Strategic Analysys of Toyota

INTRODUCTION In this fiercely aggressive business world, the goal of most firms is to establish distinctive or unique capabilities to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace through utilising the most of their core competencies. Competencies refer to the fundamental knowledge owned by the firm (knowledge, know-how, experience, innovation and unique information), and to be distinctive they are not confined to functional domains but cut across the firm and its organisational boundaries (2002). Today, business enterprises in developed countries operate in a more complicated, and more regulated, environment. The strategic task, then, is to create a distinctive way ahead, using whatever core competencies and resources at its disposal, against the background and influence of the environment. Through these distinctive capabilities the organisation seeks sustainable competitive advantage. Competition in many domestic and international markets appears to be entering a new phase, in which product quality and performance are becoming more important to customers than price. In such markets, the effective management of the new product development process is the essence of competitive advantage. Due to such changes, a review of the organisations’ strategic capabilities is a must if they are to keep up with the demands of the changing times. This paper analyses the strategic capabilities of Toyota Company in face of the ever-stiffening competition in the automotive industry, as a potential tool to further strengthen Toyota’s position in the automobile market. BRIEF TOYOTA BACKGROUND[1] Toyota Motor Corporation is a famous Japanese multinational corporation, and is considered the world’s second largest automaker of automobiles, trucks, buses, robots, and providing financial services ( 2007). Its founder is Kiichiro Toyoda, born in 1894, and the son of Sakichi Toyoda, who became popular as the inventor of the automatic loom. Kiichiro inherited the spirit of research and creation from his father, and devoted his entire life to the manufacture of cars. After many years of hard work, Kiichiro finally succeeded in his completion of the A1 prototype vehicle in 1935, which arked the beginning of the history of the Toyota Motor Corporation ( 2007). The first Type A Engine produced in 1934 was used in the first Model A1 passenger car in May 1935 and the G1 truck in August 1935, and led to the production of the Model AA passenger car in 1936. In addition to being famous with its cars, it still participates in the textile business and makes automatic looms that are now fully computerised, and electric sewing machines that are available in different parts of the world. It has several factories around the world, which serve to manufacture and assemble vehicles for local markets. The corporation’s factories are located in countries such as the United States, Australia, Canada, Poland, France, Czech Republic, United Kingdom, Turkey, South Africa, Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Mexico, Japan, Indonesia, Pakistan, India, Mexico, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Despite the many locations of its factories, its headquarters is located in Toyota, Aichi, Japan (2007). It invests a great deal of time and effort in its research into cleaner-burning vehicles, such as promoting a Hybrid Synergy Drive and running a Hydrogen fuel cell in its vehicles (2007). It has significant market shares in developed countries, such as the United States, Europe, Africa and Australia, and has significant markets in South East Asian countries. Its brands include the Scion, its division in the United States, Guam and Puerto Rico, and the Lexus, which is Toyota’s luxury vehicle brand ( 2007). Aside from producing cars and other types of automobiles, such as SUVs and coasters, Toyota also, participate in rallying or racing. The company’s presence in Motorsport can be traced to the early 1970s, when Ove Andersson, a Swedish driver, drove for Toyota during the RAC Rally in Great Britain, and in succeeding years, Toyota Team Europe was formed ( 2007). Up to the present, Toyota cars are still being used in a variety of racing events in different countries around the world. These events include the CART in Vancouver, the Le Mans, the Indy Racing League, the NASCAR, and the Toyota F1 Series (2007). As the leader in the industry of automobile manufacture and production, the company adopts a philosophy in terms of its production system, which is named The Toyota Way. The company’s philosophy in production involves a list of fourteen principles that are implemented in the company, and serve as guides to the operation of the company. This includes the following principles: Base the company’s management decisions on a long-term philosophy, even at the expense of short-term goals; * Foster a continuous process flow to sight problems; * Utilise â€Å"pull† systems to prevent over-production; * Level out the workload of the workforce; * Build a culture that stops to fix problems, in order to get quality perfect at the first try; * Standardised tasks are the company’s foundation for its continuous improvement and the development of the employees; * Use visual control to let problems surface; Use reliable and tested technology, which serves both the people and the company’s processes; * Train leaders who understand the company’s work, live its philosophies, and share it to others; * Train and develop a workforce who follow the company’s philosophy; * Respect the work and responsibilities of partners and suppliers by challenging them and helping them improve; * Actually immersing one’s self to understand the situation; * Slow but sure decision-making through consensus, through considering a variety of options, and to implement decisions effectively and efficiently; and, * Becoming a learning business organisation through expression and continuous improvement ( 2007) With these principles, the company is guided in terms of its operations and production. Through these principles and philosophies, it can become efficient and effective in manufacturing its products, keeping in mind the welfa re of its employees, the image and brand of the company, and the satisfaction of its employees. PESTLE Analysis Currently, Toyota faces a need for accelerated investment, in order to deploy the new technologies, for pressing geo-political, economic, environmental and societal reasons. Political. Observers will see a continuing progression in the ruinous steps which have forced the industry into a socio-politico-economic corner. Whether this is related to flat demand or to the company’s creation of an ever-wider range of vehicles that many buyers seem to care little about, there is a problem. The company is likewise linked closely to the policies of governments, the earnings of banks. Little wonder then that so many emerging countries are keen to develop an auto sector or that there is such a political pressure to protect it in the developed countries. Toyota Company is currently dominated by little more than a handful of firms, each wielding colossal financial, emotional and political power. The company’s approach to dealing with political institutions has not always been brilliant. It tends to be good on technical issues, although it has not always fully presented the longer-term options, in order to make the choices and their implications clear. Economic. For much of the developed world, and increasingly for the developing world, Toyota Company is a pillar company in auto mobile business, a flag of economic progress. Without Toyota Company in automotive industry, it is impossible to develop an efficient steel business, a plastic industry or a glass sector – other central foundations of economic progress. The Toyota Company has been a core company, a unique economic phenomenon, which has dominated the twentieth century (2007). However, the automobile industry including the Toyota Company now suffers from a series of structural schisms and has become riddled with contradictions and economic discontinuities. For the capital markets and the finance sector, it has lost a lot of its significance, as a result of ever declining profits and stagnant sales. The proliferation of products means that it has become hopelessly wasteful of economic resources. While all these and more sound like a very gloomy assessment of such a vast economic phenomenon, the industry is not in the end despondent. A different future is possible for the industry, a highly desirable one. Social. As part of the development in automotive industry, the Toyota Company actually affects the society as a whole. It employs millions of people directly, tens of millions indirectly. Its products have transformed society, bringing undreamed-of levels of mobility, changing the ways people live and work (2007). The social value of the additional mobility that this industry brings involves the value of the people being able to commute over longer distances easily, among many others. For most of its existence the Toyota Company has been a model of social discipline and control and it is not just that the auto sector offers a ‘pillar’ of something else. There are, on the other hand, particular social issues to address in many developing countries, often those that are the result of an undertone of religious faith. Toyota company has the role to play in helping develop the mobility of such countries and it can be achieved at an acceptable social cost of the country is prepared to learn the necessary lessons from those who have traveled this route before it, and to make the necessary investments. Technological. The Toyota Company works on a scale so awesome and has an influence so vast that it is often difficult to see. The level and diversity of technologies that it must deploy are increasing, which imposes both new investment burdens and new uncertainties and risks (2007). Roughly a million new cars and trucks are built around the world each week – they are easily the most complex products of their kind to be mass-produced in such volumes. The industry uses manufacturing technology that is the cutting edge of science. But still, the potential for developing coordination skills, intellectual capabilities and emotional sensitivities through electronic technologies remain far from fully exploited. There are numerous additional near-term technological opportunities to adapt the company to changing energy availability. The possibilities suggest that automotive technology is unexpectedly robust and provides a powerful defence against energy starvation even if the real price of oil climbs steadily during the next couple of decades. Legal. Toyota Company is subject to numerous technical directives and regulations, as well as legislation of a more legal nature. The legislation covers areas such as competition law, intellectual property law, consumer protection and taxation, and emissions (air quality and fuels). When the auto parts industry reached full development, accelerated technological efforts were made to create a web of local suppliers that would make it possible to meet the growing legal requirements for the national integration of production. Environmental. Other than the vehicles themselves, and the roads and fuel needed to run them; the business is intricately tied to the manufacture of a wide range of components and the extraction of precious raw materials. Indirectly, it brings people road congestion, too many fatalities and a wave of other environmental troubles. The effect to the Toyota Company is that they needed to establish R&D centres to take advantage of research infrastructure and human capital, so that they can develop vehicle products locally to satisfy the requirements of the environmental and safety regulations more effectively. SWOT ANALYSIS Strengths. One of Toyota’s most potent strength is that they are one of the world’s best known brands (2007). As they have been in the business for several years now, the experience that they have in manufacturing cannot be overemphasised. They already have built a solid reputation for being a dependable automaker. Additionally, they have the strength of being diverse with respect to their product lines, having affiliated automotive brands including Aston Martin, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury and Volvo, which allows clients to choose from a variety of car models to fit their lifestyle. They are also known to be supportive of societal causes, in particular the fight for breast cancer and support after the September 11 attacks in the U. S (â€Å"Toyota†, 2007). They pioneered the moving assembly line, which became their mechanism for making vehicles more efficiently and faster, therefore more affordable. Traditionally Toyota's international operations were a source of that allowed the company to maintain its position as the second largest auto maker in the world and to respond to GM's competitive moves. Weaknesses. The company's organisational structure has become inefficient as the company became more complex. This hindered Toyota's ability to manage its international network of subsidiaries, branches, and companies. The weakness of its organisational strategy reflects to the speculations over the likely performance of Toyota in the future, as the company’s financing section is swamped down by hefty outstanding debts. The firm is not in risk of bankruptcy, but the Toyota management is in a tight spot, and has to be extremely vigilant to not make it any tighter. There is also a notable management issues within the company. Finally, because of the increasing competition, the company has witnessed a decline in overall sales, a weakness on their part as they have somehow failed to overcome the challenges that additional competition brings. Opportunities. Toyota Motors Company has the distinct opportunity to have cleaner engine emissions, in alignment with their corporate responsibility to become environment-friendly. Through working with environmental groups to help clean the environment, they also have the opportunity to further enhance their image to the general public. Since they have already started investing in Solar Power, the end is a more viable prospect. Toyota could further widen the scope of their opportunities through specialising and rationalising its worldwide operations on a regional basis and to develop a network organisation in which its subsidiaries would increase their transnational linkages. Besides Toyota learning about the possibilities of producing quality automotive products in their areas of operation at a comparative cost advantage, other relevant factors could bring about new opportunities for exporting vehicles: the parent company's efficiency-seeking strategy; its competitive disadvantage in the small-car segment of the market and the competitors' moves in this market-segment; and the new more flexible regulations in the respective countries in which they have manufacturing plants. Further, with Toyota’s existing capability to innovate on automobiles, they have the opportunity to penetrate a still larger scope of market. Threats. As with any firm in the automotive industry, Toyota faces very tight competitive rivalry in the auto market. Competition is escalating, with the threat of new entrants continuously flowing into the market from South Korea, China and new plants in Eastern Europe (2007). Toyota is also exposed to the risk of movement in the price of raw materials such as steel, glass, rubber and fuel. The key economies in the US, Europe and the Pacific are also experiencing slow downs lately. These economic factors are latent threats for the company under analysis. Further, substitute products such as Natural gas, Electricity, Ethanol, Vegetable oil, Sunlight, Water poses a distinct threat to the sustainability of company sales. While Toyota strategies responded to the local opportunities and competitive advantages that were built over time in different national markets, the competitiveness of foreign operations was also dependent upon the company's management capabilities and its overall position in the industry worldwide. If such factors were to perform under expectation, their competitiveness in the international scene would suffer seriously (2007). RESOURCE AUDIT A resource is a basic element that a firm controls in order to best organise its operational processes. A resource, or set of resources, can be used to create competitive advantage (2002), that is why an audit of the resources of a firm is a must if it is to utilise them to create the latter. The sustainability of a company’s competitive advantage depends upon the ease with which the resources can be imitated or substituted (Peteraf, 1993). When resources are combined they can lead to the formation of competencies and capabilities ( 1990). Financial Resources. 2] Although Toyota Motor’s 2005 financial results showed a full-year net loss, the company still managed to come back in their expressive profits earning in 2007. As seen in the accounting ratios, the company managed to have an expressive positive change of 21. 4% in 200 6 against its low performance in 2005 with only 2. 9% of change. Table 1. Toyota Accounting Ratios Human Resources. [3] Toyota directly employs around 38,340 people in North America. It has made around $16. 8 billion in direct investments in North America. It has in total produced 14. 8 million vehicles, 2. 5 million vehicles sales (2005), 39. 2 million total vehicles sales, and purchased $26. billion worth of â€Å"parts, materials and components† as of December 2005 in North America. It has 1,745 North American dealers and has given around $301 million as philanthropy to the United States since 1991. Physical Resources. [4] To date, Toyota has factories all over the world, manufacturing or assembling vehicles for local markets, including the Corolla. Toyota has manufacturing or assembly plants in Japan, Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Poland, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Brazil, and more recently Pakistan, India, Argentina, Czech Republ ic, Mexico, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Vietnam, Venezuela, and the Philippines. VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS 1985) in his seminal work of value chain proposed it as a tool to identify and to analyse the origins of competitive advantages and suggested that the activities of the business could be grouped into two: primary and support activities. What activities a business undertakes is linked to achieving its competitive advantage, and Toyota seemed to be best prepared to implement a global strategy, because of the superior competitive advantages of its foreign operations compared with GM and Chrysler. Paradoxically, Toyota's rivals showed a greater disposition to use resources from outside of the United States. It was not until 1994 that Toyota focused on developing a global strategy as a means to enhance its competitive position in the industry. Before then, Toyota largely focused on building a strategy that would allow the company to recover its competitive position in its own home market, which was essential for survival. An analysis of the structural and institutional factors that shaped Toyota's strategic response both to the new industry rules and the short-term challenges posed by other industry competitors explains this paradox. A number of broad sustainability challenges set the context for all of the value chain activities (see appendix 1). These issues apply across the value chain: (1) Population growth; (2) Urbanisation; (3) Child mortality; (4) Maternal health; (5) Infectious diseases; (6) Biodiversity; (7) Loss of ecosystem services; (8) Poverty; (9) Education; and (10) Gender Equality. All these issues are attended to by the Toyota Motor Company in alignment with their efforts to maintain sustainable competitive advantage through preserving the good public image that their clients expect from them. CORE COMPETENCIES Toyota has several core competencies which they could utilise to further gain advantage over their competitors, and currently the company overtook General Motors in its market leadership in the automotive industry. One core competency of the company is their brand management. The strength of their automotive marketing has been such that their brand is known even in the parts of the world where cars are not the common medium of transportation. Another core competency is their supply chain management, which links to their ability to maintain a steady stream of raw materials coming in for production because of their long-term good standing with their steel, glass, plastic and other raw materials supplier. Their highly coordinated logistics system handled by outsourced firms also form part of their core competencies, leading to excellent inventory management and always on schedule production activities. Another marked core competency is their ability at the moving assembly line. Being the pioneer of such mass production system, they were able to get ahead of the competitors manufacturing processes-wise and were also able to save on costs and time. Yet another core competency is Toyota’s focusing on its product development technology under a single product-information-management program through standardising and incorporating them. If sustainable development is to achieve its potential, it must be integrated into the planning and measurement systems of business enterprises. And for that to happen, the concept must be articulated in terms that are familiar to business leaders. Many observers believe that more stakeholders — investors, consumers, nongovernmental organisations and others — will insist that companies to take environmental and social costs as seriously as they take purely financial costs. In addition, investors are expected to increasingly seek out sustainable companies and avoid firms with poor environmental performance, judging the sustainable companies as better risks over the long term. Likewise, consumers are expected to search for products that perform well environmentally. THE FUTURE OF TOYOTA (1982) observed that the automotive industry has been depended upon by other industrial sectors to provide them with means with which to optimise their investment capital because of the transfer of its technology, which basically means that the manufacturing and materials handling processes that revolve around mass auto production will be, in the future, far removed from their original use through consulting engineering firms that undertake to design and equip factories. The tendency for car manufacturers, then, will be to focus on competition that would become more rigorous, giving special attention to profit-gaining activities and concentrating also on arranging for financial, marketing and industrial cooperation among car makers. In the first three months of 2007, Toyota together with its half-owned subsidiary Daihatsu reported number one sales of 2. 348 million units. Toyota's brand sales had risen 9. 2% largely on demand for Corolla and Camry sedans. The difference in performance was largely attributed to surging demand for fuel-efficient vehicles. In November 2006, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas added a facility in San Antonio. [5] Toyota has experienced quality problems and was reproached by the Japanese Governement for its recall practices (2006). Toyota currently maintains over 16% of the US market share

