Who were the anasazi Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Who were the anasazi - Essay Example The Anasazi lived in masonry villages that hosted sacred places where they offered sacrifices to their gods. Indeed, this cultural group had many gods. The masonry villages occupied the edges of Chaco Canyons. Apparently, access to the masonry villages was via rock climbing or by a rope. The Anasazi were farmers where they planted beans and other cereals in the dry land where corn was the stable food. They stored water in ditches that enabled them to survive during the dry seasons. Additionally, they were hunters and gatherers who sought to safeguard their families from drought-related effects. However, very little information about the Anasazi culture is available since archeologists can only find indirect evidence regarding Anasazi’s life. Indeed, archaeologists argue about various aspects of the Anasazi culture. For example, nobody can explain why the Anasazi deserted the Four Corners. Nevertheless, archaeologists agree that the Anasazi left many dwelling sites especially c liff

Environmental factors affecting McDonalds management functions

Environmental factors affecting McDonalds management functions Executive Summary This analytical study aims to investigate and analyse the various environmental factors that can affect the working of McDonald’s Corporation and provide strategic recommendations for the enhancement of its organisational effectiveness, profitability and competitive advantage. The operations of the firm, especially the globalised nature of its working and its extensive geographical reach, make it subject to various environmental influences. The writer has accordingly shortlisted 12 important environmental factors, namely Customers, Products and Services, Competitors, Employees, Technology, Political Factors, Economy, Environmental Factors, Culture and Religion, Globalisation, Legal Issues and Shareholders and analysed them in detail. The writer has thereafter made use of the TOWS framework to provide several strategic recommendations for the enhancement of the firm’s productivity, profitability and competitive advantage. The main recommendations pertain to the utilisation of organisational resources for expansion of the nutritional value of the firm’s products, the creation products for elder age groups and the expansion of the customer base of the organisation. It is recommended that the organisational management of the firm should specifically focus upon removing prevailing perceptions about the nutritious value of the firm’s products and thus remove important customer associated apprehensions to future growth. Table of Contents S. No Contents Page Executive Summary 2 1. Introduction 4 2. Product Line 4 3. Environmental Analysis 6 3.1. Customers 7 3.2. Products and Services 7 3.3. Competitors 7 3.4. Employees 8 3.5. Technology 8 3.6. Political Factors 9 3.7. Economy 9 3.8. Environmental Factors 10 3.9. Culture and Religion 10 3.10. Globalisation 10 3.11. Legal Issues 11 3.12. Shareholders 11 4. Strategic Analysis and Recommendations 11 4.1. SO Strategies 12 4.2. WO Strategies 12 4.3. ST Strategies 12 4.4. WT Strategies 13 5. Conclusions 13 References 14 1. Introduction This analytical study aims to investigate and analyse the diverse environmental factors that impact the management and marketing functions of McDonald’s Corporation and thereafter provide strategic recommendations for the future. McDonald’s Corporation, founded in 1940 as a barbeque restaurant, has grown over the years to become the largest global chain of fast food restaurants (McDonald’s Corporation, 2014, n.p. The organisation has operations in 119 countries, approximately 440,000 employees and more than 36,000 retail outlets (McDonald’s Corporation, 2014, n.p.). McDonald’s is one of the world’s most successful business corporations and its operations have been studied in detail by various researchers (McDonald’s Corporation, 2014, .p.: Kennedy, 2014). The organisation has become a symbol for American business enterprise and corporate globalisation (McDonald’s Corporation, 2014, n.p.: Kennedy, 2014, n.p.). The comparative price of a McDonald’s burger has been used to compare the purchasing power of different countries (McDonald’s Corporation, 2014, n.p.). The firm owns approximately 15% of its outlets and operates them directly, the balance being operated by others through diverse franchising and joint venture organisations (McDonald’s Corporation, 2014, n.p.). The corporation operates in extremely challenging environmental conditions, characterised by intense competition from several large global food retailing firms and differing environmental conditions in its various markets (McGrath, 2013, n.p.). The firm has faced criticism from various groups of activists for its products and HR strategies (McGrath, 2013, n.p.). The next section of this structured analytical study provides details about the organisation’s products; this is followed by sections on environmental analysis and strategic analysis and recommendations. The study ends with a summative conclusion. 2. Product Line McDonald’s is known to be a hamburger fast food restaurant, which also sells soft drinks and a variety of sides (McDonald’s Corporation, 2014, n.p.). The organisation has however over the years developed a wide range of food products that can be categorised into six segments: Burgers and Sandwiches Drinks Snacks and Sides Desserts and Shakes Salads Breakfast (McDonald’s Corporation, 2014, n.p.) The following table provides the details of its products and product mix for the US market. Table 1: Details of McDonald’s Products and Product Mix Product Segments Details Product Segments Details Burgers and Sandwiches Angus Snacks and Sides Wraps Big Mac Apple Slices Quarter Pounder Fruit Hamburger Fries Cheeseburger Desserts and Shakes Ice Cream Crispy Chicken Sundaes Grilled Chicken Mcflurry Fish Shakes Mcribs Cookies Drinks and Beverages Milk Pies Water Salads Side Salad Juice Premium Salad Coffee Breakfast McMuffins Ice Tea McGriddles Coke Products Biscuits Cinnamon Melts Bagels Burritos (McDonald’s Corporation, 2014, n.p.) McDonald’s has also recently introduced Its McCafe range of coffees, chocolate drinks and smoothies (McDonald’s Corporation, 2014, n.p.). The firm also provides meal bundles like favourites under 400 (calories) Dollar menus, Extra Value Meals, Happy Meals and Mighty Kids Meals (McDonald’s Corporation, 2014, n.p.). The corporation is attempting to broad-base its food products to cater to diverse types of customer food needs (McGrath, 2013, n.p.). 3. Environmental Analysis McDonald’s has to operate in an extremely complex environment on account of the internationalisation of its operations and the intense competition it faces from diverse firms in the fast food business. The business environment of an organisation has several internal and external environmental factors that can influence and impact its working and shape its organisational strategies and policies. McDonald’s environment contains various elements, the more important of which are depicted in the following chart. Each of these factors is taken up for detailed analysis below. 3.1. Customers McDonald’s has retail operations in 119 countries and serves the needs of millions of customers (McDonald’s Corporation, 2014). Whilst researchers have tried to segment McDonald’s customer base in various ways, the organisation primarily caters to the needs of children, young people, parents, and business customers (McDonald’s Corporation, 2008). Each of these customer segments has specific needs and the organisation has to fulfil them as much as possible (McDonald’s Corporation, 2008, p 2). Children, for example love to visit McDonald’s because it is a fun place and McDonald’s responds to their needs with various toys, special facilities for birthday parties and other fun things for children (McDonald’s Corporation, 2008, p 3). It aims to provide nutritious meals for parents with children and has affordable menus for teenagers (McDonald’s Corporation, 2008, p 4). Business customers are provided with quick and affordable meals that fit in with their working schedules (McDonald’s Corporation, 2008, p 3). The organisation is constantly focusing upon the enhancement of customer satisfaction (McDonald’s Corporation, 2014 n.p.). 3.2. Products and Services McDonald’s provides a range of food products to its customers in clean, well designed and attractively laid out retailing environments (Frenchman, 2014 n.p.). The organisation aims to provide customers with a range of tasty and nutritious food, delivered swiftly and at affordable prices (McDonald’s, 2008, p 4). The organisation’s products and services constitute its strongest attraction for customers and the organisation very obviously has to ensure that they meet customer needs and continue to delight them (Frenchman, 2014 n.p.). 3.3. Competitors McDonald’s has several competitors, each of which is constantly seeking a greater share of the market (Raphel, 2014 n.p.). It is important to recognise that the organisation faces competition from various large organisations, like for example Burger King, Wendy’s, KFC and Subway and also numerous small fish and chip and fried chicken establishments (Raphel, 2014 n.p.). It also faces competition from strong firms like Starbucks, Taco Bell, Dunkin Donuts, Pizza Hut and Domino’s Pizza (Raphel, 2014 n.p.). Each of these competitors is constantly working on its quality of food and service, as well as on diverse other options and strategies to attract customers (Jargon, 2014b, n.p.). It is important to appreciate that competition for McDonald’s has increased significantly in the past two decades, which in turn has resulted in the slowing of the organisation’s growth and some reduction in its market share (Jargon, 2014b, n.p.). The nature and intensity of the competition faced by the organisation very clearly shapes its organisational strategies. 3.4. Employees McDonald’s is overly reliant upon its employees for both the preparation of its food and for the quality of its customer service (Lovewell-Tuck, 2013 n.p.). Restaurant workers form the largest group in the company’s employment structure (Lovewell-Tuck, 2013 n.p.). Each McDonald’s restaurant has average workforce strength of 50 employees; many of these employees join at the entry level and as part-time workers (McDonald’s, 2008, p 3). McDonald’s has been subjected to substantial criticism in the past for its low wages, as well as for the high turnover of its restaurant employees, who comprise teenagers, transitional workers, students and working mothers (Lovewell-Tuck, 2013 n.p.). The effective deployment and marshalling of its employees constitutes one of its most important organisational objectives (Lovewell-Tuck, 2013 n.p.). The organisation provides vocational training to all of its employees as well as the opportunity for securing promotions to higher positions, including executive positions in the organisational hierarchy (Lovewell-Tuck, 2013 n.p.). McDonald’s has constantly worked upon its HR management strategies and attempts to motivate its staff with diverse rewards and incentives (McDonald’s, 2008, p 3). All employees in the top 10% of McDonald’s restaurants receive bonuses on the basis of mystery shopper scores. The organisation also rewards its outstanding employees with awards and trophies at Gala functions. Neal Blackshire, a senior official at McDonald’s, states that the organisation recognises employee behaviours, ensures that recognition and reward are right for the workforce and understands what employees wish and value (Lovewell-Tuck, 2013 n.p.). 3.5. Technology Technological advancements are affecting every aspect of the social and business environment and McDonald’s takes care to ensure appropriate use of technology for achievement of organisational objectives and competitive advantage (Baldwin, 2013 n.p.). It works on technology constantly to enhance the optimisation of its operations (Baldwin, 2013 n.p.). The preparation of a big Mac,for example,now takes 60 seconds and is processed in three stages, including packaging (Baldwin, 2013 n.p.). The organisation is making use of several types of technology for storage of food, regulation of temperature, preparation of food, control of supply chain and financial management and reporting (IncisiveMedia, 2004, n.p). McDonald’s is linking different responsibility centres through appropriate communication systems in order to enhance optimisation of efficiency and productivity (IncisiveMedia, 2004, n.p ). 3.6. Political Factors McDonald’s operates in several countries, many of which have different political systems (Han, 2008, p 73). It thus has to cater to various types of political pressures in order to ensure the meeting of its objectives (Han, 2008, p 73). Various governments are currently attempting to increase their control over the fast food sector on account of health associated issues; some of them are restricting the issuances of licences to franchisees (Han, 2008, p 74). Local political pressure has also been applied on the firm from time to time for its perceived role in the dilution of local culture (Han, 2008, p 75). The corporation thus has to constantly anticipate the political environments of the different locations in which it works and take appropriate proactive or reactive action. 3.7. Economy The general economic environment plays an important role in shaping the organisation’s business strategies and policies (Thompson, 2002, p 36). The economic climate can affect discretionary incomes, customer footsteps, market brand, availability of labour and the prices and availability of materials (Gasparo, 2012, n.p; Gould, 2012, p 608). The organisational management of McDonald’s, both local and central has to thus constantly work towards anticipating and overcoming diverse types of economic challenges (Gasparo, 2012, n.p; Gould, 2012, p 608). It is important to however appreciate that the demand for affordable food products is by and large inelastic and stays high, regardless of the health of the economy (Gasparo, 2012, n.p; Gould, 2012, p 608). McDonald’s makes use of this benefit by ensuring that people can come to its outlets when they wish and purchase affordable meals for themselves and their families (Gasparo, 2012, n.p). The organisation has shown remarkable resilience during the recent recession and has protected its profit margin by balancing its low priced menus with premium products (Gasparo, 2012, n.p; Gould, 2012, p 608). 3.8. Environmental Factors McDonald’s, as the largest food retailing chain in the world, has to deal with several types of environmental factors (McDonald’s Corporation, 2014, n.p; McDonald’s Corporation, 2010, n.p.). The firm makes significant use of beef, packaging materials, napkins, carry bags, oil, water and power. Its operations also result in generation of substantial amounts of solid waste (McDonald’s Corporation, 2014, n.p; McDonald’s Corporation, 2010, n.p.). The firm has over the years worked towards the enhancement of operational sustainability and improving the ecological soundness of its operations (McDonald’s Corporation, 2014, n.p). It has tied up with the Environmental Defence Fund (EDF) to ease the company’s environmental burden (McDonald’s Corporation, 2014,n.p; McDonald’s Corporation, 2010, n.p.). It has introduced policies for enhancing the recycled content of its packaging material and for reducing the use of polystyrene (McDonald’s Corporation, 2014,n.p). It has developed a rain forest policy and adopted beef purchasing practices that do not lead to deforestation (McDonald’s Corporation, 2014,n.p;). 3.9. Culture and Religion McDonald’s has to necessarily work in diverse countries with different cultural and religious environments. It has taken the lead in offering customers taste and appearance variations in accordance with the demands of local cultures and religious customs (Cheek, 2014,n.p). It followed up its entry into India, where Hindus do not eat beef and Muslims do not eat pork, by introducing vegetable McNuggets and a Maharaja Mac with lamb meat (Cheek, 2014,n.p.). It has furthermore obtained certification for Halaal food for Islamic countries like Pakistan, Malaysia and Morocco and has advertised it on its menus (Cheek, 2014,n.p.). The firm’s menu in Morocco offers dates, milk and cookies during the holy month of Ramadan (Cheek, 2014,n.p.). The organisation has taken care to ensure the standardised structure of its menu, even though it has provided for several local variations (McDonald’s Corporation, 2014,n.p.). 3.10. Globalisation Economic and cultural globalisation essentially involves the economic and cultural intermingling of different cultures (Salisbury, 2014,n.p.). McDonald’s, as an eminent food retailing organisation, is a leader of globalisation and has spread the American food culture across the world (Salisbury, 2014,n.p.). It has, whilst doing so, had to take account of various social, cultural and global issues and respond to them with sensitivity, cultural sensibility, economic foresight and wisdom (Salisbury, 2014, n.p). The adoption of such carefully thought out approaches have helped it to overcome strong resistance in various areas of the world and establish successful operations (Salisbury, 2014, n.p). 3.11. Legal Issues McDonald’s has over the years been challenged by various legal issues in different countries. Its success has led many businesses to copy its name and logo and the firm has responded by taking legal action in several trademark associated cases (Petersen, 2014, n.p). The organisation has also been involved in several litigations involving its employees and worker rights (ABC News, 2007, n.p). Some of these cases have gone against the organisation, leading to penalties and fines (ABC News, 2007, n.p). One customer was awarded several million dollars after suffering from third degree burns because of spilling a hot cup of McDonald’s coffee on herself (Petersen, 2014, n.p). The corporation very clearly has to pay great attention to the legal aspects of its operations (Petersen, 2014, n.p). 3.12. Shareholders Shareholders comprise one of the most important stakeholders of the firm. McDonald’s has rewarded its shareholders well over the years in terms of market appreciation and dividends (Jargon, 2014a, n.p). The firm plans to increase its payout to shareholders by 10 to 20% over the next three years, even when it is under pressure to enhance sales performance (Jargon, 2014a, n.p). 4. Strategic Analysis and Recommendations This section entails the conduct of a strategic analysis and the provisioning of appropriate recommendations. A TOWS analysis involves the analysis of organisational strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats and the subsequent utilisation of strengths and minimisation of weaknesses for the exploitation of opportunities and countering of threats. 4.1. SO Strategies SO strategies entail the utilisation of strengths for exploitation of opportunities (Henry, 2008, p 42). McDonald’s is a global brand with a strong global presence (Lesser et al., 442). It has economies of scale, a strong real estate portfolio, branded menu items and one of the world’s most recognised logos (Research and Markets, 2013, n.p.). It also paradoxically has high employee turnover, a customer base that mainly comprises children and young people and is yet to develop a reputation for healthy and nutritious food (Research and Markets, 2013, n.p.). The firm should thus very clearly use its resources for expanding its customer base and for enhancing the nutritious value of its products (Lesser et al., 442). It should focus on developing a range of food products that are targeted at elderly people who are likely to have health conditions associated with blood pressure, blood sugar and the heart (Lesser et al., 443). The development of products for this customer segment will help McDonald’s in opening up a completely new customer segment and in the development of truly healthy products (Lesser et al., 443). 4.2. WO Strategies McDonald’s has numerous opportunities for enhancing its organisational effectiveness, success and competitive advantage (Research and Markets, 2013, n.p.). The growing population of the world, along with changing lifestyles and improving economies provides the organisation with significant opportunities for greater growth (Jurevicius, 2013, n.p.). It can reduce the weaknesses in areas of nutrition to target customers across its different segments (Jurevicius, 2013, n.p.). McDonald’s does have some salads on its menu, which offer health eating options to customers. The organisation however continues to be perceived as a purveyor of high calorie products that can lead to obesity and other health problems (Lesser et al., 445). It can take several more steps, like the introduction of hummus and tahini paste, feta cheese, and olive oil in its product range (Research and Markets, 2013, n.p.). Such efforts will certainly help the organisation in attracting more customers and enhancing sales. 4.3. ST Strategies ST strategies involve the utilisation of strengths for the reduction of threats (Williamson et al., 2003, p 109). McDonald’s currently faces threats on account of the continuance of economic difficulties, foreign currency fluctuations, intensifying competition, nutrition associated issues of its products and perceptions about the unhealthy attributes of its food(Lesser et al., 445). The firm can use its organisational strengths to enhance its supply chain management and improve its operating margins (Jurevicius, 2013, n.p.). It can engage in significant and focused advertising and outreach campaigns to focus upon its commitment to various customer segments (Jurevicius, 2013, n.p.). 4.4. WT Strategies WT strategies involve the reduction of weaknesses for the avoidance of threats (Thompson, 2002, p 32). The firm can engage in specific advertising to reiterate its commitment to health, fitness and sports (Lesser et al., 445). The sponsorship of sports programmes across schools, college and universities can assist the firm in enhancing th

