Starbucks

Starbucks mission is â€Å"†¦to establish Starbucks as the most recognized and respected brand in the world and become a national company with values and guiding principles that employees could be proud of†¦Ã¢â‚¬  However, this mission was threatened in 2008 when the company found itself in trouble with slow growth and profits. Determined to continue its mission, Starbucks reevaluated its resource-based model of returns and made some changes which resulted in increased revenue and above-average returns for the next three years. The key player in Starbucks strategy was Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks.Schultz was determined to regain strategic competitiveness and set forth with an integrated strategic management process which focused on several of Starbucks core competencies (like internal culture and human resources) and included: halting new store openings in the U. S. ; withdrawing completely from Australia; focusing on customers and the â€Å"Starbucks experience;â₠¬  and transferring resources to international markets. We analyzed the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats through the TOWS analysis tool which focuses on external (or environmental) threats and opportunities AND internal weaknesses and strengths of the company.In this case, Starbucks’s biggest threat is competition, particularly from McDonald’s and Dunkin Donuts. Opportunities include expanding its product line, particularly into international markets, and diversifying its product line to give customers a better â€Å"experience† in AND out of stores. By creating licensing agreements with places like Marriot and Pepsi, and selling retail packs of drinks like Frappucinos in grocery stores, Starbucks increased its diversification.The biggest weakness for Starbucks is its pricing which led to competition with other companies that were offering premium coffee WITHOUT the premium price. Next is Starbucks’s greatest strength: brand name and rec ognition. In other words, to many people, coffee equals Starbucks. Another one of Starbuck’s strengths was how mainstream their name was; however, in 2008, this became a weakness as the competition took advantage of the situation and targeted Starbucks directly with campaigns that the company was â€Å"snobbish† and â€Å"friends don’t let friends drink at Starbucks. To help sustain their constant need for high-quality coffee beans, instead of just purchasing Starbucks fully invested their time into becoming a part of the market by creating support centers and creating fixed-price contracts whenever possible. Starbucks was no longer just a purchaser but a leader with coffee growers. In addition to TOWS analysis, analyzing Starbucks’ position using the Five Forces of Competition shows other issues facing Starbucks in 2008. For instance, the threat of new entrants and substitute products during this time was high. The same is true of the bargaining power o f buyers.The rivalry among competing firms was also high to moderately high, and the strength of the forces of the bargaining power of suppliers was moderate to low. Given the TOWS and Five Forces analyses of Starbucks, we agree with Starbucks strategy formulation. Starbucks should (and did) focus on stopping its saturation of the market (no new U. S. stores) and pulled out of unprofitable nations (like Australia) while reallocating resources internationally. We also agree that a large part of Starbucks’ strategic competitiveness is its â€Å"experience† so focusing on the â€Å"Starbucks Experience† and further branding itself was important.It was also vital to refocus on the core values which make Starbucks a global leader, not follower, as well as technology, like free wi-fi and the Starbucks credit card, which increases the appeal of its stores and products to customers. Since 2008, Starbucks revenue has continued to grow, and 2012 was Starbucks best quarter yet for net revenues! Will this pattern continue? If Starbucks continues to employ strategic competitiveness, take advantage of global markets, differentiate its product, and utilize the latest technologies, we say yes. Starbucks Which one of the 5 generic business strategies best matches Cataracts strategy? Why? I believe that of the generic strategies the best match to Cataracts strategy is that of the rivalry within the industry. This is the best match because there are a lot of different types of specialty coffee shops out their in the industry so the rivalry amongst all the competitors is very fierce. Of the other coffee shops it will tough for hem to match the price and popularity that Cataracts has on the rest of the competition.Other companies may be able to sell their coffee at a higher price but then the number of sales that they receive is going to be lower than that of Cataracts. The rivalry in the coffee shop market is very competitive but Cataracts has an advantage over the competition in the fact that it can charge a higher price then its competitors and still have more customers then the rest of the market. 2. Evaluate Cataracts social responsibility strategy. Is it sincere or Just something t o help with image?I believe that the social responsibility of Cataracts is sincere and not Just something to help promote their image. They want to make sure that the prices that they have paid for the coffee beans is high enough that the small farmers were able to cover all their productions cost as well as provide for their families. Cataracts also wants to work directly with small coffee growers, local coffee-growing cooperatives, and other hypes of coffee suppliers to promote coffee cultivation methods that protected biodiversity and were environmentally sustainable.Lastly Cataracts made purchasing arrangements that limited the exposure to sudden price Jumps due to weather, economic, and political conditions in the growing countries where they were getting their coffee beans. 3. What major issues face the company in mid 2010? In the mid 2010 people were not spending their normal amount on money, customers were more worried about saving their money because of the economic crisis. With Starbucks â€Å"To say Starbucks purchases and roasts high-quality whole bean coffees is very true. That’s the essence of what we do- but it hardly tells the whole story†¦(Starbucks, 2013, pg 1)† Starbucks is known for not only their high quality products but also their great efforts in social responsibility. They give back to the community while striving to have genuine service and an inviting atmosphere. Their mission statement is as follows, â€Å"It has always been, and will always be, about quality. We’re passionate about ethically sourcing the finest coffee beans, roasting them with great care, and improving the lives of people who grow them. We care deeply about all of this; our work is never done (Starbucks, 2013, pg 1). † They have done a tremendous job at having their mission statement hold true to their regular consumers while keeping them paying the higher costs of their product. Analysis Starbucks, in 2009, used economic analysis on elasticity in order to increase sales of their famous coffee drinks and use its reputation and premium brand drinks to take away sales from McDonalds which introduced a new line of lower priced espresso drinks that have proved to be popular. Starbucks has decided to increase the cost of some of their drinks like the Frappuccinos and caramel Macchiatos by an average of 10 cents to 15 cents. In some cases they are raising costs as mush as 30 cents which is about an 8 percent increase. Consumers that were regulars of Starbucks considered this beverage product to be in-elastic and were willing to pay anything because they need this product. An example of an in-elastic demand product would be anything that would be considered a necessity. For example, â€Å"the more necessary a good is, the lower the elasticity, as people will attempt to buy it no matter the price, such as the case of insulin for diabetics (Gillespie, 2007, pg 28). † These regular consumers of Starbucks would be willing to pay top dollar for before purchasing the similar low priced product at their competitors. They know that competitors like McDonald’s does not offer all of the flavors or drinks that they offer so they know they will keep their regulars. To offset this increase, their strategy was to lower the price of their most popular beverages by 5 cents to 15 cents. This would include their popular 12 ounce lattes and their brewed coffees. This was the first time Starbucks lowered the price of any of its drinks since it began. The plan to reduce prices of their basic drinks like the latte falls on the fact that their competitors McDonalds is capturing some of the consumers that are less interested in the premium brands that Starbucks offers. By lowering the price of these coffees might bring some of those customers back. These consumers consider their beverage elastic and are willing to change the brand for a lower price. McDonalds was running a huge advertising campaign on the same sugary, creamy drinks that now at Starbucks will be more expensive but according to Kenneth Davids, editor of Coffee Review who states â€Å"Starbucks is safe raising the prices of specialty drinks because they are where the company best differentiates itself (Miller, 2009, pg 1). The consumers who value a great tasting coffee at Starbucks are consumers who are willing to pay more. Taste test comparing espresso drinks between Starbucks and McDonalds have proven that Starbucks drinks are favored over the same McDonalds drink. The difference between the standard lattes was not as noticeable then the advantage Starbucks has over McDonalds for their syrupy and whipped cream style drinks. Some of McDonalds drinks actually taste terrible. So a con sumer that expects the best tasting specialty drinks are will be willing to pay more. Like one always says, â€Å"you get what you pay for† and here it means a better tasting drink then any of Starbucks competitors. Conclusion Starbucks used economic analysis of the elastic and inelastic demand for their products which worked wonderfully. They lowered the prices of the elastic products in order to compete with their competitors such as McDonald’s McDonalds and raised the inelastic products for drinks that they proved to be the best of the best. With the changes in the pricing their revenue went back to increasing. As seen in Appendix A, in 2009 they were hurting due to McDonald’s new advertisements on their coffee and how low their price was. When Starbucks used this analysis and changed the pricing accordingly their revenue went back in the upswing. Starbucks made a very intelligent decision to market their products differently and to different consumers. This market decision based on elastic and inelastic demand kept them as successful as they have been in previous years by keeping their revenues increasing. Starbucks â€Å"To say Starbucks purchases and roasts high-quality whole bean coffees is very true. That’s the essence of what we do- but it hardly tells the whole story†¦(Starbucks, 2013, pg 1)† Starbucks is known for not only their high quality products but also their great efforts in social responsibility. They give back to the community while striving to have genuine service and an inviting atmosphere. Their mission statement is as follows, â€Å"It has always been, and will always be, about quality. We’re passionate about ethically sourcing the finest coffee beans, roasting them with great care, and improving the lives of people who grow them. We care deeply about all of this; our work is never done (Starbucks, 2013, pg 1). † They have done a tremendous job at having their mission statement hold true to their regular consumers while keeping them paying the higher costs of their product. Analysis Starbucks, in 2009, used economic analysis on elasticity in order to increase sales of their famous coffee drinks and use its reputation and premium brand drinks to take away sales from McDonalds which introduced a new line of lower priced espresso drinks that have proved to be popular. Starbucks has decided to increase the cost of some of their drinks like the Frappuccinos and caramel Macchiatos by an average of 10 cents to 15 cents. In some cases they are raising costs as mush as 30 cents which is about an 8 percent increase. Consumers that were regulars of Starbucks considered this beverage product to be in-elastic and were willing to pay anything because they need this product. An example of an in-elastic demand product would be anything that would be considered a necessity. For example, â€Å"the more necessary a good is, the lower the elasticity, as people will attempt to buy it no matter the price, such as the case of insulin for diabetics (Gillespie, 2007, pg 28). † These regular consumers of Starbucks would be willing to pay top dollar for before purchasing the similar low priced product at their competitors. They know that competitors like McDonald’s does not offer all of the flavors or drinks that they offer so they know they will keep their regulars. To offset this increase, their strategy was to lower the price of their most popular beverages by 5 cents to 15 cents. This would include their popular 12 ounce lattes and their brewed coffees. This was the first time Starbucks lowered the price of any of its drinks since it began. The plan to reduce prices of their basic drinks like the latte falls on the fact that their competitors McDonalds is capturing some of the consumers that are less interested in the premium brands that Starbucks offers. By lowering the price of these coffees might bring some of those customers back. These consumers consider their beverage elastic and are willing to change the brand for a lower price. McDonalds was running a huge advertising campaign on the same sugary, creamy drinks that now at Starbucks will be more expensive but according to Kenneth Davids, editor of Coffee Review who states â€Å"Starbucks is safe raising the prices of specialty drinks because they are where the company best differentiates itself (Miller, 2009, pg 1). The consumers who value a great tasting coffee at Starbucks are consumers who are willing to pay more. Taste test comparing espresso drinks between Starbucks and McDonalds have proven that Starbucks drinks are favored over the same McDonalds drink. The difference between the standard lattes was not as noticeable then the advantage Starbucks has over McDonalds for their syrupy and whipped cream style drinks. Some of McDonalds drinks actually taste terrible. So a con sumer that expects the best tasting specialty drinks are will be willing to pay more. Like one always says, â€Å"you get what you pay for† and here it means a better tasting drink then any of Starbucks competitors. Conclusion Starbucks used economic analysis of the elastic and inelastic demand for their products which worked wonderfully. They lowered the prices of the elastic products in order to compete with their competitors such as McDonald’s McDonalds and raised the inelastic products for drinks that they proved to be the best of the best. With the changes in the pricing their revenue went back to increasing. As seen in Appendix A, in 2009 they were hurting due to McDonald’s new advertisements on their coffee and how low their price was. When Starbucks used this analysis and changed the pricing accordingly their revenue went back in the upswing. Starbucks made a very intelligent decision to market their products differently and to different consumers. This market decision based on elastic and inelastic demand kept them as successful as they have been in previous years by keeping their revenues increasing.

