Apple Inc. Ethical Issues - 1537 Words

Apple Inc. is one of the most famous multinational technology companies founded in the United States. Because Apple has had great leaders and also have a great brand, the world is always focused on the company. In this paper, we are mainly going to discuss Apple’s ethical success and challenges. First I will discuss how Apple’s philosophy and organizational culture have impacted how it handles ethical decisions. Secondly, I will talk about why Apple’s industry is so competitive and how this could affect the ethical risk in Apple’s operations. Lastly, I will share my opinion about how Apple has handled the various ethical issues that it has faced in the past. Apple’s philosophy and organizational culture have impacted how it handles ethical decisions. Many improvements were made after Steve Jobs returned to the company in 1997. Also, by facing ethical issues, they simply learned from the mistakes that they made. After Steve Jobs’ returned Apple has changed dramatically. One of the things that Jobs did was to institute a â€Å"closed door† policy. Before Jobs came back to Apple, employees were open about their projects. This policy was made to protect Apple’s intellectual property internally. Thanks to Jobs, nowadays, Apple puts a lot of importance on secrecy. Encouraging debate on ideas and creating visions employees could believe in, were the two cultural changes that Jobs instituted when he returned to Apple. By doing this, workers felt their input was very valuable to theShow MoreRelatedCase Study : Apple Inc.1049 Words   |  5 PagesApple Inc. started off as a small computer company and rose to prominence over the following years. They faced great challenges and obstacles to evolve and become one of the top notch corporations today. Having a great CEO, Steve Jobs, is credited for the success of Apple. Under the leadership of Steve Jobs, Apple was able to innovate industry changing technology. Big companies such as Apple Inc. focuses on ethical principles. They have a code of conduct that applies to their four main principlesRead More​In Order For A Company Or Professional To Excel In The1408 Words   |  6 Pagesethics is a set of different values and ethical standards that a company or professional must adhere to in order to conduct business. (Byum) One of the biggest companies that have changed not only the technological world but the business world as well is Apple. Since the founding of the company in 1976 it has continued to grow and has become one of the highest grossing companies, recently amassing a 49.6-billion-dollar revenue in the fourth quarter of 2016. (Apple Reports) With being the largest publicallyRead MoreApple s Ethical Decision Making Essay1479 Words   |  6 PagesApple is one of the most valuable brands in the world. The company has strong brand loyalty, impressive revenue growth and superior innovations in technology. There are many aspect s of the company that contribute to Apples success. One of the most important aspects is the company’s ethical decision making. Apple has a strong ethical code of conduct that represents the company as being ethical in all decisions being made. Despite Apples positive representation, the company has been faced with manyRead MoreManagement and Planning1251 Words   |  6 Pagesthat is directed and controlled by managers of an organization and draws on the knowledge and experience of employee’s throughout the organization (Bateman and Snell, 2009). This paper will discuss the planning functions of management within Apple Inc. Apple Inc., was co-founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, in 1976. Steve Jobs who revolutionized consumer technology, was able to slash expenses from $8.1 billion in 1997 to $5.7 billion in 1999 by outsourcing manufacturing, trimming inventories, shiftingRead MoreEthical Implications Of Ethical Consumerism1646 Words   |  7 PagesEXECUTIVE SUM MARY Consumer concern for ethical products is a subject of increasing interest and research which is illustrated here by an analysis of ethical consumerism and an evaluation of such based on Apple Inc. The Evaluation implies that Apple is in the process of making drastic improvements where ethics are concerned. Methods of analysis include a survey completed by ten students based on their various shopping preferences. Results of the data analyzed will show a higher percentage of studentsRead MoreOrganizational Culture : Business Practices1011 Words   |  5 Pages Does Organisational Culture Shape Ethical Business Practices? U5009333 Sarah Zuiderduin 14/10/2014 â€Æ' Introduction Organisation culture can be described as the beliefs, customs, value systems and behavioural norms and ways of doing business that are unique to each corporation. The impact of organisational culture on the ethical standards and moral practices of people in organisations has become increasingly common (Fisse Braithwaite, 1983). Managers within organisationsRead MoreSteve Jobs : A Visionary Leader1632 Words   |  7 Pages Do you care how your wealth is accumulated, or are you simply concerned with the outcome? If you care about how your wealth is accumulated, then you want a pioneer or visionary to champion that endeavor and you probably are concerned about the ethical behavior of that pioneer. In the following paragraphs, I will demonstrate how Steve Jobs was a visionary leader. I will also prove Steve Jobs was an unethical leader. Lastly, I will give personal examples of how I have experienced the same leadershipRead MoreUnethical Issues of Apple Iphone Essay943 Words   |  4 Pagesessay mainly illustrates the structure of your assignment on ethical issues of a company selected by you. You may first identify two or three ethical prob lems and then discuss how to solve them. Remember including relevant citations to support your evidences and viewpoints. Ethical issues in iPhone 1ï ¼Å½ Introduction ï ¼Å½ With an elegant combination of a mobile phone, iPod and personal digital assistant (PDA), iPhone was launched at Apple and ATT stores across the US on June 29, 2007(Place, 2007)Read MoreThe Ethical Claims Of Apple1093 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction: This Report is going to evaluate the ethical claims of Apple. Business Ethics can be defined as the investigation of appropriate business policies and works on with respect to conceivable questionable issues, for example, corporate administration, inside exchange, bribery, corporate social obligation and guardian obligations (Investopedia.com, 2015). Apple is well known by its ethical claims that are environmental responsibility and labour rights. However, there are condemnations ofRead MoreApple PESTEL Essay1715 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿1. Introduction Apple Inc., is known to be one of the world’s most valuable companies. It is a multi-national company with a worldwide presence; approximately 72,800 employees and total net sales of $156 billion in the year 2012 (Apple annual report, 2012). Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, both college dropouts, founded this corporation in 1976 - â€Å"Steve Jobs, helped to transform the way in which the computer is used today through his creation of the first computer processing unit and his creative

Reasons the United States Entered the First World War Free Essays

string(192) " been defeated the countries could not repay their debts, therefore, they supported ‘Preparedness Movement’ which was used for campaigning on joining the allied forces in the war\." What was the main cause of the United States joining World War 1 because of the Germans resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare Research Question: To what extent did the U.S. enter World War 1 because of unrestricted submarine warfare used by the Germans. We will write a custom essay sample on Reasons the United States Entered the First World War or any similar topic only for you Order Now Question: This essay will be investigated in this research paper is; To what extent did the U.S. enter World War 1 because of unrestricted submarine warfare used by the Germans. The purpose of the essay is to find out whether the U.S. joined World War 1 just because of the use of unrestricted submarine warfare. The historical significance of this research question is because on February 1917, Germany, determined to win its war of attrition against the Allies, resumed its policy of unrestricted submarine warfare in war-zone waters. A few days later, America declared war on Germany and broke off any diplomatic relations with the Germans because an American liner was sunk by a German U-boat. The significance from is that if it wasn’t for the U.S. entering World War 1 we wouldn’t be here, and the people I cared about as well. The main reason why World War One was mainly because of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28, 1914, in Sarajevo. Historians believe that there were a number of different factors that contributed to the Great Powers that made the war broke out on such a large scale. On January 9th, 1917 the Germans announced that they would resume their use of unrestricted submarine warfare. Therefore it played a major role in World War One as well as being one of the main reason the Americans joined the allies. When Bethmann Hollweg the German Chancellor announced that her country intention to resume the use of unrestricted submarine warfare, his biggest fear was that it would instigate the United States entering – and later on he found out he was correct. Some people might ask themselves why did the Germans have tiresome a tactic that would provoke the United States, a powerful country with enough troops to eliminate them. Close to the beginning of 1917, the Germans were struggling on the western front. When the use of unrestricted submarine warfare was used the Germans thought that it might be enough to keep the United States out of the war, it was mainly an act of cowardliness because the Germans were very desperate († WW1 US Involvement â€Å"). When the German Navy could not defeat the Royal Navy during the Battle of Jutland they realized they were very weak. The U-boats impact was overestimated, at the start of the war they were successful with this tactic on British naval targets but later on, success was uncommon. One of the first commercial targets attacked by U-boats was in February of 1915 because it was a piecemeal campaign. At the end of January of 1917 when Chancellor Hollweg, was convinced by officers in the German Imperial Navy and then ordered the resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare. The one reason that made Hollweg doubt herself was the sinking of neutral ships. This was major because the United States was neutral and this would be a major turning point of the war leading to the defeat of the Germans. During this time the United States sailed very frequently across the Atlantic with supplies for the Allies. By February 18th of 1915 Germany had announced that it would begin a war against the nation’s trading with the British. Among those nations was the United States and the Americans replied with a letter to Berlin stating that it would be responsible for any sunken ships. The Germans knew if the United States joined the war they would be defeated, therefore Chancellor Hollweg convinced the naval officers to exclude neutral ships especially ones from America. Near the end of February of 1915, the U-boat commerce had begun. In March 1915, about 5000 ships sailed and departed from British ports an only 21 were attacked. As a result, neutral shipping was thought to be safe from the neutral nations. On May 7th, 1915, the Germans made a big mistake by sinking the ‘Lusitania’ a British liner. 