Biotechnology Essay

Biotechnology is a subfield of biological science linked to research areas such as recombinant DNA technology and genetic engineering. As a result biotechnology is applied in a wide range of industries (Chen & Marchioni, 2008). According to the Biotechnology Industry Organization, one fourth of the Biotechnology industry’s financing comes from venture capital and it is not just in terms of money but also managerial guidance to the biotechnology firms. This is attributable to the fact that biotechnology is a knowledge intensive industry and a large amount of capital is needed for research and development (Chen & Marchioni, 2008). Venture capital financing is favored by the majority of business startups including the biotechnology companies. Venture capital is an equity investment until the company matures. Venture capitalists are involved in the development of a biotechnology firm by becoming board members. The venture capitalists also advice the biotechnology firms on potential strategic partnerships (Munroe & Gary & Hutton, 2002). This gives the venture capital backed firms an added advantage over the non-venture capital backed firms. Literature Review Although venture capital accounts for a small fraction of the entire funding in the United States, it plays a major role in the financing of biotechnology companies. The biotechnology companies that are funded through capital venture outperform their counterparts in job creation and revenue growth. In the first quarter of 2009, the biotechnology sector received the biggest amount of funding in comparison to the other Life Science companies. This was however, a 16% decrease from the fourth quarter of 2008, constituting a downward tread in the funding of Biotechnology, Medical Devices and Pharmaceuticals (VentureDeal, 2009). Due to the prevailing economic crisis, the funding in biotechnology has reversed from an upward tread as the amount of funding has decreased as well as the numbers of companies funded. Sangart Company which researches and commercializes technologies related to oxygen transport agents received $50 million in the sixth round, the largest venture funding during the first quarter. BioVex Company on the other hand received $40 million from a large syndicate of venture capital firms in the sixth round of funding (VentureDeal, 2009). There are success stories in biotechnology venture capital. One example is the case of Thomas Tedder. Tedder collaborated with a venture capitalist, Intersouth and the company provided seed money that helped Tedder’s company called Cellective Therapeutics to develop a business plan and to finalize the licensing agreement. This helped Tedder to focus on the technology development. In due course, Cellective Therapeutics proved a success and the company was sold off at the one year anniversary to MedImmune (Gwynne, 2009). From the venture capitalists point of view, there are issues that are unique to a biotechnology perspective. The venture capitalists look for unique technologies which are critical to the biotechnology field as they are also looking for a market. This means that the venture capitalists are keen on areas such as disease areas which have a large market. The attractive types of research are those that have a widespread target such as cancer, diabetes and infection areas (Rosenman, 2001). Some of the major venture capital firms in the United States are Alta Partners, BA Venture partners, Forward Ventures, Genentech, Latterell venture partners, MedImmune Ventures, Soffinnova ventures and Intersouth (Gwynne, 2009). The geographic clustering of venture capital financed biotechnology firms is similar to the geographic pattern of the biotechnology industry. The biotechnology businesses are clustered together in a region for several benefits. Through the clustering, the companies achieve scale economy; have knowledge and technology spill over in addition to labor pooling and a decrease in transaction costs. The clustering of firms in similar locations makes it easy for workers to change jobs without the need for traveling long distances for interviews and they may not need to relocate homes after a transfer. Labor mobility hence facilitates the exchange of technology, information and knowledge among the biotech firms. Through geographic proximity, the transaction costs are decreased in addition to personal contact being maintained (Antonelli, 2000). This allows in-depth and fast feedback among the economic agents involved and helps build trust, and incentives in economic relationships thus reducing transaction costs. This enhances socialization within the professional network and stimulates co-operation, competition and innovation (Storper & Venables, 2004). These are important factors for life science knowledge. The clustering of biotechnology industries relies on venture capital availability, life science knowledge, large pharmaceutical firms and urban diversity. Before the first biotechnology firm, Genetech, was established in 1977, practitioners of genetic engineering were located around universities and research institutes. These universities and institutions also provide quality labor force. Consequently, the areas that are in close proximity to the science research institutions have better access to trained graduate and post graduate students. In the biotechnology industry, much of the venture capital is concentrated in California and Massachusetts, including San Francisco, San Diego and Boston (Gompers & Lerner, 2006). Methodology This research employs several methods to investigate the importance of venture funding to the biotechnology firms. Examination on the literature review on the subject of venture funding in biotechnology firms supports the conclusions on the industry. However when conducting research, a researcher is always faced with the task of identifying the methodology to use. This is due to the fact that the researcher has to consider the research question (Morgan & Smircich 1980, pp. 491-500). A researcher can lay more adopt either a positivist or post-positivist approach depending on whether the research focuses more on social sciences or natural sciences. The literature review in a research plays an important role in the research as the researcher needs to consider the different perspectives and possibilities before making any conclusions (Armitage & Keeble-Ramsay 2009, pp. 1-36). The review of various information sources helps the researcher in understanding the implications of the research process. According to Knalf & Breitmayer (1991), the authenticity as well as reliability of the literature review is key in any research. The researcher first has to consider the research options in addition considering the data collection methods. This said, the accessibility and availability of numerous sources of information has necessitated the need for a systematic methodology that can be used in decision making. In this research on venture capital in the biotechnology industry, the emphasis is on the existing firms, the firm’s location and funding. This is mainly achieved through analysis of documented sources and case study reviews. The case studies have inherent strengths that allow tailoring of data collection processes to the research question. Nowadays it has become common for researchers to combine both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods so as to increase the validity of the data collected (Denzin & Lincoln 1994). Data Analysis Data analysis helps the researcher interpret the findings of the research hence it is crucial in any research. According to the research, the majority of biotechnology firms depend on venture capital funding to a greater extent. This study investigated the funding of biotechnology firms in relation to venture funding. All proposed hypotheses are supported using analysis, indicating that biotechnology firms favor venture funding. It also shows that the biotechnology firms are clustered in the same areas where there are life science research base, large pharmaceutical firms, many capital venture providers and a large pool of scientists. There is no surprise that biotechnology firms use venture capital as opposed to other forms of lending. The finding that the biotechnology firms are also located in urban areas with talent and a favorable environment for new ideas and breakthroughs is also in line. On the other hand, venture capital is not only important in terms of financial support but also in providing insights, managerial skills and entrepreneurial spirit to the newly established biotechnology firms. Results Biotechnology funding however still has many huddles one of them being lower IPO valuations which has quashed early venture capital funding. The majority of the venture investment has avoided the innovative early stage research and opted for the specialty established companies (Robbins, 2005). Conclusion This study examines venture capital funding in the biotechnology industry. The research examined the sequence of events that take place during the funding and subsequent setting up of the biotechnology firms. The research objectives require the involvement of both the biotechnology firms and the venture capital firms in order to fully understand the relationship as well as the key factors in their relations. The researcher designed and put to use several research instruments to facilitate in the research. The main aim of the research was to bring to the fore the issues involved in the funding process.