IFRS Article Review

The title of the article that I choice to discuss for the article review is entitled â€Å"IFRS Adoption in the U. S. : Why the Postponement? †, written by Qun and Kenneth Hiltebeitel. The article came from the The CPA Journal, November 2010 Issue . In the article the writer’s main focus is on IFRS, which are principles based Standards, Interpretations and the Framework adopted by the International Accounting Standards Board. The article most importantly analyzes the survey results of the targeted audience to decide if IFRS will be ready by the proposed date.The SEC initially created a proposed Roadmap, which outlined when IFRS, would be put into transition by small and large public companies to be changed from financial reporting based on the U. S. Generally Accounting Principle being in 2014 to 2016. The proposed roadmap stated if the filings of 2014 from large companies be made they would be required to include a certain amount of balance sheets, income statements, s tatement of cash flows, and changes in stockholder’s equity for specific dates. Also, those companies adopting IFRS for the first time would have to present a beginning balance sheet, v. . a. the date of transition. The IFRS adoption for the year of 2014 could really mean as early as 2012. After this decision made by SEC in 2008, just as any major decision in the U. S. , more than 200 letters and surveys were submitted by people in and affected in the accounting or financial world. These surveys helped to shape the decision of the SEC in regards to the date of transition. Hiltebeitel discusses three different types of surveys from different places and people: a survey of executive officers, a survey of accounting professionals, and a survey of accounting educators.In the survey of executive officers three accounting firms were discussed in â€Å"Exibit 1† of the article. Each firm wad asked different questions but the overall message was conveyed as the same. The surve y conducted at Grant Thorton LLP, it was taken of financial executives and CFO’s. When asked the question â€Å" Do you believe the U. S. should require the use of IFRS† 50% of the executives selected the answer of â€Å"in 5 years or longer†. The second firm of the study was Pricewaterhouse Coopers.The survey was directed to manager’s directors and CFO’s. 51% of the company was at the learning stage. Most of the companies’ executives had knowledge about the change to IFRS but had no plan to action for IFRS. Deloitte was the third to be surveyed and what was found out was quite the similar to the first two firms findings. After one survey was completed Hiltebeitel was already concluding in the article that most of the U. S. companies would not be ready for the switch in 2014. The second survey was conducted with accounting professionals.The AICPA took an â€Å"IFRS Readiness Survey†. The survey was both done in the year 2008 and 2009 and were to be completed online. The percentages of the survey increased and decreased between the two years with regards to the many questions but the main one of if firms would be ready for the transition. Moreover, eventhough CPA’s were preparing for the change with IFRS, they still had a lot of evident work to do before the change. Lastly, the third survey in the article was of the accounting educators.Educators argued points about not up to date textbooks, extensive needed case studies, and college administrators last minute and not so serious attitude, being the main issue for their hold up in regards to the transition into IFRS in the education sector. Educators were on the side that IFRS should indeed be apart of the curriculum (80%) due to the foresight of â€Å"the first graduating class of accounting students to enter the work force with a substantial knowledge of the IFRS education will be the class of 2015†. With that being said a lot of work needs to be d one in the education side as well.In conclusion, the SEC responded to all of the surveys, comments, and letters by a published statement . The surveys presented in this article helped to bring about the points of this article and helped to shape the most important factors of will the U. S. be indeed ready for the transition in 2014. The answer according to the writer is no. The surveys , comments, and letters did help to influence the SEC decision of IFRS ( as of Feb. 2010), and the exact date of timing of the transition of IFRS is unsure. Will the public companies, accounting firms, and educators be ready?

Affirmative action and Its affect on women Research Paper

Affirmative action and Its affect on women - Research Paper Example Through the years, women in most cultures have been viewed as instruments or properties and worst, as sexual objects who need to satisfy the fantasies of men. This paper discusses this certain issue on feminism wherein women are placed on a lower pedestal as prostitutes. The common perception that women are regarded as such is due to how men treat women in general and that women have the right for a better image than a lowly sex object. If prostitution is considered as a career, then women should be given equal rights as the men so that they will be able to step out from such a shameful status. The movie â€Å"Pretty Women† (Marshall) is the story of a prostitute, Vivian Ward portrayed by Julia Roberts who was hired by a businessman, Edward Lewis played by Richard Gere. The businessman was in Los Angeles for a week and he got lost in the city. That was when he met the prostitute who offered to bring the rich businessman to his destination. The man then hires Ward not as a sexu al partner but as an escort to social events and the two agreed on the price. With the way Ward dressed, she was given queer stares from the employees and other clients of the hotel where Lewis stayed. With such dilemma, the man encouraged her to buy a new wardrobe. With much money on hand, Ward gleefully went to expensive stores but was given an unexpected cold reception. The salespersons did not treat her well because of the way she looked, obviously of an unsophisticated breeding. However, she tries to get back at them when Lewis accompanied her the following day to go shopping, approaching the salesladies that they made a big mistake. As the story unfolds, the protagonist finds herself in love with the businessman and the latter offered to find her a place to stay so they could continue seeing each other. However, affected by the play the two earlier watched, the woman identified her love story with the main characters’ so that she felt insulted with Lewis’ proposa l. The man then leaves for work and the woman was left in the hotel. Later, a colleague of Lewis’ arrived at the hotel tried to sexually assault Ward after some argument. However, Lewis comes in the nick of time to save the woman. He then tries to convince the woman to stay with him but she refuses. The story ends the way the woman wanted to, with Lewis rushing to Ward’s apartment who did not walk through the door but climbed the fire escape ladder with a bouquet of roses clenched in his teeth. The two then kissed and the story ended with the classic tale of two lovers living together happily ever after. The film portrays a very sensitive social issue on feminism that could perhaps be one of the oldest social problems concerning the so-called â€Å"weaker sex†. First, the protagonist was shown on the streets at night, without regard to the dangers that might befall her in her job as a prostitute. The woman along with her companions did not seem to mind what kind of men they would sleep with as long as they have customers who would be able to pay them well and enable them to buy their necessities with their payments. Their job did not just expose them to sexually transmitted diseases but also to physical dangers brought about by criminal activities in their dangerous environment. This is similarly dangerous as other jobs with high health risks such as careers in mining and chemical companies. With the known risks in such work areas, employees are often guaranteed safety through frequent inspections of the work place, training sessions and provision of protective gadgets. However, for prostitutes, no such measures

Opening a Spanish Franchise in Lebanon and using Marketing Strategies Term Paper

Opening a Spanish Franchise in Lebanon and using Marketing Strategies and techniques to help create a successful business and results, taking into consideration the competitors in the lebanese market - Term Paper Example In high profile restaurants in Beirut, majority of customers are complemented by Lebanese expatriates and Arab tourists. It has been observed that restaurant business in the city is governed by the seasonality. Summer is the peak season for restaurant owners and during this season restaurant owners try to offer Mediterranean and special Lebanese dishes to lure patrons. The market is highly fragmented due to presence of small numbers of standard restaurant. Restaurant owners have incurred a loss of 65% in sales volume in last five years and this can be cited as the reason for high degree of fragmentation (London 420-425). It has been observed that major portion of customers prefer to take lunch in restaurants (Amin, â€Å"Security crisis takes toll on Beirut’s restaurants†). The study has selected Achrafieh (this district is located in East Beirut, Lebanon) hence the report will exclusively focus on food preference of customers that belong to Achrafieh. The district is c onsisting of more than twenty seven restaurants but only nineteen of them offer Mediterranean dishes. Ta3mini has pointed out that almost 50% of customers prefer pizzas, sandwiches while 20% prefer other Mediterranean dishes (â€Å"Restaurants in Ashrafieh around 18$†. Majority of the customers in Ashrafieh are Christian hence there is natural tendency among them to take European cuisine in comparison to traditional Lebanese dishes during lunch time. 100 Montaditos has the opportunity to cater the demand for Mediterranean dishes in the district by opening up restaurant franchisee chain (â€Å"100 MONTADITOS†). Customers in the district can be segmented in accordance to their spending capacity on per person meal. Post Hoc segmentation strategy can be used to define the target market (Zoltners, Sinha and Lorimer 66). Many restaurants in Ashrafieh target those customers who do not want to spend more

