Last Sacrifice Chapter Thirty-three

CRIES AND SCREAMS FROM THE audience told me my disguise was gone. Many eyes also went to Dimitri. Adrian had dropped that illusion too, once I'd shed mine. And, as we'd been expecting, the guardians who had been gradually taking up position around us surged forward, armed with handguns. I still thought that was cheating. Fortunately, my mother and Mikhail moved quickly into place to block our attackers and deter any gunshots. â€Å"Don't,' I snapped at Dimitri, who I knew was probably about to join our two defenders. It was crucial he and I stay perfectly still, so we weren't taken as threats. I even went as far as to hold up my arms, and–reluctantly, I suspected–Dimitri did too. â€Å"Wait. Please listen to us first.' The guardian circle was tight, with no gaps. I was pretty sure my mom and Mikhail were the only thing keeping them from shooting us then and there. Guardians would always avoid fighting other guardians if possible. Two blockers were easy to take down, though, and these guardians wouldn't wait forever. Jill and Abe suddenly moved forward, taking positions next to us. More shields. I saw one of the looming guardians grimace. Civilians complicated things. Adrian had not moved, but the fact that he was enclosed in the circle at all still made him an obstacle. â€Å"Haul us off later if you want,' I said. â€Å"We won't resist. But you have to let us talk first. We know who killed the queen.' â€Å"So do we,' said one of the guardians. â€Å"Now, the rest of you †¦ back away before you're hurt. These are dangerous fugitives.' â€Å"They need to talk,' said Abe. â€Å"They have evidence.' Again, he pushed forward with his case, acting confidently about things he had no clue about. He was staking it all on me. I was starting to like him. It was kind of unfortunate that our evidence wasn't as 100 percent solid as I'd hoped, but as I'd said earlier †¦ technicalities. â€Å"Let them talk.' It was a new voice, but a voice I knew by heart. Lissa pushed her way through two of the guardians. They held their tight position, the immediate concern being that we not escape. This allowed her to slip through–but only so one could grab her arm and stop her from reaching us. â€Å"They've come this far. They were right about †¦ Jill.' Boy, that was not easy for her to say with a straight face, seeing as she hadn't entirely come to terms with the issue. My imminent death was probably the only thing distracting her from the earth shattering experience of learning she had a potential sibling. She too was taking a lot on faith here, confident I was telling the truth. â€Å"You've got them. They can't go anywhere. Just let them talk. I've got evidence to support their case too.' â€Å"I'd hold off on sharing that, Liss,' I said in a low voice. Lissa still believed Daniella was the killer and wasn't going to like hearing the truth. Lissa flashed me a confused look but didn't protest. â€Å"Let's hear them,' said one of the guardians–and not just any: Hans. â€Å"After an escape like they pulled, I'd really like to know what brought them back.' Hans was helping us? â€Å"But,' he continued, â€Å"I'm sure you two will understand we'll have to restrain you before you make your great reveal.' I looked at Dimitri who had already turned to me. We'd both known what we were getting ourselves into, and honestly, this was a better scenario than I'd envisioned. â€Å"Okay,' said Dimitri. He glanced at our noble protectors. â€Å"It's okay. Let them get through.' My mom and the others didn't move right away. â€Å"Do it,' I said. â€Å"Don't end up as our cellmates.' I thought for sure those loveable fools wouldn't listen to me. But Mikhail backed off first, and then the others did too, practically in sync. In a flash, guardians seized them all, leading them away. Dimitri and I stayed put, and four guardians moved in, two for Dimitri and two for me. Adrian had retreated with the others, but Lissa still stood a few feet away from us, all her trust in me. â€Å"Get on with it,' said Hans. He gripped my right arm tightly. I met Lissa's eyes, hating what I had to say. But, no. She wasn't the one I was worried about hurting the most. Looking out into the audience, I found Christian, who was understandably watching this drama with avid attention. I had to turn away and stare at the crowd as a whole, refusing to see individual faces. Just a blur. â€Å"I didn't kill Tatiana Ivashkov,' I said. Several people grumbled doubtfully. â€Å"I didn't like her. But I didn't kill her.' I glanced at Hans. â€Å"You've questioned the janitor who testified about where I was during the murder, right? And he ID'd the man who attacked Lissa as the one who paid him off to lie about where I was?' I'd learned from Mikhail that Joe had eventually admitted to taking money from the mystery Moroi, once the guardians had cornered him with the picture. Hans frowned, hesitated, and then nodded for me to continue. â€Å"There's no record of his existence–at least not with the guardians. But the Alchemists know who he is. They saw him at one of their facilities–acting as someone's bodyguard.' My eyes fell on Ethan Moore, who stood with the guardians near the door. â€Å"A bodyguard for someone who was let in to see Tatiana the night she died: Tasha Ozera.' There was no need for any uproar from the audience this time because Tasha more than made up for it on her own. She'd been sitting next to Christian and sprang up from her chair. â€Å"What on earth are you saying, Rose?' she exclaimed. â€Å"Are you out of your mind?' When I'd stood there defiantly, ready to face the crowd and demand justice, I'd been full of triumph and power. Now †¦ now I was just sad as I stared at someone I'd always trusted, someone who was staring back at me with so much shock and hurt. â€Å"I wish I was †¦ but it's true. We both know it is. You killed Tatiana.' Tasha's disbelief grew, tinged now with a little anger, though she still seemed to be giving me the benefit of the doubt. â€Å"I never, never believed you killed her–and I've fought for you on that. Why are you doing this? Are you playing on the Strigoi taint in our family? I thought you were above that kind of prejudice.' I swallowed. I'd thought getting evidence would be the hard part. It was nothing compared to revealing it. â€Å"What I'm saying has nothing to do with Strigoi. I almost wish it did. You hated Tatiana for her age law and refusal to let Moroi fight.' Another memory came to me, when Tasha had learned about the secret training sessions. Tasha had been aghast with what I now suspected might have been guilt at misjudging the queen. The crowd was riveted and stunned, but one person came to life: an Ozera I didn't know but who apparently had family solidarity on his mind. He stood up, crossing his arms defiantly. â€Å"Half this Court hated Tatiana for that law. You among them.' â€Å"I didn't have my bodyguard bribe a witness or attack Lis–Princess Dragomir. And don't pretend you didn't know the guy,' I warned her. â€Å"He was your bodyguard. You were seen together.' Ian's description of her when she visited St. Louis had been perfectly clear: long black hair, pale blue eyes, and scarring on one side of her face. â€Å"Rose, I can't even believe this is happening, but if James–that was his name–did whatever you're talking about, then he acted alone. He always had radical ideas. I knew that when I hired him as outside protection, but I never thought he was capable of murder.' She glanced around, looking for someone in charge, and finally settled on the Council. â€Å"I've always believed Rose was innocent. If James is the one responsible for this, then I'm more than happy to tell you whatever I know to clear Rose's name.' So, so easy. The mystery Moroi–James–was almost everywhere Tasha had been. He'd also been spotted in suspicious situations where she hadn't been–like Joe's bribery and Lissa's attack. I could save Tasha and just blame it all on him. He was already dead. Tasha and I could stay friends. She'd acted on principle, right? What was wrong with that? Christian stood up beside her, looking at me like I was a stranger. â€Å"Rose, how can you say any of this? You know her. You know she wouldn't do it. Stop making a scene and let us figure out how that James guy killed the queen.' So, so easy. Blame the dead man. â€Å"James couldn't have staked Tatiana,' I said. â€Å"He had an injured hand. It takes both hands for a Moroi to stake someone. I've seen it happen twice now. And I bet if you can get a straight answer out of Ethan Moore †¦' I glanced over at the guardian who had gone pale. He could probably jump into a fight and kill without hesitation. But this kind of scrutiny? And eventual interrogation by his peers? I didn't think he'd hold up. It was probably the reason Tasha had been able to manipulate him. â€Å"James wasn't there the night Tatiana died, was he? And I don't think Daniella Ivashkov was either, despite what Princess Dragomir was told earlier. But Tasha was. She was in the queen's chambers–and you didn't report it.' Ethan looked like he wanted to bolt, but his odds of escape were about as good as mine and Dimitri's. He slowly shook his head. â€Å"Tasha wouldn't kill anyone.' Not exactly the confirmation of her location I wanted–but close. The guardians would get more out of him later. â€Å"Rose!' Christian was pissed off now. Seeing him look at me with such outrage hurt even more than Tasha's expression. â€Å"Stop it!' Lissa took a few hesitant steps forward. I could feel in her mind that she didn't want to believe what I was saying either †¦ yet she still trusted me. She thought of a controversial solution. â€Å"I know it's wrong †¦ but if we used compulsion on the suspects †¦' â€Å"Don't even suggest that!' exclaimed Tasha, turning her sharp eyes on Lissa. â€Å"Stay out of this. Your future's on the line here. A future that could make you great and achieve the things our people need.' â€Å"A future you could manipulate,' I realized. â€Å"Lissa believes in a lot of the reforms you do †¦ and you think you could convince her of ones she doesn't. Especially if she's with your nephew. That's why you've fought so hard to change the quorum law. You wanted her to be queen.' Christian started to step forward, but Tasha laid a restraining hand on his shoulder. It didn't stop him from speaking. â€Å"That's idiotic. If she wanted Lissa to be queen, why make that James guy attack her?' That was a mystery for me too, one of the holes I hadn't quite figured out. But Dimitri had. Conscious of his two guards, he shifted closer to me. â€Å"Because no one was supposed to die.' Dimitri's low, resonant voice sounded wonderful with the room's acoustics. He needed no microphone as he directed his words to Tasha. â€Å"You didn't expect a guardian to be with her.' He was right, I realized. Eddie had been drafted that night under weird circumstances and only barely made it back in time to see Ambrose with Lissa. â€Å"James was probably going to fake an attack and run †¦ enough to generate sympathy and more support for Vasilisa. Which it certainly did–just a little more severely.' The outrage on Tasha's face transformed to something I couldn't entirely gauge right away. She'd seemed offended at my accusations, but from Dimitri–it was more. She looked legitimately hurt. Crushed. I knew that look. I'd seen it on Adrian's face a couple hours ago. â€Å"Dimka, not you too,' she said. Through Lissa's eyes, I watched the colors of Tasha's aura shift, burn a little brighter as she gazed at Dimitri. I could see exactly what Sonya had explained to me, how the aura showed affection. â€Å"And that's why I took the fall,' I murmured softly. No one but Dimitri and our guardians heard me. â€Å"Hmm?' Dimitri asked. I just shook my head. All this time, Tasha had still loved Dimitri. I knew she had last year, when she'd made him an offer to hook up and have kids–not something a lot of dhampir men had the chance to get. He'd refused, and I thought she had accepted simply being friends with him. She hadn't. She'd still loved him. When Lissa had revealed my relationship with Dimitri to Hans, Tasha had already known. But for how long? I wasn't sure. She'd obviously known about the relationship before killing Tatiana, and putting the murder on me left Tasha free and clear and opened back up her chances with Dimitri. There was no point in bringing up her personal motives for blaming me. Tatiana's murder was the real issue at stake. I just looked at Hans. â€Å"You can take me into custody, I meant it. But don't you think you've got enough to take her–and Ethan–in too?' Hans's face was unreadable. His feelings toward me had always gone back and forth, since the day we met. Sometimes I was a troublemaker without a future. Other times I had the potential to be a leader. He'd believed I was a murderer, yet he'd still allowed me to address the crowd. He didn't really like my friends either. What would he do now? He lifted his eyes from my face and looked to where several guardians were stationed in the audience, ready for any action. He gave a curt nod. â€Å"Take Lady Ozera. And Moore. We'll question them.' Seeing as Tasha was seated amidst other people, there was a bit of fear and panic when four guardians moved toward her. They avoided injuring other audience members as much as possible, but there was still plenty of pushing and shoving. What came as a total surprise was how fiercely Tasha fought back. She was trained, I remembered. Not in the same way guardians were, but enough to make it hard to get a hold of her. She could kick and punch–and stake queens–and even managed to knock one guardian down. She might actually try to fight her way out of here, I realized–though I didn't believe for an instant she could. It was too crowded and chaotic. Guardians were heading toward the fray. Terrified Moroi were trying to get away from the fight. Everybody seemed to be getting in everyone else's way. Suddenly, a loudcrack echoed through the room. A gunshot. Most of the Moroi dropped to the floor, though guardians kept coming. Holding a handgun she must have seized from the guardian she'd knocked over, Tasha grabbed the first Moroi she could with her free hand. So help me, it was Mia Rinaldi. She'd been sitting near Christian. I didn't think Tasha even noticed her hostage choice. â€Å"Don't move!' Tasha yelled at the encroaching guardians. The gun was at Mia's head, and I felt my heart stop. How had things escalated to this point? I'd never foreseen this. My task was supposed to be neat and tidy. Reveal Tasha. Put her away. Done. The guardians froze, less because of her command and more because they were sizing up how to deal with the total threat. Meanwhile, Tasha began to slowly–very slowly–make her way toward the exit, dragging Mia along. Her progress was slow and unwieldy, thanks to all the chairs and people in the way. The delay gave the guardians time to solve this ugly dilemma. They come first. Mia's life–a Moroi life–was on the line. The guardians didn't want Mia killed, but a gun-toting warrior Moroi also couldn't be allowed to go free. The thing was, Tasha wasn't the only warrior Moroi in the room. She had probably picked the worst hostage possible, and I could tell by the glint in Mia's eyes that she was not going to go quietly. Lissa realized this too. One or both of them were going to get killed, and Lissa couldn't let that happen. If she could get Tasha to look at her, she could compel her into submission. No, no, no, I thought. I didn't need another friend involved. Both Lissa and I saw Mia tensing to break her way out of Tasha's hold. Lissa realized she had to act now. I could feel it through the bond. I could feel her thoughts, the decision, even the way her body's muscles and nerves moved forward to get Tasha's attention. I felt it all so clearly, as if we shared the same body. I knew where Lissa would move before she even did. â€Å"Tasha, please don't–‘ Lissa sprang forward, her plaintive cry interrupted as Mia kicked back at Tasha and broke away, slipping down out of the gun's reach. Tasha, startled on two fronts, still had her gun pointed out. With Mia out of her grasp and everything happening so fast, Tasha frantically fired off a couple shots at the first threat moving toward her–which wasn't the rapidly approaching guardians. It was a slim figure in white who had shouted at Tasha. Or, well, it would have been. Like I said, I'd known exactly where Lissa would step and what she would do. And in those precious seconds before she acted, I broke out of my captors' hold and threw myself before Lissa. Someone leapt after me, but they were too late. That was when Tasha's gun had gone off. I felt a biting and burning in my chest, and then there was nothing but pain–a pain so complete and so intense it was almost beyond comprehension. I felt myself falling, felt Lissa catching me and yelling something–maybe to me, maybe to someone else. There was so much commotion in the room that I didn't know what had happened with Tasha. There was just me and the pain that my mind was trying to block out. The world seemed to grow quieter and quieter. I saw Lissa looking down on me, shouting something I couldn't hear. She was beautiful. Brilliant. Crowned in light †¦ but there was darkness closing in around her. And in that darkness, I saw the faces †¦ the ghosts and spirits that always followed me. Thicker they grew, closing in. Beckoning. A gun. I had been brought down by a gun. It was practically comical. Cheaters, I thought. I'd spent my life focusing on hand-to-hand combat, learning to dodge fangs and powerful hands that could snap my neck. A gun? It was so †¦ well, easy. Should I be insulted? I didn't know. Did it matter? I didn't know that either. All I knew in that moment was that I was going to die, regardless. My vision was growing dimmer, the blackness and ghosts closing in, and I swore, it was like I could hear Robert whispering in my ear: The world of the dead won't give you up a second time. Just before the light completely vanished, I saw Dimitri's face join Lissa's. I wanted to smile. I decided then that if the two people I loved most were safe, I could leave this world. The dead could finally have me. And I'd fulfilled my purpose, right? To protect? I'd done it. I'd saved Lissa, just like I'd sworn I'd always do. I was dying in battle. No appointment books for me. Lissa's face shone with tears, and I hoped that mine conveyed how much I loved her. With the last spark of life I had left, I tried to speak, tried to let Dimitri know I loved him too and that he had to protect her now. I don't think he understood, but the words of the guardian mantra were my last conscious thought. They come first.

