The Return: Nightfall Chapter 38

Bonnie knew that she was going to die. She had had a clear premonition of it just before thosethings – the trees that moved like humans, with their hideous faces and their thick, knotted arms – had surrounded the little band of humans in the Old Wood. She had heard the howl of the black weir dog, turned, and just caught a glimpse of one vanishing in the glare of her flashlight. The dogs had a long history in Bonnie's family: when one of them howled, a death was soon to come. She'd guessed then that it would be hers. But she hadn't said anything, even when Dr. Alpert had said, â€Å"What in the name ofheaven wasthat ?† Bonnie was practicing being brave. Meredith and Matt were brave. It was something built into them, an ability to keep going when any sane person would run away and hide. They both putthe group's good ahead of their own. And of course Dr. Alpert was brave, not to mention strong, and Mrs. Flowers seemed to have decided that the teenagers were her own special charges to take care of. Bonnie had wanted to show that she could be brave, too. She was practicing holding her head up and listening for things in the bushes, while simultaneously listening with her psychic senses for any sign of Elena. It was hard to juggle the two kinds of hearing. There was a lot to hear with her real ears; all kinds of quiet chucklings and whisperings from the bushes that didn't belong there. But from Elena there wasn't a sound, not even when Bonnie called her name over and over:Elena, Elena, Elena! She's human again, Bonnie had realized sadly, at last. She can't hear me or make contact. Out of all of us, she's the only one who didn't miraculously escape. And it was then that the first of the Tree-Men loomed up in front of the group of searchers. Like something out of a nursery-tale nightmare, it was a tree and then – suddenly – it was athing , a treelike giant that suddenly moved swiftly toward them, its upper branches bunching together to become long arms, and then everyone was screaming and trying to get away from it. Bonnie would never forget how Matt and Meredith had tried to help her run then. The Tree-Man wasn't fast. But when they turned and ran from it they found that there was another one behind them. And more to the right and the left. They were surrounded. And then, like cattle, like slaves, they were herded. Any of them that tried to resist the trees were slapped and cuffed by hard and sharp-thorned branches, and then, with a lithe branch wound around the neck, weredragged . They'd been caught – but they hadn't been killed. Instead they were being taken somewhere. It wasn't hard to imagine why: in fact Bonnie could imagine a whole lot of different whys. It was just a matter of picking which was the scariest. In the end, after what seemed like hours of forced walking, Bonnie began to recognize things. They were going back to the boardinghouse again. Or rather, they were going back to thereal boardinghouse for the first time. Caroline's car was outside. The house was again lit from top to bottom, but there were dark windows here and there. And their captors were waiting for them. And now, after her outburst of weeping and pleading, she was trying to be brave once more. When that boy with the strange hair had said that she would be the first, she'd understood exactly what he meant, and how she was going to die – and suddenly she wasn't brave at all – inside. But she wouldn't scream again. She could just see the widow's walk, and the sinister figures on it, but Damon hadlaughed when the Tree-Men had begun to pluck her clothes off. Now he waslaughing as Meredith held the garden shears. She wouldn't beg him again, not when it wouldn't make any difference anyway. And now she was on her back, with her arms and legs tied so she was helpless, clothed in strips and rags. She wanted them to kill her first, so she wouldn't have to watch Meredith cut her own tongue to pieces. Just as she felt a last scream of fury welling up inside her like a snake climbing a pole, she had seen Elena high above her in a white pine tree. â€Å"Wings of the Wind,†Elena whispered as the ground rushed up toward her, very fast. The wings unfolded instantly from somewhere inside Elena. They weren't real, they spanned some forty feet and were made of golden gossamer, the color ranging from deepest Baltic amber at her back to ethereal pale citrine at the tips. They were almost still, barely rising and falling, but they held her up, the wind rushing under them, and they got her to exactly where she needed to go. Not to Bonnie. That was what they would all be expecting. From her height, she just might be able to snatch Bonnie free, but she had no idea how to cut Bonnie's bonds or whether she could lift off again. Instead Elena swerved toward the widow's walk at the last moment, snatched the pruning shears out of Meredith's upraised hand, and then caught a handful of long, silky black-and-scarlet hair. Misao shrieked.And then†¦ Thatwas when Elena really needed some belief. So far she had really just been gliding, not flying. But now she needed uplift; she needed the wings towork†¦and once again, although there was no time, she was with Stefan, and feeling†¦ †¦the first time she had kissed him. Other girls might have waited until it was the other way around, letting the boy take the lead, but not Elena. Besides, at first Stefan had thought that all kissing meant was seducing prey†¦. †¦the first timehe had kissed her, understanding that it wasn't a predatory relationship†¦ And now she needed toreally fly†¦. I know I can†¦. But Misao was just so heavy – and Elena's memory was faltering. The great golden wings trembled and became still. Shinichi was trying to climb a creeper to get to her, and Damon was holding Meredith motionless. And, too late, Elena realized that it wasn't going to work. She was alone, and she couldn't fight this way. Not against so many. She was alone, and pain that made her want to shriek was lancing through her back. Misao was somehow making herself heavier, and in another minute she would be too heavy for Elena's trembling wings to hold up. She was alone, and like the rest of the humans, she was going to die – And then, through the agony that was causing fine sweat to break out all over her body, she heard Stefan's voice. â€Å"Elena! Let go! Fall and I'll catch you!† How strange, Elena thought, as if in a dream. His love and panic had distorted his voice somehow – making him sound different. Making him sound almost like – â€Å"Elena! I'mwith you!† – like Damon. Shaken out of her dream, Elena looked below her. And there was Damon, standing protectively in front of Meredith, looking up at her, with his arms held out. He was with her. â€Å"Meredith,† he went on, â€Å"girl, this is no time to be sleepwalking! Your friend needs you!Elena needs you!† Slowly, dully, Meredith turned her face up. And Elena saw life and animation restored to it as her eyes focused on the trembling of the great golden wings. â€Å"Elena!† she shouted, â€Å"I'm with you! Elena!† How did she know to say that? The answer was – that she was Meredith – and Meredith always knew what to say. And now the cry was being taken up by another voice: Matt's. â€Å"Elena!† he shouted, in a sort of acclamation. â€Å"I'm with you, Elena!† And Dr. Alpert's deep voice: â€Å"Elena! I'm with you, Elena!† And Mrs. Flowers, surprisingly strong: â€Å"Elena! I'm with you, Elena!† And even poor Bonnie: â€Å"Elena!We're with you, Elena!† While deep in her heart, the real Stefan whispered, â€Å"I'm with you, my angel.† â€Å"We're all with you, Elena!† She didn't drop Misao. It was as if the great golden wings had caught an updraft; in fact, they almost lifted her straight up, out of control – but somehow she managed to keep herself steady. She was still looking down and she saw the tears spill from her eyes and fall toward Damon's outstretched arms. Elena didn't know why she was crying, but part of it was sorrow for ever having doubted him. Because Damon wasn't just on her side. Unless she was wrong, he was willing to die for her – was courting death for her. He threw himself into the entangling creepers and vines, all reaching for Meredith or for Elena. It had only taken an instant to get hold of Misao, but Shinichi was already leaping toward Elena, in fox form, lips drawn back, aiming to tear her throat out. These were no ordinary foxes. Shinichi was almost as big as a wolf – certainly the size of a large dog – and as vicious as a wolverine. Meanwhile the entire widow's walk burst into a maze of vines, creepers, and fibrous tendrils, and Shinichi was beinglifted by them. Elena didn't know which way to dodge. She needed time, and she needed a clear shot out of here. All Caroline was doing was screaming. And then Elena saw her opening. A gap in the creepers that she threw herself at, knowing in her subconscious that she was throwing herself over the railing as well, and somehow keeping her hold on Misao's hair. In fact, it must have been an extremely painful experience for the female kitsune as she swung back and forth like a pendulum below Elena. The one glance Elena was able to give over her shoulder showed Damon, still moving faster than anything Elena had ever seen. He had Meredith in his arms now and was hurrying her through a gap that led to the cupula door. As soon as she stepped in, she appeared down on the ground and ran toward the altar where Bonnie was lying, only to slam into one of the Tree-Men. For a moment, as Damon glanced toward Elena, their gazes met and something electric passed between them. It made Elena tingle all over, that look did. Then she refocused: Caroline was screaming again; Misao was using her whip to get a grip on Elena's leg and was calling on Tree-Men to give her a lift. Elena needed to fly higher. She had no idea how she was controlling her golden gossamer wings, but nothing seemed to snarl them; and they obeyed her slightest whim as though she had always had them. The great trick was to not think ofhow to get somewhere, but just to imagine being there. On the other hand, the Tree-Men were growing. It was like some childhood nightmare of giants, and at first it made Elena feel that it was she who was shrinking. But the hideous creatures were actually overtopping the house now, and their upper, snake-like branches slashed into her legs while Misao lashed out with her whip. Elena's jeans were in shreds now. She swallowed a cry of pain. I have to fly higher. I can do it. I'm going to save you all. Ibelieve. Faster than the swoop of a hummingbird, she was darting up in the clear air again, still holding Misao by her long black-and-red hair. And Misao was screaming, screams that Shinichi echoed even as he fought with Damon. And then, just as she and Damon had planned, just as she and Damon hadhoped , Misao turned into her true form and Elena was holding a large and heavy, writhing vixen by the scruff of its neck. There was a difficult moment while Elena got the balance right. She had to remember that there was more weight in back because Misao had six tails and was heaviest where a real fox would be lightest. By then she had swooped back to her perch in the tree, and she stood there, able to look down on the scene below, the Tree-Men too slow to keep up. The plan had gone perfectly, except that Damon, of all people, had forgotten what he was supposed to be doing. Far from retreating into possession, he had fooled Shinichi and Misao beautifully – and Elena, too. Now, according to their plan he was supposed to be taking care of any innocent bystanders, letting Elena lure Shinichi on. Instead something inside him seemed to have snapped; and he was methodically beating the human-shaped Shinichi's head against the house, shouting: â€Å"Damn†¦you! Where†¦is†¦my†¦brother?