Why is New Mexico poor and what should be done about it Research Paper

Why is New Mexico poor and what should be done about it - Research Paper Example A very small part of Oklahoma also touches New Mexico in the east. Colorado is in the north of the state and Arizona is in its west. Republic of Mexico borders some parts of New Mexico in its south (Simmons 1-2). Historical Outlook The history of New Mexico is just like an adventure story. Thousands years ago, Indians were the first who settled there and developed their traditional way of living in the area. Next to Indians, Spaniards arrived and started living there with their own way of life. They had different set of ideas and customs as compared to Indians. In a short, it can be well said that Spaniards created a style of living and government on the footing of Europeans. Later on, Americans invaded the area and conquered the territory of New Mexico. Americans introduced their own way of living. So, through history it can be judged that several nations came over the territory of New Mexico leaving behind the life style of the people blended and more complex (Simmons 1-2). Economi cal Conditions of the Region Before enclosing the reasons of poverty in New Mexico, it is significant to have a look on the economic conditions of the region in general. New Mexico is most often described a very poor state among all other states of America. This description is correct if studied in the light of the average capital assets/ possessions of the total population. However, the natural as well as human resources of the state are far better as compared to average property count of the population. Over past few decades, the per capita personal earnings have remained constant. In the year of 1978, among 50 states of America, New Mexico ranked 43rd as far as comparative analysis of state per capita earnings were concerned. However, this figure lowers down from late 1970s onward. In 1990s, the per capita personal income allows the state to rank at 48th among 50 states of America. Later on, in 2000, this figure further goes down and New Mexico ranked 49th as far as per capita pe rsonal income is concerned. At that time, New Mexico was just above the state of Mississippi. In 2003, local estimates and statistics revealed that the ranking of New Mexico had raised to some extent, however, the Census Bureau still ranked the state of New Mexico at 49th. In 2004, Census Bureau also concluded that the wages paid to the workers were also the lowest with a great number of economically poor and depressed citizens as compared to any other state of America. The countries of Guadalupe, Mora and McKinley are at the lowest end of poverty and at the bottom of socio-economic scale in the region of New Mexico. These countries are mostly dominated with Indian and Hispanic populations. Being the poorer state in America, New Mexico always receives more shares from federal government as compared to what it contributes in the national income. In 1988, this state ranked second in terms of federal aid it received. However, in 2002, the conditions were bit changed and got some improv ements and New Mexico ranked fifth among the top aid receiving states. In addition, the people of New Mexico are taxed at a very high rate. Tax rate per capita is very high in the region when compared to their personal incomes. In 1987, the state of New Mexico ranked fifth among all other nations in percentage of the personal income of people paid for government fees and other taxes. In 2004, the state ranked eighteenth as far as the tax payment is concerned. However, tax collection does not produce fruitful results on the economy as the wages of the residents are very low. Revenue generated from taxes is not enough to cope with the economic pressures of the area- in order to minimize the federal assistance which is proved to be an imperative

Accounting for manager Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Accounting for manager - Speech or Presentation Example that, we as a company should have a firm understanding of the cost objects that are prevalent in our current setup, so that we can confidently answer questions asked by the bank’s personnel, and most importantly we need to determine how much capital our expanding operations need. By preparing an internal company budget, we will not only know the underlying cost objects in a process, but also we will know the cost each object is incurring. By knowing these facts we will be in a better position to undertake cost reduction strategies and optimize our capital allocation process. Since these are tough economic times, and we need to be sure that every penny that we are investing in our operations is producing a substantial return, therefore, it is important that we take an initiative to generate an internal company budget. The utility of this internal budget is immense. We can use this internal budget to construct a master budget for the lending bank. In this way, we will be able to send a firm message across to the bank, and show them that we are serious in doing business with them. By presenting them with the nature of our operational costs, we can enchant them with the opportunity to do future business with our company. Most importantly, this effort of ours to compile an internal budget and tailor it for external users has a broader utility that will arise as the company grows. This utility that is being referred to is the need to have well maintained books in order to change the status of the company. Since we are expecting growth in our business operations and scope of our activities, therefore, it is hard to undermine the fact that we will have to go public someday. For this it is important that the company take an initiative to put in place proper systems for tracing costs and allocation of bud get. By installing these systems, we will be in a stronger position to generate true financial statements. And as you must be aware that strong systems of a company play

How to Make local company international Research Paper

How to Make local company international - Research Paper Example In Saudization the Advance Electronic Company is a leader. In all areas of business and the community the highest integrity has been maintained consistently by the Advance Electronic Company. The Advance Electronic Company is considered as a strategic asset by the Saudi Arabian Government. The recognition as the leading technology solutions provider in the region is the vision of the Advance Electronic Company. The continuous improvement and diversification of the companies’ offerings by alignment of its business strategies with the end customers’ priorities, creation of long-term partnership, harness the opportunities, acquirement of new capabilities, investment I the people and community at large is the mission of the Advance Electronic Company. The Advance Electronic Company aims to be the leader across all the business of the company and to act in the most professional way in an ethical manner. The Advance Electronic Company has access to the   Ã‚  world class and local manufacturing, repair, engineering and maintenance. It also has the access at its facilities to the complete solution deployment capabilities. The access of the Advance Electronic Company to other distribution networks, customers and markets are rapid and easy. As a result, to the highly specialized services, offers and opportunities, the Advance Electronic Company acts as a gateway. An in-depth understanding of the Dynamics and structure of the Saudi and international electronics market is possessed by the Advance Electronic Company. The superior engineering and technical capabilities of the company has helped it to forge close working relationships with many renowned international OEMs. The end-to-end customer support of the Advance Electronic Company, its reliability and its ability to deliver on time and to budget are excellent. the Advance Electronic Company successfully operates in the Industrial business, Military, & Telecom sectors and has shown leadership in it. The service package provided to the customers by the Advance Electronic Company is aimed at standard as complete satisfaction and quality. More than 2000 people are encompassed in the Advance Electronic Company team with a variety of skills, qualifications and experience.  The first company to receive the AS 9100-A2001 certificate in the Middle East and Africa was the Advance Electronic Company.    (Advanced Electronic Company, n.d.) 2.0 Market Penetrated Political system, economical system and the legal system of the host country- The Advance Electronic Company plans to enter Romania as its host country. Romania is an ideal country to expand the business as the country adheres to maintain its openness to the global commerce and business regulation efficiency. Romania is a member of the European Union. By filtering the economies active on the market, Romania has further scope of the attractively /improvement of the Romanian business environment - The political System- Rule of Law Th e major political effects on a business are the political policies of a nation, its stability and the taxes imposed by it on the business. A flat 16 percent tax rate is implemented in both the income and corporate sectors in Romania. An environmental tax and a value added tax are included in other taxes. 26.5 % of the total domestic business equals to the overall tax burden.

Assignment Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Assignment - Coursework Example This has resulted in downgrading of economies as well as reduction in growth forecasts for various countries around the world by leading agencies like S&P, IMF etc (The Guardian, 2011). The fluctuation in the economy as well as rise in deficits has led to various kinds of spending cuts on the parts of the government of various countries around the globe. The fierce economic swinging in the recent times has also produced severe fluctuations of indexes of industrial productions in various established economies like the US for a prolonged period. Many of the industries belonging to various sectors like hospitality, agriculture, retail etc. have been severely affected. (THE WESTERN UNION COMPANY, p.19) This fluctuation in industrial production has in turn resulted in significant cost cutting by the companies around the world, which in turn affected the job market and thereby hampering consumer spending (AccaGlobal, p.7). The operations of Western Union highly include the transfer of fina nces on the part of the consumers as well as business houses to various parts of the world. The gloomy scenario emerging out of the inability to resolve the ongoing Euro crisis by the national political parties has led to prolonged variations in job opportunities there by immensely hampering the spending on the part of the consumers. (National Bureau of Economic Research, P.9) The peer reviewed article highlights the problems that arose in the auto industry in the US during the 2008-2011 periods as a culmination of low sales, high structural costs as well as debts (Klier and Rubenstein, p.1-21). The paper also discusses the related governmental procedures that happened during that period ranging from the unavailability of a consensual decision to provide support to the carmakers to the issuance of financial assistance for a short span by the outgoing political party. The paper rightfully discusses

Intro Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Intro Communication - Essay Example There are many reasons for studying communication across cultures that include global diversity trends, domestic diversity trends and interpersonal learning opportunities. Global trends signify the importance of intercultural communication through understanding the world political, cultural and business environment, developing multiple cultural perspectives, being skillful in diverse cultural environment, adapting to living in different cultures and learning to interact with international colleagues. Apart from this, an increased number of individuals are employed in overseas assignments such as government service, humanitarian service, peace-corps service, and international education for which cross cultural communication is critical to success (Ting-Toomey 4). In domestic perspective, there are two sets of dimensions that contribute to the ways groups of people communicate intercultural. One set, the primary dimensions of diversity, refers to those human differences that are inborn and that exert an important impact on our early socialization and an ongoing impact throughout our lives, for example, ethnicity, gender, age, social class, physical abilities, and sexual orientation. The secondary dimensions of diversity, refers to conditions that can be changed more easily than the primary dimensions, including mutable differences that we acquire, discard, and modify throughout our lives, are less salient than those of the core, for example, educational level, work experience, and income (Ting-Toomey 5). Each intercultural contact can bring about identity dissonance or stress because of attributes such as an unfamiliar accent, way of speaking, way of doing things, and way of nonverbal expression. In a global workplace, people bring with them different work habits and cultural practices that present interpersonal learning opportunities (Ting-Toomey 7). Therefore,

