city when the Union's mortar boats reached the harbor. It took a day to prepare them, and then I left with the first column of civilians to convey them to Houston. â€Å"I remember that one night very clearly. â€Å"We reached the city after dark. I stayed only long enough to make sure the entire party was safely situated. As soon as that was done, I got myself a fresh horse, and I headed back to Galveston. There wasn't time to rest. â€Å"Just a mile outside the city, I found three women on foot. I assumed they were stragglers and dismounted at once to offer them my aid. But, when I could see their faces in the dim light of the moon, I was stunned into silence. They were, without question, the three most beautiful women I had ever seen. â€Å"They had such pale skin, I remember marveling at it. Even the little black-haired girl, whose features were clearly Mexican, was porcelain in the moonlight. They seemed young, all of them, still young enough to be called girls. I knew they were not lost members of our party. I would have remembered seeing these three. â€Å"‘He's speechless,' the tallest girl said in a lovely, delicate voice – it was like wind chimes. She had fair hair, and her skin was snow white. â€Å"The other was blonder still, her skin just as chalky. Her face was like an angel's. She leaned toward me with half-closed eyes and inhaled deeply. â€Å"‘Mmm,' she sighed. ‘Lovely.' â€Å"The small one, the tiny brunette, put her hand on the girl's arm and spoke quickly. Her voice was too soft and musical to be sharp, but that seemed to be the way she intended it. â€Å"‘Concentrate, Nettie,' she said. â€Å"I'd always had a good sense of how people related to each other, and it was immediately clear that the brunette was somehow in charge of the others. If they'd been military, I would have said that she outranked them. â€Å"‘He looks right – young, strong, an officer. . . . ‘ The brunette paused, and I tried unsuccessfully to speak. ‘And there's something more . . . do you sense it?' she asked the other two. ‘He's . . . compelling.' â€Å"‘Oh, yes,' Nettie quickly agreed, leaning toward me again. â€Å"‘Patience,' the brunette cautioned her. ‘I want to keep this one.' â€Å"Nettie frowned; she seemed annoyed. â€Å"‘You'd better do it, Maria,' the taller blonde spoke again. ‘If he's important to you. I kill them twice as often as I keep them.' â€Å"‘Yes, I'll do it,' Maria agreed. ‘I really do like this one. Take Nettie away, will you? I don't want to have to protect my back while I'm trying to focus.' â€Å"My hair was standing up on the back of my neck, though I didn't understand the meaning of anything the beautiful creatures were saying. My instincts told me that there was danger, that the angel had meant it when she spoke of killing, but my judgment overruled my instincts. I had not been taught to fear women, but to protect them. â€Å"‘Let's hunt,' Nettie agreed enthusiastically, reaching for the tall girl's hand. They wheeled – they were so graceful! – and sprinted toward the city. They seemed to almost take flight, they were so fast – their white dresses blew out behind them like wings. I blinked in amazement, and they were gone. â€Å"I turned to stare at Maria, who was watching me curiously. â€Å"I'd never been superstitious in my life. Until that second, I'd never believed in ghosts or any other such nonsense. Suddenly, I was unsure. â€Å"‘What is your name, soldier?' Maria asked me. â€Å"‘Major Jasper Whitlock, ma'am,' I stammered, unable to be impolite to a female, even if she was a ghost. â€Å"‘I truly hope you survive, Jasper,' she said in her gentle voice. ‘I have a good feeling about you.' â€Å"She took a step closer, and inclined her head as if she were going to kiss me. I stood frozen in place, though my instincts were screaming at me to run.† Jasper paused, his face thoughtful. â€Å"A few days later,† he finally said, and I wasn't sure if he had edited his story for my sake or because he was responding to the tension that even I could feel exuding from Edward, â€Å"I was introduced to my new life. â€Å"Their names were Maria, Nettie, and Lucy. They hadn't been together long – Maria had rounded up the other two – all three were survivors of recently lost battles. Theirs was a partnership of convenience. Maria wanted revenge, and she wanted her territories back. The others were eager to increase their . . . herd lands, I suppose you could say. They were putting together an army, and going about it more carefully than was usual. It was Maria's idea. She wanted a superior army, so she sought out specific humans who had potential. Then she gave us much more attention, more training than anyone else had bothered with. She taught us to fight, and she taught us to be invisible to the humans. When we did well, we were rewarded. . . .