Herbert Mullin Criminal Profile Essay

Mullin Herbert Mullin was born in Salina California which happens to be the anniversary of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake as well as Einstein’s death. He was the youngest between him and his sibling, Patricia. He was raised by both parents Jean and Bill Mullin. He didn’t have any problems in school he was popular and physically attractive. He had a good childhood but through his life span he made a lot of wrong decisions that includes drug abuse which aggravated schizophrenia. In high school he had a lot of friends and was quite popular. He played football and had a steady relationship and was voted most likely to succeed. At the age of eighteen he attended Cabrillo College to study engineering. In the summer of 1967 he graduated with a two year degree in road engineering and enrolled at San Jose State College change his major to philosophy and took on the hippie lifestyle. At the age of twenty-one In June 1965 people began to think that his sanity was deteriorating due to the fact that he built a shrine in his bedroom to Dean, his friend that was killed in a car accident the summer after graduation. At the age of nineteen he first experienced LSD which lead him to experimenting more with marijuana and LSD. At the age of twenty one he was arrested for possession of marijuana. At the age of 21 at a family dinner he started showing signs of schizophrenia which was aggravated by drug abuse. At the age of twenty two Herbert Mullin began treatment as a resident of the community drug abuse prevention center in Santa Cruz. Later that year Herbert Mullin was committed to the psychiatric ward of San Luis Obispo County General Hospital because with is mental disorder he was a danger to others, himself and gravely disabled. A month later he was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic. He was not one that cared to take his medication. In the summer of 1970 he was diagnosed as a schizo-affective schizophrenia. In 1970 he began blaming his parents for his illness and in result took them out of his will. Herbert killed people believing that if he started to kill people it will lessen the chances of another hurricane happening in his area. He did this by only killing random Caucasians from the age of 4 to 72. He bought his materials to the crime scene such as a gun, knife, and baseball bat. He was a psychotic visionary. Mullin had no developmental problems according to Erikson. He went through all the stages where he experience love and finding out what personality he wants to embrace. This is the point and time when he realizes that he is a bisexual. The motivation behind it seems to be the fact that he was born the day that Albert Einstein died and the anniversary of San Francisco Earthquake. Freud would have said that he is anticathexis because he gives off the sense that his ego is blocking the socially unacceptable needs of id. Mullin for example when he found out that his target moved he went after him and killed him as planned. Afterwards he couldn’t resist the urge to go back and kill the messenger who could have been a witness in the killing incident that happened before her and her family. Bibliography * Watts, Vernetta. â€Å"Californian Guilty in 10 Murder Cases. (1973, August 20). New York Times, P. 10. † Mullin, Herbert. N. P. , n. d. Web. 09 May 2013. * Santa Cruz Serial Killer, Herbert Mullin, Denied Parole – Central Coast News KION/KCBA. † Santa Cruz Serial Killer, Herbert Mullin, Denied Parole – Central Coast News KION/KCBA. 13 May 2013 * Freudian  Theory. † About. com Psychology. N. P. , n. d. Web. 16 May 2013.