† â€Å"I – could kill you – right now – † Shinichi shouted back, but he was short of breath. He wasn't finding Damon an easy opponent. â€Å"Do it!† Damon returned immediately. â€Å"And then she† – pointing to the perching Elena – â€Å"will cut your sister's throat!† Shinichi's contempt was scathing. â€Å"You expect me to believe that a girl with an aura likethat willkill – â€Å" There comes a time when you have to make a stand. And for Elena, blazing with defiance and glory, this was that time. She took a deep breath, begged the Universe's forgiveness, and leaned down, positioning the pruning shears. Then she squeezed as hard as she could. And a red-tipped black vixen's tail fell twisting to the ground, while Misao shrieked in pain and rage. As the tail fell it writhed, and it lay in the middle of the clearing, squirming like a snake that wasn't quite defeated yet. Then it became transparent and faded away. That was when Shinichi really screamed, â€Å"Do you know what you've done, you ignorant bitch? I'll bring this place down on top of you! I'll tear you apart!† â€Å"Oh, yes, of course you will. But first,† Damon spoke each word deliberately, â€Å"you have to get past me.† Elena barely registered their words. It hadn't been easy for her to squeeze those shears. It had meant thinking about Meredith with the shears in her own hands, and Bonnie lying on the altar, and Matt, earlier, writhing on the ground. And Mrs. Flowers, and the three lost little girls, and Isobel and – a great deal – about Stefan. But as for the first time in her life she drew another's blood with her own hands, she had a sudden strange sense of responsibility – of newaccountability . As if an icy wind had blown her hair back sharply and said into her frozen, gasping face:Never without reason. Never without necessity. Never unless there's no other solution available. Elena felt something inside her grow up, all at once. Too fast to say good-bye to childhood, she had become a warrior. â€Å"You all thought I couldn't fight,† she called to the assembled group. â€Å"You were wrong. You thought I was powerless. You were wrong there, too. And I'll use the last drop of my Power in this fight, because you twins are real monsters. No, you're – abominations. And if I die I'll rest with Honoria Fell, and I'll watch over Fell's Church again.† Fell's Church will rot and die writhing with maggots, a voice near her ear said, and it was a deep bass voice, nothing like Misao's shrill screaming. Elena knew even as she turned that it was the white pine tree. A hard scaly bough, laden with those serrated, resin-sticky needles, slammed into her midriff, throwing her off balance – and making her involuntarily open her hands. Misao promptly escaped, and burrowed into the Christmas-tree-like branches. â€Å"Bad†¦trees†¦go†¦to†¦Hell,† Elena cried, throwing her entire body weight into digging the shears she held into the base of the branch that had tried to crush her. It tried to pull away, and she twisted the shears in the wounded dark bark, relieved when a large piece fell off, with only a long string of resin left to show where it had been. Then she looked for Misao. The fox wasn't finding it as easy as she might have thought, navigating a tree. Elena looked at the cluster of tails. Strangely, there was no stump, no blood, no sign that the fox had been injured. Was that why she wasn't turning human? The loss of a tail? Even if she were naked when she changed back to her human self – as some stories of werewolves had it – she'd be in better condition to climb down. Because Misao seemed finally to have chosen the slow but sure method of descent – to have branch after branch take hold of her fox body and pass it down to the next. Which meant she was only about ten feet below Elena. And all Elena had to do was to coast over the needles down to her and then – by wings or other means – stop. If she believed in her wings. If the tree didn't throw her off. â€Å"You're too slow,† Elena shouted. Then she began the coast to overcome the distance – not far in human body-lengths – to her goal. Until she saw Bonnie. Bonnie's slight body was still lying on the altar, pale and cold-looking. But nowfour of the hideous Tree-Men had hold of her, one at each hand and one at each foot. They were already pulling so hard that she was lifted up into the air. And Bonnie was awake. But not screaming. Not making a noise to attract attention to herself; and Elena realized with a rush of love and horror and desperation thatthat was why she hadn't been making a fuss before. She wanted the major players here to fight their fight without the bother of rescuing her. The Tree-Men leaned back. Bonnie's face contorted in agony. Elenahad to get to Misao. Sheneeded the double fox key to free Stefan, and the only people who could tell her where it was were Misao and Shinichi. She looked up at the darkness above and noticed that it seemed a little less dark than when she had last seen it, the sky a dark swirling gray instead of dead black – but there was no help there. She looked down. Misao, making a little better time with her escape. If Elena let her get away†¦Stefan was her love. But Bonnie – Bonnie was her friend – ever since childhood†¦. And then she saw Plan B. Damon was fighting Shinichi – or trying. But Shinichi was always an easy centimeter away from where Damon's fist was. Shinichi's fists, on the other hand, always connected solidly with their targets, and right now Damon's face was a bloody mask. â€Å"Use wood!†Misao was coaching in a shriek, her childlike manner having suddenly vanished. â€Å"You men, youidiots, all you think of is yourfists !† Shinichi broke a pillar support from the widow's walk one-handed, showing his true strength. Damon smiled beatifically. He was, Elena knew, going to enjoy this, even though it meant all the many little wounds those wooden splinters would entail. It was in the middle of this that Elena shouted, â€Å"Damon, look down!† Her voice seemed weak over the cacophony of shrieks and sobs and screams of fury all around. â€Å"Damon! Look down – atBonnie !† Nothing so far had been able to break Damon's concentration – he seemed determined to find out where Stefan was being kept – or to kill Shinichi trying. Now, to Elena's slight surprise, Damon's head jerked around immediately. He looked down. â€Å"A cage,† shouted Shinichi. â€Å"Build me a cage.† And tree branches leaned in from all sides to pin him and Damon into their own little world, a lattice to keep them contained. The Tree-Men leaned back farther. And despite herself, Bonnie screamed. â€Å"You see?† laughed Shinichi. â€Å"Each of your friends will die in that agony or worse. One by one, we will take you!† That was when Damon really seemed to go crazy. He began moving like quicksilver, like a leaping flame, like some animal with reflexes far faster than Shinichi's. Now there was a sword in his hand, undoubtedly conjured up by the magical housekey, and the sword slashed through the branches even as the branches reached out to trap him. And then he was airborne, leaping over the railing for the second time that night. This time Damon's balance was perfect, and far from breaking bones, he made a graceful, catlike landing just beside Bonnie. And then his sword was flashing in an arc, sweeping all around Bonnie, and the tough, fingerlike tips of the branches that held her were cut cleanly away. A moment later, Bonnie was being lifted, being held by Damon as he leaped easily off the rough-hewn altar and was lost in the shadows near the house. Elena let out the breath she'd been holding and turned back to her own affairs. But her heart was beating more strongly and faster, with joy and with pride and with gratitude, as she slid down the painful, cutting-edged needles, and almost flashed past Misao, who was being whisked out of her way – not quite in time. She got a good grip on the nape of the fox's neck. Misao keened a strange animal lament and sank her teeth into Elena's hand so hard that it felt as if they were going to meet. Elena bit her lip until she felt blood come, trying not to scream. Be crushed, and die, and turn to loam,the tree said in Elena's ear.Your kind can feed my kin for once. The voice was ancient, malevolent and very, very frightening. Elena's legs reacted without pausing to consult her mind. They pushed off hard and then the golden butterfly wings unfurled again, not beating but undulating, holding Elena steady above the altar. She pulled the snarling vixen's muzzle up – not too close – to her own face. â€Å"Where are the two pieces of the fox key?† she demanded. â€Å"Tell me or I'll take off another tail. Iswear I will. Don't fool yourself – it's not just your pride that you're losing, is it? Your tails are your Power. What would it feel like to have none at all?† â€Å"Like being a human – exceptyou , you freak.† Now Misao was laughing again in her panting-dog way, her fox ears flat to her head. â€Å"Just answer the question!† â€Å"As if you would understand the answers I could give. If I told you that one was inside the silver nightingale's instrument, would that give you any kind of idea?† â€Å"It might if you explained it a little more clearly!† â€Å"If I told you that one was buried in Blodwedd's ballroom, would you be able to find it?† Again the panting grin as the fox gave clues that led nowhere – or everywhere. â€Å"Are those your answers?† â€Å"No!†Misao shrieked suddenly and kicked with her feet, as if they were dog's legs scrabbling in the dirt. Except that the dirt was Elena's midriff, and the scrabbling legs felt as if they might well puncture her entrails. She felt her camisole tear. â€Å"I told you; I'm not playing around here!† Elena cried. She lifted the vixen with her left arm, even though it ached with tiredness. With her right hand, she positioned the shears. â€Å"Where is the first part of the key?† Elena demanded. â€Å"Search for yourself! You only have the whole world to look through, and every thicket besides.† The fox went for her throat again, white teeth actually scoring Elena's flesh. Elena forced that arm to hold Misao higher. â€Å"I warned you, so don't say that I didn't or that you have any reason to complain!† She squeezed the shears. Misao gave a squeal that was almost lost in the general commotion. Elena, feeling more and more tired, said, â€Å"You're a complete liar, aren't you? Look down if you want. I didn't cut anywhere close to you. You just heard the shears click and screamed.† Misao very nearly got a claw into Elena's eye. Oh, well. Now, for Elena, there were no more moral or ethical issues. She wasn't causing pain, she was simply draining Power. The shears wentsnap, snap, snap , and Misao screamed and cursed her, but below them the Tree-Men were shrinking. â€Å"Where is the first part of the key?† â€Å"Let me go and I'll tell.† Suddenly Misao's voice was less shrill. â€Å"On your honor – if you can say that without laughing?† â€Å"On my honor and my word as a kitsune. Please! You can't leave a fox without a real tail! That's why the ones you cut didn't hurt. They're badges of honor. But my real tail is in the middle, it's tipped with white, and if you cut me there; you'll see blood and it will leave a stump.† Misao seemed thoroughly cowed, thoroughly ready to cooperate. Elena knew about judging people and intuition, and both her mind and her heart were telling her not to trust this creature. But she wanted so much to believe, to hope†¦. Making a slow curving descent so that the vixen was close to the ground – she would not give in to the temptation to drop her from sixty feet up – Elena said, â€Å"Well? On you honor, what are the answers?