† He paused, editing again. â€Å"She was in a hurry, though. Maria knew that the massive strength of the newborn began to wane around the year mark, and she wanted to act while we were strong. â€Å"There were six of us when I joined Maria's band. She added four more within a fortnight. We were all male – Maria wanted soldiers – and that made it slightly more difficult to keep from fighting amongst ourselves. I fought my first battles against my new comrades in arms. I was quicker than the others, better at combat. Maria was pleased with me, though put out that she had to keep replacing the ones I destroyed. I was rewarded often, and that made me stronger. â€Å"Maria was a good judge of character. She decided to put me in charge of the others – as if I were being promoted. It suited my nature exactly. The casualties went down dramatically, and our numbers swelled to hover around twenty. â€Å"This was considerable for the cautious times we lived in. My ability, as yet undefined, to control the emotional atmosphere around me was vitally effective. We soon began to work together in a way that newborn vampires had never cooperated before. Even Maria, Nettie, and Lucy were able to work together more easily. â€Å"Maria grew quite fond of me – she began to depend upon me. And, in some ways, I worshipped the ground she walked on. I had no idea that any other life was possible. Maria told us this was the way things were, and we believed. â€Å"She asked me to tell her when my brothers and I were ready to fight, and I was eager to prove myself. I pulled together an army of twenty-three in the end – twenty-three unbelievably strong new vampires, organized and skilled as no others before. Maria was ecstatic. â€Å"We crept down toward Monterrey, her former home, and she unleashed us on her enemies. They had only nine newborns at the time, and a pair of older vampires controlling them. We took them down more easily than Maria could believe, losing only four in the process. It was an unheard-of margin of victory. â€Å"And we were well trained. We did it without attracting notice. The city changed hands without any human being aware. â€Å"Success made Maria greedy. It wasn't long before she began to eye other cities. That first year, she extended her control to cover most of Texas and northern Mexico. Then the others came from the South to dislodge her.† He brushed two fingers along the faint pattern of scars on his arm. â€Å"The fighting was intense. Many began to worry that the Volturi would return. Of the original twenty-three, I was the only one to survive the first eighteen months. We both won and lost. Nettie and Lucy turned on Maria eventually – but that one we won. â€Å"Maria and I were able to hold on to Monterrey. It quieted a little, though the wars continued. The idea of conquest was dying out; it was mostly vengeance and feuding now. So many had lost their partners, and that is something our kind does not forgive. . . . â€Å"Maria and I always kept a dozen or so newborns ready. They meant little to us – they were pawns, they were disposable. When they outgrew their usefulness, we did dispose of them. My life continued in the same violent pattern and the years passed. I was sick of it all for a very long time before anything changed . . . â€Å"Decades later, I developed a friendship with a newborn who'd remained useful and survived his first three years, against the odds. His name was Peter. I liked Peter; he was . . . civilized – I suppose that's the right word. He didn't enjoy the fight, though he was good at it. â€Å"He was assigned to deal with the newborns – babysit them, you could say. It was a full-time job. â€Å"And then it was time to purge again. The newborns were outgrowing their strength; they were due to be replaced. Peter was supposed to help me dispose of them. We took them aside individually, you see, one by one . . . It was always a very long night. This time, he tried to convince me that a few had potential, but Maria had instructed that we get rid of them all. I told him no. â€Å"We were about halfway through, and I could feel that it was taking a great toll on Peter. I was trying to decide whether or not I should send him away and finish up myself as I called out the next victim. To my surprise, he was suddenly angry, furious. I braced for whatever his mood might foreshadow – he was a good fighter, but he was never a match for me. â€Å"The newborn I'd summoned was a female, just past her year mark. Her name was Charlotte. His feelings changed when she came into view; they gave him away. He yelled for her to run, and he bolted after her. I could have pursued them, but I didn't. I felt . . . averse to destroying him. â€Å"Maria was irritated with me for that . . . â€Å"Five years later, Peter snuck back for me. He picked a good day to arrive. â€Å"Maria was