128 American citizens were on the liner and died which caused an outrage in America, but that was not enough to convince President Woodrow Wilson to declared war on Germany. on July 23rd,1915, another note was written by Wilson stating that the Germans changed their ways of attacking by a submarine. The method to sink the Lusitania’ was for a U-boat to come up to the surface and use newly equipped deck guns to destroy ships. Any neutral ship not carrying contraband was allowed to pass and enter the port it was sailing to. Any neutral ship that had contraband was sunk – but after the crew had got into the lifeboats. This seemed enough for Wilson to remain neutral in 1915. When President Wilson broke off ties with Germany trying to bring them to their senses. When Wilson realized that the Germans would not come to their senses the United States relationship with Germany became very tense. Wilson was trying to avoid war as long as he could but once the British intercepted a message from the Germans to the Mexicans offering support to take back California this is known as the Zimmerman Telegram. Seven American ships holding goods to trade were sunk by the Germans by March 21st, Wilson then called upon Congress on April 6th, 1917, and America entered World War One. Economic: Some historians believe that the main reason for the United States to join World War One might be for economic purposes. Most Americans who were wealthy businessmen wanted the Allies to win because the helped fund the French as well the British which would make them about three billion in loans and bond purchases. But if the Allies had been defeated the countries could not repay their debts, therefore, they supported ‘Preparedness Movement’ which was used for campaigning on joining the allied forces in the war. You read "Reasons the United States Entered the First World War" in category "Papers" Conclusion: The conclusion that I reached was to a significant extent that the United States joined World War One because of the use of unrestricted submarine warfare used by the Germans because of desperation. Even though there were many other reasons as well. The sources used in the essay are from scholarly articles in different databases. Some are general accounts of the different battles that occurred during WWI. Historical Significance: This research question is significant to me because I have always had a passion for learning about the significance of World War I. I’ve watched a lot of documentaries on WWI and the use of unrestricted submarine warfare that’s on youtube. While learning about the war, the most interesting part to me was the battle of Jutland because it was the only major battle fought on the sea. Also, I visited the Century Tower which is 157 feet tall and its beautiful memorial. Scope This essay will be covering significant of World War One from 1914-1918. The thesis statement is, to what extent did the United States enter World War One because of the use of unrestricted submarine warfare used by the Germans? The reason I am investigating this is that I am trying to find the main why the United States joined World War 1. The structure used to develop the argument is to talk about some of the important battles leading up to the structure used to develop the argument is to talk about some of the important battles leading up to the United States joining World War One, then I will analyze the effects of the United States had on the war. Political: Treaty of Versailles: Their seven different terms Germany had to abide by the first term was to hand over all overseas, term two was that Germany could only have an army of 100,000 men maximum, term three was that Germany’s navy could only have six battleships with zero submarines, term four they were not allowed to have or use an air force, term five the west side of Germany would be demilitarized, term six Austria and Germany could not reunite, and term seven Germany had to take the blame and accept the ‘War Guilt Cause’ and pay back war reparations. Perspectives †Note by President Woodrow Wilson about the Armistice, November 11, 1918† â€Å"In the October 2017 issue of Social Education, the journal of the National Council for the Social Studies, our â€Å"Sources and Strategies† article features two manuscript documents from individuals with very different responses to the armistice that ended the major fighting of World War I. One was a letter by President Woodrow Wilson who jotted down a few sentences to notify the people of the United States that the war was at its end. This letter is part of the Woodrow Wilson Papers in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress, which includes more than 200,000 items related to Wilson’s life and presidential administration (â€Å"Today in History – April 14†). The letter also appears in the Library’s exhibition â€Å"Echoes of the Great War: American Experiences of World War I.† †Page from the diary of Private Harry Frieman, November 11, 1918† FIX â€Å"The other document is diary entry by Private Harry Frieman, a U.S. infantryman fighting in France. Frieman’s diary is held by the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress, along with firsthand accounts from thousands of veterans of World War I and all U.S. conflicts since.  A sidebar  describes the Library’s current efforts to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the United States’ participation in the war, including a new World War One Topic Page that brings together resources from across the Library.† These two documents were written at about the same time, but they represent complete opposite perspectives on World War One and the ending. President Woodrow Wilson letter, written on the White House stationery, had an international point of view armistice, he spent most of the time writing about the role the United States would be taking in assisting the former combatants and initiating â€Å"just democracy throughout the world.† Private Harry Frieman’s diary, although jotted down a personal letter about the end of the war. He explains that his squad was going to advance on enemy troops in foggy weather, but in the nick of time, the commanding officer told his troops to cease fire around 11 am. The shooting stopped at around 11 am and the fog had lifted, Frieman’s squad realized that they had been surrounded by German soldiers. â€Å"If the war would have kept up a few hours longer there wouldn’t be many of us left to tell about it.† World War One Stats World War One is also known as the â€Å"Great War† was an international war, most of the battles were fought in narrow trenches and most soldiers were equipped with machine guns. The battles that were fought on the ocean and the coast we bombed by warships provided by the Germans. The planes were rarely used for fighting, they were mostly for scouting out the enemies. However when the battles were fought in the air as well as air raid s the Germans used zeppelins. While the soldiers were off at war the civilians worked in factories and produce weapons, equipment, supplies for troops, and gun ammunition. The doctors and nurses on and off the battlefield cared for hundreds of thousands of wounded and sick soldiers. The allied countries involved in WWI were Great Britain, Canada, United States, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, France, Greece, India, Italy, Serbia, and South Africa. Their casualties in total were approximately 9.37 million; 60% were from the military and the remaining 40% were civilians while approximately 12.8 million were wounded from the military. The central powers countries involved in WWI were Germany, Bulgaria, Austria-Hungary, and Ottoman (Turkey) Empire. Their casualties in total were approximately 9.22 million; 43.6% were from the military and the remaining 56.4% were civilians while approximately 8.42 million were wounded from the military. Battles were on the Western Front in Europe plus in Italy, Gallipoli, Greece, the Balkan Peninsula, Africa, the Middle East, and the Falkland Islands, to name only a few. Globally, WWI losses consisted of 9,720,450 casualties from the military and 8,865,650 civilians while 19,769,102 were wounded from the military. In WWI, many weapons and technologies were used for the first time including Trench Warfare, Airships ; Planes, Tanks, Trucks ; Submarines, Wireless Communication (Telegraph), Machine Guns ; Long Range Artillery, Chemical Warfare (poisonous gas), and Flame Throwers. The estimated cost of WWI fro the major countries involved was $186,333,637,000; the allied powers endured 67.45% of it while the central powers endured the remaining 32.55%. The total troops deployed were 65,038,810; 13.13% were killed and 32.63% were wounded. 64.87% of the troops were deployed by the allied powers while the central powers deployed the remaining 35.13%. The total number of the allied powers troops that were killed was 5,152,115 while 3,386,200 troops were killed from the central powers side. The total number of the allied powers troops that were wounded was 12,831,000 while 8,388,448 troops were wounded from the central powers side. Germany endured most of the cost and it was about 20.3%, 18.96% by Great Britain, 13.02% by France, 12.14% by the United States, 11.96% by Russia, 0.009% by Canada, and 0.0062% by Belgium. Russia deployed 12 million troops; 1.7 million were killed and 4.295 million were wounded, Germany deployed 11 million troops; 1.77 million were killed and 4.2 million were wounded, Great Britain deployed 8.9 million troops; 908,371 were killed and 2.09 million were wounded, the United States deployed 4.335 million troops; 126,000 were killed and 264,000 were wounded, France deployed 8.41 million troops; 1.358 million were killed and 4.266 were wounded, Belgium deployed 267,000 troops; 13,716 were killed and 44,686 were wounded, and Canada deployed 619,500 troops; 66,655 were killed and 172,950 were wounded. League of Nations The League of Nations was founded as a result of the Treaty of Versailles which was the meeting of the victorious Allied Powers following the end of World War I to set goals such as disarmament the defeated Central Powers, preventing war through collective security, improving global welfare, and settling disputes between countries through negotiation diplomacy. Britain, France, Italy, Japan, and the United States controlled the talks in Paris. The U.S. proposed the idea of peace without victory and wanted to make sure that Germany was not treated too harshly but France and Britain saw that punishing Germany was the only way to justify the costs of the war. In the end, The U.S. compromised on the treatment of Germany to ensure its weakness to push through its idea; a peacekeeping organization called the League of Nations which was founded on 10 January 1920. In 1920 the League created its Mandates Commission to protect minorities and look after the former colonies of Germany and Turkey. The League had 42 founding members although the U.S., USSR and Germany were not members. It began organizational work in the fall of 1919   with a headquarters in London before moving to Geneva. The League lasted for 26 years then it was replaced by the United Nations (UN) after the WWII and took control of several agencies and organizations founded by the League. In 1944, the United Nations held its first planning conference in San Francisco, ending any need for the League of Nations. The League of Nations was   officially dissolved in 1946 How to cite Reasons the United States Entered the First World War, Papers

Digital Marketing for Content Marketing -myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Write about theDigital Marketing and Communicationfor Content Marketing. Answer: Introduction Digital marketing refers to an umbrella term for marketing of the products and the services using the digital technologies that are found mainly on the internet, mobile phones, display advertising and other digital mediums. The various digital marketing techniques include search engine optimization, search engine marketing, content marketing, and influencer marketing campaign marketing, e-mail direct marketing, e-books and many more. Digital Marketing enhances the engagement of the digital marketing customers and allows them to interact with the brand with the help of servicing and delivery of the digital media (Armstrong et al. 2015). The users who have the access to the internet can use the digital mediums such as Facebook, YouTube, Forums and Emails. The Aston Club Pty. Ltd is the company that builds up and designs the mobile application software (console.astonclub.com.au. 2017). This application makes it easier for the consumers and the customers to pay out their bills regarding the food and the beverages. The respective Company was established in Cremorne in Australia in the year 2013. The audit shows the different digital marketing tools and platforms that can be used. The digital marketing platforms that are stated are the use of the social media, websites and e-mail marketing. The Aston Club employs a variety of digital marketing proposals for the purpose of consumer commitment. The company is runs a highly incorporated digital marketing campaign where all proposals work in close partnership rather than as silos. The organization ensured that it recognized channels that were driving business impact and performance. Then it uses cross-channel attribution modelling and technology to recognize the impact of each channel on one another (Chaffey, Smith and Smith 2013). Discussion The discussion comprises of the marketing tools and platforms used by the Aston Club. The report elaborates on the digital marketing tools that have been used by this company to meet its needs. The advantages and the disadvantages of using these tools have also been discussed. Digital