† Six Tree-Men came to life around her and plunged at her, with greedy, grasping finger branches. But Elena wasn't taken completely off guard. She hadn't let go of her grip on Misao; only slackened it. Now she tightened the grip again. A wave of strength buoyed her so that she lifted fast and swept by the widow's walk and a furious Shinichi and weeping Caroline. Then Elena met Damon's eyes. They were filled with hot, fierce pride in her. She was filled with hot, fierce passion. â€Å"I am not an angel,† she announced to any of the group who hadn't quite managed to grasp this yet. â€Å"I am not an angel and I am not a spirit. I'm Elena Gilbert and I've been to the Other Side. And right now I'm ready to do whatever needs to be done, which seems to include kicking some ass!† There was a clamor below that at first she couldn't identify. Then she realized it was the others – it was her friends. Mrs. Flowers and Dr. Alpert, Matt and even wild Isobel. They were cheering – and they were visible because suddenly the backyard was in daylight. Am I doing that? Elena wondered, and realized that somehow she was. She was lighting up the clearing in which Mrs. Flowers' house stood, while leaving the woods around dark. Maybe I can extend it, she thought. Make the Old Wood into something younger and less evil. If she had been more experienced, she would never have attempted it. But right here and right now she felt that she could take anything on. She looked at the four directions of the Old Wood around her quickly, and she cried, â€Å"Wings of Purification!† and watched the huge, frosty, iridescent butterfly wings spread high and wide, and then wider, and then spread some more. She was aware of a silence, of being so enrapt in something she was doing that even Misao's struggles didn't matter. It was a silence that reminded her of something: of all the most beautiful strains of music coming together into one, single, powerful chord. And then the Power blasted out from her – not destructive Power like that Damon had sent many times, but a Power of renewal, of springtime, of love, youth, and purification. And she watched as the light spread farther and farther, and the trees grew smaller and more familiar, with more clearings in between thickets. Thorns and hanging creepers disappeared. On the ground, spreading out like a circle expanding, flowers of all colors bloomed, sweet violets in clumps here and banks of Queen Anne's lace there, and wild roses climbing everywhere. It was so beautiful that it made her chest ache. Misao hissed. Elena's trance was finally broken, and she looked around to see that the shambling, hideous Tree-Men had disappeared in the full sunlight and in their place was a wide patch of sorrel dotted with fossilized trees in odd shapes. Some looked almost human. For a moment Elena regarded the scene, puzzled, and then she realized what else was different. All the real humans were gone. â€Å"I never should have brought you here!† And that, to Elena's surprise, was Misao's voice. She was speaking to her brother. â€Å"You spoiled everything because of that girl.Shinichi no baka!† â€Å"Idiot, yourself!† Shinichi shouted at Misao. â€Å"Onore!You're reacting just the way they want – â€Å" â€Å"What else am I supposed to do?† â€Å"I heard you giving the girl clues,† Shinichi snarled. â€Å"You'd do anything for the sake of your looks, you selfish – â€Å" â€Å"You can say that to me? While you haven't lost even one tail yourself?† â€Å"Just because I'm faster – â€Å" Misao cut him off. â€Å"That's a lie and you know it! Take it back!† â€Å"You're too weak to fight! You should have run long ago! Don't come crying to me about it.† â€Å"Don't youdare speak to me like that!† And Misao leaped from Elena's grasp and attacked Shinichi. He had been wrong. She was a good fighter. In a second they were a destruction zone, rolling over and over as they fought changing forms all the while. Black and scarlet fur flew. Out of the ball of turning bodies came scraps of speech – † – still won't find the keys – â€Å" † – not both of them, anyway – â€Å" † – even if they did – â€Å" † – what would it matter?† † – still have to find the boy – â€Å" † – I say it's only sporting to let them try – â€Å" Misao's horrible shrill giggle. â€Å"And see what they find – â€Å" † – in theShi no Shi !† Abruptly the fight ended and they both became human. They were battered, but Elena felt that there was nothing more that she could do if they chose to fight again. Instead Shinichi said, â€Å"I'm breaking the globe.Here ,† he turned to Damon and shut his eyes, â€Å"is where your precious brother is. I'm putting it into your mind – if you can decode the map. And once you get there, you'll die. Don't say I didn't warn you.† To Elena he bowed and said, â€Å"I regret that you'll be dying, too. But I've memorialized you in an ode. Wild rose and lilac, Bee's balm and daisy, Elena's smile chases The winter away. Bluebell and violet, Foxglove and iris, Watch where she treads And then watch the grass sway. Wherever her feet pass, White flowers part the grass – â€Å" â€Å"I'd rather hear a straight explanation of where the keys are,† Elena said to Shinichi, knowing that after that song she wouldn't get any more from Misao. â€Å"Frankly, I'm sick and tired of all yourbullshit .† She noticed that once again everyone was staring at her and she could feel why. She could feel a difference in her voice, in her stance, in her patterns of speech. But mostly,inside , what she felt was freedom. â€Å"We'll give you this much,† Shinichi said. â€Å"We won't move them. Find them from the clues – or by other means, if you can.† He winked at Elena and turned away – to meet a pale and trembling Nemesis. Caroline. Whatever else she'd been doing for the last few minutes, she had been crying, and rubbing her eyes, and wringing her hands – or so Elena guessed from the distribution of her makeup. â€Å"You, too?† she said to Shinichi.†You, too?† Shinichi smiled his lazy smile. â€Å"And what two am I?† He held up two fingers in the V symbol to differentiate his two from Caroline's. â€Å"You've fallen for her, too? Making up songs – giving her clues to find Stefan – â€Å" â€Å"They're not very good clues,† Shinichi said comfortingly and smiled again. Caroline tried to hit him, but he caught her fist. â€Å"And you think you're leaving now?† Her voice was pitched at a scream – not as high as Misao's glass-splintering shriek, but with its own fearsome vibrato. â€Å"Iknow we're leaving.† He glanced at the sullen Misao. â€Å"After one more item of business. But not with you.† Elena tensed up, but Caroline was trying to attack Shinichi again. â€Å"After what you said to me? After all that yousaid ?† Shinichi looked her up and down, seeming to actually see her for the first time. He also looked genuinely bewildered. â€Å"Saidto you?† he asked. â€Å"Have we spoken before tonight?† There was a high-pitched giggle. Everyone turned. Misao was standing, giggling, her hands over her mouth. â€Å"I used your image,† she said to her brother, her eyes on the floor as if confessing to a minor fault. â€Å"And your voice. In the mirror, when I would give her orders. She was on the rebound from some guy who'd dumped her. I told her I'd fallen in love with her and that I wanted to get revenge on her enemies – if she'd just do a few little things for me.† â€Å"Like spreading malach through little girls,† Damon said grimly. Misao giggled again. â€Å"And a boy or two. I know what it feels like to have those malach inside you. It doesn't hurt at all. They're just – there.† â€Å"Have you ever had one force you to do something you didn't want to?† Elena demanded. She could feel her blue eyes blazing. â€Å"Do you thinkthat would hurt, Misao?† â€Å"It wasn't you?† Caroline was still looking at Shinichi; she obviously couldn't keep up with the script. â€Å"It wasn'tyou ?† He sighed, smiling slightly. â€Å"Not me. Golden hair is my undoing, I'm afraid. Golden†¦or fiery red against black,† he added hastily, glancing at his sister. â€Å"So it was all a lie,† Caroline said, and for a moment, desperation was written on her face larger than anger, with sadness larger than both. â€Å"You're just another Elena fan.† â€Å"Look,† Elena said bluntly, â€Å"I don't want him. I hate him. The only guy I care about is Stefan!† â€Å"Oh, he's the only guy, is he?† Damon asked, with a glance toward Matt, who had carried Bonnie up close to them while the fox-fight was going on. Mrs. Flowers and Dr. Alpert had followed. â€Å"You know what I mean,† Elena told Damon. Damon shrugged. â€Å"Many a golden-haired lassie ends as the rough yeoman's bride.† Then he shook his head. â€Å"Why am I spouting drek like this?† His compact body seemed to tower over Shinichi. â€Å"It's just a residual effect†¦from being possessed†¦you know.† Shinichi fluttered his hands, his eyes still on Elena. â€Å"My thought patterns†¦Ã¢â‚¬  It looked as if another fight was brewing, but then Damon just smiled and said, narrow-eyed, â€Å"So you let Misao have her way with the town while you went after Elena and me.† â€Å"And – â€Å" â€Å"Mutt,† Damon said hastily and automatically. â€Å"I was going to say Stefan,† Elena said. â€Å"No, I would guess that Matt was the victim of one of Misao and Caroline's little schemes before he and I ran into you when you were completely possessed.† â€Å"And now you think you can just walk away,† Caroline said, in a shaking, menacing voice. â€Å"Weare walking away,† Shinichi said stiffly. â€Å"Caroline, wait,† Elena said. â€Å"I can help you – withWings of Purification. You're being controlled by a malach.† â€Å"I don't need your help! I need ahusband !† There was utter silence on the roof. Not even Matt stepped up to the plate on this one. â€Å"Or at least a fianc ¦,† Caroline muttered, one hand on her abdomen. â€Å"My family would acceptthat.† â€Å"We'll work it out,† Elena said softly – then, firmly, â€Å"Caroline, believe it.† â€Å"I wouldn't believe in you if†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Caroline's answer was obscene. Then she spat in Elena's direction. And then she was silent, by her own choice or because the malach inside her wanted it. â€Å"Back to business,† Shinichi said. â€Å"Let's see, our price for the service of the clues and the location is a little block of memory. Let's say†¦from the time I first met Damon until now. Taken from Damon's mind.† He smiled nastily. â€Å"You can't do that!† Elena felt panic shoot through her, starting in her heart and flying out to the farthest reaches of every limb. â€Å"He's different now: he's remembered things – he's changed. If you take that memory away – â€Å" â€Å"So will all the sweet changes go,† Shinichi told her. â€Å"Would you rather I took your memory?† â€Å"Yes!† â€Å"But you were the only one who heard the clues about the key. And in any case I don't want to see things from your eyes. I want to see you†¦throughhis eyes.† By now, Elena was ready to start another fight on her own. But Damon said, distancing himself already, â€Å"Go ahead and take what you like. But if you don't get out of this town right after, I take off yourhead with these shears.† â€Å"Agreed.† â€Å"No, Damon – â€Å" â€Å"Do you want Stefan back?† â€Å"Not at that price!† â€Å"Too bad,† Shinichi put in. â€Å"Thereis no other bargain.† â€Å"Damon! Please – think about it!† â€Å"I have thought. It's my fault that the malach spread so far in the first place. It's my fault for not investigating what was going on with Caroline. I didn't care what happened to humans as long as the new arrivals kept away fromme . But I can fix some of the things I did to you by finding Stefan.† He half turned to her, the old devil-may-care smile on his lips. â€Å"After all, taking care of my brother is my job.† â€Å"Damon – listento me.† But Damon was looking at Shinichi. â€Å"Agreed,† he said. â€Å"You have yourself a deal.†

