Terrorism: An Illegal Undertaking

THESIS STATEMENT:How do terrorists able to fight governments while having no own operation bases and escape taxable economic entities? Terrorism are applied time and again as affairs of state tags of the morally wrong, haphazard, or intolerable practice of aggression or hazard of ferocity by particular perpetrators as for their specific purposes. Social change is their ultimate goal and this collective revolution is aspired so appallingly that terrorists may execute vastly unswerving crimes, especially for spiritual principles, that they may prefer their own death or the deaths of innocent civilians to attain their objective. Those regarded as terrorists hardly ever distinguish themselves as such, and normally make use of other general names or terms particular to their situation (Hans, 2002).The focal predicament with terrorism is that terrorists do not admit that they are terrorists and asserts that the governments are the terrorists. Despite the fact that an autonomous state adopt ing social freedom may maintain an implication of privileged ethical position than other administration systems, a performance of terror campaign within such a nation may bring about an apparent problem on whether to uphold its civic liberation and as a consequence run the risk of being recognized as pointless in dealing with the dilemma, or otherwise constrain its communal emancipation and hence risk unjustifiable allegation of sustaining a democratic organization.With this information at hand, it is indeed difficult to fight terrorism since they are usually not well organized or located. They don’t have their own operations bases since they are hiding and do not want to be caught or captured. Terrorism can be carried out by covert individuals, assemblages, or federations, funded by certain organizations, with mysterious orderly strategies and assaults in public places. Interaction may come about via prevailing telecommunications or all the way through conventional means suc h as couriers. Additionally, since revolutionaries who are involved in intimidation are not well organized and are considered to be illegal, they are not taxable and will hardly be taxable.Speaking of illegitimacy, several authorized government characterizations of terrorism put in a condition of unlawfulness to differentiate between proceedings that are certified by bylaws and those of other persons and minor units. Using this decisive factor, events that would otherwise be eligible of terrorism would not be taken into account as terrorism if they were approved by the board. For instance, a terrorist attack in a municipality, which is intended to distress national reinforcement for a basis, would not be regarded as terrorism if it were allowed by a reasonable authority (Cronin, 2003).Shared ideologies among permissible meanings of terrorism offer a rising consensus as to denotation and also promote collaboration between regulation enforcement staff in discrete nation states. Among these delineations, there are quite a few that do not make out the likelihood of   acceptable custom of fierceness   by civilians against an assailant in a dominated nation and would categorize all opposition engagements as terrorist parties. Others create a peculiarity between legally recognized and prohibited exploitation of ferocity. Sanctioned classifications ascertain counter-terrorism documents and are usually made available to act it. Most authority descriptions give a rough idea about the subsequent vital standards such as target, purpose, intention, executor, and authenticity of the feat.Groups carrying out viciousness are also frequently identifiable by a following set of executors. Oftentimes the word terrorism and radicalism are employed as exchangeable. Nevertheless, there is a noteworthy dissimilarity between the two as terrorism is basically a threat or a deed of substantial fierceness, whereas radicalism entails the use of non-physical mechanisms to activate peop le’s attention to realize some ideological occurrences (Kalyvas, 2004). They should have their own definite distinction as to which must be taxable.References:Hans, Kà ¶chler (2002). Terrorism and the Quest for a Just World Order. Manila Lectures. FSJBook World, ISBN 0-9710791-2-9.Cronin, Audrey Kurth (2003) Behind the Curve: Globalization and International Terrorism. International Security, Vol. 27, No. 3, pp. 40-41.Kalyvas, Stathis (2004) The Paradox of Terrorism in Civil Wars in Journal of Ethics 8:1, p. 137-138.