Marketing Platform/Tool #1: The first digital marketing tool that has been chosen is the social media platform. The social medium platform that has been applied to the company helps to amplify the services that are being provided to them. This is also used to attract customers through the social media. The Company uses this platform to continue the engagement with the existing customers and the new customers (Chaffey and Ellis-Chadwick 2012). History of the platform/Tool The digital marketing tool to be used is the social media that is Facebook. Facebook is a for-profit corporation in America and an online social and social marketing service based in California. Mark Zuckerberg launched it on the 4th of February 2004. A large variety of desktops, laptops, tablet computers and smart phones can access Facebook over the internet and mobile networks (Hays, Page and Buhalis 2013). Business objective that will be fulfilled The registration to the platform allows the user to create a user profile indicating their name and other details. To market the business of Aston club on Facebook one needs to understand the unique opportunities and the difference from the other media. The marketing on Facebook should be different from the marketing on radio or television. Facebook should not be used as a hard sell. Facebook is a space to have social fun where individuals chat with their friends, check out photographs and videos and use it as a medium for relaxation. Implementation of the platform/tool The Aston club needs to use this digital marketing tool as a means to attract people and engage them in conversations about the Company. The Company should become a part of the neighbourhood rather than being a production stranger who tries to sell their service forcefully (Ryan 2016). The hard sell tactics that are to be used are the advertising slogans, updating posts regularly about the services that Aston club provides the customers with and the provision of the features of the application software that the Company has launched that will be isolated from any other related conversation (Scott 2015). There should be creation of a post every morning featuring the special for the day using a coupon code so that the sale can be easily tracked to Facebook. The posting of a daily photograph that features a faithful customer who is using the application software. The encouraging and engagement of the users to post their own photos while availing the service of the company at restaurants and cafes. Unlike the traditional media like the magazines and the television or other online media platforms the social media is assembled around frequent updates. There should be posts by the Company regularly. The users on Facebook check their page at least once a day. Hence, the need arises that the Company regularly posts new materials on their page. The main agenda is to post whenever the company has any interesting content and also to judge how often the audience wants to hear from the Company. The Company should encourage the users on Facebook users to respond to the posts by the Company that is the Aston Club. The users should post their own comments about the Company or a topic that is of interest to both the Company and the customer. Pictures and videos are the main elements of the appeal of Facebook (Hansson, Wrangmo and Solberg Silen 2013). The followers of the page of the Company on Facebook should appealed by the page and feel entertained and engaged. There should be games, surveys, contests and offers. Measuring Success According to recent research, it is seen that discounts and giveaways are the most popular reason for the consumer to follow a Facebook page of a certain business. Facebook may also be used as a device for the distribution of the customer surveys but the surveys should be short in nature. There should be provision of a survey link that the users can click on, ignore or share with their friends (Mariani, Di Felice and Mura 2016). There are the click through rates on Facebook that are for the general display advertisements. The fans of the business are also calculated through the click through rate. The total number of clicks on a particular post is divided by the number of fans who would have seen the post (a number that is adjusted to take into consideration that not each fan is online on Facebook all day) helps to calculate the number of fans a brand has. The nurturing of the relationship with the other Facebook users will take time and hence patience is required. The new users shou ld be engaged in sincere conversations by providing them with useful content and developing rewards for the loyal customers to enable fostering of positive relationship. The Company should promote its page on Facebook so that the social media works along with the traditional marketing methods. The Facebook address should be provided on the letterhead of the company, the business card and the website, in store, in the advertisements and in the email signature. The Facebook insights can enable the company to know about the people who are choosing to like the page of the Aston Club (Belch et al. 2014). After this, the posts and offers can be tailored to meet the needs and interests of the consumers. Digital Marketing Platform/Tool #2: The second digital marketing tool that has been chosen is mobile marketing. This strategy includes the usage and the development of a QR code. History of the platform/Tool The QR codes are 2D matrix barcodes also referred to as the Quick Response Codes (Cata, Patel and Sakaguchi 2013). These are similar to the standard bar codes that appear on the all the products but the QR codes have more information stored in them than the traditional barcodes. The Aston Club Pty. Ltd is a company that expands and designs the mobile application software. This function makes it easier for the consumers and the customers to pay out their statements regarding the food and the beverages. The QR code works by merely scanning the code with the mobile that has a camera and a QR reader application. Business objective that will be fulfilled These applications are downloaded free on the smart phone platforms. After the code has been scanned, it is translated into actionable information. The codes have to be integrated in conference displays, event displays, print advertisements, business card, brochures, posters, mailers and flyers of the Company. The code is user convenient and environmental friendly in nature. The QR codes cost nothing to produce and their use is only limited by the marketing strategy of the Company. Implementation of the platform/tool The mobile marketing is the multi-channel online marketing device that helps to reach a definite audience on their smart phone, tablets and other related devices through the websites. The marketers of the Aston Club should aim to optimize the visibility of the application in a store that will maximize the number of the downloads. This practice is called as the App Store optimization. The high quality of the mobile app development is essential to obtain the strong position in the mobile app store (Persaud and Azhar 2012). Measuring Success The company can also offer location based services to send customized advertising and other information to the customers. The cell phone network service provider will get the location from the GPS chip built in the phone and the trilateration based on the strength of the signal of the closest cell phone towers. Mobile Marketing uses several tools to increase trade. SMS marketing is a powerful mobile marketing tool that is often overlooked. The SMS marketing messages are read quickly and are guaranteed to reach the addressees that has agreed to receive them (Strm, Vendel and Bredican, J., 2014). Recommendations The creation of the content that produces enough traffic and quality content as over the demand of the consumer is necessary. The first digital marketing tool that is chosen is the social media platform. The social media platform that is applied to the company helps to amplify the services that are being provided to them (Tiago and Verssimo 2014). This is also used to attract customers through the social media. The Company uses this platform to continue the engagement with the existing customers and the new customers. The digital marketing tool to be used is the social media that is Facebook (Kaur 2016). The second digital marketing tool that has been chosen is mobile marketing. This strategy includes the usage and the development of a QR code. The QR codes are 2D matrix barcodes also referred to as the Quick Response Codes. This application makes it easier for the consumers and the customers to pay out their bills regarding the food and the beverages. Conclusion Thereby, the Aston Club is the new mobile phone payments application that changes the way people are thinking. It is regarded as the quickest, simplest and the safest way to pay the bar tabs and the restaurant bills. The application allows the choosing of a venue by the customers, opening of a tab, setting a limit, ordering as usual and closing it. All these actions can be performed from the phone of an individual. The Aston club is a POS-integrated digital payment and loyalty platform allows the earning of exclusive awards. The Aston Club employs a range of digital marketing platforms for the purpose of engagement of the consumer. The company is running a high integrated digital marketing campaign where all platforms are working in close partnership rather than as silos. The business ensured that it recognized channels that were driving business impact and presentation. Then it used the cross-channel attribution modelling and expertise to recognize the impact of each channel on one another. The purpose of this report has been served to develop an understanding of two digital marketing tools and platforms that are most commonly found in todays business environment. The report discusses on the marketing tools and platforms that the company chosen here that is the Aston Club. The report elaborates on the digital marketing tools that have been used by this company to meet its needs. The advantages and the disadvantages of using these tools have also been discussed. There have been recommendations suggested also on the report. References Armstrong, G., Kotler, P., Harker, M. and Brennan, R., 2015.Marketing: an introduction. Pearson Education. Belch, G.E., Belch, M.A., Kerr, G.F. and Powell, I., 2014.Advertising: An integrated marketing communication perspective. McGraw-Hill Education. Cata, T., Patel, P.S. and Sakaguchi, T., 2013. QR code: A new opportunity for effective mobile marketing.Journal of Mobile Technologies, Knowledge and Society,2013, p.1. Chaffey, D. and Ellis-Chadwick, F., 2012.Digital marketing. Pearson Higher Ed. Chaffey, D., Smith, P.R. and Smith, P.R., 2013.eMarketing eXcellence: Planning and optimizing your digital marketing. Routledge. console.astonclub.com.au.(2017).Aston Club Merchant Console.Console.astonclub.com.au. Retrieved 24 August 2017, from https://console.astonclub.com.au/#/login Hansson, L., Wrangmo, A. and Solberg Silen, K., 2013. Optimal ways for companies to use Facebook as a marketing channel.Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society,11(2), pp.112-126. Hays, S., Page, S.J. and Buhalis, D., 2013. Social media as a destination marketing tool: its use by national tourism organisations.Current issues in Tourism,16(3), pp.211-239. Jrvinen, J., Tollinen, A., Karjaluoto, H. and Jayawardhena, C., 2012. DIGITAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING USAGE IN B2B INDUSTRIAL SECTION.Marketing Management Journal,22(2). Kaur, J., 2016. Facebook-as a marketing tool.ACADEMICIA: An International Multidisciplinary Research Journal,6(4), pp.215-221. Mariani, M.M., Di Felice, M. and Mura, M., 2016. Facebook as a destination marketing tool: Evidence from Italian regional Destination Management Organizations.Tourism Management,54, pp.321-343. Persaud, A. and Azhar, I., 2012. Innovative mobile marketing via smartphones: Are consumers ready?.Marketing Intelligence Planning,30(4), pp.418-443. Ryan, D., 2016.Understanding digital marketing: marketing strategies for engaging the digital generation. Kogan Page Publishers. Scott, D.M., 2015.The new rules of marketing and PR: How to use social media, online video, mobile applications, blogs, news releases, and viral marketing to reach buyers directly. John Wiley Sons. Strm, R., Vendel, M. and Bredican, J., 2014. Mobile marketing: A literature review on its value for consumers and retailers.Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services,21(6), pp.1001-1012. Tiago, M.T.P.M.B. and Verssimo, J.M.C., 2014. Digital marketing and social media: Why bother?.Business Horizons,57(6), pp.703-708.

