Shadow Kiss Chapter 14

Fourteen ABOUT A HALF HOUR before my alarm was scheduled to go off the next morning, I heard a knock at my door. I expected it to be Lissa, but a sleepy check of our bond showed that she was still fast asleep. Puzzled, I staggered out of the bed and opened the door. A Moroi girl I didn't recognize handed me some folded clothes with a note attached. I wondered if I should tip her or something, but she left too quickly for me to react. I sat back on my bed and unfolded the clothing. Black slacks, white blouse, and a black jacket. It was the same ensemble that the other guardians wore around here, and it was in my size. Wow. I was about to become part of the team. A slow grin spread over my face, and I opened the note. It was in Dimitri's writing: Wear your hair up. The grin stayed on my face. A lot of female guardians cut their hair to show off their molnija marks. I'd reluctantly considered it once, and Dimitri had told me not to. He loved my hair and had told me to wear it up. The way he'd said it back then had given me chills, just like now. An hour later, I was on my way to the trial with Lissa, Christian, and Eddie. Someone had rustled up a black-and-white outfit for Eddie too, and I think we both kind of felt like kids playing dress-up with their parents' clothing. My cropped jacket and stretchy blouse were actually pretty cute, and I wondered if I'd be able to bring these back with me. The courtroom was over in the large, ornate building we'd passed upon arrival. Walking through its halls, I saw a mix of the old and the new. Outside, it was all arched windows and stone spires. Inside, it was a hub of modern activity. People worked in offices with flat-screen monitors. Elevators led to upper floors. Yet, despite that, a few antique touches could still be found. Sculptures on pedestals. Chandeliers in the halls. The courtroom itself had beautiful murals that stretched from floor to ceiling, and in the front of the room, seals from all the royal families hung on the walls. Lissa stopped as we walked in, her eyes falling on the Dragomir dragon. King of the beasts. A sea of conflicting emotions swirled within her as she stared at the seal and felt the full weight of being the only one left to carry on her name. Pride to be part of that family. Fear that she wouldn't be good enough to live up to the name. Giving her a gentle nudge, I urged her on toward our seats. The seating was split by an aisle down the middle of the room. We sat at the front of the right-hand section. There were still several minutes to go before proceedings began, but the room wasn't very full yet. I suspected that wouldn't change, due to the secrecy surrounding what had happened with Victor. A judge sat at the front, but there was no jury. An elevated seat on one side of the room marked where the queen would sit when she arrived. She would be the one who made the ultimate decision. That was how it worked with royal criminal cases. I pointed it out to Lissa. â€Å"Let's hope that she's against him. Looks like she'll be the only one making the decision.† Lissa frowned. â€Å"Not having a jury feels kind of weird.† â€Å"That's because we spent so much time around humans.† She smiled. â€Å"Maybe. I don't know. Just seems like there's a lot of room for corruption.† â€Å"Well, yeah. But this is Victor we're talking about.† Moments later, Prince Victor Dashkov himself entered the courtroom. Or, rather, just Victor Dashkov did. He'd been stripped of his title when he'd been imprisoned. It had gone to the next oldest person in the Dashkov family. Fear shot through Lissa, and the little color that was in her cheeks completely disappeared. Mingled with that fear was an emotion I hadn't expected: regret. Before he'd kidnapped her, Victor had been like an uncle to her – that was even how she'd referred to him. She'd loved him, and he'd betrayed her. I put my hand over hers. â€Å"Easy,† I murmured. â€Å"It's going to be okay.† His eyes, narrowed and cunning, looked around the courtroom as though it were a party. He had that same unconcerned look he'd had while talking to Dimitri and me. I felt my lips curl into a sneer. A red haze tinged my vision, and I worked hard to be as serene as the other guardians in the room. He finally focused on Lissa, and she flinched at seeing the same eye color she and others of her family had. When he nodded a sort of greeting to her, I felt my control snap. Before I could actually do anything, I felt new words in my mind – Lissa's. Breathe, Rose. Just breathe. It looked like we were going to have to rely on each other to get through this. A heartbeat later, Victor was walking again, off to take his seat on the left side of the room. â€Å"Thanks,† I said to her, once he was gone. â€Å"It's like you can read my mind.† â€Å"No,† she said gently. â€Å"I could just feel your hand.† I looked down at where I'd put my hand over hers. I'd done it to comfort her and had ended up clenching her fingers in my own agitation. â€Å"Yikes,† I said, jerking away and hoping I hadn't broken her bones. â€Å"Sorry.† Queen Tatiana's entrance followed his, which distracted me and helped calm my dark feelings. We all stood when she appeared and then knelt. It was all kind of archaic, but it was a custom the Moroi had held onto over the years. We didn't rise until she took her seat, and then the rest of us were able to sit too. The trial started. One by one, those who had witnessed the events with Victor gave their account of what they'd seen. Largely, this involved the guardians who had pursued Lissa when Victor had taken her away and who had subsequently been part of the raid on Victor's hideout. Dimitri was the last of the guardians to go. On the surface, his testimony wasn't much different than theirs. They'd all been part of the rescue squad, but his part in the story had begun a little earlier. â€Å"I was with my student, Rose Hathaway,† he said. â€Å"She shares a bond with the princess and was the first to sense what had happened.† Victor's lawyer – I couldn't even imagine how they'd gotten anyone to represent him – glanced at some papers and then looked back up at Dimitri. â€Å"Based on the events, it sounds like there was a delay between when she discovered that and when you alerted the others.† Dimitri nodded, his mask of composure never slipping. â€Å"She couldn't act on it because Mr. Dashkov had inflicted a charm on her, one that caused her to attack me.† He spoke the words so levelly, it amazed me. Not even the lawyer seemed to notice anything. Only I could see – or maybe it was just because I knew him – how much it hurt for Dimitri to lie. Oh, he wanted to protect us – wanted to protect me in particular – which was why he was doing this. But it killed a piece of him to stand up there, under oath, and lie. Dimitri was not perfect, no matter how much I thought he was some days, but he always tried to be truthful. Today he couldn't be. â€Å"Mr. Dashkov works with earth magic, and some who use that power and are strong in compulsion can influence our base instincts,† continued Dimitri. â€Å"In this case, he affected her anger and violence through an object.† Off to my left, I heard a sound – like someone choking on their own laughter. The judge, an elderly but fierce Moroi woman, glared. â€Å"Mr. Dashkov, please respect the decorum of this courtroom.† Victor, still smiling, waved his hands in apology. â€Å"I'm terribly sorry, Your Honor and Your Majesty. Something in Guardian Belikov's testimony just tickled my fancy, that's all. It won't happen again.† I held my breath, waiting for the blow to fall. It didn't. Dimitri finished his statement, and then Christian was called up. His part was short. He'd been with Lissa when she'd been taken and had been knocked out. His contribution was being able to ID some of Victor's guardians as the kidnappers. Once Christian sat down, it was my turn. I walked up, hoping I looked calm in front of all those eyes – and in front of Victor. In fact, I went out of my way to not look at him at all. As I said my name and gave my oath to tell the truth, I suddenly felt the full force of what Dimitri must have experienced. I was standing before all these people, swearing I'd be honest, but I would lie in an instant if the lust charm came up. My version was pretty straightforward. I had details to offer from before the night of the kidnapping, like about when Victor had laid his sick traps to test Lissa's power. Otherwise, my story lined up with Dimitri's and the other guardians'. I'd said before that I could lie well, and I brushed over the â€Å"attack† charm part with such ease that no one paid any attention. Except Victor. Despite my refusal to look at him, I inadvertently glanced in his direction when I mentioned the charm. His eyes bored into me, and a small smirk sat on his lips. His smugness, I realized, was more than just because he knew I was lying. It was also because he actually knew the precise truth – and the look he gave me told me that he had that power over me and Dimitri, the power to ruin everything for us in front of all these people – no matter what Dimitri had threatened. All the while, I kept my face calm enough to make Dimitri proud, but inside my chest, my heart thudded loudly. It seemed to last forever, but I knew I was only on the stand for a few minutes. I finished, sagging with relief that Victor hadn't called me out, and then it was Lissa's turn. As the victim, she offered the first new perspective thus far, and everyone there grew caught up in her story. It was compelling; no one had ever heard anything like it. I also realized that, without even trying, Lissa was using her spirit-induced charisma. I think it came from the same place compulsion did. People were enraptured and sympathetic. When Lissa described the torture Victor had put her through to force her to heal him, I saw faces go pale with shock. Even Tatiana's stern mask faltered a little, though whether she felt pity or just simple surprise, I couldn't say. The most amazing thing, though, was how calmly Lissa managed to deliver the story. On the outside, she was steady and beautiful. But as she spoke the words, describing exactly how Victor's henchman had tortured her, she relived the pain and terror of that night. The guy had been an air user, and he'd toyed with that element, sometimes taking it away so she couldn't breathe and at other times smothering her with it. It had been horrible, and I'd experienced it right along with her. In fact, I experienced it with her again now as she spoke about the events on the stand. Each painful detail was still etched in her mind, the pain echoing back to both of us. We were both relieved when her testimony finished. Finally, it was Victor's turn. From the look on his face, you never would have guessed he was on trial. He wasn't angry or outraged. He wasn't contrite. He didn't plead. He looked like we were all hanging out somewhere, like he had nothing in the world to worry about. Somehow, that made me that much angrier. Even when answering, he spoke as though he made perfect sense. When the prosecuting lawyer asked why he'd done what he had, he looked at her as though she were crazy. â€Å"Why, I had no choice,† he said pleasantly. â€Å"I was dying. No one was going to condone me openly experimenting with the princess's powers. What would you have done in my place?