Book Report on Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens Essay

In his novel, Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens narrates a classical story (in a true life experience manner) of a mistreated Orphan, named Oliver Twist. The story unfolds the adventure of Oliver Twist who lost both parents at a very tender age and thus lost his chances of decent living. His mother died at childbirth, while his father was conspicuously absent in his life from the beginning. He spent his tender years in a far away â€Å"babyfarm†, where children were giving little or no care and treated with contempt. â€Å"You needn’t mind sending up to me, if the child cries, nurse,† said the surgeon, putting on his gloves with great deliberation. â€Å"It’s very likely it will .. † Oliver Twist went from one sordid experience to another till providence eventually brought him face to face with his true identity and his heritage. In the end, he was adopted by a decent family and was bestowed a decent living he never had and had always dreamed of. When he was just nine years old, he was sent to the workhouse (the same place his mother had died while giving birth to him), where he met with unbearable hardship. It was the tradition of the workhouse to starve orphans, giving them just about enough to keep them alive. The staffs were not only insensitive to the needs of these orphans, they were also cruel to them. So when Oliver Twist went to meet Bumble, a staff of the workhouse, to demand for more gruel, â€Å"Please sir, I want some more†, he was tagged a trouble maker. Oliver’s treatment was a typical example of giving a dog a bad name so one can hang it. His penalty for this was that he was offered as an apprentice to an undertaker, named Sowerberry, where he met with more hardship. A boy named Noah claypole ridiculed Oliver’s dead mother which led to a fight between the two of them and only Oliver was punished for that. He decided to run away to London to start life afresh, but unfortunately, the social vices of Victorian London had only more cruelty in stock for him. Oliver wanted to lead a decent life but when he met characters like Dawkins, the Artful Dodger, Charley Bates, Fagin and the rest of the bandit, he could not keep himself away from troubles. His false arrest led to an injury which culminated to being taken in by Brownlow. Brownlow offered Oliver an ample opportunity to live a decent life, a life he had wanted so much, but Nancy and Bill Sikes came to ruined it all by taking him back to Fagin. Nancy later realized that they had ruined Oliver chance of a better life and she felt remorse about it. Till luck brought Oliver’s identity to the open and revealed Mr Monk’s (Oliver’s half brother) evil plan for him, his life kept revolving around controversies. Charles Dickens deployed his characters to be cruel and mete out hardship to Oliver twist and to themselves as well to achieve the plot of the play. It was only the family of Maylies and Brownlow who were nice and caring to Oliver. From Bumble who sold Oliver’s locket to Mr Monk who wanted to cheat Oliver of his inheritance and the group of bandit that first took in Oliver in London, all were characters that displayed a great extent of sternness of the society to the needs of a wanting orphan. Summarily, the theme revolves around the experiences of an orphan boy, left in the cruel hands of a society that cares little about children that have lost their parents. It also delves into the crude and brutal life styles of criminals. The book is a satire, a mild social critic of the insensitivity and unthoughtful of the society toward the orphans, especially children, who where enforced to work in workhouses. These workhouses were unkempt, unmonitored and overly in a chaotic state. In the book, Charles Dickens draws the attention of the general public to the social vices of his time, most especially the law that states that orphans should work in the workhouse. The diction of the book also helps to a great extent in making the book a social satire, the diction is full of sarcasm and a peculiar humour painted with gloom. There are several scenes of melodrama, with passages marrying humour and horror together. Today, the book is still relevant in our contemporary world, for it still addresses social issues like child labour and child involvement with crimes with are on the increase everyday. The book has adapted into several films and musical. Over, the book has made a literary and economic success. Reference Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist, Or, The Parish Boy’s Progress, Contributor Philip Horne, Penguin Classics. 2003 Paul Schlicke, Oxford Reader’s Companion to Dickens Oxford:Oxford University Press, 1999. www. online-literature. com www. goodreads. com/book/show/18254. Oliver_Twist www. powells. com/biblio

Do You Believe That the Greatest Leaders Are Born, Not Made