All About Me Letter

My favorite sports are football and basketball. I play the recorder. I participated in football for three years and basket ball for one year. I played the recorder for one year in the fourth grade and earned all the belts for each skill level.On the other hand I don’t like to read what so ever, but I’m going to improve my reading this year. I don’t like to read because I fall asleep as soon as I begin to read books. The books that I like are adventurous and action-packed books because they interest me so I won’t fall asleep. These kinds of books stimulate my imagination and help me visualize the story. In order to keep me interested in reading I would like to have audio or graphics books. I did great academically last year as I made A’s and B’s.My academic goals this year are to make straight A’s and to receive scores above 900 on the CRCT. Considering that I do not like to read, it’s hard for me to brainstorm ideas and write an essay. Therefore, I do not think of myself as a good writer, as I prefer digital images to awaken my creativity. The few times that I must write, I like to write narratives about my family vacations in new places. Narratives allow me to express my emotions. Unfortunately, brainstorming ideas causes me to have headaches that turn me off from writing.I hope to learn how to overcome this obstacle and improve my writing skills. In conclusion, you can help me achieve my academic goals by suggesting some action-packed or adventurous book titles for me to enjoy reading. I learn best by following examples and listening to instructions. The activities you can help me with are reading and sentence-structure in writing assignments. I welcome the opportunity to learn from your expertise. Sincerely, Phillip Harrington Phillip Harrington

Nestle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Nestle - Essay Example most appropriate growth strategy to pursue will be determined by arriving at decisions about whether to sell old or new products in old or new markets. (Ansoff, 1957). Nestle’s growth strategy falls under the category of concentric diversification, wherein a Company produces new products that are closely related to its current products, but introduces them into a new market (Ansoff, 1957). This has been Nestle’s strategy in countries such as infant formula, tofu and noodles which are basic food stuffs but are tailored to meet the needs of the new market, for example in India, the Company also sells pickles to appeal to the housewife market. Nestle’s financial strength and ability to weather the recession may be closely linked to its diversification strategy. Since it has such a broad based approach, any potential issues that it is likely to face are marginal. The efficacy of this strategy is also borne out through the application of the Shareholder Value Analysis, developed by Rapoport (1986). Rapoport identified three specific value drivers, namely Finance, Investment and Business, all three of which if improved, could lead to a direct increase in shareholder value. In general, shareholders in a Company are rewarded in two different ways: (a) dividends paid and (b) capital appreciation, which depends upon the kinds of investments that the Company undertakes. The total shareholder return for a specific year can be calculated using the formula: TSR = Dividends + Capital Appreciation (Pike and Neals, 2006). From an examination of Nestle’s balance sheets for financial records in the European region, it may be noted that the net dividend yield percentages have increased as follows: 2006 – 2.4%, 2007- 2.8% and 2008 – 3.1% (NestleSA, 2008). The last share price in 2006 was 42.85, in 2007 it was 48.05 and in 2008, it was 45.56.(www.nestle.com). The total shareholder value for each year may therefore be calculated as follows: This result from the

The proletariat during the Russian revolution Research Paper

The proletariat during the Russian revolution - Research Paper Example The praxis of the proletarian was developed by Lenin in the year 1917 he argued that the proletariats were only interested in the state for a given period of time and that it was never geared towards advocating for separation from the anarchists through the elimination of the state. He further articulated that the best form of revolution was that which could offer defense to itself and that could only be achieved by the form of dictatorship by and for the proletariat. Dictatorship of the proletariat during the Russian revolution was to allow the working class members of the society quelling all manner of opposition, strengthening of political power, gain control over the various means of production and to break up the entire machinery of the bourgeois. The process was to be attained through massive education initiatives that targeted the peasants as well as the small-scale business persons, intellectuals, office and industrial employees so as to equip the m with the necessary skills needed to attain some level of freedom both socially and economically. The initiatives were directed towards coming up with a more democratic system backed by rights and liberties of the humanity as opposed to democratic parliamentarism that was being propagated by bourgeois. Stalin came up with three dimensions in order to develop an understanding of the dictatorship of the proletariat. One is that he considered it as an instrument for the proletarian revolution. Secondly, it was regarded as the rule over the bourgeoisie and finally as a form of Soviet power that represented the entire state. The Communist Party became the stronghold of the proletariat. The key elements during the revolution of the proletariat were based on the ultimate devotion of the people to the revolutionary ideas, proper attendance of classes after work so as to ensure that the works of Marx and Lenin were

How well does insurance contract regulation work Research Paper

How well does insurance contract regulation work - Research Paper Example An insurance policy is documented properly and the insured is handed over a contract which signifies the terms and conditions under which the insurance policy will be processed and the circumstances under which the financial compensation will be carried out1. Insurance has gained wide popularity after big global incidents and financial crises such as the 9/11 catastrophe and the financial meltdown of 2008/09. These events have spread a wing of insecurity among people in many areas of their lives, be it their life, their finances, their property or their relatives. This has escalated the demand of insurance all over the world and insurance companies have shown fruitful results in their financial statements. To have a clear and comprehensive description and analysis of insurance and its operation, the economics of insurance have to be taken into account and the understanding of insurance law and insurance contract regulation and its working is essential2. As every law in the world, there is a separate and credible law for insurance. Insurance law is a name designated towards the acts of law covering insurance comprising of insurance claims and policies. It contains all the principles of insurance including claim technicalities, compensation conditions, policy termination circumstances, indemnity, so on and so forth. Insurance law is based mainly on Insurance Contracts Regulations 1985 which have been established using the Insurance Contracts Act 1984. The presence and importance of insurance contracts regulations is utmost and considering a serious and delicate contract like insurance, a set of stringent regulations based on solid laws must be existent and implementable3. Insurance contracts regulations assist in numerous ways to the insurer as well as the insured and it created a specific, planned, professional progress way for the insurance policy throughout its tenor. As mentioned above about the

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Death Penalty Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Death Penalty - Research Paper Example The proponents of the penalty derive their arguments from the fact that is cheaper than holding convict for life, and acts as a deterrence to crime. However, the proponents are tasked with a heavy burden of proof assignment that has not been successful so far. This leads to the question whether the death penalty deters crime The paper seeks to answer the question through an argumentative approach. According to Amnesty International USA, the assertion that the death penalty reduces murder rates are flawed (Amnesty USA n.d). The fundamental basics to prove that it does not deter crimes are evident in the murder statistics difference between states that employ the death penalty and the states that do not use the penalty. According to the said statistics, it is seen that states that do not have the penalty have lower rates of capital crimes as compared to others. Consequently, the penalty is not popular among the public. The pie chart shows the public opinion about death penalty and its effect in deterrence of crime. Sources indicate that people who commit capital crimes are commonly under the effects of drugs and or alcohol. The claim implies that the persons are not conscious enough to reckon the repercussions of the crime they are committing. Death penalty is not part of their reasoning at the time when they are consumed by rage or fear. It follows that a crime will be committed, with or without death penalty laws. Thus, death penalty is not sufficient to deter crime in such incidents. Another reason that taints the deterrence assertion is that criminals do not expect to be nabbed after committing an atrocity. Suspects in murder cases do not consider the probability of being arrested and facing charges for the crime. Instead, they consider the possibility of walking free (Michigan State University 2000, p.3). In these cases, the fangs of the death penalty do not scare the criminals from their actions. The same implies that criminals do not weigh their

Smoking labelling Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

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From the door Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

From the door - Essay Example Analysis: The person who tells the story in A Rose for Emily remains unidentified throughout the story. Some readers may be of the view that the narrator is the boy that stores memories of Mr. Grierson as he stood in the doorway. Some readers may also identify the narrator as the former servant of Emily, named Tobe, given he had spent quite some time with Emily watching her intimately. However, Tobe gets vanished in the end while the narrator keeps narrating. This provides assurance for the idea that the narrator can not be Tobe. In fact, voice of the narrator is the gossip of the town that tends to make its way through the door of Emily’s house. A deep analysis of the story suggests that the unnamed narrator is indeed, the collective and unified voice of the whole town because it is no one but the townspeople, who stay until the end of the story and explore Emily’s secret. Many events that have a fundamental role in the building up of plot happen to occur inside Emily Grierson’s house. The outsiders often have no access to the events that happen behind the closed doors, though the curiosity among the town people to learn about the world inside Emily’s house is immense.