The Twilight Saga 3: Eclipse Chapter 23. MONSTER

WHEN I WOKE UP IN THE MORNING, IT WAS VERY bright – even inside the tent, the sunlight hurt my eyes. And I was sweating, as Jacob had predicted. Jacob was snoring lightly in my ear, his arms still wrapped around me. I pulled my head away from his feverishly warm chest and felt the sting of the cold morning on my clammy cheek. Jacob sighed in his sleep; his arms tightened unconsciously. I squirmed, unable to loosen his hold, struggling to lift my head enough to see. . . . Edward met my gaze evenly. His expression was calm, but the pain in his eyes was unconcealed. â€Å"Is it any warmer out there?† I whispered. â€Å"Yes. I don't think the space heater will be necessary today.† I tried to get to the zipper, but I couldn't free my arms. I strained, fighting against Jacob's inert strength. Jacob muttered, still fast asleep, his arms constricting again. â€Å"Some help?† I asked quietly. Edward smiled. â€Å"Did you want me to take his arms all the way off?† â€Å"No, thank you. Just get me free. I'm going to get heat stroke.† Edward unzipped the sleeping bag in a swift, abrupt movement. Jacob fell out, his bare back hitting the icy floor of the tent. â€Å"Hey!† he complained, his eyes flying open. Instinctively, he flinched away from the cold, rolling onto me. I gasped as his weight knocked the breath out of me. And then his weight was gone. I felt the impact as Jacob flew into one of the tent poles and the tent shuddered. The growling erupted from all around. Edward was crouching in front of me, and I couldn't see his face, but the snarls were ripping angrily out of his chest. Jacob was half-crouched, too, his whole body quivering, while growls rumbled through his clenched teeth. Outside the tent, Seth Clearwater's vicious snarls echoed off the rocks. â€Å"Stop it, stop it!† I yelled, scrambling awkwardly to put myself between them. The space was so small that I didn't have to stretch far to put one hand on each of their chests. Edward wrapped his hand around my waist, ready to yank me out of the way. â€Å"Stop it, now,† I warned him. Under my touch, Jacob began to calm himself. The shaking slowed, but his teeth were still bared, his eyes furiously focused on Edward. Seth continued to growl, a long unbroken sound, a violent background to the sudden silence in the tent. â€Å"Jacob?† I asked, waiting until he finally dropped his glare to look at me. â€Å"Are you hurt?† â€Å"Of course not!† he hissed. I turned to Edward. He was looking at me, his expression hard and angry. â€Å"That wasn't nice. You should say sorry.† His eyes widened in disgust. â€Å"You must be joking – he was crushing you!† â€Å"Because you dumped him on the floor! He didn't do it on purpose, and he didn't hurt me.† Edward groaned, revolted. Slowly, he looked up to glare at Jacob with hostile eyes. â€Å"My apologies, dog.† â€Å"No harm done,† Jacob said, a taunting edge to his voice. It was still cold, though not as cold as it had been. I curled my arms around my chest. â€Å"Here,† Edward said, calm again. He took the parka off the floor and wrapped it over the top of my coat. â€Å"That's Jacob's,† I objected. â€Å"Jacob has a fur coat,† Edward hinted. â€Å"I'll just use the sleeping bag again, if you don't mind.† Jacob ignored him, climbing around us and sliding into the down bag. â€Å"I wasn't quite ready to wake up. That wasn't the best night's sleep I ever had.† â€Å"It was your idea,† Edward said impassively. Jacob was curled up, his eyes already closed. He yawned. â€Å"I didn't say it wasn't the best night I've ever spent. Just that I didn't get a lot of sleep. I thought Bella was never going to shut up.† I winced, wondering what might have come out of my mouth in my sleep. The possibilities were horrifying. â€Å"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself,† Edward murmured. Jacob's dark eyes fluttered open. â€Å"Didn't you have a nice night, then?† he asked, smug. â€Å"It wasn't the worst night of my life.† â€Å"Did it make the top ten?† Jacob asked with perverse enjoyment. â€Å"Possibly.† Jacob smiled and closed his eyes. â€Å"But,† Edward went on, â€Å"if I had been able to take your place last night, it would not have made the top ten of the best nights of my life. Dream about that.† Jacob's eyes opened into a glare. He sat up stiffly, his shoulders tense. â€Å"You know what? I think it's too crowded in here.† â€Å"I couldn't agree more.† I elbowed Edward in the ribs – probably giving myself a bruise. â€Å"Guess I'll catch up on my sleep later, then.† Jacob made a face. â€Å"I need to talk to Sam anyway.† He rolled to his knees and grabbed the door's zipper. Pain crackled down my spine and lodged in my stomach as I abruptly realized that this could be the last time I would see him. He was going back to Sam, back to fight the horde of bloodthirsty newborn vampires. â€Å"Jake, wait -† I reached after him, my hand sliding down his arm. He jerked his arm away before my fingers could find purchase. â€Å"Please, Jake? Won't you stay?† â€Å"No.† The word was hard and cold. I knew my face gave away my pain, because he exhaled and half a smile softened his expression. â€Å"Don't worry about me, Bells. I'll be fine, just like I always am.† He forced a laugh. â€Å"‘Sides, you think I'm going to let Seth go in my place – have all the fun and steal all the glory? Right.† He snorted. â€Å"Be careful -â€Å" He shoved out of the tent before I could finish. â€Å"Give it a rest, Bella,† I heard him mutter as he re-zipped the door. I listened for the sound of his retreating footsteps, but it was perfectly still. No more wind. I could hear morning birdsong far away on the mountain, and nothing else. Jacob moved in silence now. I huddled in my coats, and leaned against Edward's shoulder. We were quiet for a long time. â€Å"How much longer?† I asked. â€Å"Alice told Sam it should be an hour or so,† Edward said, soft and bleak. â€Å"We stay together. No matter what.† â€Å"No matter what,† he agreed, his eyes tight. â€Å"I know,† I said. â€Å"I'm terrified for them, too.† â€Å"They know how to handle themselves,† Edward assured me, purposely making his voice light. â€Å"I just hate missing the fun.† Again with the fun. My nostrils flared. He put his arm around my shoulder. â€Å"Don't worry,† he urged, and then he kissed my forehead. As if there was any way to avoid that. â€Å"Sure, sure.† â€Å"Do you want me to distract you?† He breathed, running his cold fingers along my cheekbone. I shivered involuntarily; the morning was still frosty. â€Å"Maybe not right now,† he answered himself, pulling his hand away. â€Å"There are other ways to distract me.† â€Å"What would you like?† â€Å"You could tell me about your ten best nights,† I suggested. â€Å"I'm curious.† He laughed. â€Å"Try to guess.† I shook my head. â€Å"There're too many nights I don't know about. A century of them.† â€Å"I'll narrow it down for you. All of my best nights have happened since I met you.† â€Å"Really?† â€Å"Yes, really – and by quite a wide margin, too.† I thought for a minute. â€Å"I can only think of mine,† I admitted. â€Å"They might be the same,† he encouraged. â€Å"Well, there was the first night. The night you stayed.† â€Å"Yes, that's one of mine, too. Of course, you were unconscious for my favorite part.† â€Å"That's right,† I remembered. â€Å"I was talking that night, too.† â€Å"Yes,† he agreed. My face got hot as I wondered again what I might have said while sleeping in Jacob's arms. I couldn't remember what I'd dreamed about, or if I'd dreamed at all, so that was no help. â€Å"What did I say last night?† I whispered more quietly than before. He shrugged instead of answering, and I winced. â€Å"That bad?† â€Å"Nothing too horrible,† he sighed. â€Å"Please tell me.† â€Å"Mostly you said my name, the same as usual.† â€Å"That's not bad,† I agreed cautiously. â€Å"Near the end, though, you started mumbling some nonsense about ‘Jacob, my Jacob.'† I could hear the pain, even in the whisper. â€Å"Your Jacob enjoyed that quite a lot.† I stretched my neck up, straining to reach my lips to the edge of his jaw. I couldn't see into his eyes. He was staring up at the ceiling of the tent. â€Å"Sorry,† I murmured. â€Å"That's just the way I differentiate.† â€Å"Differentiate?† â€Å"Between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Between the Jacob I like and the one who annoys the hell out of me,† I explained. â€Å"That makes sense.† He sounded slightly mollified. â€Å"Tell me another favorite night.† â€Å"Flying home from Italy.† He frowned. â€Å"Is that not one of yours?† I wondered. â€Å"No, it is one of mine, actually, but I'm surprised it's on your list. Weren't you under the ludicrous impression I was just acting from a guilty conscience, and I was going to bolt as soon as the plane doors opened?† â€Å"Yes.† I smiled. â€Å"But, still, you were there.† He kissed my hair. â€Å"You love me more than I deserve.† I laughed at the impossibility of that idea. â€Å"Next would be the night after Italy,† I continued. â€Å"Yes, that's on the list. You were so funny.† â€Å"Funny?† I objected. â€Å"I had no idea your dreams were so vivid. It took me forever to convince you that you were awake.† â€Å"I'm still not sure,† I muttered. â€Å"You've always seemed more like a dream than reality. Tell me one of yours, now. Did I guess your first place?† â€Å"No – that would be two nights ago, when you finally agreed to marry me.† I made a face. â€Å"That doesn't make your list?† I thought about the way he'd kissed me, the concession I'd gained, and changed my mind. â€Å"Yes . . . it does. But with reservations. I don't understand why it's so important to you. You already had me forever.† â€Å"A hundred years from now, when you've gained enough perspective to really appreciate the answer, I will explain it to you.† â€Å"I'll remind you to explain – in a hundred years.† â€Å"Are you warm enough?† he asked suddenly. â€Å"I'm fine,† I assured him. â€Å"Why?† Before he could answer, the silence outside the tent was ripped apart by an earsplitting howl of pain. The sound ricocheted off the bare rock face of the mountain and filled the air so that it seared from every direction. The howl tore through my mind like a tornado, both strange and familiar. Strange because I'd never heard such a tortured cry before. Familiar because I knew the voice at once – I recognized the sound and understood the meaning as perfectly as if I'd uttered it myself. It made no difference that Jacob was not human when he cried out. I needed no translation. Jacob was close. Jacob had heard every word we'd said. Jacob was in agony. The howl choked off into a peculiar gurgled sob, and then it was quiet again. I did not hear his silent escape, but I could feel it – I could feel the absence I had wrongly assumed before, the empty space he left behind. â€Å"Because your space heater has reached his limit,† Edward answered quietly. â€Å"Truce over,† he added, so low I couldn't be sure that was really what he'd said. â€Å"Jacob was listening,† I whispered. It wasn't a question. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"You knew.† â€Å"Yes.† I stared at nothing, seeing nothing. â€Å"I never promised to fight fair,† he reminded me quietly. â€Å"And he deserves to know.† My head fell into my hands. â€Å"Are you angry with me?† he asked. â€Å"Not you,† I whispered. â€Å"I'm horrified at me.† â€Å"Don't torment yourself,† he pleaded. â€Å"Yes,† I agreed bitterly. â€Å"I should save my energy to torment Jacob some more. I wouldn't want to leave any part of him unharmed.† â€Å"He knew what he was doing.† â€Å"Do you think that matters?† I was blinking back tears, and this was easy to hear in my voice. â€Å"Do you think I care whether it's fair or whether he was adequately warned? I'm hurting him. Every time I turn around, I'm hurting him again.† My voice was getting louder, more hysterical. â€Å"I'm a hideous person.† He wrapped his arms tightly around me. â€Å"No, you're not.† â€Å"I am! What's wrong with me?† I struggled against his arms, and he let them drop. â€Å"I have to go find him.† â€Å"Bella, he's already miles away, and it's cold.† â€Å"I don't care. I can't just sit here.† I shrugged off Jacob's parka, shoved my feet into my boots, and crawled stiffly to the door; my legs felt numb. â€Å"I have to – I have to . . .† I didn't know how to finishthe sentence, didn't know what there was to do, but I unzipped the door anyway, and climbed out into the bright, icy morning. There was less snow than I would have thought after the fury of last night's storm. Probably it had blown away rather than melted in the sun that now shone low in the southeast, glancing off the snow that lingered and stabbing at my unadjusted eyes. The air still had a bite to it, but it was dead calm and slowly becoming more seasonable as the sun rose higher. Seth Clearwater was curled up on a patch of dry pine needles in the shadow of a thick spruce, his head on his paws. His sand-colored fur was almost invisible against the dead needles, but I could see the bright snow reflect off his open eyes. He was staring at me with what I imagined was an accusation. I knew Edward was following me as I stumbled toward the trees. I couldn't hear him, but the sun reflected off his skin in glittering rainbows that danced ahead of me. He didn't reach out to stop me until I was several paces into the forest shadows. His hand caught my left wrist. He ignored it when I tried to yank myself free. â€Å"You can't go after him. Not today. It's almost time. And getting yourself lost wouldn't help anyone, regardless.† I twisted my wrist, pulling uselessly. â€Å"I'm sorry, Bella,† he whispered. â€Å"I'm sorry I did that.† â€Å"You didn't do anything. It's my fault. I did this. I did everything wrong. I could have . . . When he . . . I shouldn't have . . . I . . . I . . .† I was sobbing. â€Å"Bella, Bella.† His arms folded around me, and my tears soaked into his shirt. â€Å"I should have – told him – I should – have said -† What? What could have made this right? â€Å"He shouldn't have – found out like this.† â€Å"Do you want me to see if I can bring him back, so that you can talk to him? There's still a little time,† Edward murmured, hushed agony in his voice. I nodded into his chest, afraid to see his face. â€Å"Stay by the tent. I'll be back soon.† His arms disappeared. He left so quickly that, in the second it took me to look up, he was already gone. I was alone. A new sob broke from my chest. I was hurting everyone today. Was there anything I touched that didn't get spoiled? I didn't know why it was hitting me so hard now. It wasn't like I hadn't known this was coming all along. But Jacob had never reacted so strongly – lost his bold overconfidence and shown the intensity of his pain. The sound of his agony still cut at me, somewhere deep in my chest. Right beside it was the other pain. Pain for feeling pain over Jacob. Pain for hurting Edward, too. For not being able to watch Jacob go with composure, knowing that it was the right thing, the only way. I was selfish, I was hurtful. I tortured the ones I loved. I was like Cathy, like Wuthering Heights, only my options were so much better than hers, neither one evil, neither one weak. And here I sat, crying about it, not doing anything productive to make it right. Just like Cathy. I couldn't allow what hurt me to influence my decisions anymore. It was too little, much too late, but I had to do what was right now. Maybe it was already done for me. Maybe Edward would not be able to bring him back. And then I would accept that and get on with my life. Edward would never see me shed another tear for Jacob Black. There would be no more tears. I wiped the last of them away with cold fingers now. But if Edward did return with Jacob, that was it. I had to tell him to go away and never come back. Why was that so hard? So very much more difficult than saying goodbye to my other friends, to Angela, to Mike? Why did that hurt? It wasn't right. That shouldn't be able to hurt me. I had what I wanted. I couldn't have them both, because Jacob could not be just my friend. It was time to give up wishing for that. How ridiculously greedy could any one person be? I had to get over this irrational feeling that Jacob belonged in my life. He couldn't belong with me, could not be my Jacob, when I belonged to someone else. I walked slowly back to the little clearing, my feet dragging. When I broke into the open space, blinking against the sharp light, I threw one quick glance toward Seth – he hadn't moved from his bed of pine needles – and then looked away, avoiding his eyes. I could feel that my hair was wild, twisted into clumps like Medusa's snakes. I yanked through it with my fingers, and then gave up quickly. Who cared what I looked like, anyway? I grabbed the canteen hanging beside the tent door and shook it. It sloshed wetly, so I unscrewed the lid and took a swig to rinse my mouth with the ice water. There was food somewhere nearby, but I didn't feel hungry enough to look for it. I started pacing across the bright little space, feeling Seth's eyes on me the whole time. Because I wouldn't look at him, in my head he became the boy again, rather than the gigantic wolf. So much like a younger Jacob. I wanted to ask Seth to bark or give some other sign if Jacob was coming back, but I stopped myself. It didn't matter if Jacob came back. It might be easier if he didn't. I wished I had some way to call Edward. Seth whined at that moment, and got to his feet. â€Å"What is it?