The Twilight Saga 3: Eclipse Chapter 7. REPETITION

I WASN'T SURE WHAT THE HELL I WAS DOING HERE Was I trying to push myself back into the zombie stupor? Had I turned masochisticdeveloped a taste for torture? I should have gone straight down to La Push I felt much, much healthier around Jacob This was not a healthy thing to do. But I continued to drive slowly down the overgrown lane, twisting through the trees that arched over me like a green, living tunnel My hands were shaking, so I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. I knew that part of the reason I did this was the nightmare, now that I was really awake, the nothingness of the dream gnawed on my nerves, a dog worrying a bone. There was something to search for. Unattainable and impossible, uncaring and distracted but he was out there, somewhere. I had to believe that. The other part was the strange sense of repetition I'd felt at school today, the coincidence of the date. The feeling that I was starting overperhaps the way my first day would have gone if I'd really been the most unusual person in the cafeteria that afternoon. The words ran through my head, tonelessly, like I was reading them rather than hearing them spoken: It will be as if I'd never existed. I was lying to myself by splitting my reason for coming here into just two parts. I didn't want to admit the strongest motivation. Because it was mentally unsound. The truth was that I wanted to hear his voice again, like I had in the strange delusion Friday night. For that brief moment, when his voice came from some other part of me than my conscious memory, when his voice was perfect and honey smooth rather than the pale echo my memories usually produced, I was able to remember without pain. It hadn't lasted; the pain had caught up with me, as I was sure it would for this fool's errand. But those precious moments when I could hear him again were an irresistible lure. I had to find some way to repeat the experience or maybe the better word was episode. I was hoping that dj vu was the key. So I was going to his home, a place I hadn't been since my ill-fated birthday party, so many months ago. The thick, almost jungle-like growth crawled slowly past my windows. The drive wound on and on. I started to go faster, getting edgy. How long had I been driving? Shouldn't I have reached the house yet? The lane was so overgrown that it did not look familiar. What if I couldn't find it? I shivered. What if there was no tangible proof at all? Then there was the break in the trees that I was looking for, only it was not so pronounced as before. The flora here did not wait long to reclaim any land that was left unguarded. The tall ferns had infiltrated the meadow around the house, crowding against the trunks of the cedars, even the wide porch. It was like the lawn had been floodedwaist-highwith green, feathery waves. And the house was there, but it was not the same. Though nothing had changed on the outside, the emptiness screamed from the blank windows. It was creepy. For the first time since I'd seen the beautiful house, it looked like a fitting haunt for vampires. I hit the brakes, looking away. I was afraid to go farther. But nothing happened. No voice in my head. So I left the engine running and jumped out into the fern sea. Maybe, like Friday night, if I walked forward I approached the barren, vacant face slowly, my truck rumbling out a comforting roar behind me. I stopped when I got to the porch stairs, because there was nothing here. No lingering sense of their presence of his presence. The house was solidly here, but it meant little. Its concrete reality would not counteract the nothingness of the nightmares. I didn't go any closer. I didn't want to look in the windows. I wasn't sure which would be harder to see. If the rooms were bare, echoing empty from floor to ceiling, that would certainly hurt. Like my grandmother's funeral, when my mother had insisted that I stay outside during the viewing. She had said that I didn't need to see Gran that way, to remember her that way, rather than alive. But wouldn't it be worse if there were no change? If the couches sat just as I'd last seen them, the paintings on the wallsworse still, the piano on its low platform? It would be second only to the house disappearing all together, to see that there was no physical possession that tied them in anyway. That everything remained, untouched and forgotten, behind them. Just like me. I turned my back on the gaping emptiness and hurried to my truck. I nearly ran. I was anxious to be gone, to get back to the human world. I felt hideously empty, and I wanted to see Jacob. Maybe I was developing a new kind of sickness, another addiction, like the numbness before. I didn't care. I pushed my truck as fast as it would go as I barreled toward my fix. Jacob was waiting for me. My chest seemed to relax as soon as I saw him, making it easier to breathe. â€Å"Hey, Bella,† he called. I smiled in relief. â€Å"Hey, Jacob,† I waved at Billy, who was looking out the window. â€Å"Let's get to work,† Jacob said in a low but eager voice. I was somehow able to laugh. â€Å"You seriously aren't sick of me yet?† I wondered. He must be starting to ask himself how desperate I was for company. Jacob led the way around the house to his garage. â€Å"Nope. Not yet.† â€Å"Please let me know when I start getting on your nerves. I don't want to be a pain.† â€Å"Okay.† He laughed, a throaty sound. â€Å"I wouldn't hold your breath for that, though.† When I walked into the garage, I was shocked to see the red bike standing up, looking like a motorcycle rather than a pile of jagged metal. â€Å"Jake, you're amazing,† I breathed. He laughed again. â€Å"I get obsessive when I have a project.† He shrugged. â€Å"If I had any brains I'd drag it out a little bit.† â€Å"Why?† He looked down, pausing for so long that I wondered if he hadn't heard my question. Finally, he asked me, â€Å"Bella, if I told you that I couldn't fix these bikes, what would you say?† I didn't answer right away, either, and he glanced up to check my expression. â€Å"I would say that's too bad, but I'll bet we could figure out something else to do. If we got really desperate, we could even do homework.† Jacob smiled, and his shoulders relaxed. He sat down next to the bike and picked up a wrench. â€Å"So you think you'll still come over when I'm done, then?† â€Å"Is that what you meant?† I shook my head. â€Å"I guess I am taking advantage of your very underpriced mechanical skills. But as long as you let me come over, I'll be here.† â€Å"Hoping to see Quil again?† he teased. â€Å"You caught me.† He chuckled. â€Å"You really like spending time with me?† he asked, marveling. â€Å"Very, very much. And I'll prove it. I have to work tomorrow, but Wednesday we'll do something nonmechanical.† â€Å"Like what?† â€Å"I have no idea. We can go to my place so you won't be tempted to be obsessive. You could bring your schoolworkyou have to be getting behind, because I know I am.† â€Å"Homework might be a good idea.† He made a face, and I wondered how much he was leaving undone to be with me. â€Å"Yes,† I agreed. â€Å"We'll have to start being responsible occasionally, or Billy and Charlie aren't going to be so easygoing about this.† I made a gesture indicating the two of us as a single entity. He liked thathe beamed. â€Å"Homework once a week?† he proposed. â€Å"Maybe we'd better go with twice,† I suggested, thinking of the pile I'd just been assigned today. He sighed a heavy sigh. Then he reached over his toolbox to a paper grocery sack. He pulled out two cans of soda, cracking one open and handing it to me. He opened the second, and held it up ceremoniously. â€Å"Here's to responsibility,† he toasted. â€Å"Twice a week.† â€Å"And recklessness every day in between,† I emphasized. He grinned and touched his can to mine. I got home later than I'd planned and found Charlie had ordered a pizza rather than wait for me. He wouldn't let me apologize. â€Å"I don't mind,† he assured me. â€Å"You deserve a break from all the cooking, anyway.† I knew he was just relieved that I was still acting like a normal person, and he was not about to rock the boat. I checked my e-mail before I started on my homework, and there was a long one from Renee. She gushed over every detail I'd provided her with, so I sent back another exhaustive description of my day. Everything but the motorcycles. Even happy-go-lucky Renee was likely to be alarmed by that. School Tuesday had its ups and downs. Angela and Mike seemed ready to welcome me back with open armsto kindly overlook my few months of aberrant behavior. Jess was more resistant. I wondered if she needed a formal written apology for the Port Angeles incident. Mike was animated and chatty at work. It was like he'd stored up the semester's worth of talk, and it was all spilling out now. I found that I was able to smile and laugh with him, though it wasn't as effortless as it was with Jacob. It seemed harmless enough, until quitting time. Mike put the closed sign in the window while I folded my vest and shoved it under the counter. â€Å"This was fun tonight,† Mike said happily. â€Å"Yeah,† I agreed, though I'd much rather have spent the afternoon in the garage. â€Å"It's too bad that you had to leave the movie early last week.† I was a little confused by his train of thought. I shrugged. â€Å"I'm just a wimp, I guess.† â€Å"What I mean is, you should go to a better movie, something you'd enjoy,† he explained. â€Å"Oh,† I muttered, still confused. â€Å"Like maybe this Friday. With me. We could go see something that isn't scary at all.† I bit my lip. I didn't want to screw things up with Mike, not when he was one of the only people ready to forgive me for being crazy. But this, again, felt far too familiar. Like the last year had never happened. I wished I had Jess as an excuse this time. â€Å"Like a date?† I asked. Honesty was probably the best policy at this point. Get it over with. He processed the tone of my voice â€Å"If you want. But it doesn't have to be like that.† â€Å"I don't date,† I said slowly, realizing how true that was. That whole world seemed impossibly distant. â€Å"Just as friends?† he suggested. His clear blue eyes were not as eager now. I hoped he really meant that we could be friends anyway. â€Å"That would be fun. But I actually have plans already this Friday, so maybe next week?† â€Å"What are you doing?† he asked, less casually than I think he wanted to sound. â€Å"Homework. I have a study session planned with a friend.† â€Å"Oh. Okay. Maybe next week.† He walked me to my car, less exuberant than before. It reminded me so clearly of my first months in Forks. I'd come full circle, and now everything felt like an echoan empty echo, devoid of the interest it used to have. The next night, Charlie didn't seem the smallest bit surprised to find Jacob and me sprawled across the living room floor with our books scattered around us, so I guessed that he and Billy were talking behind our backs. â€Å"Hey, kids,† he said, his eyes straying to the kitchen. The smell of the lasagna I'd spent the afternoon makingwhile Jacob watched and occasionally sampledwafted down the hall; I was being good, trying to atone for all the pizza. Jacob stayed for dinner, and took a plate home for Billy. He grudgingly added another year to my negotiable age for being a good cook. Friday was the garage, and Saturday, after my shift at Newton's, was homework again. Charlie felt secure enough in my sanity to spend the day fishing with Harry. When he got back, we were all donefeeling very sensible and mature about it, tooand watching Monster Garage on the Discovery Channel. â€Å"I probably ought to go.† Jacob sighed. â€Å"It's later than I thought.† â€Å"Okay, fine,† I grumbled. â€Å"I'll take you home.† He laughed at my unwilling expressionit seemed to please him. â€Å"Tomorrow, back to work,† I said as soon as we were safe in the truck. â€Å"What time do you want me to come up?† There was an unexplained excitement in his answering smile. â€Å"I'll call you first, okay?† â€Å"Sure.† I frowned to myself, wondering what was up. His smile widened. I cleaned the house the next morningwaiting for Jacob to call and trying to shake off the Litest nightmare. The scenery had changed. Last night I'd wandered in a wide sea of ferns interspersed with huge hemlock trees. There was nothing else there, and I was lost, wandering aimless and alone, searching for nothing. I wanted to kick myself for the stupid field trip last week. I shoved the dream out of my conscious mind, hoping it would stay locked up somewhere and not escape again. Charlie was outside washing the cruiser, so when the phone rang, I dropped the toilet brush and ran downstairs to answer it. â€Å"Hello?† I asked breathlessly. â€Å"Bella,† Jacob said, a strange, formal tone to his voice. â€Å"Hey, Jake.† â€Å"I believe that we have a date† he said, his tone thick with implications. It took me a second before I got it. â€Å"They're done? I can't believe it!† What perfect timing. I needed something to distract me from nightmares and nothingness. â€Å"Yeah, they run and everything.† â€Å"Jacob, you are absolutely, without a doubt, the most talented and wonderful person I know. You get ten years for this one.† â€Å"Cool! I'm middle-aged now.† I laughed. â€Å"I'm on my way up!† I threw the cleaning supplies under the bathroom counter and grabbed my jacket. â€Å"Headed to see Jake,† Charlie said when I ran past him. It wasn't really a question. â€Å"Yep,† I replied as I jumped in my truck. â€Å"I'll be at the station later,† Charlie called after me. â€Å"Okay,† I yelled back, turning the key. Charlie said something else, but I couldn't hear him clearly over the roar of the engine. It sounded sort of like, â€Å"Where's the fire?† I parked my truck off to the side of the Blacks' house, close to the trees, to make it easier for us to sneak the bikes out. When I got out, a splash of color caught my eyetwo shiny motorcycles, one red, one black, were hidden under a spruce, invisible from the house. Jacob was prepared. There was a piece of blue ribbon tied in a small bow around each of the handlebars. I was laughing at that when Jacob ran out of the house. â€Å"Ready?† he asked in a low voice, his eyes sparkling. I glanced over his shoulder, and there was no sign of Billy. â€Å"Yeah,† I said, but I didn't feel quite as excited as before; I was trying to imagine myself actually on the motorcycle. Jacob loaded the bikes into the bed of the truck with ease, laying them carefully on their sides so they didn't show. â€Å"Let's go,† he said, his voice higher than usual with excitement. â€Å"I know the perfect spotno one will catch us there.