Importance of Arts Essay Example for Free

Importance of Arts Essay Education in the arts is essential to students’ intellectual, social, physical, and emotional growth and well-being. Experiences in the arts – in dance, drama, music, and visual arts –play a valuable role in helping students to participate fully in their community and in society as a whole. Children first learn to respond aesthetically to their environment through touch, taste, sound and smell, and their natural curiosity suggests a need for sensory experience. Visual arts education helps to develop sensory awareness. Each child possesses a range of intelligences and he/she needs a variety of learning experiences in order to develop them fully. Visual arts activities enable children to make sense of and to express their world in visual, tangible form. The development of the child cannot be complete without exposing her/him to art and music especially, which are the basic forms of aesthetic appreciation. Learning through the arts Fosters integration of a student’s sensory, cognitive, emotional, and motor capacities. For example, hands-on materials and activities can challenge students to move from the concrete to the abstract, and students can develop ideas. Is enjoyable, fulfilling and also intellectually rigorous disciplines. Stimulates and develops the imagination and critical thinking, and refines cognitive and creative skills. Develops fine motor skills of children. Repeating stories, poems, and songs strengthens memory. Help to level the learning field across socio-economic boundaries. Strengthens problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, increasing academic achievement. Provides a natural source of learning. Child development specialists note that play is the business of young children; play is the way children promote and enhance their development. The arts are a most natural vehicle for play. Develops a sense of craftsmanship, quality task performance, and goal-setting—skills needed to succeed in the classroom. Teaches children life skills such as developing an informed perception; articulating a vision; learning to solve problems and make decisions; building self-confidence and self-discipline; developing the ability to imagine what might be; and accepting responsibility to complete tasks from start to finish. Nurtures important values, including team-building skills; respecting alternative viewpoints; and appreciating and being aware of different cultures and traditions. Provide a natural vehicle through which students can explore and express themselves and discover and interpret the world around them. Reduces children’s negative attitudes toward school and develop confidence and enjoyment as motivation. Dance helps build motor control, body relationships, and a sense of direction. Drawing, sculpting, and other visual arts develop spatial acuity. Group activities, such as learning dance steps or singing songs, build social skills. As children describe people and things in their world using pictures, body movements, and mime, they enhance their descriptive, nonverbal, cognitive capabilities. Expand and deepen the attention span and powers of concentration of pupils, their ability to listen, observe closely, interpret what they see and enables them to become more self-aware and self-confident. Enhances intellectual and emotional development of children. Encourages innovative and dynamic ways of thinking, spontaneity, intuition and improvisation. Develop students’ ability to think creatively and critically. Nourish and stimulate the imagination of students and help them gain insights into the world around them and to represent their understandings in various ways. Encourages them to take risks, to solve problems in creative ways, and to draw on their resourcefulness to build on new ideas. Provides opportunities for differentiation of instruction and learning environments. Identify common values, both aesthetic and human, in various works of art, and increase their understanding of others. Encourage students to be responsible and critically literate members of society and citizens of the world. Learn to approach issues, create and present ideas, thoughts, feelings and points of view in new ways. Use of current and emerging technologies (e. g. , video, multimedia) is integrated in the four disciplines as means of recording, enhancing, communicating, and reinterpreting ideas. Deepen their awareness and appreciation of the nature of the arts and understand what artists, musicians, actors, and dancers do as individuals and as a community Help to reflect record, celebrate, and pass on to future generations the personal and collective stories, values, innovations, and traditions that make us unique.

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Free Appropriate Public Education Essay One of the six aspects of IDEA is Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). FAPE is technically defined as a â€Å"Special education and related services that are provided at public expense, under public supervision and direction, and without charge; meet SEA; include preschool, elementary, or secondary school education; and are provides through an individualized education program (IEP)†. (Mandlawitz, 2007)An individualized educational plan (IEP) that is designed to meet the child’s unique needs and from which the child receives educational benefits and prepares them for farther education, employment, and independent living. These unique education needs includes â€Å"Mastery of academic subjects and basic skills, Social, health, emotional, physical, and vocational needs, and functioning and self-help sills†. (Jalvarado) FAPE consist of an education that meets the individual needs of the child, the child with the disability must be educated with students without disabilities, an evaluation and placement decisions must be made appropriately. IDEA does not explain the exact meaning of the term â€Å"appropriate†. Parents and schools interpret this term uniquely which has resulted in countless court cases. This aspect of IDEA has be one of the most challenged out of all six because there are so many places of misunderstanding and loop holes that allow for some school districts to slip through. Even though this principle does mention the child should be in the least restrictive environment. This environment could vary from complete involvement in a classroom with children without disabilities, a separate classroom that has one on one help for the child and/or a combination of both. This environment is not truly known until an IEP is developed. The IEP would state the special education, related services, supplementary aids and services that will be provided for the child. This allows a child regardless of the severity of their disability to receive an education. It is important for families that have children with disabilities to know about FAPE because they may not know that there child is entitled to receive an education. FAPE is beneficial for families and their children to know their rights to receive an education. In, addition this could save families a lot of money that they may spend on special services or private schools that they could be receiving for free from the school district. For example a deaf child that may need a speech and auditory therapist and an interpreter these types of services could all be provided by the school district with no cost to the families in addition to the child’s normal academics. Also the children would become more social with peers and interacting with others that could not be learned in a confined area like home schooling and schools that isolate the child. The child would develop social skills that are desperately needed day to day to survive. FAPE is beneficial for parents because it could relieve stress that maybe caused by their misunderstanding of why their child is different and how to help them grow. The parent may also learn things about their child that they did not know like their child is very motivated to learn, enjoys working in groups, and is very inquisitive. These characteristics about this child would not have been known if their child was not put into public schooling. Educators also play a part in the child and them receiving extra help provided under IDEA because they create the IEP and keep everyone up to date about the child’s improvements and problem areas. This aspect of IDEA impacts me as a future educator because it will force me to broaden my horizons and views of the â€Å"normal† classroom experience. Meaning, that there are not any students with LDs or disabilities in the class. Knowing that FAPE is a defining factor in the educational experience for children with disabilities will allow me to understand their exceptionalities and how effectively help them gain an education. In addition I will learn how to properly mainstream them into the classroom with other students. For example, I would figure out ways to decrease to possibility of labels and teasing by the other students because it was noticeable that the students were in special ed. classes. To prevent teasing caused by misunderstanding I would develop projects that would create learning experiences for students to learn that everyone is different in their own way. Also to explore these differences and focus more on their abilities and talents as an individual for students with and without exceptionalities. The students being combined could create new relationships between the disabled and normal students. Before this aspect of IDEA was created children with disabilities were segregated from the â€Å"normal† student. Knowing that there is large possibility that my classroom will consist of students each uniquely different it is important for me to well informed and educated. So that I will be able to effectively educate my students.