† The lawyer ignored that. She was having a hard time keeping the disgust off of her face. â€Å"And you found coaxing your own daughter into turning Strigoi also necessary?† Everyone in the courtroom shifted uncomfortably. One of the most awful things about Strigoi was that they were made, not born. A Strigoi could force a human, a dhampir, or a Moroi into becoming Strigoi if the Strigoi drank the victim's blood and then fed Strigoi blood back to the victim. It didn't matter if the victim wanted it or not, and once she became Strigoi, she lost all sense of her old, moral self. She embraced becoming a monster and killing others to survive. Strigoi converted others if they found someone they thought would strengthen their ranks. Sometimes they did it just out of cruelty. The other way a Strigoi could be made was if a Moroi willingly chose to kill another person during feeding, destroying all the magic and life within themselves. Christian's parents had done that because they'd wanted to be immortal, no matter the cost. Victor's daughter Natalie had done it because he had talked her into it. The extra strength and speed she'd gotten from being a Strigoi had helped her free him, and he'd felt his goals were worth the sacrifice. Again, Victor showed no remorse. His answer was simple. â€Å"Natalie made that decision.† â€Å"Can you say that about everyone you used to meet your ends? Guardian Belikov and Miss Hathaway had no say in what you made them do.† Victor chuckled. â€Å"Well, that's a matter of opinion. I honestly don't think they minded. But if you have time after this case, Your Honor, you might want to consider trying a statutory rape case.† I froze. He'd done it. He'd really done it. I expected everyone in the room to turn and point at Dimitri and me. No one even looked in our direction, though. Most people were giving Victor appalled looks. I realized that was exactly what Victor had known would happen. He just wanted to tease us; he didn't actually expect anyone to take him seriously. Lissa's feelings through the bond confirmed as much. She felt like Victor was trying to shift attention off of himself by making up stories about Dimitri and me. She was horrified that Victor would stoop so low. The judge was too, and she chastised Victor for getting off topic. By that point, most of the questioning was done. The lawyers wrapped up, and it was time for the queen to deliver her verdict. I held my breath again, wondering what she would do. He hadn't denied any of the charges. The evidence was overwhelming, thanks to my friends' testimonies, but as even Victor had pointed out, there was a lot of corruption among royals. The queen could very well decide that she didn't want the scandal involved with imprisoning someone so well known. Even if no one knew the details, his imprisonment would start a buzz. Maybe she didn't want to deal with that. Maybe Victor had bought her off too. But in the end, she found Victor guilty and sentenced him to life in prison – a different prison, not the one at Court. I'd heard stories about Moroi prisons, and they were terrible places. I suspected his new home would be very different from the cell we'd found him in. Victor remained calm and amused throughout it all, just as he had yesterday. I didn't like that. The conversation I'd had with him made me think he wasn't going to accept this as serenely as he pretended. I hoped they'd watch him closely. A gesture from the queen ended formalities. The rest of us stood up and began talking while she surveyed the room with a sharp eye, probably taking notes. Victor's escort started to lead him out. He passed by us again. This time, he stopped and spoke. â€Å"Vasilisa, I trust you've been well.† She didn't answer. She still hated and feared him, but with this verdict, she finally believed he could no longer hurt her. It was like the end of a chapter she'd been stuck in for months. She could finally move on and hopefully let those horrible memories fade. â€Å"I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to talk, but I'm sure we will next time,† he added. â€Å"Come on,† said one of the guardians with him. They led him away. â€Å"He's crazy,† muttered Lissa once he was gone. â€Å"I can't believe he said that stuff about you and Dimitri.† Dimitri was standing behind her. I looked up and met his eyes as he moved past us. His relief mirrored my own. We'd danced with danger today – and we'd won. Christian came up to her and hugged her, holding her for a long time. I watched them fondly, surprised at my own kind feelings for them. When a hand touched my arm, I jumped. It was Adrian. â€Å"You okay, little dhampir?† he asked softly. â€Å"Dashkov said a few †¦ uh †¦ suggestive things.† I stepped closer, keeping my voice low as well. â€Å"No one believed him. I think it's okay. Thanks for asking, though.† He smiled and tapped my nose. â€Å"Two thank-yous in as many days. I don't suppose I'll get to see any, uh, special gratitude?† I scoffed. â€Å"Nope. You'll just have to imagine it.† He gave me a half-hug and released me. â€Å"Fair enough. But I have a good imagination.† We started to leave, and then Priscilla Voda hurried over to Lissa. â€Å"The queen would like to meet with you before you leave. In private.† I glanced over to the raised chair where the queen sat. Her gaze was fixed on us, and I wondered what this could be about. â€Å"Sure,† said Lissa, as confused as I was. To me, she sent through the bond: Will you listen again? I gave her a quick nod before Priscilla spirited her off. I returned to my room, tuning in to Lissa while I packed my things up. It took a little while because Tatiana had to finish a few courtroom formalities, but she finally arrived in the same room as yesterday. Lissa and Priscilla bowed as she entered and waited for the queen to sit. Tatiana made herself comfortable. â€Å"Vasilisa, you need to be in the air soon, so I'll make this brief. I would like to make an offer to you.† â€Å"What kind of an offer, Your Majesty?† â€Å"You'll need to go to college soon.† She spoke like it was a done deal. And yeah, Lissa did plan on going to college, but I didn't like the presumption. â€Å"I understand you're dissatisfied with your choices.† â€Å"Well†¦it's not that I'm dissatisfied, exactly. It's just, all the places Moroi are supposed to go are small. I mean, I understand it's for safety, but I don't know. I'd like to go somewhere bigger. Somewhere prestigious.† Guardians monitored a handful of select colleges in the country so that Moroi could safely attend them. As Lissa had noted, though, they tended to be smaller schools. Tatiana nodded impatiently, like she already knew this. â€Å"I'm going to give you an opportunity that no one else has ever been given, to my knowledge. After graduation, I would like you to come live here, at the Royal Court. You have no family, and I think you'd benefit from learning politics right in the heart of our government. Along with this, we would make arrangements for you to attend Lehigh University. It's less than an hour from here. Have you heard of it?† Lissa nodded. I'd never heard of it, but she was enough of a nerd to have researched every college in the U.S. â€Å"It's a good school, Your Majesty. But†¦ still small.† â€Å"It's bigger than the ones Moroi usually attend,† she pointed out. â€Å"True.† In her mind, Lissa was trying to puzzle out what was going on here. Why was Tatiana making this offer? Especially considering how she'd seemed to disagree with Lissa earlier. There was something weird going on here, and she decided to see how far she could push it. â€Å"The University of Pennsylvania isn't that far either, Your Majesty.† â€Å"That school is enormous, Vasilisa. We couldn't ensure your safety there.† Lissa shrugged. â€Å"Well, then it probably doesn't matter if I go to Lehigh or one of the others.† The queen looked shocked. So did Priscilla. They couldn't believe Lissa seemed indifferent to the offer. Truthfully, Lissa wasn't indifferent. Lehigh was a step up from what she'd expected, and she wanted to go. But she also wanted to see how badly the queen wanted her to go. Tatiana frowned and appeared to be weighing matters. â€Å"Depending on your grades and experiences at Lehigh, we could possibly arrange for you to transfer in a couple years. Again, the safety logistics would be very difficult.† Wow. The queen did want her around. But why? Lissa decided to simply ask. â€Å"I'm very flattered, Your Majesty. And grateful. But why are you offering me this?† â€Å"As the last Dragomir, you're a precious commodity. I'd like to make sure your future is secure. And I do so hate to see bright minds wasted. Besides†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She paused, hesitant to speak her next words. â€Å"You were right to a certain extent. The Moroi do have trouble changing. It could be useful to have a dissenting voice around here.† Lissa didn't answer right away. She was still analyzing this offer from every possible angle. She wished I was there to advise her, but I wasn't sure I'd have much of an opinion. Splitting my guardian duty between the Court and a cool university could be pretty neat. On the other hand, we'd have more freedom elsewhere. In the end, Lissa decided in favor of higher education. â€Å"All right,† she said at last. â€Å"I accept. Thank you, Your Majesty.† â€Å"Excellent,† said Tatiana. â€Å"We'll see that the arrangements are made. You may go now.† The queen made no signs of moving, so Lissa bowed again and scurried to the door, still reeling with this news. Tatiana suddenly called out to her. â€Å"Vasilisa? Will you send your friend here to talk to me? The Hathaway girl?† â€Å"Rose?† she asked in astonishment. â€Å"Why do you – ? Yes, of course. I'll get her.† Lissa hurried toward guest housing, but I met her halfway. â€Å"What's going on?† I asked. â€Å"I have no idea,† said Lissa. â€Å"Did you hear what she said?† â€Å"Yup. Maybe she wants to tell me how I have to be extra careful with you going to that school.† â€Å"Maybe. I don't know.† Lissa gave me a quick hug. â€Å"Good luck. I'll see you soon.† I went to the same room and found Tatiana standing with her hands clasped, posture stiff and impatient. She was dressed like a corporate businesswoman again, with a sleek brown blazer and skirt set. That color wouldn't have been my first choice to go with her dark gray hair, but that was her style adviser's problem, not mine. I bowed just as Lissa had and glanced around the room. Priscilla was gone; only a couple guardians remained. I expected Tatiana to tell me to sit, but instead, she stood up and walked right over to me. Her face did not look happy. â€Å"Miss Hathaway,† she said sharply, â€Å"I'm going to keep this brief. You are going to stop this atrocious affair you're having with my great-nephew. Immediately.†