† We drove south out of town. The dirt road wove in and out of the forestsometimes there was nothing but trees, and then there would suddenly be a breathtaking glimpse of the Pacific Ocean, reaching to the horizon, dark gray under the clouds. We were above the shore, on top of the cliffs that bordered the beach here and the view seemed to stretch on forever. I was driving slowly, so that I could safely stare out across the ocean now and then, as the road wound closer to the sea cliffs. Jacob was talking about finishing the bikes, but his descriptions were getting technical, so I wasn't paying close attention. That was when I noticed four figures standing on a rocky ledge, much too close to the precipice. I couldn't tell from the distance how old they were, but I assumed they were men. Despite the chill in the air today, they seemed to be wearing only shorts. As I watched, the tallest person stepped closer to the brink. I slowed automatically, my foot hesitating over the brake pedal. And then he threw himself off the edge. â€Å"No!† I shouted, stomping down on the brake. â€Å"What's wrong?† Jacob shouted back, alarmed. â€Å"That guyhe just jumped off the cliff! Why didn't they stop him? We've got to call an ambulance!† I threw open my door and started to get out, which made no sense at all. The fastest way to a phone was to drive back to Billy's. But I couldn't believe what I'd just seen. Maybe, subconsciously, I hoped I would see something different without the glass of the windshield in the way. Jacob laughed, and I spun to stare at him wildly. How could he be so calloused, so cold-blooded? â€Å"They're just cliff diving, Bella. Recreation. La Push doesn't have a mall, you know.† He was teasing, but there was a strange note of irritation in his voice. â€Å"Cliff diving?† I repeated, dazed. I stared in disbelief as a second figure stepped to the edge, paused, and then very gracefully leaped into space. He fell for what seemed like an eternity to me, finally cutting smoothly into the dark gray waves below. â€Å"Wow. It's so high.† I slid back into my seat, still staring wide-eyed at the two remaining divers. â€Å"It must be a hundred feet.† â€Å"Well, yeah, most of us jump from lower down, that rock that juts out from the cliff about halfway.† He pointed out his window. The place he indicated did seem much more reasonable. â€Å"Those guys are insane. Probably showing off how tough they are. I mean, really, it's freezing today. That water can't feel good.† He made a disgruntled face, as if the stunt personally offended him. It surprised me a little. I would have thought Jacob was nearly impossible to upset. â€Å"You jump off the cliff?† I hadn't missed the â€Å"us.† â€Å"Sure, sure.† He shrugged and grinned. â€Å"It's fun. A little scary, kind of a rush.† I looked back at the cliffs, where the third figure was pacing the edge. I'd never witnessed anything so reckless in all my life. My eyes widened, and I smiled. â€Å"Jake, you have to take me cliff diving.† He frowned back at me, his face disapproving. â€Å"Bella, you just wanted to call an ambulance for Sam,† he reminded me. I was surprised that he could tell who it was from this distance. â€Å"I want to try,† I insisted, start ing to get out of the car again. Jacob grabbed my wrist. â€Å"Not today, all right? Can we at least wait for a warmer day?† â€Å"Okay, fine,† I agreed. With the door open, the glacial breeze was raising goose bumps on my arm. â€Å"But I want to go soon.† â€Å"Soon.† He rolled his eyes. â€Å"Sometimes you're a little strange, Bella. Do you know that?† I sighed. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"And we're not jumping off the top.† I watched, fascinated, as the third boy made a running start and flung himself farther into the empty air than the other two. He twisted and cartwheeled through space as he fell, like he was skydiving. He looked absolutely freeunthinking and utterly irresponsible. â€Å"Fine,† I agreed. â€Å"Not the first time, anyway.† Now Jacob sighed. â€Å"Are we going to try out the bikes or not?† he demanded. â€Å"Okay, okay,† I said, tearing my eyes away from the last person waiting on the cliff. I put my seat belt back on and closed the door. The engine was still running, roaring as it idled. We started down the road again. â€Å"So who were those guysthe crazy ones?† I wondered. He made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat. â€Å"The La Push gang.† â€Å"You have a gang?† I asked. I realized that I sounded impressed. He laughed once at my reaction. â€Å"Not like that. I swear, they're like hall monitors gone bad. They don't start fights, they keep the peace.† He snorted. â€Å"There was this guy from up somewhere by the Makah rez, big guy too, scary-looking. Well, word got around that he was selling meth to kids, and Sam Uley and his disciples ran him off our land. They're all about our land, and tribe pride it's getting ridiculous. The worst part is that the council takes them seriously. Embry said that the council actually meets with Sam.† He shook his head, face full of resentment. â€Å"Embry also heard from Leah Clearwater that they call themselves ‘protectors' or something like that.† Jacob's hands were clenched into fists, as if he'd like to hit something. I'd never seen this side of him. I was surprised to hear Sam Uley's name. I didn't want it to bring back the images from my nightmare, so I made a quick observation to distract myself. â€Å"You don't like them very much.† â€Å"Does it show?† he asked sarcastically. â€Å"Well It doesn't sound like they're doing anything bad.† I tried to soothe him, to make him cheerful again. â€Å"Just sort of annoyingly goody-two-shoes for a gang.† â€Å"Yeah. Annoying is a good word. They're always showing offlike the cliff thing. They act like like, I don't know. Like tough guys. I was hanging out at the store with Embry and Quil once, last semester, and Sam came by with his followers, Jared and Paul. Quil said something, you know how he's got a big mouth, and it pissed Paul off. His eyes got all dark, and he sort of smiledno, he showed his teeth but he didn't smileand it was like he was so mad he was shaking or something. But Sam put his hand against Paul's chest and shook his head. Paul looked at him for a minute and calmed down. Honestly, it was like Sam was holding him backlike Paul was going to tear us up if Sam didn't stop him.† He groaned. â€Å"Like a bad western. You know, Sam's a pretty big guy, he's twenty. But Paul's just sixteen, too, shorter than me and not as beefy as Quil. I think any one of us could take him.† â€Å"Tough guys,† I agreed. I could see it in my head as he described it, and it reminded me of something a trio of tall, dark men standing very still and close together in my father's living room. The picture was sideways, because my head was lying against the couch while Dr. Gerandy and Charlie leaned over me Had that been Sam's gang? I spoke quickly again to divert myself from the bleak memories. â€Å"Isn't Sam a little too old for this kind of thing?† â€Å"Yeah. He was supposed to go to college, but he stayed. And no one gave him any crap about it, either. The whole council pitched a fit when my sister turned down a partial scholarship and got married. But, oh no, Sam Uley can do no wrong.† His face was set in unfamiliar lines of outrageoutrage and something else I didn't recognize at first. â€Å"It all sounds really annoying and strange. But I don't get why you're taking it so personally.† I peeked over at his face, hoping I hadn't offended him. He was suddenly calm, staring out the side window. â€Å"You just missed the turn,† he said in an even voice. I executed a very wide U-turn, nearly hitting a tree as my circle ran the truck halfway off the road. â€Å"Thanks for the heads-up,† I muttered as I started up the side road. â€Å"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention.† It was quiet for a brief minute. â€Å"You can stop anywhere along here,† he said softly. I pulled over and cut the engine. My ears rang in the silence that followed. We both got out, and Jacob headed around to the back to get the bikes. I tried to read his expression. Something more was bothering him. I'd hit a nerve. He smiled halfheartedly as he pushed the red bike to my side. â€Å"Happy late birthday. Are you ready for this?† â€Å"I think so.† The bike suddenly looked intimidating, frightening, as I realized I would soon be astride it. â€Å"We'll take it slow,† he promised. I gingerly leaned the motorcycle against the truck's fender while he went to get his. â€Å"Jake†I hesitated as he came back around the truck. â€Å"Yeah?† â€Å"What's really bothering you? About the Sam thing, I mean? Is there something else?† I watched his face. He grimaced, but he didn't seem angry. He looked at the dirt and kicked his shoe against the front tire of his bike again and again, like he was keeping time. He sighed. â€Å"It's just the way they treat me. It creeps me out.† The words started to rush out now. â€Å"You know, the council is supposed to be made up of equals, but if there was a leader, it would be my dad. I've never been able to figure out why people treat him the way they do. Why his opinion counts the most. It's got something to do with his father and his father's father. My great-grandpa, Ephraim Black, was sort of the last chief we had, and they still listen to Billy, maybe because of that. â€Å"But I'm just like everyone else. Nobody treats me special until now.† That caught me off guard. â€Å"Sam treats you special?† â€Å"Yeah,† he agreed, looking up at me with troubled eyes. â€Å"He looks at me like he's waiting for something like I'm going to join his stupid gang someday. He pays more attention to me than any of the other guys. I hate it.† â€Å"You don't have to join anything.† My voice was angry. This was really upsetting Jacob, and that infuriated me. Who did these â€Å"protectors† think they were? â€Å"Yeah.† His foot kept up its rhythm against the tire. â€Å"What?† I could tell there was more. He frowned, his eyebrows pulling up in a way that looked sad and worried rather than angry. â€Å"It's Embry. He's been avoiding me lately.† The thoughts didn't seem connected, but I wondered if I was to blame for the problems with his friend. â€Å"You've been hanging out with me a lot,† I reminded him, feeling selfish. I'd been monopolizing him. â€Å"No, that's not it. It's not just meit's Quil, too, and everyone. Embry missed a week of school, but he was never home when we tried to see him. And when he came back, he looked he looked freaked out. Terrified. Quil and I both tried to get him to tell us what was wrong, but he wouldn't talk to either one of us.† I stared at Jacob, biting my lip anxiouslyhe was really frightened. But he didn't look at me. He watched his own foot kicking the rubber as if it belonged to someone else. The tempo increased. â€Å"Then this week, out of nowhere, Embry's hanging out with Sam and the rest of them. He was out on the cliffs today.† His voice was low and tense. He finally looked at me. â€Å"Bella, they bugged him even more than they bother me. He didn't want anything to do with them. And now Embry's following Sam around like he's joined a cult. â€Å"And that's the way it was with Paul. Just exactly the same. He wasn't friends with Sam at all. Then he stopped coming to school for a few weeks, and, when he came back, suddenly Sam owned him. I don't know what it means. I can't figure it out, and I feel like I have to, because Embry's my friend and Sam's looking at me funny . . and† He trailed off. â€Å"Have you talked to Billy about this?† I asked. His horror was spreading to me. I had chills running on the back of my neck. Now there was anger on his face. â€Å"Yes,† he snorted. â€Å"That was helpful.† â€Å"What did he say?† Jacob's expression was sarcastic, and when he spoke, his voice mocked the deep tones of his father's voice. â€Å"It's nothing you need to worry about now, Jacob. In a few years, if you don't well, I'll explain later.† And then his voice was his own. â€Å"What am I supposed to get from that? Is he trying to say it's some stupid puberty, coming-of-age thing? This is something else. Something wrong.† He was biting his lower lip and clenching his hands. He looked like he was about to cry. I threw my arms around him instinctively, wrapping them around his waist and pressing my face against his chest. He was so big, I felt like I was a child hugging a grown-up. â€Å"Oh, Jake, it'll be okay!† I promised. â€Å"If it gets worse you can come live with me and Charlie. Don't be scared, we'll think of something!† He was frozen for a second, and then his long arms wrapped hesitantly around me. â€Å"Thanks, Bella.† His voice was huskier than usual. We stood like that for a moment, and it didn't upset me; in fact, I felt comforted by the contact. This didn't feel anything like the last time someone had embraced me this way. This was friendship. And Jacob was very warm. It was strange for me, being this closeemotionally rather than physically, though the physical was strange for me, tooto another human being. It wasn't my usual style. I didn't normally relate to people so easily, on such a basic level. Not human beings. â€Å"If this is how you're going to react, I'll freak out more often.† Jacob's voice was light, normal again, and his laughter rumbled against my ear. His fingers touched my hair, soft and tentative. Well, it was friendship for me. I pulled away quickly, laughing with him, but determined to put things back in perspective at once. â€Å"It's hard to believe I'm two years older than you,† I said, emphasizing the word older. â€Å"You make me feel like a dwarf.† Standing this close to him, I really had to crane my neck to see his face. â€Å"You're forgetting I'm in my forties, of course.† â€Å"Oh, that's right.† He patted my head. â€Å"You're like a little doll,† he teased. â€Å"A porcelain doll.† I rolled my eyes, taking another step away. â€Å"Let's not start with the albino cracks.† â€Å"Seriously, Bella, are you sure you're not?† He stretched his russet arm out next to mine. The difference wasn't flattering. â€Å"I've never seen anyone paler than you well, except for† He broke off, and I looked away, trying to not understand what he had been about to say. â€Å"So are we going to ride or what?† â€Å"Let's do it,† I agreed, more enthusiastic than I would have been half a minute ago. His unfinished sentence reminded me of why I was here.