Classical Theory Structure Essay -- essays research papers

Classical Theory Structure Introduction By way of illustration, in this document we will describe and explain the classical structural theory as presented by Max Weber. To highlight the advantages and disadvantages of this classical structure as used in a realistic modern organization we will apply this theroy as used today in our public police department. Classical Structural Theory In the classical structural theory a person is hired for their technical expertise rather than on the recommendation of a connection from within the company. Generally these people are more inclined to work in very well-defined process oriented positions. Employees are given titles in which the authority to perform specific duties are vested. Outside of the defined position the employee has little or no authority. Lines of authority and positions are clearly defined by formally established rules and regulations that help to ensure uniformity of operations, and provide for continuity of business as well as making responsibility easy to place. In his 10 points Weber implied that procedures imposed on all who fall within their reach are formal and impersonal (Pace & Faules, 1994, p. 30-31). In addition to these procedures, It is suggested that an attitude of discipline is an integral part of the organization that wants to promote efficiency (Pace & Faules, 1994, chapter 3). They are intentionally designed without attention to personal or emotional considerations to prevent distortion o...

Mock meeting

IMO or other proper name which is convenience for you to pronounce. I am the only one son at mine family , mine father was a businessman and mine mother was a housewife. I have pass mine primary school at S. R. J. K. C AND secondary school in S. M. K Amelia. Basically, I quite active during mine secondary school , for example , I have represent mine school as a badminton player at MRS. Amelia and I also represent mine school in the BBS competition, and I get second on that particular competition as well.As a result , I get a very good comment from mine secondary school as well. As you information which I have mention in mine resume, I am a fresh graduate from MUM Amelia with the course Bachelor of Business Administration Honor Marketing Management last year. During the internship , I have learn more Clearly about marketing which we can't learn on the textbook . I have a real experience on that during mine internship at . Overall I have several strengthen and weakness which I would l ike to addressed (a,b)(a,b). Whatever I am a fresh graduate but I have some working experience which is I have been work as promoter for White COFFEE for SuperFor around a year during mine weekend holiday. ‘ have been award winning customer satisfaction and interpersonal skills during mine part time work . You can refer at the resume which have submitted as well . Furthermore , I could speak fluently in Hookier , Japanese and Korean . 1 am can speak well In Bases Malaysia , English and Chinese as well . Moreover , I am able to using the basic computer operating system Microsoft Office and Window 7 , even Window 8. Now, I also taking night course for UBS control system at Sinai College . Just Like what the phrases mention , study never stop or effecting by any of the factor .