The taming of the shrew was written by William Shakespeare some time between 1589 and 1595 Essay Example For Students

The taming of the shrew was written by William Shakespeare some time between 1589 and 1595 Essay The taming of the shrew was written by William Shakespeare some time between 1589 and 1595. It has been the source of much controversy due to its apparently sexist nature. As one critic George Bernard Shaw, 1988 describes it as altogether disgusting to modern sensibility. It is; however, open to interpretation as to the extent of the sexism and whether or not Shakespeare was actually writing from a feminist view point. However it is that you look at the play it is Katrinas final speech in act 5 scene 2 that is the crucial point where all other events, no matter how you interpret them come to a climax. We will write a custom essay on The taming of the shrew was written by William Shakespeare some time between 1589 and 1595 specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now All throughout the play Katerina could be seen as being ironic, generally submissive, genuinely in love or driven made by Petrucio. It is at this point that we see the extent of her mental state whichever way you look at it. The first way of interpreting Katerinas actions is that she is being ironic and despite Petrucios efforts is never tamed. In act 1 scene 1 we see her contempt at the idea of being forced to marry as part of a business deal between rich suitors and her father I pray you, sir, is it your will to make a stale of me amongst these mates? . Here we see her referring to herself as being a prostitute in her fathers eyes and get a taste of her disgust at the entire situation. It is therefore inconceivable that a woman so strong minded and so strongly opposed to this form of arranged marriage should really fall for a man proposed by her father as what is really part of a business deal. The exchange between Katerina and Petrucio in act 2 scene 1 could be interpreted as basically Katerina playing with Petrucio. We see a lot of puns and clever insults from Katerina in this section. Maybe she just thinks Petrucio is a fool and decides to make fun of him? It would certainly fit in with what we have seen of her personality so far. Examples of this could be when she refers to him as a joint stool turd and as a jade sexless man. One interpretation of the play is that Katerina is playing with Petrucio and this could deffinately be seen to back this view up. Lines 209 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" 210 in act 3 scene 2 again back up the idea that Katerina, although now married is not happy about the arrangement. I see a woman may be made a fool if she had not a spirit to resist. We could interpret this as Katerina refusing to be made to look a fool any further by a man who is in her opinion a fool. It shows that although she is married she is still the same woman and refuses to be changed by a man and quotes like this are important in making the audience question the true extent of and reasons for Katerinas drastic change. Another example of Katerina still not being willing to brake to Petrucio is when Grumio is telling fellow servant Curtis about the trip back from Padua in act 4 scene 1. He tells him about how Katerina pulled Petrucio from Grumio and how she pleaded with him to stop beating him. She also remains silent for a lot of this scene even when spoken to directly by Petrucio be merry, Kate. Some water here! What ho! is just one example of Petrucio being met with silence when addressing Kate. One interpretation of this is that she is not at all impressed with Petrucio and doesnt feel that he is worth giving an answer to. Examples of Katerina remaining silent for extended periods whilst Petrucio is behaving outrageously are again present during act 4 scene 3. From line 50 to lie 60 Petrucio is being blatantly cruel to Katerina by having Hortensio eat all of her food and still she remains mute. It is one interpretation that Katerina is so overcome by rage by this that she just cannot find the words with which to voice her anger at Petrucio. Act 4 scene 5 can be interpreted as the part of the play that Katerina really starts to bend to Petrucios will. It could however be seen that Katerina is in fact just going along with Petrucio when he says that it is night when it is really day I say it is the moon I know it is the moon. to get her own way and not to please Petrucio at all. This is a view point further backed up by the hugely over the top performance she gives when addressing an old man Vincentio as the young maiden as Petrucio had described him. This can be seen as a sure message from Katerina to Petrucio that enough was enough and that she knows what he is doing and that she can make a fool out of him as well. Finally, the key speech made by Katerina in act 5 scene 2 can by interpreted as hugely ironic. Firstly, it is a truly drastic change in the personality and outlook of Katerina and the idea of a once fierce and outspoken feminist now putting shame on other women not heeding to the back and call of their husbands in a serious manner is almost too much to comprehend. .u3abe7926b0827ed21f1ea6655f987f3d , .u3abe7926b0827ed21f1ea6655f987f3d .postImageUrl , .u3abe7926b0827ed21f1ea6655f987f3d .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u3abe7926b0827ed21f1ea6655f987f3d , .u3abe7926b0827ed21f1ea6655f987f3d:hover , .u3abe7926b0827ed21f1ea6655f987f3d:visited , .u3abe7926b0827ed21f1ea6655f987f3d:active { border:0!important; } .u3abe7926b0827ed21f1ea6655f987f3d .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u3abe7926b0827ed21f1ea6655f987f3d { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u3abe7926b0827ed21f1ea6655f987f3d:active , .u3abe7926b0827ed21f1ea6655f987f3d:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u3abe7926b0827ed21f1ea6655f987f3d .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u3abe7926b0827ed21f1ea6655f987f3d .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u3abe7926b0827ed21f1ea6655f987f3d .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u3abe7926b0827ed21f1ea6655f987f3d .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u3abe7926b0827ed21f1ea6655f987f3d:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u3abe7926b0827ed21f1ea6655f987f3d .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u3abe7926b0827ed21f1ea6655f987f3d .u3abe7926b0827ed21f1ea6655f987f3d-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u3abe7926b0827ed21f1ea6655f987f3d:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: How does Shakespeare encourage the audience to feel sympathy for Juliet throughout 'Romeo and Juliet' EssayAlso it could be seen that there are hidden messages in the speech and for thy maintenance; commits his body to painfull labour both by sea and land, to watch the night in storms, the day in cold, whilst thy list warm at home, safe and secure could be seen as Katerina saying look, whilst he is away working and keeping us in luxury we could become his master as opposed to the other way around. Another example could be I am ashamed that women are so simple to offer war when they should kneel for peace. Again she could be saying think about it, we can get what we want by pretending to obey these fools and in return get what we want for very little. Another interpretation of the extent to which Katerina is tamed is that Petrucios methods of taming were so severe that they finally drove her mad. In act 1 scene 1 we see Katerina as bad tempered and rude but we see nothing to make us wonder weather she is insane. We can even sympathise with her discontent for her fathers attempt to in effect selling her to the highest bidder which especially today would be seen as unacceptable by many. She even seems very quick witted and not prepared to be made into anybodys fool. Act 2 scene 1 is another good example of her quick wit and harsh tongue. This is the first meeting between Petrucio and Katerina and as expected she is not happy about the situation. Calling Petrucio a crab, craven and a coxcomb. This can be seen to back up the idea that Katerina is in complete control of her mental faculties. There are indications that Katerina may be losing her mind in act 4 scene 1. Examples of this are when Petrucio refuses the food cooked by his serving men because it is burned and Katerina complains saying that the meat was fine. Although Petrucio may have been lying in order to prevent her from eating there is still a possibility that the meat really was burned and that Katerina was mistaken. Another example of Katerina acting out of the ordinary is on the way to Padua. Although it is probable that the reason for her agreeing that it is night when it is clearly day was so that they could get to Padua it is her greeting of Vincentio which puts the largest question mark on her sanity. Although only doing it to please Petrucio she still goes well over the top by referring to him as a young, budding virgin and needlessly elaborates by saying happy the parents of so fair a child! . This could even be seen as intentional cruelty towards Vincentio and by judging form Katerinas actions in saving Grumio from being beaten by Petrucio after the wedding it is not a common character trait of Katerina. These actions are largely in contrast with those of Katerina earlier on in the play and shows the possible change in character which she goes through as a result of Petrucios taming tactics. Petrucio himself is even so shocked by what he sees he says why, how now, Kate? I hope thou art not mad. The final scene is probably the single largest display of the extent of Katrinas eccentricity in the play. Firstly she stamps on an expensive cap which she really fought hard to get as if it was nothing. Finally she, once ordered to by Petrucio, gives a speech to the other two shrews about how they should be more loving and respectful toward their husbands. Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper, thy head, sovereign. This is a very drastic change in opinion especially seen as even as late as act 4 scene 3 she is still expressing her discontent for what Petrucio is trying to do to her and fighting his efforts to tame her. An alternative view point and interpretation of the extent to which Katerina is tamed is that she genuinely falls in love with Petrucio and by the end of the play is only acting to please him. We see that from act 1 scece1 she is branded by people as A feind of hell and the devils dam. We are also given actions to back up this view such as how she hit her sister and speaks rudely to the suitors for Bianca. Especially seeing as at the time women were not supposed to speak their minds if it went against the ideas of their male superiors this would be quite shocking for a Shakespearean audience. One interpretation of the first meeting between Katerina and Petrucio is that she is straight away a lot warmer towards Petrucio than the other men in the play. For example only moments earlier she had smashed a lute over Hortensios head simply for telling her that she mistook her frets. Now that she is confronted by a man trying to woo her which she was complaining about to her father in act 1 scene 1 you would expect her to be outraged. However she seems almost to enjoy Petrucio and the challenge which he presents. She is not used to people standing up to her as Petrucio is and also she is not used to People being this interested in her as Petrucio seems to e and may be flattered by him. .u0b8577df1406d4b66db2fe26c66dcd86 , .u0b8577df1406d4b66db2fe26c66dcd86 .postImageUrl , .u0b8577df1406d4b66db2fe26c66dcd86 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u0b8577df1406d4b66db2fe26c66dcd86 , .u0b8577df1406d4b66db2fe26c66dcd86:hover , .u0b8577df1406d4b66db2fe26c66dcd86:visited , .u0b8577df1406d4b66db2fe26c66dcd86:active { border:0!important; } .u0b8577df1406d4b66db2fe26c66dcd86 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u0b8577df1406d4b66db2fe26c66dcd86 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u0b8577df1406d4b66db2fe26c66dcd86:active , .u0b8577df1406d4b66db2fe26c66dcd86:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u0b8577df1406d4b66db2fe26c66dcd86 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u0b8577df1406d4b66db2fe26c66dcd86 