Approach in Teaching Standard English to Native Speakers

English is used by many people all around the world. Different people use it for different purposes in different settings. The English in the modern times is not considered as a unified and single language because of many factors, one of which is the diverse society that has contributed to the development of the English language. Linguist had developed a number of specialized terms to label the different ways people nowadays use English. The first one is due to the regional variations of the people. People in different regions like the US, Canada, London, Ireland, Australia, India or Asia have different ways in using the English language. These regional variations in different areas differ very much in speaking the English language either on its pronunciation, vocabulary or grammar. (Byrd, 1999)The second is the existing sub-regions within this area. The US has many sub-regions existing; also in England there are considerably many groupings to be considered. The third factor is that all English are different, but all of them are considered and share the common core, the English language. The fourth factor entails that in addition to the regional variations of English, English has sub-groups of speakers which are alike either in education or social status.(Byrd, 1999) There are features of pronunciation and grammar that are used to link people together belonging to a social group and as part of their social identity as members of the group.The fifth factors entails that English can be categorized into subsets belonging to a certain type of communication, say the English language used by engineers, mathematicians, or a group of college students.   The sixth factor attributes the variation on how English is written or spoken. This particular factor is quite complex but the general idea is that there are differences attributed from example, a written research paper compare to a research presentation done in public. This area of topic is essential for English teac hers of ESL/EFL for them to be able to sort which type of English to teach, and how they can effectively teach the type of English to use in a communication setting appropriate with the situation and conditions. Finally, linguist often times discuss the varieties of English based on â€Å"style†. Style is often divided into loose sub-groups which label things such as â€Å"formal†, â€Å"neutral†, and â€Å"informal†. (Byrd, 1999)STANDARD AND NON-STANDARD ENGLISHIn the discussion of Standard English, the topic that greatly affects this discussion concerns with the use of terms and differentiation between standard and non-standard English. Both of these terms must be defined clearly before discussing the right approach in teaching Standard English to native English speaking students. Biber et al. (1988) suggest that â€Å"vernacular† should be used to define the Standard English rather than the tern â€Å"non-standard† because it somehow impl ies a negative connotation to it.For professional teachers of English, they should be very careful with labeling and defining the sub-categories on English. English teachers are faced with issues such as first, with regards to the term â€Å"standard† which is a label in accordance with the people who are dominating a population and are likely to label the term to something that implies to having a prescription to use something that is labeled as â€Å"standard†.The term standard does not imply it being a â€Å"better† or â€Å"best† form of English, it just is a term governed by the rational process of standardization. Second, terms which describe the variety of English with â€Å"un-† or in this case, â€Å"uneducated† should be eliminated because of the negative connotations it brings. Third, there exists the realization that a system is present in contrasting between standard and no-standard. This system gives little help in specifying t he many sub groups of English speaking people based on the vocabulary, grammar or pronunciation. Fourth, it must be understood that any individual must speak more than one version of English because in a diverse society, the skill is needed and can be used appropriately in everyday communication settings.APPROACH IN TEACHING STANDARD ENGLISHIn today’s academic curriculum, specifically in grammar, the debate is not really about grammar, but rather language. Standard American English should be taught to students for them to grasp the essential style in communicating the English language. Katz and Stevens (1997) proposes that there should be a curriculum which is based on the model of foreign-language immersion programs that aims to teach students with Standard English to teach them the value and understanding of English whether it may be in writing, speaking, reading or understanding.The authors attributed their proposal based on the observation that the traditional curricula i n most schools through the traditional method has not been effective in reaching the student’s reading, writing, speaking, listening and grammar skills. Hatwell (1985) study suggests that even with the study on formal grammar rules; the knowledge acquired by students is not translated into practice. Also explained by Brosnahan and Neuieb (1995) mentions that one of the primary reasons why students are unable to transfer their knowledge into action is because teachers are not teaching the right method.The authors suggest that the best way is to create an environment in which students are comfortable in studying the complexities of grammar. After their study, Brosnahan and Neulied conclude that teachers are likely to effectively teach the medium if they themselves like the topic and this in turn motivates their students to learn. This is called the enthusiastic instruction approach in grammar. Unfortunately, the study does not reflect the improvement on the student’s gen eral facility with Standard English.According to Weaver (1979), the isolated grammar instruction could even hinder the language development, this situation because of the idea that the situation entails student’s isolation among their peers. Rather than practicing the formal ideas in the isolation instruction program, students are deprived of the time to either read, write and converse among their peers which could significantly help them in understanding Standard English.Krashen (1985) concluded in his study that the most efficient way to acquire a second language is through immersion. Standard English, in other areas in of the world are considered as their second language because basically, they do not use the language in everyday settings and situations. The immersion approach will allow students to learn Standard English in a situation and environment where they can interact with their peers, and use the language in the direct communication process of the program.Only aft er which student learns the faculty of the second language do they learn about the language itself, and this in the end will refine their usage and style. Immersion program will succeed as a method for teaching Standard English to native English speakers because it initiates the process by which children acquires their first language. This is accredited to the fact that children learn language holistically, first, through the immersion at home, and this leads to their understanding and communication ideas about their surroundings and with other people.Through immersion, children are stimulated continuously through their first language. To affectively teach this approach, it should encompass areas in speaking, writing, listening, and reading activities. Also, different activities should constantly be referring to this method for it to be effectively to be proven in a normal classroom setting. The school administrators should also take their role in being committed with this kind of a pproach; they should be the one to facilitate a cross-curricular immersion environment that explicitly uses the Standard English to emphasize its subjects.Teachers of the immersion curriculum should also work in teams to allow the continuum process of learning for both students and teachers. This will entail a positive direction that will keep students motivated and will provide an environment where cooperation is included in every class. It must be noted though that the Immersion approach will not benefit all students, only those students in an environment where Standard American English is used poses as the best environment to which the approach can be adapted.CONCLUSIONThe traditional instruction of English is seen as ineffective and the need for a language curriculum that adapts to the developing needs of the students to become linguistically competitive is realized. Current grammar instruction and traditional methods had failed to deliver the appropriate language and communicat ing skills to the students. This is the problem that the Immersion program wishes to solve. Standard English, considered as a second language, enables students to effectively communicate with other people that comprise the diverse society we live in today. This will help them become competent and confident later on in their lives. Discreet lessons concerning prescriptive grammar is not evidently shown in the student’s language composition or their oral communicating skill, thus, the Immersion program aims to bring literacy, composition and communication together for students to master the essential concepts of Standard American English.References:BIBER, D., ET AL. (1988) Variation Across Speech and Writing, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.BROSNAHAN, I. A. N., J. (1995) Teaching Grammar Affectively: Learning to Like Grammar   Porthsmouth, N.Y, Boyton/Cook.BYRD, P. (1999) Standard & Non-Standard English :The Dangers of Ill-defined Concepts.HARTWELL, P. (1985) Grammar, G rammars, and the Teaching of Grammar. College English, 47, 105-127.KRASHEN, S. (1985) Inquiries and Insights: Second Language Teaching, immersion, and Bilingual Education, Hayward, CA, Almany Press.STEVENS, K. A. (1997) Standard English Immersion for Native Speakers  Ã‚   PIPA.WEAVER, C. (1979) Grammar for Teachers, Urbana, IL, NCTE.