When you ask people why they followed their leader or what made their leader great, most would use words like charismatic, honest, trustworthy and confident. So this begs the question, are these all qualities that are born or learned? According to Webster’s dictionary, charisma is a â€Å"spiritual power or personal quality that gives an individual influence or authority over large numbers of people. † So a charismatic leader can be defined as a certain quality of an individual personality, by virtue of which he is set apart from ordinary men and treated as a person with supernatural or superhuman powers or qualities.So with that said, can that be learned over time or simply just polished? How can those qualities or characteristics be taught? We can take a charismatic person and polish or refine them to be better leaders but charisma, according to the definition cannot be taught. According to Dr. Joe Pace in â€Å"The Workplace: Interpersonal Strengths and Leadershipâ €  he describes three qualities to what makes a good leader. â€Å"A good leader used his or her authority to do three things: motivate, manage and make Decisions. (Pace-84) So by this definition one would assume that these characteristics can be learned. Through mentorship in the workplace one can be taught when to make the decision, how to manage personnel and how to motivate people. After all, the human resources division in the professional work environment spends countless hours and dollars training personnel on learning how to effectively motivate their personnel and manage them correctly. So in this example it would appear that leadership can be learned.I have been told by many that I command presence when I walk into a room. For years it would bother me that so many people found it necessary to touch me, to find a way to brush up against me or reach out and hold my arm as I was talking to them. I use to ask my wife all the time â€Å"why do so many people find it necess ary to touch me? † She tried to explain to me that people wanted to see if I was real and that I carried such a positive aura about me that commanded respect, attention and confidence and some people needed or wanted to be a part of that.I use to laugh it off and tell her she was crazy but this has been happening since I can remember. I remember being in middle school going to watch my brothers play high school football and when I would talk to my older brothers the girls would always put their hands on me to tussle my hair, grab me to hug me or even put an arm around me and I use to just find it odd but always just chalked it up to girls liking my brothers. As I got older I noticed the same things happening to me and sometimes to the point of feeling uncomfortable about the situation.So again I would ask my wife the same question and her reply became â€Å"just because you are older and heavier than you were twenty years ago, your presence is still known when you walk into a room and people want to be part of you. You need to learn to embrace it, accept it and just know that this will always happen to you. † She went on to explain to me that people love to be around me because they always feel that I am the smartest person in the room, even if I am not, my complete confidence in myself commands that.She explained to me that when I speak to people, I am always speaking with complete confidence and believe what I am saying and I never doubt myself or give the appearance of it. So I think back at my life and wonder to myself; where did I learn this? I have come to the conclusion that I never learned this, I was born with this and over time I have polished it and refined it. So for me personally, I have to believe great leaders are born, not made. References Bock, Wally. Three Star leadership, 2006. http://www. threestarleadership. com/articles/bornormade. htm Conger, J. A. , and R. N. Kanungo (Eds), Charismatic Leadership in Organizations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1998 Pace, Joe DR. The professional development series: Book Two: The Workplace; Interpersonal Strengths and Leadership. Published by McGraw-Hill, Inc. 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY.

Frostbite Chapter 10

Ten THE SKI TRIP COULDN'T HAVE come a moment too soon. It was impossible to get the Dimitri and Tasha thing out of my head, but at least packing and getting ready made sure I didn't devote 100 percent of my brain power to him. More like 95 percent. I had other things to distract me, too. The Academy might- rightfully- be overprotective when it came to us, but sometimes that translated into pretty cool stuff. Example: The Academy had access to a couple of private jets. This meant no Strigoi could attack us at an airport, and it also meant we got to travel in style. Each jet was smaller than a commercial plane, but the seats were cushy and had lots of leg room. They extended far enough back that you could practically lie down to sleep. On long flights, we had little consoles in the seats that gave us TV movie options. Sometimes they'd even break out fancy meals. I was betting this flight, however, would be too short for any movies or substantial food. We left late on the twenty-sixth. When I boarded the jet, I looked around for Lissa, wanting to talk to her. We hadn't really spoken after the Christmas brunch. I wasn't surprised to see her sitting with Christian, and they didn't look like they wanted to be interrupted. I couldn't hear their conversation, but he'd put his arm around her and had that relaxed, flirty expression that only she could bring out. I remained fully convinced that he could never do as good a job as me of taking care of her, but he clearly made her happy. I put on a smile and nodded at them as I passed down the aisle toward where Mason was waving at me. As I did, I also walked by Dimitri and Tasha sitting together. I pointedly ignored them. â€Å"Hey,† I said sliding into the seat beside Mason. He smiled at me. â€Å"Hey. You ready for the ski challenge?