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Edward Abbey’s essay Down the River reveals his strong belief that the existence of life revolves around nature itself. Abbey conveys these views through syntax, imagery, and his choice of structure. Abbey’s varying detail and syntax in the first half of the passage conveys an amazement toward nature. He states while gazing at the lion that there was a â€Å"mutual curiosity: [he] felt more wonder than fear†. His unexpected reaction to the mountain lion when they shared â€Å"mutual curiosity† implies that man is not alone in this journey towards knowledge, and there is a deep connection between man and nature. He varies the syntax from short to complex sentences with distinct differences in clauses. He states that later on they â€Å"see no mountain lions,† and the following sentence in a series presents all of the other wildlife that has been observed in great detail instead of the lion. He describes these plants and animals with enthusiasm and also calls Aravaipa â€Å"full of life† and extremely â€Å"beautiful†. The impression is that even though the lion that drew the explorer in is nowhere to be seen, there is still a vast amount of beauty in the desert. The structure is meant to contrast the two types of nature, urban nature and nature in Aravaipa. We see an immediate switch in tone when Abby says, â€Å"We stumble homeward over the stones, and through the anklebone-chilling water. † Abbey displays a hint of bitterness towards his home that is so bad even the journey to get there is torturous. He discusses the stars and how they seem to fade when he leaving the desert, as if the world he is used to has no stars, no beauty, no life. Abby then states that the memories of the beautiful desert are enough to keep him satisfied for days to survive the â€Å"urban life†. Nature is so rich in details and relationships and so wonderful and mysterious that it is impossible to completely understand it. This incomprehensibility can provide an unlimited source of learning that will eventually redeem us from a lifeless urban existence.

