Characters of Romeo and Juliet Essay Example for Free

Characters of Romeo and Juliet Essay In The Prologue of Romeo And Juliet, the fate of the star-crossed lovers, the title characters, is already told. They have been doomed to take their [lives] before the play has even begun. This foretelling of what the audience is about to see displays that the play is about how and why the events unfold, and not what happens. Act Two, Scene Two is an important scene in the play, which is because this is where Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, the two children born of the fatal loins of their feuding parents, meet for the second time, after Capulets Masquerade. They fall in love, starting the chain of fated events that cause their deaths. Before meeting Juliet, Romeo was seen to be melancholic; he was supposedly in love with Rosaline, which was unrequited. He seemed to be introspective, and have a very negative outlook; in Act One, Scene One his father, Montague, said that Romeo had been shutting himself [a]way from light in his room. Romeo appeared to have a very poetic, yet bleak, attitude to love. This is demonstrated by Romeos use of extended oxymoron in Act One, Scene One, where he talked of loving hate, and misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms. His poetic words seemed to indicate that perhaps Romeo was not in love, rather in love with the idea of being in love. He spoke of Rosaline, the object of his love, as though she was a deity, even stating she has characteristics of the goddess Diana (she has Dians wit). The goddess Diana was an emblem of chastity, and the object of Romeos affections has taken a vow of chastity. Ironically, Romeo refuses to examine other beauties, as his friend and kinsman Benvolio suggests at the end of Act One, Scene One. In Act One, Scene Five, when Romeo firsts saw, spoke to, and kissed Juliet, he still used decorative language, and said similar to what he had previously said about Rosaline. He said that Juliet doth teach the torches to burn bright, a metaphor, after first seeing her in Act one, Scene Five, after calling Rosaline the all-seeing sun in Act One, Scene Three. This seems to indicate that Romeo is too quick to announce his love, saying of Juliet what he had said not long ago about Rosaline. He did, however, denounce his previous love and say that his love of Rosaline was not comparable to his love for Juliet in Act One, Scene Five, with the rhetorical question [d]id my hear love till now? . In Act One, Scene Three Juliet is seen to be polite and respectful young girl. Her mother, Lady Capulet, who is less close to Juliet than her Nurse, tried to persuade Juliet to marry a suitor that has been chosen for her. Marriage was an honour that [Juliet] dream[ed] not of, being only thirteen years of age. Lady Capulet, in Act One, Scene Three, told her daughter that [t]he valiant Paris seeks [Juliet] for his love. Juliet seemed in no rush to fall in love and marry at such a young age, she stated she would look to like, but no more deep [ ] endart [her] eye. She appeared grounded, with no unrealistic expectations about love, and in no hurry to find a husband, despite her mothers insistence that girls younger than Juliet [are] made already mothers. When Juliet met Romeo for the first time in Act One, Scene Five, although she echoed Romeos poetic and metaphor rich language, she appeared more playful and flirtatious, telling Romeo he kiss[es] by thbook. In Act Two, Scene Two, Romeo speaks of his love for Juliet and watches her after she appears at the window. He compares her beauty to that of the sun: [it] is the east and Juliet is the sun/Arise, fair sun, when she appears at her window. Shakespeare uses this language to depict that Romeo has elevated Juliet to the stature of a goddess. This is reinstated, with Juliets beauty repeatedly being compared to (and bettering) the brightness of celestial objects; Romeo says that the brightness of her cheek would shame [the] stars. Shakespeare used more positive metaphor, repetition, and a less structured and poetic approach to Romeos speech to show that Romeos newly found love of Juliet has effected a change in his language. Romeo is presented as more happy to love, and simply be in the presence of Juliet: he is eager for her to speak again, rather than strike up a conversation instantly. When Romeo begins speaking to Juliet, after hearing her speak of her love and asking why she must love a member of the family she hates, asking wherefore [is he] Romeo? , Shakespeare wants us to understand Romeos devotion to Juliet. Romeo offers to forsake his name, saying that [h]enceforth [he] never will be Romeo demonstrating his willingness to make sacrifices for the love of Juliet. During this scene Shakespeare repeatedly uses names, or words referring to names (for example, name, or called) to show the conflict between language, the words and names, and experience, reality; Juliet states that a rose/By any other word would spell as sweet. Romeo is eager to exchange [Juliets] loves faithful vow for [his], which shows not only Romeos eagerness to prove his unchangeable love to Juliet, but his need to be loved in return. He tries to swear his love many things, including yonder blessed moon, Juliet takes vowing love much more seriously, and asks Romeo not to swear by the inconstant moon as it is too changing to vow such an important thing on. This presents Juliet as a mature girl, who tries to consider the consequences of actions and promises, whereas Romeo is completely absorbed in the idea of love. Juliet is concerned that her and Romeos love is moving too fast, saying that it is too like the lightening. Shakespeare uses this again showing Juliets rationality, but also showing that she is young, love is new to her and she is in no rush. Romeo does not appear to share these concerns; he is more concerned with loving and being loved, only satisfied by Juliets faithful vow. She is however in love with Romeo, and is not happy to see him go, [p]arting is such sweet sorrow, but is eager to see him again. Towards the end of the scene Juliets language becomes more like Romeos in eagerness to vow love, and in use of simile, comparing Romeo to a wantons bird, tethered by her love. Romeos rashness, loyalty, and need to love Juliet and be loved in return are important characteristics that will end up sealing his grim fate at the end of the play. Juliets young age, and contrasting maturity, grounding in reality and strong will in her love will be ever important, and her need to see a plan through will be important factors that help lead her towards her tragic ending. For never was there a story of more woe/Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.

Development of Electronic Government Policy

Development of Electronic Government Policy 1. INTRODUCTION This paper discusses policy implementation in order to explain the development of electronic government policy in the Local Government in Great Britain. In order to do this, the paper firstly provides a brief description of electronic government. This is followed by a discussion of policy implementations and its relevance in local government to e-government, as well as the analysis of the key features and roles of implementation. Finally, the paper discusses British effort to implement e-government at the local level. 2. E-GOVERNMENT E-government is a notion that has revolutionised bureaucracy and the way governments function in the twenty first century. E-Government is an approach dealing with the development of online services such as e-tax. E-government is also responsible for many innovations and improvements in the early years such as e-transportation and e-health. There are clear associations between the goals of the modernisation agenda and that of the electronic government agenda. For example, within an expected national policy for electronic government in England, the term electronic government is currently described as â€Å"exploiting the power of information and communications technology to help transform the accessibility, quality and cost-effectiveness of public services, and to help revitalise the relationship between customers and citizens and public bodies who work on their behalf† (Local Government Association 2002:XXX). 3. POLICY IMPLEMENTATION AND ITS RELEVANCE It has been claimed that the implementation of local e-government is perhaps the most diverse and complex change programme ever undertaken by local government (The Economist 2006). The process touches all public services, from social services to housing and from education to street cleansing, and every single department of local government. As a plan for change, it entails innovations in structures, processes, working practices and corporate cultures. Therefore, it has an effect on everybody who is a part of the local government including elected members, staff, citizens and local businesses. Furthermore, local electronic government is not just a matter for local authorities, as it extends to a wide range of other local agencies. This necessitates the general partnership and successful management. The transformation from plan to implementation entails the organisation of capital, and current effort in processual studies of change have accentuated on the administration of organisational politics and the implementation of power. Resources not only include money, staff time and technological infrastructure, but also leadership, relevant skills and competencies (McLoughlin Cornford 2006). 4. KEY FEATURES AND ROLES The attainment of e-government is of strategic importance for local governments. According to Murray (2005), the key features for implementing electronic government are informatics planning, informatics management, informatics development, customer chain, internal value chain, supply chain and electronic community. Informatics planning considers information audit and standardisation, process mapping and design, authority strategy and modernisation, informatics strategy, risk assessment and cost–benefit analysis. Informatics management considers the management matters that are important for the execution of the electronic government agenda, including electronic championing, the form of electronic government organisation and the nature of any benchmarking exercise conducted or planned. Informatics development reflects on the existence of a clear plan for improvement. It does this by reflection on resource matters and whether an audit of appropriate skills had been performed. Key enablers for sustaining the customer chain consist of customer relationship management, the state of the citizen WWW site, examination of whether electronic democracy has been considered and what attention has been paid to the provision of the full range of future access mechanisms and channels. Internal value chain refers to the state of the current information systems. In regards to information systems architecture the apprehension is with the integration and interoperability of information systems as well as the integration with external standards and systems. Considering IT architecture, the significant technology enablers are knowledge management, document management, content management and intranets. Enablers for the supply chain contain the existence of any extranets, evidence of tale working and plans for the implementation of electronic procurement. Electronic community pays attention to the degree to which stakeholders have provided advice on electronic service delivery as well as the form of business planning employed and the existence of any form of electronic community strategy. 