Sports Sponsorship Paper Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sports Sponsorship - Term Paper Example This paper is aimed at analyzing the extent of sponsorship by indicating what has been spent and by whom with the aim of arming the readers with the relevant information in planning for sponsorship. Sports sponsorship is a golden opportunity for companies to market their products on a large scale. Whenever companies align their products with the value of the sport, the result is that the customers associate the success of the brand with that of the sports team that they sponsor. The linkage of brands and the emotional connection that the target consumers have for particular sports in one of the largest market places in the world can have a profound impact on the market share of those brands. Brands and corporations can have the power to leverage upon the sponsorship of certain sports with the goal of building a long lasting relationship with the customers. The emotional bond that sports enthusiasts attach to the sports can be transferred to a brand if the sponsorship is right. Such b onds are not usually temporary and in most cases last for a lifetime (Dobson & Goddard, 2001). This presents the corporations with the perfect opportunity to capitalize on those opportunities by building customer loyalty which may be the cure for surviving economic uncertainty in the long term. Discussion TV programming now encompasses a vast diversity in terms of coverage of sports events. There are many channels that are now dedicated entirely on sports. Studies that have been done on the Spanish population reveal that 70% of them watch news where about 20% is dedicated to sport which is the same amount of time dedicated to politics (Garcia & Rodriguez, 2002). It is no wonder that sports stars now enjoy the same level, if not more, of prestige as do the politicians. Olympic Games and world football are the two major events in the world that drive people in a frenzy. These events easily bring countries where they are being held to a standstill. The previous events and most recently the Olympics in Beijing, previous world football events like the recent world cup in South Africa are some of the examples of the enthusiasm that is attached to sports. The physiognomy of a country changes rapidly due to hosting an international event. The Olympics for example changes both the physical as well as the economic standing of the country it is held in. PricewaterhouseCoopers, an audit firm conducted a study in 2004 which placed the impact of the Sydney Olympics as having been 2.78% of Australia’s GDP in that year. The 1996 Atlanta Games also accounted for 2.41% of the American GDP. Professional football also has a profound impact on the GDP of a country. In Spain, for example, the industry accounts for 1.7% of the GDP and rises to 2.5% when in relation to the service sector. With such immense numbers both in terms of revenue and the attendance by the people, corporations see it as a perfect opportunity to market their products. Real Madrid, a football club in Spa in, is one of the most reputable worldwide. The election of Florentino Perez as its president had a profound effect on the club. He is responsible for the success of what was referred to as the Galacticos era or the Galaxy players. These players were world class and they were brought in order to improve the image of the club. Perez referred to the club as being both a brand and content. The brand was built on the human resources who included the players, coaches and the management

Narrative on a Special Place Essay Example for Free

Narrative on a Special Place Essay My love for Africa Hello everyone my name is Tulsi Amin and I attend South University at the West Palm Beach Campus in Florida. I have been to many different places in my life and in fact I have stayed in three different continents as of now. I was born in India moved to Kenya when I was two and final destination is America since the age of 10. Africa is where I consider my childhood where I learned to play with butterflies saw talking parrots and was visited by wild monkeys frequently in my courtyard. With my experiences with people in the Western world and their depiction of Africa being like the â€Å"Jungle Book† I wish I can take them all there to see the reality of this beautiful continent. I lived in Nairobi, Kenya the capital city of that country. There are no lions, tigers or giraffes on the street as I have heard many people ask me. We do have high rise buildings, malls, public transportation and homes built out of brick. Although I lived there from the age of two to eight I remember many things that are very special to me today. I remember having an aunt that lived in a town called Thompson Falls that was on the Equator and the weather was always perfect there. I used to go there many summers and go down waterfalls and see huge hippos basting in the river. I met the local tribes that are called Masais and learned to make tribal necklaces out of gemstones. Africa is a country that is full of culture and having been lived there has made me appreciate many things in life that are scarce resources that we take for granted elsewhere. When I moved to America in 1993 and started school in New Jersey I was so excited when I saw a few black students in my class. I went up to them and started speaking in Swahili and they looked at me and replied â€Å"I am sorry we are not Indian† So I told them no this is your language. All the students looked at me and said our language is English. That’s when I learned that African Americans do not speak Swahili the native language of Kenya. As I learned more about history and slavery and saw how many African Americans lost their roots to their homeland it was a rude awakening for me. I am glad that this is a rich part of my life and will always be a special place for me. Although many people got a colorful depiction of Africa and the safaris through Disney’s Lion King the real safari is even more exciting to see. I do remember traveling to other smaller towns that were on the outskirts on our way we would zebras grazing in this vast open green land. Many times we have seen giraffes, antelopes and elephants just enjoying their natural habitat. These memories and sightings are something that I will never forget. I love that country and am delighted that it is part of my life. I will love sharing these memories with my children and hoping to take them one day to see Kenya, Africa. Over the years I thought how I may make people appreciate other countries and their culture. America is known as the â€Å"melting pot† where many different cultures come to make a living yet are we so ignorant to learn about all these cultures. As a child when I attended school I was taught about all major religions and how to respect others and their beliefs. As they say education and manners are taught young and school is where this appreciation for other cultures should be taught. Modern day education needs to implement the positive aspects of the other countries such as teaching students about their culture, economy, what these countries are famous for. I learned about slavery which is a big part of part history but now it is time to teach and appreciate where the slaves came from. They left their roots so far behind that many of them do not know where they came from in Africa. We live in a modern day world where everyone around us comes from different backgrounds, values and beliefs. We all have special meaning for the places where we come from and I think we deserve for others to respect these places. There are problems everywhere but despite them when they place is special to any one of us we tend to overlook the problems. We need to have an open mind and room to explore and learn about other countries and cultures.

The Link Between Inflation And Unemployment Economics Essay

The Link Between Inflation And Unemployment Economics Essay The two main goals of economic policymakers are low inflation and low unemployment, however often these goals conflict. For instance, if the policymakers decided to use monetary or fiscal policy to expand aggregate demand then this would move the economy along the short-run aggregate supply curve to a point of higher output and a higher price level. The higher output mean lower unemployment as firms would need more workers when they produce more. On the other hand a higher price level, given the previous years price level, means higher inflation. Therefore, when policymakers move the economy up along the short-run aggregate supply curve, they reduce the unemployment rate and raise the inflation rate. Similarly, when policymakers contract aggregate demand and move the economy down the short-run aggregate supply curve, unemployment rises and inflation falls. The trade off between unemployment and inflation is often referred as the Philips curve. The Philips curve is an inverse relationship between the rate of unemployment and the rate of inflation in an economy. In another word, it is a reflection of the short-run aggregate supply curve so as policymakers move the economy along the short-run aggregate supply curve, unemployment and inflation move in opposite direction. The Phillips curve is a useful way to express aggregate supply because unemployment and inflation are such important measures of economic performance. The Phillips curve in its modern form states that the inflation depends on three forces and they are; expected inflation, the deviation of unemployment from the natural rate also known as cyclical unemployment and supply shocks. These three forces can be express in the follow equation: Ï€ = Ï€ e ÃŽ ²(u-u n ) + ʆ¹ Inflation = Expected Inflation (ÃŽ ² x cyclical unemployment) + supply shock Where ÃŽ ² is a parameter measuring the response of inflation to cyclical unemployment. There is a minus sign before the cyclical unemployment as high unemployment tends to reduce inflation. The equation above basically summarises the link between unemployment and inflation. The diagram below is an example of a short-run trade off between unemployment and inflation. When unemployment is at its natural rate, inflation depends on expected inflation and the supply shock. The parameter ÃŽ ² determines the slope of the trade-off between unemployment and inflation. In the short-run, for a given level of expected inflation, policymakers can manipulate aggregate demand to choose a combination of inflation and unemployment on this curve which is called the short-run Phillips curve. In the short run, inflation and unemployment are negatively related. In the long-run, the Phillips curve is vertical. This is because when actual inflation equals expected inflation, there is no trade-off between inflation and unemployment. In long-term equilibrium the actual rate of inflation must remain equal to the expected rate. Unemployment, u Inflation, Ï€ Long-Run Phillips Curve Short-Run Phillips Curve Inflation, Ï€ Unemployment, u There are two main causes of rising and falling inflation; they are demand-pull inflation and cost-push inflation. Demand-pull inflation occurs when aggregate demand in an economy outpaces aggregate supply. This is when the inflation goes up as a result of real GDP rises and unemployment falls which move the economy along the Philips curve. The demand-pull inflation diagram below illustrates that according to Keynesian theory, firms will employ people and the more people are employed, the higher the aggregate demand will become. Greater aggregate demand will lead to firms employing more people in order to meet the higher output. This is when the unemployment falls and the price increases therefore AD0 shifts to AD1. Cost-push inflation occurs when the price of goods or services increases which doesnt have and close substitutes for example oil. The cost-pull inflation diagram below illustrates that according to Keynesian theory, many prices are sticky downwards, so instead of price fa lling there would be a supply shock causing a recession. This is when unemployment rises and GDP falls and therefore SRAS0 shifts to SRAS1. Cost-Pull inflation Demand-pull Inflation SRAS1 AD0 Price level AD1 E2 E0 AD0 SRAS0 Y* Y0 P2 P0 SRAS0 Price level E0 Real GDP E1 P1 P0 Real GDP Y0 Y* A good example of link between unemployment and inflation can be seen in the United States. The graph below shows the history of unemployment and inflation in the United States since 1961. The four decades of data illustrates some of the causes of rising or falling inflation. As we can see from the graph, during 1960s policymakers were able to reduce unemployment in the short -run, however this caused the inflation to rise high. This was achieved by cutting tax in 1964, together with expansionary monetary policy which expended the aggregate demand and pushed the unemployment rate below 5%. Moreover, due to government spending as a result of Vietnam War, this expansion of aggregate demand continued in the late 1960s. Consequently, unemployment fell lower and inflation rose higher than intended. In 1970s, policymakers started off with trying to lower the high inflation of 1960s. The government imposed temporary controls on wages and prices and the Federal Reserve engineered a recession through reducing monetary policy but the inflation rate only fell slightly. By 1972, unemployment was same as 1962 however the inflation rate was 3 percent higher. At the start of 1973 policymakers had to deal with the large supply shocks caused by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). During mid-1970s, OPEC raised their oil price pushing the inflation rate up to 10 percent. With the supply shock and temporary tight monetary policy, led to recession in 1975. High unemployment during the recession reduced inflation rate however further OPEC price raise pushed inflation back up again in the late 1970s. During 1980s there was high inflation and high expectation of inflation. So the Federal Reserve was determined to aim monetary policy at reducing inflation. Consequently, in 1982 and 1983 the unemployment rate reached its highest level in 4 decades. Fall in oil price in 1986 has helped reduce the unemployment rate and lowered the inflation rate down from 10 percent to near 3 percent. By 1987, unemployment reached 6 percent which was close to most estimates of the natural rate. The unemployment rate continued to fall throughout the late 1980s and reached to 5.2 percent in 1986 which led to a new round of demand pull inflation. The 1990s began with a recession as a result of contractionary shocks to aggregate demand. However, unlike the recession in 1982, unemployment in 1990 recession wasnt far above the natural rate therefore the effect on inflation was small. By the end of 1990s, both unemployment and inflation reached their lowest levels in many years. This could be due to a combin ation of events which helped keep the inflation in check despite low unemployment. However in 2000, inflation rate started to rise up again. The example of United States macroeconomic history displays the many causes of inflation. The two sides of demand pulled inflation can be seen during the 1960s and 1980s. In the 1960s low unemployment pulled inflation up and in the 1980s high unemployment pulled the inflation down. During 1970s the rise in oil price showed the effects of cost push inflation. http://static.flatworldknowledge.com/sites/all/files/29936/fwk-rittenmacro-fig16_004.jpg