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Battle of Algiers - Essay Example Of particular interest is Algeria, a country in the Northern part of Africa. Earlier in the nineteenth century, Algerians used to attack European ships, and this led formation of French a representative in Algiers to ensure that piracy never occurred. One event led to another and the result was the capture of Algiers a matter that saw a war emerged between the French and Berbers who were the primary occupants of the city. After many years of war, Algeria was separated paving way for the creation of Morocco as an independent state. However, the war between French government and Algerians still continued. Further, as time passed by there were many French people in Algeria. Their population increased and as a result France sought to have Algeria as one of its colonies. After the end of the Second World War, much happened that encouraged Algerians to rebel against their guardian, France. Rebellions ensued, and there was war in every region leading to the killing of many settlers and also many of the Algerian people. The Algerian freedom fighters organized themse lves in a manner that they had earlier planned back in the days when they were under French citizenship. This was from organized labor rights groups and others who were opposed to France’s governance1. Most Algerians as any other Africans were treated as lower race to the colonialists. This angered Algerians and motivated them to revolt. Those who had been educated under the French governments system were at the forefront of the struggle. Groups had been formed as early as 1926 although they had been formed to fight for other interests other than revolting against the government of France. One of them was known as the "Star", and it was the first to call for the liberation of Algeria. The Star had grouped itself as a clique of workers of African origin but worked in France. They had come together to fight for their rights as

The History of Iraq Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The History of Iraq - Essay Example The British came to this region to take part in and control business activities. After all, Iraq is one of the countries which are endowed by oil wells which needed to be exploited at whatever costs. I am certain that this is the reason why the British colonial expansion by brought a lot of socio-political stability in the region. Indeed, their exclusivist ideologies widened the Shia-Sunni rift which had characterized Iraq for a very long time. I would like to agree with this student for giving a true version of the history of Iraq. First, he is right for saying that the Ottoman Empire had been in control of the larger parts of the Middle East especially before the end of the World War I. as he reports, their regime came to an end especially after losing the war to more superior powers such as the British. The student is also right for reporting that the alliance between the Ottoman Empire and the Germans did not bear any fruit because they lost the war before eventually getting stripped of their colonial territories like Iraq. Moreover, I am in a strong agreement with his student for accurately reporting that Iraq, as a nation, was created from three provinces including Bagdad, Basra, and Mosul. Indeed, the curving of Iraq’s geographical boundaries would later bring more problems as it became one of the reasons for constant rivalries between its nationals. In fact, as the student says, it partly contributed to the unending Iraq-Syria conflict over the ISIS attempts to realign the earlier Ottoman boundary.

Color blue Essay Example for Free

Color blue Essay Blue is the favorite color of all people. It’s nature’s color for water and sky, but is rarely found in fruits and vegetables. Today, blue is embraced as the color of heaven and authority, denim jeans and corporate logos. It is cold, wet, and slow as compared to red’s warmth, fire, and intensity. Blue has more complex and contradictory meanings than any other color. These can be easily explained by pinpointing by the specific shade of blue. Bright blue: cleanliness, strength, dependability, coolness (The origin of these meanings arise from the qualities of the ocean and inland waters, most of which are more tangible. ) Light (sky) blue: peace, serenity, ethereal, spiritual, infinity (The origin of these meanings is the intangible aspects of the sky. ) Most blues convey a sense of trust, loyalty, cleanliness, and understanding. On the other hand, blue evolved as symbol of depression in American culture. â€Å"Singing the blues† and feeling blue† are good examples of the complexity of color symbolism and how it has been evolved in different cultures. Blue ranks so high as a favorite color that you can’t go wrong if you use blue. However, blue can be over-used and may wind up a design cliche if used alone. Combining blue with another color creates a more creative effect. Blue is the only color which maintains its own character in all its tones it will always stay blue;† Raoul Dufy, French Fauvist Painter, 1877-1953 Blue is sharply refracted by the eyes. This causes the lens to flatten and to push the blue image back. We perceive that blue areas are receding and smaller. The same refraction causes visual fog if used excessively in interior spaces. Blues global similarities are significant: Blue is the #1 favorite color of all people. 53% of the flags in the world contain blue. Blue is the most commonly used color in corporate identity. A dark blue suit is professional business attire. Blue jeans are worn all over the world. Aristocracy is blue-blooded in all European languages. Unique Meanings of Blue in Different Cultures Greeks believe that blue wards off the evil eye. The English â€Å"to feel blue† has no equivalent in other languages while in German â€Å"blau sein† (literally: to be blue) means to be drunk or in Russian â€Å"Ð ³Ã ¾Ã »Ã'Æ'Ð ±Ã ¾Ã ¹Ã¢â‚¬  (literally: light blue) means to be homosexual. Dark blue is the color of mourning in Korea. The god Krishna has blue skin. Shades of blue are described as shallow or deep instead of light or dark in China. Blue is for a baby girl; pink for a baby boy in Belgium. â€Å"Prince Charming† is called â€Å"The Blue Prince† in Italy and Spain.