5. IMPLEMENTATION OF E-GOVERNMENT IN BRITAIN The current e-government strategy in Britain is based upon e-government targets set in the 1999 Modernising Government White Paper. At the heart of this strategy is the belief that government services should be available continuously and not just during conventional working hours. Consequently, the White Paper established targets that 50 per cent of dealings with the public sector should be capable of electronic delivery by 2005 and 100 per cent by 2008 (Cabinet Office 1999). These targets were revised by a subsequent strategy statement from the newly created OeE to involve 50 per cent by 2002 and 100 per cent by 2005 (Office of the e-Envoy 2000). The targets are not restricted to central government departments or agencies but cover the entire public sector, including local authorities. Indeed, as the primary location of most day-to-day services, local government is seen as being central to the delivery of the information age strategy. According to Eiffert and Puschel (2004), the num ber of transactions involved in local government vastly exceeds those of the rest of central government put together. Informatics Planning â€Å"Some connection between their electronic government strategy and aspects of their modernisation agenda had been made by most authorities in Britain, however, there was surprisingly little evidence within the statements of the re-engineering of any current processes† (Barry 2004:37). There was little evidence of process mapping and redesign besides the general consideration of process changes required at the customer interface, apart from the general claim that electronic government change is organisational change. British local governments claimed to have an ICT strategy in place, but many acknowledged that it needed updating in the light of electronic government and needed to be more closely aligned with their electronic government strategy (Barry 2004). An initial cost–benefit analysis was also attempted, however a thorough assessment still had to be conducted by the majority of authorities. Financial analyses were also conducted, and findings were that cost sav ings were unlikely in the short term and cost neutrality was the medium-term goal for their authority. According to Barry (2004), most of the benefits of electronic government were likely to be intangible. Furthermore, the issue was also placed on inadequate resources, needed culture change within authorities and low-uptake of services as priority issues to be addressed. Informatics Management The council leader and the chief executive have been appointed by a significant proportion of the authorities in Britain as authority electronic champions. However, a variable level of support appeared for the electronic government agenda among elected members. â€Å"The general assessment seemed to be that, while a proportion of council members were interested and enthusiastic about electronic government, a substantial proportion of most council’s elected members had yet to be convinced of the case for electronic government† (Barry 2004:38). Specific structures for implementing the electronic agenda have been created, and electronic government officers for overseeing the strategy have been appointed by some governments. Most governments were only in the early stages of benchmarking their electronic service delivery and those that had completed this exercise placed their existing level of electronic service delivery in the lower quartile. Many local governments were re- using existing structures for implementing electronic government. Informatics Development Most governments in Britain had created development plans that had clearly evolved from their existing informatics infrastructure. Some authorities had aspired to consider more radical and aspirational solutions for the longer term future based on some early piloting of key technologies. Most authorities have also seen adequate resourcing for electronic government as a crucial issue. â€Å"Estimates from authorities regarding the investment required for the Welsh region for implementing the electronic local government agenda fully ranged from  £20 million to  £200 million† (Barry, 2004:39). Many of them have been actively looking towards various forms of external funding in order to finance critical components of their electronic government agenda. According to Barry (2004), one important aspect that was poorly addressed in most Implementing Electronic Government statements was the degree to which authorities believed they had the sufficient internal skills base required f or implementing the electronic government agenda effectively over the long term. The Customer Chain â€Å"Most of the planning within authorities in Britain appeared to be devoted to enhancing the customer chain† (Barry 2004:39). There was a need to re-engineer access to government services by using multiple access contact centres which are supported by sophisticated customer relationship management systems. This innovation was seen as particularly difficult for the smaller authorities, and in Wales for example, only one authority appeared to be well advanced in this area. In terms of the Society of Information Technology Manager’s four-point scale of categories (promotional, content, content plus and transactional) most authority WWW sites were currently content. The aspiration amongst most authorities was for fully transactional WWW sites, however only some authorities were using such technologies for facilitating interaction between, for instance, councillor and citizen. The Internal Value Chain â€Å"In discussions with the authorities it appeared that the enablement of the internal value chain of authorities was at a much more advanced stage than the enablement of the customer and supply chains† (Barry 2004:41). However, there was little description of the state of the back-end infrastructure and the integration and inter-operability of back-end systems in the Implementing Electronic Government statements themselves. There was also little allusion to plans for front-end/back-end systems integration in most authorities. â€Å"Most authorities seemed to be using basic technologies such as electronic mail to good effect internally, many had intranets and many had upgraded their internal communications infrastructure. However, the use of technologies such as content, document and knowledge management was variable† (Performance and Innovation Unit 2000). Furthermore, many authorities expressed concern over the increasing costs and unclear benefits of document mana gement systems. The Supply Chain Supply chain has been the least enabled theme within British authorities, even though in the private sector, electronic enablement of the supply chain was seen as critical to modernisation. Some authorities were piloting aspects of electronic procurement, but few authorities had a clear strategy in this area. Most also did not appear to be using extranets in any serious way and tele-working was being piloted only by a minority. The Community Chain The issue of the electronic community was treated differently amongst the governments. A minority of the governments oriented their entire electronic government strategy around the key idea of partnerships with the community, the community information plan was the electronic government plan in such authorities. â€Å"In the majority of the authorities, however, the electronic community was placed as one but not the only issue in their electronic Evaluating electronic local government in the UK 145 government strategy. Most authorities had consulted on electronic service delivery and, as a result, predicted low uptake of such services in the short to medium term† (Barry 2004:44). 6. CONCLUSION Local e-government in England is a hugely complex change programme that takes in almost every aspect of local government and almost everyone involved. The scale of the transformation which is envisaged, and the timescale in which it is expected to be achieved, are both highly ambitious. It is only by understanding this transformation as a both an organisational and socio-technical phenomenon and developing management practices appropriate to the emergent and on-going character of the change required, that many of the goals of e-government are likely to be realised. The effective implementation of e-government requires that the many resource gaps that exist in relation to appropriate leadership, change and project management skills are filled. Bibliography Barry, James (2006), â€Å"E-government† Unwin, London. Cabinet Office (1999) â€Å"Modernising Government†, Cm. 4310, London Stationary Office Eiffert, M. and Puschel, J. 2004, â€Å"National Electronic Government (eds)†. London : Routledge, 2004. Local Government Association (2002), â€Å"Towards a National Strategy for Local E-Government†, Local Government Association, London. McLoughlin, I. and Cornford, J. (2006), â€Å"Transformational Change in the local State? Enacting e-government in English local authorities† Journal of Management and Organisation, v12.n3, pp195(14). Murray, Smith, (2005), Implementation Strategies for E-government: A stakeholder Analysis Approach†, Centre for Innovation and Structural change, NUI, Galway, Ireland Office of the eEnvoy. (2000). www.archive.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/e-envoy Performance and Innovation Unit(2000): â€Å"E-government, 2000, Electronic government services for the 21st century. The Economist (2006), â€Å"Britain: The world in a website; E-government†, London March 11 2006 v378.n8468, pp32.

Marketing Activities To Affect The Potential Buyer Influences Marketing Essay

Marketing Activities To Affect The Potential Buyer Influences Marketing Essay This assignment will be addressing the issues faced by a company operating in the highly competitive sportswear market in the United Kingdom. The issues presented in the assignment will be discussed in relation with the changing nature of consumer behaviour. Firstly, it is vital to analyse the current position of the company as follows. SOLE-RUN Sole-Run is a company operating in sportswear market in the United Kingdom specialising in football boots. It is said that the firm has entered the sportswear market at a quite late stage of the market development which can be assumed to be at a stage where the market was maturing with high competition from the market leaders like Adidas and Nike. However, Sole-Run was able to capture 12% of the market share despite not having either the production capacity or the financial budgets to compete with such market leaders. On the other hand, it is said that fashionable trainers remain as the largest single part of the sports footwear market. While it was found that customers valued comfort and did not want to pay high price research findings also showed that low-to medium priced trainers provided the same levels of comfort as high priced trainers where paying a higher price for trainers did not ensure a higher quality or a higher level of comfort. Sole-Run is currently facing difficulties in increasing its sales despite the high potential market for trainers as consumers are buying trainers as a piece of fashionable clothing as well as for sports especially among the teenagers and older people with high disposable income. SPORTS CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR In order to identify as how Sole-Run can influence the consumer purchase it is essential to understand the consumer behaviour of this particular market. According to Kotler and Armstrong (2010) consumer buying behaviour is the individual purchasing or consuming decision of an individual or household and whoever buys goods and services for personal consumption. Sports consumer behaviour is the process involved when individuals select, purchase, use, and dispose of sport related products and services to satisfy needs and receive benefits (Funk, 2008). This process is created by a desire to seek sports consumption experiences that provides benefits and satisfy needs (Funk, 2008). TASK 1- BUYER INFLUENCE AND PURCHASING PROCESS 1.1 WHAT IS BUYER INFLUENCE? Buyer influences will affect the degree of motivation in consumers to make purchasing decisions. On the other hand the level of involvement in sports will also affect the decision making. It is important for Sole-Rune to understand the consumers buying behaviour when designing a marketing strategy for its sports-fashion wear trainers or any other sports related products. Involvement involves represent a state of motivation with regard to a product, an activity, or an object (Rothschild, 1984). This state of motivation reflects the level of arousal, interest, or drive evoked by a particular sports stimuli or situation that influences consumer behaviour (Mitchelle, 1979). 