† I asked him stupidly. He ignored me, trotting to the edge of the trees, and pointing his nose toward the west. He began whimpering. â€Å"Is it the others, Seth?† I demanded. â€Å"In the clearing?† He looked at me and yelped softly once, and then turned his nose alertly back to the west. His ears laid back and he whined again. Why was I such a fool? What was I thinking, sending Edward away? How was I supposed to know what was going on? I didn't speak wolf. A cold trickle of fear began to ooze down my spine. What if the time had run out? What if Jacob and Edward got too close? What if Edward decided to join in the fight? The icy fear pooled inmy stomach. What if Seth's distress had nothing to do with the clearing, and his yelp had been a denial? What if Jacob and Edward were fighting with each other, far away somewhere in the forest? They wouldn't do that, would they? With sudden, chilling certainty I realized that they would – if the wrong words were said. I thought of the tense standoff in the tent this morning, and I wondered if I'd underestimated how close it had come to a fight. It would be no more than I deserved if I somehow lost them both. The ice locked around my heart. Before I could collapse with fear, Seth grumbled slightly, deep in his chest, and then turned away from his watch and sauntered back toward his resting place. It calmed me, but irritated me. Couldn't he scratch a message in the dirt or something? The pacing was starting to make me sweat under all my layers. I threw my jacket into the tent, and then I went back to wearing a path across the center of the tiny break in the trees. Seth jumped to his feet again suddenly, the hackles on the back of his neck standing up stiffly. I looked around, but saw nothing. If Seth didn't cut it out, I was going to throw a pinecone at him. He growled, a low warning sound, slinking back toward the western rim, and I rethought my impatience. â€Å"It's just us, Seth,† Jacob called from a distance. I tried to explain to myself why my heart kicked into fourth gear when I heard him. It was just fear of what I was going to have to do now, that was all. I could not allow myself to be relieved that he'd come back. That would be the opposite of helpful. Edward walked into view first, his face blank and smooth. When he stepped out from the shadows, the sun shimmered on his skin like it did on the snow. Seth went to greet him, looking intently into his eyes. Edward nodded slowly, and worry creased his forehead. â€Å"Yes, that's all we need,† he muttered to himself before addressing the big wolf. â€Å"I suppose we shouldn't be surprised. But the timing is going to be very close. Please have Sam ask Alice to try to nail the schedule down better.† Seth dipped his head once, and I wished I was able to growl. Sure, he could nod now. I turned my head, annoyed, and realized that Jacob was there. He had his back to me, facing the way he'd come. I waited warily for him to turn around. â€Å"Bella,† Edward murmured, suddenly right beside me. He stared down at me with nothing but concern showing in his eyes. There was no end to his generosity. I deserved him now less than I ever had. â€Å"There's a bit of a complication,† he told me, his voice carefully unworried. â€Å"I'm going to take Seth a little ways away and try to straighten it out. I won't go far, but I won't listen, either. I know you don't want an audience, no matter which way you decide to go.† Only at the very end did the pain break into his voice. I had to never hurt him again. That would be my mission in life. Never again would I be the reason for this look to come into his eyes. I was too upset to even ask him what the new problem was. I didn't need anything else right now. â€Å"Hurry back,† I whispered. He kissed me lightly on the lips, and then disappeared into the forest with Seth at his side. Jacob was still in the shadow of the trees; I couldn't see his expression clearly. â€Å"I'm in a hurry, Bella,† he said in a dull voice. â€Å"Why don't you get it over with?† I swallowed, my throat suddenly so dry I wasn't sure if I could make sound come out. â€Å"Just say the words, and be done with it.† I took a deep breath. â€Å"I'm sorry I'm such a rotten person,† I whispered. â€Å"I'm sorry I've been so selfish. I wish I'd never met you, so I couldn't hurt you the way I have. I won't do it anymore, I promise. I'll stay far away from you. I'll move out of the state. You won't have to look at me ever again.† â€Å"That's not much of an apology,† he said bitterly. I couldn't make my voice louder than a whisper. â€Å"Tell me how to do it right.† â€Å"What if I don't want you to go away? What if I'd rather you stayed, selfish or not? Don't I get any say, if you're trying to make things up to me?† â€Å"That won't help anything, Jake. It was wrong to stay with you when we wanted such different things. It's not going to get better. I'll just keep hurting you. I don't want to hurt you anymore. I hate it.† My voice broke. He sighed. â€Å"Stop. You don't have to say anything else. I understand.† I wanted to tell him how much I would miss him, but I bit my tongue. That would not help anything, either. He stood quietly for a moment, staring at the ground, and I fought against the urge to go and put my arms around him. To comfort him. And then his head snapped up. â€Å"Well, you're not the only one capable of self-sacrifice,† he said, his voice stronger. â€Å"Two can play at that game.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"I've behaved pretty badly myself. I've made this much harder for you than I needed to. I could have given up with good grace in the beginning. But I hurt you, too.† â€Å"This is my fault.† â€Å"I won't let you claim all the blame here, Bella. Or all the glory either. I know how to redeem myself.† â€Å"What are you talking about?† I demanded. The sudden, frenzied light in his eyes frightened me. He glanced up at the sun and then smiled at me. â€Å"There's a pretty serious fight brewing down there. I don't think it will be that difficult to take myself out of the picture.† His words sank into my brain, slowly, one by one, and I couldn't breathe. Despite all my intentions to cut Jacob out of mylife completely, I didn't realize until that precise second exactly how deep the knife would have to go to do it. â€Å"Oh, no, Jake! No, no no no,† I choked out in horror. â€Å"No, Jake, no. Please, no.† My knees began to tremble. â€Å"What's the difference, Bella? This will only make it more convenient for everyone. You won't even have to move.† â€Å"No!† My voice got louder. â€Å"No, Jacob! I won't let you!† â€Å"How will you stop me?† he taunted lightly, smiling to take the sting out of his tone. â€Å"Jacob, I'm begging you. Stay with me.† I would have fallen to my knees, if I could have moved at all. â€Å"For fifteen minutes while I miss a good brawl? So that you can run away from me as soon as you think I'm safe again? You've got to be kidding.† â€Å"I won't run away. I've changed my mind. We'll work something out, Jacob. There's always a compromise. Don't go!† â€Å"You're lying.† â€Å"I'm not. You know what a terrible liar I am. Look in my eyes. I'll stay if you do.† His face hardened. â€Å"And I can be your best man at the wedding?† It was a moment before I could speak, and still the only answer I could give him was, â€Å"Please.† â€Å"That's what I thought,† he said, his face going calm again, but for the turbulent light in his eyes. â€Å"I love you, Bella,† he murmured. â€Å"I love you, Jacob,† I whispered brokenly. He smiled. â€Å"I know that better than you do.† He turned to walk away. â€Å"Anything,† I called after him in a strangled voice. â€Å"Anything you want, Jacob. Just don't do this!† He paused, turning slowly. â€Å"I don't really think you mean that.† â€Å"Stay,† I begged. He shook his head. â€Å"No, I'm going.† He paused, as if deciding something. â€Å"But I could leave it to fate.† â€Å"What do you mean?† I choked out. â€Å"I don't have to do anything deliberate – I could just do my best for my pack and let what happens happen.† He shrugged. â€Å"If you could convince me you really did want me to come back – more than you wanted to do the selfless thing.† â€Å"How?† I asked. â€Å"You could ask me,† he suggested. â€Å"Come back,† I whispered. How could he doubt that I meant it? He shook his head, smiling again. â€Å"That's not what I'm talking about.† It took me a second to grasp what he was saying, and all the while he was looking at me with this superior expression – so sure of my reaction. As soon as the realization hit, though, I blurted out the words without stopping to count the cost. â€Å"Will you kiss me, Jacob?† His eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed suspiciously. â€Å"You're bluffing.† â€Å"Kiss me, Jacob. Kiss me, and then come back.† He hesitated in the shadow, warring with himself. He half-turned again to the west, his torso twisting away from me while his feet stayed planted where they were. Still looking away, he took one uncertain step in my direction, and then another. He swung his face around to look at me, his eyes doubtful. I stared back. I had no idea what expression was on my face. Jacob rocked back on his heels, and then lurched forward, closing the distance between us in three long strides. I knew he would take advantage of the situation. I expected it. I held very still – my eyes closed, my fingers curled into fists at my sides – as his hands caught my face and his lips found mine with an eagerness that was not far from violence. I could feel his anger as his mouth discovered my passive resistance. One hand moved to the nape of my neck, twisting into a fist around the roots of my hair. The other hand grabbed roughly at my shoulder, shaking me, then dragging me to him. His hand continued down my arm, finding my wrist and pulling my arm up around his neck. I left it there, my hand still tightly balled up, unsure how far I could go in my desperation to keep him alive. All the while his lips, disconcertingly soft and warm, tried to force a response out of mine. As soon as he was sure I wouldn't drop my arm, he freed my wrist, his hand feeling its way down to my waist. His burning hand found the skin at the small of my back, and he yanked me forward, bowing my body against his. His lips gave up on mine for a moment, but I knew he was nowhere close to finished. His mouth followed the line of my jaw, and then explored the length of my neck. He freed my hair, reaching for my other arm to draw it around his neck like the first. Then both of his arms were constricted around my waist, and his lips found my ear. â€Å"You can do better than this, Bella,† he whispered huskily. â€Å"You're overthinking it.† I shivered as I felt his teeth graze my earlobe. â€Å"That's right,† he murmured. â€Å"For once, just let yourself feel what you feel.† I shook my head mechanically until one of his hands wound back into my hair and stopped me. His voice turned acidic. â€Å"Are you sure you want me to come back? Or did you really want me to die?† Anger rocked through me like the whiplash after a heavy punch. That was too much – he wasn't fighting fair. My arms were already around his neck, so I grabbed two fistfuls of his hair – ignoring the stabbing pain in my right hand – and fought back, struggling to pull my face away from his. And Jacob misunderstood. He was too strong to recognize that my hands, trying to yank his hair out by the roots, meant to cause him pain. Instead of anger, he imagined passion. He thought I was finally responding to him. With a wild gasp, he brought his mouth back to mine, his fingers clutching frantically against the skin at my waist. The jolt of anger unbalanced my tenuous hold on self-control; his unexpected, ecstatic response overthrew it entirely. If there had been only triumph, I might have been able to resist him. But the utter defenselessness of his sudden joy cracked my determination, disabled it. My brain disconnected from my body, and I was kissing him back. Against all reason, my lips were movingwith his in strange, confusing ways they'd never moved before – because I didn't have to be careful with Jacob, and he certainly wasn't being careful with me. My fingers tightened in his hair, but I was pulling him closer now. He was everywhere. The piercing sunlight turned my eyelids red, and the color fit, matched the heat. The heat was everywhere. I couldn't see or hear or feel anything that wasn't Jacob. The tiny piece of my brain that retained sanity screamed questions at me. Why wasn't I stopping this? Worse than that, why couldn't I find inmyself even the desire to want to stop? What did it mean that I didn't want him to stop? That my hands clung to his shoulders, and liked that they were wide and strong? That his hands pulled me too tight against his body, and yet it was not tight enough for me? The questions were stupid, because I knew the answer: I'd been lying to myself. Jacob was right. He'd been right all along. He was more than just my friend. That's why it was so impossible to tell him goodbye – because I was in love with him. Too. I loved him, much more than I should, and yet, still nowhere near enough. I was in love with him, but it was not enough to change anything; it was only enough to hurt us both more. To hurt him worse than I ever had. I didn't care about more than that – than his pain. I more than deserved whatever pain this caused me. I hoped it was bad. I hoped I would really suffer. In this moment, it felt as though we were the same person. His pain had always been and would always be my pain – now his joy was my joy. I felt joy, too, and yet his happiness was somehow also pain. Almost tangible – it burned against my skin like acid, a slow torture. For one brief, never-ending second, an entirely different path expanded behind the lids of my tear-wet eyes. As if I were looking through the filter of Jacob's thoughts, I could see exactly what I was going to give up, exactly what this new self-knowledge would not save me from losing. I could see Charlie and Rene mixed into a strange collage with Billy and Sam and La Push. I could see years passing, and meaning something as they passed, changing me. I could see the enormous red-brown wolf that I loved, always standing as protector if I needed him. For the tiniest fragment of that second, I saw the bobbing heads of two small, black-haired children, running away from me into the familiar forest. When they disappeared, they took the rest of the vision with them. And then, quite distinctly, I felt the splintering along the fissure line in my heart as the smaller part wrenched itself away from the whole. Jacob's lips were still before mine were. I opened my eyes and he was staring at me with wonder and elation. â€Å"I have to leave,† he whispered. â€Å"No.† He smiled, pleased by my response. â€Å"I won't be long,† he promised. â€Å"But one thing first . . .† He bent to kiss me again, and there was no reason to resist. What would be the point? This time was different. His hands were soft on my face and his warm lips were gentle, unexpectedly hesitant. It was brief, and very, very sweet. His arms curled around me, and he hugged me securely while he whispered in my ear. â€Å"That should have been our first kiss. Better late than never.† Against his chest, where he couldn't see, the tears welled up and spilled over.