The Golden Lily Chapter 12

WHEN I SHOWED UP for my dinner date, Brayden was sitting at a booth with a laptop. â€Å"I got here early,† he explained. â€Å"Figured I should get in some work. Did you get yours done?† â€Å"I did, actually. I was researching self-defense classes. You won't believe what I found.† I sat down on his side of the booth so that I could use his laptop. Like usual, he smelled like coffee. I'd never get tired of that, I decided. I directed him to a website I'd found just before coming here. The site looked like one I could have made about ten years ago and had a lot of over-the-top animated images on it. Wolfe School of Defense – Malachi Wolfe, instructor. â€Å"Really?† Brayden asked. â€Å"Malachi Wolfe?† â€Å"He can't help his name,† I said. â€Å"And look – he's actually got a number of awards and commendations.† Some of the awards were even recent. Most were from at least a few years ago. â€Å"Here's the best part.† I clicked on a link entitled â€Å"Upcoming Classes.† Malachi Wolfe had a pretty busy schedule, but there was one promising part. He was holding a four-week class, starting tomorrow, that met once a week. â€Å"This isn't exactly the kind of instructor I'd had in mind,† I admitted, â€Å"but it starts right away.† â€Å"Not a very long course,† added Brayden. â€Å"But it'd give you a good intro. Why the interest?† An image of the alley flashed back into my mind, the figures in the dark and the helpless feeling as I was shoved against the wall. My breath started to catch, and I had to remind myself that I was no longer in the alley. I was in a well-lit restaurant, with a boy who liked me. I was safe. â€Å"Just, uh, something I feel it's important for a woman to learn,† I said. â€Å"Although†¦ it's open to men and women both.† â€Å"Trying to sign me up?† At first I thought he was being serious, but when I looked up, he was smiling. I grinned. â€Å"If you want. I was thinking of – my brother. He wants to do this too.† â€Å"Probably best if I don't. Although, I was going to take martial arts as a college elective.† Brayden shut off his laptop, and I moved back over to the other side of the booth. â€Å"Anyway, you've got a pretty tight-knit family. Not sure if I should force myself into that.† â€Å"Probably a smart idea,† I agreed, thinking that he didn't know the half of it. Dinner was good, as was our subsequent conversation about thermodynamics. Despite the compelling topic, however, I found my mind was wandering a lot. I had to keep tuning back into what Brayden was saying. The attack and Adrian's offhand comment about vampire hunters had given me a lot to think about. Still, we stayed at the restaurant for a long time. So much so that when we left, I saw it was completely dark. I wasn't parked that far away – and not even in a remote spot – but suddenly, the anticipation of a walk alone in the dark made me freeze up. Brayden was saying something about seeing me at the dance and then noticed my reaction. â€Å"What's wrong?† he asked. â€Å"I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I stared off down the street. Two blocks. That's how close my car was. There were people out. And yet, I was choking up. â€Å"Would you walk me to my car?† â€Å"Sure,† he said. He didn't even think twice about it, but I was mortified the entire way. As I'd told Eddie and Adrian, I didn't usually need help from others. Needing it for something like this was especially humiliating. Rose wouldn't need an escort, I thought. Even Angeline wouldn't. She'd probably beat up a few pedestrians on the way, just to stay in practice. â€Å"Here we are,† said Brayden, once we reached Latte. I wondered if he thought less of me for needing an escort. â€Å"Thanks. I'll see you Saturday?† He nodded. â€Å"You sure you want to meet there? I can pick you up.† â€Å"I know. And I wouldn't mind going in your car. No offense, Latte.† I gave the car's side a comforting pat. â€Å"But I'll have to drive my brother and sister. Easier this way.† â€Å"Okay,† he said. The smile he gave me was almost shy, contrasting with his earlier confidence in academic topics. â€Å"Can't wait to see your costume. I got mine from a theatrical company. Not an ideal reproduction of Athenian garb, of course, but the best I could find.† I'd nearly forgotten that I'd left my costume in the hands of Lia. Brayden wasn't the only one interested in seeing what I'd be wearing. â€Å"Looking forward to it,† I said. After a few moments, I wondered why he wasn't leaving. He still wore that shyness and uncertainty, as though he were trying to work up the nerve to say something. Only, as it turned out, speaking wasn't what he wanted to do. With a great show of courage, he stepped forward and kissed me. It was nice, though once again a little underwhelming. From the look on Brayden's face, however, he might have been sent to new heights. Why didn't I have the same reaction? Maybe I'd done something wrong after all. Or maybe I was deficient? â€Å"See you Saturday,† he said. I made a mental note to add kissing to my list of research topics. I got back to Amberwood and texted Adrian as I was walking into my dorm. There's a defense class that starts tomorrow night. $75. Despite his interest last night, I was a little skeptical of whether he'd snapped out of his depression enough to be up for something like this. I wasn't even sure if he was going to his art classes anymore. A minute later, I got his answer: I'll be there. This was followed by another text: Can u spot me the cash? Jill was walking into the dorm, just as I was, both of us barely getting in before curfew. She didn't even notice me and instead looked troubled and pensive. â€Å"Hey,† I called. â€Å"Jill?† She stopped halfway through the lobby and blinked in surprise upon seeing me. â€Å"Oh, hey. Were you out with your boyfriend?† I winced. â€Å"Not sure I'd call him that yet.† â€Å"How many times have you gone out?† â€Å"Four.† â€Å"He's taking you to the dance?† â€Å"I'm meeting him there.† She shrugged. â€Å"Sounds like a boyfriend to me.† â€Å"Sounds like you're quoting something from Kristin and Julia's dating guidebook.† That brought a fleeting smile, but it didn't last. â€Å"I think it's just common sense.† I studied her, still trying to get a feel for her mood. â€Å"Are you okay? You looked like something was bothering you. Is it†¦ is it Adrian? Is he still upset?† For a moment, I was actually more worried about Adrian than her. â€Å"No,† she said. â€Å"I mean, well, yes. But he's a little better. He's excited about learning selfdefense with you.† The bond would never cease to amaze me. I'd only communicated with Adrian a minute ago. â€Å"‘Excited?'† I asked. That seemed like an astonishingly strong reaction. â€Å"It's a distraction. And a distraction's the best thing for him in these moods,† she explained. â€Å"He is still upset, though. He's still depressed over his dad.† â€Å"I shouldn't have taken him to San Diego,† I murmured, more to myself than her. â€Å"If I'd refused, he wouldn't have been able to get there.† Jill looked skeptical. â€Å"I don't know. I think he would've found a way, with or without you. What happened between them was going to happen eventually.† She sounded remarkably wise. â€Å"I just feel terrible seeing Adrian like this,† I said. â€Å"These moods come and go for him. Always have.† Jill got a faraway look in her eyes. â€Å"He's laid off the drinking a little bit – for my sake. But then that just opens him up for†¦ well, it's hard to explain. You know how spirit drives people insane? When he's down like this and sober, it makes him more vulnerable.† â€Å"Are you saying Adrian's going crazy?† That was not a complication I was ready for. â€Å"No, not exactly.† She pursed her lips as she thought. â€Å"He just gets a little scattered†¦ weird. You'll know it when you see it. He kind of makes sense but kind of not. Gets dreamy and rambles. But not in the way I do. It's got like a – I don't know – mystical feel. But it's not actually magical. It's just him kind of†¦ losing it temporarily. It never lasts and, like I said, you'll know it when you see it.† â€Å"I think I might have†¦Ã¢â‚¬  An unexpected memory flashed back to me, of just before Sonya and Dimitri had arrived. I'd been at Adrian's, and he'd looked at me strangely, like he was just noticing me for the first time. Thinking about it still sent chills through me. My God, Sage. Your eyes. How have I never noticed them? The color†¦ like molten gold. I could paint those†¦ â€Å"Girls?† Mrs. Weathers was at her desk, shutting things down for the night. â€Å"You need to get to your rooms.† We nodded obediently and moved toward the stairs. When we reached Jill's floor, I stopped her before she could leave. â€Å"Hey – if Adrian's not the problem, then what was bothering you when you came in? Is everything okay?† â€Å"Huh? Oh, that.† She flushed in a cute kind of way. â€Å"Yeah. I guess. I don't know. Micah†¦ um, well, he kissed me tonight. For the first time. And I guess I was just kind of surprised at how I felt about it.† I was surprised they hadn't kissed before and supposed I should be grateful. Her words resonated with me. â€Å"What do you mean? Did it feel a lot less exciting than you expected? Like you were just touching someone's lips? Like you were kissing a relative?† She gave me a puzzled look. â€Å"No. That's crazy. Why would you think that?† â€Å"Um, just guessing.† I suddenly felt silly. Why had it felt that way for me? â€Å"It was great, actually.† A faraway look came over her. â€Å"Well, almost. I couldn't quite get into it as much as I wanted because I was worried about my fangs. It's easy to hide them talking and smiling. But not while kissing. And all I kept thinking was, ‘What am I going to say if he notices?' And then I started thinking about what you and everyone else said. About how this thing with Micah isn't a good idea and how I can't keep things hands-off forever. I like him. I like him a lot. But not enough to risk exposing the Moroi†¦ or endanger Lissa.† â€Å"That's a noble attitude.† â€Å"I guess. I don't want to end things yet, though. Micah's so nice†¦ and I love all the friends I've made by being with him. I guess I'll just see what happens†¦ but it's hard. It's a wake-up call.† She looked so sad as she went into her room. Continuing on to mine, I felt bad for Jill†¦ but at the same time, I was relieved. I'd stressed over her casual dating of Micah, worried we'd be facing some dramatic, romantic situation where she refused to give him up because their love was too great and transcended their races. Instead, I should have had more faith in her. She wasn't as immature as I sometimes thought. Jill was going to realize the truth and resolve this on her own. Her words about Adrian also stuck with me, particularly when I picked him up the next evening for our first self-defense class. He got into my car with a cheery attitude, seeming neither depressed nor crazy. He was, I noticed, dressed very nicely, in clothes that would have been an excellent choice for the visit to his father. He noticed my attire as well. â€Å"Wow. I don't think I've ever seen you in anything so†¦ casual.† I had on olive green yoga pants and an Amberwood T-shirt. â€Å"The class description said to dress in comfortable workout clothes – like I texted you earlier.