Strategic Planning

â€Å"Tomorrow is built today† – Each of us knows very well that our decisions and actions or non-actions of today will shape our future tomorrow. The collective consciousness of this fact and our efforts in the direction of a better future can definitively work in order to make the future what we like to see – the future can be provoked! Mind rules not only heart and body but all the respective issues in this world. The strategies of life are created by man with his ideas and approaches. â€Å"Think twice before you speak† is a familiar term in day to day life, this statement has got a deep meaning within itself, i.e., before you are about to say something think bout what you are going to speak and what would be it's outcomes later on. It is well said that if you want to achieve something in life, dream for it and plan how to achieve that goal or objective once getting started. Things always gets complicated for a person if the tasks involved in it are not familiar to that very person who was suppose to finish it off. It's always said that, two are better always rather then working single because two people working together makes things possible easily n quickly, thinking bout it's outcomes in advance and the result that comes out is always systematic and best possible. Some human beings follow others footsteps and some create their own ideas and work hard effectively and efficiently for attainment of their goals and objectives. Achievements never knocks at the door after dreaming bout them. One has to work out in real to achieve such tasks. As our day routine gets started we do look for a change so that the coming day should be better in comparison to the previous one. The major aim of most of the people in today's world is profit(monetary) and goodwill and yes definitely a long term well know never ending name in the market place just not in their country but most of the parts of the world. Future remains in hand if a task or work is performed efficiently and effectively keeping in mind all the basic operations which are supposed to be included in that known task. Life has changed a lot with real life competitions and challenges coming up day by day. Whatever step one moves should be effective and well balanced as the other could be smarter and experienced then what he/she is. Challenges not only arise within individuals but also within group of people and competitors. Each and every movement should be well planned and then only should be undertaken for its progress. For the highest level of stability one has to adopt advance skills and objectives as these only help in attainment of goals and objectives. STRATEGIC PLANNING Strategic planning is a management tool, period. As with any management tool, it is used for one purpose only: to help an organization do a better job – to focus its energy, to ensure that members of the organization are working toward the same goals, to assess and adjust the organization's direction in response to a changing environment. In short, strategic planning is a disciplined effort to produce fundamental decisions and actions that shape and guide what an organization is, what it does, and why it does it, with a focus on the future. A word by word dissection of this definition provides the key elements that underlie the meaning and success of a strategic planning process: The process is strategic because it involves preparing the best way to respond to the circumstances of the organization's environment, whether or not its circumstances are known in advance; nonprofits often must respond to dynamic and even hostile environments. Being strategic, then, means being clear about the organization's objectives, being aware of the organization's resources, and incorporating both into being consciously responsive to a dynamic environment. The process is about planning because it involves intentionally setting goals (i.e., choosing a desired future) and developing an approach to achieving those goals. The process is disciplined in that it calls for a certain order and pattern to keep it focused and productive. The process raises a sequence of questions that helps planners examine experience, test assumptions, gather and incorporate information about the present, and anticipate the environment in which the organization will be working in the future. Finally, the process is about fundamental decisions and actions because choices must be made in order to answer the sequence of questions mentioned above. The plan is ultimately no more, and no less, than a set of decisions about what to do, why to do it, and how to do it. Because it is impossible to do everything that needs to be done in this world, strategic planning implies that some organizational decisions and actions are more important than others – and that much of the strategy lies in making the tough decisions about what is most important to achieving organizational success. The strategic planning can be complex, challenging, and even messy, but it is always defined by the basic ideas outlined above – and you can always return to these basics for insight into your own strategic planning process. Strategic planning is only useful if it supports strategic thinking and leads to strategic management – the basis for an effective organization. Strategic thinking means asking, â€Å"Are we doing the right thing?† Perhaps, more precisely, it means making that assessment using three key requirements about strategic thinking: a definite purpose be in mind; an understanding of the environment, particularly of the forces that affect or impede the fulfilment of that purpose; and creativity in developing effective responses to those forces. Strategic planning has also been described as a tool – but it is not a substitute for the exercise of judgment by leadership. Ultimately, the leaders of any enterprise need to sit back and ask, and answer, â€Å"What are the most important issues to respond to?† and â€Å"How shall we respond?† Just as the hammer does not create the bookshelf, so the data analysis and decision-making tools of strategic planning do not make the organization work – they can only support the intuition, reasoning skills, and judgment that people bring to their organization. Finally, strategic planning, though described as disciplined, does not typically flow smoothly from one step to the next. It is a creative process, and the fresh insight arrived at today might very well alter the decision made yesterday. Inevitably the process moves forward and back several times before arriving at the final set of decisions. WHAT DO YOU THINK THE FUTURE MIGHT BE? WHAT KIND OF FUTURE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE? Competitions and challenges in the market or in a working concern is the primary aspect .it bothers all the managers of a growing concern in way or the other. Whether, it is the product (which they deal in or going to launch in the market), price (what should be the price related with other substitutes available in the market), longevity (what would be its demands in future), uniqueness (how it would be different from the other products) and rather endless number of features. Production is concerned with costumers, their tastes, choices. Mood differs from one body to the other. Nobody have the same kind of needs or wants. Thereby products also vary in prices, weight and size. Production is always carried out keeping in mind the perfect market situation. The basic aim of every individual is to earn profit and goodwill in the market. The stability and up-to-date growth is a must concern. To achieve all the goals and objectives all the plans are well made and accordingly strategies are designed. A strategy not only helps in a unique start of work but also gives the best outcomes of the efforts made for future. It takes years to earn goodwill in the market; therefore it is a must to make plans whatever is effective for the start-up of the work. End numbers of features are taken in consideration by any of the famous well-known company or industry whoever are the known leaders in the market. Sum of the known features are: * Members: the number of people who are going to lead the environment and the owners of the business concern. Most of the business concerns have partners. They have to aim at the goals and objectives, moreover, decide what their future would be. They are the only leaders to decide the nature of their business and what would be the size and how globally it should be recognised. They look out for not just competitors but also have to follow some law and orders of the government. These owners employ experienced staff as managers to work under them and employees to work under managers known as subordinates. Owners are the decision makers. * Capital: investments or the amount to be engaged into the business is one of the important feature without which nothing could be worked out. * Product: plans are made regarding the product that has to be brought up in the market. number of issues are considered like, costumers and their choices, other resembling or same usage products that would come up or already exists in the market,. The managers have to decide, how their products would be unique and how it would be better then the rest of the companies' products available in the market. How it would be cheaper and what goodwill would it bring to the company. Whether it has the future or not in the major aspect considered. * Market: strategies relates to market size and its globalization as well. One has to think bout customers and tends and fashions in the market. Managers have to plan out for the best market for their companies' products and its variations. * Machinery and equipments: new methods of production are used with new techniques available so that product could be easily made with less time consumption. Therefore, experienced and well defined staff is appointed and supervisors always motivates the employees and brings in new innovative ideas regarding production. * Available resources: A strategy not only helps in effective production but also helps in usage of resources available. Less wastage results in more profit and best outcome. * Employ welfare: Board of directors gives utmost respect to their employees and take care of their employees whether they are managers or subordinates by providing them with comforts and teaching them the new innovative ideas. They also give them bonus for their effective and efficient hard work they put on for production. * Exports-Imports: strategies are designed on the matter for exports of products and markets for trade are searched in a way or the other to earn profit and goodwill. They also take care of the importers from whom they have to but the raw material and stuff for production. A strong relation could only be maintained if the company have well detailed strategies regarding their work performance. * Strengths and Weaknesses: managers or the board of directors make plans to overcome the weaknesses whatever they could be. The strategies are designed in such a way that it lasts long and have enough strength to overcome every declining effect. A long lasting performance can only be obtained if the growing concern gets hold of their weaknesses. * Web page: as internet has proved to be one of the best sources in business relationships of most business companies. Owners make it a point to design their company's web page in such a manner that each and every product and its features along with price details are easily understandable. Strategies are made to achieve goals and targets not only through internet but also globally. Concluding with an Example: Longview Solutions and Marks & Spencer Take Planning to New Heights THIS IS MARKS & SPENCER Marks & Spencer is one of the UK's leading retailers of clothing, foods, homeware and financial services. Operating within approximately 12.5 million square feet of selling space, serving ten million customers a week in over 340 UK stores, Marks & Spencer employs more than 67,000 people. The company also trades in wholly owned stores in the Republic of Ireland and Hong Kong, and has over 150 franchise stores in 28 countries operating through a network of partnerships. In 2002/2003, Group turnover was in excess of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½8 billion. SITUATION With extensive operations in the United Kingdom, Marks & Spencer required a financial planning, actual reporting, and reforecasting solution to be used by all stakeholders in the planning process across all business units, service areas, and stores. There was a requirement for consistent, cohesive data that could be viewed and reported upon at various levels of summarisation from individual budget holders to a consolidated Group position. BUSINESS CHALLENGE The Marks & Spencer objective was to approach the planning process in a professional manner, passing accountability to individual commercial budget holders. The existing process was spreadsheet-driven and time-consuming with a heavy reliance upon the Finance Group to manipulate and consolidate the data, leaving less time for challenging and detailed analysis. SOLUTION Marks & Spencer considered five critical factors in its decision process – Product, People, Policy, Principles, and Price. Marks & Spencer selected Corporate Performance Management (CPM) application Khalix(r) by Longview Solutions because it best met their needs on all five key performance criteria. Khalix was able to: * Provide Marks & Spencer with a single, accurate version of the financial truth through one central repository of data * Delegate ownership and accountability for budgets and plans back to the commercial budget holders * Reduce the overall time required to achieve an approved, realistic budget * Meet Marks & Spencer's need for a flexible solution that could adapt and grow with the company * Perform â€Å"what-if† analysis during budget creation, to facilitate better decision-making and minimise risk * Provide Marks & Spencer with a solution that would fit with their corporate technology standards and future requirements * Achieve consistency of reporting across similar business units RESULTS With Longview Solutions' Corporate Performance Management application, Marks & Spencer is able to provide excellent service to internal customers and has achieved the following results: * Speedier and more accurate budgeting and planning process, with an overall reduction in process time. * High visibility of consistent, accurate data which is accessible