Tourism in Sri Lanka

Tourism in Sri Lanka 1. Sri Lanka is an island country and god has given to Sri Lanka blessings of nature blue seas, green hills, sandy beaches, abundant wildlife, cascading waterfalls, a riot of flowers and fruits, coconut groves, tea estates, spice gardens. Here ones day can be gloriously lazy by a palm cool lagoon or full of joy, swimming, snorkeling, and fishing or sailing like a brilliant jewel in the sparkling waters of the Indian Ocean. Sri Lanka is located in a strategically considered naval spot on the world map. This significant situation creates a path for a major sea route. In addition it creates a strategic naval link between West Asia, Africa and East Asia. Sri Lanka entered the international tourism arena in the 1960s. Since then, government involvement has been the key factor in tourism development in Sri Lanka. The Ceylon Tourist Board (CTB) was established in 1966 in order to provide direction and leadership to this promising sector of the developing economy. The country is famous for h ealthy and cultural heritage. Hospitality, tropical forests, natural and fascinating beaches, archeological sites and the tropical climate are the more attractive features. These factors make Sri Lanka a wonderful tourist destination. Over the years tourism in Sri Lanka has developed significantly. Today tourism has become the sixth Foreign Exchange Earner (FEE) in Sri Lankan economy. 2. Tourism can make a great impact on development of the Sri Lankan economy. Tourism is a fast growing industry which has been identified presently. Employment opportunities and regional development are playing significant role with regard to the tourism industry development. It can be considered as the most important industry in the country as a whole. The governments vision is to make the tourism sector as Sri Lankas most innovative and profitable income generating source. 3. During past three decades Sri Lankas tourism industry had few draw backs. This was mainly due to the security situation which prevailed in the country. Further the tourism industry was also affected due to the Tsunami catastrophe which occurred in 2004. Approximately 2/3rd of the coastal area including tourist infrastructure facilities was destroyed. The immediate post war period gave rise to a dramatic increase of tourist arrival from end May 2009. 4. In order to support the efforts and to develop the tourism sector in Sri Lanka there should be hotels with exclusive facilities which are in par with the international standards to accommodate a large number of visitors. In the year 2010 approximately one million tourists visited Sri Lanka. Unlike in the past, the inflow of tourists is increasing day by day as a result of the end of the 30 year civil war which destroys the whole country. Following graph indicates how tourism increased from 1966 to 2011 in Sri Lanka. The government is expected to receive 2.5 million tourists in 2016. To cater for this increase tourist hotels in Sri Lanka must be developed. Similarly other facilities should also be increased to meet the desired economic goals. AIM 5. The aim of this paper is to analyze the development of Sri Lanka tourism -challenges and opportunities GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE OF SRI LANKA 6. Sir Lanka has a various terrain but it mainly consists of flat lands but south-central portion of the countrys step sided river, canyons interior features and mountain. The flatter regions are the areas where most of Sri Lankas agriculture takes place, aside from coconut farms along the coast. Sri Lankas climate is tropical and the southwestern part of the island is the wettest. . The northeastern part of Sri Lanka is drier and most of its rain falls from December to February. Most of the rain in the southwest falls from April to June and October to November Sri Lankas average yearly temperature is around 86 °F to 91 °F. An important geographic note about Sri Lanka is its position in the Indian Ocean, which made it vulnerable to one of the worlds largest natural disasters. On December, 26, 2004, it was struck by large tsunami that hit 12 Asian countries. Around 38,000 people in Sri Lanka were killed during this incident and much of Sri Lankas coast was destroyed. 7. Sri Lanka is situated in strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes. It has a total area of 65,610 km ², with 64,740 km ² of land and 870 km ² of water. Its coastline is 1,340 km long. Sri Lankas climate includes tropical monsoons: the southwest monsoon (June to October) and the northeast monsoon (December to March), its terrain is mostly low, flat to undulating plain, with mountains in the south-central interior. The highest point is Pidurutalagala at 2,524.13 m. Resource include limestone, mineral sands, gems, graphite, phosphates, clay, and hydropower. 8. Adams Bridge, a land connection to the Indian mainland, is now mostly underwater with only a chain of limestone shoals remaining above sea level. According to temple records, this natural causeway was previously complete, but was breached by a violent storm (probably a cyclone) in 1480. SRI LANKAS COMMITMENT TO TOURISM 9. Tourism is a vital area in the policy structure has been identified as capable of efficiently driving the countrys socio economic development. The programmes vision for the tourism sector is to make Sri Lanka foremost freedom destination in the South Asian Region. The programme believes the human resources and natural and cultural endowments values and nation will be essential in transforming Sri Lanka into a centre of excellence and offer tourists the highest values of real experiences in its unique setting. 10 The One Stop Unit Unit for National Investment in Tourism is a Centralized promotion and facilitation center Established Thurs assist potential tourism investors interested in investing in Sri Lanka Tourism Industry. Specialist staff from various government agencies helps investors Identify possible projects, Obtain information possible, Regarding Investments, submit applications, and Provide support in obtaining investment promotion privileges, trade licenses and other approvals Requested for project clearance. OSU Prevents the need for investors Thurs spend time in search of answers and ensures all queries are handled by its specialist staff. 11. Serious civil disturbances starting in July 1983 and the subsequent violence badly affected tourism. Total arrivals were 230,106 in 1986, down 43 percent from 1982. To ease the dilemma of the industry, the government provided various concessions to hotels, such as the rescheduling of loans and the reduction of the turnover tax from 10 percent to 5 percent. The Ceylon Tourist Board also undertook a crash promotion program in an attempt to restore the islands image in world tourist markets. Tourist arrivals in the first six months of 1987, however, showed a decline of 23 percent compared with the same period the previous year. In early 1988, the outlook was for further contraction. 12. In 1988 it remained unclear whether the policies of economic liberalization Sri Lanka has pursued since 1977 would succeed in their principal goals of employment, wealth creation, and economic diversification. Although increased rice production, the growth of textile manufacturing, and an improved infrastructure were successes that could be attributed to the post-1977 policies, these gains came at the cost of a mounting foreign and domestic debt and declining living standards for the poor. POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT TOWARDS TOURISM 13. The One Stop Unit Unit for National Investment in Tourism is a Centralized promotion and facilitation center Established Thurs assist potential tourism investors interested in investing in Sri Lanka Tourism Industry. Specialist staff from various government agencies helps investors Identify possible projects, Obtain information possible, Regarding Investments, submit applications, and Provide support in obtaining investment promotion privileges, trade licenses and other approvals Requested for project clearance. OSU Prevents the need for investors Thurs spend time in search of answers and ensures all queries are handled by its specialist staff. 14. Serious civil disturbances starting in July 1983 and the subsequent violence badly affected tourism. Total arrivals were 230,106 in 1986, down 43 percent from 1982. To ease the dilemma of the industry, the government provided various concessions to hotels, such as the rescheduling of loans and the reduction of the turnover tax from 10 percent to 5 percent. The Ceylon Tourist Board also undertook a crash promotion program in an attempt to restore the islands image in world tourist markets. Tourist arrivals in the first six months of 1987, however, showed a decline of 23 percent compared with the same period the previous year. In early 1988, the outlook was for further contraction. 15. In 1988 it remained unclear whether the policies of economic liberalization Sri Lanka has pursued since 1977 would succeed in their principal goals of employment, wealth creation, and economic diversification. Although increased rice production, the growth of textile manufacturing, and an improved infrastructure were successes that could be attributed to the post-1977 policies, these gains came at the cost of a mounting foreign and domestic debt and declining living standards for the poor. PROMOTION OF TOURISM INVESTMENT 16. The Board of Investment has introduced incentives in the form of tax exemptions, duty-free imports and the relaxation of controls on foreign exchange holdings. The incentives provided by the government have mainly attracted investment in the hotel sector. The present hotel capacity is 13,670 rooms. That figure is projected to increase to 21,000 rooms by 2004, which will accommodate the target of 1 million tourists. Five regional domestic airports to be restructured at a total cost of approx. Rs. 2bn: Rathmalana, Koggala ,Ampara , Trincomalee Jaffna (Rathmalana will be developed as a City Airport) Previous year. This denotes that tourism industry is one of the core sources of foreign exchange earner in economy of Sri Lanka. Due to the development of tourism improved accessibility via new highways and conversion of military to domestic airports may make high-end hotels in the Deep South and the East of Sri Lanka viable alternatives to the Galle area. OPPORTUNITIES FOR TOURISM INDUSTRY 17. Tourism directly affected to economy of a country. The momentum of growth in tourism, as result of the post conflict peaceful environment, the tourist arrivals grew to 654,476 in 2010 surpassing the previous record of 566,202 in 2004. Tourist nights one of an important indicator in measuring the volume of tourist traffic, has recorded 6, 544, 760 in 2010. It shows 60.6 per cent increase compared to 2009. Total receipts in 2010 amounted to US $ 575.9 million as against US $ 349.3 million recorded for the year 2009. It indicates a vast increase of 64.9 per cent than THREATS FOR TOURISM INDUSTRY 18. Development of tourist hotels in Sri Lanka will extremely support the rapid economic development. Developments of tourist hotels, increase room capacities, increase occupancy rates and develop the condition of rooms and upgrade the service provided in the hotels are the key factors to be mainly focused on if to develop tourism. It indeed contributes to the development of tourism and in turn development of economy of the country. Tourist hotel industry should be developed in most of the famous city for tourism with sufficient amount of tourist hotels 19. As political risk introduces additional elements of uncertainty into the rules governing tourism investment projects, the risk of capital loss is raised for longer- term projects. Political risk also negatively influences the timing and pricing of the tourism production process. Negative images, lack of foreign exchange for tourism development, lack of skilled manpower, weak institutional frameworks for tourism planning, political instability caused by communal violence, civil war conflicts are inhibitors to tourism development. However, little is known about how international tourism firms perceive political risks and other general barriers and threats to tourism promotion in Sri Lanka. 20. Common political factors which affect the tourism industry are revolution, civil war, factional conflict, ethnic violence, religious turmoil, widespread riots, terrorism, nationwide strikes, protests, cross- national guerrilla warfare, world public opinion, repatriation restrictions, bureaucratic politics, leadership struggle, high inflation, border conflicts, high external debt service ratio and creeping nationalization. Last thirty years Sri Lanka also faced the civil war and it affected the tourism industry of Sri Lanka. Organizing elections frequently also create threat to the tourism industry because during the election period in some places to control the situation cur hews are implemented. 21. This will create negative image in the mind of tourists. Some of the foreign countries have reject Sri Lankas products in their country due to the violation of human rights during the war time. For example government invested and spent on IIFA programme but it was not a successful event for Sri Lanka because the big stars have boycotted the event. They didnt visit Sri Lanka because of the protests held in their country by asking them not to visit the place. Currently Sri Lanka is having negative relationship with some foreign countries therefore the export and import of Sri Lankan products will be decreased and it affects the tourism industry as well. FUTURE TRENDS, CHALLENGES 22. Source markets in Asia and Middle East to drive demand: Sri Lankas proximity to source markets such as India and its connectivity to the Middle East and China will help in sustaining tourism growth. The rise in per capita income and therefore consumer spending in these source markets will aid the growth in tourism. 23. Infrastructure growth to fuel tourism growth: To ensure rapid growth of tourism in the future, tourism projects will need to be balance with infrastructure development. We expect that with improvements in road infrastructure and development of the new airport in Hambantota, various new destinations will emerge in the country, especially to the north and the east, as these areas have abundant natural beauty to attract tourists but currently suffer from poor connectivity. We expect more airlines to operate in the country as the second airport develops. 24. Greater competition will facilitate growth: We also expect greater competition with the introduction of new hotels in popular destinations such as Colombo, Kandy, Bentota, and Sigiriya, and Galle. We expect the existing hotels to undertake phased renovations to effectively compete with the upcoming hotels. Also, with the increase in income from hotels over the past few years, we expect an increase in the number of hospitality related transactions and mergers and acquisitions. 25. Challenge of attrition to other destinations: Currently, the hotel industry witnesss significant employee attrition to countries in the Middle East and to the Maldives and India. However, with a more stable political environment and improvement in quality of living in Sri Lanka, we expect the attrition to gradually 26. Shortage of skilled labor: As new players enter the market, the projected growth in tourism will be accompanied by shortage of skilled labour. We anticipate the need for relive hospitality education institutions as the contribution of the tourism sector to the overall economy increases. SUMMARY 27. Sri Lanka is located in a strategically considered naval spot on the world map. Sri Lanka entered the international tourism arena in the 1960s. Since then, government involvement has been the key factor in tourism development in Sri Lanka. Over the years tourism in Sri Lanka has developed significantly. Today tourism has become the sixth Foreign Exchange Earner (FEE) in Sri Lankan economy.Tourism can make a great impact on development of the Sri Lankan economy. Employment opportunities and regional development are playing significant role with regard to the tourism industry development. The governments vision is to make the tourism sector as Sri Lankas most innovative and profitable income generating source. 28. During past three decades Sri Lankas tourism industry had few draw backs. In the year 2010 approximately one million tourists visited Sri Lanka. Following graph indicates how tourism increased from 1966 to 2011 in Sri Lanka. To cater for this increase tourist hotels in Sri Lanka must be developed. Sri Lankas climate is tropical and the southwestern part of the island is the wettest. . Around 38,000 people in Sri Lanka were killed during this incident and much of Sri Lankas coast was destroyed. 29. Total arrivals were 230,106 in 1986, down 43 percent from 1982. The Ceylon Tourist Board also undertook a crash promotion program in an attempt to restore the islands image in world tourist markets. This denotes that tourism industry is one of the core sources of foreign exchange earner in economy of Sri Lanka. Tourism directly affected to economy of a country. Development of tourist hotels in Sri Lanka will extremely support the rapid economic development. Developments of tourist hotels, increase room capacities, increase occupancy rates and develop the condition of rooms and upgrade the service provided in the hotels are the key factors to be mainly focused on if to develop tourism. Tourist hotel industry should be developed in most of the famous city for tourism with sufficient amount of tourist hotels 30. Negative images, lack of foreign exchange for tourism development, lack of skilled manpower, weak institutional frameworks for tourism planning, political instability caused by communal violence, civil war conflicts are inhibitors to tourism development. However, little is known about how international tourism firms perceive political risks and other general barriers and threats to tourism promotion in Sri Lanka. 31. Last thirty years Sri Lanka also faced the civil war and it affected the tourism industry of country. Some of the foreign countries have reject Sri Lankas products in their country due to the violation of human rights during the war time. Currently Sri Lanka is having negative relationship with some foreign countries therefore the export and import of Sri Lankan products will be decreased and it affects the tourism industry as well. 32. Sri Lankas proximity to source markets such as India and its connectivity to the Middle East and China will help in sustaining tourism growth. To ensure rapid growth of tourism in the future, tourism projects will need to be balance with infrastructure development. We expect the existing hotels to undertake phased renovations to effectively compete with the upcoming hotels. We also expect the hotel companies, especially the domestic companies located in the country to undertake long and medium term hospitality training programs and regularly undertake competition benchmarking for compensation to retain the talent. RECCOMONDATIONS 33. These are the recommendations which we can produce in related to tourism. Develop a marketing strategy: Emphasizing the creation and sustaining of a positive image of Sri Lanka as a substantive and well-established tourist destination offering facilities experiences that are distinct Sri Lankan products. Establish a domestic tourism strategy: To expand the existing product base and encourage a greater level of holiday movements in addition to pilgrim movements. Develop goods and services: To meet the increasing needs of the tourism industry, and thus optimize the economic benefit of tourism development to Sri Lanka. Modify the organization of tourism activities: In order to bring about related improvements in the private sector, increase coordination between tourism and interrelated sectors, and introduce streamlining to facilitate the development of the tourism sector. Emphasize the environmental, social and cultural aspects: Tourism Development Planning is the only way to solve many issues related to tourism in development. Therefore the tourism planning process should be designed to produce goals and objectives for the destination area related to tourism development. The tourism development plan provides overall guidelines for development and identifies development opportunities. Many development countries are involved in tourism planning. Financial Assistance: Financial assistance for hotel owners and any other profession in tourist sector would help to create more employment opportunities. Domestic Airport: Airport also more than 100 km away from the tourist destination it is needed have domestic airports. Surfing Training: This will create more employment opportunities and generate good income. Among the tourists there are some people they love for surfing and keen to learn. Conduct Language Teaching: Language barrier should be overcome by conducting specially job oriented language training. Employ Combat Divers: Surfing is risky and adventure sport it dont take much time for some to happen therefore as precautionary measure it is needed some combat divers close to the surfing area it would enhance the confidence of people who do surfing. Proper Taxi Service: Taxi service should be reformed introducing good vehicles fixed with meter system and giving training for drivers. Improve Infrastructure Facilities: Infrastructure facilities such as Power, Highways, Railways, Airports, Ports, Water Supply, Telecommunications, Accommodations, and Recreational, Shopping and Banking to be improved. Awareness Programs: Tourists should be informed on specific social, cultural and religious environment programmed. GAD ALWIS SLE Maj STUDENT OFFICER -DSCSC