Music in Renaissance Period

Introduction Renaissance, literally, meaner rebirth; it is an era that began in sass's and ended in 1600 and its school of thought dramatically shifted from religious and mystical ideals to a focus to human interactions. It is worthy and important to understand the changes from the transition of musical period, because they mark and shape the music industry that stands now. For instance, opera was in its infancy when Gigolo Canine (1551-1681) started writing the first opera and now operas can be found in all around the world and in different cultures.There are tremendous aspects to talk bout of the transition from Medieval to Renaissance period, however this essay will only limit itself on the changes in vocal composition, and the historical events that might lead to such changes. Four aspects will be mainly focused on – change in style of vocal composition, reasons of increased secular composition, invention of new text types and what the biggest motivation behind all changes . Change in style of vocal composition When talking about the liturgical music from medieval period, one can easily associate to plainchant or more specific Gregorian chant.Gregorian Chant usually ivies us a single and narrow ranged of sacred melody and is perceived as the voice of church in that period. Then, polyphony was evolved around twelfth century. Organza (earliest polyphony) involved of adding a faster melody on top of a plainchant. It is rather easy to identify medieval music from Renaissance music, since Renaissance music is relatively richer and fuller. The texture is mostly polyphonic; however could be also homophobic with successions of chords.The bass register was used for the first time, this allows an expansion of pitch range at the same time usually provides a strong and full accompanies when play with the higher voices. Renaissance choral music study: Jonquil's Eave Maria Polyphonic imitation is a technique that best represents the typical style of renaissance voc al composition. The idea is that a short melody is presented by one voice and the other voices imitate the same thing but with delays, thus is similar to an echo of the first melody.This technique of overlapping provides the sense of continuity; and also as all the melodic lines were conceived at the same time instead of being conceived line by line in the renaissance period, the harmonic effect is more ICC and pleasant to hear. One of a great example of polyphonic imitation is the four-voice motet by Joaquin Desired (144(:)-1521). Being one of the most important composers in the renaissance period, Joaquin pioneered the â€Å"pervasive imitation† (a. K. Polyphonic imitation) as a contrapuntal device. His influence to the Western musical history is well recognized because pervasive imitation has became the ancestor of modern fugue (later in Baroque period,J. S. Bach was also being inspired and wrote many famous fugue composition. ) Eave Maria†¦ Virgo serene (1502) is a w ork by Joaquin that may best illustrate the quinine of pervasion imitation. Eave Maria is a chapel that is choral music in the renaissance period that did not need instrumental accompaniment.Yet, some a chapel used instrument to duplicate the vocal lines in order to support and reinforce the singers if they find it hard to maintain on the right pitches. At the opening pervasion imitation is used, soprano sings the single phrase â€Å"Eave Maria† and each voice sings the same melody in succession. In addition to imitation in different voices, it also occurs between pairs of voices. For instance, soprano and LTO come into duet in the phrase â€Å"Eave, cuss conception', while the two lower voices imitate in succession.In the phrase Virgo serene†, all voices sing together creating a feeling to completeness to the first verse. Comparing to the chants in medieval period, the pervasion imitation technique that was used in renaissance period definitely introduce new elements to the style of vocal composition and have made the choral singing more challenging yet interesting to work with. Increase in secular composition The development of secular pieces flourished in the renaissance period. This might u to several reasons, including the Reformation against Catholic Church, and the rise of printing press.Catholic Church came to a crisis in the sixteenth century, because of the leaders' obvious abuse of power and money. In addition to more education opportunities, people were more aware of the false knowledge the church had given them. Martin Luther (1483-1546) was a scholar and musician; he realized the doctrine of the Catholic Church – wealthy sinners can buy their way to heaven was contradicting to what he saw in the New Testament letters of the apostle Paul (salvation can only be offered by the grace of God).Such indulgence of the Church provoked reformation from different people, including Martin Luther who later led to the born of Lutheran Chur ch and Henry the eighth from England. As the power of Catholic Church started to fall, people were more aware of the expression of individual's feelings and compositional styles. Other than playing sacred music that centered on God, more and more secular music started to evolve. At the same time, musicians were taken more serious at the first time. In the medieval period, troubadours who were among the first to have written secular songs, were treated as the lowest social class.However the fate of musicians had totally changed in renaissance period. The ideal of â€Å"universal man† had been promoted; it is believed that every educated person was to be trained in music. Musicians now had higher social status; they got paid better and were recognize their work. The invention of printing press also helped to increase the secular composition. Mass publication of music was resulted by the printing press, and now music could survive in volumes and became a common language that not only nobles and people in the court knew.More people were educated with music and were able to make their win, thus the amount of secular music increased. Exploration of more music text types During the renaissance period, the increase in secular music had opened doors to other text types including madrigal, ballet and other instrumental music. Madrigal usually refers to a piece for several solo voices set to a short poem, and is usually set in a chapel or solo voices with very light accompany. Since it was among the first to set story into music, madrigal was also identify as the ancestor of the modern opera.Many people have questioned the origin of opera, however it is lived that The Florentine Camera, a group of intellectuals who met in the home of Count Giovanni De' Bard to discuss trends of art and philosophy, were the ones who inspired the development of opera. The Camera thought that the music in those days were very corrupted, and the only way to save it is to root back to the style of ancient Greek. They also centered on the overuse of polyphony, since polyphony could only create confusion rather than the clarity in expressing â€Å"conception of one's soul†.Therefore, they encouraged â€Å"monody' that was a single melodic line with accompaniment, and also the ancestor of opera. Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) was the earliest composer who explored the technique tone painting in madrigal. Tone painting is the illustration of the meaning of specific words through musical symbolism. For instance, if there were a word â€Å"long† in the text, then the tone would be very long on that word. Another type of renaissance secular text type is ballet.Ballet is a danceable song for several solo voices; also following the ideal of the Camera ballet was mostly homophobic in texture with the melody in the highest voice. Before renaissance, instrumental music were Just accompaniment to vocal sounds. However, during the sixteenth century, more music w as specifically written for instruments. Besides organ, harpsichord and clavichord both evolved in the fifteenth century. There was also a more organized grouping for instrument in terms of their volumes. They were two groups, altar capable and bass capable meaning loud and soft ensembles.Altar capable that is the loud ensembles included shams, pipes and even percussion. While bass capable included harp, lute and other plucked string. The secret driving force There was a new ideal that was driving all those changes from medieval to incessant music – the Humanism. During the medieval period, music was often a way to seek for a more intimate relationship with God. Yet, the renaissance ideals shifted from â€Å"God-centric† to â€Å"human-centric†, the will and interactions of human were more emphasized.The loss of power of the Catholic Church was originated to the psychological change of Man. People's wills were no long being controlled by the authority, instead t hey were dare to question about the fidelity of the doctrine. The rise of secular music was another sign for the new renaissance ideal. Secular music brought entertainment to the incessant era; people could play secular music in weddings and on the street. This kind of entertainment was fulfilling to people in those times, and people were willing to engage to this activity that made them feel pleasant.Conclusion The transition of the music in medieval period to renaissance period was indeed very spectacular. The literal meaning of the word â€Å"renaissance† best illustrated the state of the music from medieval period – rebirth. The change in vocal composition might be the most obvious change of all. The expansion of range, enriched tone color and the use of new technique had brought music to another level; the music in incessant was more challenging but more interesting to play with.Due to the reformation of new churches, and the invention of printing, he amount of se cular composition being produced had also increased in this era. New music text types had also been explored; the most important of all – madrigal had promoted the growth of opera in later years, ballet and also instrumental music. Yet, among all those change in style of music, or the political adjustments, the most powerful driving force behind the changes was the philosophy of humanism that was floating in the air; the ideals of it had allowed people to emphasize more on â€Å"human-centered† aspects like free will and entertainments.

Media have transformed sport Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Media have transformed sport - Essay Example Now, with the help of media, live broadcasts have become very famous among people from all walks of life. Mass communication and mass media came into existence and became popular by the end of 19th century. Examples would be; print media, cigarette cards, cinema newsreel, radio and the latest television era. Then came the tabloid revolution, new men’s magazines, advertising and electronic media like satellites. In the era of print media, social commentators played an important role, new guides and sports magazines began to be published and ‘graphic revolution’ of 1961 as referred to as by Boorstin. Pulitzer established the first ‘sports department’ in New York Times in1883 (McChesney 1989: 53). Sports news has been dominated by national newspapers and has outsourced multi sports magazines (Horne, 1992). As for the cigarette cards; they were invented in France. Cinema brought movement and hence sporting action to the audience for the first time (Aldgate 1979: 17). In Britain, the first cinema performance held in public was in 1896, and there came into being around 4000-5,000 cinemas by 1914. Radio had its own advantages. It was a medium that provided listeners with immediacy. 1922 is the year when this happened in the UK and thus British Broadcasting Corporation was formed. After the formation of BBC in 1927, sport broadcasts became a well known element in the schedules (see Whannel 1992). Next development was in the form of the television; which was established in the 1930s but received more recognition in the 1950s to 1970s. By 1965, BBC had established Sportsview (1954), Grandstand (1958) and Match of the Day (1962) as regular programmes, ITV had launched World of Sport, and in the USA, ABC Sport had launched Wide World of Sport, with its subtitle "the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat", and adopted its slogan "up close and personal" (Powers 1984: 118-21). These developments transformed the nature of sport stardom. Stars and

Comparing Byzantine and Ottoman Empires Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Comparing Byzantine and Ottoman Empires - Essay Example Comparison between the Byzantine and Ottoman economies Ottoman economy Economic history of the Ottoman Empire can be traced back for the period 1299-1923. The first phase of the economic history is referred as the classic era, which is known for it vast enlargement. Much of the activities that highly contributed to this growth include agriculture. The second period is referred as the reformation era. Its main focus was on state organized reforms, which begun with administrative and political realignment. This was followed by military reforms and their associates. It is believed that the military reforms were viewed as the key source of wealth. On the other hand, agriculture was considered to be more important than manufacture and commerce. Although the Ottomans continued with the trajectory of territorial expansion, conserving their land and agriculture, as well as sticking to their traditional monopolies was prioritized. By 1800, the population started to grow. Population densities were higher in several areas of the European provinces than those in Anatolia. In 1700-1922, urbanization increased due to developments in railroads. At this period, there were improvements in health and sanitation. This is also the period that saw economic and political migrations, which are argued to have made great impact across the empire.1 Improvements in land and sea transport were also another factor that facilitated economic growth across the empire. However, the situation is argued to have been better in the 16th century than in the 18th century in terms of infrastructure development. Nevertheless, in the 19th century, the empire experienced enormous economic growth mainly due to increased agricultural production. However, after a short period, the situation started to deteriorate due to scarcity of labor. In addition, although the land was rich, there was a problem with large scale farming due to lack of capital. In fact, majority of the people earned their living from sma ll scale farming. This led to low levels of taxes for the empire.2 Byzantime economy In the whole of Mediterranean, Byzantime economy was the most stunning for many centuries. Constantinople was the major center in for trading. However, trading network extended to other areas almost reaching Eurasia and North Africa.3 Until to the arrival of Arabs in the 17th century, the empire is argued to have been the most powerful economy across the world. In the 12th century, the empire was filled with luxury life, something that led to many visitors being impressed by the lifestyle. Comparison between the Byzantine and Ottoman religions Ottoman religion Between 14th and 19th centuries, the Ottoman Empire was tolerant towards Christians and Jews. The Ottoman religion formulated policies that sort out religious problems. It recognized the concept of clergy and its entire link with religion institution.4 In the past, Christian missionaries were seen to work together with colonialists. At the sam e time, Islam was not controlled in spreading at different areas under controlled by Ottoman Sultan. In fact, voluntary conversion to Islam was endorsed by the Ottoman authorities. In addition, there were no special rules regarding Christians that converted to Muslims. The empire had also the Muslim courts and non muslin courts. Byzantine religion Byzantine Empire is also referred to as Roman