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u0b8577df1406d4b66db2fe26c66dcd86 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u0b8577df1406d4b66db2fe26c66dcd86 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u0b8577df1406d4b66db2fe26c66dcd86:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u0b8577df1406d4b66db2fe26c66dcd86 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u0b8577df1406d4b66db2fe26c66dcd86 .u0b8577df1406d4b66db2fe26c66dcd86-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u0b8577df1406d4b66db2fe26c66dcd86:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Macbeth(c.1607), written by William Shakespeare, i EssayAlthough she does strike Petrucio she does let him hold her for quite a long time without struggling. Is it possible that her sole reason for hitting Petrucio is that he would hold her? Also when Petrucio is telling Baptista that she loves him and that she would only remain cursed in company she does not deny it. She only complains when Petrucio announces that they will be married that Sunday but once she has allowed others to believe that she will remain cursed in company her protests mean little and one interpretation is that she is aware of this. Act 3 scene 2 is another fine example of evidence that Katerina has feelings for Petrucio even at this point in the play. For starters Katerina actually turns up to the wedding. This is significant because is the groom were Gremio or Hortensio for example she would probably have flatly refused to go along with it. Also she is very upset when Petrucio doesnt appear to be going to show up to the wedding and runs off crying. Although this could be due to embarrassment it is also a likely explanation that she is actually heart broken. In act 4 scene 3 we see signs of Katerina starting to possibly give in to Petrucio. We see Petrucio taunting Katerina with food and then having Hoertensio eat it infront of her. From what we have already seen you would expect Katerina to go mad at Petrucio but she remains quiet through it all and doesnt complain. She may be starting to realise that the only way that she can get anything whilst living under Petrucios roof is not to go against his will. Maybe she is beginning to respect his methods of discipline? Act 4 scene 5 is another sign that she is happy to please Petrucio at the risk of making a fool out of herself and at the expense of having to knowingly contradict her beliefs to please him. An example of this is that she agrees with Petrucio that it is the night when it is clearly the night. Another is that she addresses Vincentio as a young budding virgin and speaks at length about just how fine a maiden he is, making a complete fool out of herself in the process. It could be that she elaborates at such length to prove to Petrucio that she is truly prepared to heed to his will and to please him. The final scene too many is ample proof that Katerina is tamed by the end of the play and that she is genuinely in love with Petruchio. The first we see of this is that she is the only one of the three women which comes to their husband when called. This is quite a shock to most of the men who are present partly because it makes her look the least of a shrew and raises concerns about Bianca. We then see further her apparent commitment to Petruchio when she stamps on a cap which she really fought to get. And finally in the speech she makes to the other women. For many this is the overriding proof that she loves Petruchio as why would someone with a personality as strong as that of Katerina at the start of the play give a speech to other women about how they should act to only please their husbands unless she had been changed in some way and actually believed in what it is that she was saying. It is my opinion Katerina is not tamed by the end of the play. I do believe however that she is a changed woman and that the Kate the curst, devils dam of old is now if not gone completely pretty subdued. I think that Katerina has realised through living with Petruchio that there are people who are just as if not more curst than herself and that being on the receiving end of that is not so pleasant. I think that overall Petruchio was quite a good thing to happen to Katerina in the fact that although she went through a tough time with him she came out of the other end a new woman and in my opinion not one who is just going to do whatever Petruchio says or be at war with him for the rest of their lives but as someone who can accept others and tolerate them as well as stick up for herself. I think that Petruchio just wanted to see Katerina do something like make the speech and will be far more tolerant towards her in return for the tolerance which she gives him. This view would be backed up by a feminist critic of the book Germaine Greer who stated Kate has the uncommon good fortune to find Petruchio, who is man enough to know what he wants and how to get it. R. B Heilman whos view was that The truth is that Kates great victory is, with Petruchios help, over herself; she has come to accept herself as having enough merits so that she can be content without having the last word and scaring everybody off,.

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Lab Results Fermenter Essay To determine the amount of anti-microbial peptide production by Staphylococcus warneri under various conditions when 2L and 10L Fermented. To Test the effects of one uncontrolled parameters sush as pH, Temperature or dissolved Oxygen and compare findings. To produce anti-microbial activity from Staphylococcus warneri.Staphylococcus warneri is a member of bacterial genus Staphylococcus, consisting of Gram-positive bacteria with spherical cells appearing in clusters. Colonies of S. warneri are usually tan, yellow and about 2-4mm in diameter after 48 hours incubation at 35Â °C. It is commonly found as part of the skin flora on humans and animals. S. warneri rarely causes disease, but may occasionally cause infection in patients whose immune system is compromised. S. warneri is known to produce antimicrobial peptide activity in the form of Nisin. The optimum conditions for this to occur are pH 7. Nisin is a polycylic antibacterial peptide with 34 amino acid residues used as a food preservative. It is produced by bacterium and which contains antimicrobial activity and which is known as a bacteriocin. Nisin has been found to have properties that can control spoilage caused by lactic acid bacteria.

Police Discretion and the Use of Force Essay -- Socia Issues, Discrimi

Discretion is defined as the authority to make a decision between two or more choices (Pollock, 2010). More specifically, it is defined as â€Å"the capacity to identify and to document criminal and noncriminal events† (Boivin & Cordeau, 2011). Every police officer has a great deal of discretion concerning when to use their authority, power, persuasion, or force. Depending on how an officer sees their duty to society will determine an officer’s discretion. Discretion leads to selective enforcement practices and may result in discrimination against certain groups of people or select individuals (Young, 2011). Most police officer discretion is exercised in situations with individuals (Sherman, 1984). Discrimination can lead to legal problems for an officer of the law. If discrimination due to an officer’s use of discretion results in a violation of due process it is a violation of the law (Young, 2010). Due process is the constitutionally mandated procedural steps designed to eliminate error in any governmental deprivation of liberty, life, or property (Pollock, 2010). One of the main concerns with using discretion is the possibility of it leading to a violation of due process by racial profiling. Types of Negative Police Discretion Racial profiling occurs when a police officer uses a â€Å"profile† as reasonable suspicion to stop a person with the intent to obtain consent to search their belongings (Pollock, 2010). These stops are usually traffic stops and the officer is looking to obtain consent to search the individual’s automobile. The â€Å"profile† used is based on race. In these cases, an officer is using their discretion to target minority groups because they believe they are involved in criminal activities... ...rsation among researchers. The problem I see with the topic of conversation is there is not a lot of research done on the actual affects of the individual discretion of each officer compared to a department that has been educated in following policies more than personal discretion. In fact, from what I saw there is not much research on the effects of discretion at all. It seems like it is a topic that is overlooked when researching the effectiveness of a department. I feel like before more solutions are found on how to correct the problem of discretion, more research needs to be done on how discretion plays a role in every day policing. Until this research is conducted, all the articles published are on theories of discretion causing problems, and all of the solutions mentioned are methods to correct a problem that has not even been proven to be an issue yet.

Business Information Systems Essay

1. What is a decision? When does a person have to make a decision? A decision is a conclusion or resolution reached after a thought out consideration of variables in a problem. When more than one possible action is involved in solving a problem, a decision must be made. 2. Calculating a complex trajectory of a spaceship to Mars is a structured problem, whereas diagnosing the cause of a rash on a person’s skin is often unstructured. How so? A structured problem is one in which an optimal solution can be reached through a single set of steps. Since the one set of steps is known, and since the steps must be followed in a known sequence, solving a structured problem with the same data always yields the same solution. This sequence of steps is known as an algorithm. An unstructured problem is one for which there is no algorithm to follow to reach an optimal solution— either because there is not enough information about the factors that might affect the solution or because th ere are so many potential factors that no algorithm can be formulated to guarantee a unique optimal solution. Unstructuredness is closely related to uncertainty. 3. DSSs use models to process data. Explain what a model is. Give an example that is not mentioned in the chapter. A sequence of events or a pattern of behavior might become a useful model when the relationships among its inputs, outputs, and conditions can be established well enough that they can be used to analyze different parameters. Models are used to predict output on the basis of different input or different conditions or to estimate what combination of conditions and input might lead to a desired output. Models are often based on mathematical research or on experience. A model might be a widely used method to predict performance, such as best- fit linear analysis, or it might be built by the organization, using the experience that employees in the firm have accumulated over time. 4. Many DSSs are not stand- alone anymore, but are embedded in other ISs. What are those ISs? Many DSSs are now closely intertwined with other organizational systems, including data warehouses, data marts, and ERP systems, from which they draw relevant data. 5. What is a sensitivity test? A sensitivity analysis is conducted to test the degree to which the total profit grows or shrinks if one or more of the factors is increased or decreased. It is often referred to as what- if analysis. 6. The airline and hospitality industries use DSSs for yield management. What is yield management, and what is the output of a yield management DSS? The purpose of yield management DSSs is to find the proper pricing to maximize the overall revenue from selling seats for each flight. The result is often price discrimination. 