Acquiring the Human Language-Playing the Language Game

1.What arguments in support of language as an innate ability are brought up in the film? This video is about a great mystery; how do children acquire language without seeming to learn it and how do they do so many things with so little life experience. 2.Explain the ambiguity of the question asked by Jill de Villiers to both children and graduate students: â€Å"When did the boy say he hurt himself?† Why is this question ambiguous and why is it interesting to note that this question is ambiguous? Question was â€Å"When did the boy say he hurt himself?† and there are 2 answers to this question. If focus on When said, the answer is â€Å"in the bathtub.† However when it focus on When fallen, the answer is â€Å"climbing the tree† And it is very interesting because they found that children will give only 1 answer when given unambiguous sentence â€Å"When did the boy say HOW he hurt himself†, â€Å"in the bathtub.† By this experiment, we can conclude that a child must have some kind of knowledge of syntactic structure because nobody had ever taught the child about this. 3.List some of the fundamental questions regarding language learning/language acquisition that are discussed in the film and explain how are linguists trying to answer these questions. (What questions do linguists ask and what kind of evidence do they look for to answer them?) The original theory on how languages are learned was it is learned by imitation. However, linguists found that child not only imitate adult but produces brand-new sentences. And the fundamental questions were raised, if we don’t learn by imitation, how do we learn? So linguists try to prove that acquiring language is different from learning other things by some experiments. 4.Mention some of the evidence in the film presented as evidence AGAINST the imitation theory of language learning. Child can produce brand-new sentence and they make errors. They can understand quite complex sentence in early age. 5.The film (Chomsky) claim that acquiring language is different from kinds of learning. What does he mean? It means we seem to learn language with different say from leaning other difficult things such as playing the trumpet and riding bicycle. It is not learned by practice, or by imitation. 6.What proof is there that analogy is not the explanation for first language learning? With the sentence â€Å"I painted the red barn†, we can substitute color word, and it is acceptable. If we switch the last two words, it is still acceptable. So by analogy, child will extend this to other verb â€Å"see† and create new sentence. â€Å"I saw a read barn.† And a concept of analogy doesn’t work for switching last two words, since I saw a bard red is broken sentence. And also, with sentence â€Å"Taro ate† it means he ate something but this something is not his shoes or hat. Another proof that analogy is not the explanation of first language learning is the verb â€Å"grow† can mean differently in the sentence such as â€Å"John grows tomatoes† and â€Å"John grows.† Analogy is wildly broken and cannot explain first language learning. 7.Observe the details of the experiment with the 16-month old babies who are shown Cookie Monster and Big Bird. Explain the experiment’s design, including the question posed by the researchers and the conclusions they reach regarding children’s acquisition of syntax based on the results of this study. The experiment design is showing two films simultaneously to babies. And asks to find the same scene with the explanation, Cookie monster washing Big Bird and Big Bird feeding Cookie Monster. The questions behind the study was will the child look more at the screen that matches the language that they are hearing. And the result surprisingly show that they understand the order of the information. 8.An extended section of the film discusses how children learn new words. Explain the point(s) illustrated by the following examples: -The child who calls his own dog â€Å"Nunu†, then applies the word Nunu to several other things (another dog, cow, slippers, salad) : Overgeneralization – â€Å"The Gavagai Problem† (the big rabbit on a billboard) : Assumption – Child labeling an item a flimmick, a closed flimmick and a spud : Child expects object labels to refer to the whole object – Children discussing the meaning of the word â€Å"alive† and the one child deciding that a car must be â€Å"alive† A child picks out a category that is relevantly alike 9. The film moves to Papua New Guinea (home of 750 languages spoken by 3,000,000 people) and discusses language universals and then Universal Grammar. -What aspects of language are candidates for language universals? Subject, Object, Verb – What are examples are presented in the film as evidence of Universal Grammar? There are certain kinds of mistake that children never seem to make. (ex. What did you eat your egg and?) 10. Explain what Chomsky means when he says that â€Å"all children are pre-programmed in advance of experience; they know fixed, invariant structural principles of language†. Capacity to learn language is deeply engraved in the mind and children are not taught language, they just do it.