The Canterbury Television (CTV) Building Incident-Case Analysis Assignment

The Canterbury Television (CTV) Building Incident-Case Analysis - Assignment Example One such earthquake occurred on 22nd February 2011 in New Zealand causing 184 deaths with property worth billions of dollars being destroyed. This happened when an earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale hit Christchurch. The fact that only the Canterbury Television (CTV) Building collapsed following the earthquake have raised a lot of questions regarding the design and construction of the building. Investigations have since shown that the collapse occurred due to poor design and construction, several parties drawing blame for the collapse of the building. Several role players have been blamed for the collapse of CTV building which has affected several stakeholders. Many of the role players in the building double up as stakeholders. The main role players in the building include David Harding, Alun Wilke Associates, Alan Reay Consultants Ltd., Alan Reay, Gerald Schirtcliff, Bill Jones, David Coatsworth, CCC, and different inspectors. Other stakeholders include tenants, the build ing owner, shareholders of the company that owned CTV building, staff members working for CTV building tenants, and members of public. It is worth noting that some of the management issues that emerge from the CTV building event are corruption, favoritism and lack of professionalism. It is recommended that all role players and stakeholders in the construction industry should take their work/roles seriously to avoid similar incidences. Table of Contents Table of Contents 3 Introduction 4 The Key Role-Players and Stakeholders 5 Management and organizational factors associated with the incident

Globalization and Internation Financial Crisis Essay

Globalization and Internation Financial Crisis - Essay Example This consolidation of global relationships is at the level of  individuals,  companies,  institutions  and countries (Campenhout and Cassimon, 2012).  The main causes of the process of globalization are the  technical progress in the communications and transportation sections, as well as, the  political  decisions on  liberalization  of  world trade. The study of International Finance is of particular significance in today’s globalized financial marketplace. International finance is a branch of  international economics and focuses on the monetary side of the international  economy. The subject matter of international finance is useful for students of economics, finance and business studies.  Ã‚  It is theorized that increasing globalization has played a role in creation of a wave of international financial crises in contemporary times (Schmukler and Vesperoni, 2006). The paper critically evaluates the supposition of globalization’s role in in ternational financial crisis and assesses the question whether international financial stability is feasible in an increasingly globalised economy. In addition, the paper critically appraises international financial crisis and ensuing policy responses to maximize economic and welfare consequences.   Discussion The degree of change brought about by the globalization of financial systems has been termed as financial globalization  by several researchers. Globalization of financial systems leads to the creation of a regional market integration of external financing.  According to Mishkin (2009), the financial aspect of  globalization  has three dimensions: geographical aspect of financial globalization refers to mobility of capital from one country to another, functional aspect of globalization relates to  capital markets which are compartmentalized through shifts in money markets and  stock markets. Obadan (2006) mentions that under the influence of financial globalizati on, global financial institutions are created, as well, like the  IMF, World Bank  and the European Community. Globalization’s effect on international financial markets also includes deregulation, abolition of  exchange controls  and restrictions on capital movements. Globalization also encourages financial innovation, disintermediation and direct access operators to funding without going through  intermediaries (Cline, 2010). The impacts of globalization on the financial systems are dealt under heads: Market Development Financial globalization has facilitated the financing of companies and that the  balance of payments. This has eliminated barriers to capital flows and has given an unprecedented boost to  financial markets worldwide (Rose, Prasad and Terrones, 2009). Today financial information is processed and disseminated around the  world, which leads to increased speculations in the financial markets and a high  volatility  of  capital round the glo be.  This provides a flow of investment opportunities based on  economic factors (Mishkin, 2009). These effects are sometimes seen as uncontrollable by the regional banking system  and the  international fina

Environmetal policy and Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Environmetal policy and Law - Essay Example It must not be situated within an aquifer, a public water supply (any closer than 1,000 feet), within a one hundred year flood plain, underground mines, within channels, ravines, or steep topography that has unstable slope, and within woody draws. Also to be taken consideration is the fact that the designated area must not be near any habitats for endangered or threatened species of plant, fish, or wildlife (North Dakota Department of Health, 2006). 5. A leachate pond will be established so as to collect the liquid that will be produced by the wastes. This structure is essential in collecting chemicals that may possibly contaminate the water table. 7. Landfill cells will be established as the need arises or as gradually as possible, to avoid any waste material hazards that may arise out of the certain cell. A cell is established by excavating and lining the area with clay and plastic liners. It is only at this point where waste materials can be disposed in the area. Meanwhile, landfill cells could also be established by carefully removing the top soil and subsoil for final reclamation purposes. Windbreaks or tree planting establishment could also be utilised so as to prevent any prevailing wind destructions that may hamper operations. Remediation measures will be done if it has been deemed necessary based from constant monitoring, assessment, and evaluation of landfill activities. Before dumping the waste materials in the landfill area, there is a need to properly segregate materials that are suitable and not suitable for waste disposal (Division of Environmental Management, 1996). Suitable materials for disposal includes: demolition wastes, asphalt and rubble, wood, bricks, concrete, uncontaminated soil, rocks, excavated materials, green wastes, tree stumps, fencing materials, and other uncontaminated biodegradable materials. On the other

DISCUSS HOW YOU HAVE PROVIDED PERSON-CENTRED CARE FOR A SERVICE USER, Essay

DISCUSS HOW YOU HAVE PROVIDED PERSON-CENTRED CARE FOR A SERVICE USER, INCORPORATING PROFESSIONAL, LEGAL OR ETHICAL ISSUES UNDERP - Essay Example For the best functionality, service providers are expected to be experienced in handling patients on an individual level. In the case of dementia we take into account their needs to be attended to for basic activities like bathing. As clinicians we deal with patients as unique in their demands and study them each time for new features which are not in the other service users and that may call for special attention. We ought to seek their consent to whatever activities we undertake for them. For purposes of ethics for example we need to ensure that our services users not only receive those services but that they are comfortable with them. When addressing the woman in this case we ensure that she likes her food and that she is comfortable taking it. She is given her bath at a nurse’s discretion and under the best hygienic facilities available. Her medication is administered to her accordingly. We make sure that she is attended to by the nurse she seems to feel most comfortable w ith. This we do by studying her facial expressions and the comments she mumbles to the best of our ability. We try to interpret that when addressing her needs. When necessary, service providers avail themselves at the homes of their patients to tend them there. This happens especially where the patient is not comfortable at the clinical facility and prefers to stay at home. Some service users for example require home care by clinical staff. They may demand more time in order to keep them well balanced emotionally and to avoid loneliness(Brown, McCormack, B., 2005). In the case of dementia and any other psychological treatment process are more involving than in cases of physical treatment. A psychological patient requires attention most of the time and may take longer to heal as compared to physically ailing patient. This is because psychological treatment involves the clinicians own psychological self so that their jobs become more stressful. Treating the physically frail persons on ly involves their physical dimensions and is thus less stressful. It is evident that we at the facility should thereforeoffer close watch on our patient from the condition of her health. Since she does not have relatives, the woman requires close company to ensure that she feels as secure as possible. Her condition is complicated further by her faith that she complies to. In the event that her faith collides with medical practices, we should respect her opinion and ensure she is treated in accordance with the codes that follow for persons under dementia. It is legally wrong to let her suffer lack of treatment for the sake of belief and the facility may be allowed to make reasonable decisions that are useful for her health. This implies as an ethical and legal fact since her condition does not dictate rational decision making. We should exercise empathy by taking the position of the patient. We should inquire from themselves what they would do in the event that they were in the patie nt’s situation. They use such methods to find solutions and give the best services to patients. We should lean on the patients’ side to treat them with dignity and respect. Staff should have a positive attitude in handling patients for efficiency. They should reflect responsiveness and care in order to build stronger