Petrol Prices Have Seen A Shocking Hike Economics Essay

Petrol Prices Have Seen A Shocking Hike Economics Essay The petrol prices have seen a shocking hike of Rs.7.5 on the 23rd of May. The increase is the first since December, 2011. It went up to INR 78.16 per liter. The RBI was having a tough time coping with the rising inflation and this increase in petrol prices will make it very difficult for them to manage. The rise in price will also hit the common man who is trying very hard to make ends meet. The rate of inflation (annual), based on monthly WPI, stood at 7.23% for April (over April 2011) compared to 6.89% for the previous month The Petrol prices in the four major metros after the hike are as follows: Metro Before petrol hike After Petrol Hike Delhi 65.64 73.14 Mumbai 70.66 78.16 Kolkata 70.03 77.53 Chennai 69.55 77.05 The increase in fuel prices directly or indirectly affects all the major sectors of the country. It affects the transportation, textiles, auto, FMCG, manufacturing, agriculture sectors and so on.   The impact of the indirect effect is that the prices of daily basic commodities get affected and this increase in price of goods would gradually force people to spend more and save less. 58.4% of the Indian population belongs to the agricultural sector and their contribution to the total GDP is only about 18%. Such small amount of income being distributed over a large population have a huge impact on them as even a slightest fluctuation would make them poorer which will further the gap between the rich and the poor. The graph below shows the petrol price fluctuations over the past two decades. cid:[emailprotected] About 50% of the total Indian exports earnings is spent on buying petroleum, particularly, crude oil, this has a negative impact on the countrys overall economy. In the past five years, the amount of imports of the petroleum products is almost 40 per cent of the total exports of India in the last six years. For the year, 2011-12, it has been as high as 51.2 per cent. Such large quantities of imports will exert huge amount of pressure on Indias current account deficit. This increase in the crude oil imports is not just because of the increase in the price but also because of the increase in demand of fuel in the country. The amount of petroleum imports has increased from 82 million tons in 2002-03 to 164 million tons in 2010-11, thus increasing the import bills in terms of rupees by over 500 per cent between 2002-03 and 2010-11. These imports are one of the causes of the depleting foreign exchange reserves. In 2002-03, the percentage of petroleum imports with respect to the foreign exchange reserves were 23.18 and it went up to 34.80 per cent in 2010-11. This should be a major source of concern as a large chunk of the countrys foreign exchange earnings are spent on import of a single commodity. The  ownership of vehicles in India is growing at compound annual growth rate of 12%  for the two wheelers.71% of vehicles are two wheelers, and they run on petrol. Also the sale of two wheelers is around seven times more than the sales of car within the country. Two wheelers essentially provide mobility to the aspiring and the middle class. This gives us a fair idea about the huge amount of petro consumed by the people. India was the worlds fifth largest importer of oil. It imports more than 2.2 million bbl/d, i.e. around 70 percent of its consumption.  Its major imports come from the Middle East (34%), Saudi Arabia (18%) and Africa (22%). cid:[emailprotected] From the below table we can see that, the price of petrol has risen over the period of five years in different countries. Indias and the emerging economies like Russia and Chinas petrol price has grown over by 60% during the past 5 years while the developed economies have   only a max of 20% price growth over the past 5 years. Country and Currency 2007 2012 % increase India (INR) 48.38 78.57 62.4 USA (US$) 0.87 1.02 17.98 Russia (Ruble) 16.79 25.41 51.34 China (Yuan) 4.94 8.33 68.62 Japan (Yen) 136.7 149.4 9.29 Germany (Euro) 1.394 1.631 17 UK (Pound) 1.40197 1.68137 19.92 Both oil and petroleum products are scarce commodities. Therefore both demand and supply are less elastic. The demand-supply and other factors   like cartel, hoarding, supply shocks etc., the prices are   fluctuating (increasing) to such great levels causing demand pull, as well as cost push inflation. The inflated oil prices not only affect the poor people of the country but also rich people. But the impact is more significant on the poor people. Increase in the international oil price leads to a domestic inflation, which thereby decreases the foreign exchange reserves. The supply of the foreign currency reduces thus appreciating the value of the foreign currency and depreciating the local currency which in turn increases the prices of imports. It also deteriorates the balance of trade of the country. All these factors push a country into the poverty trap. International oil price hike affects both the public and the government. It brings in inflation and reduces the purchasing power of the people. It also affects the governments revenue and expenditure. Government being the biggest consumer, it has a negative effect on the real GDP, on the foreign exchange reserves; it increases the total foreign debt of the country and also further deteriorates the current account deficit of the country. With the increase in the fuel prices, the price of consumer products increases because oil is an essential component of the industrial and the manufacturing sectors, also petrol and diesel is used for the transportation of goods, thus creating an inflationary pressure. The government can take a few initiatives which can help in the long run. For e.g. there could be a fuel shift from petrol, diesel to Hybrid, CNG, non-motorized transport etc. Also we could undergo a modal shift i.e. from road freight transport to rail freight transport. The government can also make fuel more affordable by targeting more on subsidies and improving the already existing schemes. Also the vehicles fuel economy standards can be improved there by making it fuel efficient. People can take a few demand side management initiatives like car pooling etc.

The New Deal :: essays research papers

During the 1930's, America witnessed a breakdown of the Democratic and free enterprise system as the United States fell into the worst Depression in history. The effects of the depression were being felt everywhere in the United States. In 1933, sixteen million people were unemployed. Americans wanted and needed a change. They proved this by electing Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932. This was the beginning of a new period in time for Americans, as Roosevelt would introduce his course of action with the New Deal. Would Roosevelt’s New Deal be what Americans needed to counteract the effects of the depression? In Roosevelt’s first inaugural address he declared, â€Å"†¦In the event that Congress hall fail to take these courses and in the event that the national emergency is still critical I shall not evade the clear course or duty that will then confront me.† Roosevelt’s course of action came to be known as the New Deal. The New Deal describes the innovative measures that President Roosevelt took to try to restore the American economy, give Americans pride again, and have faith in the government. The New Deal started in 1933 and lasted until 1938. The New Deal was based on relief, recovery, and reform. The New Deal included federal action of unprecedented scope to stimulate industrial recovery, assist victims of the Depression, guarantee minimum living standards, and prevent future economic crises. Many economic, political, and social factors lead up to the implementation of the New Deal. In the first two years, the New Deal was concerned mainly with relief, setting up shelters and soup kitchens to feed the millions of unemployed. On March 6, 1933 Roosevelt called a nationwide bank holiday, and on March 9 Congress passed the Emergency Banking Act, which provided for federal bank inspections. In the summer of 1933, the Glass-Steagall Act set much more stringent rules for banks and provided insurance for depositors through the newly formed Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). These acts helped to restore the confidence in the wake of widespread bank failures. Two acts, one in 1933 and one in 1934, required detailed regulations for the securities market, enforced by the new Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Several bills provided mortgage relief for farmers and homeowners and offered loan guarantees for home purchasers through the Federal Housing Administration, or FHA. The Federal Emergency Relief Administration expanded existing relief grants to the states and resulted in assistance for more than 20 million people. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) provided work relief for thousands of young men under a type of military discipline. The CCC emphasized reforestation, among

Morality Essay examples -- essays research papers

Morality is a hard term to define and decipher because there are so many things that have to be taken into account. If you line up a group of ten people and bring up a morality issue, you will mostly likely get different answers. People all over the world have many different beliefs and are raised to stand by those beliefs. Abortion is one of the hot topics in our country and a big moral issue. There are people who believe abortion is murder and completely, morally wrong. Then there are other people who believe that it isn’t wrong and it isn’t murder. Which one of these groups of people is right? Neither. The definition of morality is descriptively to refer to a code of conduct put forward by a society, or some other group, such as a religion or accepted by an individual for their own behavior. Neither of the beliefs about abortion are right or wrong because morality is a code of conduct and no one person can be told to believe in that conduct. Religion also plays a bi g role in morals and by living in the United States; everyone has the right to freedom of religion. But then there are also people who do not believe in religion. We, as citizens of the United States have the right to believe what we want, have our own morals and defend those morals and beliefs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Abortion, stem cell research and cloning are examples of moral issues that are scientific and human beings control them. Whatever your belief on any of those afore mentioned topics, they c...