Study on the Variability in Foreign Exchange Rate

Study on the Variability in Foreign Exchange Rate 1.0. Introduction Variability in foreign exchange (FX) rate has been one of the major economic and financial factors affecting cash flows and common stocks value. After the collapse of post-war Bretton Woods fixed exchange rates in the 1970s, the relative prices of currencies began to fluctuate. The rapid expansion in international trade and adoption of floating exchange rate regimes by many countries led to increase exchange rate volatility. As economic integration and globalization have been increasing year by year, exchange rate movements have become very important source of risk for financial firms as well as non-financial firms. In this context, it is very important to mention that virtually all existing empirical studies estimate currency exchange rate exposures on the basis of share prices. However, the assessment of cash flow and stock price exposures which will be studied in this research will represent a rational alternative to the analysis of stock price exposures. In fact, it is the impact of exchange rate risk on corporate cash flows rather than equity prices per se, that is emphasized in the theoretical literature on corporate risk management, either for tax reasons, managerial performance, bankruptcy, investment decisions or compensation purposes. Jacque (1996) points out that change in a companys earnings due to unexpected foreign currency exchange rate changes relatively to their domestic currency is considered as foreign exchange rate risks. Changes in exchange rates may affect firms profitability and value. Exchange rate changes can also impact on the level of competitiveness of the firms which are exposed to exchange rate risk, or affect the value of their net assets denominated in foreign currencies. Adler and Dumas (1984) show that even firms whose entire operations are domestic may have affects of exchange rates of foreign currencies, if their output and input prices are influenced by currency movements. Moreover, Eiteman et al. (2006) says that in general, firms are exposed to three types of foreign exchange risk: translation exposure, transaction exposure and economic exposure. Translation and transaction exposures are accounting based and defined in terms of the book values of assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currency. In practice, economic exposure is computed as the net sensitivity of some aggregate measure of firm value to currency fluctuations. Economic exposure contains of the direct and indirect effects of currency fluctuations by focusing on the net sensitivity. At the corporate level, changes in exchange rates affect the firm value, because future cash flows of the firm will change with exchange rate fluctuations. In other words, exchange rate changes have important implications for financial decision-making and for firm profitability. It is widely believed that changing exchange rates affect the competitiveness of firms engaged in international competition. According to Luehrman (1991), a falling home currency promotes the competitiveness of firms in home country by allowing them to undercut prices charged for goods manufactured abroad. Many simple partial equilibrium models (e.g. Shapiro) predict an increase in the value of the home country firm in response to a real drop in the value of the home currency. Economic theory suggests that under a floating exchange rate regime, exchange rate appreciation reduces the competitiveness of export markets; it has a negative effect on the domestic stock market. Conversely, if the country is import denominated, exchange rate appreciation may have positive affect on the stock market by lowering input costs. Problem statement As economic integration and globalization have been increasing year by year, exchange rate movements have become very important source of risk for financial firms as well as non-financial firms. Also, the internationalization of capital markets has resulted in inflow of vast sums of funds between countries and in the cross listing of equities. This has therefore made investors and firms more interested in the volatility of exchange rate and its effect on stock price and stock market volatility. According to Yucel and Kurt (2003), floating exchange rate appreciation reduces the competitiveness of export markets; and has a negative effect on share prices as well as the domestic stock market. On the other hand, for import dominated country, it may have positive effect on the stock market by lowering input costs. Malaysia presents an example of an open economy which engages in international trade with several countries and hence susceptible to foreign exchange rate volatility. Malaysian exchange and trade system have been liberalized for many years. Malaysia now follows a floating exchange rate policy. Malaysian economy has been suffered from Asian financial crisis 1997 and World financial crisis 2008. As a result volatility in foreign exchange rate and deviation from purchasing power parity might become persistent in the economy. Most of the firms operating in Malaysia are affected in many ways from these economic conditions. The firms have faced higher business risk and foreign exchange risk. However, empirical evidence on the influence of foreign exchange market volatility on stock market is largely inconsistent. These have been in the contest of developed economies. Mishra (2004) found no theoretical consensus on the interaction between stock prices and exchange rate. However, Solnik (2000) argues that there is a negative correlation between stock market and local currency. The openness of a countrys economy is recognized as a cause of volatility of its market. Malaysia presents a classic example of an open economy which engages in international trade transaction. Moreover, with advert of globalization, developing economies are becoming more integrated into developed economies as the results of increasing flow of imports and exports. Malaysia is not an exception. A cursory examination of foreign exchange rate history in Malaysia shows some considerable level of volatility. Therefore, it would be interesting to explore the effect of its foreign exchange volatility on cash flows as well as stock prices of its non-financial companies. Again, much work on the effect of the exchange rate volatility in the developing country like Malaysia has not been done. Thus, for that reason the study intended look at the effect of foreign exchange exposure on companies cash flows and stock prices in Malaysia. Research objectives Objective of the current research is to determine whether cash flows and stock prices of companies are affected by exchange rate exposure. This research project attempts to assess the economic exposures of the firms chosen from the Bursa Malaysia Main market. The issues are important for investors as well as corporate risk management. To examine the relationship between cash flows of the companies and exchange rates; To examine the relationship between stock prices of the companies and exchange rates; To determine which currencies have major influence on the companies cash flows? To determine which currencies have major influence on the companies stock prices? Research questions The research aims to find answers to the following questions: Whether cash flows of the companies exposed to exchange rate risk? Whether stock prices of the companies exposed to exchange rate risk? Which currencies have major influence on the companies cash flows? Which currencies have major influence on the companies stock prices? Significance of the study The estimation of exchange rate exposure is a relatively new area in international finance. After 1973, managers and economists become more concerned about the exchange rate fluctuations on firms. Also, for the past decade, researchers have been empirically investigating the exchange rate exposure of the firms. Following Adler Dumas (1984) most of the research measures the exposure as the elasticity between change in firm value and exchange rate. Empirically, this exposure elasticity is obtained from a regression of stock returns on an exchange rate change (Bodnar Wong, 2000). In practice, there is little general agreement on the use of appropriate choice of ‘‘aggregate measure. In this research project it is focused on the impact of economic exposure of Malaysian firms values. Corporate managers will also be interested in the exposures of corporate cash flow measures such as sales, operating cash flow and earnings for reasons of corporate planning and risk management. Scope of the study The current study one of the new studies in international finance and risk management. In general, the research will assess the economic exposures for the companies listed in Bursa Malaysia Main Market from the years 2000 to 2008. For the research, first, all sample companies stock returns will be regressed on exchange rate change and market return. In the second step, companies will be examined according to one specific character, which is export volume. LITERATURE REVIEW Introduction It is also noticeable whether the firms cash flows are sensitive to exchange rate movements. Perhaps we should also point out the fact that Grambovas and McLeay (2006) are convinced that empirical analysis confirm that currency fluctuations may affect firm values, especially with consideration to the influence of foreign exchange rate movements on the firms cash flows and their accounting earnings, and on their stock prices. Previous literature Miller Reuer (1998) conducted a study on the implications of differences in strategy and industry structure for firms economic exposures to foreign exchange rate movements. According to their results, 13-17 % of US manufacturing firms exposed for foreign exchange rate movements. Also they indicated that foreign direct investment reduces economic exposure to foreign exhange rate movements. Martin and Mauer suggest that economic exposure, which typically has a longer-term time dimension, encompasses the competitive and indirect effects of exchange rate risk. Many academics such as Hodder (1982), Marston (2001) Pringle (1995), Shapiro (1975) and von Ungern-Sternberg von Weizsacker (1990) argue that unlike transaction exposure, economic exposure can affect even domestic firms. Economic exposure arises from changes in the sales prices and volumes, and the cost of inputs of the firm and its competitors as a result of exchange rate changes. Miller Reuer (1998) and Sundaram Black (1992) argued that geographically positioning production, sales, sourcing, and financing operations is effective for reducing economic exposure. Glaum, Brunner and Himmet (2000) examined the economic exposure of German corporations to change in DM/US dollar exchange rate. They found that German firms are significantly exposed to changes in DM/US dollar rate. Several studies focused on the some companies and they demonstrated that exporter firms stock values are more sensitive to change in foreign exchange rates (Mao and Kao, 1990; Bortov and Bodnar, 1992). The study by SÃ ¶hnke M. Bartram (2007) found significant exposure of several firms to at least one of the foreign exchange rates, and significant exposures found by them were more frequent at long-term horizons. They also argue that the impact of exchange rate risk on share prices and cash flows is similar and determined by a correlated set of economic factors. Moreover, Dominguez and Tesar (2006) found that exchange rate movements do matter for a significant fraction of firms, though which firms are affected and the direction of exposure depends on the specific exchange rate and varies over time, suggesting that firms dynamically adjust their behavior in response to exchange rate risk. Exposure is correlated with firm size, multinational status, foreign sales, international assets, and competitiveness and trade at the industry level. Martin and Mauer (2003) pointed out that cash flow effects are greater for long-term lags than for short-term lags in exchange rate movements. This result may occur because transaction exposure is easier to assess and hedge, whereas economic exposure is more difficult to recognize and hedge. While Bartram (2007) suggests significant exposure of several firms to at least one of the foreign exchange rates such as CAD, JPY and EUR, and significant exposures determined by Bartram (2007) were more frequent at long-term horizons. The percentage of firms observed for which stock price and earnings exposures were considerably different was relatively low, though it increased with time horizon. Finally, he was convinced that the impact of exchange rate risk on stock prices and cash flows is similar and determined by a related set of economic factors. Batram and Karolyi (2006) took a new look at the exposure puzzle by studying the potential impact of the introduction of the Euro on stock returns of 3,220 non-financial firms from 20 countries. Their findings suggest that the introduction of the Euro decreased foreign exchange rate exposure, but these changes are statistically and economically small. According to Tesar and Dominguez (2006), factors such as firm size, multinational status, foreign sales, international assets, and competitiveness and trade at the industry level may influence economic exposure of the companies. These factors may either increase the companies economic exposure or decrease. These factors influence on the companies economic exposure will depend on how significantly these factors are correlated with the companies cash flows and operations, and if there are significant correlation between them, we should also point out whether these significant correlations are positive or negative. Empirical analysis by Grambovas and McLeay (2006) confirmed that exchange rate fluctuations will affect firm values, especially with regard to the influence of exchange rate movements on the cash flows and accounting earnings of companies with international exposure, and on their stock prices. Recent studies by Priestley and Odegaard (2007) studied the exchange rate exposures by orthogonalizing the market returns with respect to changes in exchange rates and a set of macroeconomic factors. Their findings suggest that the extent of exposures is only fully exposed when it is subdivided the sample period into regimes and at the same time used an orthogonalized market portfolio in the regression. Batram and Karolyi (2006) studied the exposure puzzle by looking at the potential impact of the introduction of the Euro on stock returns of 3,220 non-financial firms from different 20 countries. It was found that the introduction of the Euro had decreased foreign exchange rate exposure, but the changes were statistically and economically very small. However, Bae, Kwon, and Li (2008) having studied the exchange rate exposure and risk premium by using data on American depositary receipts (ADR) of Australia, France, Japan and the U.K., found that changes in the exchange rates were negat ively correlated with the underlying shares of ADRs, but they were positively correlated to ADR returns observed in the U.S. markets. Moreover, they discovered that U.S. and local investors require different risk premiums for exchange rate risks presented in ADR investments. Griffin and Stulz (2001) found weak evidence of statistically significant exchange rate exposures, and the economic significance of the estimated exposures was low. A first main study of the foreign exchange exposure fact done by Jorion (1990) found a significant impact of foreign exchange rate risk on share prices for 5.2 percent of the analyzed 287 U.S. MNCs at the 5 percent level. Choi and Prasad 1995 developed a model and examined the exchange rate sensitivity of 409 US multinational firms. Their findings indicated that change in exchange rate affected firm value. They found that 60 percent of firms had significant exchange rate exposure. In their study, Choi and Prasad (1995) found that 14.9 percent of the individual firms in the U.S. and 10 percent of the industry portfolios showed a significant exchange rate exposure at the 10 percent level, corroborating earlier findings. Domely and Sheehy (1996) found contemporaneous relation between the foreign exchange rate and the market value of large exporters in their study. Comparable results were found outside the United States by He and Ng (1998). For instance only some multinational companies in Japan (26.3% and 53.8% for different time periods) showed a significant exchange rate exposure with regard to a multilateral exchange rate index. Some studies look into the exposure of industry portfolios in several countries, there were found percentage yields of companies with significant exposure of 15% (United States), 4% (Japan) and 6% (United Kingdom) by Prasad and Rajan (1995), or 23% (United States), 21% (Canada) and 25% (Japan) by Bodnar and Gentry (1993) at the 5% level. Study by Bartram and Karolyi (2006) suggests that the FX rate exposure of non-financial firms is systematically linked to firm characteristics such as sales, the percentage of foreign sales in general and in Europe in particular, regional factors like geography, strength of currency and industry characteristics like competition, traded goods. Study examined by Allayannis and Ihrig ( 2001) speak about stock price exposure to international trade activities of U.S. industries, and Bodnar et al. (2002) mention the significance of pass-through for exposure. Moreover, Starks and Wei (2004) found that the scale of exchange rate exposure is linked to proxies for probabilities of financial distress, product uniqueness and growth opportunities. However, the evidence of corporate foreign exchange rate exposures on a cash flow basis is very thin and inadequate to individual case studies. Garner and Shapiro (1984) investigated the foreign exchange rate exposure of Vulcan Materials Company by regressing changes of its quarterly operating cash flows on changes in the exchange rate of USD against GBP, and showed only small and statistically irrelevant foreign exchange rate exposures. Moreover, Oxelheim and Wihlborg (1995) use quarterly changes of total cash flow, commercial cash flow and sales revenue as dependent variables in the exposure analysis of Volvo Cars. Results by Oxelheim and Wihlborg (1995) indicate that the financial situation of the company reduces exposures with regard to changes in the DEM/SEK exchange rate only to a modest degree. One more study by Bartram (2005) investigated the exposure of a large nonfinancial company based on proprietary internal as well as external capital markets data. Analysis by Bartram (2 005) illustrated that the irrelevance of foreign exchange rate exposures of wide-ranging performance measures such as total cash flow and/or share price can be explained by hedging at the company level. Several studies focused on the some companies and they demonstrated that exporter firms stock values are more sensitive to change in foreign exchange rates (Mao and Kao, 1990; Bortov and Bodnar, 1992). In the most of the studies foreign exchange exposure was measured by regression analysis by using stock returns. Adler and Simon (1986) measured economic exposure as the slope of stock return on exchange rate change. Jorions (1990) model was established by adding the return of the market to control for market movements. As Jorion, Booth and Rotenberg (1990) and Bodnar and Gentry (1993) examined economic exposure with market return, Miller and Reuner (2000) estimated economic exposure by multivariate modelling approach. They applied three-currency model, also add some specified macroeconomic variables such overall stock market return and interest rates. Flanney and James (1984) and Sweeney and Warga (1986) also used interest rates in their models. Doneely and Sheehy (1996) formed a porfolio with 39 companies, and examined the relationship between abnormal return on exporting firms portfolio and return on sterling. Khoo (1994) estimated mining companies economic exposure by using excha nge rates, interest rates and price of oil. METHODOLOGY 3.0. Economic Exposure Measurement In order to measure Malaysian companies economic exposure I decided to follow Adler Simon (1986) model. I will measure economic exposure as the slope coefficient from a regression of stock returns on exchange rates. R it = ÃŽ ±i + ÃŽ ²i et + eit (1) ÃŽ ±i = constant term R it = Stock return for company i. et = Percentage change in exchange rate The coefficient ÃŽ ²i represents the sensitivity of a company is stock returns to exchange rate movements. In the model exchange rate quotation is direct quotation for Malaysia. In other words it is shown as MYR per one unit of the foreign currency. Positive value of ÃŽ ²i means that a depreciation of MYR corresponds to an increase in the value of company i. In the study, I will apply another model as Jorion approach. Jorian introduced another macroeconomic variable market return to control for market movements. To control for the ‘common macroeconomic influences on total exposure elasticities; most emprical studies include the return to a market portfolio with the exchange rate variable in their emprical models (Bodnar Wong, 2000). R it = ÃŽ ±i + ÃŽ ²1i et + ÃŽ ²2i Rmt + eit (2) ÃŽ ±i = constant term R it = Stock return for company i. et = Percentage change in exchange rate Rmt = Market return Ordinary least squares regression was used to estimate models. Exchange rate movements can be measured in nominal or real terms. Real movements are defined as nominal movements adjusted for price level changes across countries. In some studies (Khoo, 1994; Bodnar and Wong, 2000), since real and nominal exchange rates are highly correlated both or one of them are used. Also in some studies trade weighed foreign exchange rate used. The exchange rate used in the study is real effective exchange rate, which is calculated by the Bank Negara (Malaysian Central Bank). The market index I employ will be FTSE Bursa Malaysia Mid 70 Index. In both model, it will be focused on individual firm value. Choi and Prasad (1995) state that examining exchange rate risk on aggregate level, on portfolio or market index, may not reveal the true exchange risk sensitivity of firm value. They claim that a firm level study is necessary to understand whether and why individual firms display varying sensitivity to exchange risk. I follow their approach in my analysis. 3.1. Data In order to examine Malaysian companies economic exposure, I constructed a sample. Sample companies stocks are publicly traded in FTSE Bursa Malaysia market. Only medium and big sized companies will be included. It will be used monthly data to estimate exchange rate sensitivity of the equity for the period from January 2000 to December 2008. Sample companies economic exposure will be examined in two steps. First, all sample companies stock returns will be regressed on exchange rate change and market return. In the second step, companies will be examined according to one specific character, which is export volume. The companies will be divided into two: exporter and non-exporter firms. It will be identified companies as an exporter company, if their foreign sales level is at least 20% of total sales in 2000. Individual stock returns for companies and FTSE Bursa Malaysia market return data will be collected from Bursa Malaysia sources and DataStream in UUM Library.