Effective Distribution Strategy Wonderful Widgets Essay

Effective Distribution Strategy Wonderful Widgets - Essay Example It is also essential to understand the reason for approving or rejecting a certain strategy in order to determine whether a unique advantage of the cost is overlooked. The more the time spent in selecting the distribution strategy, the less the costs the company will incur after implementing the strategy. After evaluation of the above aspects, the best option for Wonderful Widgets is central management strategy. Centralized distribution strategy refers to a way of organizing the product’s recipient from the suppliers of the company and the onward delivery of the products to individual branches since the company has multiple retailing operations. After implementation of the centralized management strategy, the deliveries from the company are delivered to a central place, in huge amount, instead of delivering to a specific branch. Loads are then transported to all branches, retailers, or customers. One of the most appropriate ways for Wonderful Widgets Company to address its cur rent issues is through the creation of the central distribution center. From this distribution center, the distribution management will be able to make access to all the products of the company. In addition, the distribution department will be able to ship the products to any geographical location of its choice in a timely style. A central management strategy will allow the company management to focus on the essential aspects of the company such as retail, instead of trying to find means on how to get the products to the customers.

Islam communities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Islam communities - Essay Example Though his message was initially rejected, by the year 630 he had succeeded in gaining control of Mecca, the economic and religious center of the Arabian Peninsula. Muhammed died after two years, this does not stop the Islam religion to spread rapidly. In 750 A.D. Islam spread out in Spain, India, Asia, and Africa. Some of the well known philosophers and mathematician were believed to be Muslim. In the time of the golden era Christianity and Islam clashed, as a result of the so called science of debate or Kalam. Kalam (literally the science of debate) denotes a discipline of Islamic thought which is referred to as "theology" or as "scholastic theology." This discipline involves the political and the religious controversies that engulfed the Islam community in its formative years, it deals with interpretations of religious doctrine and the defence of the interpretations by means of discursive arguments. The introduction of Kalam came to be associated with the Mu'tazilla, a nationalist school that emerged at the beginning of the 2nd century ah and the rose to prominence in the following century. Rationalism was discreted because of the failure of the Mutazilla, leading to a resurgence of traditionalism and later to the emergence of the Ashariyya School. The Asharite School gained acceptability within mainstream (Sunni) Islam. The Sunni comprises the 90% of all the Muslims, their name derived from the fact that they look both to the Koran and to the sunna in establishing proper Muslim conduct. The "sunna" is the behavior or example of Muhammed and of the early Muslim community. Another group arises in the Islam community is the Shiites. It comprises 10% of the Muslim community and usually lives in Iran and Iraq. The word Shi'ite means partisan and they are referred as the partisan of Ali. Ali is the son in law and cousin of Muhammed and one of the early Caliphs or successors to Muhammed as leader of the Muslim people. They believe that the leader of Islam should be among the descendants of Ali. The last of these divinely appointed leaders, or "imams" most Shi'ites believes to be in "hiding" in another realm of existence. The Ayatollah Khomeini was believed to have been a spokesman for this "hidden imam." The third group of Islam are the Suffis who seek a mystical experience of God, rather than a merely intellectual knowledge of Him, and who also are given to a number of superstitious practices. Beliefs of Islam To Islam there is no God but Allah. The early Islamic Arabs were polytheists. Muhammed is the instrument leading the Muslims to devote themselves solely to the chief God whom they called Allah which means God. They believe that Allah has a magical power and to worship others is considered blasphemy. The Islam religion also believes in angels and jinn. Jinn are spirits being capable of good and evil actions and of possessing human beings. The Muslims believed that they are being accompanied by jinn and angels one on the right to record good deeds and the jinn on the left to record the evil deeds. Muslims has great belief to their God's holy book called Koran. Chief among these are the Law given to Moses, the Psalms given to David, the Gospel (or Injil) given to Jesus, and the Koran given to Muhammed. According to Muhammed the Christian scriptures has been tampered and the real bible is the Koran. Difficulties and