Free Oedipus Rex Essays: The Role of Characters :: Oedipus the King Oedipus Rex

The Role of Characters in Oedipus the King Characters play a very important role in the play "Oedipus the King" by Sophocles. Without characters, the play would lack a certain dimension and be very difficult to read. The presence of characters in the play make it more easily understood. If characters did not appear in the play it would be close to impossible to understand it since everything that takes place is through the words of the characters. Also if there were no characters the outcome of the play would be different. The significance of characters in the play is very obvious. Without them the play would be much shorter and much more boring. The role of characters is very important to the play. Characters make the play possible just by the virtue of existing. If they did not exist the play would not either. If the play did not exist then the characters would not either. The characters and the play are codependent and need to have a symbiotic relationship to ensure their mutual survival. A lack of characters in the play would make very difficult reading and perhaps more difficult viewing. A lack of characters would necessitate some other device to be used and a substitute has not been found that replaces the role characters play in a play. An example from the play is when Oedipus was speaking to Teiresias: "I did not know then you would talk like a fool ­or it would have been long before I called you". If there had not been any characters in this play, this could not have happened. If the play did not have characters the outcome would be much different. All the actions and conversations could not have taken place without the use of characters. Characters made the play and its tragedy possible. Without characters nothing could have taken place. They made it possible for Oedipus to kill his father and have sex with his mother and for everything that was bad to happen. If Jocasta or better Oedipus did not exist within the context of the play everyone would have been much happier and the tragedy could have been avoided. Even if the herdsman who saved Oedipus as a child did not exist or the messenger from Cithaeron the tragedy of the play would have been avoided and made for a much happier ending.