† I gave his raw silk shirt a meaningful look. â€Å"This is very comfortable,† he assured me. â€Å"Besides, I don't own any workout clothes.† As I shifted the car into drive, I caught sight of Adrian's left hand. At first, I thought he was bleeding. Then, I realized it was red paint. â€Å"You're painting again,† I said in delight. â€Å"I thought you'd stopped.† â€Å"Yeah, well. You can't take painting classes and not paint, Sage.† â€Å"I thought you'd stopped those too.† He gave me a sidelong glance. â€Å"Nearly did. But then I remembered I'd convinced some girl that if she gave me a chance and got me into those classes, I'd follow through on them. That'll teach me.† I smiled and pulled into traffic. I'd left a little early so that Adrian and I had time to take care of our registration. When I'd called the Wolfe School of Defense earlier today, an agitated man had told me to just show up with the money since we were down to the last minute. The address was outside of downtown, in a residence set on sprawling grounds that had made no attempts to go green and thwart the climate. The desert still held claim here, giving the house a dismal, forlorn look. If not for WOLFE printed on the mailbox, I would've thought we had the wrong place. We pulled up into the gravel drive – no other cars were there – and stared. â€Å"This is the kind of place you see in movies,† said Adrian. â€Å"Where careless people run into serial killers.† â€Å"At least it's still light out,† I said. Ever since the alley, darkness had taken on a whole new menace for me. â€Å"Can't be that bad.† Adrian opened the car door. â€Å"Let's find out.† We rang the doorbell and were immediately met with the sounds of barking and scampering feet. I stepped back uneasily. â€Å"I hate poorly trained dogs,† I muttered to Adrian. â€Å"They need to behave and be kept in line.† â€Å"Just like the people in your life, huh?† asked Adrian. The door opened, and we were met by a fifty-something man with a grizzled blond beard. He was wearing Bermuda shorts and a Lynyrd Skynyrd T-shirt. Also, he had an eye patch. â€Å"This is incredible,† I heard Adrian murmur. â€Å"Beyond my wildest dreams.† I was taken aback. The eye patch made me think of Keith's glass eye, which in turn made me think of my role in him acquiring it. It wasn't a memory I liked being reminded of, and I wondered at the odds of running into another one-eyed man. This guy nudged the herd of dogs aside – which appeared to be some sort of Chihuahua mix – and barely managed to step outside without them following before he shut the door. â€Å"Yeah?† he asked. â€Å"We're, uh, here for the class. The self-defense class.† I felt the need to clarify, in case he also taught about dog breeding or riding the high seas. â€Å"I'm Sydney, this is Adrian. I called this morning?† â€Å"Ah, right, right.† He scratched his beard. â€Å"You got the money? Cash only.† I produced one hundred and fifty dollars and handed it over. Out of habit, I nearly asked for a receipt, but then thought better of it. He stuffed the cash into the pocket of his shorts. â€Å"Okay,† he said. â€Å"You're in. Go ahead and wait in the garage until the others show up. The side door's unlocked.† He gestured to a large, industrial looking building – twice the size of the house – over on the far side of the lot. Without waiting around to see if we'd comply, he slipped back inside to the barking dogs. The garage's interior, I was relieved to see, was the first thing here that looked like it had some semblance of legitimacy. There were clean mats on the floor and mirrors on some of the walls. A TV and VHS player sat on a cart, along with some defense-related tapes covered in dust. Slightly more disconcerting was some of the decor, like a pair of nunchucks hanging on the wall. â€Å"Don't touch those!† I warned, seeing Adrian head toward them. â€Å"That's not the kind of guy whose stuff you want to mess with.† Adrian stayed hands-off. â€Å"Do you think we'll get to learn to use these?† â€Å"Weapons weren't in the class description. It's about basic self-defense and hand-tohand.† â€Å"Why bother then?† Adrian strolled over to a glass case displaying several types of brass knuckles. â€Å"That's the kind of stuff Castile does all day. He could have showed us.† â€Å"I wanted someone a little more approachable,† I explained. â€Å"What, like Captain McTropicalShorts back there? Where on earth did you find him anyway?† â€Å"Just did an Internet search.† Feeling a need to defend my research, I added, â€Å"He comes highly recommended.† â€Å"By who? Long John Silver?† Despite myself, I laughed. Over the next half hour, the rest of our class trickled in. One was a woman who looked to be about seventy. Another was a mother who'd just had her fourth child and decided she needed to â€Å"learn to protect them.† The last two women in the class were in their mid-twenties and wore T-shirts with angry girl-power catchphrases. Adrian and I were the youngest in the group. He was the only man, not counting our instructor, who asked that we simply refer to him as Wolfe. I was beginning to get a bad feeling about all of this, particularly as class started. The six of us sat on the floor while Wolfe leaned against one of the mirrors and looked down upon us. â€Å"If you're here,† he began. â€Å"You probably want to learn to use those right away.† He pointed at the nunchucks. I caught sight of Adrian's face in the mirror. His expression said, Yes, that is exactly what I want to learn. â€Å"Well, too bad,† said Wolfe. â€Å"You aren't ever going to use them. Not in this class, anyway. Oh, they've got their uses, believe me. Saved my ass more than once when I was out bowhunting in Alaska a few years ago. But if you pay attention to what I'm going to tell you, you won't ever need to pick those up, seeing as we don't have a rabid moose problem here in Palm Springs.† The new mom raised her hand. â€Å"You used nunchucks on a moose?† Wolfe got a haunted look in his eyes. â€Å"I used all sorts of things on that bastard. But that's neither here nor now. Because here's the thing. With a little common sense, you won't need weapons. Or fists. You.† To my shock, Wolfe pointed at me and fixed me with a steely, one-eyed stare. â€Å"What did I tell you to do when you arrived?† I gulped. â€Å"Give you cash, sir.† â€Å"And after that?† â€Å"You told us to come wait out here.† He nodded in satisfaction, so apparently my answering of the obvious had gone well. â€Å"We're two miles from any other houses and about a mile from the highway. You don't know me, and let's face it, this place looks like something from a serial killer film.† Out of the corner of my eye, Adrian flashed me a triumphant look. â€Å"I sent you out into a remote building with hardly any windows. You went inside. Did you look around as you were walking over here? Did you scan the surroundings in here before coming all the way inside? Did you check the exits?† â€Å"I – â€Å" â€Å"No, of course you didn't,† he interrupted. â€Å"No one ever does. And that is the first rule of self-defense. Don't assume anything. You don't have to live your life in fear, but know what's around you. Be smart. Don't go blindly into dark alleys or parking lots.† And like that, I was hooked. Wolfe was astonishingly well prepared. He had lots of stories and examples of attacks, ones that kept reminding me: humans are some of the most vicious creatures out there, not vampires. He showed us pictures and diagrams of various unsafe places, pointing out vulnerabilities and providing pretty practical advice that should've been obvious to most people – but wasn't. The more he spoke, the more foolish I felt about what had happened with Sonya. If those guys had wanted to attack Sonya badly enough, they would've found a way somehow. But there were a million things I could have done to be more cautious and possibly avoid the confrontation that went down that night. That idea turned out to be a huge part of Wolfe's philosophy: avoidance of danger in the first place. Even when he finally moved on to discuss some very basic moves, his emphasis was on using them to get away – not to stick around and beat your attacker into the ground. He let us practice some of these moves in the last half hour of the class, having us pair up to work with classmates and a dummy since we didn't really want to hurt each other. â€Å"Thank God,† said Adrian, when we broke out to practice. He and I were partners. â€Å"I thought I'd come to a fight class to learn how not to fight.† â€Å"But he's right,† I said. â€Å"If you can avoid the fight, so much the better.† â€Å"But what if you can't?† asked Adrian. â€Å"Like with your sword-wielding friends? What do you do once you're in trouble?† I tapped our blank-faced stuffed practice dummy. â€Å"That's what this is for.† Wolfe's main move today was on how to break out of someone's hold if we were grabbed from behind. He had a couple of techniques which weren't much more complex than headbutting or stomping on feet. Adrian and I took turns being the attacker while the victim practiced the maneuvers – in slow motion and with almost no contact on our partners. That was what the dummies were for. I was about five inches shorter than Adrian and seemed pretty implausible as an attacker, which made us both laugh each time I made a move. Wolfe chastised us for not being serious enough but gave us high marks for learning the techniques. This made me feel a little arrogant, enough so that when Adrian turned his back to get a water bottle, I sneaked up from behind and flung my arms around him, pinning his arms in turn. Wolfe had shown us how to break that type of hold, and I honestly thought Adrian had seen me coming enough to slip away before I even touched him. Apparently not. He froze, and for one moment, we stood locked in time. I could feel the silk of his shirt against my skin and the warmth of his body. The lingering scent of the overpriced cologne he wore floated around me. No smoke for a change. I'd always told him the cologne couldn't be worth what he spent, but suddenly, I reconsidered. It was amazing. I was so awash in sensory overload that I was caught completely unaware when he did push me away. â€Å"What are you doing?† he exclaimed. I'd thought he'd be impressed at my sneak attack, but there was neither approval nor humor on his face. My own smile faded. â€Å"Testing if you could handle a surprise attack.† My tone was hesitant. I didn't know what I'd done wrong. He looked uncomfortable. Almost upset. â€Å"What's the matter?† â€Å"Nothing,† he said gruffly. For a moment his eyes locked onto me with an intensity that left me breathless. Then, he glanced away, as though he couldn't handle looking at me. I felt more confused than ever. â€Å"Never thought I'd see the day when you'd throw your arms around a vam – someone like me.† I barely even noticed his public slipup. His words drew me up short. He was right. I'd touched him without even thinking about it – and not just a formal Moroi handshake, like usual. Sure, it was in the context of our class, but I knew that I never could have done this a few months ago. Touching him now had seemed perfectly natural. Was that why he was upset? Was he worried about the Alchemists and me? Wolfe strolled by. â€Å"Nice work, girl.