Let The Circle Be Unbroken :: essays research papers

Let the Circle be Unbroken   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When TJ gets a trial, the Logan children are very happy because they think he will not be killed. Mama and Papa disagree because the jury will be entirely white. Mr. Jaminson does and excellent job defending TJ. He had experiments, such as putting a black stocking over his hand and showing it to Mrs. Barnett. He also had strong evidence that TJ did not commit the crime. At the end, TJ was found guilty, mostly because of the jury’s prejudice. This part is a very crucial part of the novel because if TJ were not convicted, the Logan children would have not ridden up to strawberry and they would not have used the â€Å"white† bathrooms. This incident sets a sad tone for the rest of the novel. If TJ weren’t convicted, a majority of the rest of the book would deal with threats against TJ and how he deals with them. Maybe TJ would even get into more trouble with RW and Melvin. When Dube organizes a union with Mr. Wheeler and John Moses, they all came to Mr. Logan for help. They asked him if he could sign up all of the people in his area. Their goal is to get plantation workers 50 cents from sunup to sundown. It looked like Mr. Logan would go along with it until Mr. Wheeler blurts out that it would be a white and black union. Mr. Logan shows some resistance and never really lets Mr. Wheeler know if he would do it or not. This turning point is important because later on in the book the Logans go to a meeting about the union. After that, the night men ambush the next meeting (Logans don’t attend). Dube, who was at the meeting, comes knocking on the Logans door asking for help. If this event would have not taken place, the second union meeting would have not gotten ambushed and all of those people wouldn’t have gotten hurt. Dube wouldn’t have knocked on the Logans door asking for help. The meeting could have been a success and the plantation workers (a.k.a. sharecroppers) would get 50 cents a day for work. My opinion on this event is why even have meetings. The book did a very poor job explaining what Mr. Wheeler and John Moses talked about. In reality, would your pay get boosted from 4 cents a day to 50 cents a day especially in time of depression?

Correcting Librarian Stereotypes Essay -- Library Career Profession

What do picture when you think of librarians? Librarians are often stereotyped as being conservative, orderly, thorough, and passive (1, 2, 3)? Perhaps the best known librarian stereotype is the "spinsterly and authoritarian naysayer over-concerned with regulations and maintaining a hushed library environment" (4). But where do these stereotypes come from, and are they really true? Perhaps librarians' professional invisibility is to blame for some of the stereotypes. Most people think that everyone who works in libraries is a librarian, and that librarian duties consist mainly of shelving and checking out books (5, 6). Think again! Librarians are not usually involved in shelving and circulation responsibilities. Much of the work librarians do isn't visible to library users. And even a children's story time involves behind-the-scenes work and knowledge. The history of libraries and librarianship may also contribute to these stereotypes. Public libraries were often started to "improve" working people, and librarians often really were "goody two shoes" (7). But although they still take their social responsibilities seriously, the librarians (and libraries) of today are very different. Keep reading to find out what librarians really do and who they really are. But first, follow me on a technological history of librarians. Where did the original stereotype of librarians as bun-wearing "shush-ers" come from? Let's think low tech--before the days of advanced communication technology, ideas were spread through word of mouth and writing. So did these traditional images come from interactions with real librarians which were then communicated amongst people and accepted into our society's lore of the librar... ...w.outsights.com/systems/dikw/dikw.htm>. In "Module 3: Introduction to Information and Digital Representations." LIBR 500: Foundations of Information Technology, Web CT Reading, Mary Sue Stephenson. 22. Stephenson, Mary Sue. "Module 3: Introduction to Information and Digital Representations." LIBR 500: Foundations of Information Technology, Web CT Reading. 23. Rybash, John M., Paul A. Roodin, and William J. Hoyer. Adult Development and Aging, 3d ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 1995. 24. Scherdin, Mary Jane, and Anne Beaubien. "Shattering Our Stereotype: Librarians' New Image." Library Journal 12 (1 July 1995): 35-8. 25. Houdyshell, Mara, Patricia A. Robles, and Hua Yi. "What Were You Thinking: If You Could Choose Librarianship Again, Would You?" Information Outlook 3 (July 1999): 19-23.