1.2. INTERNAL INFLUENCES Generally consumer behaviour can be influenced by factors such as motivation, learning and perception which are known as internal factors. Also called as personal factors these gives the ability for the consumer to directly benefit from the product. 1.3. EXTERNAL INFLUENCES Social norms are a prominent external factor influencing consumer buyer behaviour. As pointed out by Kotler and Armstrong (2010) consumer purchases are influenced by forces such as social, cultural, individual and psychological. Cultural characteristics consists of the set of basic values, perceptions, wants and behaviours learned by an individual from being a member of a society. In this context Sole-Run will have to identify the cultural characteristics of the potential British based consumers who tend to be highly fashion conscious. Social characteristics on the other hand consists of social factors such as the targeted consumers relation to small groups, family and social roles. Individual characteristics can be regarded as the consumers age, economic situations and occupation. Psychological factors consist of the motivation, perception and beliefs and attitudes of the targeted potential consumers. Here it is evident that the targeted consumers for the sports-fashion trainers come from social groups which consist of individual characters of fashion conscious teenagers and old consumers who have high disposable income. 1.4. MARKETING ACTIVITIES TO AFFECT THE POTENTIAL BUYER INFLUENCES According to the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), marketing can be defined as a managerial process whereby you indentify, anticipate and satisfy customer needs and wants for a profit. In order to come up with marketing strategies that will affect potential buyer influences, it is vital that Sole-Run have a better understanding on the consumers decision making as this will not only increase consumer demand but will also help to sustain its demand. While Sole-Run should identify properly its market segments in order to design targeted marketing activities, it is said that the teenagers and older people with high disposable income are the highest consumer purchasers in the sports-fashion trainers market. On the other hand, it is also found through research that consumers do not wish to pay high prices for trainers while seeking for comfort. As it is said that Sole-Run does not possess adequate financial budgets, it is evident that Sole-Run cannot invest on large scale nationwide marketing activities by advertising on mass media such as television and on radio to influence potential buyers. The starting point of Sole-Run can be to influence the potential consumers by providing information about its sports-fashion wear trainers consisting of the marketing mix in other words, the product, price, place of availability and promotions. This information will lead the potential observable buyers to respond to product choice, brand choice, dealer choice, purchasing timing and amount. It is said that sports events play a significant role in a communitys marketing and branding strategy (Higham Hinch, 2003). Hence Sole-Run can target more local or regional sports events which are less costly in terms of marketing budget compared to national events. Sole-Run can have special promotions in its outlets for the first time buyers. Also, by having direct marketing campaigns online which is less costly and highly effective compared to television or radio advertisement, the company can easily target the technology savvy teenagers such as by uploading videos on YouTube, and creating pages on popular social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter encouraging them to comment and give their opinions on the trainers perhaps with special discount codes online which the potential buyers can redeem when purchasing in-store. On the other hand Sole-Run will be encouraging interactive marketing online where consumers will start conversation online about the Sole-Run trainers creating positive network influence for the company among others targeted consumers. On the other hand, in order to target the older consumers who has high disposable income, Sole-Run can advertise on sports related magazines and financial newspapers which are read by these targeted consumers and sponsor events created by sports clubs where these potential consumers can be found. TASK 2 ROGERS DIFFUSION CURVE AND ADOPTION MODEL 2.1. ROGERS DIFFUSION CURVE- Predicting buyer behaviour becomes particularly important with innovations and is particularly important in decisions concerning new product developments. Rogers (1962) attempted differentiate consumers according to their response to innovative products and identified five types of consumers based on the idea that certain individuals are inevitably more open to adaptation than others. These consumers were categorised as follows; 1. Innovators- brave consumers pulling the change and are very important communication mechanisms 2. Early adopters repectable people, opinion leaders, try out new ideas but in a careful way than innovators. 3. Early majority thoughtful people, careful but accept change more quickly than average people do 4. Late majority- sceptic people who will use new ideas and products only when the majority is using 5. Laggards traditional people who love to stick to the old ways and are critical about new ideas ad will only accept it if the new idea has become mainstream or even tradition. The research focus of diffusion has five elements which are; 1. characteristics of an innovation which may influence its adoption 2.decision making process that occurs when individuals consider to adopt a new idea, product or practice 3. characteristics of individuals that make them likely to adopt and innovation 4. consequences for individuals and society for adopting an innovation and 5. communication channels used in the adoption process (Kotler, 2010) According to this theory, the innovators and early majority comprise an estimated 15% of the population and are regarded as important as opinion leaders in the diffusion curve. Another important implication which this theory provides is that it is of no use of convincing the mass market in one go at the very beginning spending heavily on marketing and advertising. Thus the implication this provides for firms like Sole-Run is to establish the characteristics of the first two types of groups in other words, the innovators and the early adopters and to focus the marketing communication accordingly as according to this process there is always some consumers who would like to take risk and purchase the new products. This model shows the diffusion of new products as a chain reaction on influence between pioneering consumers and the mass market. 2.2. ADOPTION PROCESS MODEL The adoption model which is also called the AIETA model will help Sole-Run to identify the new product adoption process of consumers within the sports-fashion trainer market. This model suggests on how to help consumers move through the stages of purchasing especially new products. Adoption normally in this context applies to the new products. Kotler and Armstrong (2010) defined the adoption process as the mental process though which an individual passes from first learning about an innovation to final adoption. Consumers before purchasing new products will go through a five stage process which if successful will lead to adoption of products where adoption is the decision by an individual consumer to become a regular user of the product. 1. Attention also known as awareness is where the consumer becomes aware of the new product but lacks information about it. 2. Interest in this stage the consumer will seek information about the new product 3. Evaluation with the information the consumer received the consumer will consider whether or not to try the product 4. Trial here the consumer tries the product for the first time to improve the estimate of its value 5. Adoption finally the consumer decides to make full and regular use of the new product According to this model, adoption comes at the end of the process through which an individual consumer may go from initial awareness through to adoption at which point the consumer becomes a regular user of the product. Here, Sole-Run should identify the product characteristics that will affect the readiness of the targeted potential consumers to adopt the product in other words the unique characteristics of its sports-fashions trainers. The product characteristics would include relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, divisibility, and communicability. On the other hand the product characteristics would not include the other aspects of the marketing mix such as price and promotions though these may also affect the rate of consumer adoption. TASK 3- EFFECTS OF COMMUNICATION TO INFLUENCE FIRST BUYERS It is essential that Sole-Run pleases the initial buyers of its trainers by providing right information with effective communication that will lead to make a purchase as they will in-turn influence many subsequent customers brand choices. This can be especially true among the targeted market of teenagers due to network externalities. 3.1. THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS Before purchasing a product, consumers generally go through a process called the decision making process which needs to be identified by Sole-Run in order to come up with a better communication strategy especially for the first time buyers as the decision making process can be influenced by the personal, social, cultural and psychological factors as well as by the marketing mix variables and situational factors. 1. Need recognition this is the first stage of the buyer decision process where the consumers recognise a need or identify a problem. This can be triggered by internal or external stimuli. 2. Search for information in this stage the consumer is aroused to search for more information where the consumers will tend to obtain information from various sources such as personal through family and friends, commercial advertisements, mass media, and experiential sources. 3. Evaluation of alternatives here the consumers will use information gathered to evaluate between alternative brands in among the chosen ones. 4. Purchase decision the consumers decisions about which brand to purchase will be made at theis stage. However, two factors can come in-between the purchase intention and the actual purchase decision. The first being the attitude of others such as friends and family, and the other being unexpected situational factors such as sudden economic downturns. 5. Post purchase evaluation the final stage of the buyer decision process in which consumers take further action after purchase based on their satisfaction or dissatisfaction. If the product is not up to the expected standards of the consumer than cognitive dissonance may occur. The decision making process shows that the buying process clearly starts long before the actual purchase and continues long after that where Sole-Run will need to focus on the entire buying process rather than focusing on just the purchasing decision when coming up with communication strategies to influence first time buyers. 3.2. THE DECISION MAKING UNIT On the other hand, many decisions consumers make had been either made for example in the case of youngsters or influenced by one or more parties. This is collectively known as the decision making unit which consist of 5 different roles of people consisting of an initiator, influencer, decider, financier, buyer and user. Initiators are those who initiate the idea of making the purchasing decision where influencers are the people who, because of their expertise, set the specification of what is to be bought. On the other hand, deciders are those who make the actual buying decision with financiers making the purchase, and buyers processing the purchase orders and users actually using the product bought. While there can be few people playing different roles in the buyer process as well as none among a particular consumer, it is essential that Sole-Run communicate the right information and provides the expected value to the consumers who are first time buyers. 