7. What is the purpose of an expert system? How can it serve as a competitive tool? The purpose of ESs is to replicate the unstructured and undocumented knowledge of the few (the experts), and put it at the disposal of the many other people who need the knowledge, often novices or professionals in the same domain but with far less expertise. It can serve as a competitive tool by the using of a knowledge base, which is a collection of facts and the relationships among them. An ES does not use a model module but an inference engine. The inference engine is software that combines data that is input by the user with the data relationships stored in the knowledge base. The result is a diagnosis or suggestion for the best course of action. In most ESs, the knowledge base is built as a series of IF- THEN rules. 8. Explain how expert systems can distribute expertise. By coupling quantitative data from a database with decision models. An expert system (ES) is developed to emulate the knowledge of an expert to solve problems and make decisions in a relatively narrow domain. 9. How could an ES be used to detect probable fraud committed by a bank employee? Business applications have increasingly combined neural nets and ES technologies in software that monitors business processes and supply chain management. Neural nets have been very effective in detecting fraud of many types. 10. What is the advantage of combining ES and neural net technologies? ES researchers continue to look for ways to better capture knowledge and represent it. They test the results of such efforts in highly unstructured problem- solving domains. Rather than containing a set of IF- THEN rules, more sophisticated ESs use neural networks (neural nets), programs that are designed to mimic the way a human brain learns. An ES is constructed with a set of rules, but as data on real successes and failures of decisions is accumulated and fed into the system, the neural network refines the rules to accomplish a higher success rate. 11. What is a GIS? What purpose does it serve? GISs process location data and provide output. For instance, a GIS could be used to help a housing developer determine where to invest by tracking and displaying population changes on a map, highlighting in color increases of more than 10 percent over the past three years. 12. Name the three major elements that are combined to make up a GIS. A typical GIS consists of (1) a database of quantitative and qualitative data from which information is extracted for display, (2) a database of maps, and (3) a program that displays the information on the maps. Chapter 11 1. What is business intelligence? Business intelligence (BI) mainly refers to computer-based techniques used in identifying, extracting, and analyzing business data, such as sales revenue by products and/or departments, or by associated costs and incomes. 2. What is OLAP, and why is it often associated with visual cubes? OLAP is an approach to swiftly answer multi-dimensional analytical (MDA) queries. It is another type of application used to exploit data warehouses. Although OLAP might not be as sophisticated in terms of the analysis conducted, it has extremely fast response time and enables executives to make timely decisions. Each side of the cube provides another two dimensions of relevant information. 3. What is the advantage of using a dimensional database rather than on- the- fly processing in OLAP? Tables, even if joining data from several sources, limit the review of information. Often, executives need to view information in multiple combinations of two dimensions. 4. Why is online analytical processing usually conducted on warehoused data or dimensional databases rather than on data in transactional databases? To speed up response and summarize that data and organize the information in dimensional databases for OLAP. 5. What is â€Å" drilling down†? A process by which one starts with a table that shows broad information and successively retrieves tables of more specific information. Chapter 12 1. Why is IT planning so important? *  Creating a corporate and IT mission statement.    * Articulating the vision for IT within the organization.    * Creating IT strategic and tactical plans.    * Creating a plan for operations to achieve the mission and vision.  * Creating a budget to ensure that resources are available to achieve the mission and vision 2. As part of their IT planning, many organizations decide to standardize. What does standardization mean in this context, and what are its potential benefits? One major goal— and advantage— of planning is standardization. When management decides to adopt a certain IT resource for all its units, regardless of function or location, it standardizes its IT. Benefits would be: * Cost saving * Efficient training * Efficient support 3. Why is traditional systems development referred to as a â€Å" cycle†? What determines the cycle’s end? Because it consists of several distinct phases that are followed methodically, and the developers complete the phases sequentially. The SDLC approach assumes that the life of an IS starts with a need, followed by an assessment of the functions that a system must have to fulfill that need, and ends when the benefits of the system no longer outweigh its maintenance costs, or when the net benefit of a new system would exceed the net benefits of the current system. 4. Systems developers often use the term â€Å" application development† rather than â€Å" systems development.† Why? It involves fast development of an application based on initial user requirements and several cycles of user input and developer improvements. 5. What are the benefits of using data flow diagrams? Who benefits from DFDs? The use of only four symbols and the simplicity of DFDs are their great advantage. Those who benefit are external entities include individuals and groups of people who are external to the system, such as customers, employees, other departments in the organization, or other organizations. 6. SDLC is usually recommended for developing an IS that will be interfaced to other ISs. Give two examples of an IS that is interfaced with at least two other ISs. The better known methods are Extreme Programming (XP), Adaptive Software Development (ASD), Lean Development (LD), Rational Unified Process (RUP), Feature Driven Development (FDD), Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM), Scrum, and Crystal. 7. Recall the discussion of IT professionals in Chapter 1, â€Å" Business Information Systems: An Overview†. Of the following professionals, who does the majority of the systems construction job: the CIO, systems analyst, database administrator (DBA), or programmer? Why? Systems analyst, because it takes a specialist to analyze and determine the type of program made to improve the system. 8. What are the advantages of agile methods over waterfall development methods, such as the traditional SDLC? What are the risks? The differences among the methods are outside the scope of this discussion. However, the major advantage of all agile methods is that they result in fast development of applications so that users can have them within weeks rather than months or years. Users do not have to wait long for system modifications, whether they are required because of programmer errors or because users have second thoughts about some features. However, the benefits of agile methods do not come without risks. First, the analysis phase is minimal or is sometimes eliminated completely. Reducing or skipping a thorough formal analysis increases the risk of incompatibilities and other unforeseen mishaps. Also, the develop-ers devote most of their time to construction and little time to documentation, so modification at a later date can be extremely time consuming, if not impossible. Because of the inherent risks, there are times when agile methods are appropriate and others when they are not. 9. Why are agile methods so helpful when users cannot define system requirements? Agile methods encourage users’ involvement throughout the process and encourage developers to change requirements in response to user input if needed. The purpose of agile methods is not to conform to a static contract with the users but to ensure that the users receive an application with which they are happy. Critics of agile programming in general and XP in particular argue that the relaxed approach to planning as well as ceding decision making and accountability to clients (users) might result in disasters, especially if such methods are applied to large, complex projects. 10. An increasing number of IS professionals prefer to call the end users of their creations â€Å" customers,† even if the developers and users are employees of the same organization. Why? The customers of software development, the users, are not an adverse party and should not be negotiated with but regarded as codevelopers and co- owners of the software. 11. What is systems integration? The process of linking together different computing systems and software applications physically or functionally, to act as a coordinated whole. 12. Why is systems integration more complicated when the systems involve the Web than when they do not? Systems integration is often much more complicated than systems development, because it requires the IT professionals to make different applications communicate with each other seamlessly. The complexity is multiplied when integrating ISs of several organizations that must work together over the Web. 13. The emergence of the Web as a vehicle for business increased the need for systems integration. How so? The web allows for remote access and because more legacy databases are integrated into new enterprise applications it makes for a smooth transition of data traffic.

Spirit Bound Chapter Nineteen

â€Å"ARE YOU CRAZY?† I ASKED. He gave me the same wordless look he always did when I asked that question. I sighed and tried again. â€Å"A party? That's pushing it, even for you. People just died! Guardians. Priscilla Voda.† Not to mention, people had just come back from the dead. Probably best to leave that part out. â€Å"This isn't the time to get trashed and play beer pong.† I expected Adrian to say that it was always a good time for beer pong, but he remained serious. â€Å"Actually, it's because people died that there's going to be a party. It's not a kegger type. Maybe party's not even the right word. It's a†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He frowned, grasping at words. â€Å"A special event. An elite one.† â€Å"All royal parties are elite ones,† I pointed out. â€Å"Yeah, but not every royal is invited to this. It's the†¦ well, elite of the elite.† That really wasn't helping. â€Å"Adrian–â€Å" â€Å"No, listen.† He made that familiar gesture of his that indicated frustration, running his hand through his hair. â€Å"It's not so much a party as a ceremony. An old, old tradition from†¦ I don't know. Romania, I think. They call it the Death Watch. But it's a way to honor the dead, a secret that's been passed on through the oldest bloodlines.† Flashbacks of a destructive secret society at St. Vladimir's came back to me. â€Å"This isn't some Mana thing, is it?† â€Å"No, I swear. Please, Rose. I'm not all that into it either, but my mom's making me go, and I'd really like it if you were there with me.† Elite and bloodline were warning words to me. â€Å"Will there be other dhampirs there?† â€Å"No.† He then added quickly, â€Å"But I made arrangements for some people you'll approve of to be there. It'll make it better for both of us.† â€Å"Lissa?† I guessed. If ever there was an esteemed bloodline, hers was it. â€Å"Yeah. I just ran into her at the medical center. Her reaction was about like yours.† That made me smile. It also piqued my interest. I wanted to talk to her more about what had happened during her visit to Dimitri and knew she'd been avoiding me because of it. If going to some silly royal ritual or whatever it was could get me to her, then so much the better. â€Å"Who else?† â€Å"People you'll like.† â€Å"Fine. Be mysterious. I'll go to your cult meeting.† That earned me a return smile. â€Å"Hardly a cult, little dhampir. It really is a way to pay last respects to the people killed in that fight.† He reached out and ran a hand along my cheek. â€Å"And I'm glad†¦ God, I'm so glad you weren't one of them. You don't know†¦.