† â€Å"As ready as I'll ever be.† â€Å"Don't worry,† he said. â€Å"I'll go easy on you.† I scoffed and leaned my head back against the seat. â€Å"You're so delusional.† â€Å"Sane guys are boring.† To my surprise, he slid his hand over mine. His skin was warm, and I felt my own skin tingle where he touched me. It startled me. I'd convinced myself Dimitri was the only one I'd ever respond to again. It's time to move on, I thought. Dimitri obviously has. You should have done it a long time ago. I laced my fingers with Mason's, catching him off guard. â€Å"I do. This is going to be fun.† And it was. I tried to keep reminding myself that we were here because of a tragedy, that there were Strigoi and humans out there who might strike again. No one else seemed to remember that, though, and I admit, I was having a difficult time myself. The resort was gorgeous. It was built to sort of look like a log cabin, but no pioneer cabin could have held hundreds of people or had such luxury accommodations. Three stories of gleaming, golden-colored wood sat among lofty pine trees. The windows were tall and gracefully arched, tinted for Moroi convenience. Crystal lanterns- electric, but shaped to look like torches- hung around all the entrances, giving the entire building a glittering, almost bejeweled look. Mountains- which my enhanced eyes could just barely make out in the night- surrounded us, and I bet the view would have been breathtaking when it was light out. One side of the grounds led off to the skiing area, complete with steep hills and moguls, as well as lifts and tow ropes. Another side of the lodge had an ice rink, which delighted me since I'd missed out that one day by the cabin. Near that, smooth hills were reserved for sledding. And that was just the outside. Inside, all sorts of arrangements had been made to cater to Moroi needs. Feeders stayed on hand, ready to serve twenty-four hours a day. The slopes ran on a nocturnal schedule. Wards and guardians circled the entire place. Everything a living vampire could want. The main lobby had a cathedral ceiling and an enormous chandelier hanging over it. Its floor was intricately tiled marble, and the front desk stayed open around the clock, ready to indulge our every need. The rest of the lodge, hallways and lounges, had a red, black, and gold color scheme. The deep shade of red dominated over the other hues, and I wondered if its resemblance to blood was a coincidence. Mirrors and art adorned the walls, and little ornamental tables had been placed here and there. They held vases of pale green, purple-spotted orchids that filled the air with a spicy scent. The room I shared with Lissa was bigger than our dorm rooms put together and had the same rich colors as the rest of the lodge. The carpet was so plush and deep that I immediately shed my shoes at the door and walked in barefoot, luxuriating in the way my feet sank into that softness. We had king-size beds, covered in feather duvets and set with so many pillows that I swore a person could get lost in them all and never be seen again. French doors opened on to a spacious balcony, which, considering we were on the top floor, would have been cool if not for the fact it was freezing outside. I suspected the two-person hot tub on the far end would go a long way to make up for the cold. Drowning in so much luxury, I reached an overload point where the rest of the accommodations started swimming together. The jetted marble bathtub. The plasma-screen TV. The basket of chocolate and other snacks. When we finally decided to go skiing, I had to practically drag myself from the room. I could probably have spent the rest of my vacation lounging in there and been perfectly content. But we finally ventured outside, and once I managed to push Dimitri and my mother out of my head, I started to enjoy myself. It helped that the lodge was so enormous; there was little chance of running into them. For the first time in weeks, I was able to finally focus on Mason and realize just how much fun he was. I also got to hang out with Lissa more than I had in a while, which put me in an even better mood. With Lissa, Christian, Mason, and me, we were able to get kind of a double-date thing going. The four of us spent almost all of the first day skiing, though the two Moroi had a bit of trouble keeping up. Considering what Mason and I went through in our classes, he and I weren't afraid to try daring stunts. Our competitive natures made us eager to go out of our way to outdo each other. â€Å"You guys are suicidal,† remarked Christian at one point. It was dark outside, and tall light posts illuminated his bemused face. He and Lissa had been waiting at the bottom of the mogul hill, watching Mason and me come down. We'd been moving at insane speeds. The part of me that had been trying to learn control and wisdom from Dimitri knew it was dangerous, but the rest of me liked embracing that recklessness. That dark streak of rebelliousness still hadn't let me go. Mason grinned as we skidded to a halt, sending up a spray of snow. â€Å"Nah, this is just a warm-up. I mean, Rose has been able to keep up with me the whole time. Kid stuff.