mystified by my ever-deteriorating frame of mind. She'd never felt a moment's depression, and I wondered why I was different. I began to notice a change in her emotions when she was near me – sometimes there was fear . . . and malice – the same feelings that had given me advance warning when Nettie and Lucy struck. I was preparing myself to destroy my only ally, the core of my existence, when Peter returned. â€Å"Peter told me about his new life with Charlotte, told me about options I'd never dreamed I had. In five years, they'd never had a fight, though they'd met many others in the north. Others who could co-exist without the constant mayhem. â€Å"In one conversation, he had me convinced. I was ready to go, and somewhat relieved I wouldn't have to kill Maria. I'd been her companion for as many years as Carlisle and Edward have been together, yet the bond between us was nowhere near as strong. When you live for the fight, for the blood, the relationships you form are tenuous and easily broken. I walked away without a backward glance. â€Å"I traveled with Peter and Charlotte for a few years, getting the feel of this new, more peaceful world. But the depression didn't fade. I didn't understand what was wrong with me, until Peter noticed that it was always worse after I'd hunted. â€Å"I contemplated that. In so many years of slaughter and carnage, I'd lost nearly all of my humanity. I was undeniably a nightmare, a monster of the grisliest kind. Yet each time I found another human victim, I would feel a faint prick of remembrance for that other life. Watching their eyes widen in wonder at my beauty, I could see Maria and the others in my head, what they had looked like to me the last night that I was Jasper Whitlock. It was stronger for me – this borrowed memory – than it was for anyone else, because I could feel everything my prey was feeling. And I lived their emotions as I killed them. â€Å"You've experienced the way I can manipulate the emotions around myself, Bella, but I wonder if you realize how the feelings in a room affect me. I live every day in a climate of emotion. For the first century of my life, I lived in a world of bloodthirsty vengeance. Hate was my constant companion. It eased some when I left Maria, but I still had to feel the horror and fear of my prey. â€Å"It began to be too much. â€Å"The depression got worse, and I wandered away from Peter and Charlotte. Civilized as they were, they didn't feel the same aversion I was beginning to feel. They only wanted peace from the fight. I was so wearied by killing – killing anyone, even mere humans. â€Å"Yet I had to keep killing. What choice did I have? I tried to kill less often, but I would get too thirsty and I would give in. After a century of instant gratification, I found self-discipline . . . challenging. I still haven't perfected that.† Jasper was lost in the story, as was I. It surprised me when his desolate expression smoothed into a peaceful smile. â€Å"I was in Philadelphia. There was a storm, and I was out during the day – something I was not completely comfortable with yet. I knew standing in the rain would attract attention, so I ducked into a little half-empty diner. My eyes were dark enough that no one would notice them, though this meant I was thirsty, and that worried me a little. â€Å"She was there – expecting me, naturally.† He chuckled once. â€Å"She hopped down from the high stool at the counter as soon as I walked in and came directly toward me. â€Å"It shocked me. I was not sure if she meant to attack. That's the only interpretation of her behavior my past had to offer. But she was smiling. And the emotions that were emanating from her were like nothing I'd ever felt before. â€Å"‘You've kept me waiting a long time,' she said.† I didn't realize Alice had come to stand behind me again. â€Å"And you ducked your head, like a good Southern gentleman, and said, ‘I'm sorry, ma'am.'† Alice laughed at the memory. Jasper smiled down at her. â€Å"You held out your hand, and I took it without stopping to make sense of what I was doing. For the first time in almost a century, I felt hope.† Jasper took Alice's hand as he spoke. Alice grinned. â€Å"I was just relieved. I thought you were never going to show up.† They smiled at each other for a long moment, and then Jasper looked back to me, the soft expression lingering. â€Å"Alice told me what she'd seen of Carlisle and his family. I could hardly believe that such an existence was possible. But Alice made me optimistic. So we went to find them.† â€Å"Scared the hell out of them, too,† Edward said, rolling his eyes at Jasper before turning to me to explain. â€Å"Emmett and I were away hunting. Jasper shows up, covered in battle scars, towing this little freak† – he nudged Alice playfully – â€Å"who greets them all by name, knows everything about them, and wants to know which room she can move into.