Historical aspects in Last of the Mohicans Essay

Historical aspects in Last of the Mohicans - Essay Example As such, we will analyze how Native Americans were first perceived by the original settlers at Plymouth Rock, by the government with the Trail of Tears, and later on by politicians who bargained with and swindled the Lakhota Sioux. II. The Sorrow: Plymouth Rock When the settlers arrived at Plymouth Rock, Native Americans were considered quote â€Å"savages,† as evidenced in the following sentence found in James Fenimore Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans: The man had â€Å"†¦a look so dark and savage, that it might in itself excite fear† (Cooper 1859, 47). This stereotype of the Native American painted as some sort of inhuman creature was only reinforced by the idea that they made them feel that there was a definite threat to their women (white women). â€Å"Notwithstanding the fearful and menacing array of savages on every side of her, no apprehension on her own account could prevent the noble-minded maiden from keeping her eyes fastened on the pale and anx ious feaures of the trembling Alice† (Cooper 1859, 373). While this was not an unmitigated fear, as some white settlers’ wives were caught and captured to be made part of the Indian tribes, this fear was largely propagated by white people—and widely-circulated as rumor that Indians were always on the prowl for some fair, blond-headed maven that they might take in search of satisfying their savage lust. Of course, that is not to say that there was not favoritism displayed even among tribes, as Cooper notes. â€Å"[T]here is but little love between a Delaware and a Mingo†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Cooper 1859, 249). Nor, can it be said, was there the absence of nepotism either. â€Å"The Hurons love their friends the Delawares. . . . Why should they not? They are colored by the same sun, and their just men will hunt in the same grounds after death† (Cooper 1859, 365). Surely, by the same token, Cooper—being a white narrator—tries to preface a racist state ment by saying the equivalent of, â€Å"I’m not racist but†¦,† thus attempting to neutralize any shred of judgmental ideas coming after that statement as not being perceived racist. Cooper writes, â€Å"I am not a prejudiced man, nor one who vaunts himself on his natural privileges, though the worst enemy I have on earth, and he is an Iroquois, daren’t deny that I am genuine white† (Cooper 1859, 36). In essence, he is saying, â€Å"Not that this really has anything to do with him being Iroquois, but this guy is the most annoying chap I’ve ever met on the planet. Oh, and did I mention he’s Iroquois?† Well, if was a fact that didn’t matter, why was the fact mentioned? The mere fact that Cooper mentions that the other person being Iroquois didn’t matter, mattered. If he had just simply said, â€Å"Well, there was this annoying guy.† But, since he mentioned that the person also happened to be of a certain race, t hat sort of tempers the statement, tinging it and tainting it in a most unusual fashion—in essence coloring the way one sees the sentence. Indubiously, one is led to believe that perhaps if one Iroquois person is an enemy, then perhaps naturally should many or all Iroquois be one’s enemy—by nature of whatever unpalatable elements the Iroquois people may possess. Although Cooper does not expressly say it, he is (yes) being racist. Although he tries to paint a dapper picture with his writer’s quill, he is has unremarkably sullied the way he will forever be remembered in history—

Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 43

Ethics - Essay Example Certainly, this corporate reputation could be easily misconstrued to imply that the company is doing well in all respects. Analyzes of the company’s past performance records reveal issues of ethical concerns related to discrimination of workers. This discrimination is occasioned by arbitrary termination of contracts and firing of employees. On 28th Jan 2015, the Liberty Institute filed a case against the company on behalf of an employee named Thomas Banks. In this lawsuit, the plaintiff accused the company of firing him on religious grounds (Ferrell, Fraedrich & Ferrell, 2013). Banks had received a pro-homosexuality newsletter from his employer, Ford Company, which aroused his concern to send a feedback disagreeing with the intended homosexual policy citing non-conjunction with the biblical subscriptions. This dismissal based on the religious inclination of an employee not only implied corporate negligence of workers’ welfare but also violated the Federal civil rights act of 1964. There are several replica of such discriminatory activities associated with Ford Motor Company. This paper analyzes the ethical flaws within Ford Company in order to provide mitigation alternatives. Ford Company continues to face severe and expensive lawsuits linking it to ethical negligence. Women employees within the company have experienced sexual harassment in the enterprise. Some of the discrimination cases have been judicially addressed while others still remain at large (Ferrell, Fraedrich & Ferrell, 2013). Discrimination within Ford takes different phases including gender, racial, and religious discrimination. It is factual that the primary aim of business organizations is to attain high-profit margins and customer loyalty. The achievement of the main corporate objectives results from the proper management of human resources to ensure high quality and

Piece ship to Gaza Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Piece ship to Gaza - Essay Example The reaction brought about by the raid internationally was overwhelming, an investigation was demanded and so was the release of all the A commission was appointed by the government of civilians that had been captured by Israel (Klein 2011, p.57). Israel to look into the matter and its report stated that the Israel Military used force that was within its legal limit but another investigation that was later carried out by the United Nations Human Rights Council cited that there was excessive use of force. The Israel government said that the military men acted in self defense and therefore the report by the United Nations Human Rights Council was biased. The civilians were released and the ship, Mavi Marmara was among the ships that were released back to Turkey and they were accompanied by tugboats that had been sent from Turkey to bring them back (Hughes 2011, p.157). During the journey, no one was allowed to board the Ship, Mavi Marmara, because of the ongoing investigations, they di d not want the evidence to be tampered with but the bullet holes and the windows that had been broken were visible . The Israel government apologized through their Prime Minister Netenyahu and agreed to compensate the families of the affected people, those that lost their lives aboard the ships. A compensation agreement between the government of Israel and that of Turkey was reached on conditions that the compensation would only go the members of the family of the people who died on the Mavi Marmara, the Turkey government had to sign an agreement that they would not sue the Israel government and in case of a lawsuit, the monetary compensation would be given back to Israel. Nine activists were killed in the raid and their bodies were carried to Israel for external examination, the results showed that they had died from gun wounds but one could not tell for sure if it was an execution because the bodies had been washed thereby removing the gunpowder residue before being returned to Tu rkey (Kershner). A funeral service was held in Istanbul and later the bodies transported to their hometowns for individual burial; in addition to the deaths, dozens were wounded, after the takeover of the ship was complete, the medical personnel of Israel Defense Forces then treated them and no deaths of the injured ones were reported. In addition to the people who were on the Mavi Marmara ship, others who were aboard other ships were beaten and injured by weapons that were less lethal; they were hospitalized in Israel for treatment. It was reported that some activists refused medical treatment saying that they would prefer to die as heroes; some went as far as removing the medical equipment, on the Israel troop, seven soldiers were reported to have been injured in the raid. Many videos showing the incident were released, they were taken using night vision technology and they showed the soldiers being hit by metal pipes and chairs by the activists. After the boarding, the activists were put in custody so that they can await their deportation, while the Israel government also had plans to prosecute some activists on grounds of assault of its troops. The activists claimed that during interrogations,

FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa as a business event Essay

FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa as a business event - Essay Example The choice of the host country is very important moment in the preparation of World Cup since it is, beyond the purely sporting aspects of economy. In order to obtain the nomination by the FIFA authorities, cities and nations compete in projects. This event requires the construction of reception infrastructure, transport and communication inevitably leads to strong changes in terms of city planning. Often, the FIFA World Cup becomes an excuse to initiate or accelerate some of urban changes resulting in the initiation of work. FIFA World Cup is an opportunity to orchestrate an extensive modernisation of the country by fostering urban renewal and social changes. The organisation of the Cup was such a chance for South Africa to initiate huge upgrades with respect to certain routes and urban infrastructure. Indeed, this radical change in the appearance of the country was not done without pain, as South Africa found itself plunged into a very important phase of work that disrupts the rhyt hm of life in South Africa and, most importantly, led to a substantial financial contribution to taxpayers. In South Africa, ten stadiums will be used throughout the World Cup 2010. Distributed throughout the territory of Polokwane to Cape Town, these stages hosted the greatest football competition in the world. Of the ten stages of the World Cup, some were just renovated, while others are out of land recently, to offer viewers a high quality of comfort and safety. South Africa regularly hosts major international sporting events since 1994 and has successfully organised some of the most important ones; the Rugby World Cup 1995, World Cup Cricket in 2003, the Women's World Cup Golf (2005 to 2008) and the only race in the streets of opening of the A1 GP World Cup of Motorsport (from 2006 to 2008). But the FIFA World Cup is the largest sporting event in the world in terms of television audience. World Cup 2010 in South Africa is announced as a major turning point for the host country b ut also for the entire continent. Bold alternative to the Afro-pessimism, it would now "Africa" to be placed in the heart of the international scene. FIFA and Cup organisers intend to explicitly celebrate the humanity of the continent. Political leaders in South Africa placed the hosting of the FIFA World cup at the top of their agenda. Mandela said when the role of football in the struggle against apartheid and said that "football was the only joy for prisoners "on Robben Island (Jones, 2004). Mbeki added that the hosting of World cup project is a journey of hope for South Africa, Africa and the world, a journey that gives the strength and endurance we need to walk the difficult road that still separates us from African renaissance. While FIFA announced in 2008 that the 2010 Cup will be even more profitable than the last, some question the benefits and economic benefits in terms of construction of new stages (Pillay, Tomlinson & Bass, 2009). As far as the non financial benefits of World Cup are concerned, it is said that South African media enjoyed and participated in this myth of nation building through sport. Others, however, underline the symbolic dimension of this event; some scholars suggest that playing at the Cape Town may be interpreted as a way of "doing justice to history" (Hill, 2003). It was evident, however, that the 2010 World Cup in South Africa was the intersection of meanings, actions and multiple political aspirations and that local and national interests intertwine. This World