† He gave Adrian a teeth-rattling slap on the back. â€Å"You were totally unprepared for her.† This seemed to distress Adrian even more, and I could've sworn I heard him mutter, â€Å"That's for damned sure.† Some of Adrian's swagger returned during the car ride home, but he was still quiet and thoughtful. I again tried to figure out his shift in mood. â€Å"Do you need to stop by Clarence's for blood?† Maybe the class had exhausted him. â€Å"Nah,† he said. â€Å"Don't want you to be late. But maybe†¦ maybe you can come by this weekend, and we can do a group trip over there?† â€Å"I've got the dance on Saturday,† I said apologetically. â€Å"And I think Sonya was going to take Jill to Clarence's tomorrow after school. Probably she can pick you up too.† â€Å"I suppose,† he said. He sounded disappointed, but one day wasn't that long to wait for blood. Maybe he was afraid Sonya would recruit him for experiments again – which wouldn't be a bad thing, I thought. Suddenly, he straightened up from his slouch. â€Å"Speaking of Sonya†¦ I was thinking of something earlier. Something Wolfe said.† â€Å"Why, Adrian. Were you paying attention after all?† â€Å"Don't start, Sage,† he warned. â€Å"Wolfe's crazy, and you know it. But when he was giving all his words of wisdom, he mentioned that stuff about not giving out personal info to strangers and how victims are often staked out in advance. Remember?† â€Å"Yeah, I was there,† I said. â€Å"Like, an hour ago.† â€Å"Right, so. Those guys who attacked you and Sonya seemed to know she was a vampire – the wrong kind, but still. The fact that they showed up with a sword implies they did some research. I mean, it's possible they just noticed her on the street one day and were like, ‘Ooh, vampire.' But maybe they've been watching her for a while.† Noticed her on the street†¦ I gasped as a million pieces fell into place in my mind at once. â€Å"Adrian, you're a genius.† He flinched in surprise. â€Å"Wait. What?† â€Å"The week before the attack. Sonya and I got dinner, and we were stopped by some random guy who claimed he knew her from Kentucky. She was pretty freaked out because she was a Strigoi the whole time she was there, and obviously, she didn't hang out with humans a lot back then.† Adrian took a few moments to turn this over in his mind. â€Å"So†¦ you're saying they've been checking into her for a while.† â€Å"Actually, you're saying that.† â€Å"Right. Because I'm a genius.† More silence as we both considered the implications of Sonya's situation. When Adrian spoke again, his tone wasn't nearly so light. â€Å"Sage†¦ last night. You never acknowledged my comment about vampire hunters.† â€Å"The Alchemists have no records of modern vampire hunters,† I said automatically. â€Å"My dad once said that occasionally, some random human discovers the truth. I'd figured her attack was something like that – not some huge organized group or conspiracy.† â€Å"Is it remotely possible that somehow, somewhere, the Alchemists might have missed something? And what do you mean by ‘modern' exactly?† Alchemist history had been drilled into me nearly as much as the philosophies that governed our actions. â€Å"A long time ago – like, back in the Middle Ages – when the Alchemists were forming, a lot of factions had different ideas on how to deal with vampires. Nobody thought humans should associate with them. Those who eventually formed my group decided the best way was to work with Moroi just enough to keep them separate from humans. But there were others who didn't take that approach. They thought the best way to keep humans free was to eradicate vampires – through any means.† I was relying on facts again, my old armor. If I reasoned away this argument, then I wouldn't have to acknowledge what it would mean if there were people actively hunting Moroi. â€Å"Sounds like vampire hunters to me,† Adrian pointed out. â€Å"Yes, but they weren't successful. There were just too many vampires, Moroi and Strigoi, for a group like this to take out. The last records we have of them are from, oh, I'd say the Renaissance. Those hunters eventually faded away.† Even I heard the uncertainty in my voice. â€Å"You said that sword had alchemy symbols on it.† â€Å"Old ones.† â€Å"Old enough to be from the time that splinter group was breaking away?† I sighed. â€Å"Yes. That old.† I wanted to close my eyes and sink into my seat. Cracks were appearing in my armor. I still wasn't entirely sure I could accept the idea of vampire hunters, but I could no longer rule out their possibility. I could see Adrian studying me out of the corner of my eye. â€Å"Why the sigh?† â€Å"Because this is all stuff I should have put together sooner.† He seemed very pleased at the acknowledgment. â€Å"Well, you don't believe in vampire hunters. Makes it hard to really consider them an actual threat when you operate in a world of facts and data, huh? But then†¦ how would they have stayed under your radar for so long?† Now that Adrian had given me the seeds, my mind was already working out the idea. â€Å"Because they're only killing Strigoi – if these hunters exist. If some group were taking out Moroi, your people would notice. The Strigoi aren't organized the same way, and even if they noticed, it's not like they're going to report killings to us. Plus, Strigoi are killed all the time by Moroi and dhampirs. A few dead ones would just be written off to you guys – if anyone even found them. Toss a Strigoi out in the sun, and you'd never even know they'd been there.† Relief poured through me at my conclusion. If a group like this did exist, they couldn't be killing Moroi. Strigoi-hunting was still dangerous, however. Only Alchemists could be trusted to deal with those fiends' deaths and keep them secret from average humans. â€Å"Could you ask other Alchemists about hunters?† Adrian asked. â€Å"No, not yet. I might be able to dig through some records, but I could never bring this up officially. They'd stick to my dad's theory – that it was just some random, weird group of humans. Then they'd laugh me away.† â€Å"You know who wouldn't laugh you away?† â€Å"Clarence,† we both said in unison. â€Å"Not a conversation I look forward to,† I said wearily. â€Å"But he might really know something after all. And all his paranoia might pay off. All that home security? If this group really has it in their heads to come after Sonya, then she might be in even more danger than we realized.† â€Å"We need to tell Belikov. He excels at that protection thing. He won't sleep if we convince him she's in trouble – which seems likely after the sword attack.† I noticed that this was the first time Adrian had ever spoken about Dimitri without bitterness. In fact, Adrian's words and praise sounded legitimate. He did believe in Dimitri's skill. I said nothing about my observation, though. If Adrian was going to get over his hatred of Dimitri, it needed to come gradually and without any outside â€Å"help.† I dropped Adrian off with plans to talk later. When I got back to Amberwood, I was immediately flagged down by Mrs. Weathers. What now? I was ready to hear that Angeline had set something on fire. Instead, Mrs. Weathers's face looked calm – pleasant, even – and I dared to hope for the best. â€Å"Some things came for you, dear,† she said. From a small office behind her desk, she produced two hangers with zipped garment bags on them. â€Å"A short, energetic woman dropped these off.† â€Å"Lia.† I took the hangers, wondering what contents I'd find inside. â€Å"Thank you.† I started to turn away, but Mrs. Weathers spoke again. â€Å"One more thing. Ms. Terwilliger left something for you too.† I tried to keep my face neutral. I was already drowning in Ms. Terwilliger's latest assignments. What now? Mrs. Weathers handed me a large envelope that felt like it had a book in it. Scrawled on the outer side was: Not classwork. Maybe you won't hate this. I thanked Mrs. Weathers again and took my haul up to my room. After depositing the costumes on my bed unopened, I promptly tore into the envelope. Something about her note made me feel uneasy. I wasn't entirely surprised to see it was another spell book. What did surprise me was that unlike the others I pored over for her, this one was new. Modern. There was no publisher listed on it, so it was probably someone's home project, but it had clearly been printed and bound within the last few years. That was startling. I'd pointedly never asked Ms. Terwilliger about her magic-using pals and their lifestyle but had always assumed they were reading the dusty old volumes she had me translate and copy. That they might be working from their own, new, and updated books hadn't even crossed my mind – though it should have. I had no time to beat myself up, though, not once I got a look at the book's title. The Invisible Dagger: Practical Spells for Offense and Defense. Flipping through the pages, I saw that the spells were exactly as the title suggested but written in a more modern way than I was used to. Their origins were cited, times and places. Those varied wildly, but what didn't was the spells' efficiency. All were either the kind of spells that could be cast in very little time or ones that could be made in advance for immediate destructive effects – like the fire charm. These were exactly the kinds of spells I'd been asking Ms. Terwilliger about. Angry, I stuffed the book back in the envelope. How dare she try to lure me in with this? Did she think this would make up for everything she'd put me through? Mrs. Weathers would still be downstairs, and I had half a mind to drop the book off and tell her it had been sent to me in error. Or I could simply leave it on Ms. Terwilliger's desk first thing in the morning. I wished now I hadn't even opened it. â€Å"Returning to sender† unopened would have made a powerful statement, that she wasn't going to trick me into her magic ring by finding a topic of interest to me. Mrs. Weathers knew about my connection to Ms. Terwilliger, though, and would simply tell me to return it tomorrow if I tried giving it back tonight. So, I'd have to hang on to this until the morning. I consoled myself by getting out some tape. I couldn't undo opening the envelope, but there'd be something psychologically soothing about resealing it. Yet, as I started to unwind the tape, my mind spun back to my evening with Adrian and Wolfe. Wolfe had calmed me a bit in his constant reminders that most attacks were random and came from carelessness on the victim's part. Knowing that and what to look for had made me feel empowered. He'd offhandedly mentioned attacks of a more premeditated or personal nature, but those clearly weren't his focus. Nonetheless, they brought me back to my discussion with Adrian. What if there was truth to Clarence's stories? What if vampire hunters were real? We'd all known Sonya's attack wasn't random, but if she really was dealing with some faction that had existed since the Middle Ages†¦ well, then. My and Adrian's fears would be correct. They would probably come for her again. No amount of avoiding isolated parking spots or walking confidently would stop them. I looked down at the envelope and decided not to seal it quite yet.