† Alice and Jasper laughed in harmony, soprano and bass. â€Å"When I got home, all my things were in the garage,† Edward continued. Alice shrugged. â€Å"Your room had the best view.† They all laughed together now. â€Å"That's a nice story,† I said. Three pairs of eyes questioned my sanity. â€Å"I mean the last part,† I defended myself. â€Å"The happy ending with Alice.† â€Å"Alice has made all the difference,† Jasper agreed. â€Å"This is a climate I enjoy.† But the momentary pause in the stress couldn't last. â€Å"An army,† Alice whispered. â€Å"Why didn't you tell me?† The others were intent again, their eyes locked on Jasper's face. â€Å"I thought I must be interpreting the signs incorrectly. Because where is the motive? Why would someone create an army in Seattle? There is no history there, no vendetta. It makes no sense from a conquest standpoint, either; no one claims it. Nomads pass through, but there's no one to fight for it. No one to defend it from. â€Å"But I've seen this before, and there's no other explanation. There is an army of newborn vampires in Seattle. Fewer than twenty, I'd guess. The difficult part is that they are totally untrained. Whoever made them just set them loose. It will only get worse, and it won't be much longer till the Volturi step in. Actually, I'm surprised they've let this go on so long.† â€Å"What can we do?† Carlisle asked. â€Å"If we want to avoid the Volturi's involvement, we will have to destroy the newborns, and we will have to do it very soon.† Jasper's face was hard. Knowing his story now, I could guess how this evaluation must disturb him. â€Å"I can teach you how. It won't be easy in the city. The young ones aren't concerned about secrecy, but we will have to be. It will limit us in ways that they are not. Maybe we can lure them out.† â€Å"Maybe we won't have to.† Edward's voice was bleak. â€Å"Does it occur to anyone else that the only possible threat in the area that would call for the creation of an army is . . . us?† Jasper's eyes narrowed; Carlisle's widened, shocked. â€Å"Tanya's family is also near,† Esme said slowly, unwilling to accept Edward's words. â€Å"The newborns aren't ravaging Anchorage, Esme. I think we have to consider the idea that we are the targets.† â€Å"They're not coming after us,† Alice insisted, and then paused. â€Å"Or . . . they don't know that they are. Not yet.† â€Å"What is that?† Edward asked, curious and tense. â€Å"What are you remembering?† â€Å"Flickers,† Alice said. â€Å"I can't see a clear picture when I try to see what's going on, nothing concrete. But I've been getting these strange flashes. Not enough to make sense of. It's as if someone's changing their mind, moving from one course of action to another so quickly that I can't get a good view. . . .† â€Å"Indecision?† Jasper asked in disbelief. â€Å"I don't know. . . .† â€Å"Not indecision,† Edward growled. â€Å"Knowledge. Someone who knows you can't see anything until the decision is made. Someone who is hiding from us. Playing with the holes in your vision.† â€Å"Who would know that?† Alice whispered. Edward's eyes were hard as ice. â€Å"Aro knows you as well as you know yourself.† â€Å"But I would see if they'd decided to come. . . .† â€Å"Unless they didn't want to get their hands dirty.† â€Å"A favor,† Rosalie suggested, speaking for the first time. â€Å"Someone in the South . . . someone who already had trouble with the rules. Someone who should have been destroyed is offered a second chance – if they take care of this one small problem. . . . That would explain the Volturi's sluggish response.† â€Å"Why?† Carlisle asked, still shocked. â€Å"There's no reason for the Volturi -â€Å" â€Å"It was there,† Edward disagreed quietly. â€Å"I'm surprised it's come to this so soon, because the other thoughts were stronger. In Aro's head he saw me at his one side and Alice at his other. The present and the future, virtual omniscience. The power of the idea intoxicated him. I would have thought it would take him much longer to give up on that plan – he wanted it too much. But there was also the thought of you, Carlisle, of our family, growing stronger and larger. The jealousy and the fear: you having . . . not more than he had, but still, things that he wanted. He tried not to think about it, but he couldn't hide it completely. The idea of rooting out the competition was there; besides their own, ours is the largest coven they've ever found. . . .† I stared at his face in horror. He'd never told me this, but I guessed I knew why. I could see it in my head now, Aro's dream. Edward and Alice in black, flowing robes, drifting along at Aro's side with their eyes cold and blood-red. . . . Carlisle interrupted my waking nightmare. â€Å"They're too committed to their mission. They would never break the rules themselves. It goes against everything they've worked for.