to all – â€Å"One version of the financial truth† * Successful ownership for budget-setting to the appropriate level and clear visibility of ownership and accountability of planned performance at all levels of business * Ability to spend time analysing and challenging the plan, removing risk, and exploiting opportunities to achieve a realistic plan * Strong relationship between the Longview Solutions and Marks & Spencer teams, which has resulted in a high level strategic partnership that is helping shape future product direction * Ease of maintenance for database changes and reporting Thus Strategic planning brings in longevity and prosperity for modern corporations. Bibliography: TEXT BOOKS: -Strategic Management Business Policy by Thomas L. Wheelen and J. David Hunger. (Ninth edition). -Strategic Management by John L Thompson. -Strategic Management-An Introduction by Ronald Rosen. -The Strategy Process-Concepts, Contexts, Cases by Henry Mintzberg and James Brian Quinn. -Strategic Management by Cardiff Business School Cardiff University. -Sir John Harvey- Jones, Past chairman ICI, 1987 WEB: -http://www.longview.com/customersuccess/M&S.asp -http://www.lordofthewebs.com/portfolio/StrategicPlanning.asp Strategic Planning Strategic Planning MGT3880: Leadership for Organizations George Henson Strategic planning is a process of optimism by an organization. It anticipates the future of the organizational goals and strategically plans how the organization will achieve those goals. Strategic planning involves several steps in its process those steps are; (1) strategic thinking including external analysis, (2) internal analysis, (3) identifying key strategic issues, (4) developing viable strategic alternatives, and (5) choosing the best strategy using as criteria whatever the company defines as â€Å"success† (Abraham, 2012).The â€Å"Opening Bell Cafe† requires a strategic plan to ensure effectiveness so that new clientele, products and profits are within reach in the near future. The â€Å"Opening Bell Cafe† is a new organization and a revised strategic plan can assist with tackling new goals and growth for the organization over the next three years. This organization is very distinct because it offers services and products that exclude them from other leading competitors. In particular, the organization is responsible for employing individuals with great customer service and providing the client with quality individuals and extraordinary services.Also, the organization capitalizes on its stellar training of culinary and customer service skills which separates it from other competitors. The organization members are required to understand the organizational policies and are the first to ensure that the employee’s and client’s needs are addressed. The managers of the organization are responsible for deciding the direction in which the department should go, what the company should produce, and hence in what industry it competes (Abraham, 2012).Understanding the organization’s competitors, identifying the customers, rather they can provide and how the company will continue to remain profitable is the management’s responsibility. In order for the strategic plan to be effective the direction of the company must be understood. The student believes that the current direction is understood but is not being implemented correctly. The company knows what they want to offer; good products and great services this will allow the organization to compete with leading competitors.The menu of this organization differs from the cafe products to catering services and menu. The organization is aware of who the customer is but is unaware of how to meet them which is a weakness of the organization. During this strategic planning process a SWOT analysis must be completed to understand the organizations strengths, weaknesses opportunities and threats of the organization. The SWOT analysis is a straightforward model that provides direction and serves as a basis for the development of marketing plans (Danca, 2012).The SWOT analysis is being conducted for the benefit of meeting certain goals, the organization has to address the strengths an d weaknesses internally and the opportunities and threats externally. The â€Å"Opening Bell† has several strengths but the employee relations and effective differentiation are two of the organizations strengths. Opening Bell Cafe is a respectable employer and values its employees. They ensure that the employees feel a part of the team which increases employee relations so that everyone has a pleasant experience with Opening Bell Cafe.Effective differentiation is the second strength of the organization. Effective differentiation permits the organization to study the competition and questions if they offer the same as competitors. While studying the group has to be realistic about behaviors that will allow the organization to compete with leading brands while identifying ways to improve. These strengths allow the organization to offer well trained employees and recognize products the competitors do not offer. Exploiting the strengths give the Opening Bell the ability to market and promote ahead of the competition.Weaknesses of the organization need to be understood in order for the organization to have growth and tackle goals. One weakness of the organization is the narrow product line and poor marketing skills. Having a narrow product line limits this company from competing with other cafes’ that offer a selection of breakfast, and lunch. Poor marketing skills limited the organization from reaching millions of potential customers. Just recently the organization established a website which means the people who do not go utilize their stores or catering was unaware that the organization exists.Strategically the company can avoid these issues by planning for new menu items and developing a marketing strategy. If the company can begin to offer more products and reach potential clients the organization can increase growth, revenue and earnings. Capitalizing on opportunities can be beneficial to the organization as well. The opportunity has a specific technical definition; it is a product-market issue (Abraham, 2012). The company can address this situation by creating a new product for an existing market. Opening Bell can also, expand the market for an existing product.Creating new products and expanding on existing products can bring about new clients which can offer the organization appeal from their competitors. Such small changes can be huge when competing with leading brands such as Starbucks or Dunkin Doughnuts. Threats can be unfavorable to any company however identifying threats can help the company when strategizing. The threats for the Opening Bell consist of competitors having stronger brand names and the downturn in the economy. All consumers are currently aware of the leading brand names of Starbucks and Dunkin Doughnuts.Since Opening Bell is aware of these leading brand names they have to offer variations of products and experience. The leading brands do not offer delivery which means that local companies can phone in orders or even order online. Experts say that, â€Å"a downturn in the economy can mean that customers are spending less† (Anonymous,1990). After the threats are identified the organization can work towards increasing customer relations. After conducting the SWOT analysis the student has identified areas that are crucial toward the strategic planning process.The crucial areas are employee relations, poor marketing skills, expand the market for an existing product, and expanding on new products. If these areas are continuous strengths of the organization the organization can focus on other areas that may need restructuring. Employee relations are a part of the operational aspect of the business. Managers are required to guarantee that the organization employees know what to do and how to do it. For this aspect to remain an organizational strength it is essential that all employees know how to communicate effectively.One expert states, â€Å"In order to cope with competitio n, technological developments and customer demands, managers seek different solutions and tools to manage the unstable, rapidly changing, and never predictable situation which involves communicating effectively† (Johansson, 2008). This statement shows the organization that in order to continue growth in the industry the organization should continue focusing on employee relations. The organizations poor marketing skills have to be addressed in order for the strategic plan to be effective.It seems that at the present time the organization does not possess a marketing team or manager. The Opening Bell cannot dismiss what marketing the organization can do for the growth of the company. Having a marketing team who can promote the organization and improve customer relations will be valuable for the organization. The organization should put a budget together that permits marketing opportunities. This issue cannot be overlooked any longer the â€Å"Word of Mouth† marketing stra tegy has gotten the organization so far and now the growth is at a cessation.The organization has to utilize the tools of the internet and television to compete with the leading brands. Having a marketing team who can create promotional opportunities for customers can increase customer acquisition. The strategic plan has to improve the marketing skills of the organization. Expanding the market for an existing product can be challenging but the organization can grow from improving something that is already prevalent for other brands. Since, the organization utilizing fresh ingredients there is nothing like freshly baked cookies and homemade hot chocolate.There is already a market for these items and making them fresh to order with like a fifteen minute wait time would be fulfilling for the consumer. The hot chocolate would be a great in markets where the winters are cold and something warm is always desired One expert states that, â€Å"In fact, line extensions may be the answer to building sales and moving your company in a whole new direction† (Mischina, 2004). Being able to expand can open a whole new avenue for the organization that has not been offered by the leading competitors.Expanding on a new product for an existing market can create long-term growth for the organization. In today’s world of healthy eating offering gluten free product or even allergen free products on the daily menu can set the organization apart from leading competitors. These new products can provide a much needed solution to a giant problem that others have not offered yet. The previously mentioned areas are essential to the strategic plan of the Opening Bell because they provide an avenue on what is being done and what can be done to further advance the organization.The external analysis which entails observing, analyzing, and understanding what is changing in a company's external environment to anticipate what the future might hold has been completed (Abraham, 2012) . Secondly, the internal analysis involves knowing analyzing, and understanding everything about the company itself, especially what makes it a strong competitor or why it isn't as strong as it could be (Abraham, 2012). Both of these steps in the strategic planning process have been completed. The key strategic issues have been identified and managers are working on resolving the issue.Annual objectives will be set also, to measure these critical challenges. To measure the success of the strategic plan the Opening Bell will utilize the metrics of revenue growth and the return of investments. These two measuring tools can allow the organization to measure the success or failures of the organization. Revenue growth is used more often when a firm's revenue growth has been inadequate or flat, or when issues of market share and market positioning are strategically significant (Abraham, 2012,).The organization must measure the growth of revenue to warrant an effective strategic plan. Meas uring revenue growth allows the leader to be aware of rather the organization is prepared monetarily for the strategic plan that has been set forward. Also, the strategic plan sets forward what the allotted monies will be used for and how. Secondly, the return of investments can measure the success of the strategic plan. A ROI is a profitability measure. When utilizing the ROI managers should be aware that ROI can measure the performance of the organization, managers and its business units.Lastly, the strategic plan should include strategic implementation because it’s the only way to boost ROI and increase your chances of success (Evans, 2012). Both of these metrics are capable of measuring the success of the strategic plan which can help any adjustments that need take place to guarantee the company is headed toward success. For an organization such as the Opening Bell Cafe a strategic plan will help to provide sustain the ups and downs of this uncertain economy.Planning stra tegically can ensure that the organization meets goals that they have established. All of the strategic planning process steps have been addressed and will be implemented in the near future. Effectiveness is only possible when all employees are on the same page with one another and when a directive is put into place for all to follow. Indeed, the organization is new to the industry but they have found that revising the strategic plan can lead to growth for the organization. Reference Abraham, S. 2012) Strategic Management for Organizations. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Retrieved from: https://content. ashford. edu/books Anonymous. (1990). 1990 SWOT Analysis. Retrieved from: http://som. csudh. edu/depts/cis/meyadat/ClassesPage/CIS502/casestudies/SWOT Danca , A. (2012). SWOT Analysis. Retrieved from; http://www. stfrancis. edu/content/ba/ghkickul/stuwebs/btopics/works/swot. htm Evans J, (2012). 8 Steps to Boost the ROI of Your Strategic Planning Efforts. Retrieved from: http://www. vancarmichael. com/Management/5844/8-Steps-to-Boost-the-ROI-of-Your-Strategic-Planning-Efforts. html Johansson, Catrin (2008). Speaking of change: three communication approaches in studies of organizational change. Corporate Communications 13. 3 Retrieved from: http://search. proquest. com/docview/214190184/ Mishina,Y. (2004), Are more resources always better for growth? Resource stickiness in market and product expansion. Strat. Mgmt. Retrieved from: http://onlinelibrary. wiley. com/doi/10. 1002/smj. 424/abstract