† Lissa shook her head. â€Å"Aren't you guys taking this too far?† Mason and I looked at each other. â€Å"No.† She shook her head. â€Å"Well, we're going inside. Try not to kill yourselves.† She and Christian left, arm and arm. I watched them go, then turned back to Mason. â€Å"I'm good for a while longer. You?† â€Å"Absolutely.† We took a lift back up to the top of the hill. When we were just about to head down, Mason pointed. â€Å"Okay, how about this? Hit those moguls there, then jump over that ridge, swing back with a hairpin turn, dodge those trees, and land there.† I followed his finger as he pointed out a jagged path down one of the biggest slopes. I frowned. â€Å"That one really is insane, Mase.† â€Å"Ah,† he said triumphantly. â€Å"She finally cracks.† I glowered. â€Å"She does not.† After another survey of his crazy route, I conceded. â€Å"Okay. Let's do it.† He gestured. â€Å"You first.† I took a deep breath and leapt off. My skis slid smoothly over the snow, and piercing wind blasted into my face. I made the first jump neatly and precisely, but as the next part of the course sped forward, I realized just how dangerous it really was. In that split second, I had a decision to make. If I didn't do it, I'd never hear the end of it from Mason- and I really wanted to show him up. If I did manage it, I could feel pretty secure about my awesomeness. But if I tried and messed up †¦ I could break my neck. Somewhere in my head, a voice that sounded suspiciously like Dimitri's started talking about wise choices and learning when to show restraint. I decided to ignore that voice and went for it. This course was as hard as I'd feared, but I pulled it off flawlessly, one insane move after another. Snow flew up around me as I made each sharp, dangerous turn. When I safely reached bottom, I looked up and saw Mason gesturing wildly. I couldn't make out his expression or words, but I could imagine his cheers. I waved back and waited for him to follow suit. But he didn't. Because when Mason got halfway down, he wasn't able to pull off one of the jumps. His skis caught, and his legs twisted. Down he went. I reached him at about the same time some of the resort staff did. To everyone's relief, Mason hadn't broken his neck or anything else. His ankle did appear to have a nasty sprain, however, which was probably going to limit his skiing for the rest of the trip. One of the instructors monitoring the slopes ran forward, fury all over her face. â€Å"What were you kids thinking?† she exclaimed. She turned on me. â€Å"I couldn't believe it when you did those stupid stunts!† Her glare fixed on Mason next. â€Å"And then you had to go ahead and copy her!† I wanted to argue that it had all been his idea, but blame didn't matter at this point. I was just glad he was all right. But as we all went inside, guilt began to gnaw at me. I had acted irresponsibly. What if he'd been seriously injured? Horrible visions danced through my mind. Mason with a broken leg †¦ a broken neck†¦ What had I been thinking? No one had made me do that course. Mason had suggested it†¦ but I hadn't fought back. Goodness knew I probably could have. I might have had to endure some mockery, but Mason was crazy enough about me that feminine wiles probably would have stopped this madness. I'd gotten caught up in the excitement and the risk- much as I had in kissing Dimitri- not giving enough thought to the consequences because secretly, inside of me, that impulsive desire to be wild still lurked. Mason had it too, and his called to me. That mental Dimitri voice chastised me once more. After Mason was safely returned to the lodge and had ice on his ankle, I carried our equipment back outside toward the storage buildings. When I went back inside, I went through a different doorway than I normally used. This entrance was set behind a huge, open porch with an ornate wooden railing. The porch was built into the side of the mountain and had a breathtaking view of the other peaks and valleys around us- if you felt like standing around long enough in freezing temperatures to admire it. Which most people didn't. I walked up the steps to the porch, stomping snow off my boots as I did. A thick scent, both spicy and sweet, hung in the air. Something about it felt familiar, but before I could identify it, a voice suddenly spoke to me out of the shadows. â€Å"Hey, little dhampir.