3.3. INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATION As identified above the different kinds of information that are needed to influence the first time buyers as well as the people who will affect the purchasing decision of consumers, Sole-Run can adopt a intergrated marketing communication strategy where through different communication channels the company can effectively target each personnel involved in the decision making unit while providing the information for the decision making process of the targeted consumers. Thus, this marketing communication strategy will allow Sole-Run to have individual personalised and tailor made communication among the targeted consumer groups. TASK 4- CUSTOMER ATTRACTION AND CUSTOMER LOYALTY 4.1. DIFFICULTIES ASSOCIATED WITH CUSTOMERS DEFECTING FROM ANOTHER BRAND TO THE SOLE-RUN BRAND Sole-Run should take into account the type of buying behaviour of its targeted market as this highly affects the marketing mix decisions. On the other hand the buyer behaviour differs greatly for different types of products and services. The psychological theories of buyer behaviour differentiate consumer behaviour emphasising the environment which is the behavioural approach and the consumer behaviour emphasising mental processes called as cognitive approach. Mainly, there are four types of buying behaviour based on a buyers involvement and the perceived differences among brands. 1. Complex buying is where the level of involvement is high with high degree of perceived difference among brands. While this behaviour is tend to be cognitive in nature the involvement arises from uncertainty of product quality, high price, and personal factors such as self image, value and needs. 2. Dissonance buying which high in involvement and low in perceived brand difference tends to be cognitive and behavioural in nature mainly associated with risky, infrequent and expensive purchasing. 3. Habitual buying has a low consumer involvement with little brand difference and less price sensitive. This tends to be more of behavioural. 4. Variety seeking which is more cognitive has a low involvement purchase but significant difference in brands. In this situation consumers, if curious about a new brand or dissatisfied with the product choice, will engage in switching to another brand easily. The differences of buyer behaviour will largely reflect on the information and communication needs of potential buyers and the best means, in each case, of meeting these needs with respect to communicated messages and media by Sole-Run. According to the types of buyer behaviour, it can be said that purchases with regards to sports-fashion wear tends to be more variety seeking where customer are highly attached to a brands perceived difference. Thus in order to get consumers using brands such as Nike or Adidas to purchase Sole-Run, the company should create a unique selling proposition targeting comfort of the trainers and positioning as a brand which provides the same comfort level as the premium brands but for a much low price. This can be done through means of proper marketing communication strategies which will help consumers differentiate the brand as opposed to competitor brands employing more cognitive approaches to its marketing and advertising. Hence, Sole-Run should also draw strategies to retain these customers by offering better service for the value. 4.2. RETRAINING CUSTOMERS THROUGH CUSTOMER LOYALTY After successfully attracting customers to purchase Sole-Runs sports-fashion trainers, the company should also then put efforts for retraining the customers with differentiated marketing strategies. Sole-Run can develop loyal customers if the company is able to successfully influence the variety seeking consumers in the market to purchase its brand and to become habitual buyers by positioning itself in the consumers mind through means of effective marketing communication as then the customers will addicted to buy trainers from the brand Sole-Run. This can be done through marketing strategies that passively communicates information as they watch television or surf the internet where unconscious advertising repetition will create familiarity, which often translates into a brand purchase when the consumer in deciding which brand to buy (Ali Gomez, 2009). As this is pure behavioural decision making, Sole-Run can focus its advertising on classical conditioning in which the potential buyers can identify the products by a single symbol repeatedly attached to it (Ali Gomez, 2009). Thus, this will not only help Sole-Run to increase sales from its loyal consumers but will also help to g ain market share in the largest market. In order to retrain its loyal customers Sole Run should mainly engage in customer relationship marketing as research has found that it is five times costlier to attract a new customer than maintaining an existing customer and loyal customers mean repeat purchases. Thus loyal customers are a powerful source of marketing the companys brand identity through recommendations and word of mouth especially within the target market of teenagers creating positive impact of the brand Sole-Run. Although relationship marketing does not correspond to a specific set of techniques it does emphasise the need to build a continuous, strong and mutually beneficial relationship between the buyers and Sole-Run which is maintained even in periods that any purchase is not in the process. Further, through loyalty marketing, Sole-Run can also increase customers life time value in the long run as it is said that especially teenagers purchase trainers to match their clothing and outfits and if they become habitual buyers of Sole-Run they will be stick to the brand throughout their life as a partner. CONCLUSION It was identified that although Sole-Run entered the sportswear market at a later stage, there is a high market potential in the sports-fashion trainers with the increase of purchase by teenagers and consumers with high disposable income. Hence it is recommended that in order to increase its market share in the highly competitive industry, Sole-Run should also target the sports-fashion trainers market with a right marketing and communication strategy. Given the research findings that consumers do not wish to pay premium prices for trainers, Sole-Run can position its trainers as providing the same comfort level the consumers expect for a lower price than of the market leaders. This will in-turn help Sole-Run not only to increase its sales in the trainers but also its overall market share in the industry by capturing the largest market in sportswear.

Road Traffic Injuries in Cameroon Essay -- Transportation, Social Issu

It is estimated that almost 16 000 people die every day from all types of injuries throughout the world (1). Injuries account for 12% of the global burden of disease. They are the third most important cause of overall mortality and the leading cause of death among 1–40-year-olds (2). Road traffic accidents (RTA) are responsible for the highest number of injuries worldwide. According to data published by the World Health Organization (WHO) road traffic injuries account for around 25% of all injury related deaths (1). The report portrayed road transport crashes as a leading cause of injury related morbidity and mortality the world over. The World Bank and WHO estimates reveal that about 1.2 million people die each year and as many as 50 million sustain injuries as a result of road transport accidents. This represents about 25% of all injury related deaths worldwide. Developing countries account for up to 85% of all road traffic deaths world wide; 90% of global disability adjuste d life years lost (DALY); and 96% of global traffic related child mortality. Most of these victims are the poor masses that commute as passengers in public transport vehicles, cyclist or pedestrians and users of vans, coaches and minibuses (1, 3, and 4). The actually numbers of road deaths are unknown. This is as a result of variations and limitations in RTI data collection; analysis, differences in interpretation and underreporting. Road traffic related deaths account for over 50% of deaths are among young adults in the age range of 15–44 years (5); and are the second leading cause of death among children aged 5–14 years, and young people aged 15–29 years worldwide. It is projected that without a major improvement on prevention strategies and policies, ... ... healers. The bulk of non-profit facilities are operated by the Catholic and Protestant Health Services: the former operate 179 facilities (including 8 hospitals) with a staff of 1,315 and the latter122 health facilities (including 24 hospitals) with a staff of 2,633 (World Bank op cit); there were roughly 200 for-profit clinics (Deschamps, 1996; p. 2) and a few thousand traditional healers (Lantum, 1996; personal communication). The plethora of health care providers and institutions means a wide variety of sources making it difficult to identify all cases of road traffic related injury reported or treated. Some victims of RTI injuries may not show up in hospitals or report to the police as they may prefer to seek alternative treatment and as Dixey (1999) argues the health help seeking behavior of a people maybe informed by the believe of disease and causation.

Use of Light and Darkness in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness Essa

Use of Light and Darkness in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness  Ã‚      Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness contrasts light and darkness, to represent the civilized and uncivilized sides of the world. Conrad uses light to represent the civilized side of humanity while contrasting the dark with the uncivilized and savage. Throughout the thematic stages of the novel, that is the Thames river London, the company's office in Belgium, the journey to the "heart of darkness" and the conclusion, light and dark is used to represent these sides of humanity, but on a deeper level many assumptions of darkness and light are challenged, with the appearance of light and dark, and in turn good and evil contrasting with the reality. From the initial setting, the Thames river, London, on the "cruising yawl" the Nellie, light and darkness are used to symbolize the good and evil side of humanity. Marlow's tale of the Congo is where light and darkness is used to represent the civilized and uncivilized. Marlow talks of the lights that are reflected in the water, creating the idea that the members of the Nellie are civilized. The   lights of London are again used represent the civilized nature of the society, with connotations of "good" coming from the bright lights of civilization. However this is then contrasted with the juxtaposition of the "light", with Marlow saying - "And this also has been one of the dark places of the Earth". By saying this Marlow is portraying London as a city with once the same darkness of civilization, of which the civilized Roman's brought light to. This establishment of light representing the civilized demonstrates the dominant assumptions of the white society, later in the novel it is demonstrated that civilized does no... ...story. However Conrad also challenges many assumptions of darkness being solely associated with evil, and light being solely associated with good, as throughout the novel the light of the white society is critiqued, representing the evil side of humanity. Works Cited and Consulted Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. Middlesex, England: Penguin Publishers, 1983. Gillon, Adam. (1982). Joseph Conrad. Twayne's English Author Series: Number 333. Kinley E. Roby, ed. Boston: Twayne. "Joseph Conrad." The Encarta 1998 Encyclopedia Online. Microsoft, 1998. Kunitz, Stanley J. "Joseph Conrad." Twentieth Century Authors: Vol. T. New York: H.W. Wilson Company, 1942. 307-9 Stape, J.H.. The Cambridge Companion to Joseph Conrad. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Taylor, Derek. Conrad's Heart of Darkness. The Explicator. No.4 Summer 1998: 195-8.   