Structure of organization Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Structure of organization - Case Study Example Under such desperate circumstances, the company executives should move from the vertical organizational structure to the flat organizational structure. Under this system, the coordination between the employees will increase, the functional processes will get integrated and the organizational goals will get aligned with the individual goals. Hence, this will result in Aquarius agency turning into a learning organization that will foster increased employee empowerment and increased customer satisfaction. Analysis of the Current Structure of the Organization Presently, the company is running under the tall structure of organizational hierarchy. According to this structure, there are three comprehensive departments such as marketing, Operations and Accounts. These major departments are supported by 2 one men departments that are, Human Resource and Finance. This structure was a best fit for the organization previously since it created provision for specialized tasks, well defined guideli nes for the employees, proper job description for each employee and a high power distance. Due to the present tall organizational structure, there are few teams in the company and functions are characterized by centralized decision making procedures. These features of the organizational structure enable the higher management to wield power and take decisions in the most professional and judicious way (Daft, 1991). However, the present system is also creating a big cloud of problems as the clientele gets involved and communication gaps begin to widen up. The miscommunication between the cross functional supervisors due to mismanaged communication networks has led to employees being constantly disgruntled by the current functioning of the organization. It is quite evident that the account executive is fed up of the constant direct communications between the clients and the specialists like those of marketing and operations. These direct meetings between the clients and the organizatio nal specialists led these employees to trespass their domains of authority and make decisions without consulting their executives. Since this phenomenon is not considered appropriate under the implemented organizational structure, this created serious problems in the value chain of the company and in the coordination in the business functions. This not only perturbs the organizational setting but also hurts the company reputation as the customers are unable to receive their desired value on time (Daft, 2003). The high power distance also led to delayed decisions and lack of coordination between the various organizational entities. These problems ultimately led to extreme job dissatisfaction for the employees like the accounts executives. The limited domain of authority of individual employees resulting from high power distance also made functional problems for the company. The plethora of problems experienced by the organization ultimately led to disgruntled customer base which subs equently led to fewer sales. Under the vertical structure employed by

Questions & Contentions week 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Questions & Contentions week 2 - Assignment Example This article illustrates the four distinct interest groups that struggled for control of schools for over seven decade duration, via the education curriculum (Parkerson, 1998). Humanists favored continuous development of the reasoning ability, and also western cultural practices. Developmentalists illustrated that the natural development progress of the child is the very important aspect, of scientifically determining teaching areas (Spring, 2008)). Social efficiency educators strived to ensure schools use scientific management methods education management; and to differentiate education in accordance to the perceived needs and abilities of students (Theobald, 2005). Social meliorists favored using schooling as instrument of social development and progress (Kleibard, 2004). This academic paper analyzes the reality and perceptions of schooling in the society, at the end of nineteenth century. Other changes that started during the duration; like development of railroads, cities and even immigration reached crisis levels (Rury, 2002). The expanding mass media increased the increased popular anxieties. The journalist and other social investigators increasingly illustrated education and schools as joyless (Tyack, 2002). The educators illustrated that the mine works like a muscle, and hence should be exercised continuously through education monotony like drills, verbatim recitations and harsh discipline (Kleiband,

During the 1980s and early 1990s recessions, British manufacturing Essay - 1

During the 1980s and early 1990s recessions, British manufacturing management restored profitability, sacked employees, and tran - Essay Example The depression had been caused by the great value of the pound, towering rates of interest, a firm fiscal policy, the economic boom and bust, high charges of mortgage interests, and the use of the Exchange Rate System Since the recession in the 1980s, British manufacturing has not been able to regain its position as the world’s top manufacturing nation. Although the decline experienced by Britain has been inevitable, a number of measures have been taken to improve British manufacturing. Among these is the New Growth Economics, which focuses on growth policy, convergence and catching-up, social capability, human capital, and investment. The United Kingdom has also made efforts to sustain a high level of foreign direct investment, which is one of the foundations to the revival of British manufacturing. Keywords: Recession, British Manufacturing, Gross Domestic Product, Inflation, Manufacturing Sector, Competitors, Unemployment, Economy A recession is a â€Å"downturn in the bus iness cycle during which real GDP declines, business profits fall, the percentage of the work without jobs rises, and production capacity is underutilized† (Tucker, 2008, p.252). GDP means, â€Å"the value of a country`s overall output of goods and services during one fiscal year at market prices, excluding net income from abroad† (â€Å"gross domestic product (GDP),† n.d.). ... Source: (â€Å"Causes of recessions,† n.d.). A recession consists of two quarters, whereby the decline in the GDP; during a recession the economy is functioning inside and further away from its production possibilities curve. During a recession the economy is affected in a downfall, demands begin to slowly go down; this is because the market is saturated and the demands for goods and services becomes weak (Montgomery, 2011). Factors that lead to the recession in Britain during the 1980s and early 1990s include: 1. Great value of the pound: This reduced the demand for exports since they became more expensive. British manufacturing was the sector that was mostly affected. 2. High rates of interest: Inflation in the UK was above 15% in 1979 (â€Å"Causes of Recessions,† n.d.). High inflation was inherited by the conservative government, which made a commitment to reduce it. The government focused on tight fiscal and monetary policies, which reduced inflation, but caused a reduction in investment, spending, and output. 3. A firm fiscal policy: The government focused on reducing its borrowing level to reduce inflation, which was necessary for the economy. To achieve this, taxes were increased, consequently reducing consumer spending due to the fact that their disposable income was reduced by the tax increase. 4. Economic boom and bust: There was rapid economic growth during the 1980s. As a result of this inflation increased above 10% (â€Å"Causes of Recessions,† n.d.). The UK government embarked on reducing the inflation by increasing the rates of interests, which led to a reduction in spending. 5. Use of the Exchange Rate System: The UK

The Case for Reparations Article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

The Case for Reparations Article - Essay Example The Mississippi region had many cases of lynching colored Americans, unnecessary arrests, slavery, discriminatory learning, and discrimination against access to resources, among other issues, (p.2, 3, 6). The article was written to expose the trauma experienced by colored Americans to diverse Americans race but the African Americans, in particular. Perhaps, AP published this article to address the American government and other legal authorities to seek justice for the atrocities carried out on the black American race. Overly, the target audience might be the global populace since racial discrimination, slavery, and reparations affect international the society. When reading through this article, a variety of evidences is showed to explain the central themes of the story. However, this paper only focuses on a few indications outlined in the article. For instance, the AP reported that Mississippi involved lynching black populace (p.2) and whoever resisted legal arrangements was gravely injured or killed (p.3). There was the lack of legal protection for the black people (p.5), and land currently developed as a country club in Virginia was forcefully acquired from blacks (p.6). In addition, Ross explains that there was meager support for educating the black race that resided in Mississippi (p.7) and that he failed to receive a legitimate mortgage just because there was no financing for black people (p.18).

Ethics in Professional Societies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ethics in Professional Societies - Essay Example In any professional sphere, it is relevant to follow ethical principles and not only to work. Ethical principles have a different power in comparison with laws. Thus, laws can regulate or not, support or not some ethical principles. For example, from the perspective of medical ethics, abortion is unethical deed. It is a life interruption. In accordance with laws in many countries abortion is a legal issue. Nevertheless, Civil Rights Law in America propagates ethical and legal commitment. In one way or another, but the modern society requires ethical regulations in any profession. Still, the conditions of underdeveloped professional ethics among engineers cannot be denied. The fact that medical ethics is more developed cannot be denied as well. Still, the necessity of ethical principle following in these both spheres is an inarguable fact. Ethical principle relevance in the medical professional society usually concerns how medicals should ethically behave when they deal with the issue s concerning life and death. The most known ethical code of behavior for medicals is the Oath of Hippocrates. Currently, the American Medical Association has introduced bioethics. It covers such issues as pharmacy, nursing, social work and so on. Therefore, we can claim that for the American Medical Association ethical principles following in all spheres and aspects of medicine are of crucial importance1. It goes another way in the professional society of engineers. ... eering and Technology, a specific nature of ethics in engineering encompasses the following issues: â€Å"public safety; bribery and fraud; environmental protection; fairness; honesty in research and testing conflicts of interest†2. The necessity to develop code of ethics for engineers in accordance with the specific nature of the field of their activity can be explained by the following facts: the decisions made by engineers can cause a negative impact on public’s health; moral implications are of high importance for engineers. In such a way, it is necessary to support legally the development of ethical principles for engineers: the latter would think critically and independently about different moral issues; moral thinking would be incorporated in the professional engineering practice. In accordance with the research project â€Å"Ethics in Engineering†: â€Å"ethical problems in engineering are often complex and involve conflicting ethical principles. Enginee rs must be able to intelligently resolve these conflicts and reach a defensible decision†3. Therefore, engineers are not considered in the modern society as technicians, they are intelligent individuals with the ability to morally and ethically behave and think. Ethical principles of engineering in comparison with other professions There are numerous complexities within the professional field of engineers. These professionals are not self-employed and usually work for large corporations. Moreover, there is a lack of respect paid to engineers in comparison with medicals 4and they also do not have such high payments as physicians or lawyers do. Engineering professional society is not as well developed as the professional society of medicals (AMA) or as the professional association of lawyers (ABA)5. Therefore,