† â€Å"They'll clean up afterward. A double betrayal,† Edward said in a grim voice. â€Å"No harm done.† Jasper leaned forward, shaking his head. â€Å"No, Carlisle is right. The Volturi do not break rules. Besides, it's much too sloppy. This . . . person, this threat – they have no idea what they're doing. A first-timer, I'd swear to it. I cannot believe the Volturi are involved. But they will be.† They all stared at each other, frozen with stress. â€Å"Then let's go,† Emmett almost roared. â€Å"What are we waiting for?† Carlisle and Edward exchanged a long glance. Edward nodded once. â€Å"We'll need you to teach us, Jasper,† Carlisle finally said. â€Å"How to destroy them.† Carlisle's jaw was hard, but I could see the pain in his eyes as he said the words. No one hated violence more than Carlisle. There was something bothering me, and I couldn't put my finger on it. I was numb, horrified, deathly afraid. And yet, under that, I could feel that I was missing something important. Something that would make some sense out of the chaos. That would explain it. â€Å"We're going to need help,† Jasper said. â€Å"Do you think Tanya's family would be willing . . . ? Another five mature vampires would make an enormous difference. And then Kate and Eleazar would be especially advantageous on our side. It would be almost easy, with their aid.† â€Å"We'll ask,† Carlisle answered. Jasper held out a cell phone. â€Å"We need to hurry.† I'd never seen Carlisle's innate calm so shaken. He took the phone, and paced toward the windows. He dialed a number, held the phone to his ear, and laid the other hand against the glass. He stared out into the foggy morning with a pained and ambivalent expression. Edward took my hand and pulled me to the white loveseat. I sat beside him, staring at his face while he stared at Carlisle. Carlisle's voice was low and quick, difficult to hear. I heard him greet Tanya, and then he raced through the situation too fast for me to understand much, though I could tell that the Alaskan vampires were not ignorant of what was going on in Seattle. Then something changed in Carlisle's voice. â€Å"Oh,† he said, his voice sharper in surprise. â€Å"We didn't realize . . . that Irina felt that way.† Edward groaned at my side and closed his eyes. â€Å"Damn it. Damn Laurent to the deepest pit of hell where he belongs.† â€Å"Laurent?† I whispered, the blood emptying from my face, but Edward didn't respond, focused on Carlisle's thoughts. My short encounter with Laurent early this spring was not something that had faded or dimmed in my mind. I still remembered every word he'd said before Jacob and his pack had interrupted. I actually came here as a favor to her. . . . Victoria. Laurent had been her first maneuver – she'd sent him to observe, to see how hard it might be to get to me. He hadn't survived the wolves to report back. Though he'd kept up his old ties with Victoria after James's death, he'd also formed new ties and new relationships. He'd gone to live with Tanya's family in Alaska – Tanya the strawberry blonde – the closest friends the Cullens had in the vampire world, practically extended family. Laurent had been with them for almost a year previous to his death. Carlisle was still talking, his voice not quite pleading. Persuasive, but with an edge. Then the edge abruptly won out over the persuasion. â€Å"There's no question of that,† Carlisle said in a stern voice. â€Å"We have a truce. They haven't broken it, and neither will we. I'm sorry to hear that. . . . Of course. We'll just have to do our best alone.† Carlisle shut the phone without waiting for an answer. He continued to stare out into the fog. â€Å"What's the problem?† Emmett murmured to Edward. â€Å"Irina was more involved with our friend Laurent than we knew. She's holding a grudge against the wolves for destroying him to save Bella. She wants -† He paused, looking down at me. â€Å"Go on,† I said as evenly as I could. His eyes tightened. â€Å"She wants revenge. To take down the pack. They would trade their help for our permission.† â€Å"No!† I gasped. â€Å"Don't worry,† he told me in a flat voice. â€Å"Carlisle would never agree to it.† He hesitated, then sighed. â€Å"Nor would I. Laurent had it coming† – this was almost a growl – â€Å"and I still owe the wolves for that.† â€Å"This isn't good,† Jasper said. â€Å"It's too even a fight. We'd have the upper hand in skill, but not numbers. We'd win, but at what price?† His tense eyes flashed to Alice's face and away. I wanted to scream out loud as I grasped what Jasper meant. We would win, but we would lose. Some wouldn't survive. I looked around the room at their faces – Jasper, Alice, Emmett, Rose, Esme, Carlisle . . . Edward – the faces of my family.