Succubus Shadows Chapter 22

I wandered into the hotel, still a bit stunned by the situation I found myself in. Seth was†¦in Mexico. Presuming Jerome was holding true to his bargain, of course. I had to believe he was, but the question was if he'd actually sent me near Seth. That was a wording in my request that could be blurred a little. Glancing up at the hotel, I hoped Jerome's minions had gone as far as to search local hotels for Seth's name when they tracked the plane ticket. With a quick smile to the man who'd helped me, I headed toward the hotel's entrance. In a place that catered to so many tourists, plenty of the staff spoke English, not that it mattered much to me. I went to the front desk, asking if they had a guest named Seth Mortensen. The woman working there looked it up, and when she found him in their computer, I caught my breath. He was here. I'd really found him. Well, kind of. When I asked her for his room number, she told me the hotel couldn't disclose that information. She could, however, connect me to his room. I hesitated before accepting. If Seth truly didn't want to be found, he might change his hotel or even city once he knew I'd located him. Still, I didn't necessarily have any other way to get in touch, so I let the woman connect me. It did no good. There was no answer. Thanking her, I headed out to the back of the resort, figuring I'd walk off my frustration and hopefully clear my thoughts as I determined my next course of action. The pool and beach stretching out behind the building were intended for guests only, but it was easy enough to slip past security. I even took the opportunity, when briefly alone in a hall, to shape-shift into more appropriate clothing: a red bikini and sarong. Outside, the heat hit me once again, and I paused, letting the sun soak into me. The time zone wasn't far off from Seattle's here, but even in early evening, the temperature was intense – which I loved. Beyond the pool and its bars, I could see a stretch of soft golden sand curving around blue, blue water. Still not as vivid as what I'd grown up with, but beautiful nonetheless. Lounge chairs and cabanas were scattered along the beach as sunseekers tried to grasp the last of the day's rays. I walked toward it, hoping to find a chair of my own and maybe a mai tai. If I wasn't going to find Seth right away, I might as well – There he was. I came to an abrupt halt, nearly causing a young, giggling couple to walk into me and spill their drinks. I couldn't believe it. God might work in mysterious ways, but Hell worked in efficient ones. I murmured apologies to the couple and started toward Seth, stopping again after a few more steps. What would I do? What would I say? Seth had broken an engagement and fled from everyone he knew. Now, here I was, intruding on his escape. I'd run through a few mental scenarios but hadn't decided on anything concrete. With a deep breath, I decided to just push forward and wing it. I came up behind his chair, my shadow falling over him as I grew closer. He lay sprawled out in shorts and a Tootsie Pops T-shirt. A drink that looked suspiciously alcoholic sat by his side, and he was reading a book whose cover I couldn't see from this angle. Once more, I halted, confused over how I felt. â€Å"The perfume,† he said without warning. â€Å"Even out here, I can smell it. I'd know you anywhere. Tuberose and incense.† I walked around, coming to stand off to his right side. I put my hands on my hips. â€Å"You don't seem surprised to see me.† He took off his sunglasses and studied me, one of those small, amused smiles on his face. â€Å"I am†¦and I'm not. I thought I did a good job of disappearing. But I knew if anyone did find me, it would be you.† â€Å"Because I'm well connected?† â€Å"Because you're you.† Searching for a clear spot of sand, I lowered myself to sit, but Seth scooted over on his lounge chair and indicated the space beside him. Hesitating only a moment, I sat next to where he lay, looking over him as our legs touched. He reached for his drink – a peach-colored monstrosity with enough sliced fruit for a salad in it – and took a sip. â€Å"What's that?† I asked. â€Å"They call it el Chupacabra.† â€Å"They do not.† â€Å"They do. I think it's got about fifty kinds of vodka in it. You'd like it.† â€Å"I'm surprised you like it.† â€Å"If you're going to become a villain, you might as well go the whole way,† he replied, gesturing for a waiter to bring another drink. â€Å"You're not a villain,† I said softly. â€Å"Yeah? Is that what they're saying back home?† I glanced away and watched small waves break on the shore. â€Å"I haven't really talked to that many people. Mostly your family is worried.† â€Å"You've neatly dodged the question.† â€Å"Do you want to talk about it?† I turned back to him. He gave a small shrug. â€Å"What's there to say? I broke her heart. I broke your heart. I don't think someone like me is meant to be in relationships.† â€Å"That's ridiculous. You're not the one who sucks people's souls away.† â€Å"Depends how literally you take the metaphor.† â€Å"Seth, stop. Stop making a joke out of this. Why'd you do it?† â€Å"You have to ask?† The new drink arrived remarkably fast, and he handed it to me. He was right. It did taste like it had fifty kinds of vodka. â€Å"I didn't feel it. Not the way I should. You know that.† I did, and I was surprised at the frank and honest nature of our conversation. We hadn't had anything like this†¦well, not since we were dating. It had all been awkwardness and guarded feelings since things fell apart. â€Å"But why now?† It was his turn to look away, gazing off at the postcard view without seeing it. The sunlight hadn't quite turned orange yet, but it was bringing out the copper in his hair and amber of his eyes. I stared at him, taking it all in, hardly noticing how long it took him to answer. â€Å"Georgina,† he said at last, eyes still elsewhere. â€Å"When I ended things with us at Christmas†¦I did it so I wouldn't hurt you someday. And, I suppose, so you didn't hurt me. I went to Maddie for the wrong reasons then, but it didn't seem so bad since I actually cared about her – I mean, aside from the fact you had to live with it in front of you every day. I never meant for that part to happen.† â€Å"It's okay,† I said automatically, hating the sadness in his voice. â€Å"I don't – â€Å" â€Å"Shh,† he said, holding up a hand. â€Å"I'll actually talk for once, so you better let me before I lose the nerve.† I smiled – though none of this was all that funny – and nodded. â€Å"Anyway, I wish I'd chosen someone I didn't like or respect. It would have made things simpler. But as time went on, I found myself growing closer to her – but not farther from you. My plan wasn't working. I was only hurting the two of us more and more. Maybe I should have disappeared then.† I bit my lip on any comments. â€Å"The only one who wasn't hurting was Maddie – because we were keeping her in the dark. And after you and me†¦well, you know. After we were together, I felt so horrible†¦so guilty†¦I hated myself for what I'd done to her. I wanted desperately for one person to come out of this happy. I wanted her to stay in blissful ignorance. I wanted to make it up to her.† I'd deduced as much. And I also knew about the guilt†¦the guilt from the sin that had left a stain on his soul. Seth didn't know about that part and probably shouldn't ever. â€Å"But whatever happiness I could give her wasn't real,† he continued. â€Å"And I realized that the other day when we were at Erik's, and I†¦hell, Georgina. I don't really know what happened or even what I saw. There are only two things I'm sure about. One was that when Jerome came and said he needed me to come with him to help you, I did. If he'd said he had to take me to Hell itself, I would have.† I closed my eyes. â€Å"Seth – â€Å" â€Å"And when I was there and Erik sent me wherever he did, I felt†¦well, it was beyond anything I'd experienced. At first, I was so confused and disoriented. I didn't get what they were saying about finding you. It seemed surreal. Then, it was the easiest thing in the world. I just looked for you, and there you were. In all that space and all that chaos, reaching you was like looking into myself. We were so close†¦it defied physics and every rule of nature I knew. It didn't seem real that I could be together with anyone like that. â€Å"And when it was over, it's like I said – I wasn't sure what I'd just been a part of. But I knew that I had never experienced any bond like that with any other woman. Maybe you're the only one, maybe there's another†¦but regardless, I didn't have it with Maddie. She's amazing. I do love her. But in that situation again? I would never find her. And I knew it wasn't fair to lead her into a life without that connection. You and I†¦I don't understand what's between us, but I'd rather spend my life alone than with someone who isn't you.† He fell silent, and it was one of those weird times where I had no quick response. Instead, I linked my hand with his and stretched alongside him in the place he'd made on the chair, resting my head on his chest. He placed his hand on my shoulder, his fingers pressing into my skin to make sure I stayed. His heart beat against my ear. â€Å"How's this going to end?† I asked bleakly. â€Å"I†¦don't know, any more than I know how Cady and O'Neill are going to end.† He sighed. â€Å"I have a feeling I will be alone. In spite of everything that's changed between us, nothing's actually changed.† â€Å"I†¦I don't know.† Again, my clever words were gone, but he was right. A lifetime seemed to have passed since we had split up, but all the same problems were still there. I might wax poetic about the universal connection of our souls, but it could never be matched physically, not so long as I refused him that. And mortality†¦always there was mortality beating down upon us. Seth wouldn't live forever, and that knowledge – figuratively speaking – killed me. Which reminded me of something. I lifted my head and propped myself onto him so that my hair hung around us as I looked down at his face. â€Å"When are you coming home?† He brushed some of the hair away, tucking it behind my ear. It came loose again. â€Å"Who said I'm coming home?† â€Å"Don't joke. You have to.† â€Å"I'm not joking. Do you think I can go back there? I can't see Maddie†¦. I can't stand to see what I've done to her.† â€Å"You don't have to see her,† I said. â€Å"Don't go to the store. People break up all the time and don't have to move.† Seth shook his head. â€Å"Yeah, but with my luck, we'd still run into each other. At a movie. A restaurant. Something. I'm a coward, Georgina. I don't want to see her†¦not after†¦well, you didn't see her face when I told her.† â€Å"I saw her face afterward,† I said. â€Å"It was probably close enough. I can't believe you're seriously saying you'd never come back to Seattle just to avoid her.† â€Å"She's not the only one I'd be avoiding.† Again, he tried to tuck the unruly hair back. When he failed again, he simply slid his hand down my arm, tracing its curves with his fingertips. â€Å"I don't think I can handle seeing you either. Even being with you now†¦it's like the best thing in the world and the worst. Seeing you all the time would just drive home how we can't be together – and we would see each other all the time, you know. If I've learned anything, it's that fate doesn't let you and me stay apart for long.† Seth's words were such an odd contradiction. On one side, they were all filled with love and romantic sentiment about how agonizing his life was without me. Yet†¦there was more than just that. There was a defeatist attitude throughout it all, one I'd never seen in him before. Somewhere in all of this, Seth had gained a new bitterness, and I had the uneasy thought that if I could see his soul like Hugh could, the stain of sin would be even darker than before. I made one more attempt. â€Å"Pull me out of the equation. You have to go back for your family. They need you. Andrea's sick.