† His voice caught, the flippant smile trembling for a moment before stabilizing again. â€Å"You don't know how worried I was. Every minute you were gone, every minute I didn't know what had happened to you†¦ it was agony. And even after I heard you were okay, I kept asking everyone at the medical center what they knew. Had they seen you fight, did you get hurt†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I felt a lump in my throat. I hadn't been able to see Adrian when I'd returned, but I should have sent a message, at least. I squeezed his hand and tried to make a joke of something that really wasn't funny. â€Å"What'd they say? That I was a badass?† â€Å"Yeah, actually. They couldn't stop talking about how amazing you were in battle. Word got back to Aunt Tatiana too about what you did, and even she was impressed.† Whoa. That was a surprise. I started to ask more, but his next words brought me up short. â€Å"I also heard you were yelling at anyone you could to find out about Belikov. And that you were beating down the guardians' doors this morning.† I looked away. â€Å"Oh. Yeah. I†¦ Look, I'm sorry, but I had to–â€Å" â€Å"Hey, hey.† His voice was heavy and earnest. â€Å"Don't apologize. I understand.† I looked up at him. â€Å"You do?† â€Å"Look, it's not like I didn't expect this if he came back.† I glanced back at him hesitantly, studying his serious expression. â€Å"I know. I remember what you said before†¦.† He nodded, then gave me another rueful smile. â€Å"Of course, I didn't actually expect any of this to work. Lissa tried to explain the magic she used†¦ but good God. I don't think I could ever do anything like she did.† â€Å"Do you believe?† I asked. â€Å"Do you believe he's no longer Strigoi?† â€Å"Yeah. Lissa said he's not, and I believe her. And I saw him from a distance out in the sun. But I'm not sure it's a good idea for you to try to see him.† â€Å"That's your jealousy talking.† I had absolutely no right to sound accusing, considering the way my heart was all tangled up over Dimitri. â€Å"Of course it's jealousy,† said Adrian nonchalantly. â€Å"What do you expect? The former love of your life comes back–from the dead, no less. That's not something I'm really excited about. But I don't blame you for feeling confused.† â€Å"I told you before–â€Å" â€Å"I know, I know.† Adrian didn't sound particularly upset. In fact, there was a surprisingly patient tone in his voice. â€Å"I know you said him coming back wouldn't affect things between us. But saying one thing before it happens and then actually having that thing happen are two different things.† â€Å"What are you getting at?† I asked, kind of confused. â€Å"I want you, Rose.† He squeezed my hand more tightly. â€Å"I've always wanted you. I want to be with you. I'd like to be like other guys and say I want to take care of you too, but†¦ well. When it comes down to it, you'd probably be the one taking care of me.† I laughed in spite of myself. â€Å"Some days I think you're in more danger from yourself than anyone else. You smell like cigarettes, you know.† â€Å"Hey, I have never, ever said I was perfect. And you're wrong. You're probably the most dangerous thing in my life.† â€Å"Adrian–â€Å" â€Å"Wait.† With his other hand, he pressed his fingers over my lips. â€Å"Just listen. It'd be stupid for me to think that your old boyfriend coming back isn't going to have any effect on you. So do I like you wanting to see him? No, of course not. That's instinct. But there's more, you know. I do believe that he's a dhampir again. Absolutely. But†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"But what?† Adrian's words had me more curious than ever now. â€Å"But just because he isn't a Strigoi doesn't mean it's entirely gone from him. Hold on.† Adrian could see my mouth opening in outrage. â€Å"I'm not saying he's evil or means to be evil or anything like that. But what he went through†¦ It's huge. Epic. We really don't know much about the changing process. What effect did that kind of life have on him? Are there violent parts of him that might suddenly lash out? That's what I'm worried about Rose. I know you. I know you aren't going to be able to help yourself. You'll have to see him and talk to him. But is it safe? That's what no one knows. We don't know anything about this. We don't know if he's dangerous.† Christian had said the same thing to Lissa. I examined Adrian intently. It sounded like a convenient excuse to keep Dimitri and me apart. Yet, I saw truth in those deep green eyes. He meant it. He was nervous about what Dimitri might do. Adrian had also been honest about being jealous, which I had to admire. He hadn't ordered me not to see Dimitri or tried to dictate my behavior. I liked that too. I extended my hand and laced my fingers with Adrian's. â€Å"He's not dangerous. He's†¦ sad. Sad for what he's done. The guilt's killing him.† â€Å"I can imagine. I probably wouldn't forgive myself either if I suddenly realized I'd been brutally killing people for the last four months.† Adrian pulled me to him and kissed the top of my head. â€Å"And for everyone's sake–yes, even his–I really hope he is exactly the way he was. Just be careful, okay?† â€Å"I will,† I said, kissing his cheek. â€Å"Inasmuch as I ever am.† He grinned and released me. â€Å"That's the best I can hope for. For now, I've got to head back to my parents' for a little bit. I'll come back for you at four, okay?† â€Å"Okay. Is there anything I should wear to this secret party?† â€Å"Nice dress clothes are fine.† Something occurred to me. â€Å"If this is so elite and prestigious, how are you going to get a lowly dhampir like me in?† â€Å"With this.† Adrian reached for a bag he'd set down upon entering. He handed it to me. Curiously, I opened the bag and gaped at what I saw. It was a mask, one that just covered the top half of the face around the eyes. It was intricately worked with gold and green leaves and bejeweled flowers. â€Å"A mask?† I exclaimed. â€Å"We're wearing masks to this thing? What is this, Halloween?† He winked. â€Å"See you at four.† We didn't actually put on the masks until we arrived at the Death Watch. As part of the secret nature of it all, Adrian said we didn't want to call any attention to ourselves while going to it. So we walked across the Court's grounds dressed up–I wore the same dress I'd worn to dinner at his parents'–but not getting much more notice than the two of us usually did when we were together. Besides, it was late, and a lot of the Court was getting ready for bed. Our destination surprised me. It was one of the buildings that non-royal Court workers lived in, one that was very near Mia's. Well, I supposed the last place you'd look for a royal party would be at the home of a commoner. Except we didn't go to any of the apartments inside. Once we stepped into the building's lobby, Adrian indicated we should put our masks on. He then took me over to what appeared to be a janitor's closet. It wasn't. Instead, the door opened to a staircase leading down into darkness. I couldn't see the bottom, which put me on high alert. I instinctively wanted to know the details of every situation I entered. Adrian seemed calm and confident as he headed down, so I took it on faith he wasn't leading me to some sacrificial altar. I hated to admit it, but curiosity over this Death Watch thing was temporarily taking my mind off Dimitri. Adrian and I eventually reached another door, and this one had two guards. Both men were Moroi, both masked like Adrian and me. Their postures were stiff and defensive. They said nothing but simply looked at us expectantly. Adrian said a few words that sounded like Romanian, and a moment later, one of the men unlocked the door and gestured us inside. â€Å"Secret password?† I murmured to Adrian as we swept past. â€Å"Passwords, actually. One for you and one for me. Every guest has a unique one.† We stepped into a narrow tunnel lit only by torches embedded in the walls. Their dancing flames cast fanciful shadows as we passed by. From far ahead, the low murmur of conversation reached us. It sounded surprisingly normal, like any conversation you'd hear at a party. Based on Adrian's description, I'd half-expected to hear chanting or drums. I shook my head. â€Å"I knew it. They keep a medieval dungeon under the Court. I'm surprised there aren't chains on the walls.† â€Å"Scared?† Adrian teased, clasping hold of my hand. â€Å"Of this? Hardly. I mean, on the Rose Hathaway Scale of Scariness, this is barely a–â€Å" We emerged out of the hall before I could finish. An expansive room with vaulted ceilings spread out before us, something that boggled my spatially challenged brain as I tried to recall just how far underground we'd gone. Wrought-iron chandeliers holding lit candles hung from the ceiling, casting the same ghostly light the torches had. The walls were made of stone, but it was a very artful, pretty stone: gray with reddish flecks, polished into smooth round pieces. Someone had wanted to keep the Old World dungeon feel but still have the place look stylish. It was a typical line of royal thinking. Fifty or so people were milling around the room, some huddled in groups. Like Adrian and me, they wore formal clothing and half masks. All the masks were different. Some had a floral theme like mine, while others were decorated with animals. Some simply had swirls or geometric designs. Even though the masks only covered half the guests' faces, the sketchy lighting went a long way to obscure any other identifying features. I scrutinized them carefully, hoping I might pick out details that would give someone away. Adrian led me out of the entryway and over toward a corner. As my view of the area expanded, I could see a large fire pit in the middle of the room, embedded in the stone floor. No fire burned in it, but everyone kept well away. For a moment, I had a disorienting flash of deja vu, thinking back to my time in Siberia. I'd been to a type of memorial ceremony there too–though hardly one with masks or passwords–and everyone had sat around a bonfire outdoors. It had been in Dimitri's honor, as all those who had loved him sat and told stories about him. I tried to get a better look at the fire, but Adrian was intent on keeping us behind the bulk of the crowd. â€Å"Don't bring attention to yourself,† he warned. â€Å"I was just looking.† â€Å"Yeah, but anyone who looks too close is going to realize you're the shortest person here. It'd be pretty obvious you're a dhampir. This is elite old blood, remember?† I frowned at him as much as I could through the mask. â€Å"But I thought you said you'd made arrangements for me to be here?† I groaned when he didn't answer. â€Å"Does ‘making arrangements' mean just sneaking me in? If so, those guys were kind of crap security.† Adrian scoffed. â€Å"Hey, we had the right passwords. That's all it takes. I stole–er, borrowed them off my mom's list.† â€Å"Your mom's one of the people who helped organize this?† â€Å"Yup. Her branch of the Tarus family's been deep inside this group for centuries. They apparently had a really big ceremony here after the school attack.† I turned all of this over in my mind, trying to decide how I felt. I hated when people were obsessed with status and appearances, yet it was hard to fault them wanting to honor those who had been killed–particularly when a majority of them had been dhampirs. The Strigoi attack on St. Vladimir's was a memory that would forever haunt me. Before I could ponder much further, a familiar sensation swept me. â€Å"Lissa's here,† I said, looking around. I could feel her nearby but didn't spot her immediately in the sea of masks and shadows. â€Å"There.† She stood apart from some of the others, wearing a rosehued dress and a white and gold mask with swans on it. Through our link, I felt her searching for anyone she knew. I impulsively started to go to her, but Adrian held me back, telling me to wait while he retrieved her. â€Å"What is all this?† she asked when she reached me. â€Å"I figured you'd know,† I told her. â€Å"It's all top secret royal stuff.† â€Å"Too top secret for me,† she said. â€Å"I got my invite from the queen. She told me it was part of my heritage and to keep it to myself, and then Adrian came and said I had to come for your sake.† â€Å"Tatiana invited you directly?† I exclaimed. Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised. Lissa would have hardly needed sneaking in like I did. I figured someone would have made sure she got an invitation, but I'd assumed it had all been Adrian's doing. I glanced around uneasily. â€Å"Is Tatiana here?