Porters Force Analysis On Leisure Cruise Industry

The universe economic system has been engulfed by strong international competition. Porter has argued that scheme equates how any steadfast competes against others in its concern. He argued that scheme is non merely a series of theoretical accounts at the corporate degree of scheme. The scheme includes analysing possible entrants, providers, purchasers, replacements and rivals. He describes the competitory forces determining an industry in his six forces theoretical account of industrial competition. By analysing the forces, one assesses the forces driving competition in an industry and evaluates the odds of a house successfully come ining and viing in an industry. The forces are includes: possible entrants with their menace of entry, providers with their bargaining power, purchasers with their bargaining power, industry rivals with their competition among existing houses, and replacements with their menace of utility service or merchandise and. Government engagement is another force that affects any industry[ I ]. The full leisure industry is composed of bomber industries including gambling, sail, lodging, athleticss installations, travel and touristry and vocational ownership. Cruise is one of the fastest turning sectors in the leisure industry which ensures that people basking their holidaies get conveyance installations. Under this sector, the companies which largely operate are transporting companies which transport people in leisure from one topographic point to another. The companies include AIDA Cruises, Celebrity Cruise, Cunard line, Disney Cruise Line, Holland American Line, Ocean Village, Princes Cruises, Royal Caribbea International and Seabourn Curise Line. All these named operate in Florida under the umbrella organic structure Florida-Carebbean Cruise Association ( Maya, 2010 )[ two ]. This is an industry of merriment characterized monolithic investings. Taking Ocean Village as an illustration of companies stand foring the full industry, this research paper will analyse the six po rter forces that affect the industry[ three ]. Buyers and dickering power In the industry, purchasers are traveler traveling for vocational Tourss, leisure activities and all that pertains to fun. Buyer power is the capableness of purchasers, their agents, and clients of the industry to act upon the monetary value charged and footings of purchase. If purchasers ‘ power is high, so the net income borders of the houses runing in the industry tends to be low. If the purchasers are organized and are few, so their power is high. The industry whose purchaser power is high tends to be unattractive to new investors since the realized net incomes are usually low ( Peng, 2009, p. 42 ) . In this sail sector of the leisure industry, purchasers are few and be given to be organized. Therefore, Ocean Village Company feels the force per unit area of good organized purchasers who have high-bargaining powers. The industry represents purchasers from higher economic and societal category who can form and inquire for their rights in the industry. They are willing to pass their money for leisure services therefore do non see much impact on pricing every bit long as they get choice services. Ocean Village Company has tried to include some other services to do any ocean trip successful and pull more clients. These include the wellness installations provided within the company and adjustment characteristics offered to travellers. Potential entrants and entry barriers When a company and industry in general, is doing net incomes, other investors think of embarking into that industry so that they enjoy the net incomes realized. This creates a inquiry of how the incumbent houses within the industry attempt to make barriers for new entrants. The executives of the industry attempt to make barriers even if it means passing some money on the same undertaking[ four ]. If the current houses in the industry can maintain possible entrants at bay, the full topic of competition and its impacts on the incumbent houses ‘ net incomes become moot. The menace of new houses to come in an industry is low if the incumbent houses have high powers to act upon monetary values, control resources and determine the nature of competition within the industry. In Florida, the industry has organized its houses and formed an association to cover with such affairs. The association, Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association, protect the houses from any external entrants every bit much as possible. It has partnered with the authorities to put high criterions for any house that wish to come in into the industry. This makes possible investors be scared off from come ining such a market hence the industry can be classified as basking the powers to protect its current signifiers from the possible entrants. Suppliers and their bargaining power Supplier power is the capableness of sellers to make up one's mind the monetary values and footings of supply. Suppliers include sellers of labour, natural stuffs, and capital goods. If their power is high, so the net income borders of the incumbent houses tend to be low. Such low net income borders make an industry unattractive to possible entrants. The being of many providers indicates low provider power, and frailty versa. Firms in the industry rely on many supplier classs to carry through its services. The major providers of the industry are those that supply fuel to houses in the industry. Shell Company[ V ]is the chief provider of fuel in the industry but there are other possible companies which can provide. Ocean Village Company has entered into understanding its providers on footings of sale which are non altered till the understanding period expires. Substitute merchandises and services The handiness of replacements for an industry ‘s merchandises and services alters