Basis for Violent Crimes Committed by Teenage Offenders Research Proposal

Basis for Violent Crimes Committed by Teenage Offenders - Research Proposal Example Applicable Sources Peak (2012), in his book, Justice Administration: Police, Courts, and Corrections Management, has shown that when teenagers turn to criminal actions, this suggests a number of issues are at the heart of why this is happening, such as the environment of the child with non-existent adult supervision, friends who are in gangs, and failure within the school system in classwork achievements. There are also not enough regular after-school programs that young people can get involved in and, with a weakened economy, what community programs are in place, are having their public funding reduced or cut altogether. Violent video games are also seen as being part of the creation of violent behaviors in those without the ability to separate fiction from reality. In this respect, and in alignment with friends who aside from playing violent video games and who also engage in gang activities, this type of environment applies to the social learning theory, whereby what others do, is considered cool or normal (Peak 2012). Teenagers, who have not learned yet to analyze new media literacy, meaning the truth of what is seen, rather than what the message implies, learn that what they encounter, is (to them) what life really is as a standard level of living. While other teenagers head home to read their school books and do homework, at-risk teenagers go to hang out with their friends who engage in criminal activities instead. Therefore, reinforcement of negative influences by friends and through media viewpoints (violent video games, violent movies), will condition an at-risk teenager towards a life of crime. Juvenile justice systems encounter many at-risk teenagers,... Basis for Violent Crimes Committed by Teenage Offenders Juvenile offenders, aged 18 and under, are committing more violent crimes such as murders of old people and babies and, in order to find a solution to why this is happening, the background and environments of these offenders must be examined further to determine what is setting off these crimes. There is speculation that a lack of adult parenting or supervision is one cause. Another suspected cause is that teenagers play too many violent video games and perhaps, the theory of social learning should be applied here during research. It would also appear that current judgments and punishments made against young offenders, do not deter them enough so that they would move away from the environment that assists or encourages them to commit these crimes. Communities are also stressed because rehabilitative services operate on limited budgets and, with an overload of cases, care and attention will also be limited. In the community itself, people are more afraid because, with youthful offenders, one cannot always protect oneself against younger criminals because laws also protect the young against abuse. Therefore, it is imperative to find the solutions to both problems in offender social environments and also in the sentencing laws for juvenile offenders. The plan is to submit immediately to the Institutional Review Board for permission to conduct this study. The research requires a great amount of work, first in vetting the studies for inclusion into the database, and second, for reviewing enough research studies, books and case studies for inclusion into the literature review.

Acceptance Under Contract Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Acceptance Under Contract Law - Essay Example Consideration is an added benefit that is bargained for and may also include a promise to compromise upon a dispute, but the important factor is that it must be a new obligation, over and above what has already been agreed to in the original contract. The principle of consideration determines whether an oral promise may be enforceable since an implicit contract is formed if the person making the promise is receiving something in return – some consideration [www.abanet.org, pp 22]. This involves the exchange of â€Å"something of value† or the promise to do something in future.[www.bplans.co.uk, 2003]. The basic premise of a contract is the concept of Offer and Acceptance. When one party makes an offer and another party accepts it – either orally or in writing – then a contract is said to exist [www.bplans.co.uk, 2003]. In order for a contract to be valid, both the parties need to exchange something of value. If one party promises orally to give something to the other but does not follow through with it, his promise is not enforceable, unless the other party agreed to do something in return for the promised gift, in which case a contract does exist and may be enforceable. Once an agreement has been made and a contract entered into, any agreement to vary the contract is likely to be based upon some consideration, especially if the pacts is increased under the doctrine of economic duress. The doctrine of consideration has however been argued as being too â€Å"blunt an instrument† since its â€Å"reasoning was such that it could make a promise invalid even thoug h no pressure had been exerted by the promisee at all.† [Trietel, 2002, pp 14]. In this connection, there is already in existence a written contract between the two parties, which lays out the terms of payment for services rendered, ie, three installment payments of 10,000 pounds each to be made by Roger.

Customer Service Lapses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Customer Service Lapses - Essay Example Throughout, the patient was alone, and no help was provided to her to clear her prescription at the pharmacy. c. There was the lack of staff in the clinic for patient care. Only one physician was present, who had to take care of the patients in urgent care as well as in family medicine. Follow-up Questions a. How was the experience of the patient with respect to care provided by a physician? b. Was the medical staff including nurses, etc. helpful in giving medical assistance? c. What problems did the patient face on the visit related to (time, fees, care, medicine etc.)? Future Actions a. Hire the required staff necessary to facilitate the number of patients visiting each day to the clinic. Separate doctors should be there for attending patients in family medicine and urgent care. b. The staff has to make sure that no patient has to wait for long hours. Every task should be performed on time and must be organized. c. Curtail the excessive documentation; keep the system simple, manage able and effective. PDCA: (ASQ 20) Plan: Improve documentation process, reduce waiting time and get new staff hired. Track the changes by taking feedback from patients. Do: Bring immediate changes by assisting patients and reduce the waiting time. Check: Check the patients’ response on forms for checking system efficiency.

Emerging Technologies that address interoperability issues in an Essay

Emerging Technologies that address interoperability issues in an e-business environment - Essay Example New technologies have been introduced through e-commerce to give a wider exposure and innovate new ways of conducting businesses, which has introduced a new dimension in technology known as E-business. E-business’s presence is important for expansion in business, dissemination of information and access to physically inaccessible markets. In today’s dynamic world, companies spent heavily on their IT departments for the technical support to smoothly run their e-commerce activities. Companies even develop strategies through e-business to reduce cost of the business, expand sales and increase customer services and satisfaction in the long run. E-business is widely used for many business purposes like product research, order entry; customer’s related matters like support, services, communication, inquiry, invoicing etc., outbound and inbound logistics. E-commerce has revolutionized not only businesses but every aspect of life; the world is now a click away. (Ray, 3) C hallenge from the Competitor in E-Business Environment including Supply Chain Due to increased e-business services and advancement in IT related matters, competition has geared up in every sector tremendously. Nowadays, competition has intensified due to e-business activity like business to business (B2B) or business to consumer (B2C) transactions or transactions that incur after sale. These facilities and easiness to conduct business has caused cost efficiency which has attracted more competition in every sector. Increased Competition Due to Low Entry Barriers Due to tremendous benefits offered by the e-business, the competition has increased, which has affected business in many ways. The e-business has lowered market entry barriers and it is now comparatively very easy to enter business than it was previously. Initially, large investments and established contacts were needed to start up a business which is now replaced by easy entry in to the markets which is now a click away. Thi s has made competition severe and is a threat to many established business. The internet as a medium to exchange information has made customers close to the businesses which has brought great challenges to the existing businesses. Now there is a continuous threat to every business that another business established in no time can take away its customers. Thirdly, globalization has added to the increasing competition. Internet allows the customers to exchange information anywhere in the world, which has made the businesses of the world compete with each other. (United Nations, 142) Continuous Cost Reduction Due to e-business, the markets now seem to be more of a perfect market where there are many competitors striving to gain their positions. In such a market, cost leaders prevail. Due to closed links of customers and suppliers in the supply chain, cost reduction is an achievable task in today’s business and many business strategies are based on this. In this cost reduction rac e, every business has to continuously work on its cost reduction strategies in order to compete effectively. Secondly, the transaction costs are reduced for the customers due to extensive information available over the internet. This also puts up a pressure on the businesses to increase their presence over the internet. (United Nations,