4 Points of Winning Essay Example for Free

4 Points of Winning Essay Let’s start with â€Å"First is prayer.†Nothing is as strong as correct prayer. This is faith of â€Å"no prayer will go unanswered.† This is the Mystic Law of â€Å"no strategy can match the strategy of the Lotus Sutra.† In any struggle, everything begins with prayer. And it is vital to always continue praying. We have to pray right through any difficulty we encounter. The Mystic Law is the fundamental principle of the universe. The prayers of a person who chants, practices and struggles for the Mystic Law, which is of such supreme importance, will be perfectly in synch with the fundamental rhythm of the universe. Accordingly, no prayer by such a person will go unanswered. The benevolent deities, the Buddhas and bodhisattvas will all extend their protection without fail. See more: Sleep Deprivation Problem Solution Speech Essay The important thing is prayer for kosen-rufu. In other words, it is prayer based on a vow for the protection and the powerful flourishing of the Soka Gakkai that is advancing kosen-rufu. It is prayer with the spirit â€Å"Buddhism is victory or defeat† to show actual proof of the greatness of the Mystic Law in our life. The prayers of a votary of the Lotus Sutra will be answered without fail. No matter what might happen, a person of powerful prayer will be able to change poison into medicine. Such a person has absolutely nothing to fear. Just how immense is the power of daimoku? It is the ultimate power to move the universe. The rhythm of daimoku resounds throughout the universe while activating the Buddha nature in our life. Those who sonorously chant daimoku change the life of one friend after another and cause their communities, society and the world to move toward peace and prosperity, while causing their own life force to abundantly well forth. What is the secret to causing an organization to develop? It is the determination of the central figure. It is to always live out one’s life together with the Soka Gakkai based on the spirit of mentor and disciple. Also, earnestness and action are very important. An organization in which the leaders pray and take action with all their might will thrive. By contrast, an organization whose central figure is arrogant toward those within and never ventures outside will not develop. We need to take the initiative in meeting with others. We need to build new friendships. We have to proudly tell people about the greatness of the Soka Gakkai and the wonder of mentor and disciple. It is this that will open a new age. When the central figure really fights hard and leads a fulfilling life each day, this vitality will be transmitted to others, and everyone will become happy. An organization ultimately depends on the central figure. I would like to reiterate this point. Of course, someone who understands being â€Å"earnest† to mean always wearing a fierce expression will only drive people away. While stoking a fighting spirit in our heart, when meeting friends we should put on a bright smile and offer warm encouragement. At any rate, faith is â€Å"action for becoming happy.† The life of Buddhism always exists within action. The second of the four principles for absolute victory is action. Without action, Buddhism could not exist. To what extent has one taken action for kosen-rufu? This is the true expression of one’s faith. It’s not a matter of organizational position or standing. It could be said that the strength or weakness of a person’s faith directly manifests in their actions. Those who take action for kosen-rufu are most noble. Leaders absolutely must never forget the importance of such individuals. I only believe in action. Rather, I cannot believe anything except action. Why is the world of Buddhism beautiful, profound and strong? It is because it contains the supreme unity of â€Å"many in body, one in mind.† Unity of â€Å"many in body, one in mind† is the third of the four principles for absolute victory. It could be said that such unity is truly the secret to achieving kosen-rufu. An organization possessing unity of â€Å"many in body, one in mind† is sure to develop. By contrast, an organization of â€Å"one in body, many in mind† or â€Å"many in body, many in mind† is sure to decline. The statement, â€Å"If the spirit of many in body but one in mind prevails among the people, they will achieve all their goals† (WND-1, 618), is a great principle that must never be forgotten. It is eternal guideline. It is certainly no exaggeration to say that our victory or defeat will depend entirely on whether we can construct an organization of with unity of â€Å"many in body, one in mind.† Kosen-rufu is a battle against devilish forces. Even a great castle will be taken by enemies if it has an area that is unguarded or that is weak. If there are people of â€Å"many in body, many in mind† within the castle, then devils will be able to cause disruptions in the castle that much more easily. In unity of â€Å"many in body, one in mind,† there is no such thing as one person being above or below another. It is not a matter of our being â€Å"one in body.† We’re â€Å"different in body.† While treasuring the individuality and unique characteristics of each person, we need to equally pool our energies with a spirit of â€Å"one in mind.† There is a vital point for strengthening unity of â€Å"many in body, one in mind.† Namely: activities whereby â€Å"persons inside the castle destroy the castle from within† cannot be allowed. We have to steadfastly battle people of â€Å"many in body, many in mind,† who are parasites in the lion’s bowels, and completely remove the roots of this devilish tendency. President Toda strictly decreed: â€Å"If a leader forgets kosen-rufu and tries to create a personal clique out of concern for personal fame and fortune, then the other leaders must unite in firmly driving away such a selfish and egoistic person.† This harmonious unity of the Soka Gakkai, which President Toda declared to be more important than his own life, must be protected for all eternity. I would like to assert that this is the pulse of kosen-rufu. What is the most essential thing for advancing in unity of â€Å"many in body, one in mind†? It is to live out one’s life in unity with the mentor. Oneness of mentor and disciple is the imperative that people who are â€Å"different in body† become â€Å"one in mind.† This is the fourth of the four principles for absolute victory. Unity of â€Å"many in body, one in mind† can only be solidified by each person forming a deep resolve to unite in spirit with the mentor and advance kosen-rufu. It is precisely in such unity that the beneficial power of the Mystic Law becomes clearly manifest. Oneness of mentor and disciple is foundation that determines our attainment of Buddhahood. The great path of perpetuating kosen-rufu lies precisely in advancing in unity with the mentor. That’s because without the pillar of mentor and disciple, we will be readily carried away by our emotions, and swept along by the conditions of the times. Without mentor and disciple, we would be easily defeated when confronted by devils. It is now 50 years since President Toda passed away. I am confident that as President Toda’s disciple I have been able to establish a model of the path of a disciple, the path of a successor, and the path of oneness that will shine free of any blemish for ten thousand years.

Business Plan of Dohuk City

Business Plan of Dohuk City Vaheen Hayder Othman Introduction and Background Dohuk governorate is known as mountain resort destination. It has ancient archaeological sites during all four seasons Dohuk has beautiful views which made it to be one of the best tourism sector of Kurdistan. The city is the point of joint between three parts of Kurdistan (Syria- Turkey- Iraq) therefore it has a strategic location (About Duhok Governorate, 2014). This governorate is considered as one of the most significant and important governorates especially in historical and geographical sides. According to (Shingaly, 2013) because of some points like (the rapid pace of urbanization, moving from other cities to Duhok and the increasing migration from rural to urban areas) economic and social problems of population are increased. It needs commercial projects within the city with a clear plan scheme. The random distribution for commercial uses was due to the lack of a clear plan. Several issues rose from changing the Duhok master plan of land use from residential use to commercial . This affected traffic congestions change of the urban pattern and townscape, less contract of shopping and malls. This essay will address strategic action plan plans for developing the economy of the city of Dohuk with adequate developmental programs for the city. Local economic development makes it easy for Counterpart staff and partners to engage in the process of local economic development planning. This will help stakeholder to find common issues and develop a strategy that will fit key market opportunities. Also to identify quick-win projects to generate jobs opportunities, increase local competitiveness and attract more stakeholders to buy-in (Economic Development Economic Development Government of Yukon, 2014).according to (Ministry of Planning, Kurdistan Region, 2014) There are several factors that has affect or prevents the economic development. The first factor is lack of information and transparency. Dohuk’s directorates and main offices must dedicate itself to serve people in a clear way. To achieve this, the ministries should follow data and regulations. It will help local business owners and international investors to make informed decisions that will make economy grow if they have international standards of transparency and accountability. The second issue is inefficient banking system. Any country or city that wants to be successful in business and gain economic development needs a modern banking system. The banking system must be connected to world class financial institutions and build trustful relation with investors and business men/women. The third factor is educational system, which is a very important factor that needs to be taken seriously. Educational system must meet the demands of market economy. It needs to produce the skills and abilities that could help develop economy. Some certain sectors should be given more attention; in addition of English and Arabic language there should be trainings within these sectors to gain more responsive to the market and local development needs. The last factor is not having a good infrastructure. KRG should upgrade basic infrastructure and invest in it as they are one of the important factors to help economic development. The purpose of this economic development plan is to give a better quality of life to the citizens of Dohuk city and attract more people to invest in new businesses. Creating more jobs and developing existing businesses. Mission statement: Dohuk city’s mission is to provide and strengthen the demands of economic market. As the population of the city grows it needs business creation and reducing the rate of unemployment by creating new jobs. Attract foreign companies to invest in the city’s development and retain the companies within the city. Also getting support from KRG to help develop the economy of the city is a major point. If the city can achieve businesses to invest in residential, commercial, industrial and institutional projects, the citizens will be able to enjoy a wide range of various outdoor activities. The mission is to make the city the most desirable place to live in in the region. The mission is to gain economic and social benefits (Tutor2u.net, 2014). Such as improving living standards it can cause capita income rise and reduce in poverty. The accelerator effect of growth on capital investment, rising demand and output encourages investment in capital – this helps to sustain GDP ( Tutor2u.net, 2014). Making the city richer also to have more resources available to spend on public and serving people including environmental benefits. Most important is the Benefits from growth driven by technological change (Tutor2u.net, 2014). Goal Statement: Dohuk city is encircled by mountains along the Tigris River. It has a growing tourist industry because of it beautiful weather and view though out the four seasons. The goal is to make Dohuk the main mountain resort destination. This will help economy development of the city, as well as financial and none financial support can be important point of this development. The other goals Dohuk city should achieve are, good quality of life for the citizen, better income, increasing the GDP, job creations, increasing investment. Economic Condition of Dohuk City and Recommendations for Economic Development: Urban: According to (Mop.krg.org, 2014) the urban population of the Kurdistan Region accounts for 79% of the total population. 41% referees to the three main cities Erbil, Dohuk Sulaymaniyah. But the idea here is that rural structure is suffering from low growth rates mainly in Dohuk and Sulaymaniyah. The population of Dohuk is around 280,40017 inhabitants. They occupies 67.2 square km. The city’s expansion to the west is fast and it is close to connect with the district of Sumel. Dohuk has the capacity to accommodate population growth beyond 2020 because of its vacant land. The plan is to develop the city until 2032. (Mop.krg.org, 2014) suggested these points for economic development of Dohuk city â€Å"†¢ A phasing plan for urban development based on realistic growth projections. †¢ An infrastructure assessment of the existing built up areas to identify gaps in service provision and potential infill capacities. †¢ Two priority investment projects: the urban upgrading of the informal Gejabara area and the urban rehabilitation of the Dohuk city center† Proposed Investment in Regional and Urban Development Planning 2013-2020 Tourism Sector: Tourism is considered as of the fastest and biggest growing industries in the world. It is an attractive option for emerging markets. Dohuk city is still in the process of developing in tourism sector. it needs to resolve the existing problems such as infrastructure and site restoration as well as protection. This can make tourism to be contributor to the economy of the city. It is important to facilitate access for people, for visitors and for trade including roads, airport, rail, waterways. these high quality transportation is considered as significant support for tourism development. Dohuk has many ancient and beautiful archeological sites and artifacts which attract many visitors, historical treasures are found in these governorate including (caves, ruins and other antique yet to be found). Let’s not forget that this city is surrounded with mountains and its variation of weather, wealthy of water makes it the land of agriculture and tourism. Factors that has negative impacts on Dohuk city’s tourism development: Unsuitable roads, electric power, solid waste disposal and telecommunications. Inappropriate facilities for tourists , including accommodations, food service, rest and relaxation settings, tourist information centers, and restrooms that meet tourists’ standards. Problems of land ownership Lack of tourism education including trainings, workshops and tour guides. Security issues, which might not let just anyone from other parts of Iraq to visit the city. Recommendations and plans to develop tourism industry, (Business, 2014) suggests these point to be focused on. Set up adventure tourism program, with skilled and certified peoples in this area, especially in adventure in mountains, rivers and camping. Transportation services, high quality of services for tourists destinations Travel agencies, as they are the first stop for everything involved with tourists they must be up to standers. Accommodations. These include hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, hostels, rental houses, condos and any other place tourists may stay while travelling Guided tours and tour guides. A guided tour service or professional tour guide is a tourism business that specializes in providing informative and entertaining tours through an areas local attractions (Business, 2014). Hospitality. Marketing tourism business using social networking sites. Set up accounts/pages on free social networking sites, Advertise in print mediums this will help the market tourism of the city. It is also needed for the Dohuk city to have a proper business plan for any sector of tourism, Explains purpose of the business, name, location, personnel needs, tourism business management staff, market sector, competition, marketing plan and financial projections (Business, 2014). Agriculture: agriculture in Dohuk has been affected by poor government policies, conflict, international sanctions and not having technological and educational advances. There are different kind of tenures in this area. The first one is privet ownership, second is land leased by the governmentand the third one is herniated land. This makes the number of owner unmanageable. According to (Mop.krg.org, 2014) factors that have negative influence on agriculture are as following lack of good banking, financial services, and insurance industries unsuitable infrastructure Issues of land tenure Absence of food, safety, and health standards Lack agricultural education, training, and extension Lack of governmental transparency and administrative consistency Public Distribution System (food basket) Bloated bureaucracy Recommendation and Solutions: For land, infrastructure and resources, priority should be given to rational policy allowing for private ownership of agricultural lands. Resolving the issue of ownership fragmentation through legislation. Having a law for those lands should be legally restricted for agricultural use only and also to improve water development policy. Creating employable skills and improving infrastructure, should be undertaken. The city must give attention to improved education and training leading to longer-term private sector employment. Make regular visits or workshop for those who work in agriculture and develop their skills. Formal partnership should be forged between the university schools of agriculture and the Ministry of Agriculture to increase the knowledge and skills of extension personnel. Rural/Urban Migration to rebuild and develop the rural villages. Make their economic condition better. Providing them with necessary infrastructure such as hospitals and schools. Do what is necessary to facilitate return to the villages and farming. (Economics-exposed.com, 2014) suggests there are some stages where all countries should go through for growth. Traditional society, The Pre-conditions for take-off, The Take-off, The Drive to technological maturity and the Age of High Mass Consumption (Economics-exposed.com, 2014). Technology play important role in developing agriculture for those under developed countries to develop. Role of Unemployment and Job creation in economic development of Dohuk City: Rate of unemployment in Dohuk is high because creating business is a demand side theory for the growth of economy. Creating new business have advantages such as exporting goods and bringing money to the community, using available resources as an input in the production process, and community’s originality remains as its. Enterprise development is another beneficial factor for growth because it will provide jobs for citizens, layoff manufacturing workers, welfare to work requirements, and brings new technology to the market. It called second wave strategy of economic development. According (Koven Lyons, 2010) Job creation development tools are considered as following Financing assistance, this refers to the capital for making new business and there are several ways of growth capital such as, small business administration loan programs. Another financial assistance is venture and angel capital are two types of financial assistance venture capitalist is puts together funds of venture which is a large pool of capital that rich people invested, from pension funds, insurance companies, and other organization. Angel capitalist is smaller capital injection than venture capitalist, and it demand a smaller equity share of each business. Nonfinancial assistance to the enterprises. Such as, small business development center, business information center, women’s business center. Business creation which is a development strategy for the economy of a country is also criticized in terms of quality of life and environmental concerns, social cost and redistribution of wealth. For Dohuk city to lower the rate of unemployment, the city must attract new business and facilitate for international companies to open their branch in the city, Encouraging people to make innovation and new ideas, Supporting people with new ideas with financial and nonfinancial issues. This will give chance for more business and less employment as a result. The above sectors are few of many sectors in Dohuk city that helps to develop the economy of the city. By focusing on major points and major boundaries that prevents economic development, resolving these issues and applying the law and policies will make growth of the economy of the city. References Business, H. (2014). How to Develop a Tourism Business. wikiHow. Retrieved 5 May 2014, from http://www.wikihow.com/Develop-a-Tourism-Business Economics-exposed.com,. (2014). Role Of Agriculture In Economic Development | Economics Exposed. Retrieved 5 May 2014, from http://economics-exposed.com/role-of-agriculture-in-economic-development/ Mop.krg.org,. (2014). Ministry of Planning, Kurdistan Region. Retrieved 4 May 2014, from http://www.mop.krg.org/ Mop.krg.org,. (2014). Ministry of Planning, Kurdistan Region. Retrieved 5 May 2014, from http://www.mop.krg.org/index.jsp?sid=1id=275pid=109 Business, H. (2014). How to Develop a Tourism Business. wikiHow. Retrieved 5 May 2014, from http://www.wikihow.com/Develop-a-Tourism-Business Economics-exposed.com,. (2014). Role Of Agriculture In Economic Development | Economics Exposed. Retrieved 5 May 2014, from http://economics-exposed.com/role-of-agriculture-in-economic-development/ Mop.krg.org,. (2014). Ministry of Planning, Kurdistan Region. Retrieved 4 May 2014, from http://www.mop.krg.org/ Mop.krg.org,. (2014). Ministry of Planning, Kurdistan Region. Retrieved 5 May 2014, from http://www.mop.krg.org/index.jsp?sid=1id=275pid=109 Koven, S. Lyons, T. (2010) Economic Development: Strategies for state and local practices. ICMA press: Washington, D.C.