Essay on Internet Privacy - Ethical Issues Raised by Privacy Service Pr

Ethical Issues Raised by Privacy Service Providers      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Abstract:   This paper examines the use of Internet technologies (specifically SafeWeb.com) to counteract invasions of personal privacy and censorship.   The paper begins by exploring the methods by which governments, corporations, and commercial agents invade personal privacy.   It also discusses Internet censorship on the corporate and governmental levels.   It then proceeds to discuss SafeWeb.com, a technology that allows Internet users to surf the Web privately and view censored content.   The paper finishes by exploring some of the ethical issues raised by Internet privacy and censorship in specific relation to SafeWeb, concluding that the application of SafeWeb in circumventing the authority of governments and corporations is inherently unethical.         Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Part of the allure of the Internet has always been the anonymity it offers its users.   As the Internet has grown however, causing capitalists and governments to enter the picture, the old rules are changing fast.   E-commerce firms employ the latest technologies to track minute details on customer behavior.   The FBI's Carnivore email-tracking system is being increasingly used to infringe on the privacy of netizens.   Corporations now monitor their employees' web and email usage.   In addition to these privacy infringements, Internet users are also having their use censored, as governments, corporations, and other institutions block access to certain sites.   However, as technology can be used to wage war on personal freedoms, it can also be employed in the fight against censorship and invasion of privacy.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Network technologies have allowed for an unprecedented invasion of persona... ...nomist.com/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=471742>. Cooper, Charles.   Saudi Arabia's Battle of the Bits.   2001.   ZDNet.   Feb. 20, 2001.   Tanaka, Jennifer.   The Secret (Server) Service.   2001.   AdWeek.   Feb. 20, 2001.   . The 20 Enemies of the Internet.   1999.   Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty.   Feb 20, 2001.   . Sussman, Leonard R.   The Internet and Press Freedom 2000.   2000.   Freedom House.   Feb. 20, 2001.   . Graham, Robert.   Carnivore FAQ.   2000.   Feb. 20, 2001.   . Conrey-Miller, Andrew.   The Pros and Cons of Employee Surveillance.   2001. Feb. 20, 2001. .

Israel :: essays research papers fc

Introduction p.1 I. Geography of Israel p.2 II. Population of Israel p.3 III. History of Israel p.4 IV. Government of Israel p.5,6 V. Religions of Israel p.7 Bibliography p.8 Introduction In the past few decades, atleast since 1948, no other country has been in the news more often or has gotten more international attention than Israel. First, Israel got attention because it was to be a refuge for the poor unfortunate Jewish people who survived the Holocaust. They would, once and for all, have a Jewish homeland, where the key to citizenship was simply being Jewish. The majority of the world had sympathy for the Jewish people, at that time. Along with this sympathy the world had expectations that the Jewish people would be better, morally, than the other nations of the world. As a result, Israel is often put under a figurative microscope and each and every thing she does is analyzed. For many years people only said the nicest things about Israel, but that has changed, recently. Many people think that one of the reasons for this change is because of the power the Arabs have as a result of their oil and money. Since 1948 Israel has had to deal with regular wars waged by its Arab neighbors, with one of the highest taxation systems in the world and with double digit inflation every year. There is a division among its religious and non-religious people, and a division among its citizens of European vs. North African origin. Israel has, in the past, had to deal with not enough immigration and most recently too much immigration. When Israel was first established there was much work to be done and too few people to do it. Now there is rising unemployment in Israel, partly because of the mass of new immigrants from the Soviet Union and from Ethiopia. There was a time when people moved to Israel and never thought about leaving; that has changed. You will learn more, in the following pages, about this dynamic and wonderful country of ours, "Eretz Yisrael", the Land of Israel, homeland of the Jews. Bibliography 1. Feinstein, Steve. Israel. Minneapolis: Lerner Publication Company, 1988. 2. Taitz, Emily and Henry, Sandra. Israel, A Sacred Land.