Develop a Research Repository web Application tool Essay

Develop a Research Repository web Application tool - Essay Example The architecture will employ 3-tier where there will be the user end, business logic end and the server end. The user-end will have a system that will enable the users to access the repository. The server end will have a database which will be used to store the research materials. The database will make use of Oracle 11g. There will be a connection of these applications so that the application connects to the database (Brian, 2007). Access to the application and to the database will be achieved using web interface. The application that is used will be the browser that the users are using. There will be security of the system so that not everybody will access the system. The restriction will be differentiated so that there are restrictions for the outsiders and restrictions for members. The restrictions for outsiders will be that these users will not access the whole system completely. This is because the users will access only the parts that are of interest to them. The system admini strators and the IT staff will have the privileges that will enable them to access most of the tools and places in the system. They are tasked with maintaining the system and they need to access the whole system. There will be a user interface that will allow this access to be implemented. From the description, there is the back-end of the system and also the front-end. The back-end represents the database and the server. The back-end will be operated upon by the administrators of the system. There are times that the database will fail. There is therefore a need to ensure that it is restored back to work (Brian, 2007). With the new system, users and researchers will be required to fill in forms that will describe the research work they are interested in and send it to the system. The work that the researcher is interested in will be searched in the database. The research work that will be submitted will be approved by the staff and then approved to be added to the database. The arti cles that are added to the system will be categorized based on their nature. Detailed analysis of the tool Most of the requests will be made to the server by users. This will mean that the requests will be made through a web based system. There will be an internet connection that will help to connect the users and the server end part of the system. Without this connection, the connection and the access will not be made possible. The application that will handle all the requests will be developed using the C# programming language. This will reside in the server part of the web-based system. There are possibilities to have connections in Visual Studio either to databases or web services. The connection to the end users will be done through web service connection and the services to the back-end part of the system will be done using database connectivity. The database that will be used is Oracle 11g. The architecture in diagram 1 shows that the server and database are running on the se rver end of the system. Figure 1: Basic architecture The connection of the database and the application will be done using the functionality of the Visual Studio 2010. There is a tool that enables Visual Studio to connect to data that are from any source. When using Visual Studio, there is a tool that is used to create a connection. All connections have the same members. The property that will be used in the connection is that of ConnectionString property. This property has a

Marketing Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 5

Marketing Management - Essay Example "the organization wide generation of market intelligence pertaining to current and future customer needs, dissemination of the intelligence across departments, and organization wide responsiveness to it" (in Weitz, Wensley; 2002, Pp. 72). It is essentially concerned with devising strategies which aim to fulfill the needs and wants of the target customers. The market oriented organizations, thus adopt approaches which are customer centric and put the customers first, and all the organizational activities are planned in accordance with the needs of the customers. The key characteristic of any market oriented organization is its unconditional support for its customers’ needs. Toyota is one such company which has consistently monitored the needs and demands of its customers and catered to all their concerns by developing products which are not only suitable to them but are beneficial to the environment at large. It was the first auto manufacturer which developed the environmentally friendly Prius, keeping in mind the growing concerns of its customers about global warming, generating high customer value in the process. Toyota has adopted the TQM and J.I.T. philosophies which ensure better value to its customers (Langford, Male,

Sustainable Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sustainable Marketing - Essay Example In order to successfully deliver a competitive market, most of the companies do pass their products through the environmental effect that their products might be having; once it is clear in a particular area if sustainable marketing is effective in the overall goal of the company as whole. (Binswanger, H. 1994) This will lead to the overall improvement in the achievement of all the set objective, visions, missions and goals of a particular business despite the existing challenges in the market. Critical analysis of sustainability marketing; The main objective of sustainable marketing is not to influence consumers into a buying green; instead it practically presents clear information that the product life cycle has greatly impacted the Business environment and leaves the decision with the customer to make the final choice. This is because marketing is about creating consumer but not forcing or luring them to make consumption choices. An advantage received by implementing a sustainable marketing technique is that; it helps the company to reduce the company’s carbon footprint, crating and developing an effective sustainability as well as convincing more people about the general company intension in serving the customers by having minimum environmental burden as much as possible. There are five main key elements of a sustainable market which are follows; Delivers marketing activities which create an ongoing growth; Since most Businesses have limited capital resources, human labor and finances, then there is need to focus on only top performing market activities by using an aggressive market growth strategy so as to achieve a bigger market growth and also by adopting a powerful growth strategy for a new or an emerging market. Influence other businesses also to adopt sustainable marketing practice; Suitable marketing can effectively help the Business owner to create a bigger impact by influencing employees to adopt such a sustainable market business practice ( Iwata, O. (1997). For example a new climate change initiative can help others comprehend how they can easily make a positive difference in the flight against any climatic changes. Easy to embed the sustainable Business practice into the business strategy; Measurable goals should be set by listing the key activities to be undertaken so as to competently achieve these set goals by making sure that all the senior personnel’s are responsible for effective goal achievement. (Fuller.1999). Some of these sustainable business practices are, sustainable budget which helps in ensuring financial sustainability and creation of strong relationship between the customers, staff other businesses and the community as a whole (Anderson, A R. 1995). There is need to support and help sustainable business so as to see them grow; a very important aspect of sustainable marketing is promotion which helps in developing and implementing the market plan as well as brand strategies to facilitate busines s growth. Conclusion; Having discussed the concept of Suitable marketing, then is quite

Analysis of Life story by David Shields Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analysis of Life story by David Shields - Essay Example I particularly enjoyed Shield’s atypical and fresh way of structuring this essay. The sentences are put together coherently to deliver the message on different aspects of life. However, the different sentences sued in the construction of a paragraph are independently able to deliver a message and make sense on their own. For instance, when he says â€Å"This vehicle not purchased with drug money. Hugs are better than drugs.† The two sentences are independent of each other in terms of examining, but they are coherently linked to make a sensible paragraph which is nice to read especially because it has a prose flow. Shield’s uses powerful phrases and sentences which sound like bumper stickers. When the author says, â€Å"Heaven doesn’t want me and Hell’s afraid I’ll take over†, this quote signifies a strong deeper meaning. In my opinion, the author is trying to tell us that neither heaven nor hell can take human’s life. The author wants to tell the readers that he is a bad guy especially due to the tone of his voice throughout the essay. I feel that deeply, the author wants us to be strong in life and live without fear of death. To him, Heaven and Hell are human’s imagination and, therefore, we should not worry about dying if we live on earth happily. In life, we can find the real things if we work hard and most importantly, work hard.  If we think deeply, we own our lives. Personally, I have seen bad guys live more than 80 years, and also good guys can live 80 years.