Salvador Dali Essay -- Biographies Painter Artist Essays

Salvador Dali Salvador Dali, was born Salvador Felipe Jacinto Dali i Domenech at 8:45 a.m., Monday, 11 May 1904, in the small town, in the foothills of the Pyrenees, of Figueres, Spain, approximately sixteen miles from the French border in the principality of Catalonia. His parents supported his talent and built him his first studio, while he was still a child, in their summer home. Dali went on to attend the San Fernando Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid, Spain, was married to Gala Eluard in 1934 and died on 23 January 1989 in a hospital in the town he born. Dali did not limit himself to one particular style or medium. Beginning with his early impressionistic work going into his surrealistic works, for which he is best known, and ending in what is known as his classic period, it becomes apparent just how varied his styles and mediums are. He worked with oils, watercolors, drawings, sculptures, graphics and even movies. Dali held his first one-man show in Barcelona in 1925 where his talents were fir st recognized. He became internationally known when some of his paintings were shown in the Carnegie International Exhibition in Pittsburgh in 1928. The next year he joined the Paris Surrealist Group and began his love affair with Gala who became more than just his lover, she was his business manager, muse and greatest inspiration. Surrealism emerged from what was left of Dada in the early 1920’s and unlike Dada, a nihilistic movement, Surrealism held a promising and more positive view of art and because of this won many converts. It began as a literary movement in a Paris magazine. What they held in common was their belief in the importance of the unconscious mind and its manifestations, as was stressed by Freud. They believed that through the unconscious mind a plethora of artistic imagery would be unveiled. Both of these movements were also anti-establishment and they rejected the traditional Western Judeo-Christian beliefs and moral values and believed that reason and log ic had failed man’s quest for self-knowledge. The Surrealists differed from Dada in one other, ideological aspect. The Surrealists believed that man could indeed improve the human condition, the major difference between the two movements. A few years before his marriage to Gala in 1934, Dali emerged as a leader of the Surrealist Movement. Although Dali was intrigued with the Surrealist tech... ...n his childhood. This particular work is officially considered a work of surrealism but Dali’s shift from Surrealism through the very means that got him into surrealism, paranoiac-critical method, are apparent. Around the time Dali was working on his eighteen large canvases, he returned to his Catholic upbringing and renewed his vows with Gala in Spain. In 1974 Dali opened the Teatro Museo Dali in the town in which he grew up, Figueres. Gala died in 1982 and Dali’s health began to fail. There was later a fire in Gala’s castle in which Dali was severely and consequently his health deteriorated further. Two years later he had a pacemaker implanted and spent his life almost in total seclusion. On 23 January 1989, Salvador Felipe Jacinto Dali i Domenech died in a hospital in Figueres because of heart failure and respiratory complications. Works Cited Dali, Salvador. English translation by Haakon M. Chevalier. The Secret Life of Salvador Dali. New York, NY: 1942. De La Croix, Horst, Richard G. Tansey, Diane Kirkpatrick. Art Through The Ages. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Publishers; New York, NY: 1991. Moorhouse, Paul. Dali. Brompton Books Corporation; New York, NY: 1993.