† â€Å"Everyone gets sick. That's not a convincing argument.† â€Å"No†¦you don't understand. They didn't tell you. She doesn't have the flu†¦she's got cancer.† That got a reaction. His expression went rigid. â€Å"No, she doesn't.† â€Å"She does. Brandy told me.† â€Å"She must have been confused,† he said adamantly. â€Å"They would have told me.† â€Å"I don't think she'd mistake ‘cold' for ‘ovarian cancer.' And do you think she'd make something like that up?† He considered a moment. â€Å"No, no, she wouldn't. But why didn't they say anything?† â€Å"I guess they didn't tell anyone so they could find out more. Don't you see?† I leaned closer, hoping to drive home my plea. â€Å"They need you. You have to go home for them.† For a moment, I thought I had him, and then he slowly shook his head. â€Å"They'll be fine without me. And you said yourself they're waiting to find out more. It might not be that bad.† â€Å"Seth! It's cancer. It's going to be some level of bad, regardless. How can you abandon them?† â€Å"Damn it,† he said, about as angry as I ever saw him – which always came off pretty mild. â€Å"I don't need a moral angel on my shoulder right now. Just let me†¦just let me be selfish for once. I want to just be away from it all. I want to hide from my problems for once, instead of always being the responsible one. If you're just here to torment me with what can or can't be, then you should just†¦you should just go. Let me hide out and be free. Let me write the new series and forget about everything else.† It was almost a mirror of what I'd done so long ago. Only, instead of trying to forget my problems, I made everyone forget me. Sometimes, I kind of wished I added that last part to the bargain. Consequently, I could understand where he was coming from. I could understand that longing to just make all the bad things disappear. I'd wanted it too. I'd made it happen. The thing was, I'd expected more from him than from me. Sensing my hesitation, he cupped my face between his hands and drew me down into a small kiss. I drew back and stared in astonishment. â€Å"What was that?† I asked. â€Å"I might ultimately be trying to avoid you, but if I've got you now, I might as well enjoy it for the moment.† There was a wicked gleam in his eyes, one I couldn't help but smile at, despite all the misgivings within me. â€Å"You're a hypocrite,† I said. â€Å"An opportunist,† he countered. â€Å"What are you really doing here, Georgina? What do you want?† I lowered my gaze. I didn't know. I didn't know why I was here. I'd come to make sure he was okay†¦but then what? I was always going back and forth. I loved him. I had to forget him. Back and forth. â€Å"I don't know,† I admitted. â€Å"That's the best I've got.† And with no more deliberation, I kissed him again, longer this time, surprised at how easy it was to fall back into the kinds of kisses we used to do – the ones that just pushed the envelope of when I started to take his energy. He seemed like he was ready to go further, so I was the one who stopped him and returned to lying against him as we watched the sun sink down and paint the sky with brilliant colors. He gave no protest, seeming content just to have me close. We ate dinner inside one of the resort's restaurants, my lack of packing not being a problem with shape-shifting. I pulled out a sexy v-cut evening dress whose violet shade reminded me of our first meeting. And as we talked and drank over dinner, our conversation slipped into the funny, comfortable manner we'd always shared. With Maddie removed from the equation, it was exactly as he'd said: so much had changed yet not changed. The rapport, the connection†¦it all burned between us – as did the sexual tension while we studied each other intently through the effortless conversation. He came alive more than I'd seen him in a while, but whether that was from the drinks or his freedom, I couldn't say. Though my heart sang at finally being with him again, I was still battered with a million doubts. He'd told me to push them aside, but it was hard. Maddie. His underlying pessimism. His desire for escape. His family. My own selfishness. But when we finished dinner, all such worries fled. As soon as we were back in his room – a wide and spacious suite that looked out to the now-dark water – we were all over each other. The longing that had built up between us exploded. His hands undid the zipper of my dress, peeling it from my body. We fell onto the bed, and I tore at his shorts, reason and responsibility nonexistent. His hands ran the length of my body, down the sides of my hips while his mouth moved from my collarbone to the spot between my breasts and then finally onto one of the breasts and its hardened nipple. I was prying off his pants when I felt the glow of life energy start to creep into me. For a few moments, I was able to ignore its implications. I just wanted him. I wanted to feel what I'd felt months ago when his body had been in mine and I'd had that sense of perfect union. The life energy was an aphrodisiac, enhancing the desire my physical body felt. Maybe it was a kneejerk reaction from the days of dating, but once more, I was the one who had to stop it all. I put some distance between us, though we were still intertwined. â€Å"Okay,† I said, my heart pounding in my chest. â€Å"We're about to cross the line.† There was lust in Seth's eyes. Lust and love and that same burning need I had to reach ultimate completion. â€Å"We crossed it a little, didn't we?† he asked breathlessly. â€Å"I felt it.† â€Å"Yeah,† I admitted. â€Å"Not much.† Not much is too much. He frowned a little, his hand still running over my leg. So, so dangerous. A little more and we would teeter over the edge again. â€Å"I've felt it before,† he said. â€Å"When you started to take some of me. Just a vague sense, but it was there. Somehow†¦somehow, it didn't seem quite as bad this time.† He was right, and that was because of that slight darkening on his soul. Sure, he was nowhere near as bad as a lot of Hell-bound people, but even that slight mark made a difference. I could feel it. Before, he'd been pristine and pure, all sparking silver and undiluted life. Most of it was still there†¦save that slight shadow, a shadow that I suspected was increasing the more he decided to turn his back on the people in his life. And the darker a soul was, the less of it I took. â€Å"You're right.† I didn't bother getting into the technicalities. â€Å"But it'd still be bad.† â€Å"Too bad to risk just one time?† An old argument. â€Å"What happened to you giving me up?† â€Å"I will if I have to. I was ready to. But that was before you came here†¦you still haven't told me why, what you want. I'd do it again. I'd be together again, but no more physical boundaries.† He cut off my protests. â€Å"I know, I know the risks. And I know – as should you – that what's between us is about more than sex. But that was still a thorn, no matter how much we knew it shouldn't be. I don't want anything like that happening again. I'll take the risk. It's my choice.† â€Å"I – I don't know. I just don't†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Well, that's better than ‘I can't.'† He chuckled. He moved closer, his lips just brushing mine. â€Å"And if you decide no, then that's how it'll be. But maybe†¦maybe just this once we could†¦maybe just once you could give in†¦.† I closed my eyes as his lips pressed against mine once more, harder this time, and our bodies moved back together. Again, he was right. I could almost give in this time. I'd been through too much recently, so much emotional and spiritual upheaval. Being with him felt like the most natural thing in the world right now†¦but my warning alarms were still going off. If I shortened his life with a dark soul, he'd be that much closer to Hell. â€Å"No,† I said at last. It was growing more difficult to keep pulling back. â€Å"I still can't. Not yet. I'm not saying never†¦I just. I'm so confused. I'm sorry.† He looked disappointed, but to my relief, he didn't push the issue again. I might not have been able to resist if he did. â€Å"But you'll stay? You'll stay the night with me at least?† I nodded. â€Å"I can stay for three days.† â€Å"Three days. That's perfect. I can handle that. Three more days to think about it all. If we can stay together†¦then we will. If we can't, then I'll be alone until there's another Georgina.† His wry tone indicated his doubts about that. â€Å"For now, this is enough.† We lounged in each other's arms naked after that, miraculously managing to keep things from escalating. Of course, it was a skill we'd perfected while dating, so we fell into it naturally – though also reluctantly. We stayed up talking for a long time, as though we hadn't seen each other for years and had a lifetime to catch up on. Which really wasn't that far from the truth. At last, he slept, but I was restless. I watched his peaceful breathing in the darkness, his sleep heavy from the drinks. His skin was warm against mine, and I felt safer than I had in a while. Three days. We'd have these three days, and for a little longer, I could pretend he was mine again, just like he used to be. If I chose, I could even make this permanent. I'd told him I'd think about it. The one problem with it all was that things weren't like they used to be. The dream replayed in my head, the dream that might have been a lie. Seth had been the man in the dream, the one I could have been with if what the Oneroi had showed me was true. But was this Seth lying in my arms the man in the dream? The one I'd dreamed of had been infinitely kind and good – the one I'd fallen in love with. The real Seth had changed – gradually, yes†¦but the change was there. It was wrong of me to judge, seeing as part of the change over the last year had been a result of me in his life. Yet, once more, that selfish part inside me thought he should have resisted. I'd fallen for Seth because of his moral character, something that always attracted me to a man. Ironic and possibly hypocritical for a servant of Hell. I still loved Seth, still felt that connection, but things were off now. This bitterness, this attitude that made him want to lock himself away in easy, selfish retreat was not what I'd expected of him. I'd expected more. I didn't want to lose him. I wanted these last few days with him. I wanted forever with him, but if I stayed, I'd be furthering this attitude I hated. I'd encourage the darkness to build within him. I didn't want to see it. And as much as I loved him and yearned to cling to a few more moments with him, I realized staying with this Seth who disappointed me so much was a bad idea. Seth had said he'd rather be alone than be with the wrong woman. I'd rather be apart from him than see him like this. I wanted my memories of him to stay pure. And so, though it broke my heart, I untangled myself from him. In his heavy sleep, he didn't stir. Again, the hypocrisy wasn't lost on me. I'd tried so many times to coax him into one drink, and now I looked down on him for using cocktails as a way to dull the pain. How stupid, I thought, that his darkened soul made it easier for us to finally be together†¦and yet, for my heart, it made it impossible. I shape-shifted into jeans and a light tank top and found some hotel stationery. On it, I scrawled: Seth, I'm sorry – but I have to leave. I told you I'd consider everything, but I was wrong. I love you too much to stay. Cryptic much? A meager way to express all those feelings, but somehow, I suspected he'd understand. He knew me. I left it on the bedside table and then watched him for a few moments, admiring the man I loved and always would. Finally, my eyes wet, I turned away and left the room to catch a taxi to the airport.