Dracorex Hogwartsia - Facts and Figures

Dracorex Hogwartsia - Facts and Figures The full name of this pachycephalosaur, or bone-headed dinosaur, is Dracorex hogwartsia  (pronounced DRAY-co-rex hog-WART-see-ah), which is Greek for Dragon King of Hogwarts), and as you might have guessed, theres a story behind this. After it was excavated in 2004, in South Dakotas Hell Creek formation, the partial skull of this dinosaur was donated to the world-renowned Childrens Museum of Indianapolis, which invited visiting kids to name it as a promotional stunt. Considering the other possibilities, the allusion to the Harry Potter books (Draco Malfoy is Harry Potters ill-mannered nemesis, and Hogwarts is the school they both attend) doesnt seem quite so bad! The Complication of the Species Theres a significant amount of controversy about Dracorex among paleontologists, some of whom think this is really a species of the very similar-looking Stygimoloch (whose much less child-friendly name means horned demon from the river of hell.) The latest news: a research team headed by Jack Horner has concluded that both Dracorex and Stygimoloch represented early growth stages of yet another dinosaur genus, Pachycephalosaurus, though this conclusion hasnt yet been accepted by everyone in the scientific community. What this means is that, as Pachycephalosaurus juveniles grew, their head ornamentation became more and more elaborate, so adults looked very different from teenagers (and teenagers looked very different from hatchlings). What it also means, sadly, is that there may be no such dinosaur as Dracorex hogwartsia! A few things that thescientifice community does agree on is that the Dracorex existed in the woodlands of what is modern-day North America during the late Cretaceous period (70-65 million years ago) eating a diet of primary plants and growing to be about 12 feet in length and 500 pounds. However it winds up being classified, Dracorex (or Stygimoloch, or Pachycephalosaurus) was a classic pachycephalosaur, equipped with an unusually thick, ornamented, vaguely demonic-looking skull. Males of this slender, two-legged dinosaur probably head-butted each other for dominance within the herd (not to mention the right to pair up with females during mating season), though its also possible that Dracorexs massive head served to intimidate predators, by butting away the flanks of curious raptors or tyrannosaurs.

Discrimination And Empowerment In Mental Health Social Work Essay Essay Example

Discrimination And Empowerment In Mental Health Social Work Essay Essay Example Discrimination And Empowerment In Mental Health Social Work Essay Essay Discrimination And Empowerment In Mental Health Social Work Essay Essay This essay will foremost specify what favoritism is and what it means to know apart against something. It will so explicate what it means to know apart against person or a group in societal work pattern. This will be a really wide definition that encompasses a assortment of different service user groups. Examples will be used to show what favoritism may look like in societal work pattern and mundane life. To derive a better understand the essay will critically research theory and thoughts around power and how power manifests between groups. This portion of the essay will touch on the thought of othering . The essay will utilize societal constructionism theory to analyze this construct of power. The essay will so concentrate in on mental wellness. This portion of the essay will foremost look at what a mental wellness job is and research the stigma of being labelled with a mental wellness job. The essay will so travel deeper to concentrate on how the western medical theoretical account can know apart against Black and Ethnic Minority groups ( BME ) , even if indirectly. The essay will so critically research why BME grownups, peculiarly work forces, are overrepresented in the mental wellness service. Links will be made to institutional racism and the fact that BME kids are underrepresented in kid and adolescent mental wellness services ( CAMHS ) . In in broadest definition, to know apart agencies to distinguish or to recognize a differentiation ( Oxford Dictionaries 2012 ) . In this wide sense it is a portion of day-to-day life to know apart. For illustration, an grownup may know apart between lanes on a expressway and a babe will frequently know apart between a alien and their health professional. Discrimination becomes a job when the difference or recognised differentiation is used for the footing of unjust intervention. This is the favoritism that societal workers need to be argus-eyed for. Discrimination is non ever knowing ( Thompson 2009 ) and there are assorted types of favoritism ( EHRC 2012 ) . Discrimination can be direct, indirect, based on the perceptual experience that person has a protected feature or discriminate against person who is associated with a individual who has a protected feature ( EHRC 2012 ) . The Equality Act ( 2010 ) besides aims to protect people with a protective feature ( s ) from exploitation, torment and failure to do sensible accommodations ( Home Office 2012 ) . Thompson s ( 1997 ) PCS theoretical account demonstrates that favoritism is non ever on a personal degree and it is non merely entirely down to the person. I will return to the PCS theoretical account subsequently on in the essay. Social workers act as mediators between service users and the province. Social workers are in a function that can potentially authorise or suppress ( Thompson 1997 ) . For this ground Thompson ( 1997: 11 ) argues that good pattern must be anti-discriminatory pattern . All other countries of pattern could be superb and the societal worker could hold really good purposes but if the societal worker can non recognize the marginalised place of some of the people they are working with their intercessions could potentially farther oppress ( Thompson 1997 ) . Thompson ( 1997 ) reminds the reader many times throughout the book that If you re non portion of the solution you are portion of the job . I choose to include this because it reinforces that societal workers need to dispute favoritism and take action against it. To accept it and to non swim against the tide does so do us portion of the job. Where does discrimination come from and why do people, establishments and systems know apart against people? This portion of the essay will critically research the construct of power and societal constructionism in relation to favoritism and societal work. Power is defined by Haralambos and Holborn 2000: 540 ) really slackly as the ability to acquire your ain manner even when others are opposed to your wants . This is of class a really simple definition of a complex construct. There are many theoretical accounts and theories around power. Thompson ( 1998: 42 ) identified a common subject of the ability to act upon or command people, events, processes or resources . These common subjects of power all have the possible to be used destructively in societal work. Social workers have the ability and power to act upon and command, whether this is on an single personal degree or as a gate keeper of services or agent of control. Social workers need to be cognizant of power as they work w ith people who are marginalised and powerless in comparing ; people who societal workers could potentially suppress and even worse, maltreatment. Giddens ( 1993 ) makes close links between power and inequality. EHRC Equality and human rights commission. , 2012. [ Viewed 2012.11.10 ] What is favoritism? [ online ] . Available from hypertext transfer protocol: //www.equalityhumanrights.com/advice-and-guidance/education-providers-schools-guidance/key-concepts/what-is-discrimination/ Giddens, A. , 1993. Sociology ( 2nd erectile dysfunction ) . Cambridge: Civil order Haralambos, M, Holborn, M. , 2000. Sociology subjects and positions. London: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd Home Office. , 2012. [ viewed 2012.11.11 ] Equality Act 2010 [ on-line ] . Available from hypertext transfer protocol: //www.homeoffice.gov.uk/equalities/equality-act/ Oxford Dictionaries. , 2012. [ Viewed 2012.10.19 ] Discriminate [ Online ] . Available from hypertext transfer protocol: //oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/discriminate? q=discriminate Thompson, N. , 1997. Anti-Discriminatory pattern ( 2nd erectile dysfunction ) . Basingstoke: Macmillan Press Thompson, N. , 1998. Promoting Equality disputing favoritism and subjugation in human services. Basingstoke: Macmillan Press Ltd Thompson, N. , 2009. Rehearsing societal work. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan

What You Should Know About Econometrics

What You Should Know About Econometrics There are many ways to define econometrics, the simplest of which is that they are statistical methods used by economists to test hypotheses using real-world data. More specifically, it quantitatively analyzes economic phenomena in relation to current theories and observations in order to make concise assumptions about large data sets. Questions like Is the value of the Canadian dollar correlated to oil prices? or Does fiscal stimulus really boost the economy? can be answered by applying econometrics to datasets on Canadian dollars, oil prices, fiscal stimulus, and metrics of economic well-being. Monash University defines econometrics as a set of quantitative techniques that are useful for making economic decisions while The Economists Dictionary of Economics defines it as the setting up of mathematical models describing mathematical models describing economic relationships  (such as that the quantity demanded of a good is dependent positively on income and negatively on price), testing the validity of such hypotheses and estimating the parameters in order to obtain a measure of the strengths of the influences of the different independent variables. The Basic Tool of Econometrics: Multiple Linear Regression Model Econometricians use a variety of simple models in order to observe and find correlation within large data sets, but the most essential of these is the multiple linear regression model, which functionally predicts the value of the two dependent variables as a function of the independent variable. Visually, the multiple linear regression model can be viewed as a straight line through data points that represent paired values of the dependent and independent variables. In this, econometricians attempt to find estimators that are unbiased, efficient, and consistent in predicting the values represented by this function. Applied econometrics, then, uses these theoretical practices to observe real-world data and formulate new economic theories, forecast future economic trends, and develop new econometric models which establish a basis for estimating future economic events as they relate to the data set observed. Using Econometric Modeling to Evaluate Data In tandem with the multiple linear regression model, econometricians use a variety of econometric models to study, observe, and form concise observations of large data sets. The â€Å"Economics Glossary† defines an econometric model as one â€Å"formulated so that its parameters can be estimated if one makes the assumption that the model is correct.† Basically, econometric models are observational models that allow for quickly estimating future economic trends based on current estimators and exploratory data analysis. Econometricians often use these models to analyze systems of equations and inequalities such as the theory of supply and demand equilibrium or predicting how a market will change based off of economic factors like the actual value of domestic money or the sales tax on that particular good or service. However, since econometricians cannot typically use controlled experiments, their natural experiments with data sets lead to a variety of observational data issues including variable bias and poor causal analysis that leads to misrepresenting correlations between dependent and independent variables.