Ancient civilization Essay Example for Free

Ancient civilization Essay Ancient civilization was characterized with a culture that was rich in content, and embraced all aspects of human life. Religion for instance was so much emphasized as the basic support to human life. Assyrian winged protective deities were Egyptian religious figures. The chapel of Sekhem-ank-ptah is another unique aspect of history and has its weight on the wall hangings which had various writing inscribed on them. Lamassu, which is also known as lama is one of the Assyrian deities which had an obligation of protecting the people. This religious power existed between C883-613 in the Assyrian territory. The religious wall hangings found in the chapel of sekhen-ank-ptah has close similarity to Lama. All of them existed to in the ancient days with the wall hangings dating back to 2450 to 2350 BC. The region of existence of the wall hangings was however Sakkara in the late dynasty 5 (Tomasi, M. 2006). The two unique powers had varying representations. Lama was displayed as a large bull with horns and was always placed as a monument at the entrance of palaces. The gender of Lama was of the form of human males. Great artists always confirmed that the Assyrian deities with wings were actually apotropaic figures. Wall hangings on the other hands were made using thick papyrus which was obtained from swamps, lots of drawings were posted on the wall hangings and these drawings had various interpretations of divine nature. One similarity however is the material used to make them. All were made using sacred items. Lamassa represented a standing figure and served as a servant to a superior god. This meant that all visitors of the superior god were welcomed by the lame. Lama also had one great duty of protecting people against evil forces. The wall hangings on the other hands acted as a reminder of the baths to be taken in life. Some parts of the wall; hanging represented the process of giving offerings in church. The pictures had diagrams of animals in motion. Al these had interpretation. For example, the wall hanging on butchers at work and that showing plants in the field had an interpretation that the people were mainly farmers. Generosity in terms of giving food is also an output obtained form this diagram. The ancient Assyrian people believed in these symbols of deity and followed the beliefs carefully. Any violation of the precepts was believed to bring curses both then and the generation that followed

Holy The Firm by Annie Dillard Essay Example for Free

Holy The Firm by Annie Dillard Essay ​â€Å"Death of a Moth† is a short essay from the author, Annie Dillard, called Holy the Firm, and also one of her most personal essay that she’s ever written. It is about the burning moths, her belief in God, and acceptance of her faith to being a writer. She uses the death of the moths to tell us nature’s cycle of life. Everything is the same, human and animal, life and death. In the end, they will all end up like the moth being burned up by candle light. ​In the essay of Annie Dillard, Death of a Moth, she writes about a woman who lives alone on Northern Puget South in Washington State, with one enormous window, one cat, and one spider(2). She has a flashback about two summers ago when she tried to run away from society to read and write her book, To Mountain. She tries to find herself to becoming a writer. She wants to leave the world behind and enjoy herself alongside animal and nature. She sees a moth landing on her candle light and gets burnt. She, then, describes the moth in such realistic ways which remind the readers about nature’s cycle of life. As she looks at the moth, she falls asleep. ​In the essay, the author has mentioned in her class about â€Å"you must go at your life with a broadax† (10). In theory, a broadax is a weapon or a tool used to chop down trees. At this point, Annie wants to explain to her class if you want to be something or get something in your life, you have to be willing to overcome anything to be able to get what you want. Your life is like a battle. When in battle, you need to equip yourself with a broadax, and be prepared to fight and struggle. In addition, it also shows you are willing to hack down at anything standing in your way. In practice, students also face the same situation. They try their best to overcome obstacles teachers give them to be able to pass their classes. ​In â€Å"Death of a Moth† essay, Annie Dillard tells us about nature’s cycle of life. Everything will have the same ending, being born, living for a certain period of time, and then dying. The same as the moths or ephemera stabs by fire. George has mentioned about significance of butterfly to her moths essay by posting his post on bookcritics.org(5). I would say that butterfly is the most beautiful insect I have even known. To be obtaining this beauty, it also has suffered so many miseries. It has to endured ninety months to a year in a cocoon, then it breaks pupa without any help, and transforms to a beautiful butterfly. The pity is it only lives for 3 days or a month, depending on what type it is. From the butterfly example, effort is what we can’t lack in our life. If we live without any obstacles, we will never learn or become stronger like a butterfly’s ability to break cocoon and fly up high. ​It can be seen that Annie Dillard is focusing more about the nature’s cycle life and also, expressing her effort to being a writer. She uses the moths as an example to describe her idea about nature to the readers, which is accept faith and move on with your life. In my own opinion, I would recommend or love to hear the significance of butterfly in her moth essay than reading about the moth being burned by the candle light. It was not a waste of time to write an essay about a moth, but replacing the moth to a more gracious creature like a butterfl y would better capture the audience.