Luxury Brand Economy Effect Essay Example for Free

Luxury Brand Economy Effect Essay Monaco is a small country, but well known all over the world. All over the world it is known as a place of luxury. Every year a lot of tourists visit Monaco to have a good vacation visiting casinos, luxury restaurants and off course to do a shopping in a most known, luxury brands. In Monaco you can find a lot of different luxury boutiques for every taste; you can find everything from luxury cars to a luxury clothes and accessories. During the course of Luxury audit services we study a lot about the services in luxury stores. So our goal was to divide into groups and to do an audit of few stores. Our group was a big enough for such a mission, so we were thinking how to do it in a better way. And once we got a good idea. According to the information we received during the seminar with Guillaume Rose, in Monaco there are a lot of Russian millionaires, and they are always â€Å"invited guests† in different places. So we decided to split our group on two smaller groups and to compare the experience received in Gucci store and in Celine which are situated in the heart of Monaco, near the Casino and Hotel de Paris. I will share with you the Russian experience. I asked my friend, she is from Russia, for some help in this mission. Our story was that we family couple came from Russia for my friend’s wedding and as we already bought a new skirt for my wife we need to buy a new bag, which must be one of the last collections. And the second part of our group was native French with two different scenarios in two stores. As we will see next we received a little bit different experiences. Gucci store audit Firstly we decided to audit one of the most famous brands in the world, Gucci. At 12. 00 we entered the store. Before entering the store, we noticed that the showcase was clean, with good lighting, but there were no goods exposed. Entering the store, I noticed that the main glass door was all in hand prints and it was just 12. 00. Going to the store and pretending a married couple, we were arguing about the fact that my wife has already a bunch of bags and for what reason she is looking for one new. Staff in the store noticed us at once and ran to the side waving their heads as a greeting. Only the guard who was near the enter greeted us in a very polite form. We were walking through the shop for 3 minutes and a half and it gives us a good opportunity to study the store. We noticed that the reception area was clean as it is required, but there were not enough light, it gives to the store a much groomed look. And also no music and even no fresh flowers in the store. After 3 minutes and a half we meat a sales person who greeted us and introduced himself as a David. He asked us a few open questions in order to know what we are looking for. After he listened our story he was interesting in our previous experience with Gucci brand. We pretend that we don’t know anything about Gucci. He told us some information about the brand about its uniqueness and heritage. After that David proposed a few bags, he explained the value of that model and brought all the colors for that model. Also he guaranteed that the model will be in a trend for the next few years. What was not really very good it’s a careless handling of the bag and he put them on one big heap. And what impressed me very much is that he even don’t show the inner part of the bag, on my opinion it is very important to know how it is inside the bah which you are going to buy for a big amount of money. As I was pretending a husband who is not really happy to buy a new bag, I asked about the discount, and I get an answer in very polite form that there is no discount at all in Gucci store in Monaco. My pretending wife was asking me to buy the bag she liked and I was strong on my opinion. So a after that dialogue with my wife he proposed to book the bag till the evening for the case if I will change my mind. This was very polite from his side. But he doesn’t accompany us to the door and didn’t offer to giva us a business card and to right down us into the customers database. Totally we spend in the store 26 minutes. So in conclusion I can say that the experience I have received together with my pretending wife was far different from the French experience of my group mates. Celine store audit. The second we decided to audit was the Celine also situated in the heart of Monaco. Our story was the same, we were looking for a bag which will be good to my â€Å"wife’s† new skirt which we have bought for a wedding we are invited here in Monaco. The showcase was very clean with good exposition of some goods. When we entered the store we noticed staff talking together near the cash machine, although all of them greeted us in their store. The area of the class was very clean , there were enough light, giving a good look to the goods represented in the store. After a minute and 20-30 seconds of waiting we meat a vendor, she was Russian so we were able to speak on our native language. It impressed me very much, so I was ready to buy everything in that store. She was asking a lot of open questions, to get more information about our needs and it was great, because after that she proposed a few models which were facing all our needs. She was very listening, so it helps her to understand our needs. She explained everything about the product, how to clean it and how to use it to leave it in a new condition. Of course she valued the model and showed a few others and different colors. She knows the material and the price for that bag without looking anywhere. But what upset me she didn’t spoke about the brand, because we don’t know anything about that brand, except that it is a luxury and expensive brand. As the bag we liked the most she proposed to book it till the next day midday, so that we can think about purchasing it. She remains courtesy even in the case of not buying that bag. She put our names in database and proposed her help for any other matters. She accompanies us to the door and wish a good day for us. We spend in that store 23 minutes and the felling was like we spend there almost an hour, the experience we received in the Celine store was great dispute of some moments. Conclusion As our group was divided for two smaller groups in order to compare different experiences. As Russian group visiting the Gucci store we received almost a great experience. Points to improve, I would recommend to put some products on a showcases, it is needed to clean the entry glass door and if there is such a need to clean it every hour. They need to put more lights in the store, because it was too dark. Some fresh flowers will do only a good role and some soft music will be very great. And of course some training course for the staff. Celine experience was really great and there is nothing to speak about. I wish them to continue in that way. The experience we received during these audits was one of the greatest. We were participating in the process not just as a customer’s but almost as professionals who can notice almost everything in the store. Thanks to Ozzy Monaco for a great course.

Global HIV Prevention Essay Example for Free

Global HIV Prevention Essay HIV has moved from being an ordinary disease to a pandemic that is affecting people world wide. Strategies have been developed and are still being formulated on the way forward to combat this menace and preventing further spread of the disease. Unfortunately Africa is the hardest hit producing the first twenty countries with the highest prevalence rates. More than 60% of the adult population is living positively with the virus. In the US the story is different with decline of prevalence rate going down drastically but the incidence rate is ever increasing. There are the traditional ways that so far have been used to combat HIV/AIDS which include: Abstaining from sexual acts until at least one is married, being faithful to one partner without switching partners now and then and if the two methods do not work, one can result to using prevention (condom) especially among the youth. The main goal of this paper (study) is to bring down the prevalence rate of HIV nationwide and worldwide by seeking to address some myths and beliefs that are associated with HIV stigmatization. Disparities in race are some of the main areas of address. The other goals that are in some ways encompassed in this main objective are to minimize the number of people at high risks of transmitting or being effected by the virus. The other aim of this report is to address the issue of getting people to know their HIV status especially those that do not know and are living positively with the virus. The third goal of this report is formation of a network of people living with HIV/AIDS which will be like a social group for getting moral and financial support. These networks will act as the connection between organizations that want to monitor HIV progress and people living positively (CDC, 2007). For achievement of these goals, a lot of inter agency cooperation and non governmental organizations (non profit organization) input would be required not withstanding some strategies that have to drafted and enforced for total success. Success of these strategies will depend on the area where they are being applied. For instance address of poverty is a strategy that can be applied in Africa but not in the developed countries like Europe and US. This will be trying to empower people economically so that they will not have to exploit their sexuality for upkeep which spreads the HIV disease even more. A second strategy that would be effective is monitoring the morbidity and mortality arising from HIV so that utilization of funds for HIV program may be planned and allocated accordingly. This goes a long way in preventing the embezzlement of funds intended for this program. Another strategy that can work well is putting in place preventive programs and counseling centers. This is best undertaken through campaigns and organizing for workshops that are aimed at educating the masses on the HIV pandemic. The best tool here to employ is the media both electronic (internet TV and radio) and printed. This is the best overall idea and would work best for Africa which has the highest prevalence rates and also the poorest continent (CDC 2007). Program assessment and policy formulation is a further tactic that can be effective in the fight against HIV/AIDS. This will entail a lot of research and data collection that will employ a lot of disciplines to be effective. The data to be collected will be from the affected people therefore the statistics collected will be based on real numbers and not estimates. This will necessitate the usage of questionnaires and testing of the population to come up with data. This strategy will closely work with another that aims at building a database that will be for coordinating the function of all the organizations that are involved in various aspects of monitoring HIV globally. This database will be in form of a link that will be a collection of the various programs that have been developed since the pandemic started. Many of the organization here will be divided into various groups like those that offer counseling services and education to the public, those that offer financial help to people affected in order to secure retro viral drugs or for general upkeep (CDC, 2007). On top of all these strategies, a lot of finance is required to support the various activities that are needed to keep the machines of preventive strategies working. The money can be allocated to different activities related to HIV researches like invention of the elusive vaccine. Counseling activities also require much financing and preventive counseling is preferred since when the public has been educated about the dangers and ways through which one gets HIV, it will prevent many unprecedented cases that happen by chance and ignorance. As we seek ways to deal with HIV, other related sexually transmitted diseases should not be forgotten because they occur concurrently and they can be used as indicators of places with high incidence of HIV especially when the actual statistics are unavailable (CDC 2007). In order for successful HIV prevention and drastic reduction of its prevalence rate, many non governmental organizations from countries across the globe and governmental cooperation is required. This will foster strengthening and innovation of the existing strategies and if need be new tactics be formulated. The strategies lined above will be implemented in different parts of the globe which therefore calls for many enforcing agents in those countries which will be guided by the social norms there. The pandemic is affecting everyone directly or indirectly therefore the effects in Africa will eventually be felt in Europe and America. Reference CDC. (2007) Interpretation and Discussion of Findings. Retrieved 24 April 2009 from http://www. cdc. gov/hiv/topics/testing/resource/reports/hivprevalence/interpretation. htm .