Architect Peter Behrens

The purpose of this analysis is to identify, define, and explain. It is a three part analysis that also has an Introduction and a Conclusion. The first section discusses the â€Å"Historical Background of the Architect†, Peter Behrens. Behrens was born in Germany where he made a significant contribution to the industry field. He brought the styles of Expressionistic, Industrial Classicism, Jugendstil, and International Modern Style to his masterpieces. In fact, these styles are explained in section two which is the â€Å"Critical Analysis†.Behrens’ buildings, Behrens House, A. E. G. High Tension Factory, I. G. Farben Offices, and New Ways are assigned particular styles based upon the way they were designed and the year in which they were built. The final section is the â€Å"Building Analysis†. Additional details are given for the Behrens House. These details are in terms of technicality, criticism, and building for the times. Based upon the findings of th is information, a Conclusion is drawn. Historical Background of the Architect Peter Behrens was originally from Hamburg, Germany. He was born in 1868.Behrens first profession was as a painter. However, graphic and applied arts appealed to Behrens more. Thus, he re-channeled his energy to those areas and steered away from painting. In 1899, an invitation to attend the Artists’ Colony in Darmstadt enabled Behrens to establish a leadership role there. Yet, he would not stay put for long. Behrens next venture was in Dusseldorf where he was employed as the Director of the Kunstgewerkeschule. It was an interim position that sparked Behrens’s interest in adding a unique geometric abstraction to his work (â€Å"Peter Behrens?† 2007). The 1890s was the time period when Behrens was located in Munich where he was employed as a painter and graphic artist. It is also when Behrens gained membership into the Jugendstil movement. However, it was not until 1893 that Behrens beca me one of the co-founders of the Munich Secession. Additionally, â€Å"He produced woodcuts, colored (sic) illustrations, designs for book bindings and crafts objects entirely shaped by the Jugendstil formal language† (â€Å"Biography: Peter Behrens† n.d. ). Artists and architects such as Augst Endell, Bernhard Pankok, Bruno Paul, Hermann Obrist, and Richard Vereinigte united forces with Behrens in 1897 to find â€Å"†¦the Vereinigth Werkstatten fur Kunst und Handwerk in Munich to produce handmade utilitarian objects† (â€Å"Biography: Peter Behrens† n. d. ). These contributions to society were just as the word utilitarian means: functional, practical, and down-to-earth. Consequently, Behrens displayed humbleness in his work as well.This side may also have been evident when Behrens joined forces in 1898 to design â€Å"Pan†, a Berlin journal as well as when he fashioned the first of his furniture designs (â€Å"Biography: Peter Behrens† n. d. ). At the same time that Behrens was creating unique architecture that stirred up a lot of talk and criticism, he was knee-deep in leadership roles. For example, â€Å"In 1899 Peter Behrens was appointed by Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig of Hesse-Darmstadt to the Mathildenhohe artists’ colony the Grand Duke had just established in Darmstadt† (â€Å"Biography: Peter Behrens† n. d. ).Naturally, having a position of such this caliber bestowed upon him by such a high prestige, this meant that Peter Behrens had earned respect, in addition to this honor, in the eyes of the Grand Duke. This could have been the reason why Behrens felt it time to build his own home. â€Å"Designed as a total work of art, â€Å"Haus Behrens† caused quite a stir; Behrens himself designed the architecture and the interior with all its appointments and furnishings down to the last detail† (â€Å"Biography: Peter Behrens† n. d. ). Accordingly, Behrens was able to implemen t the Expressionistic style into his home.Perhaps this inner-creativeness is what caused the AEG to become interested in Behrens. The time between 1907 and 1914 led Behrens’ life to Berlin where he became an artistic advisor to the AEG. It was during this period in his professional career that Behrens became known as the person who â€Å"†¦created the world’s first corporate image† (â€Å"Peter Behrens? † 2007, par. 2). Remarkably, Behrens’ work with the AEG was when he displayed a keen interest for designing architectural pieces that utilized the form and material found in the industry field.Moreover, Behrens’ work helped pave a path for others to follow. Therefore, he â€Å"†¦can be considered a key figure in the transition from Jugendstil to Industrial Classicism. ’ ‘He [indeed] played a central role in the evolution of German Modernism’† (â€Å"Peter Behrens? † 2007, par. 3). During the time fr ame between 1922 and 1936, Behrens was headmaster to the Vienna Akademie der Bildenden Kunste which is an architecture department where he also taught (â€Å"Biography: Peter Behrens† n. d. ). As a result, Behrens was able to play a significant part in the way Germans (and people, in general) perceive architecture.Furthermore, Behrens â€Å"†¦designed china, glass objects and patterned imoleum flooring for various companies. ’ ‘One of his last commissions, in 1938, was to plan a new AEG headquarters in Berlin’† (â€Å"Biography: Peter Behrens† n. d. ). This was, of course, all accomplished before Peter â€Å"†¦died in Berlin in 1940† (â€Å"Peter Behrens? † 2007, par. 4). Fortunately, Behrens was able to put many of his ideas into his architecture. In addition, he was able to demonstrate a high level of skill and technicality in his work. Critical Analysis One of Behrens’ first works was the Behrens House.It was designed in 1901 and is located in Darmstadt, Germany. The house is known for its fine dining rooms and music appeal. Its outline is one of the normal formats â€Å"†¦for a small burgeois house†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (â€Å"Behrens House† 2007, par. 1). However, â€Å"†¦its internal and external expression was unusual, particularly for its combination of features drawn from the English Arts and Crafts movement†¦with elements such as the high-pitched roof drawn from the German Vernacular† (â€Å"Behrens House† 2007, par. 1). In this sense, the word vernacular gives a strong indication that the German culture was evident in Behrens’ works.Vernacular is just another term for the word language. Thus, the Behrens House is characteristic of the Expressionistic style (explained later) as well as of Industrial Classicism which is basically an ideology in which human beings and machines can coexist. In this case, the word â€Å"machine† refers to bu ildings. Another of Behrens’ works is â€Å"A. E. G. High Tension Factory† (2007). The building was designed in 1910 and is located in Berlin, Germany. It is an industrial plant made of glass and iron. When Behrens created the building, he was able to incorporate a very unique and different look to it.â€Å"Behrens achieved a plastic effect and a dynamic form of construction of the trusses, which were pulled towards the outside, as well as through the tapering iron trusses and the glass areas which were drawn towards the inside† (â€Å"A. E. G. High Tension Factory† 2007, par. 1). This look aroused many other architects and caused them to criticize Behrens. In fact, â€Å"Luduig Hilberseimer wrote: ‘Peter Behrens is led astray by the imperialistic power consciousness of the prewar years and restrained by classical influences, and he thinks to add a facade to his turbine hall of the AEG at Moabit, an otherwise terse structure†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (â€Å"A .E. G. High Tension Factory† 2007, par. 1). However, Behrens’ work really demonstrated Expressionistic, Jugendstil, and Industrial Classicism styles. Yet, it was also represented of the International Modern Style. Did knowing these things stop others from criticizing Behrens’ works? No. Another architect also had strong words to say about Behrens. In fact, â€Å"†¦Erich Mendelsohn criticized the building [A. E. G. High Tension Factory}; ‘He pastes over the expression of tension, which the hall creates, with the rigidity of a repeatedly broken temple tympanon†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (â€Å"A. E. G.High Tension Factory† 2007, par. 1). However, this meant the work was characteristic of the Expressionistic style. This style was â€Å"A movement in the arts during the early part of the 20th century that emphasized subjective expression of the artist’s inner expressions† (â€Å"Peter Behrens? † 2007). Of course, the expressionistic style o ccurred around the World War I era. Perhaps the strains of the war created a stir within the architects’ souls because Behrens was not the only artist to take up this style; other German architects did as well (â€Å"Peter Behrens? † 2007).Consequently, maybe that is why some architects saw the beauty in Behrens’ masterpiece. â€Å"Le Corbusier†¦admired the structure as being a charged center, which represents the integral architectonic creations of our time—rooms with admirable moderation and cleanness, with magnificent machines, which set solemn and impressive accents, as the center of attraction† (â€Å"A. E. G. High Tension Factory† 2007, par. 1). This means that Behrens’ architecture was both Jugendstil and Industrial Classicism. Jugendstil is a cross between Art Nouveau and other unique styles (â€Å"Jugendstil† 2007).Art Nouveau is defined as â€Å"†¦a new form, an original artistic and decorative movement ins pired by the idea of ‘total art’† (â€Å"Introduction to Art Nouveau† 2007, par. 4). Behrens also put Jugendstil and Industrial Classicism styles into his offices. The I. G. Farben Offices were designed between 1920 and 1925. In fact, these buildings are located in Frankfurt, Germany. Behrens used brick masonry as the construction system for these commercial offices. He followed the Dutch Expressionist Modern style as well.This type of architecture was symbolic of both â€Å"†¦the theatrical play of light†¦Ã¢â‚¬  as well as â€Å"†¦the systematic use of slanting rafters which serve to disrupt the overall rectilinearity† (â€Å"I. G. Farben Offices† 2007, par. 1). Consequently, this building was reminiscent of the Expressionistic style as well. Again, in this style the artist puts his heart into his work. One of Behrens’ later masterpieces was New Ways. â€Å"In 1926 Peter Behrens designed ‘New Ways’, a pri vate dwelling in Northampton, which is regarded as an early example of the International Modern style† (â€Å"Biography: Peter Behrens† n.d. ). Carpenter (n. d. ) indicated, â€Å"Need and demand inspires Art. ’ ‘International Modern Style buildings appeared in the early post war in the form of many large industrial sized buildings’† (par. 1). During the years following the war, hospitals were needed for the injured and other buildings were needed to house soldiers after they were released from the hospital and before they could go home. Of course, this is mandatory when dealing with any war. However, back in the 1900s when World War I was occurring, people were not familiar with so many injuries.Thus, architects that were able to design establishments that would benefit the war contributed greatly to their countries. In fact, the German language was present in Behrens’ Behrens House, as indicated in previous sections. Building Analysis The Behrens House is unique in nature. It was built to become Peter Behrens habitat, where he could display his ideas into his work in detail. Moreover, the house was where Behrens thought of some of his greatest ideas. In fact, it was discussed at the Wikipedia website that, â€Å"†¦Behrens built his own house and fully conceived everything inside the house (furniture, towels, paintings, pottery, etc. ).’ ‘The building of this house is considered to be the turning point in his life†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (â€Å"Peter Behrens: Biography? † 2007). It was the time period when Behrens went to the Expressionistic style and re-directed many of the thoughts he put into his architecture from the Jugendstil style. During this period, Behrens also steered away from the Munich artistic circles for which he had grown acquainted. Behrens became temperate and rigorous in his style of designs (â€Å"Peter Behrens: Biography? † 2007). This was evident in the Behrens House. In fact, the construction system was made of brick and stucco facade, with a wood interior (â€Å"Behrens House† 2007).Thus, this gave the impression that Behrens had been serious when he built this home. It could have been the strain of involvement with so many different things or the toil that war can bring to even citizens of the war, whatever the case, Behrens House was amongst the first designs that took Peter Behrens in a totally different direction. This would be the Art Noueau style (â€Å"Behrens House† 2007). Of course, this style brings the total package of art designs to the home. So, what are the technicalities behind this design? Well, architecture itself is a technicality.Egan (1998) wrote, â€Å"In terms of architecture, before we decide how to build, we must decide what to build, and why† (par. 4). Peter Behrens decided that he wanted to construct a home and then he built Behrens House to be his home. At the same time, Behrens knew his safe-hav en would be the building ground for many of his ideas. This factor relates to Egan’s (1998) discussion in the fact that Egan said, â€Å"†¦the most challenging questions in architecture are not answered through laws of physics or engineering; they are questions of culture and psychology† (par. 4).Behrens became Expressionistic around the time of World War I. Since the details in his architecture were somber, one could say that Behrens had seen some horrors of the war that had found a place in his heart and came out in his designs. Even so, Behrens still portrayed the fact he was a German by having the German culture displayed in his work. This answers the question of culture. Psychology is answered by the fact that Behrens went from Jugendstil to an Expressionistic style of design. Do these attributes imply that technicalities existed in Behrens design? Yes. However, Egan (1998) mentioned,†¦the essence of architecture is not construction; instead it is the de sign of spaces for humans. It includes spaces for humans, for their activities, for their treasures, and for their aspirations. Architecture uses the physical world of construction to shape, order, structure, articulate, and embody our spaces and our beliefs. (par. 4) This statement, in itself, gives way to the fact that Industrial Classicism existed. Industrial Classicism was considered to be the style that connected man with machine. Thus, Behrens tied himself with his architecture by building his own home and then working out of it.What type of mentality did this suggest of Behrens? It could be noted that Behrens had a Cognitive pragmatics mentality. Tirassa (1999) pointed out, â€Å"Cognitive pragmatics is concerned with the mental process involved with intentional communication, that is, with the characteristics of the mind/brain that allow individuals belonging to the human (and possibly to other) species to intentionally communicate with each other† (1). If this is the case, then Behrens was able to communicate his thoughts and aspirations with the design of his home in 1901. Architecture does not rely on oral communication.Therefore, Behrens was able to effectively communicate his design style, which everyone did not approve of. In order to fully understand what this means, the assumptions behind cognitive pragmatics must be given. Tirassa (1999) wrote, â€Å"The first is that communication is best viewed as one form of social activity and that a theory of communication belongs therefore to the study of action and social action rather than of language or of the transmission of information. The second is that communication involves some form of active cooperation between participants. (1-2)In architecture, this may not be entirely true. For example, Behrens’ critics picked up on his rigid style by viewing his buildings and so did those who enjoyed Behrens’ work. Therefore, on social interaction had to take place for this to occur. Additinally, not everyone was in agreement that the Behrens House was one of the best pieces of architecture of that time. However, the design had people talking. Unfortunately, not all the communication was good—as criticism was evident amongst some of the discussions (discussed earlier). So, was Behrens House a building for the times?Yes and no. It is because Behrens designed the home to last. Not only that, Behrens House received a lot of talk and during a time when war rages, opening up some form of communication is better than keeping it all bottled in until it explodes on its own. The main reason is because when/if that tension explodes in a negative manner, no telling what type of additional problems it will cause. Behrens House was also a building of its time because it allowed Behrens to express himself in such a manner, that he helped others go on to achieve great things.This was evident due to the contributions of architectural teachings and creations of utilitaria n objects that Behrens brought to the world. On the other hand, Behrens design may not be the best building for all times. In the presence of war and ever-increasing technological advancements, Behrens House may not have been practical living quarters for a family on the move. In these times, houses can be built in a matter of days and those with a high degree of difficulty can be built in one week (as seen on ABC’s, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition). Yet, back in those days, houses could be quickly assembled as well.An article about snail-like homes surfaced around 1943. It indicated that buildings, called Ratio Structures had been created and the buildings were being tested in The Bronx. The article also pointed out that these buildings were, Built on small concrete piers†¦[and] is unique having its framework, like a snail’s, on the outside. The Structure is composed of two practically independent parts: 1) an arch-shaped roof made of insulated panels and supporte d by posts; 2) rooms, formed of demountable inner & outer panels (sic) which can be shuffled around at will under the roof.Thus the structure has no weight-carrying walls. (â€Å"Houses Like Snails† 1943). Consequently, these buildings were good for housing the injured and supporting the war. In fact, it was written that the â€Å"Large unites could be changed to meet the requirements of homes, hospitals, recreation centers, storage, schools, etc. † (â€Å"Houses Like Snails† 1943). These factors, alone, make Ratio Structures both durable and convenient for today’s times as well. Moreover, this statement is relative to current war issues. This is because the article also mentioned,Under (sic) wartime restrictions the panels are made of celotex and wallboard. But they could be made of any material. Having no weight-carrying walls, the Wiener-Sert system uses only 50% of the structural lumber and 80% of the metal permitted by WFB. (â€Å"Houses Like Snails † 1943) What do all these things suggest about Behrens and his art? More than meets the eye. Conclusion Peter Behrens was able to listen to his heart and design the desires therein. That speaks volumes of the man. Not too many architectures, let alone, people are willing to do something new.Many professionals and individuals, in general, are more concerned with what others might do, think, or say than they are with being different. Of course, World War I had a lot to do with the fact that Behrens changed the way he designed from the Jugendstil style to the Expressionistic style. Yet, what should be noted is that those were not the only two design styles of the architect. Behrens also created works that displayed the style of Industrial Classicism and International Modern Style as well. Therefore, Behrens House should be considered as groundwork to other masterpieces in his time.References â€Å"A. E. G. High Tension Factory. † Great Buildings. com. 2007. Kevin Matthews and Artifice, Inc. 17 May 2007 â€Å"Behrens House. † Great Buildings. com. 2007. Kevin Matthews and Artifice, Inc. 17 May 2007 â€Å"Biography: Peter Behrens. † n. d. 17 May 2007 â€Å"Jugendstil. † Senses Art Nouveau sprl. 2007. 17 May 2007 Carpenter, Steve.International Modern Style. n. d. 17 May 2007 Egan, Christopher K. Ideas in Architecture. 1998. Egan/Martinez Design. 18 May 2007 â€Å"I. G. Farben Offices. † Great Buildings. com. 2007. Kevin Matthews and Artifice, Inc. 17 May 2007 â€Å"Introduction to Art Nouveau. † Senses Art Nouveau sprl. 2007. 17 May 2007 â€Å"Peter Behrens?. † Answers. com. 2007. 17 May 2007 â€Å"Peter Behrens?. † Great Buildings. com. 2007. Kevin Matthews and Artifice, Inc. 17 May 2007 â€Å"Peter Behrens: Biography?. † Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 17 April 2007. Berne Convention. 18 May 2007 Tirassa, M. Communicative competence and the architecture of the mind/brain. 1999. Acade mic Press. 18 May 2007 â€Å"House of Snails. † Time, Inc. 24 May 1943. 18 May 2007