Performance Support Systems Essay -- Technology Support System Essays

Performance Support Systems Abstract The purpose of my paper is to discuss Performance Support Systems, the reason why some people fear them, concerns surrounding them, and why there is a growing trend for their use and their redefinement. Performance Support Systems Defined Electronic Performance Support Systems otherwise known as EPSS were born in the early 1990s by Gloria Gery, who was described as an educational software guru by Phillip Longman in his journal article, The Janitor Stole My Job. A distinguishing feature of EPSS is its ability to automate many job-related cognitive skills and to give immediate instructions to assist users in decision-making processes, which still require human judgment. These are computer-based systems which provide access to coaching, learning experiences, or tools to enable a user to facilitate tasks with a minimum of support from others (Benson, 1997, p.1). To put it bluntly, EPSS is a computer application that is task-specific, offering on-demand assistance to users (Stevens, 1996, p.1). In reviewing the various definitions of EPSS, I read that Performance Support Systems or PSS are frequently referred to as Electronic Performance Support Systems, as was indicated in my above definitions. However, according to Dr. Steve Harmon in his article, The Second S, the addition of the word electronic narrows the definition of Performance Support Systems to one specific area based solely on computers and the internet. While this technology is indeed integral to today’s performance support, I believe his point is that we should not forget that the word "system" is more representative of the topic than "electronic" (Harmon, 1999, p.1). Immediately, the controversy is apparent. Peopl... ...rform steps in the most natural way for them. References The following are articles taken off the web in Galileo. The reference list for each does not match the page numbers referenced in the paper. Benson, George. (1997). A new look at EPSS. Training & Development: Vol. 51 (pp. 48-49). Desmarais, Michel C; Leclair, Richard; Fiset, Jean-Yves; Talbi, Hichem. (1997). Cost-justifying electronic performance support systems. Communications of the ACM: Vol. 40 (pp. 39-48). Harmon, Steve. (1999). The Second "S"- Putting the system back in performance support. http://itech1.coe.uga.edu/itforum/paper36/paper36.html (pp. 1-5). Longman, Phillip J. (1997). The janitor stole my job. US News & World Report: Vol. 123 (pp. 50-52). Marquardt, Michael J. (1996). Cyberlearning: New possibilities for HRD. Training & Development: Vol. 50 (pp. 56-57).