Practical Demonkeeping Chapter 16-18

16 HOWARD Howard Phillips, the owner of H.P.'s Cafe, had just settled down in the study of his stone cottage when he looked out the window and saw something moving through the trees. Howard had spent most of his adult life trying to prove three theories he had formulated in college: one, that before man had walked the Earth there had been a powerful race of intelligent beings who had achieved a high level of civilization, then for some unknown reason had disappeared; two, that the remnants of their civilization still existed underground or under the ocean, and through extreme cunning and guile had escaped detection by man; and three, that they were planning to return as masters of the planet in a very unfriendly way. What lurked in the woods outside Howard Phillips's cottage was the first physical evidence of his theories that he had ever encountered. He was at once elated and terrified. Like the child who is delighted by the idea of Santa Claus, then cries and cowers behind its mother when confronted with the corpulent red-suited reality of a department-store Santa, Howard Phillips was not fully prepared for a physical manifestation of what he had long believed extant. He was a scholar, not an adventurer. He preferred his experiences to come secondhand, through books. Howard's idea of adventure was trying whole wheat toast with his daily ham and eggs instead of the usual white bread. He stared out the window at the creature moving in the moonlight. It was very much like the creatures he had read about in ancient manuscripts: bipedal like a man, but with long, apelike arms; reptilian. Howard could see scales reflecting in the moonlight. The one inconsistency that bothered him was its size. In the manuscripts, these creatures, who were said to be kept as slaves by the Old Ones, had always been small in stature, no more than a few feet tall. This one was enormous – four, maybe five meters tall. The creature stopped for moment, then turned slowly and looked directly at Howard's window. Howard resisted the urge to dive to the floor and so stood staring straight into the eyes of the nightmare. The creature's eyes were the size of car headlamps and they glowed a faint orange around slotted, feline pupils. Long, pointed scales lay back against its head, giving the impression of ears. They stood there, staring at each other, the creature and the man, neither moving, until Howard could bear it no longer. He grabbed the curtains and pulled them shut, almost ripping them from the rod in the process. Outside he could hear the sound of laughter. When he dared to peak through the gap in the curtains, the creature was gone. Why hadn't he been more scientific in his observation? Why hadn't he run for his camera? For all his work at putting together clues from arcane grimoirs to prove the existence of the Old Ones, people had labeled him a crackpot. One photograph would have convinced them. But he had missed his chance. Or had he? Suddenly it occurred to Howard that the creature had seen him. Why should the Old Ones be so careful not to be discovered for so long, then walk in the moonlight as if out for a Sunday stroll? Perhaps it had not moved on at all but was circling the house to do away with the witness. First he thought of weapons. He had none in the house. Many of the old books in his library had spells for protection, but he had no idea where to start looking. Besides, the verge of panic was not the ideal mental state in which to do research. He might still be able to bolt to his old Jaguar and escape. Then again, he might bolt into the claws of the creature. All these thoughts passed through his mind in a second. The phone. He snatched the phone from his desk and dialed. It seemed forever for the dial to spin, but finally there was a ring and a woman's voice at the other end. â€Å"Nine-one-one, emergency,† she said. â€Å"Yes, I wish to report a lurker in the woods.† â€Å"What is your name, sir?† â€Å"Howard Phillips.† â€Å"And what is the address you are calling from?† â€Å"Five-oh-nine Cambridge Street, in Pine Cove.† â€Å"Are you in any immediate danger?† â€Å"Well, yes, that is why I called.† â€Å"You say you have a prowler. Is he attempting to enter the house?† â€Å"Not yet.† â€Å"You have seen the prowler?† â€Å"Yes, outside my window, in the woods.† â€Å"Can you describe him?† â€Å"He is an abomination of such abysmal hideousness that the mere recollection of this monstrosity perambulating in the dark outside my domicile fills me with the preternatural chill of the charnel house.† â€Å"That would be about how tall?† Howard paused to think. Obviously the law enforcement system was not prepared to deal with perversions from the transcosmic gulfs of the nethermost craters of the underworld. Yet he needed assistance. â€Å"The fiend stands two meters,† he said. â€Å"Could you see what he was wearing?† Again Howard considered the truth and rejected it. â€Å"Jeans, I believe. And a leather jacket.† â€Å"Could you tell if he was armed?† â€Å"Armed? I should say so. The beast is armed with monstrous claws and a toothed maw of the most villainous predator.† â€Å"Calm down, sir. I am dispatching a unit to your home. Make sure the doors are locked. Stay calm, I'll stay on the line until the officers arrive.† â€Å"How long will that be?† â€Å"About twenty minutes.† â€Å"Young woman, in twenty minutes I shall be little more than a shredded memory!† Howard hung up the phone. It had to be escape, then. He took his greatcoat and car keys from the foyer and stood leaning against the front door. Slowly he slipped the lock and grabbed the door handle. â€Å"On three, then,† he said to himself. â€Å"One.† He turned the door handle. â€Å"Two.† He bent, preparing to run. â€Å"Three!† He didn't move. â€Å"All right, then. Steel yourself, Howard.† He started the count again. â€Å"One.† Perhaps the beast was not outside. â€Å"Two.† If it was a slave creature, it wasn't dangerous at all. â€Å"Three!† He did not move. Howard repeated the process of counting, over and over, each time measuring the fear in his heart against the danger that lurked outside. Finally, disgusted with his own cowardliness, he threw the door open, and bolted into the dark. 17 BILLY Billy Winston was on the final stretch of the nightly audit at the Rooms-R-Us Motel. His fingers danced across the calculator like a spastic Fred Astaire. The sooner he finished, the sooner he could log onto the computer and become Roxanne. Only thirty-seven of the motel's one hundred rooms were rented tonight, so he was going to finish early. He couldn't wait. He needed Roxanne's ego boost after being ditched by The Breeze the night before. He hit the total button with a flourish, as if he had just played the final note of a piano concerto, then wrote the figure into the ledger and slammed the book. Billy was alone in the motel. The only sound was the hum of the fluorescent lights. From the windows by his desk he had a 180-degree view of the highway and the parking lot, but there was nothing to see. At that time of night a car or two passed every half hour or so. Just as well. He didn't like distractions while he was being Roxanne. Billy pushed a stool up to the front counter behind the computer. He typed in his access code and logged on. WITKSAS: HOW'S YOUR DOG, SWEETIE? SEND: PNCVCAL The Rooms-R-Us Motel chain maintained a computer network for making reservations at their motels all over the world. From any location a desk clerk could contact any of the two hundred motels in the chain by simply entering a seven-letter code. Billy had just sent a message to the night auditor in Wichita, Kansas. He started at the green phosphorescent screen, waiting for an answer. PNCVCAL: ROXANNE! MY DOG IS LONELY. HELP ME, BABY. WITKSAS Wichita was on line. Billy punched up a reply. WITKSAS: MAYBE HE NEEDS A LITTLE DISCIPLINE. I COULD SMOTHER HIM IF YOU WANT. SEND: PNCVCAL There was a pause while Billy waited. PNCVCAL: YOU WANT TO HOLD HIS POOR FUZZY FACE BETWEEN YOUR MELONS UNTIL HE BEGS? IS THAT IT? WITKSAS Billy thought for a moment. This was why they loved him. He couldn't just throw them an answer they could get from any sleazebeast. Roxanne was a goddess. WITKSAS: YES. AND BEAT HIM SOFTLY ON THE EARS. BAD DOG. BAD DOG. SEND: PNCVCAL Again Billy waited for the response. A message appeared on the screen. WHERE ARE YOU DARLING? I MISS YOU. TULSOKL. It was his lover from Tulsa. Roxanne could handle two or three at once, but she wasn't in the mood for it right now. She was feeling a little crampy. Billy adjusted his crotch, his panties were riding up a bit. He typed two messages. WITKSAS: GO PET YOUR DOGGIE FOR A WHILE. AUNTIE ROXANNE WILL CHECK ON YOU IN A WHILE. SEND: PNCVCAL TULSOKL: TOOK AN EVENING OFF TO SHOP FOR SOMETHING LACY TO WEAR FOR YOU. I HOPE YOU DON'T FIND IT TOO SHOCKING. SEND: PNCVCAL While he was waiting for a response from Oklahoma, Billy dug into his gym bag for his red high heels. He liked to hook the stiletto heels into the rungs of the stool while he talked to his lovers. When he glanced up, he thought he saw something moving out in the parking lot. Probably just a guest getting something from the car. PNCVCAL: YOU SWEET LITTLE THING, YOU COULD NEVER SHOCK ME. TELL ME WHAT YOU BOUGHT. TULSOKL Billy started to type in a modest description of a lace teddy he had seen in a catalog. To the guy in Tulsa, Roxanne was a shy little flower; to Wichita she was a dominatrix. The desk clerk in Seattle saw her as a leather-clad biker chick. The old man in Arizona thought she was a struggling single mother of two, barely making it on a desk clerk's salary. He always wanted to send her money. There were ten of them in all. Roxanne gave them what they needed. They loved her. Billy heard the double doors of the lobby open, but he did not look up. He finished typing his message and pressed the SEND button. â€Å"Can I help you,† he said mechanically, still not looking up. â€Å"You betcha,† a voice said. Two huge reptilian hands clacked down on the counter about four feet on each side of Billy. He looked up into the open mouth of the demon coming at his face. Billy pushed back from the keyboard. His heel caught in the rung of the stool and he went over backward as the giant maw snapped shut above him. Billy let loose a long, sirenlike scream and began scrambling on his hands and knees behind the counter toward the back office. Looking back over his shoulder, he saw the demon crawling over the counter after him. Once in the office, Billy leapt to his feet and slammed the door. As he turned to run out the back door, he heard the door fly open and slam against the wall. The back door of the office led into a long corridor of rooms. Billy pounded on the doors as he passed. No one opened a door, but there were angry shouts from inside the rooms. Billy turned and saw the demon filling the far end of the corridor. It was in a crouch, moving down the corridor on all fours, crawling awkward and batlike in the confined space. Billy dug in his pocket for his pass key, found it, and ran down the hallway and around the corner. Making the corner, he twisted his ankle. White pain shot up his leg, and he cried out. He limped to the closest door. The images of women in horror movies who twisted their ankles and feebly fell into the clutches of the monster raced through his head. Damn high heels. He fumbled the key into the lock while looking back down the hallway. The door opened and Billy fell into the room just as the monster rounded the corner behind him. He kicked the stiletto heel off his good foot, vaulted up and hopped across the empty room to the sliding glass door. The safety bar was set. He fell to his knees and began clawing at it. The only light in the room was coming from the hallway, and suddenly that was eclipsed. The monster was working its way through the doorway. â€Å"What the fuck are you!† Billy screamed. The monster stopped just inside the room. Even crouching over, its shoulders hit the ceiling. Billy cowered by the sliding door, still clawing under the curtains at the safety bar. The monster looked around the room, its huge head turning back and forth like a searchlight. To Billy's amazement, it reached around and turned on the lights. It seemed to be studying the bed. â€Å"Does that have Magic Fingers?† it said. â€Å"What!† Billy said. It came out a scream. â€Å"That bed has Magic Fingers, right?† Billy pulled the safety bar loose and hurled it at the monster. The heavy steel bar hit the monster in the face and rattled to the floor. The monster showed no reaction. Billy reached for the latch on the door and started to pull it open. The monster scuttled forward, reached over Billy's head, and pushed the door shut with one clawed finger. Billy yanked on the door but it was held fast. He collapsed under the monster with a long, agonizing wail. â€Å"Give me a quarter,† the monster said. Billy looked up into the huge lizard face. The monster's grin was nearly two feet wide. â€Å"Give me a quarter!† it repeated. Billy dug into his pocket, came out with a handful of change, and timidly held it up to the monster. Still holding the door shut with one hand, the monster reached down with the other and plucked a quarter from Billy's hand with two claws, using them like chopsticks. â€Å"Thanks,† it said. â€Å"I love Magic Fingers.† The demon let go of the door. â€Å"You can go now,† it said. Before he could think about it, Billy threw the door open and dove through. He was climbing to his feet when something caught him by the leg from behind and dragged him back into the room. â€Å"I was just kidding. You can't go.† The monster held Billy upside down by his leg while it dropped the quarter into the little metal box on the nightstand. Billy flailed in the air, screaming and clawing at the demon, ripping his fingernails against its scales. The monster took Billy into its arms like a teddy bear and lay back on the bed. Its feet hung off the end and nearly touched the dresser on the opposite wall. Billy could not scream; there was no breath for a scream. The monster let go with one arm and placed one long claw at Billy's ear. â€Å"Don't you just love Magic Fingers?† it said. Then it drove the claw though Billy's brain. 18 RACHEL After Merle died and Rachel observed a respectable period of mourning, which was precisely the same amount of time it took the courts to transfer Merle's property to her, she sold the Cessna and the trailer, bought herself a Volkswagen van, and on the advice of the women at the shelter, headed for Berkeley. In Berkeley, they insisted, she would find a community of women who could help her stay off the wheel of abuse. They were right. The women in Berkeley welcomed Rachel with open arms. They helped her find a place to live, enrolled her in exercise and self-actualization courses, taught her to defend herself, nurture herself, and most important, to respect herself. She lost weight and grew strong. She thrived. Within a year she took the remainder of her inheritance and bought a lease on a small studio adjacent to the University of California campus and began teaching high-intensity aerobics. She soon gained a reputation as a tough, domineering bitch of an instructor. There was a waiting list to get into her classes. The fat little girl had come into her own as a beautiful and powerful woman. Rachel taught six classes a day, putting herself through the rigors of each workout along with her students. After a few months of that regimen, she fell ill, waking one morning to find that she had just enough strength to call the women in her classes to cancel, and no more. One of her students, a statuesque, gray-haired woman in her forties named Bella, appeared at Rachel's door a few hours later. Once through the door Bella began giving orders. â€Å"Take off your clothes and get back in bed. I'll bring you some tea in a moment.† Her voice was deep and strong, yet somehow soothing. Rachel did as she was told. â€Å"I don't know what you think you've done to deserve the punishment you are giving yourself, Rachel,† Bella said, â€Å"but it has to stop.† Bella sat on the edge of Rachel's bed and watched while Rachel drank the tea. â€Å"Now lie on your stomach and relax.† Bella applied fragrant oil to Rachel's back and began rubbing, first with long, slow strokes that spread the oil, then gradually digging her fingers into the muscles until Rachel thought she would cry out in pain. When the message was finished, Rachel felt even more exhausted than before. She fell into a deep sleep. When Rachel awoke, Bella repeated the process, forcing Rachel to drink the bitter tea, then kneading her muscles until they ached. Again, Rachel slept. When Rachel awoke the fourth time, Bella again served her the tea, but this time she had Rachel lie on her back to receive her massage. Bella's hands played gently over her body, lingering between her legs and on her breasts. Through the drugged haze of the tea, Rachel noticed that the older woman was almost naked and had rubbed her own body with the same fragrant oils that she used on Rachel. It didn't occur to Rachel to resist. Since Bella had come through the door, she had been giving orders and Rachel had obeyed. In the dim light of Rachel's little apartment they became lovers. It had been two years since Rachel had been with a man. Trading soft caresses with Bella, she didn't care if she was ever again. When Rachel was back on her feet, Bella introduced her to a group of women who met at Bella's house once a week to perform ceremonies and rituals. Among these women Rachel learned about a new power she carried within herself, the power of the Goddess. Bella tutored her in the machinations of white magic and soon Rachel was leading the coven in rituals, while Bella looked on like a proud mother. â€Å"Modulate your voice,† Bella told her. â€Å"No matter what you are saying it should sound like a chant to the Goddess. The coven should be taken with the chant. That is the meaning of enchantment, my dear.† Rachel gave up her apartment and moved into Bella's restored Victorian house near the U.C. campus. For the first time in her life, she felt truly happy. Of course, it didn't last. One afternoon she came home to find Bella in bed with a bald and bewhiskered professor of music. Rachel was livid. She threatened the professor with a fireplace poker and chased him, half-naked, into the street. He exited clutching his tweed jacket and corduroy slacks in front of him. â€Å"You said you loved me!† Rachel screamed at Bella. â€Å"I do love you, dear.† Bella did not seem the least bit upset. Her voice was deep and modulated like a chant. â€Å"This was about power, not love.† â€Å"If I wasn't filling your needs, you should have said something.† â€Å"You are the most wonderful lover I have known, dear Rachel. But Dr. Mendenhall holds the mortgage on our house. That loan is interest free, in case you hadn't noticed.† â€Å"You whore!† â€Å"Aren't we all, dear?† â€Å"I'm not.† â€Å"You are. I am. The Goddess is. We all have our price. Be it love, or money, or power, Rachel. Why do you think the women in your exercise classes put themselves through so much pain?† â€Å"You're changing the subject.† â€Å"Answer me,† Bella demanded. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"They want a sound body. They want a strong vessel to carry a strong spirit.† â€Å"They don't give a rat's ass about a strong spirit. They want a tight ass so men will want them. They will deny it to the death, but it's true. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you will realize your own power.† â€Å"You're sick. This goes against everything you've ever taught me.† â€Å"This is the most important thing I ever will teach you, so listen! Know your price, Rachel.† â€Å"No.† â€Å"You think I'm some cheap slut, do you? You think you're above selling yourself? How much rent have you ever paid here?† â€Å"I offered. You said it didn't matter. I loved you.† â€Å"That's your price, then.† â€Å"It's not. It's love.† â€Å"Sold!† Bella climbed out of bed and strode across the room, her long gray hair flying behind her. She took her robe from the closet, threw it around herself, and tied the sash. â€Å"Love me for what I am, Rachel. Just as I love you for what you are. Nothing has changed. Dr. Mendenhall will be back, whimpering like a puppy. If it will make you feel better, you can be the one that takes him. Maybe we can do it together.† â€Å"You're sick. How could you even suggest such a thing?† â€Å"Rachel, as long as you see men as human beings, we are going to have a problem. They are inferior beings, incapable of love. How could a few moments of animal friction with a subhuman affect us? What we have between us?† â€Å"You sound like a man caught with his pants down.† Bella sighed. â€Å"I don't want you around the others until you calm down. There's some money in my jewelry box. Why don't you take it and go down to Esalen for a week or so. Think this over. You'll feel better when you get back.† â€Å"What about the others?† Rachel asked. â€Å"How do you think they'll feel when they find out that all the magic, all the spiritualism you preach, is just so much bullshit?† â€Å"Everything is true. They follow me because they admire my power. This is part of that power. I haven't betrayed anyone.† â€Å"You've betrayed me.† â€Å"If you feel that way, then perhaps you'd better leave.† Bella went into the bathroom and began drawing a bath. Rachel followed her. â€Å"Why should I leave? I could just tell them. I know as much as you do now. I could lead them.† â€Å"Dear Rachel.† Bella was adding oils to her bath and not looking up. â€Å"Didn't you learn anything from killing your husband? Destruction is a man's way.† Rachel was stunned. She had told Bella about the accident but not that she had caused it. She had told no one. Bella looked up at her at last. â€Å"You can stay if you wish. I still love you.† â€Å"I'll go.† â€Å"I'm sorry, Rachel. I thought you were more highly evolved.† Bella slipped out of her robe and into her bath. Rachel stood in the doorway staring down at her. â€Å"I love you,† she said. â€Å"I know you do, dear. Now, go pack your things.† Rachel couldn't bear the idea of staying in Berkeley. Everywhere she went she encountered reminders of Bella. She loaded up her van and spent a month driving around California, looking for a place where she might fit in. Then, one morning while reading the paper over breakfast, she spotted a column called â€Å"California Facts.† It was a simple list of figures that informed readers of obscure facts such as which California county produces the most pistachios (Sacramento), where one had the best chance of having one's car stolen (North Hollywood), and tucked amid a mlange of seemingly insignificant demographics, which California town had the highest per capita percentage of divorced women (Pine Cove). Rachel had found her destination. Now, five years later, she was firmly set in the community, respected by the women and feared and lusted after by the men. She had moved slowly, recruiting into her coven only women who sought her out – mostly women who were on the verge of leaving their husbands and who needed something to shore them up during the divorce process. Rachel provided them with the support they required, and in return they gave her their loyalty. Just six months ago she initiated the thirteenth and final member of the coven. At last she was able to perform the rituals that she had worked so hard to learn from Bella. For years they seemed ineffective, and Rachel attributed their failure to not having a full coven. Now she was starting to suspect that the Earth magic they were trying to perform just did not work – that there was no real power to be had. She could lead the coven to attempt anything, and on her command they would do it. That was a power of sorts. She could extract favors from men with no more than a seductive glance and in that, there was a power. But none of it was enough. She wanted the magic to work. She wanted real power. Catch had sensed Rachel's lust for power in the Head of the Slug that afternoon, recognizing in her what he had seen in his ruthless masters before Travis. That night, while Rachel lay in the dark of her cabin, contemplating her own impotence, the demon came to her. She had locked the door that night, more out of habit than need, as there was very little crime in Pine Cove. Around nine she heard someone try the doorknob and she sat upright in bed. â€Å"Who is it?† As if in answer, the door bent slowly inward and the doorjamb cracked, then splintered away. The door opened, but there was no one behind it. Rachel pulled the quilt up around her chin and scooted up into the corner of the bed. â€Å"Who is it?† A voice growled out of the darkness, â€Å"Don't be afraid. I will not hurt you.† The moon was bright. If someone was there, she should have been able to see his silhouette in the doorway, but strain as she might, she saw nothing. â€Å"Who are you? What do you want?† â€Å"No – what do you want?† the voice said. Rachel was truly frightened; the voice was coming from an empty spot not two feet away from her bed. â€Å"I asked you first,† she said. â€Å"Who are you?† â€Å"Ooooooooooo, I am the ghost of Christmas past.† Rachel poked herself in the leg with her thumbnail to make sure she was not dreaming. She wasn't. She found herself speaking to the disembodied voice in spite of herself. â€Å"Christmas is months away.† â€Å"I know. I lied. I'm not the ghost of Christmas past. I saw that in a movie once.† â€Å"Who are you!† Rachel was near hysteria. â€Å"I am all your dreams come true.† Someone must have planted a speaker somewhere in the house. Rachel's fear turned to anger. She leapt from bed to find the offending device. Two steps out of bed she ran into something and fell to the floor. Something that felt like claws wrapped around her waist. She felt herself being lifted and put back on the bed. Panic seized her. She began to scream as her bladder let go. â€Å"Stop it!† The voice drowned her screams and rattled the windows of the cabin. â€Å"I don't have time for this.† Rachel cowered on the bed. She was panting and felt herself getting light-headed. She started to sink back into unconsciousness, but something caught her by the hair and yanked her back. Her mind searched for a touchstone in reality. A ghost – it was a ghost. Did she believe in ghosts? Perhaps it was time to start. Maybe it was him, returned for revenge. â€Å"Merle, is that you?† â€Å"Who?† â€Å"I'm sorry, Merle, I had to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Who is Merle?† â€Å"You're not Merle?† â€Å"Never heard of him.† â€Å"Then, who – what in the hell are you?† â€Å"I am the defeat of your enemies. I am the power you crave. I am, live and direct from hell, the demon Catch! Ta-da!† There was a clicking on the floor like a tap-dancing step. â€Å"You're an Earth spirit?† â€Å"Er, uh, yes, an Earth spirit. That's me, Catch, the Earth spirit.† â€Å"But I didn't think the ritual worked.† â€Å"Ritual?† â€Å"We tried to call you up at the meeting last week, but I didn't think it worked because I didn't draw the circle of power with a virgin blade that had been quenched in blood.† â€Å"What did you use?† â€Å"A nail file.† There was a pause. Had she offended the Earth spirit? Here was the first evidence that her magic could work and she had blown it by compromising the materials called for in the ritual. â€Å"I'm sorry,† she said, â€Å"but it's not easy to find a blade that's been quenched in blood.† â€Å"It's okay.† â€Å"If I had known, I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"No really, it's okay.† â€Å"Are you offended, Great Spirit?† â€Å"I am about to bestow the greatest power in the world upon a woman who draws circles in the dirt with nail files. I don't know. Give me a minute.† â€Å"Then you will grant harmony to the hearts of the women in the coven?† â€Å"What the fuck are you talking about?† the voice said. â€Å"That is why we summoned you, O Spirit – to bring us harmony.† â€Å"Oh, yeah, harmony. But there is a condition.† â€Å"Tell me what you require of me, O Spirit.† â€Å"I will return to you later, witch. If I find what I am looking for, I will need you to renounce the Creator and perform a ritual. In return you will be given the command of a power that can rule the Earth. Will you do this?† Rachel could not believe what she was hearing. Accepting that her magic worked was a huge step, yet she was speaking to the evidence. But to be offered the power to rule the world? She wasn't sure her career in exercise instruction had prepared her for this. â€Å"Speak, woman! Or would you rather spend your life collecting gobs of hair from shower drains and fingernail parings from ashtrays?† â€Å"How do you know about that?† â€Å"I was destroying pagans when Charlemagne was alive. Now, answer; there is a hunger rising in me and I must go.† â€Å"Destroying pagans? I thought the Earth spirits were benevolent.† â€Å"We have our moments. Now, will you renounce the Creator?† â€Å"Renounce the Goddess, I don't know†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Not the Goddess! The Creator!† â€Å"But the Goddess†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Wrong. The Creator, the All-Powerful. Help me out here, babe – I'm not allowed to say his name.† â€Å"You mean the Christian God?† â€Å"Bingo! Will you renounce him?† â€Å"I did that a long time ago.† â€Å"Good. Wait here. I will be back.† Rachel searched for a last word, but nothing came. She heard a rustling in the leaves outside and ran to the door. In the moonlight she could see the shapes of cattle standing in the nearby pasture and something moving among them. Something that was growing larger as it moved away toward town.