Accounting Ratio Analysis for Finances

Accounting Ratio Analysis for Finances Ratio analysis is a useful tool for analyzing financial statements. Calculating ratios will aid in understanding the companys strategy and in understanding its strengths and weaknesses relative to other companies and over time. They can sometimes be useful in identifying earnings management and in understanding the effect of accounting choices on the firms reported profitability and growth. Finally, the ratios help in obtaining a better understanding of a firms current profitability, growth, and risk which can improve forecasts of future profitability and growth and estimates of the cost of capital. In reviewing the basic financial ratios, we will examine the ratios of Best Buy for the fiscal years ended March 2, 2002 and March 3, 2001. Excerpts from Best Buys financial statements are included at the end of this document. Best Buy is a growing company. The following table reflects the growth in sales and income during the year ended March 2, 2002: Reference: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/4290867/calculating-ratios A number of accounting ratios are used to measure different aspects of performance. Many of these are derived from a single ratio known as the return on capitol employed. Any business would want high return on their capitol as this is the return on of investments made. But also they want the return to be as high as possible against their competitors. If we look at the results of Marks and Spencer over the five years the ROCE fell from 24.88% to just 14.44% thats a fall of 10.44% however. Compare that to the ROCE of next which was 65.54 in 2005 and it stayed around until 2008 when it went upto 84.73 however in 2009 that figure come down to just 40.10 in 2009 despite the big fall Next look like they are outperforming marks and spencer on the return of the capital invested All businesses want to get as high profit as possible marks and spencers gross profit margin over the period of five years it has been stable if will look at between 2006 and 2008 the gross profit margin stayed around 38% that figure saw a fall of just under 1% in 2009 however marks and spencer is doing better than Next as the gross profit margin of next is lower that ms and comparing over the five years they continue to experience a fall in gross profit margin but between 2007 (27.77) and 2008 (28.51) they experienced an increase of just under 1% in 2009 that did not improve because it started to fall again lower than 2008 The net profit margin of ms was looking was looking good up until 2009 as in 2008 it was 12.51 up from 9.38 in 2005 so it was good period however in 2009 that figure was 7.79 lower than the net profit margin of 2005. more worryingly for ms next is outperforming them over the five years not only are they getting high net profit margin but also it is stable at around 14% between 2005 and 2008 Sales per employee The asset turnover is how well the firm is putting its assets to work. The ratio indicates that the asset turnover of Next is better that MS if we compared between 2005 and 2008 however ms look like they gained ground in 2009 when their asset turnover was 3.41 up from 1.74 in 2008 compared this to next in 2008 Nexts asset turnover was 5.66 this was higher than ms 2008 asset turnover but in 2009 next that figure fell down to just 3.06 and this lower than ms if we compared the same year. The stock turnover of ms has been experiencing downward trend in the past five years the 2005 stock turnover was 23.38 but continouos fall in the next four years meant ms stock was turning over 16.91 however the decrease in stock turnover ms will be encouraged that their competitor next is doing worst than them as their stock turnover was just 10.27 Debtors turnover and debtors collection period This ratio indicates the speed with which debtors/accounts recievable are being collected, thus it is indicative of efficiency of trade management. The higher the ratio and shorter collection period the better the trade credit management and the better is the liquidity of the debtors and visa versa. we can see that the control of credit operating by MS is far better than Next. The debtors turnover being 108.53 and the debtor collection period being approximately 3 days compare to 5.77 for the debtors turnover and 63 days for the debtor collection period for Next. Businesses usually operate on a 30, 60 or 90 days policy in terms of debt of payment. Creditor collection period This ratio reflects the time it takes the company to pay its suppliers. Thus, the longer you can hold off payment the longer you have cash on disposal. We can see that the creditors collection period is low (roughly 14 days) compare to next (approximately 22 days) to pay their debts. So marks and spencer might want to look in to ways of improving relationship with suppliers so that they have enough time to pay them. Current ratio The current ratio is the ratio of total current assets to total current liabilities. The current assets of a firm represents those which can be in the ordinary business, converted in to cash within short period of time. Marks and spencer current ratio decreased in the past five years from 0.65 in 2005 to 0.60 in 2009 and the company is below the national average which is 1.8:1, next is doing better than ms even though they are also still below national average with a current ratio of 1.54:1 in 2009 but that is far from national average like ms. Acid test this ratio specifies whether your current assets that could be quickly converted into cash are sufficient to cover current liabilities. Until recently, a Current Ratio of 2:1 was considered standard. A firm that had additional sufficient quick assets available to creditors was believed to be in sound financial condition. Again just like the current ratio both companies are operating below the national average. MS acid test did not show much improvement over the past five years if we compare it to next in the same period 2005 of the both companies was 0.39:1 for MS and 0.82:1 for next however if we look the difference between the two companies ms is 0.37:1 lower than 2005 but next is improving slightly with acid test of 1.09:1 in 2009. Gearing ratio The gearing ratio reflects the amount of finance raised from the banks in relation to the total capital employed. If the gearing ratio is around 40% it is unlikely that a bank would make any further loans. We can see that both companies are far above the 40% and therefore even though they have good reputations it may cause some problems when obtaining loan. This really needs to be looked at and MS must be concerned about this. However, very large company generally operate above this rate. Reference: http://www.scribd.com/doc/19208907/Financial-Analysis-of-IDEA Part 3 UK is passing through a strong economic downturn and overall spending by the consumers is consistently decreasing. The economic growth of UK over the last three years is slowly and consistently declining[1]with forecasts for negative growth in 2009 and some recovery in 2010. These trends also indicate that almost every sector of the economy will be affected with the slow down in the consumer spending due to credit crunch. It is critical to note that there is a marked difference between the corporate social responsibility of the firm as well as improving the overall corporate image of the firm. Linking corporate social responsibility with the improvement of corporate image therefore is something which most of the companies attempt to achieve. (Moir, 2001). At the moment it looks like ms has escaped from criticism like child labour