Market Research On Primarks Clothing Marketing Essay

Market Research On Primarks Clothing Marketing Essay The UK clothing and footwear (or apparel) market was worth an estimated  £46.05bn in 2009, accounting for 5.3% of total consumer spending (Key Note Publications Ltd, July 2010). According to Mintel, (June 2010), nearly half (12.7 million) of women in the UK spent the same or even more on their clothes in 2009 despite the economic recession. Consumers have cut back on leisure activities such as holidays and eating out, they have continued to spend on clothing and footwear indicating that they are being selective about what to spend their money on and are choosing to buy clothing over a meal out. Over half of overall UK consumers (54%) did not reduce the amount they spent on clothes during the past year and one in ten (11%) of consumers say they actually spent more on clothes than they usually would over the past year, despite the economic difficulties. This could be because consumers have cut back on leisure activities (Mintel, June 2010). Between 2005 and 2009, the womens outerwear segment actually declined slightly in value, because average prices were 22% lower in 2009 than they were in 2005. This occurred despite the dynamism of `fast fashion, in which more and more garments are bought but worn only a few times before they go out of fashion and are disposed of (Key Note Publications Ltd, July 2010). Consumers are now tending towards the budget end of the market, which is targeted by companies such as Primark, Peacocks and Matalan, or the designer, premium-priced extreme. The mid-market has consequently become very competitive, with the struggles of Marks and Spencer, Arcadia Group and BhS to retain market share (Infomat, August 2006). Besides the mid market trend, the quality over quantity trend appears to have risen up the consumer priority list, with almost four in ten consumers who intend to spend more on clothing in the coming year claiming that they will pay more for quality clothes (Mintel, June 2010). Consumers might consider that expensive products tend to be of better quality. Therefore, the UK Retailers should react quickly in responding and considering the quality message of their clothing in order to satisfy consumers needs and wants and therefore, increase their market share. Background to the study The Primark story has been one of continuing success founded on a unique combination of fast fashion and lean operations. Its operations in Great Britain began in 1973 with four out-of-town stores. The following year saw the opening of the first UK High Street stores in Derby and Bristol. In the next ten years, 18 stores were added in the UK bringing the number of stores in the 22. Till date, Primark has been able to open 145 stores in the United Kingdom. (Primark, 2010). Over the years Primark has been able to provide cheap and affordable clothing, but the quality of the product has been questionable. In the first and second quarter of the year, Primark recorded a 17% year-on-year sales increase in which it was driven by more selling space, Primark looks likely to continue in a similar successful vein for the predicted future, but its continued growth is not without some market barriers, Primark could be hit hard; and its lack of association with quality could also prove unfavourable in the long term.(Mintel, 2010) The retail landscape is about to change as the deflation of the last decade comes to an abrupt end. Raw material prices, freight and labour costs (particularly in the Far East) are rising and, coupled with the impending VAT increase and unfavourable foreign exchange movements, clothing prices on like-for-like items are expected to rise by at least 5% next year Mintel (2010). Primark cannot continue to provide cheap clothing because of the high production cost and tax rate, if the prices of the products are increased and the quality keeps disappointing the consumers, consumers could decide to switch back their loyalties to the mid market retailers like Gap and H and M who have celebrity designers such as Stella McCartney and Jimmy Choo designing ranges for them to reassert themselves in the clothing retail market. Primarks main focus of clothing is producing value clothing which can be afforded by the low and middle class consumers. But there could be trouble along the way as the perception of product quality appears to be slipping, consumers are now shopping for deals and finding value for money. The main test of this brand is to improve its quality and reposition its image in the minds of the existing and new consumers. Management Problem: The major issue facing Primark is to improve its quality and reposition its image in the minds of the existing and new consumers and thereby increase its market share than its current market position. Therefore the Management decision Problem would be: How Primarks clothing could increase its market share. Market Research problems: A market research problem will be carried out to support the management decision problem of Primark. Therefore the market research problem for the study will be: To determine consumers attitudes and the level of satisfaction derived from current product qualities. Research Components: The research components are used for identifying the market research problem. Therefore the research components are: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ What criteria do consumers use in selecting a clothing brand? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ How do consumers evaluate Primark and its competitors based on the identified choice criteria? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ What are the consumers attitudes towards Primark? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ To determine the psychographic and demographic profile of the consumers Literature review Globally, clothing continues to serve the three basic functions of concealment, protection and identity. However, when shopping for a piece of clothing, the third factor identity is the criteria that the consumer in modern society is completely engrossed with. Clothing has the ability not only to represent status in society, or act as a measurement of self-esteem, but can reveal personality and what values a person holds dear to them (What you wear is what you are, 2010). Solomon and Ranbolt (2004). confirm that revealing identity through the clothes a person wears is a conscious decision: A consumer exhibits attachment to an objectto maintain his or her self-conceptClothing can function in a similar way (p. 148). This perception of how consumers see themselves is called the Self-Concept Theory, which categorises the term Ideal Self as something a person is always trying to achieve. Therefore a retailer will be more successful if the goods they sell facilitate a person in realizi ng their ideal self (Diamond 2006). Undoubtedly, the ideal self of the UK consumer is an increasingly fashionable one. This does not just apply to the younger age group, but also the older and more affluent age group who enjoy keeping up to date with current trends. Previously, this was very hard to accomplish as there was virtually no consumer choice for the older market segment, but value stores have attempted to address this issue (Clothing Market in the United Kingdom, 2006). These value chain stores allow consumers to remain fashionable while shopping on a budget and have arguably led to the creation of the term Fast Fashion. This refers to the current consumer habit of only wearing a piece of clothing a handful of times before it becomes unfashionable and is discarded (Clothing Footwear Industry Market Review 2010). Selling unfashionable items at rock-bottom prices and thereby encouraging this unsustainable practise does not enhance a companys reputation as Solomon and Rabolt (2004) believe: the green movement, is a priority for many consumers around the world (p. 148). Being socially responsible has been a constant issue for Primark and its low pricing and so-called fast fashion has prompted inquiries into how it can achieve this without ignoring ethical guidelines. This answer became clear when BBCs Panorama series went behind the scenes in India only to find children working in slum-workshops for poor pay on terribly long hours (Primark: on the rack, 2008). Such production lines contribute to the quality of the end product that Primarks displays on its rails and while consumers may be prepared to put up with poor quality during the recession, the latest research shows that this, among other factors, will soon change: The average prices paid for apparel could well start to increase, for three reasons: a move towards higher quality, comfort and design; demand for more expensive but sustainable products (Clothing Footwear Industry Market Review, 2010). Due to the competitiveness of the UK clothing industry (Clothing Market in the United Kingdom, 20 06), it is vital that in order to remain successful retailers become more responsive to the needs and wants of consumers (McMeekin, 2009). As argued by Alex Blyth, presenting a brand as cheap without ruining its value is one of the trickier marketing strategies to master ( Alex Blyth, 2010). Primark really needs to focus more on adding value to their product while having minimum effect on price as lower price is eventually their strength the same has been concluded by Robert Passikoff The buying decision has shifted from price to an even greater emphasis on value. Primark which already made a good use of its Suppliers chain during recession, by offering break down prices to pull more customers and successfully maintaining its competitive edge .However Primark can stress on its suppliers to add more value (Quality and other attributes) to the products so that growing market segment which tend to adopt to quality product can be attracted. This will not only help Primark attract more customers but will also turn the satisfied customers to loyal customers. A leading communications company found via satisfaction research that those customers proclaiming to be extremely or very satisfied were their least profitable customers in terms of revenue and product usage indicators( Pete Clark / Graham Tutton Oct 2007). Our research is led by the spirit of growth and increasing the market share, this is required by the market implicitly and explicitly. Enhancing your business performance is a never-ending process. World-class organizations do not want satisfied customers. Developing strong, loyal relationships with customers, effectively managing these relationships, and applying the latest thinking to measuring and managing customer perceptions, are the keys to turn satisfied customers to loyal customers ( Pete Clark / Graham Tutton Oct 2007).   Based on the previous studies we try to find that what values (Corporate Social Responsibility, Price, Quality, patronage effect or Brand Identity) most to the Primarks Customers, and how can Primark add value to its product? So that more customers could be attracted and more diverse segments of the market could be targeted. Research Model The secondary data demonstrates that there are some important factors which can have influence on the perception and attitude of the consumers through the decision-making process. i.e. the price, if a higher price or a lower price can affect the attitude of consumers towards Primark; brand image; quality; pleasing to others, word of mouths; do consumers feel satisfied of the shopping environment of Primark or not; the durability of the products; style of clothing; comfort; packaging; and fabric also. Furthermore the researchers also need to identify the current situation of Primark and compare with other competitors in clothing industry. Then on the next level, the researchers would like to know if the attitude change has an impact on the shopping frequency at Primark, or to what extent they can influence the consumers buying behaviour .And also the researchers defined two factors as the moderators needed to be analyse when testing the buying behaviour of the consumers. By using this model and testing the research questions and hypothesis to solve the manager problems How can the marketers of Primark to increase the market share. At the first place, the 10 factors evaluative criteria towards Primark are the independent variables and the perception and attitude towards Primark of the consumers is the dependant variable. However, the continuous model shows that the change of attitude could become as an independent variable when the researchers going to find the relationship between the satisfaction of consumers and the frequency to shop at Primark which is defined as a dependant variable. . And moreover the two moderators (gender and age group) are also independent variables which should be tested through the researching process. Research Question and Hypothesis Based on the secondary data and the research model, there are some questions and hypothesise for the researchers, so that to clarify the relationship and influences between different variables. What are the critical factors when shopping for clothes? H1: There are certain factors that influence the decision making of shopping for clothes. What are the important factors that can affect the attitudes of the customers when shopping at Primark? H2: There are some important factors that would affect the attitudes of the customers when shopping at Primark Does brand image influence the buyers attitudes towards Primark? H3: Brand image is a key factor that has an impact on the shopping attitude towards Primark. Is there a relationship between the high quality of products and the satisfaction of the consumers? H4: There is a significant relationship between the quality of products and the positive attitude towards Primark Is there a relationship between the low price and the attitude of the customers? H5: There is a significant association between the customers preference and the low price of the products in Primark. Is there a relationship between shopping behaviour of consumers and demographic index? H6: There is an significant association between consumers shopping behaviour and demographic index. Appendix 1: Questionnaire Leeds University Business School Dear Respondent, This questionnaire is purely for educational research and we are grateful to all who participate. We will be completing our MA in Corporate Communications and Public Relations from the Leeds University Business School in September 2011. The data derived from the questionnaire will be analyzed to produce a marketing research project as part of our degree programme. The purpose of this survey is To determine the factors that consumers consider as important while shopping for clothing. The findings of the study would help to suggest an appropriate framework to Primarks clothing to increase its market share. All of your responses will be kept confidential and all of the information will be analyzed and reported as grouped data. The study will be incomplete without your response and support. We kindly request you to fill in the required information. We appreciate your time and generosity! Part I General Shopping Behavior about Clothing How often do you shop for Clothing? à ¢- ¡Weekly à ¢- ¡ Monthly à ¢- ¡ Once in two months à ¢- ¡ Once in three months à ¢- ¡ Once in six months Kindly tick the most suitable preference you would consider while buying clothing. à ¢- ¡ According to need à ¢- ¡ During the season à ¢- ¡ During the sales à ¢- ¡ Only on special days or festivals Kindly tick the most appropriate preference of your shopping destinations. à ¢- ¡ Independent Shop à ¢- ¡ Shopping Centre à ¢- ¡ Markets à ¢- ¡ Other (Please specify) ________________________ Which is the most important factor influencing your clothing shopping decision? à ¢- ¡ Newspapers / Magazines à ¢- ¡ Friends / Relatives à ¢- ¡ TV à ¢- ¡ Internet à ¢- ¡ Posters / Hoardings à ¢- ¡ Other (Please specify) _________________________ Kindly identify the importance you associate with each of the attributes while you shop for Clothing. Least important Æ’Â  Very important à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ Brand image 1 2 3 4 5 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ Quality of clothing 1 2 3 4 5 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ Price 1 2 3 4 5 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ Style 1 2 3 4 5 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ Comfort 1 2 3 4 5 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ Fabric 1 2 3 4 5 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ Durability 1 2 3 4 5 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ How pleasing is it to others 1 2 3 4 5 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ Shopping environment 1 2 3 4 5 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ Comfort 1 2 3 4 5 Part II : Attitude towards Primark Have you ever shopped for clothing at Primark? à ¢- ¡ Yes à ¢- ¡ No (If no, then go to question No.9) How often do you shop for clothing at Primark? à ¢- ¡Weekly à ¢- ¡ Monthly à ¢- ¡ Once in two months à ¢- ¡ Once in three months à ¢- ¡ Once in six months What do you shop for in Primark? à ¢- ¡ Mens wear à ¢- ¡Womens wear à ¢- ¡Childrens wear à ¢- ¡Home wares Kindly identify the importance you associate with the following attributes when you shop for Primarks clothing. Least important Æ’Â  Very important à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ Brand image 1 2 3 4 5 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ Quality of clothing 1 2 3 4 5 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ Price 1 2 3 4 5 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ Style 1 2 3 4 5 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ Comfort 1 2 3 4 5 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ Fabric 1 2 3 4 5 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ Durability 1 2 3 4 5 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ How pleasing is it to others 1 2 3 4 5 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ Shopping environment 1 2 3 4 5 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ Comfort 1 2 3 4 5 Kindly identify your satisfaction level with each of the follow clothing outlets. Very Dissatisfied-Æ’Â  Very Satisfied à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ MS 1 2 3 4 5 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ GAP 1 2 3 4 5 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ZARA 1 2 3 4 5 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ TK Maxx 1 2 3 4 5 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ HM 1 2 3 4 5 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ NEXT 1 2 3 4 5 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ Topshop / Topman 1 2 3 4 5 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ Bhs 1 2 3 4 5 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ River Island 1 2 3 4 5 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ Primark 1 2 3 4 5 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ New Look 1 2 3 4 5 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ Matalan 1 2 3 4 5 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ Peacock 1 2 3 4 5 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ Other (Please specify) 1 2 3 4 5 Would you like to make some suggestions that would help Primark to improve its clothing quality? - Part III: Personal Information 1. Gender à ¢- ¡ Male à ¢- ¡ Female 2. Age à ¢- ¡ Under 20 à ¢- ¡ 21-29 à ¢- ¡ 30-39 à ¢- ¡ 40+ 3. Education à ¢- ¡ Primary School à ¢- ¡ Secondary School à ¢- ¡ College à ¢- ¡ University à ¢- ¡ Post Graduate à ¢- ¡ Other 4. Occupation à ¢- ¡ Student à ¢- ¡ Service à ¢- ¡ Business à ¢- ¡ Other Professions 5. Annual Income à ¢- ¡ Under  ¿Ã‚ ¡20, 000 à ¢- ¡  ¿Ã‚ ¡20,000  ¿Ã‚ ¡29, 999 à ¢- ¡  ¿Ã‚ ¡30,000  ¿Ã‚ ¡39,999 à ¢- ¡  ¿Ã‚ ¡40,000+ 6. Marital Status à ¢- ¡ Single à ¢- ¡ Married / Cohabitant Thank you for sharing your precious time!