Insights into Coming of Age in James Joyce’s “Araby” Essay

In James Joyce’s short story â€Å"Araby†, the nameless, first person main character states at the end, â€Å"Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger† (Joyce, page ? ). He reaches this insight only after allowing the object of his desire, Mangan’s sister, to overtake his dreams, his thoughts, and his entire life, describing such sentiments as seeing â€Å"the soft rope of her hair tossed from side to side† (Joyce, page ? ) to the night he speaks with her about the Araby festival in the light from the porch which â€Å"caught the white border of a petticoat, just visible† (Joyce, page ? ). By the time he finally reaches the bazaar and finds it closing up for the night, he realizes that his quest to please the girl is not only irrational, but has caused him to forsake things such as his education, describing it as â€Å"ugly monotonous child’s play† (Joyce, page ? ). He had no care for his uncle, worrying only that the uncle would be in home in time so he could attend the festival. The narrator experiences such a let down when he arrives at Araby that a sudden truth emerges: he is not able to please Mangan’s sister and to allow this desire to overrun his life is both pointless and an exercise in vanity. In this respect, the narrator of â€Å"Araby† is much like Sammy in John Updike’s â€Å"A&P†. Sammy, too, begins the story by relating his interest in â€Å"Queenie†, the bikini-clad girl who is shopping in the A&P grocery store where he works. After Sammy witnesses the other patron’s shock and his boss’s rudeness, he is determined to stand up for the girl and her friends in the hope she will notice his bravery. In the end, however, the girls are long gone by the time Sammy quits his job and leaves the store. Sammy, much like the narrator in â€Å"Araby†, realizes his desire should not be the deciding force in his life, but rather it is his own convictions and beliefs which should dictate his behavior, determining â€Å"how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter† (Updike, 36). A key difference between the two main characters is the level of their devotion. The narrator in â€Å"Araby† necessarily exhibits a more distant, but more deep, level of emotion for the object of his desire, based on the time period and setting of the story. Because he is less worldly, he does not imagine anything more tantalizing than what her hair feels like or what her knees might look like beneath her petticoat. Sammy, on the other hand, is more desirous of seeing a lot more flesh and less interested in behaving romantically. Again, this is certainly due to the difference in years between the stories as well as the acceptable society norms of their respective time periods, but it also illustrates how much deeper a more innocent love can be.