A Comparison of the Weavers of Peace in Beowulf and Grendel :: comparison compare contrast essays

The Weavers of Peace in Beowulf and Grendel Queen Wealhtheow and Queen Hygd served as excellent role models for the courts in which they served. They exemplified the mannerisms and etiquette of the noble people. Queen Wealhtheow showed excellent poise from the very beginning of both texts. She was admirable as she passed the mead bowl around Heorot. The offering of the bowl was symbolic, being that the bowl was first given to Hrothgar and then passed to Beowulf, as if she presented him with her trust. Beowulf gave Wealhtheow his guarantee that he would be successful or die in battle. After she presented Hrothgar and Beowulf with the mead bowl she served the Scyldings, and did so as if they were her own people. She was not a Scylding, nor did she desire to be one, but she never made her unhappiness known, as described in Grendel. There is not great detail on Queen Hygd in Grendel, but from what the reader can gather from Beowulf, she is as much of a female role model as Queen Wealhtheow. She was young but very intelligent. In f act King Hygelac felt intimidated by Hygd’s intelligence. In both texts, Beowulf and Grendel, the main purpose of the Queens are to serve the courts as "weavers of peace.† In Grendel, however, Queen Wealththeow is described in much greater detail and serves a further purpose. The reader gains insight to a part Grendel that is not present in Beowulf, his desire for a human. For even though in Beowulf and Grendel, the main purpose of the queens is to serve the courts as â€Å"weavers of peace,† the queens also serve other purposes as role models, preservers of their kingdoms, emotional beings, mother figures and objects of beauty and lust. It was not unusual for women to be offered as tokens of peace within the noble courts. In the novel Grendel, Wealhtheow's brother, King of the Helmings, bestowed her to King Hrothgar to promote peace amongst the Helmings and Scyldings. "She had given, her life for those she loved. So would any simpering, eyelash batting female in her court, given the proper setup, the minimal conditions"(Grendel 102). It is ironic how she promoted peace from her arrival because she was an essential part in keeping peace, as the "weaver of peace" in both texts. Queen Wealhtheow however is not the only woman in the texts that was forsaken to encourage appeasement among feuding courts.

International Trade :: essays research papers

International Trade International trade or world trade affects the entire American economy. The early industrial years of American the economy was based entirely on the exporting goods to other countries, and these exports created the revenue need to sustain the country. America would export more products than it needed this created a surplus in the GDP. This began to change in the 1930’s when the trade began to change and the country began to import more products. This downward trend led the GDP its lowest point in history. In today’s world trade market America’s import percentage is somewhere in the mid-60%. The balance of trade in America today is running in a deficit. The U.S. government has created trade agreements the various countries that allow free trade between these countries. This means there are no tariffs, fees or taxes applied toward the good being imported or exported between the countries in the agreement. These countries include Mexico and Canada that create the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and Israel. These agreements are not limited to free trade, but other countries such as Jamaica, that need assistance in order to grow economically American has lessened the amount of tariffs need to import good into America. International trade provides resources that the U.S. does not produce enough of to sustain the country. One of the major imports needed in the U.S. today is oil. This is one of the reasons America has a free trade agreement with Israel. This allows oil to be imported without tariffs. Other products such as cars imported from Japan create import taxes that the government spends on the U.S. economy. Additionally, the U.S. has imposed restrictions on foreign countries to reduce the flood of goods into the market place. These items include textiles imported from countries that produce these items a much cheaper cost.

Business Insight_LGT

Vim's Innovative Services & Solutions can help LEG-Telecoms get out of his poison and attain second position In the future or gain bigger market share. 2. Client Name: LEG Telecoms LEG Telecoms Co. Ltd. Provides mobile telecommunications products and services primarily in Korea. The company offers wireless Internet service, ex-l, which provides a range of content, email, character/melody downloads, games, stock trading/banking, entertainment, shopping/reservations, and traffic information/location-based service.Further, the company provides mobile telecommunication network technology, including network design, setup, optimization, and operation, as well as consulting for data services related to WAP-based wireless Internet service infrastructure setup, JAVA/JOINS-enabled handset solutions, and multimedia application technology. As of September 30, 2004, It had 6 million subscribers. LEG Telecoms was founded In 1996 and is headquartered in Seoul The smallest of Koreans three mobile ca rriers is the beneficiary of a government policy to support smaller operators.A unit of LEG Group, the country's second-largest conglomerate, LEG Telecoms increased its customers by 26% in 2004, when the overspent introduced number portability, which allows subscribers to keep their phone number when changing service providers. LEG, the weakest of the three local mobile players, is the only one upgraded to G networks on Just last year. To make up for the disadvantage, It's forging alliances with banks and brokerage houses to offer mobile financial services.LEG uses Its partnership with banks to expand Its retail presence: It sells phones and signs up new subscribers at 2,800 bank branches in addition to its 580 storefronts. It sold well 3. The Industry There are three mobile service companies in Korea market. SKY Telecoms is top reformer, gaining over 50% market share in this matured market. And the rev. Size is also outstanding. On the one hand, LEG Telecoms is 3rd position in busi ness volume and market share as well. Figure 1: Business Performance in 2006 But notable things are that Net-income of LEG Telecoms is far bigger than KIT and specially growth rate of rev. As best performer in last year. And also market share was slightly increased. So I expect very though competition for 2nd position between two companies will be sustained for a while. Figure 2: By mobile phone subscribers Source: Never Financial Reports Figure 3: Hot competition for industry players . Comparative Analysis Marketing Analysis: Market Segmentation Three telecoms companies have made Korea huge market for mobile services during several years with advanced services. The service providers have already enjoyed selling mobile services for the last several years.But they're faced with the limitation of growth in local market because almost people already are subscribers of mobile service now. So they compete with others for having the customers of competitors change their current service pr ovider. However, 36 mobile service which was introduced from a couple of years ago will be a big and important chance for their equines growth. Some people already are using 36 mobile service and more people will change our mobile service from current 26 to 36 in the near future. And at this point, many people will consider about changing their service provider according to price condition and service quality.Bigger mobile carriers SKY Telecoms and KIT embarked on 36 services midway through the year before last and expanded their and SKY Telecoms has drawn half a million over the past year but LEG Telecoms has jumped onto the bandwagon of 36 mobile services on June last year. So LEG telecoms has some risk for this business as late player. On the other hand, the biggest player, SKY Telecoms is focusing on oversea expansion of their business now and they already made good business results from china and several Asia countries. But the rest two players don't seem to have enough readine ss for oversea business.So LEG telecoms have to focus on attacking local 36 mobile market with value added service and competitive price. And that will be the most important factor for gaining 2nd position For this, they need to adopt advanced infra such as IP voicing and cost effective IT infra as well. Financial Analysis: Table 1: Key Profitability Ratios Source: Never Financial Reports (PEPS:won,) Figure 5 : ROAR Trend LEG Telecoms profitability factors, especially last two year's ROAR shows better performance than competitor KIT and sound growth rate but the gap to SST is still shown. So LEG Telecoms should make an effort for better ROAR.Better ROAR can help them in making continuous price competitiveness for G mobile service. For better For better ROAR, They should focus on cost reduction through current IT infra optimization and etc. And also cost-effective investment will be very important on NW infra improvement which is necessary for successful G mobile service business. 5. Sales Proposal: The IBM solutions To secure competitive service price through cost reduction and better service quality through NW infra improvement will be the most important factors for success of G solution for it. Network development and Management solution 1 .ONION/ANA C.V. -IBM Network infrastructure / Application Optimization Consulting – Strategy : Present efficient way for improvement and To-be model of current NW Infra through detail and accurate end to end analysis by IBM NW consultants. – Benefit : Customer can know the priority of investment for NW infra improvement and Through that, they will be able to purchase NW equipment and implementation revive with cost-effective. 2. Network Transformation service for IP network development – That can help to transform your network to a converged, IP-based network while supporting your unique business strategies.These solutions can help you enhance control over key components of your network operations, and help secure your network infrastructure and simplify customer, partner and supplier interactions for better G service quality Cost reduction solution 1. Information Lifestyle management for Infra Optimization – Strategy : Telecoms companies have huge data and data size will grow more rapidly with contents for G bile service in near the future. So one of the largest portion of IT infra budget would be storage related cost. So one of the most efficient way for cost reduction will be storage optimization through data rationalization. Benefit : IBM service has a plenty experience and well-defined methodology and various SW and HAW for ELM consulting and implementation. We can cover unstructured data like image, voice and data base as well. I'm sure Storage Infra TCO of LEG Telecoms will be reduced sharply through tiered storage based archiving or remove of old and unused data. Also optimization of DB size will help for better performance of application so LEG- Telecoms won't nee d to buy a lot of high-end servers like now. That is also cost reduction factor. 6.Prospects for the Client LEG Telecoms is still the smallest player among three major players in mobile service market. But they has shown good result with sound business growth and met their objective during last several years with their creative market strategy. But for gaining bigger market-share and 2nd position, they need to prepare more attractive service price and good quality service, especially, that will be more important under new G market. Effort for cost reduction and, aggressive but cost-effective invest for NW infra improvement will be able to make his position better. . Conclusion and Making Changes to the Sales Approach solution on the basis of IT market analysis and CIO interview. And also business plan and deal closing strategy has been focused on customer's IT strategy. But through this class, I could improve financial analysis skill and learn about approach based on analysis of cus tomer's overall business pain point. The theoretical methodology for company analysis through case-study will be very helpful for our business activities even if that's short lecture.