Evaluation of a company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Evaluation of a company - Essay Example The Coca-Cola Company is a multinational beverage firm, and manufacturer, marketer, and retailer of non-alcoholic beverage drink and syrups. The company has a headquarter in Atlanta, Georgia. The company is popular for its Coca-Cola product that a pharmacist John Stith Pemberto invented in 1886 in Columbus, Georgia. Asa Griggs Candler bought the formula from Permberto in 1889 and built-in The Coca-Cola Company in 1892. The company runs a business distribution arrangement, which dates back to 1889 where the company produces a syrup concentrate and sell it to various bottlers all over the world. The company owns Coca-Coca Refreshments, a bottler in North America. It exists in more 200 nations and sells over 50 billion drink servings of various types every single day. The spin-off of the bottling operations belonging to Coca Cola in Brazil and Philippines in 2013 affected negatively the profits of Coca Cola as it slowed sales growth. Apart from the spin-off, the continuing global macroeconomic problems in many markets have also led to the reduction of profits. In addition, the weakness in sales in North America, the largest market for Coca-Cola has led to slow growth of profits. Global sales rose in volume by 2 percent in 2013 as related to 4% of 2012. The global last quarter sales in 2013 rose by 1%, which was below the expected level of 3%. As a consequently of reduction in the sales, Coke’s shares reduced by 3.8%. A share was sold by $37.47 in 2013. Revenue reduced by 3.6% to 11.04 billion U.S dollars. Therefore, revenue for 2013 was lower than that of 2012, which was 11.46 billion U.S dollars. Drink sales reduced by 1% in North America. The income statement shows the impacts of the three issues earlier mentioned. PepsiCo is the main rival of Coca-Cola in the soft drink industry. PepsiCo is second to Coca-Cola. It outsells Coca-Cola in certain markets. RC Cola

Food taboos in Nigeria and their nutritional effects Research Paper

Food taboos in Nigeria and their nutritional effects - Research Paper Example This study â€Å"Food taboos in Nigeria and their nutritional effects† focuses on the eating behavioural qualities of people in Nigeria and the problems of malnutrition of due to the lack of awareness and education. Talking about Nigeria, it is an under developed country with a huge amount of population, in terms of population it stands at tenth place in the world. It is divided into different ethnic groups each having their own culture and beliefs. Each of the group has different taboos mostly regarding children, pregnant women and mothers and people follow them like a sacred religion. Due to such reasons many parts of Nigeria are either suffering from malnutrition or have high infant mortality rate, people are uneducated and do not know the significance of adding a particular food in their diets. They do what they have seen their ancestors doing for ages. For example, people in most part of Nigeria do not include meat and eggs in their children’s diet, they believe th at adding such eatables would make them thieves. The logic behind such insane thought is that since meat, eggs are expensive food items, and they cannot afford it so if children get used to eating them just to fulfil their desire, they will start stealing because of such myths. Nigeria falls into the countries with one of the highest maternal mortality rate and every year millions are spent to improve the health sector but despite of this there has not been much change. It has been noticed that all such taboos are primarily related to foods of animal origin. Meat contains approximately 18% protein which is very high plus it is rich in phosphorus, moderate in iron content, and is an important source of niacin and riboflavin. Especially fresh meat contains ascorbic acid which prevents scurvy. Eggs which are forbidden to pregnant women contain proteins, vitamin A and thiamine. Cutting short all these important nutrition from the diet results in a handicapped society. It has been observ ed that some 170 thousand Nigerian women die as a result of following such food related taboos (UNCIEF, 2001). The most common causes of death include hemorrhage, sepsis, anemia and others. Hemorrhage is particularly caused when a mother is anemic; a condition marked by lowered production of red blood cells which have a

Social media and it's affects on teens Research Paper

Social media and it's affects on teens - Research Paper Example The study seeks to register myriad problems spawned by excessive social media use like body image complex, poor performance in schools, limited interaction with family etc. in hopes to solve them. These problems will be solved by analyzing how limited exposure to social media benefits teenagers in context of psychological and emotional development and academic performance. Local teenagers will be included in the study as research participants. In addition to that, past and contemporary research studies on the subject of relationship between social media and teenagers will also be scrutinized to find out what they have to say regarding the scope of this problem. The research study aims to accentuate the reality of this growing problem that social media use urges teenagers to fit themselves into an ever narrowing ideal of physical beauty. Our society is quite merciless when it comes to the subject of physical appearance and growing social media use has only served to aggravate this problem for teenagers. It is no hidden reality that this impossible kind of social ideal is impressed upon our teenage population by social media. People have developed a habit of posting self-promoting selfies on their social media webpages to show others how well they are doing physically (Briggs, 2014). This kind of trend generated by social media affects teenagers the most because they have highly impressionable minds. By going online, these teenagers find â€Å"an endless supply of people to whom they can compare themselves† (Steiner-Adair, cited in Johnson, 2014). This is why social media has a potential to cast a shattering effect on teenagersâ€℠¢ body image. Resulting emotional turmoil can be enough to distract them from their studies and other social obligations. Research also confirms that the US social media environment is sexually charged. Females suffer even more than males in this regard as social media works to objectify girls’ appearance (Steyer, 2012,

Gender Criticism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Gender Criticism - Essay Example The husband in this case is the object of betrayal. The author allows the reader to view the thoughts and feelings on the side of the cheating husband, as he is shown to feel guilty of the affair. For instance, when the cheating husband was waiting for his lover, Sarah, in the cafà ©, he was hoping that she did not show up, as deep inside him, he felt he was doing wrong. He expressed this feeling of guilt by saying, â€Å"How strange† (Vivante 2). Because of this, the story seems to go against the standard stereotypical gender role in adultery. Ideally, in a situation where a person feels guilty for betrayal or cheating, like in this story, it is stereotypical for a female character to play the role. At the story’s conclusion, when the husband is with his lover, he keeps thinking of his wife. This represents double irony, as he cheats on both his lover and his wife. He thinks about his wife doing the can-can dance. His reactions to this can be considered to represent the male nature. He hopes for Sarah to be absent during the date, but continues to wait for her. Additionally, he has sex with someone he is not supposed to, but in the process, he thinks of his wife, and is attracted to her. This shows this husband is confused and does not know what he wants. This can be considered to be stereotypical of males in society, as most cheat on their wives yet they are not ready to let go of them. Overall, the aspect of gender criticism has played a major role in examining how the concept of gender has influenced the way this story was written. This has also made an important contribution to the revelation of different themes in the story. Using gender criticism, it has been possible to see how the story reveals some of the stereotypes that are linked with the male and female genders in society. These also include the expectations that have been socially constructed for men and women in the marriage institution. However, the

Should the War on Drugs end Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Should the War on Drugs end - Essay Example They consider that the usage of drugs should be legalized in order to reduce the ratio of drug employment by the masses of America. According to William F. Buckley in his essay about the failure of war on drugs, drug taking is a gregarious activity. Buckley informs that there is no involvement of medical proceedings and medical evaluation in order to check the amount of consumption of drugs because of its being illegal (Buckley 1996). Because of illegality of drugs, medical evaluation is not possible. The war on drugs has failed because more people die because of the war on drugs in place of overdosing (Buckley 1996). According to Buckley, because of drug usage being illicit, people are involved in doing crimes such as robbery and killing. People who are desperate to take drugs have to take money from any illegal means to take hold of illegal drugs (Buckley 1996). Buckley adds that government has to appoint many thousands of policemen to chase the people taking and selling drugs illegally and they are involved in pursing the criminals of drugs business. A large number of policemen can do other constructive tasks in place of doing their cat and mouse game with the drug users and sellers (Buckley 1996). Buckley opts for the establishment of federal drugstores with no extra profit that is involved in illegal trafficking of drugs (Buckley 1996). The drug users because if illegal access to drugs are forced to do other crimes illegally. According to Buckley, the jails are full with illegal drug users due to which, the government has to endure a large amount of expenses on those drug criminals. He further informs that medical treatment for drug usage is far cheaper as compared to this cost that is involved in keeping drug criminals in jails. War on drugs has failed because the government is unable to control the usage of drugs by all their measures (Buckley

Trends in Crude Oil Demand in United States over Time Assignment

Trends in Crude Oil Demand in United States over Time - Assignment Example In the throes of elevated oil prices, people, as well as industries, focused on reducing reliance on oil and oil products by investing in alternative energy and manufacturing more fuel-efficient products especially automobiles respectively. As a result, towards the close of the economic recession, the demand for crude had experienced a visible dent. Demand for crude, however, remained largely unaffected considering that alternative energy is yet to become a close and easily realizable alternative to crude. Crude oil pricing is highly prone to non-price factors that upset demand. Oil prices change wildly due to the geopolitical events afflicting the highly capricious Middle East, where most of the world’s crude production happens. The recent political mayhem in the Arab world resulted in an unmatched upsurge in prices of crude on the global scene, mainly due to a dip in supply. Throughout history, brief upsets in the price of oil are unmistakable in the event of unanticipated oversupply or unexpected shortages. Another key factor affecting the price of oil in the United States is the policy regulations imposed by the government, especially after the close of Second World War. Subsequently, in the post-war era, government regulations on the industry have commendably kept the prices of crude in the US well below the global average. Changes in global trading have significantly lessened control of conventional regulatory mechanisms in curtailing the prices of crude oil. Investors’ speculation in oil futures in the recent past has resulted in a distinguishable upsurge in the prices of crude. Global economic crises seem to have a strong correlation with rising in crude oil prices in the world. According to analysts’ figures, unprecedented high prices of oil herald economic downturns. What is more fascinating is that the economic recessions result in lower oil prices. For instance, in the 2008 economic meltdown, the price fell from over $120 per barrel as the crisis began to less than $40 (Chevron, 1) at the peak of the crisis.