Investigation into the impact of tourism on Croyde and Newquay

In this Coursework I have decided to compare and contrast Croyde and Newquay as they both have similar tourist attractions and geographical features. They also differ in some ways and I aim to find out how, why and what has caused this. I went down to Newquay on the 6th of august when both the Ripcurl board masters and the Newquay music beach sessions were on so this was a prime time to get some useful results. I went down to Croyde on two occasions, 11th august when nothing spectacular was on and then again on the 7th September when the Jesus surf classic competition is on so this was also a prime time to get some useful results. I have always loved the outdoors and taking part in extreme sports that use geographical features to their advantages so I guess this is why Geography has been something that has always interested me mainly because I have wanted to know why natural anomalies occur such as waves. I have decided to study the impacts of tourism on two similar areas; Croyde and Newquay are both holiday destinations that I have visited and that I am familiar with which has influenced my choice to use them in my coursework. Even though they are 86 miles apart they share similar characteristics such as popular surf locations because they share the same sea. I went to Croyde and Newquay within the same week to get some fair tests. Obviously there were certain factors that still made this test unfair. I went to Newquay on the 6th, which was in the middle of the very popular Ripcurl Boardmasters and the music week beach sessions. So there will obviously be more tourists in Newquay. I am trying to find out what and how tourism effects these two holiday destinations. I would have preferred to take some results a few years ago and see how Newquay or Croyde have developed because of tourism but this was not possible so instead I will compare the two. Here are two maps showing the places I have studied. My objective in order to help me find out what I need to find are as follow: * To find out how many tourists visit for what reason. * How far and how people travel to visit these areas. * What accommodation tourists stay in when they visit these areas. * How much litter pollution tourist's cause. LITTER COUNT AND CAMP SITE SURVEY * How much the local economy is supported by tourist business. Background knowledge Croyde Croyde Bay in Devon is a village on the west-facing coastline of North Devon. It is rare but to some surfers the village is known as ‘The Place of Legends' or ‘The Place of Kings' due to the way that the village is almost perfect and so is the beach. It is a favourite destination for families and surfers alike. The name Croyde is believed to have derived from an Anglo-Saxon settlement in the area. Croyde village is a charming little hamlet of thatched cottages with many places to eat, buy gifts and hire beach equipment – including surfboards. It has many popular spots neighbouring such as Watersmeet in lyton/lynmouth, Golf in Saunton and Walking areas that make this area worth staying both on a holiday and as a day trip. During the 20th century Croyde's development was based on traditional ‘seaside' tourism. Before this the village was based on the local agriculture. The past 30 years has seen large increases in younger-age visitors develop around surfing. It is home to several small campsites, a small retail area in the centre of the village, and a large holiday park, Ruda Holiday Park, operated by Parkdean Holidays. Walking is also a very popular attraction for tourists with the South West Coast Path giving access to the spectacular Baggy Point, which is owned by the National Trust. Croyde has three pubs in the village: The Manor, Billy Budds†, and The Thatched Barn Inn. As far as education goes the children in croyde share the Georgeham Primary School with many of the neighbouring villages. For secondary education they have to go to braunton for either the Community College or Braunton School. Croyde beach is placed in a sheltered bay measuring at 0.8km long. The shallow slope of the beach means that the high and low water marks are 500m apart making this beach safe for children. Surfing is another popular attraction in croyde. Although the rides are generally pretty short on the beach though, the waves tend to pitch up and break fast making it attractive to shortboarders. The beach forms the middle section of a trio of sandy beaches north of the Taw estuary. 6 km long Saunton Sands is 1 km to the south, 3km long Woolacombe Sands, divided into Putsborough and Woolacombe beaches, 1.5 km to the north. There were several drownings on the beacj in the 1950's causing the local authoritites to introduce some lifeguards. There is a break some 3/4 mile offshore that breaks when the beach of Croyde is closed out by large swells. The population is split neatly into two polarized but quietly coexisting groups: half the locals are bungalow-inhabiting retirees, the other half are the surfers (almost all of whom are under 30). Surfing is a religion there. Newquay The first signs of settlement in Newquay consist of a late Iron Age hill fort/industrial centre which exploited the nearby abundant resources and the superior natural defences provided by Trevelgue HeadNewquay was originally the fishing port of Towan Blistra before the ‘new quay' was built in the fifteenth century. The quay was used for the import of coal and the export of mined ore. For many years, the main industry was pilchard fishing and salting. These days Newquay is the resort with all the nightlife but not so much of the original culture. Newquay is famous for the surfing championships, held at Fistral Beach, which attract competitors from all over the world. The main town beaches are Towan, Great Western, Lusty Glaze and Tolcarne, all of which are reasonably sheltered and safe for swimming and sun worshipping. Newquay has two secondary schools, Newquay Tretherras School is a state-funded specialist technology college and Newquay Treviglas which is a specialist business college. Surfing is also a very large part of newquays tourist attraction holding numerous surfing international and local competitions the latest being the ripcurl boardmasters. Fistral bay has very clean wave sucsetions that make it ideal for surfing. Being 0.75km in length it is a resonable size. It is often very crowded in the summer both on the beach and in the water. The cribbar, named after the reef which stretches half a mile from the beach, is a legendary wave that only breaks at Fistral Beach around once every 2 years. This incedible swell can reach heights of around 40 feet. It was first surfed in 1967 by Jack Lydgate, Bob Head and Rod Sumpter. The recent explosion in interest in surfing large waves has spured many international surfers both pro and ameteur to come and visit newquay to tr out the waves and the community of newquay. Newquay is well known for its lively nightlife. Nightclubs such as Berties, Tall Trees and Sailor's attract well known international DJs. Newquay has been a popular destination for hen and stag nights as the town now has a lap-dancing club and the explosive nightlife attracts people to hold them here. The town has a permenant population of around 19,423 but this can increase to 100,000 or more in the summer because Newquay has a large stock of holiday accommodation. Which is not surprise when you think that it was home to the author of Lord of the Flies and The Beatles filmed part of the Magical Mystery Tour film in Newquay. Scenes were filmed at the Atlantic Hotel and Towan Beach. As we know travel all over the world has become cheaper and cheaper with more methods of travel and more people being able to travel. Flights have become very cheap compared to how they used to be making tourism from England go abroad so places like newquay and croyde have been forced to make their own efforts to attract tourism back to Cornwall. They have risen to the challenge by using their advantage of the Atlantic coast and focused on surfing. From the tourism they received from tourism certain places in newquay and croyde decided to get benefit from this and so extended ways that they could make money out of tourism and so increasing the attractions for tourism. Newquay had introduced many nightclubs and bars whereas croyde introduced a young person's arcade directly implying that they get more families with young people then older couples. Both of the towns have had to increases accommodation and have done this by opening campsites and converting houses into hotels and other forms of accommodation. Method During this I will be stating what data I want to find out, how and why I am going to be collecting the certain parts of data. Why do tourists visit these destinations? In order to do this I need to include this as part of my questionnaire. To find out who comes to these destinations and why they come here. A questionnaire is the best way to find out sufficient results for this question as I can ask questions that are to the point and get exact answers from the people who affect the areas of coast both humanly and environmentally. On the day I am going to stand in the streets of Croyde and Newquay asking people if they wouldn't mind spending a little time to fill out my questionnaire. Once I have done this I will collect the data and group in a format I can easily read and relate to, I gave out 30 questionnaires in both Croyde and Newquay because I thought 30 wasn't too low i.e. I could still get sufficient data from this amount and it wasn't too many as I didn't have as much time as I would have liked. I stood in similar spots in both Newquay and Croyde to make it even – The main beach entrance, the beach car park and the main shopping area (central town). I did this as I could gather the information quicker, as they are the busiest spots, and I could also go about other tasks whilst they're such as a tax disc survey. With the questionnaire I simply asked every other person who walked pass me. This is because I am then asking a wider range of people as if I ask ever person I see then some may be related whereas if I leave it every other one there is a stronger likely hood that they are not together therefore getting no repeats. How far and how people travel to these locations. In order to do this I will be asking how people have travelled and how many with in a questionnaire as I can get the precise information I desire but I can take a tax disc survey to find out how far, this will be a lot quicker therefore enabling me to get more results. I will carry out the tax disc survey in a car park and look on car's tax discs and where they have been stamped, this may not be very accurate as people may travel a fair way to get there tax discs as post offices are closing down. The more results I get the higher the precision of my work is. This is important as the further people travel to these locations makes me think that the change in tourism has been spread wider and heard more further away possibly making the change larger and more attractive to the majority of people looking to travel in England. On the day I will hand out my questionnaire and ask people to take part in my coursework and with the tax disc survey I will go into two or three car parks collectin g the locations that people have travelled to reach this destination. Once I have done this I will group all my data into workable format. With the tax disc survey I will work out the carbon footprint of the data I feel applicable. I have done this so I can work out how far the attraction of the effect of tourism has spread. What accommodation tourists stay in when they visit these areas? In the questionnaire I have included the request of information on the tourist's accommodation. This will help me again as the more people who use hotels will suggest the more hotels there are and therefore the demand for them is greater. This will help me because I will be able to know whether the most popular forms of accommodation require more or less litter pollution to the area or whether the owner takes the litter under their responsibility. I will do this again by using the format of my questionnaire, as this will be a strong and effective source. How much litter pollution tourist's cause? In order to get the results I want to answer this objective I will take a litter count by recording the amount of litter I see in a 2mà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ then I repeat this every 20m and I will also include an Environmental Perception Grid in my questionnaire assuring I get both raw data and people's opinions on the amount of litter in the area. Once I have done this I can then result in concluding what I have established following-onto linking it back to the main aim of this coursework and whether the tourism impact on the two different places was positive or negative. How much the local economy is supported by tourist business? I will do this entirely based on a land use classification sheet that I have done. I did this by walking through the main street of the two towns marking what shops were what and concluding what they were used for and who they were there for. Hopefully I will find a great difference in the two places here resulting in my conclusion saying how tourism has affected these two places in different ways. I will have to talk about how and why the area has let tourism effect it in this way in comparison to the way the other place has let is change it. Results with Analysis. For this part I will be putting my data for both Croyde and Newquay into appropriate charts so I can directly compare the data against each other then writing what the data tells me before relating what I have found out directly back to my main objective. To do this I will work through each method accordingly slowly producing my main conclusion to this piece of coursework taking into account applicable pieces of data and using these to back up my opinion on my investigation and how tourism has effected both then I will give my opinion on whether it's a positive or a negative effect. Why do tourists visit these destinations? I have put the data from my questionnaire in two bar charts that I can compare directly. The reasons for visit in both places in very similar but the duration of the visit are very different. Croyde has 20 more people visiting for a week and Newquay has 20 more people visiting for 3 days. I think this is strongly representative of the way they have both differed in changing as 3 day trips tend to be made by younger people who have gone down for a specific reason. However week + holidays is often family orientated as they have gone down to spend some time away. I took this data in the summer holidays which backs my point up. I have also taken the ages and put them in a graph as I think it will help me conclude the way I think tourism has changed either place as the reasons, I feel, will be more pronounced with a given age group. The age of people asked was very similar showing me no evidence that the change in tourism has made the ages visiting any different. As the young age group is the largest I think this was their main aim as I think this would be the largest market. I think Newquay and Croyde have changed in different ways but they have still managed to attract the same main target market. The age group in Croyde was more evenly spread than Newquay so maybe Croyde has changed more appropriately for all age groups. In order for me to differentiate the ways they have changed and whether this difference in change was good or bad I will need to look else were as the reason and length of visit has given me no reason to believe the reasons for visit are any different. How far and how people travel to these locations. All people questioned in Croyde either got their on a bike, by foot or by a car, however, people who were questioned in Newquay only arrived on motorized vehicles 7% even arriving on a plane. Newquay has this choice as it has its own airport and train station as well as very frequent public services running till 3am at night to the surrounding areas, this has enabled newquay to have tourists from France whereas croyde isn't as main-stream as Newquay making it not as widely known mainly because of its lack of public transport, this is mostly dues to its lack of size, roads and economy couldn't support such methods of transport certainly as the village stands. In Fig. 7 you can easily see that there are more places than in Fig. 8. This is mainly a result of what I have just explained in order to back up further my point I have worked out the distance between Croyde and Newquay and were their tourists travelled from creating a circle of influence that I can directly compare. This will help me as part of my conclusion will be on whether the difference, if any, in the way tourism has developed is a good thing on the area and although this may be a good thing that they are attracting people on the area obviously the further away people travel the longer they are driving and therefore the larger their carbon footprint. Fig. 9 clearly shows that newquay has a much larger circle of influence obviously this is very good for the locals so far as tourism means money for workers there however environmentally this is a negative. What accommodation tourists stay in when they visit these areas? This is hugely dependant on the land the area has and how available the area lends itself to things such as hotels. To do this I have put a question in my questionnaire about accommodation then I will be, again, plotting both Newquay's and Croyde's data against each other just to make the difference as well as numerical making it visual as this will be easier to remember and makes it easier to remember as numbers or percentage can often be to close and therefore rounded distorting the comparison. As we can see in Fig. 10 93% of people who visited croyde either camped or stayed in bed and breakfasts. They also rented houses (holiday homes – Self catered) however Newquay's largest majority with 40% was people who stayed in hotels. There are so many hotels in Newquay making this such an available option for tourists. Croyde has few hotels as such however they have many bed and breakfasts and self service accommodation options. Camping and holiday homes are popular as many prefer to save money and cater for themselves I think this is because most of the tourists in Croyde are families as apposed to Newquay's being in their late teens – early 20s. Newquay's demand for hotels is so big people are renovating rows of houses into series of hotels. There has been so much of this over the last few years because of Newquay's growth. How much litter pollution tourist's cause? Now that we have established what accommodation tourists use when visiting these two destinations I want to see what effects this has on the two towns so far as litter is concerned. This clearly shows that newquay has a higher litter concentration than Croyde which surprises me on the fact that 50% of Croyde accommodation is camping which I though would create terrible litter problems however newquay is considerably larger than croyde making the tourist capacity larger so I have decided to repeat this test in the exact same places but with people instead of litter. I have done this by counting every person that passes my left and right leaving ahead and behind, then like the litter count I will walk 20m before I take my next count. This shows that both of the beaches were the busiest places however Newquay does have more people but there isn't such the significant difference that there is compared to litter. In the questionnaire I have asked people what they think of the area in terms of the factors that tourism could have affected. How much the local economy is supported by tourist business? A vast majority of the local services in Newquay and Croyde are run by local people making tourism a highly important part of their lives as it is tourists who would be mainly targeted in two popular tourist destinations. I have drawn up and filled out a land-use classification table to help me with this also using the questionnaire to find out who actually uses the facilities that these two areas have to offer. Obviously being holiday destinations alone answers my question alone as they obviously do rely on tourism to keep their jobs going. Fig. 15 shows that both Croyde and Newquay have facilities for all their tourists. I can s a majority of the 30 people asked have used nearly every facility. So as they rely on tourism they have made the Facilities well as evidently tourist use them. Fig. 14 shows that a lot more of how the two towns have let tourism change them in different ways. Newquay has concentrated on the entertainment market whereas (Fig. 15) Croyde has concentrated on the outdoors sports such as beach activities and waling. I can tell this as a larger percentage of people asked had used the entertainment facilities in Newquay where most people in croyde had used the beach, walked or the sports equipment hire. Conclusion Researching two similar holiday destinations in depth has clearly painted a picture for me so far as how they differ in the way they attract tourists and what the tourists do, where they stay and how they travel to their destination be it Newquay or Croyde. I think I have been fairly successful so far as achieving my main aim however there are things I have learnt on the way that I would have done differently had I been given more time and facilities. The main reason I think Newquay has changed from Croyde yet their aims are the same is that Newquay is a lot bigger than Croyde making it easier to build on and sustainable as Croyde has narrow roads and a small population which would be directly effected if the town were to expand outwards. Newquay however has lent itself to this very well having fairly flat and available land. Newquay has changed this way as there is far more money in the long run for large amounts of tourists and throughout the winter they will still get tourists as they have many hotels 50% of people asked camped in Croyde and few people will want to do this in the winter. I think overall I have tried hard and succeeded in comparing Newquay and Croyde. They differ in many ways and couldn't be more similar in others making them attractive for different reasons. Evaluation Had I been given the chance to do this again I would put in deeper research into the area and mainly extending my questionnaire and asking 100 people as the more people questioned the more reliable my result however this would not need to be a necessity as I effectively took a random sample of many as I randomly asked every other person (that was the only reason I chose them) making them as reliable as possible. I went to croyde when I Ripcurl board masters was on but I firstly went to croyde when nothing was happening so I decided to make this fair by going back to croyde when a surf festival was on. There were many tests I took that had no help to my main aim making them completely invalid and therefore wasting some of my time that I could have spent else where. Hopefully these downfalls in my research haven't affected my outcome too much. I would repeat my results and do them all round the year as in summer obviously I would have more results than the winter I would like to see how the change of year/weather change my results and see whether the public prefer this change and therefore prefer these areas in winter.