Definition Of Generic Pharmaceutical Company Business Model Economics Essay

Definition Of Generic Pharmaceutical Company Business Model Economics Essay This is an essay to identify CIPLA a generic Pharmaceutical companys business model and to explain the reasons why the company has to change its existing business model. This is done by first identifying the term business model and then using the definition to explain the business model adopted by the company, also determining the inherent changes in world policies and economic environment that prompt the change of the present business model. The second part of the essay addresses the issue of the conflict between the big ethical pharmaceutical companies and the relatively smaller generic pharmaceutical companies business models. This is addressed by highlighting the big pharmaceutical companies business model and comparing the two models (which will reveal the nature of their competitive relationship) there by identifying if there seems to be a convergence in their models and they are both becoming competitors in the same market or companies producing the same products but competing in different markets or companies where a symbiotic relationship has become inevitable for their survival in this present economic situation. Conceptualization of a Business Model. A definition of a business model is required to highlight the context to which CIPLAs (a generic pharmaceutical company) business model can be identified. During my research I encountered various concepts of a business model such as the definition given by Chesbrough and Rosenbloom (2002) a coherent framework that takes technological characteristics and potentials as inputs, and converts them through customers and markets into economic outputs (p.532), comparatively, Rayport and Jaworski (2001 cited in Wimmer 2004) defined a business model as the four choices of (1) a value proposition or a value cluster for targeted customers (2) a market space offering which could be products, services, information or all three (3) a unique dependable resource system and (4) a financial model. However Shafer, Smith et al (2005) suggests that a representation of a firms underlying core logic and strategic choices for creating and capturing value (p.202); is a design or creation, not an accident; wha t structures are in place to ensure firms capture value. Factually no sole definition can adequately cover all aspects of the term business model; I will endeavour to use a combination of all the stated business model definitions to better recognize the Generic pharmaceutical companys business model. I focused on the definition of this model first as most generic companies including CIPLA initially followed this business model before the need for change in 2005. The focus on India is also due to the fact that CIPLA originated from there. Definition of Generic Pharmaceutical company business model. Generic pharmaceutical company business model in India is characterised by the production and selling of copy cat pharmaceutical drugs discovered and developed by the big ethical pharmaceutical companies such as GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), this was achieve through the reverse engineering of the drugs invented by the big ethical Pharmaceutical companies and sold at lower costs. This was made possible in India due to the availability of cheap labour in the country, the favourable environment encouraged by the Indian government at the time which allowed low restriction on process patent and little or no conformity with WTO regulations. This was confirmed by Greene (2007) who wrote that government policy culminated in various actions including: the abolition of product patents on food, chemicals, and drugs; the institution of process patents; the limitation of multinational equity share in India pharmaceutical companies, and the imposition of price controls on certain formulations and bulk dr ugs. He also highlighted that India has garnered a worldwide reputation for producing high quality, low cost generic drugs. Financial evaluation of CIPLAs business model Using the Profit and loss account for 2000-2010, sales turnover steady increases from 2000-2004 but in 2005 there is a decline of about 10% which can be attributed to the implementation of the WTO law that affected the number of drugs available for replication. This also affected the earnings per share which dropped from about 51 to about 13 in 2005. Investment and debt also showed a steep decline of over 100% from 2004-2005, this corresponds to the change in business environment which can infer a reduction of debt incurred for drug production. However the excise duty showed steady from 2000-2005 indicating company focus on domestic market but in 2006 there is a steady decline in excise duties paid and this can be as a result of increased exportation of drugs following a change in business model. Change in CIPLAs Business Model The era of this type of business model however draws to an end as various changes in the economic situation and world policy will threaten the very successful model in which the generics pharmaceutical companies in India have been thriving. In 2005 Indian government changed its law concerning patent drugs and fell in line with World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade Related Intellectual Property Agreement (TRIPs) this limited the production of certain drugs that was filed as a patent from January 1, 1995(Greene 2007). Another important point is that the rate at which ethical pharmaceutical companies are coming up with new blockbuster drugs is slowing down, with a shift from Research and development (RD) to marketing. This is as a result of the enormous cost to bring to the market a new drug ranging between 802million 1billion over a period of 10-15 years (Mogalian, Myrdal 2004). As inferred by Martinez and Goldstein (2007) statement that the century-old approach of finding chemicals to treat diseases is producing fewer and fewer drugs. Yusuf Hamied (CEO of CIPLA) stated that the World Trade Organization regulations, which since 2005 have prevented Indian generic drug firms from copying patented drugs, signifies that Indian generic companies have to change their business model or risk being swallowed up by multinational firms. (Livemint, 5th January 2010). Most generic companies in India adapted to this setback in their business model by transferring focus from domestic market in India and increase export of generic drugs to the United States and Western Europe, entering into RD agreements, mergers and acquisitions of foreign drug companies and developing alliances with foreign pharmaceutical firms. CIPLA however chose a slightly different approach than most pharmaceuticals by focusing on organic growth in India and only seldom indulging in strategic business alliances, technological services (such as knowhow transfer, plant supply etc) and in licensing with big pharmaceuticals. CIPLA also increased their export of generic drugs to the United States and Western Europe. Some points in CIPLAs corporate presentation in August 2009 highlight the companys focus: Business model based on international strategic alliances- Business focuses on organic growth and leads to reduced capital commitment and regulatory/litigation risks. RD targeted at ensuring efficient utilization of resources and focused at developing and launching niche products. The graph below shows a steady increase in the value of Indias pharmaceutical RD expenditure from 2001-2006 as a result of a shift in business model. Source: William Greene, US Trade Commission (2007) The emergence of Indias pharmaceutical industry and implications for the US generic drug market, US Office of Economics Working Paper 2007-05-A Business models of Big, Ethical pharmaceutical companies and the consequent reason for change of model. The big pharmaceutical company business model is the traditional pharmaceuticals company business model which comprises of large scale Research and Development departments which discover new drugs for diseases and the sale of those drugs to consumers .This is a rudimentary definition of their business model as it also entails many more components than those mentioned above for instance in recent times we see a shift of emphasis from the research and development to sales and marketing campaigns due to the competitive nature of the environment. A branded drug product is originally discovered and developed by a pharmaceutical company. In order for the company to market and sell their product they must first gain approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by submitting a New Drug Application. In this documentation the company submits data to establish a drugs clinical safety and efficacy. Other studies determine the characteristics of the drug dosage form, including the manufacturing process, drug stability, purity, strength, and how it dissolves. Once the drug receives FDA approval, the innovator company can then exclusively market and sell this brand-name product for as long as the company has patent protection. (Mogalian, Myrdal 2004) However a new external threat has evolved apart from the usual competition of rival companies in the form of Generics pharmaceutical companies. These companies as mentioned in prior section of the essay have used the process of reverse engineering to create cheaper replicas of the drugs produced by these big pharmaceutical companies and selling the drugs at cheaper costs to consumers. This has been of great profit to the generics companies as they had to indulge in little or no cost consuming research and development to come up with the drugs in the first place and the availability of low cost of production was just an added advantage to their business model. Martinez and Goldstein (2007) noted however that the rise of generics wouldnt matter so much if research labs were creating a stream of new hits. But that isnt happening. Though the industry doubled its investment from 2002 till 2006 in RD it yielded 43% less than it had in five years during the 1990s of chemical-based drugs. There is a change in the business environment for generic companies in India however with the 2005 adherence to WTO laws. They generics companies are focused on RD to produce their own patent drugs and generic drugs have become more accepted in Western countries over the years, with the rising costs of healthcare these governments are looking to cut costs and are therefore encouraging the adoption generic drug prescriptions to patients. Another major factor affecting the big pharmaceutical companies is the problem of expired patents. Companies like Pfizer that had a blockbuster drug called Lipitor a cholesterol lowering drug will be coming off patent in 2010 and this will allow the generics companies to bring in a cheaper replica of the drug which will reduce the sales of the company drastically. Patent expirations are a big problem. Drugs are granted 20 years of patent protection, Although companies often fail to get a product to market before half of that period has elapsed. Once it hits the market, however, the patent-protected drug is highly profitable: Typical gross margins are 90% to 95%. When patents expire, generic makers offer the products at a price much closer to the cost of production (Martinez and Goldstein 2007). *Sales data is from IMS World Review (except for China and Poland) ** Patented/generic split is from ESPICOM. Generic defined as a drug whose patent has expired ***2001 values for China; 2000 values for Poland; 2003 values for Brazil reflects patented/unpatented (unpatented includes branded unpatented, generics, similar) Sources: IMS; ESPICOM; Factiva; EGA; Mckinsey team Analysis This development will result in the increased encroachment on the market share of the big pharmaceutical companies, though we can see from the chart that countries like China, Brazil, India and Poland have higher percentage of generic drug usage than US, Japan, Germany, France and UK the problem of the global recession may cause an increase in the use of the generic drugs in these countries as well since developed countries like UK are hoping to cut costs on public expenditure like healthcare costs. Definition of relationships Based on these new developments in the business environment of pharmaceuticals companies and my research I begin to recognize a trend where big pharmaceuticals and generics have increasingly instances of working together in order to thrive in the new environment. This aids me in my definition of in tension asked in the question, I identify this as the type of relationship generating between the big pharmaceutical and the generics companies and we can see that it if morphing from a completely competitive one to a more competitive-collaborative relationship, where we can even see a convergence in their business models in some cases. We see big pharmaceutical companies are begin to return to India after the 2005 law passed by the government protecting their drugs, so they can benefit from the availability of cheap labor and low cost of innovative talent, they are even cooperating with the generics companies for Research and Development, in licensing and use of their distribution lines to transport their drugs to underdeveloped countries formally catered to by mainly generics companies. AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline and Bristol-Myers Squibb have also recently suggested they will outsource at least some of their manufacturing. There are lots of people in India, China and Eastern Europe who can make products of the same quality as ours but at significantly less cost, says Bristol-Myers Squibb CEO James Cornelius (Martinez and Goldstein 2007). However though we see them working together big ethical pharmaceuticals companies still have some strategies to compete with generics pharmaceutical companies. Some defensive strategies of the big pharmaceutical companies are to develop new generic subsidiaries of their organization so as to be able to better compete with generics companies. By having their own licensed generic companies, they are able to limit the rate at which generics encroach on their market share for drugs that are off patents, they accomplish this by allowing their licensed patents to release generic copies of their blockbuster drugs into the market just before they are off patent thereby gaining market share before the other generic companies release theirs. In first nine months of this year, Novartiss generics unit, Sandoz, grew roughly three times as fast as its branded-drugs business and accounted for nearly 20% of overall revenue. The balance is changing, says Novartis CEO Dr. Vasella. In the coming quarte rs, we will continue to see a faster growth opportunity in generics. (Martinez and Goldstein 2007) Competitive strategies of the big pharmaceutical companies include investment in biotechnology and diversification. Biotechnology is of great appeal because of the inability for generics companies to create copies of the drugs as of now. Diversification on the other hand will allow the company to expand the range of services it offers its customers and allow it to get alternative sources of income. CONCLUSION In conclusion we make-out CIPLA business model to be the production of copycat drugs by reverse engineering of branded drugs and the sale of the generic drugs at cheaper prices to the India and any other country where the big pharmaceutical drugs do not have patent rights, however a change in the business model became inevitable in 2005 because of the Indian government adoption of WTO laws and caused a shift of the business model of CIPLA to focus more on RD for the production of its own Branded drugs and strategic alliances which entail cooperation with Big Ethical pharmaceutical companies through in-licensing and know how transfer. Another point to note is the change in relationship between the generic company and the big pharmaceutical where we see a competitive symbiotic relationship brewing, with increased dealings between the two types of firms where big pharmaceutical companies benefit from the cheaper cost of production and access to generic companies distribution pipelines a nd generics gain from the in licensing agreements where they share profits with the bug pharmaceutical companies. However big pharmaceutical companies still maintain development of competitive strategies to combat the generic companies by creation of their own generic companies and increased investment in both diversification and biotechnology. Biblography Rayport, J.F. , Jaworski, B.J.(2001). e-commerce, New York: McGraw Hill/Irwin. Wimmer M.A., Knowledge management in electronic governance. 5th ed. IFIP international. William Greene, The Emergence of Indias Pharmaceutical Industry and Implications for the U.S. Generic Drug Market (2007) CIPLA Corporate presentation August 2009 CIPLA Pharmaceuticals Yusuf Hamied: I Am Not Against Patents I Am Against Monopolies Published: May 07, 2009 in India [emailprotected] Pharmacist Erik Mogalian, Assistant professor Paul Myrdal of the University of Arizonas College Whats the difference between brand-name and generic prescription drugs? December 13, 2004Â   Big Pharma Faces Grim Prognosis Industry Fails to Find New Drugs to Replace Wonders Like Lipitor By BARBARA MARTINEZ and JACOB GOLDSTEIN December 6, 2007; Page A1