the power of the incumbent houses. As the handiness of replacement merchandises and services rises and the easy of replacement additions, the power of incumbent houses to command monetary values and footings of concern diminutions. In the instance of this industry, the replacement might be air hose conveyance, rail and route. However, they do non supply the intended services the purchaser wants when taking. Cruise industry provides diversion installations, good environment in H2O and others that a individual on leisure activities needs. This makes the industry enjoy limited replacement merchandises and services. The power of the houses runing in the industry is hence high. Rivals and competition Competitive competition is the extent to which houses respond to competitory moves of other houses in the same industry. In some industries like sail industry, â€Å" gentleman ‘s understanding † exists whereby houses respect one another ‘s market niches and follow a â€Å" unrecorded and allow unrecorded † scheme ( Ireland et al, 2008, p. 82 ) . The industry has formed an association which deals with such issues as competition and unwanted behaviours within the industry. This reduces competition and competition within the industry doing the companies operated in a friendly mode. They are associated to supply better and quality clients to leisure clients and there is no demand to vie in the disbursal of the industry and consumers. In other sectors within the larger leisure industry, a â€Å" dog eat Canis familiaris †[ six ]thought prevails, cutthroat competition is the regulation and competitory moves are smartly encountered. This happens in hotel bo mber industry since many houses exist here. Government engagement This is another force, although non normally talked as, which influences any industry. It is a demand for the houses in any industry to follow with all authorities ordinances including enrollment, paying revenue enhancements and be responsible to the environment. Government engagement determines the profitableness of an industry. Sometimes, the authorities comes in to protect its consumers from development by houses in any industry[ seven ]. They can make up one's mind to command monetary values and quality of services offered. The sum of revenue enhancement charged besides reduces the company operating in that industry ‘s net incomes. It can be realized that in Florida, the authorities ensures that the safety of crewmans is maximal and the quality of services offered is optimum. Since the house operates in H2O, it is supposed to keep high criterions to protect the environment, H2O in this instance. Harmonizing to Kassing ( 2006 )[ eight ], Government provides substructure for all commercial diversion and touristry endeavors. However, the authorities engagement in this industry is minimum. This is because the industry does non offer basic trade goods which would do the authorities intervene to command monetary values. The company enjoys authorities protection from sea challengers. The demands the authorities has put in footings of new entrants are excessively affecting doing the industry one of those that are difficult to come in into by new companies. Decision The forces determine profitableness of any industry as they influence the costs, monetary values, and needed investing of houses in that peculiar industry. Buyers power influence the monetary values Ocean Village Company and any other company can bear down. It besides has an influence on investing cost since sceptered purchasers asks for expensive services. Supplier ‘s bargaining powers influences input costs like fuel. The competition influences monetary values and viing costs. On the other manus, entry menace bounds monetary value charged and makes incumbent houses invest to avoid it ( porter, 1985, p. 7 ) . The Florida based companies runing in the sail industry formed an association, Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association, which has changed the industry construction. They agree on how to carry on concerns, how to make entry barriers and common characteristics to follow so as to fulfill their clients in Leisure-Cruise industry. It is a strong association of houses that have ma de the industry one of the popular in Florida and profitable.

The Fourth Dimension - Definition in Art History

The Fourth Dimension - Definition in Art History We live in a three-dimensional world and our brains are trained to see three dimensions - height, width, and depth. This was formalized thousands of years ago in the year 300 B.C. by the Alexandrian Greek philosopher, Euclid, who founded a school of mathematics, wrote a textbook called the Euclidean Elements, and is known as the father of geometry. However, several hundred years ago physicists  and mathematicians postulated a fourth dimension. Mathematically, the  fourth dimension  refers to time as another dimension  along with length, width, and depth. It  also refers to space and the space-time continuum. For some, the fourth dimension is spiritual or metaphysical. Many artists during the early 20th century, among them the Cubists, Futurists, and Surrealists, have attempted to convey the fourth dimension in their two-dimensional artwork, moving beyond the realistic representation of three-dimensions to a visual interpretation of the fourth dimension, and creating a world of infinite possibilities. Theory of Relativity The idea of time as a fourth dimension is usually attributed to the Theory of Special Relativity proposed in 1905 by the German physicist Albert Einstein (1879-1955). However, the idea that time is a dimension goes back to the 19th century, as seen in the novel The Time Machine  (1895) by British author H.G. Wells (1866-1946), wherein a scientist invents a machine that lets him travel to different eras, including the future. Although we may not be able to travel through time in a machine, scientists have more recently  discovered that time travel is, in fact, theoretically possible.   