How Romanticism Changed Societys Way of Thinking Essay -- Romanticism

To understand how Romanticism changed the way society thought, you must first understand the meanings and reason behind the movement. The Romantic Movement in the late 18th and early 19th centuries was described as a movement in the history of culture, an aesthetic style, and an attitude of mind. (Fiero) Romanticism provided expression of their thoughts and ideas toward their own societies, which was in effect predominantly in Europe and in the United States. The movement was a reaction to the Enlightenment which provided strict ideology and rationalism. The Church had much to do with the Enlightenment seeing as if religion and the importance of God were incorporated into most aspects of their culture. Thus, Romanticism was a response to the Enlightenment Movement and their religious ideology. Romantics began to believe that it was important to be in touch with your emotions. Romanticism was viewed as an assertion of intuitive individualism and the primacy of feeling. (Fiero) These ideas lead to more detail and expression in art. Portraits are perfect examples for the subject of the individual because in portraits you can see what the person was feeling. Artists typically painted as a reaction of what was going on around them and portraits gave them the opportunity to express what their society was like. Traditionally, records of individual likeness, portraits became vehicles for expressing a range of psychological and emotional states in the hands of Romantic painters. (Galitz) In the book Toward a Theory of Romanticism the author Morse Peckham gives his own idea on the theory of Romanticism. He gave his opinion on the theory of romanticism because he proclaims that while there is a definition for the romanticism movement, ... ...lt good about themselves as human beings. Because they acquired this mindset, they used their instinct to form opinions on issues that they dealt with at that time. People’s morals changed because of Romanticism and that changed the mentality of individuals for the better. Without individuality, society would yield all excitement and become very dull. Works Cited Galitz, Kathryn Calley. "Romanticism". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. Fiero, Gloria K. The Humanistic Tradition 6th ed. Vol. II New York: McGraw Hill, 2011 Print. Gleckner, Robert F., and Gerald E. Enscoe. "Toward a Theory of Romanticism." Romanticism; Points of View. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1970. Print. Curran, Stuart. The Cambridge Companion to British Romanticism. Cambridge [England: Cambridge UP, 1993. Print.

data reverse engineering in smart phones Essay --

There are numerous tools for data reverse engineering in smart phones, specifically Android phones. Some useful Android tools are Android Network Toolkit(ANTI), DroidBox, AVD Clone, and Smart Pentest Framework (SPF). The tools that are covered can support in retrieving significant information and help out in criminal investigations. The Android Network Toolkit is very useful and effecient application tool. According to the website Hackers Online Club, "This app is capable of mapping your network, scanning for vulnerable devices or configuration issues. It is for use by the amateur security enthusiast home user to the professional penetration tester, ANTI provides many other useful features." Here are some of the features for Android Network Toolkit (ANTI): it provides an easier connection to visual sniffing, and open ports. Visual sniffing usually refer to retrieving Cookies and URLs. The ANTI application also allows the user to perform MiTM attacks, allows the user to exploit Server and Client Sides. MiTM is normally use in cryptography and computer security. MiTM is basically eavesdropping. The application also comes with password cracker which determines the security level's in a password. ANTI may also replace an image in Denial of Service attacks and demos. All of these features are parrt of the Android Ne twork Toolkit (ANTI). Another helpful application is the DroidBox. This purpose of the DroidBox is perfrom dynamic analysis of other Android applications. The application generates many useful results. These are the results when the analysis has ended: it shows the incoming and outgoing network data. It also shows the hashes for the analyzed package, the application does file reads and write operations. It provides inform... ...will also be integrated with existing tools. Some of those tools are SET , Metasploit, and mcuh more. Conclusion Data Reverse Engineering on smartphone can have postivie and negative effect. Many of the applications today were created because of Data Reverse Engineering. a postive effect is that application developer can use Data Reverse Engineering to create a similar or new app from an existing app. A negative effect would be the creation of an application that is used to retrieve certain data from an individual or application attack other devices. An application may also be created to support criminal investigation and other forensic related subjects. There are numerous amount forensic tools application for all type of devices. Overall, an application that is created to attack other devices is not always bad, it just depence on the who is using the application.