† â€Å"Likely,† said Adrian, voice annoyingly casual. As usual, his aunt's presence didn't have the same impact on him that it did the rest of us. â€Å"Oh, hey. There's Christian. With the fire mask.† I didn't know how Adrian spotted Christian, aside from the not-so-subtle mask metaphor. With his height and dark hair, Christian easily blended in with the other Moroi around him and had even been chatting with a girl standing nearby, which seemed out of character. â€Å"No way did he get a legit invite,† I said. If any Ozeras had been deemed special enough to come to this, Christian wouldn't have been one of them. â€Å"He didn't,† agreed Adrian, making a small gesture for Christian to join us. â€Å"I gave him one of the passwords I stole from Mom.† I gave Adrian a startled look. â€Å"How many did you steal?† â€Å"Enough to–â€Å" â€Å"Let us come to attention.† A man's booming voice rang out through the room, halting both Adrian's words and Christian's steps. With a grimace, Christian returned to where he'd been standing, cut off from us now on the other side of the room. It looked like I wouldn't have the chance to ask Lissa about Dimitri after all. Without any direction, the others in the room began forming a circle around the fire pit. The room wasn't big enough for us to make a single-layered circle, so I was still able to stay behind other Moroi as I watched the spectacle. Lissa stood by me, but her attention was fixated across from us, on Christian. She was disappointed that he hadn't been able to join us. â€Å"Tonight we come to honor the spirits of those who died fighting the great evil that has plagued us for so long.† This was the same man who had called us to attention. The black mask he wore glittered with silver swirls. He wasn't anyone special that I recognized. It was probably safe to assume that he was someone from an important bloodline who happened to have a good voice for bringing people together. Adrian confirmed it. â€Å"That's Anthony Badica. They always recruit him as an emcee.† Anthony seemed more like a religious leader than an emcee right now, but I didn't want to answer back and attract anyone's notice. â€Å"Tonight we honor them,† continued Anthony. I flinched as almost everyone around us repeated those words. Lissa and I exchanged startled looks. Apparently, there was a script we hadn't been told about. â€Å"Their lives were taken from us too soon,† continued Anthony. â€Å"Tonight we honor them.† Okay, this script might not be so hard to follow after all. Anthony kept talking about how terrible the tragedy was, and we repeated the same response. The whole idea of this Death Watch still weirded me out, but Lissa's sadness permeated the bond and began to affect me too. Priscilla had always been good to her–and polite to me. Grant might have only been Lissa's guardian a short time, but he had protected her and helped her. In fact, if not for Grant's work with Lissa, Dimitri might still be a Strigoi. So, slowly, the gravity of it all began to hit me, and even if I thought there were better ways to mourn, I appreciated the acknowledgment the dead were getting. After a few more refrains, Anthony gestured someone forward. A woman in a glittering emerald mask came forward with a torch. Adrian shifted beside me. â€Å"My darling mother,† he murmured. Sure enough. Now that he'd pointed it out, I could clearly make out Daniella's features. She tossed her torch into the fire pit, and it lit up like the Fourth of July. Someone must have doused that wood with either gasoline or Russian vodka. Maybe both. No wonder the other guests had kept their distance. Daniella melted into the crowd, and another woman came forward holding a tray with golden goblets. Walking around the circle, she handed a cup to each person. When she ran out, another woman appeared with a tray. As the goblets were distributed, Anthony explained, â€Å"Now we will toast and drink to the dead, so that their spirits will move on and find peace.† I shifted uncomfortably. People talked about restless spirits and the dead finding peace without really knowing what that meant. Being shadow-kissed came with the ability to see the restless dead, and it had taken me a long time to gain control so that I didn't see them. They were always around me; I had to work to keep them blocked out. I wondered what I'd see now if I let down my walls. Would the ghosts of those killed the night of Dimitri's attack be hovering around us? Adrian sniffed his cup as soon as he got it and scowled. For a moment, I felt panic until I sniffed mine too. â€Å"Wine. Thank God,† I whispered to him. â€Å"From your face, I thought it was blood.† I recalled how much he hated blood that wasn't straight from the source. â€Å"Nah,† he murmured back. â€Å"Just a bad vintage.† When everyone had their wine, Anthony raised his cup over his head with both hands. With the fire behind him, it gave him an almost sinister, otherworldly look. â€Å"We drink to Priscilla Voda,† he said. â€Å"We drink to Priscilla Voda,† everyone repeated. He brought the goblet down and took a sip. So did everyone else–well, except for Adrian. He gulped half his down, bad vintage or not. Anthony raised his cup over his head again. â€Å"We drink to James Wilket.† As I repeated the words, I realized James Wilket was one of Priscilla's guardians. This crazy group of royals really was showing respect to dhampirs. We went through the other guardians one by one, but I kept my sips small, wanting to keep a level head tonight. I was pretty sure that by the end of the name list, Adrian was faking his sips because he'd run out. When Anthony finished naming all who had died, he held his cup up again and approached the blazing fire, which had begun to make the small room uncomfortably hot. The back of my dress was growing damp with sweat. â€Å"To all those lost by the great evil, we honor your spirits and hope they will move on in peace to the next world.† He then dumped the remainder of his wine into the flames. All this talk of spirits lingering in the world certainly didn't go along with the usual Christian afterlife beliefs that dominated Moroi religion. It made me wonder just how old this ceremony really was. Once more, I had an urge to drop my barriers and see if any of this had really drawn ghosts to us, but I feared what I'd find. Besides, I promptly got distracted when everyone else in the circle began dumping their wine into the fire as well. One by one, going clockwise, each person approached. All was silent as this happened, save for the crackling in the fire pit and shifting of logs. Everyone watched respectfully. When my turn came, I fought hard not to tremble. I hadn't forgotten that Adrian had sneaked me in here. Lowly Moroi weren't allowed, let alone dhampirs. What would they do? Declare the space violated? Mob me? Cast me into the fire? My fears proved unfounded. No one said or did anything unusual as I poured out my wine, and a moment later, Adrian stepped forward for his turn. I melted back beside Lissa. When the entire circle had gone up, we were led into a moment of silence for the departed. Having witnessed Lissa's kidnapping and subsequent rescue, I had a lot of dead to ponder. No amount of silence would ever do them justice. Another unspoken signal seemed to pass through the room. The circle dispersed, and the tension lifted. People again fell into small chatty groups, just like at any other party, though I did see tears on the faces of some. â€Å"A lot of people must have liked Priscilla,† I observed. Adrian turned toward a table that had mysteriously been arranged during the ceremony. It sat against the back wall and was filled with fruit, cheese, and more wine. Naturally, he poured a glass. â€Å"They aren't all crying for her,† he said. â€Å"I find it hard to believe they're crying for the dhampirs,† I pointed out. â€Å"No one here even knew them.† â€Å"Not true,† he said. Lissa quickly caught his meaning. â€Å"Most of the people who went on the rescue would have been guardians assigned to Moroi. They couldn't all be Court guardians.† She was right, I realized. We'd had too many people with us at the warehouse. Many of these Moroi had undoubtedly lost guardians that they'd become close to. Despite the disdain I often had for these types of royals, I knew some had probably formed legitimate friendships with and attachments to their bodyguards. â€Å"This is a lame party,† a voice suddenly said. We turned and saw that Christian had finally made his way over to us. â€Å"I couldn't tell if we were supposed to be having a funeral or summoning the devil. It was kind of a half-assed attempt at both.† â€Å"Stop it,† I said, surprising myself. â€Å"Those people died for you last night. Whatever this is, it's still out of respect for them.† Christian's face grew sober. â€Å"You're right.† Beside me, I'd felt Lissa light up inside when she saw him. The horrors of their ordeal had brought them closer together, and I recalled the tenderness they'd shared on the ride back. She offered him a warm look and got a tentative smile in return. Maybe some good would come of all that had happened. Maybe they'd be able to fix their problems. Or maybe not. Adrian broke into a grin. â€Å"Hey. Glad you could make it.† For a moment, I thought he was speaking to Christian. Then I looked and saw a girl in a peacock mask had joined us. With the mingling people and masks, I hadn't noticed that she was purposely standing near us. I peered at her, seeing only blue eyes and golden curls before I finally recognized her. Mia. â€Å"What are you doing here?† I asked. She grinned. â€Å"Adrian got me a password.† â€Å"Adrian apparently got passwords for half the party.† He seemed very pleased with himself. â€Å"See?† he said, smiling at me. â€Å"I told you I'd make this worth your while. The whole gang's here. Nearly.† â€Å"This is one of the weirdest things I've ever seen,† said Mia, glancing around. â€Å"I don't see why it has to be a secret that the people who got killed were heroes. Why can't they wait for the group funeral?† Adrian shrugged. â€Å"I told you, this is an ancient ceremony. It's a holdover from the Old Country, and these people think it's important. From what I know, it used to be a lot more elaborate. This is the modernized version.† It occurred to me then that Lissa hadn't said a single word since we'd noticed Christian had come with Mia. I opened myself to the bond, feeling a flood of jealousy and resentment. I still maintained Mia was one of the last people Christian would be involved with. (Okay, it was hard for me to imagine him involved with anyone. His getting together with Lissa had been monumental.) Lissa couldn't see that, though. All she saw was him continually hanging out with other girls. As our conversation continued, Lissa's attitude grew frostier, and the friendly looks he'd been giving her began to fade. â€Å"So is it true?† Mia asked, oblivious to the drama unfolding around her. â€Å"Is Dimitri really†¦ back?† Lissa and I exchanged glances. â€Å"Yes,† I said firmly. â€Å"He's a dhampir, but no one believes it yet. Because they're idiots.† â€Å"It just happened, little dhampir.† Adrian's tone was gentle, though the topic clearly made him uncomfortable too. â€Å"You can't expect everyone to get on board with it right away.† â€Å"But they are idiots,† said Lissa fiercely. â€Å"Anyone who talks to him can tell he's not a Strigoi. I'm pushing for them to let him out of his cell so that people can actually see for themselves.† I wished she would push a little harder for me to get to see him, but now wasn't the time to talk about that. Eyeing the room, I wondered if some people would have trouble accepting Dimitri because of his role in the deaths of their loved ones. He hadn't been in control of himself, but that wasn't enough to bring back the dead. Still uncomfortable around Christian, Lissa was growing restless. She also wanted to leave and check on Dimitri. â€Å"How long do we have to stay here? Is there more to–â€Å" â€Å"Who the hell are you?† Our little cluster turned as one and found Anthony standing by us. Considering most of us were here illicitly, he could have been speaking to anyone. But, based on where his gaze was fixed, there was no question who he meant. He was talking to me.