A Difficult Task Force: Organizational Behavior Essay

The concept of groups, teams and teamwork is a very important factor for good performance of the whole company. I read the case about the group of professionals who had to control and serve the new joint venture between companies from Japan, United States, and South America. This new company had to make, sell, and service pet caskets for the burial of beloved pets, mostly dogs and cats. During the first month of work, each company had assigned personnel to the task force. The members from every company were chosen to participate in the joint venture. As chair of the task force, Jose initiated a meeting of all the members of the new company. He gave historical information, and then he reviewed the market for the innovations of their prospective product. The task force was to develop the initial design parameters for the new product to meet increasing demand around the world. Next part of the meeting was opened to comments and suggestions. Mariana Preus, representative from Argentina, the head of product design, said that the current designs that they had in production in Argentina plant were just fine, and he didn’t see any reasons to innovate the design of their product. All other members of the meeting agreed not to make any changes in the design of the product. Jose reminded to all of the participants of the meeting that their task force’s purpose is to redesign the product and its manufacturing systems. Finally, Jose had to agree with members of the meeting and to write a memo to the council of presidents with the recommendation to use existing designs and to begin immediately to design the plant and the manufacturing system. The meeting adjourned,d and Jose returned to his computer and started to write the memo that, he knew, would anger the presidents. He wondered what had he done wrong and what he could have done to prevent such result of the meeting. I think that in this case study we see an example of the formal group that is formed by a manager to help the organization to accomplish its goals. The group development process wasn’t finished and ended on the second stage–storming. Analyzing the group member roles, in our situation Jose is the initiator of the meeting, information giver, opinion seeker, and orienter. Mariana Preus has a role of initiator and information giver, because he insisted on the not redesigning of the product. The other members seem to serve just as a passive audience–followers, because they all agreed  to the Mariana’s suggestion, and didn’t give any other opinions. Also, there was no group cohesiveness; a â€Å"we feeling† binding group members together to accomplish their goal. The diverse nature of the group affected the committee’s action by not understanding and participating of all members in the meeting. If I was in Jose’s position, I would try to keep the group headed toward the stated goal better, and not to agree with the suggestion of one member, but to count the opinions of every member of the group. Also, it wasn’t right to adjourn the meeting before getting the result that would approach to the goal of the whole meeting.

Man’s Innate Evil †“Lord of the Flies” by William Golding Essay

The Savage inside us all, when certain situations are brought up the primitive human nature is unleashed. Aspects of human nature in the world alert us to our potential to descend from law and order to chaos, good to evil and civilization to savagery. The break down of civilization towards savagery dramatizes the struggle between the ruling element of society which include law, morality, culture and the chaotic element of humanity’s savage instincts which include anarchy, amorality, and a desire for power. Throughout the novel, Lord of the Flies, Golding explicitly articulates that circumstances creates decay in moral value, innocence of human being and deteriorates the democratic system. Ralph the leader is the symbols for morality and leadership, while their enemy Jack is the symbol for the desire for power, selfishness and amorality. Simon the intellect who was the only boy who realizes fear is innate and the beast is within the boys. Lord of the Flies reveals how people ca n descend into barbarism in an atmosphere of chaos. The protagonist, Ralph, who personifies order, pragmatism, and everyman’s natural weakness, displays power and influence in the beginning but is almost tempted into savagery in the end; his use of the conch in the beginning of the book exhibits his characteristics and his civilized nature. He at first is presented as an activist individual, but also possesses an innate savage nature like everyone else and this is displayed when he partakes in the killing of Simon. Dont you understand, Piggy? The things we did He may still be. Although Ralph commits murder, he is still not completely submerged into savagery since he is able to realize what they have done, and this is clearly allegorized when he says he is afraid of them and wants to return home. These examples of Ralph show that when humans are not under the right circumstance, or away from civilized world they are most likely to unleash their inner selves their evil side. They also show how Ralph descended from Civilization to Savagery. In spite of Ralph’s display of civility, wisdom and the confident view for man’s fate, Jack on the other hand reveals the credence of man’s fall into savagery. Jack, who personifies savagery, bloodlust, and the hunger for power, shows the unavoidable fate of man. When Jack painted his mask, he had liberated  from shame and self consciousness. This is one of the major turning points for the alteration of Jack’s character is his relevance of the mask. Jack’s hiding behind the mask is a way for him to unleash his savage nature without feeling repentance. He also desires power from the beginning of the novel to the point when he declares himself the new leader. Jack persuades the boys to join him by using fear about the beast, and he does so until they all come to believe in its existence. After Jack diffuse this fear and belief in the boys’ minds, all aspects of civilization, culture and dissolve quickly. Absurdity emphasizes Jack’s bloodlust when he kills the sow and when he attempts to kill Ralph also. Jack hunts not with the sole intention to get meat, but he particularly enjoy exercising power over living creatures while hunting. Though it is not accomplished, Ralph’s potential murder also illustrates Jack’s ridiculous and savage nature. Jack is completely descended from good to evil in an atmosphere of chaos. On the opposite side Simon is the only boy on the island who really knows who the beast is. Simon was the only boy who did not descend into savagery. He is really the only one on the island who realizes that the fear is innate and that there is no beast. What I mean is†¦ maybe it’s only us. Simon’s delirious confrontation with the Lord of the Flies confirms his theory of evil being instinctive to man and actually within all of us There isn’t anyone to help you. Only me. And I’m the beast†¦ fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill! †¦ You knew didn’t you? I’m a part of you. These examples validates that savagery was always there in mankind but need a proper circumstance to come out. So when Simon climbs the mountain and sees the parachutist and comes back to tell everyone that there is no beast, the inner beast of the boys made them kill Simon thinking that it is the beast. As Jack had implanted that there is a beast in real into their brains. Even after Simons death Jack and his tribe did not stop hunting and did not think about the murder they did the night before. The inner beast led to the loss of religion, and turned Jack and his tribe into complete savages. These are examples of the events that happened away from the civilized world. Simon the only boy to know the original beast mans innate evil. Jack turning completely savage; and Ralph the leader who was often tempted by the  savagery of the others. All the above examples conclude that aspects of human nature in the world alter us to our possibility to descend from law and order to chaos, good to evil and civilization to savagery. Lord of the Flies showed that the evil residing within everyone could be unleashed. It proved the dark side of human nature could be really brutal and even the most innocent of us are vulnerable to it. Bibliography â€Å"Lord of the Flies†, William Golding, The Berkley Publishing Group, New York, 1954