Henri Poincarà © Henri Poincarà © was a French philosopher, physicist, and mathematician who influenced both Einstein and  Pablo Picasso with his 1902 book, Science and Hypothesis. According to an article in Phaidon,   Picasso was particularly struck by Poincarà ©s advice on how to view the fourth dimension, which artists considered another spatial dimension. If you could transport yourself into it, you would see every perspective of a scene at once. But how to project these perspectives on to canvas? Picassos response to Poincarà ©s advice on how to view the fourth dimension was Cubism   viewing multiple perspectives of a subject at once. Picasso never met Poincarà © or Einstein, but their ideas transformed his art, and art thereafter. Cubism and Space Although the Cubists did not necessarily know  about Einsteins theory -   Picasso was unaware of Einstein when he created Les Demoiselles dAvignon  (1907), an early Cubist painting - they were aware of the popular idea of time travel. They also understood Non-Euclidean geometry, which the artists Albert Gleizes and Jean Metzinger discussed in their book Cubism  (1912). There they mention the German mathematician Georg Riemann (1826-1866) who developed the hypercube. Simultaneity in Cubism was one way artists illustrated their  understanding of the fourth dimension, meaning that the artist would simultaneously show  views of the same subject from different viewpoints  - views that would not normally be able to be seen together at the same time in the real world. Picassos Protocubist painting, Demoiselles DAvignon, is an example of such a painting, since it uses simultaneous fragments of the subjects as seen from different viewpoints - for example, both a profile and frontal view of the same face. Other examples of Cubist paintings showing simultaneity are Jean Metzingers Tea Time (Woman with a Teaspoon) (1911), Le Oiseau Bleu (The Blue Bird  (1912-1913), and  Robert Delaunays paintings of the Eiffel Tower behind curtains.   In this sense, the Fourth Dimension concerns the way in which two kinds of perception work together as we interact with objects or people in space. That is, to know things in real time, we must bring our memories from past time into the present. For example, when we sit down, we dont look at the chair as we lower ourselves on to it. We assume the chair will still be there when our bottoms hit the seat. Cubists painted their subjects based not on how they saw them, but on what they knew of them, from multiple perspectives. Futurism and Time Futurism, which was an offshoot of Cubism, was a movement that originated in Italy and was interested in motion, speed, and the beauty of modern life. The futurists were influenced by a new technology called chrono-photography  that showed the movement of the subject in still-photos through a sequence of frames, much like a childs flip-book. It was the precursor to film and animation. One of the first futurist paintings was  Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash  (1912), by Giacomo Balla, conveying the concept of movement and speed by blurring and repetition of the subject. Nude Descending a Staircase No. 2 (1912), by Marcel Duchamp, combines the Cubist technique of multiple views with the futurist technique of the repetition of a single figure in a sequence of steps, showing the human form in motion. Metaphysical and Spiritual Another definition for the fourth dimension is the act of perceiving (consciousness) or feeling (sensation). Artists and writers often think of the fourth dimension as the life of the mind and many early 20th century artists used ideas about the fourth dimension to explore metaphysical content.   The fourth dimension is associated with infinity and unity; the reversal of reality and unreality; time and motion; non-Euclidean geometry and space; and spirituality. Artists such as Wassily Kandinsky, Kazimir Malevich, and Piet Mondrian,  each explored those ideas in unique ways in their abstract paintings.   The fourth dimension also inspired Surrealists such as the Spanish artist Salvador Dali, whose painting, Crucifixion (Corpus Hypercubus) (1954), united a classical portrayal of Christ with a tesseract, a four-dimensional cube. Dali used the idea of the fourth dimension to illustrate the spiritual world transcending our physical universe. Conclusion Just as mathematicians and physicists explored the fourth dimension and its possibilities for alternative realities, artists were able to break away from one-point perspective and the three-dimensional reality it represented to explore those issues on their two-dimensional surfaces, creating new forms of abstract art. With new discoveries in physics and the development of computer graphics, contemporary artists continue to experiment with the concept  of dimensionality. Resources and Further Reading Henri Poincarà ©: the unlikely link between Einstein and Picasso, The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2012/jul/17/henri-poincare-einstein-picasso?newsfeedtrue Picasso, Einstein, and the fourth dimension, Phaidon,  phaidon.com/agenda/art/articles/2012/july/19/picasso-einstein-and-the-fourth-dimension/ The Fourth Dimension and Non-Euclidean Geometry in Modern Art, Revised Edition, The MIT Press, https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/fourth-dimension-and-non-euclidean-geometry-modern-art The Fourth Dimension in Painting: Cubism and Futurism, The peacocks tail,  https://pavlopoulos.wordpress.com/2011/03/19/painting-and-fourth-dimension-cubism-and-futurism/ The painter who entered the fourth dimension, BBC,  bbc.com/culture/story/20160511-the-painter-who-entered-the-fourth-dimension The Fourth Dimension, Levis Fine Art, levisfineart.com/exhibitions/the-fourth-dimension Updated by Lisa Marder 12/11/17