Law and management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Law and management - Assignment Example ess in which the courts interpret and apply legislation in the courts is known as the statutory interpretation.The court looks on the meaning of the statute and looks at how it is implemented by the process. The statute, which is regarded as a bill, or law, which is passed by the legislature, subjects the people on the rules and obligations. However, apart from statutes making law, statutory interpretation involves making a decision on how a particular bill or law will apply in a particular case. A clear interpretation is sometimes very important especially when a case involves a statute and sometimes the words of a statute have a plain straightforward meaning. However, in other times, there is ambiguity or sometimes vagueness in the normal words of the statute, which must be resolved by the judge.The judiciary gives out an interpretation on how the legislation should be applied in a certain case since there is no unambiguous legislation that addresses all matters. There are several reasons as to why words being imperfect symbols in the communicating intent, they are ambiguous,and the meaning changes with time, and lastly the unforeseen incidences are unavoidable and the new technology and anew culture apply the existing law to be challenging. Addition of uncertainties may also take place in the course of enactment; for example, need to cater for special interest group or compromise.Judges have the responsibilities of giving out the meanings of the statutes. They use several measures and methods of statutory interpretation such as theuse of traditional canons of statutory interpretation, legislative history and additionally the purpose. It is known that,in common law jurisdictions, rules of statutory interpretation may be applied to the enacted legislation or additionally to the legislation that is delegated such as administrative agency regulations. The judiciary majorly takes such actions; therefore,there is a responsibility that the court needto do, it must try

Response papers week 9 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Response papers week 9 - Assignment Example Cochran and Kleiner (1992) suggest that the employees should be informed of the progress, achievements and failures of the organization, and how the new goals will mitigate its failures and boost its achievements. This way, the employees will be motivated to support the company in its new direction instead of resisting and working toward its failure. As a team of employees and their manager, they will also be able to clearly assess how the new goals are helping them to achieve the mission of the organization. Immediate appraising and reprimanding is critical in ensuring that the people involved adequately associate them with their actions and respond as expected. Adequate and immediate appraising encourages an emulation of the same by others and a continuation of the same by the person appraised. However, this should be done in such a way that the employees are comfortable. Otherwise, it will fail to encourage high performance in the organization. Apart from reprimanding immediately, managers should do it in a way that will clearly indicate that the reprimand was directly related to their mistake, and not hidden personal agendas. Some people think that workplaces are â€Å"all seriousness environments† and having fun at work is a sign that people are not working. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. We should maintain ourselves from the wears and tears just as we maintain the machines we use. Giles (2012) explains that not having fun at work breeds a pool of over-stressed, professionally dissatisfied, and lowly motivated employees. This is a sign of a poor work environment. Evidently, such employees work slowly and so their average production is low. The issue of making the workplace environment fun and exciting, therefore, deserves adequate attention and should be intentionally introduced because of the significant time people spend in their workplaces. This way,

Hero and saint conversion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hero and saint conversion - Essay Example Although Hercules/Heracles was a son of a god, he was born to a mortal woman, making him a mortal as well, not exempted from the difficulties every human being meets. And this would be the very essence that integrates the Roman and Greek heroes to the making of the modern hero or saint. Paul of Tarsus for instance, though he was not a layman but formerly a Roman officer, being a Roman citizen with Jewish decent and having the power to execute the law under his command did not enjoy all his lifetime as one could imagine a person in authority. Instead, after his encounter with Jesus through a vision on his way to Damascus to persecute the early Christians, he suffered similar persecutions that he did to the disciples when he was still a Roman soldier. He encountered not only trials and miracles in escaping death from his fellow human beings but also from natural calamities. An example of which would be his survival from a shipwreck along with his fellow prisoners and the soldiers guard ing them when they were sent to Italy. Due to the storm, they landed in Malta instead and this is where another miracle happened to Paul when he was bitten by a poisonous snake from the fire they made which he simply shook off from his hand.

How advertisement effects peoples lives Essay Example for Free

How advertisement effects peoples lives Essay As Americans we are exposed to advertisements everyday. People are pressured from every direction by advertisements which exploit their deepest fears, attractions, needs, and desires, shaping their behaviors, goals, and thoughts. They are led into believing false information and promises that are mostly never kept, all for the simple reason of selling the product and making profit. We see advertisements everywherein magazines and newspapers, on the radio, on TV, online, in the mail, even over the phone. These advertisements use the basic ideas of either providing an elite status with the possession of the product, or giving a sense of belonging to a group or community. Since the recent military activity in Iraq and Afghanistan, another ever present idea has been made prominent and that is using patriotism to evoke peoples desires. Americans are persuaded into buying unnecessary items everyday; however, we need to realize that no matter what advertisements say we should purchase items for their usefulness, not to fill voids in our lives, so we can help eliminate the problem we face today of being a materialistic society. The patriotic theme affecting peoples hearts, minds and senses, is commonly used to manipulate them into buying things. Since everyone has love for their country, using it to sell products is a brilliant idea, but I believe this is a bad practice. It makes people believe they are not ideal Americans, nor are they similar to the people around them if they do not buy that product. The Palmolive advertisement, in Seeing and Writing 2, is a key example, it appeals to the wives of the men at war in World War II (417). On the top of this advertisement there are three medals which contain picture of three different men in their uniforms and the words For Him appear next to each picture. In the lower part of the advertisement there is a woman looking up at these medals and above her head are the words, I pledge myself to guard every bit of Beauty that he cherishes in me, and finally in the background there are several faces of women also looking towards the medals. This advertisement is basically communicating to the wives the idea of guarding their beauty, by using this soap, just like their husbands are guarding their country. The ironic fact is that soap cannot make someone beautiful, nor do people lose their beauty if they do not use the correct brand of soap. This advertisement is connecting a heroic and patriotic act  to one used for mere beauty, in order to sell the soap. The Palmolive advertisement was run in 1943, but a more current advertisement which uses similar attributes is Chevrolet and its slogan for its recent line of cars, An American Revolution. This slogan is always placed on a blue sky background and the writing is in bold white letters, except for the E in Revolution, this letter is written in red ink. So when you come across this slogan, not only does the slogan sound patriotic to you, it also appears to be patriotic because it incorporates the red, the white and the blue. This phrase says to its audience that every American is buying and driving a Chevy car and so should they. Another detail that could be interpreted out of this advertisement is that since the U.S. is currently at war and fighting a revolution against terrorism, a person living in the U.S. can participate in this patriotic revolution by purchasing a Chevrolet. This would be true only if Chevrolet was funding the war, instead of the US government. Along with this, another advertisement that exploits this concept was the Netzero advertisement run during the time before the elections. In this advertisement the spokesman was running for President under the alias of Candidate Zero. His main goal was to provide cheaper and faster internet to every family and household. In order to get peoples attention, this clever idea was used, and it certainly worked on people like me. Viewers could also connect the advertisement with the actual presidential race and that way the product of the advertisement was stuck in their conscious awareness. The whole patriotic theme is strange because the connection between patriotism and the product does not make the product function better, so why do we feel obligated to pay attention to the advertisement and even purchase that product. Along with patriotism another concept used widely is the elitism the product brings to people with its possession. As Jack Solomon wrote in his essay Masters of Desire, We Americans dream of rising about the crowd, of attaining a social summit beyond the reach of ordinary citizens (1). He is basically saying that Americans want to be better then the people around  them and this belief is what marketers feast on, creating status symbols like Rolex, Mercedes, BMW, etc. One advertisement that crosses my mind in terms of using elitism would be the new U2 iPod Special Edition advertisement. This promotes an iPod with a black cover and laser engraved signatures of the U2 band members; everything else is similar to a regular iPod; whereas, the price is $50 more. People are led into believing that the U2 iPod is better than the regular one only because it is endorsed by U2. Another ironic detail is that a normal iPod itself is a product of elitism, because even though it has similar functions to a Sony or any other MP3 player, it costs $100 more only because it comes with the signature white headphones. These headphones, unique only because an iPod come equipped with them, have made themselves and the iPod a status symbol. Most people only buy an iPod because they want the headphones to show the illusion of superiority and uniqueness. Solomon says, The explanation is quite simple: when an object (or puppy!) either costs a lot of money or requires influential connections to possess, anyone who possesses it must also possess the necessary means of influence to acquire it (3). This explains why the white headphones have made the iPod a status symbol, since its shows possession of an expensive item, even though rationally speaking the color of the headphones does not make the iPod function better, they only make it different. Solomon also talks about another part of the American Dream, in which belonging to a group is important. The Chevrolet slogan connects us to the entire American population; the iPod connects us to other owners of an iPod, and so on. We need a sense of connection and belonging, fulfilling our need for attention and affection. Abraham Maslow, a founder of humanistic psychology, created a triangle in which he placed a persons needs in the order they needed to be fulfilled and the need for love and belonging was the third basic need. Disillusioned by the advertisements, people try to fulfill this need by buying the products. This proves that using this theme advertisers are able to affect the person on much deeper levels then recognizable, yet by no means does the product itself become more useful. It is understandable that advertisers need to appeal to people in order to  sell their product and that is why they use these tactics, but what is not understandable is while knowing the truth people believe the hoaxes and let advertisements dictate what they are going to buy. People need to realize that products should not be used to fulfill our weaknesses; they should be consumed based on our needs, because companies will keep manufacturing status symbols until we accept that products and items are only materialistic and we can never attain all the luxury items around us. We are scammed into buying false promises everyday, after we realize that we have a choice against it, we can choose not to let advertisements or minor details about the product like the endorsements, or the color of headphones, or the catchy slogan persuade us into buying a certain item.