Vampire Academy Chapter 18

EIGHTEEN I WOKE UP STARING AT the boring white ceiling of the clinic. A filtered light – soothing to Moroi patients – shone down on me. I felt strange, kind of disoriented, but I didn't hurt. â€Å"Rose.† The voice was like silk on my skin. Gentle. Rich. Turning my head, I met Dimitri's dark eyes. He sat in a chair beside the bed I lay on, his shoulder-length brown hair hanging forward and framing his face. â€Å"Hey,† I said, my voice coming out as a croak. â€Å"How do you feel?† â€Å"Weird. Kind of groggy.† â€Å"Dr. Olendzki gave you something for the pain – you seemed pretty bad when we brought you in.† â€Å"I don't remember that†¦How long have I been out?† â€Å"A few hours.† â€Å"Must have been strong. Must still be strong.† Some of the details came back. The bench. My ankle getting caught. I couldn't remember much after that. Feeling hot and cold and then hot again. Tentatively, I tried moving the toes on my healthy foot. â€Å"I don't hurt at all.† He shook his head. â€Å"No. Because you weren't seriously injured.† The sound of my ankle cracking came back to me. â€Å"Are you sure? I remember†¦the way it bent. No. Something must be broken.† I manage to sit up, so I could look at my ankle. â€Å"Or at least sprained.† He moved forward to stop me. â€Å"Be careful. Your ankle might be fine, but you're probably still a little out of it.† I carefully shifted to the edge of the bed and looked down. My jeans were rolled up. The ankle looked a little red, but I had no bruises or serious marks. â€Å"God, I got lucky. If I'd hurt it, it would have put me out of practice for a while.† Smiling, he returned to his chair. â€Å"I know. You kept telling me that while I was carrying you. You were very upset.† â€Å"You†¦you carried me here?† â€Å"After we broke the bench apart and freed your foot.† Man. I'd missed out on a lot. The only thing better than imagining Dimitri carrying me in his arms was imagining him shirtless while carrying me in his arms. Then the reality of the situation hit me. â€Å"I was taken down by a bench,† I groaned. â€Å"What?† â€Å"I survived the whole day guarding Lissa, and you guys said I did a good job. Then, I get back here and meet my downfall in the form of a bench.† Ugh. â€Å"Do you know how embarrassing it is? And all those guys saw, too.† â€Å"It wasn't your fault,† he said. â€Å"No one knew the bench was rotted. It looked fine.† â€Å"Still. I should have just stuck to the sidewalk like a normal person. The other novices are going to give me shit when I get back.† His lips held back a smile. â€Å"Maybe presents will cheer you up.† I sat up straighter. â€Å"Presents?† The smile escaped, and he handed me a small box with a piece of paper. â€Å"This is from Prince Victor.† Surprised that Victor would have given me anything, I read the note. It was just a few lines, hastily scrawled in pen. Rose – I'm very happy to see you didn't suffer any serious injuries from your fall. Truly, it is a miracle. You lead a charmed life, and Vasilisa is lucky to have you. â€Å"That's nice of him,† I said, opening the box. Then I saw what was inside. â€Å"Whoa. Very nice.† It was the rose necklace, the one Lissa had wanted to get me but couldn't afford. I held it up, looping its chain over my hand so the glittering, diamond-covered rose hung free. â€Å"This is pretty extreme for a get-well present,† I noted, recalling the price. â€Å"He actually bought it in honor of you doing so well on your first day as an official guardian. He saw you and Lissa looking at it.† â€Å"Wow.† It was all I could say. â€Å"I don't think I did that good of a job.† â€Å"I do.† Grinning, I placed the necklace back in the box and set it on a nearby table. â€Å"You did say ? ®presents,' right? Like more than one?† He laughed outright, and the sound wrapped around me like a caress. God, I loved the sound of his laugh. â€Å"This is from me.† He handed me a small, plain bag. Puzzled and excited, I opened it up. Lip gloss, the kind I liked. I'd complained to him a number of times how I was running out, but I'd never thought he was paying attention. â€Å"How'd you manage to buy this? I saw you the whole time at the mall.† â€Å"Guardian secrets.† â€Å"What's this for? For my first day?† â€Å"No,† he said simply. â€Å"Because I thought it would make you happy.† Without even thinking about it, I leaned forward and hugged him. â€Å"Thank you.† Judging from his stiff posture, I'd clearly caught him by surprise. And yeah†¦I'd actually caught myself by surprise, too. But he relaxed a few moments later, and when he reached around and rested his hands on my lower back, I thought I was going to die. â€Å"I'm glad you're better,† he said. His mouth sounded like it was almost in my hair, just above my ear. â€Å"When I saw you fall†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You thought, ? ®Wow, she's a loser.' â€Å" â€Å"That's not what I thought.† He pulled back slightly, so he could see me better, but we didn't say anything. His eyes were so dark and deep that I wanted to dive right in. Staring at them made me feel warm all over, like they had flames inside. Slowly, carefully, those long fingers of his reached out and traced the edge of my cheekbone, moving up the side of my face. At the first touch of his skin on mine, I shivered. He wound a lock of my hair around one finger, just like he had in the gym. Swallowing, I dragged my eyes up from his lips. I'd been contemplating what it'd be like to kiss him. The thought both excited and scared me, which was stupid. I'd kissed a lot of guys and never thought much about it. No reason another one – even an older one – should be that big of a deal. Yet the thought of him closing the distance and bringing his lips to mine made the world start spinning. A soft knock sounded at the door, and I hastily leaned back. Dr. Olendzki stuck her head in. â€Å"I thought I heard you talking. How do you feel?† She walked over and made me lie back down. Touching and bending my ankle, she assessed it for damage and finally shook her head when finished. â€Å"You're lucky. With all the noise you made coming in here, I thought your foot had been amputated. Must have just been shock.† She stepped back. â€Å"I'd feel better if you sat out from your normal trainings tomorrow, but otherwise, you're good to go.† I breathed a sigh of relief. I didn't remember my hysteria – and was actually kind of embarrassed that I'd thrown such a fit – but I had been right about the problems this would have caused me if I'd broken or sprained it. I couldn't afford to lose any time here; I needed to take my trials and graduate in the spring. Dr. Olendzki gave me the okay to go and then left the room. Dimitri walked over to another chair and brought me my shoes and coat. Looking at him, I felt a warm flush sweep me as I recalled what had happened before the doctor had entered. He watched as I slipped one of the shoes on. â€Å"You have a guardian angel.† â€Å"I don't believe in angels,† I told him. â€Å"I believe in what I can do for myself.† â€Å"Well then, you have an amazing body.† I glanced up at him with a questioning look. â€Å"For healing, I mean. I heard about the accident†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He didn't specify which accident it was, but it could be only one. Talking about it normally bothered me, but with him, I felt I could say anything. â€Å"Everyone said I shouldn't have survived,† I explained. â€Å"Because of where I sat and the way the car hit the tree. Lissa was really the only one in a secure spot. She and I walked away with only a few scratches.† â€Å"And you don't believe in angels or miracles.† â€Å"Nope. I – â€Å" Truly, it is a miracle. You lead a charmed life†¦. And just like that, a million thoughts came slamming into my head. Maybe†¦maybe I had a guardian angel after all†¦ Dimitri immediately noticed the shift in my feelings. â€Å"What's wrong?† Reaching out with my mind, I tried to expand the bond and shake off the lingering effects of the pain medication. Some more of Lissa's feelings came through to me. Anxious. Upset. â€Å"Where's Lissa? Was she here?† â€Å"I don't know where she is. She wouldn't leave your side while I brought you in. She stayed right next the bed, right up until the doctor came in. You calmed down when she sat next to you.† I closed my eyes and felt like I might faint. I had calmed down when Lissa sat next to me because she'd taken the pain away. She'd healed me†¦ Just as she had the night of the accident. It all made sense now. I shouldn't have survived. Everyone had said so. Who knew what kind of injuries I'd actually suffered? Internal bleeding. Broken bones. It didn't matter because Lissa had fixed it, just like she'd fixed everything else. That was why she'd been leaning over me when I woke up. It was also probably why she'd passed out when they took her to the hospital. She'd been exhausted for days afterward. And that was when her depression had begun. It had seemed like a normal reaction after losing her family, but now I wondered if there was more to it, if healing me had played a role. Opening my mind again, I reached out to her, needing to find her. If she'd healed me, there was no telling what shape she could be in now. Her moods and magic were linked, and this had been a pretty intense show of magic. The drug was almost gone from my system, and like that, I snapped into her. It was almost easy now. A tidal wave of emotions hit me, worse than when her nightmares engulfed me. I'd never felt such intensity from her before. She sat in the chapel's attic, crying. She didn't entirely know why she was crying either. She felt happy and relieved that I'd been unharmed, that she'd been able to heal me. At the same time, she felt weak in both body and mind. She burned inside, like she'd lost part of herself. She worried I'd be mad because she'd used her powers. She dreaded going through another school day tomorrow, pretending she liked being with a crowd who had no other interests aside from spending their families' money and making fun of those less beautiful and less popular. She didn't want to go to the dance with Aaron and see him watch her so adoringly – and feel him touching her – when she felt only friendship for him. Most of these were all normal concerns, but they hit her hard, harder than they would an ordinary person, I thought. She couldn't sort through them or figure out how to fix them. â€Å"You okay?† She looked up and brushed the hair away from where it stuck to her wet cheeks. Christian stood in the entrance to the attic. She hadn't even heard him come up the stairs. She'd been too lost in her own grief. A flicker of both longing and anger sparked within her. â€Å"I'm fine,† she snapped. Sniffling, she tried to stop her tears, not wanting him to see her weak. Leaning against the wall, he crossed his arms and wore an unreadable expression. â€Å"Do†¦do you want to talk?† â€Å"Oh†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She laughed harshly. â€Å"You want to talk now? After I tried so many times – â€Å" â€Å"I didn't want that! That was Rose – â€Å" He cut himself off and I flinched. I was totally busted. Lissa stood up and strode toward him. â€Å"What about Rose?† â€Å"Nothing.† His mask of indifference slipped back into place. â€Å"Forget it.† â€Å"What about Rose?† She stepped closer. Even through her anger, she still felt that inexplicable attraction to him. And then she understood. â€Å"She made you, didn't she? She told you to stop talking to me?† He stared stonily ahead. â€Å"It was probably for the best. I would have just messed things up for you. You wouldn't be where you are now.† â€Å"What's that supposed to mean?† â€Å"What do you think it means? God. People live or die at your command now, Your Highness.† â€Å"You're being kind of melodramatic.† â€Å"Am I? All day, I hear people talking about what you're doing and what you're thinking and what you're wearing. Whether you'll approve. Who you like. Who you hate. They're your puppets.† â€Å"It's not like that. Besides, I had to do it. To get back at Mia†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Rolling his eyes, he looked away from her. â€Å"You don't even know what you're getting back at her for.† Lissa's anger flared. â€Å"She set up Jesse and Ralf to say those things about Rose! I couldn't let her get away with that.† â€Å"Rose is tough. She would have gotten over it.† â€Å"You didn't see her,† she replied obstinately. â€Å"She was crying.† â€Å"So? People cry. You're crying.† â€Å"Not Rose.† He turned back to her, a dark smile curling his lips. â€Å"I've never seen anything like you two. Always so worried about each other. I get her thing – some kind of weird guardian hang-up – but you're just the same.† â€Å"She's my friend.† â€Å"I guess it's that simple. I wouldn't know.† He sighed, momentarily thoughtful, then snapped back to sarcastic mode. â€Å"Anyway. Mia. So you got back at her over what she did to Rose. But you're missing the point. Why did she do it?† Lissa frowned. â€Å"Because she was jealous about me and Aaron – â€Å" â€Å"More to it than that, Princess. What did she have to be jealous about? She already had him. She didn't need to attack you to drive that home. She could have just made a big show of being all over him. Sort of like you are now,† he added wryly. â€Å"Okay. What else is there, then? Why did she want to ruin my life? I never did anything to her – before all this, I mean.† He leaned forward, crystal-blue eyes boring into hers. â€Å"You're right. You didn't – but your brother did.† Lissa pulled away from him. â€Å"You don't know anything about my brother.† â€Å"I know he screwed Mia over. Literally.† â€Å"Stop it, stop lying.† â€Å"I'm not. Swear to God or whoever else you want to believe in. I used to talk to Mia now and then, back when she was a freshman. She wasn't very popular, but she was smart. Still is. She used to work on a lot of committees with royals – dances and stuff. I don't know all of it. But she got to know your brother on one of those, and they sort of got together.† â€Å"They did not. I would have known. Andre would have told me.† â€Å"Nope. He didn't tell anyone. He told her not to either. He convinced her it should be some kind of romantic secret when really, he just didn't want any of his friends to find out he was getting naked with a non-royal freshman.† â€Å"If Mia told you that, she was making it up,† exclaimed Lissa. â€Å"Yeah, well, I don't think she was making it up when I saw her crying. He got tired of her after a few weeks and dumped her. Told her she was too young and that he couldn't really get serious with someone who wasn't from a good family. From what I understand, he wasn't even nice about it either – didn't even bother with the ? ®let's be friends' stuff.† Lissa pushed herself into Christian's face. â€Å"You didn't even know Andre! He would never have done that.† â€Å"You didn't know him. I'm sure he was nice to his baby sister; I'm sure he loved you. But in school, with his friends, he was just as much of a jerk as the rest of the royals. I saw him because I see everything. Easy when no one notices you.† She held back a sob, unsure whether to believe him or not. â€Å"So this is why Mia hates me?† â€Å"Yup. She hates you because of him. That, and because you're royal and she's insecure around all royals, which is why she worked so hard to claw up the ranks and be their friend. I think it's a coincidence that she ended up with your ex-boyfriend, but now that you're back, that probably made it worse. Between stealing him and spreading those stories about her parents, you guys really picked the best ways to make her suffer. Nice work.† The smallest pang of guilt lurched inside of her. â€Å"I still think you're lying.† â€Å"I'm a lot of things, but I'm not a liar. That's your department. And Rose's.† â€Å"We don't – â€Å" â€Å"Exaggerate stories about people's families? Say that you hate me? Pretend to be friends with people you think are stupid? Date a guy you don't like?† â€Å"I like him.† â€Å"Like or like?† â€Å"Oh, there's a difference?† â€Å"Yes. Like is when you date a big, blond moron and laugh at his stupid jokes.† Then, out of nowhere, he leaned forward and kissed her. It was hot and fast and furious, an outpouring of the rage and passion and longing that Christian always kept locked inside of him. Lissa had never been kissed like that, and I felt her respond to it, respond to him – how he made her feel so much more alive than Aaron or anyone else could. Christian pulled back from the kiss but still kept his face next to hers. â€Å"That's what you do with someone you like.† Lissa's heart pounded with both anger and desire. â€Å"Well, I don't like or like you. And I think you and Mia are both lying about Andre. Aaron would never make up anything like that.† â€Å"That's because Aaron doesn't say anything that requires words of more than one syllable.† She pulled away. â€Å"Get out. Get away from me.† He looked around comically. â€Å"You can't throw me out. We both signed the lease.† â€Å"Get. Out!† she yelled. â€Å"I hate you!† He bowed. â€Å"Anything you want, Your Highness.† With a final dark look, he left the attic. Lissa sank to her knees, letting out the tears she'd held back from him. I could barely make sense out of all the things hurting her. God only knew things upset me – like the Jesse incident – but they didn't attack me in the same way. They swirled within her, beating at her brain. The stories about Andre. Mia's hate. Christian's kiss. Healing me. This, I realized, was what real depression felt like. What madness felt like. Overcome, drowning in her own pain, Lissa made the only decision she could. The only thing she could do to channel all of these emotions. She opened up her purse and found the tiny razor blade she always carried†¦ Sickened, yet unable to break away, I felt as she cut her left arm, making perfectly even marks, watching as the blood flowed across her white skin. As always, she avoided veins, but her cuts were deeper this time. The cutting stung horribly, yet in doing it, she was able to focus on the physical pain, distract herself from the mental anguish so that she could feel like she was in control. Drops of blood splattered onto the dusty floor, and her world began spinning. Seeing her own blood intrigued her. She had taken blood from others her entire life. Me. The feeders. Now, here it was, leaking out. With a nervous giggle, she decided it was funny. Maybe by letting it out, she was giving it back to those she'd stolen it from. Or maybe she was wasting it, wasting the sacred Dragomir blood that everyone obsessed over. I'd forced my way into her head, and now I couldn't get out. Her emotions had ensnared me now – they were too strong and too powerful. But I had to escape – I knew it with every ounce of my being. I had to stop her. She was too weak from the healing to lose this much blood. It was time to tell someone. Breaking out at last, I found myself back in the clinic. Dimitri's hands were on me, gently shaking me as he said my name over and over in an effort to get my attention. Dr. Olendzki stood beside him, face dark and concerned. I stared at Dimitri, truly seeing how much he worried and cared about me. Christian had told me to get help, to go to someone I trusted about Lissa. I'd ignored the advice because I didn't trust anyone except her. But looking at Dimitri now, feeling that sense of understanding we shared, I knew that I did trust someone else. I felt my voice crack as I spoke. â€Å"I know where she is. Lissa. We have to help her.†