Should the War on Drugs end Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Should the War on Drugs end - Essay Example They consider that the usage of drugs should be legalized in order to reduce the ratio of drug employment by the masses of America. According to William F. Buckley in his essay about the failure of war on drugs, drug taking is a gregarious activity. Buckley informs that there is no involvement of medical proceedings and medical evaluation in order to check the amount of consumption of drugs because of its being illegal (Buckley 1996). Because of illegality of drugs, medical evaluation is not possible. The war on drugs has failed because more people die because of the war on drugs in place of overdosing (Buckley 1996). According to Buckley, because of drug usage being illicit, people are involved in doing crimes such as robbery and killing. People who are desperate to take drugs have to take money from any illegal means to take hold of illegal drugs (Buckley 1996). Buckley adds that government has to appoint many thousands of policemen to chase the people taking and selling drugs illegally and they are involved in pursing the criminals of drugs business. A large number of policemen can do other constructive tasks in place of doing their cat and mouse game with the drug users and sellers (Buckley 1996). Buckley opts for the establishment of federal drugstores with no extra profit that is involved in illegal trafficking of drugs (Buckley 1996). The drug users because if illegal access to drugs are forced to do other crimes illegally. According to Buckley, the jails are full with illegal drug users due to which, the government has to endure a large amount of expenses on those drug criminals. He further informs that medical treatment for drug usage is far cheaper as compared to this cost that is involved in keeping drug criminals in jails. War on drugs has failed because the government is unable to control the usage of drugs by all their measures (Buckley

Quantum Oscillator Problem Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Quantum Oscillator Problem - Assignment Example Figure 6.11 shows a plot of the 10th excited state probability density, |ψ10|2. Mathematica has the Hermite polynomials built-in. The quantum oscillator wave functions are given in equation 6.57; these wave functions are not normalized. The ÃŽ ± in these equations is ð â€˜Å¡ ð Å"”â„ (HW Problem 6.36 and in-class work). The argument of the Hermite polynomials in equation 6.57 is listed as â€Å"x† but you will want to use ð â€˜ ¢ = √ð â€º ¼Ã° â€˜ ¥ as the argument when you are actually write down or program the Hermite polynomials. (a) Write down the (un-normalized) wave function for the 10th excited state; you can write it in terms of ÃŽ ±. Also write down the energy for this state (write this energy in terms â„  and ω)? This type of which energy act on the energy eigenstates of the harmonic oscillator potential producing a un-normalized state of higher or lower energy. a ± =1/√2m(~/i∂/∂x  ± imωx) A=- â„ ^2 d^2/ 2mr^2d (b) Plot ψ10 and |ψ10|2(use u rather than x for your independent variable); your |ψ10|2 plot should look like Figure 6.11. (c) Normalize ψ10 (use u); Normalization the stationary wave functions are r a 1 2 2 ψn (x) = 2n√π n! Hn (ax) e− a x 2 .The diodes are available in the normalized E24  ±1 % (BZX84-A),  ±2 % (BZX84-B) and approximately  ±5 % (BZX84-C) tolerance range. The series includes 37 breakdown voltages with nominal working voltages from 2.4Vto75 V. (d) Find the probability that the electron is in the region −0.5 ≠¤ √ð â€º ¼Ã° â€˜ ¥ ≠¤ 0.5. Use 3 significant figures for these numerical answers. (e) What is âÅ' ©Ã° â€º ¼Ã° â€˜ ¥2âÅ' ª for this excited state?

The Inelastic Price Demand For Wheat

The Inelastic Price Demand For Wheat From a case study South Africas price of an agricultural commodity wheat fall because their suppliers United States had a boosted productivity of wheat caused by snowfall weather conditions. It is therefore concluded that the supply of wheat is elastic as the production of wheat can vary from year to year due to competition on market and whether conditions .The demand of wheat is inelastic because the consumer responsiveness is small when there is a decrease in the price of wheat .Wheat can also be viewed as normal good. [Word Count 887] South Africas wheat price fall for the first time after the price of the grain in the US dropped as snowfall in US boosted harvest. This increase in productivity of wheat in United States has an impact on South Africas wheat price because South Africa is a net importer of wheat. The nation is the regions biggest importer after Nigeria and Sudan, according to US Department of Agricultural data (Bloomberg News, 2013, 1).The snowfall resulted in more productivity of wheat therefore creating a high competitive market between the suppliers and consumers since wheat has a number of daily products .The price of wheat is therefore forced by market competition to decrease to P0 also creating a new market equilibrium E1. P S0 S1 P1 E0 P0- E1 D Quantity 0 q1 q2 q3 Therefore this production increases according to Parkin et el An increase in supply brings a shift of the supply curve to the right, (Parkin et al, 2010:104). Therefore the quantity of wheat supplied by United States will results in the supply curve S0 shifting to the as shown by the bold arrow .In this article the wheat production was boosted by snowballs falling on wheat farms, making the weather more favourable to produce more of wheat. This is an example of natural cause of production as there was no any human input to increase production. On the other natural causes can also have negative impacts for example if wheat is attacked by some kind of disease or pest the production will be very low. Other factors that increases the quantity supplied are, technology according to Econport production technology is involved in the process part. Increases in the level of production technology can make that process more efficient, (Econport, 2013).Technological advancements for example if a new wheat harvester machine is introduced the results are more wheat productivity and more surplus. This production is also affected by the number of suppliers in wheat market which when there are many they create a competitive market whereby the suppliers will not determine prices Supply for wheat is elastic since the supply of wheat varies every year which is caused by weather, in this case snowfalls and also the market competition as shown by the supply curve S0 which are less steeper and elasticity is greater than 1.Therefore a small change in the price of wheat will result will result in a larger change of quantity demanded for example if the price of wheat increases 2% quantity demanded will change by 7%. The determinants causing shifts in supply are, proportion of income for example consumers prefer commodities they can afford, the amount of the commodity demanded for example if the demand is high the suppliers are most likely to raise the commoditys price, price of related goods consumers usual prefer cheaper commodities, substitute goods related for example if the price of coffee increases the demand for tea will be high. In this case wheat is a normal good which is inelastic as consumers are less responsive to change in price. Change in demand for wheat in this article will be a small increase in amount (q1-q0).In this article the small increase is caused by price fall and in this situation consumers are more willing to buy more of wheat. The responsiveness of consumers is very small. If the price was increasing the consumers will buy less and more likely to substitute wheat with the next available alternative. Other factors include level of income if the price increases it makes a negative effect to consumers income therefore they will buy less. Consumers choice and wiliness to buy. The size of the population a larger population consumes more wheat than a smaller one and government policies for example if the government sets its minimum price above the equilibrium point the quantity demanded is reduced. Price movements are shown on the vertical axis .before the price of wheat fall the price was p1 and equal to the market equilibrium E0 where the supply and demand curves intersect. When the supply curve moved to the right the equilibrium also moved to our new equilibrium E1.As wheat price decreased our supply curve shifted to supply curve S1.This results in the shift of the market equilibrium to E1.The quantity change is (q1-q0).Looking at the demand curve we can see that it is steep therefore it has a elasticity value closer to 0 .This means wheat is relatively inelastic that is elasticity ranges between 0 and 1. This implies that change in price of wheat is greater than the change in quantity .This classifies wheat as normal goods. Thus according to Tutor2u Inferior goods have a negative income elasticity of demand, demand falls as income rises(Tutor2u,2013).For example at ceteris paribus if the price of wheat increases by 8% the quantity demanded will changes with a small percenta ge like 1%.Other types of goods are normal, luxury goods. Wheat is an agricultural commodity that is needed to produce products like bread and pastas therefore it is normal commodity and in this case consumer responsiveness to change in price is small therefore wheat is income inelastic. As wheat farmers produce more there will create a competitive market which gives us a new lower price and a new market equilibrium point E1.The supply of wheat is elastic which means a small change in price will result in a large change in quantity demanded.

Evaluation of Booz Allen Hamilton Cybersecurity Essay -- Cyber Solutio

Introduction During the process of analyzing an organizations effectiveness to manage cybersecurity risks, there are ranges of security policies that need to be implemented. A prime example of this concept is the cybersecurity policies developed for consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton. The direct division formed to address the firm’s requirements within cyberspace is the Cyber Solution Network (CSN). The CSN division within Booz Allen Hamilton has a range of policies used to ensure the firm is protected against risk. Cybersecurity Policy Best Practices The use of cybersecurity policies within CSN is to provide security of the divisions assets. The written policies provide guidance on implementation, through references to applicable standards and statements of best practices (Booz Allen Hamilton, 2012). As stated by Control Data Corporation, there is no asset which can be 100% secure; network security is often times focused on strategic prevention or reactive procedures, rather than examination of the security policy and maintaining the operation of it (1999). Therefore analysis indicates that numerous breaches are often due to reoccurring weaknesses in the policy. â€Å"Even the most reliable, state-of-the-art technologies can be undermined or rendered ineffective by poor decisions, or by weak operational practices† (Control Data Corporation, 1999, p. 3). The analysis conducted by Control Data Corporation (1999), provides a quality, and precise assessment of adhering to cybersecurity policy. This analysis is organized into several different categories: 1) The Natural Weaknesses of Security Policy The recognition of natural weaknesses is critical for Booz Allen Hamilton’s Cyber Security Network unit. The action of neglectin... ...n of its assets. Works Cited Booz Allen Hamilton (2012). Booz Allen cyber solution network. Retrieved from http://www.boozallen.com/consulting/prepare-for-whats-next/cyber/cyber-solutions-network Booz Allen Hamilton (2011, October 1). Lab Governance Policy. Retrieved from http://www.boozallen.com Control Data Corporation. (1999). Why security policies fail. Retrieved from http://www.scribd.com/doc/17220213/Why-Security-Policies-Fail Kabay, M. E., & Robertson, B. (2009). Security policy guidelines. In S. Bosworth, M. E. Kabay, & E. Whyne (Eds.), Computer security handbook (5th ed.). New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons. NIST. U.S. Department of Commerce, (2009). National institute of standards and technology sp 800-53. Retrieved from website: http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-53-Rev3/sp800-53-rev3-final_updated-errata_05-01-2010.pdf