Photosynthesis :: essays research papers

Photosynthesis 1. Would you illuminate your house plants with a green light bulb? Why or why not? It would not be a wise choice to put a plant under a green light bulb. The reason for this is that due to the fact that the leaves are green they reflect green light. This shining green light onto the flowers will cause photosynthesis to stop. Since the light is being reflectd, the cells do not get any light. With out light they cannot carry out the everyday occurance of photosyntesis. If the choice was mine, I would place them into violet light, because almost none of it would be reflected. 2. Explain the statement: "Without autotrophic organisms, heterotrophic lofe would cease to exist." Without autotrophic organisms heterotrophic organisms would not be able to survive for two asic reasons. One is the fact that autotrophic organisms create most of the oxygen that heterotrophs breath. Whithout them, heterotrophs which need oxygen to survive would not live very long. The second reason is that autotrophs are the lowest food on the food chart. Without them many heterotrops would die from starvation. 3. Why did you put your syringes containing leaf material in the dark prior to illumination? The reason this was done was to make sure as little oxygen as possible was contained in the leaf material. This coused the experimrnt to run properly. If the leaf material was not placed in the dark, the dark reaction would not have occured using up all the oxygen. If there was still oxygen in the leaf material, the data collected would have been off. The reason for this is that the leaves would have risen to the top of the liqiud quicker, because they would not have had to make the totql amount of oxygen. 4. State you hypothesis for the directed experiment. The leaves in the sodium bicarbonate will rise to the top of the syringes faster than the ones in the distilled water will.

Death of a Salesman :: Death of a Salesman

It is known that in literature, a tragedy is one of the most popular genres. It always combines some story which discusses human sufferings with a certain sense of audience fulfillment. The roots of the tragedy are related to ancient Greece. A Greek tragedy is a sad story, which represents a character with a tragic flaw leading to his downfall. In addition, in traditional tragedy, the main character falls from high authority and often it is predetermined by fate, while the audience experiences catharsis (Bloom 2). Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman is considered to be a tragedy because this literary work has some of the main characteristics of the tragedy genre. In this play, the main character Willy Loman possesses such traits and behaviors that lead to his downfall, and the audience experiences catharsis. Willy Loman as a real tragic hero comes to the decision to commit suicide because of serious financial problems of his family (Phelps 79). This play has already been criticized by a number of literary critics who represented different opinions on the plot of the book. The major goal of this paper is to critically evaluate the play Death of a Salesman written by the well-known American writer Arthur Miller, paying special attention to the play’s characteristics of a tragedy. In the play Death of a Salesman, the author investigates human nature and represents his main character as a person whose dissatisfaction with his own life leads to his tragic end. The plot of this literary work is rather simple. The play consists of two acts. In the first act, Willy Loman, the main character of Miller’s play returns home from New York. It is found that his goal was to travel to Boston, but he could not achieve this goal and returned home. The author of the play states that Willy’s personal dissatisfaction is the result of the tension in interpersonal relations between him, his wife Linda, and their two sons Biff and Happy. The first act of the play is focused on such issues as Willy Loman’s emotional instability because of his personal dissatisfaction, Biff’s frustration and the family’s financial problems. Moreover, the author represents his story is such a way that Willy’s emotional instability leads to the tension in rela tionships between Willy and Biff, who is also unhappy because of his professional failure. Willy says: â€Å"The man knew what he wanted and went out and got it! Walked into a jungle and comes out, the age of twenty-one, and he’s rich!† (Miller 31).

Practical Life

The Practical Life area is the foundation of a Montessori classroom. It contains a range of activities that allow a child to develop their control and coordination of movement, concentration, independence, patience, awareness of their environment, social skills, and an orderly way of thinking. A child will also gain self-confidence through learning to independently complete tasks that they will use in everyday life. The Practical Life area is the first area that many children explore because they are familiar with many of the materials and activities.Well-known items such as spoons, cups, pitchers, bowls, tongs, brooms, and other common household items that resemble everyday activities can all be found in the Practical Life area. Because the child is learning through activities of daily life, it is important that the tools are recognizable to the child, as well as breakable, real, and functional. These teacher created materials help a child develop the fine and gross motor skills tha t are needed to succeed in other areas of the classroom.The main areas of the Practical Life area include, Grace and Courtesy, Preliminary Skills, Physical Skills which include; pouring, scooping, squeezing, twisting, and lacing, Care of Self, Care of the Environment, and Food Preparation. The direct aims of the Practical Life area are the development of concentration, coordination, independence, and order, which are the basis for later learning in a Montessori classroom. While children often have difficulty focusing on any one activity for a long period of time, they must learn to resist the distractions around them to succeed in the Practical Life area.It is through these repeated activities that they develop the concentration needed to accomplish the more academic activities found in the Math and Language areas. The Practical Life area provides numerous materials to assist in the development of strong motor skills. Children seem to possess an inner drive to achieve self-perfectio n, which is why a child working in the Practical Life area can often be seen repeating the same activities over and over. This repetition will assist in developing the motor skill necessary for writing. Children yearn for activities that allow them to be independent.The materials found in the Practical Life area are designed so the child may complete them without the assistance of an adult. Activities that focus on developing the skills necessary to care for one’s self and their environment also promote independence in their everyday settings. This increased independence gives the child the confidence they need to try more and more complex activities. The Practical Life activities meet a child’s need for a sense of order by assigning a specific space on the shelf for each material and by a teacher demonstrating a specific series of steps that must be followed to complete an activity.Following steps is an important skill for future academic work such as reading, writing , and math. As a child is developing their coordination, concentration, independence, and sense of order, they are also indirectly preparing themselves for academic readiness and everyday life. By performing the activities in the Practical Life area, a child will develop the skills necessary to care for themselves, their peers, and the environment around them. Mastering these skills will indirectly lead to a child obtaining emotional growth, social skills, patience, physical development as well as independent judgment.As a result of frequent messes and broken materials in the Practical Life area, a child will also learns about cause and effect and cleaning up after one’s self. It is through these learned traits and behaviors that a safe, kind, and peaceful Montessori classroom is established. When presenting a Montessori lesson to a child it is important that a teacher’s language and actions are straightforward and precise. Analysis of movement and synthetic movement a re both important principles to follow when giving a lesson. Every Montessori activity consists of a series of movements.With analysis of movement, a teacher presents these steps in a logical sequence so the child may understand the movements and their order. Breaking a lesson down step by step also helps a child understand the intellectual purpose of their actions. Their movements are ordered and directed by their minds to a logical rationale through synthetic movement. This knowledge motivates a child because they are able to connect emotionally and physically with the material. Fun, exciting materials also propel a child forward in their intelligence.Points of interest such as the feeling of a sponge, the sound of pouring beans, and colored water attract the attention of a child, triggering a desire to know more. The learning environment is also a key part of their intellectual growth. An atmosphere that attracts a child to explore and participate in activities, known as motives of activity, also assists in the unfolding of a child’s spirit. The materials are introduced to the environment in small intervals, beginning with the simplest tasks and gradually becoming more complex, to isolate the difficulty.This allows the child to develop self-esteem and confidence as they move on to more challenging activities. When a teacher presents a child with a lesson, it is also important that they isolate the difficulty by teaching one concept at a time. Unnecessary words and actions can distract a child from the information being presented, resulting in potential failure and frustration. To successfully complete the materials it is necessary for a child to have an understanding of the activities and their concepts.Being able to detect your errors and correct them on your own, known as motives of perfection, increases a child’s success and builds the self-confidence needed to do well in other areas of the classroom. Mastery of preliminary exercises also p lays a key role in a child’s growth. Knowing the ground rules and the ability to perform basic tasks give a child the assurance needed to learn and develop. Maria Montessori based the Practical Life area off the expectations of life. She created materials she felt would expose children to experiences that would prepare them for an intellectual, healthy, and fulfilling existence.By repeating the Practical Life materials, a child develops skills such as; left to right order, enhancement of their attention span, coordination, confidence, independence, and a sense of order. These emotional and physical strengths raise a child’s curiosity to explore their environment and spur a desire to learn. Practical Life is the most important area of Montessori education. It prepares a child for adulthood, while giving them the tools necessary to become contributing citizens in their communities.