† Startled, I realized someone was indeed standing on the porch. A guy- a Moroi- leaned against the wall not far from the door. He brought a cigarette up to his mouth, took a long drag, and then dropped it to the floor. He stamped the butt out and crooked me a smile. That was the scent, I realized. Clove cigarettes. Warily, I stopped and crossed my arms as I took him in. He was a little shorter than Dimitri but wasn't as lanky as some Moroi guys ended up looking. A long, charcoal coat- probably made out of some insanely expensive cashmere-wool blend- fit his body exceptionally well, and the leather dress shoes he wore indicated more money still. He had brown hair that looked like it had been purposely styled to appear a little unkempt, and his eyes were either blue or green- I didn't have quite enough light to know for sure. His face was cute, I supposed, and I pegged him to be a couple years older than me. He looked like he'd just come from a dinner party. â€Å"Yeah?† I asked. His eyes swept over my body. I was used to attention from Moroi guys. It just usually wasn't so obvious. And I usually wasn't bundled up in winter clothing and sporting a black eye. He shrugged. â€Å"Just saying hi, that's all.† I waited for more, but all he did was stuff his hands into the coat's pockets. With a shrug of my own, I took a couple steps forward. â€Å"You smell good, you know,† he suddenly said. I stopped walking again and gave him a puzzled look, which only made his sly smile grow a little bigger. â€Å"I†¦ um, what?† â€Å"You smell good,† he repeated. â€Å"Are you joking? I've been sweating all day. I'm disgusting.† I wanted to walk away, but there was something eerily compelling about this guy. Like a train wreck. I didn't find him attractive per se; I was just suddenly interested in talking to him. â€Å"Sweat isn't a bad thing,† he said, leaning his head against the wall and looking upward thoughtfully. â€Å"Some of the best things in life happen while sweating. Yeah, if you get too much of it and it gets old and stale, it turns pretty gross. But on a beautiful woman? Intoxicating. If you could smell things like a vampire does, you'd know what I'm talking about. Most people mess it all up and drown themselves in perfume. Perfume can be good†¦especially if you get one that goes with your chemistry. But you only need a hint. Mix about 20 percent of that with 80 percent of your own perspiration†¦mmm.† He tilted his head to the side and looked at me. â€Å"Dead sexy.† I suddenly remembered Dimitri and his aftershave. Yeah. That had been dead sexy, but I certainly wasn't going to tell this guy about it. â€Å"Well, thanks for the hygiene lesson,† I said. â€Å"But I don't own any perfume, and I'm going to go shower all this hot sweaty action off me. Sorry.† He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and offered it to me. He moved only a step closer, but it was enough for me to smell something else on him. Alcohol. I shook my head at the cigarettes, and he tapped one out for himself. â€Å"Bad habit,† I said, watching him light it. â€Å"One of many,† he replied. He inhaled deeply. â€Å"You here with St. Vlad's?† â€Å"Yup.† â€Å"So you're going to be a guardian when you grow up.† â€Å"Obviously.† He exhaled smoke, and I watched it drift away into the night. Heightened vampire senses or no, it was a wonder he could smell anything around those cloves. â€Å"How long until you grow up?† he asked. â€Å"I might need a guardian.† â€Å"I graduate in the spring. But I'm already spoken for. Sorry.† Surprise flickered in his eyes. â€Å"Yeah? Who is he?† â€Å"She's Vasilisa Dragomir.† â€Å"Ah.† His face split into a huge grin. â€Å"I knew you were trouble as soon as I saw you. You're Janine Hathaway's daughter.† â€Å"I'm Rose Hathaway,† I corrected, not wanting to be defined by my mother. â€Å"Nice to meet you, Rose Hathaway.† He extended a gloved hand to me that I hesitantly took. â€Å"Adrian Ivashkov.† â€Å"And you think I'm trouble,† I muttered. The Ivashkovs were a royal family, one of the wealthiest and most powerful. They were the kind of people who thought they could get anything they wanted and walked over those in their way. No wonder he was so arrogant. He laughed. He had a nice laugh, rich and almost melodious. It made me think of warm caramel, dripping from a spoon. â€Å"Handy, huh? Each of our reputations precedes us.† I shook my head. â€Å"You don't know anything about me. And I only know of your family. I don't know anything about you.† â€Å"Want to?† he asked tauntingly. â€Å"Sorry. I'm not into older guys.† â€Å"I'm twenty-one. Not that much older.† â€Å"I have a boyfriend.† It was a small lie. Mason certainly wasn't my boyfriend yet, but I hoped Adrian would leave me alone if he thought I was taken. â€Å"Funny you didn't mention that right away,† Adrian mused. â€Å"He didn't give you that black eye, did he?† I felt myself blushing, even in the cold. I'd been hoping he wouldn't notice the eye, which was stupid. With his vampire eyes, he'd probably noticed as soon as I stepped onto the porch. â€Å"He wouldn't be alive if he did. I got it during †¦ practice. I mean, I'm training to be a guardian. Our classes are always rough.† â€Å"That's pretty hot,† he said. He dropped this second cigarette to the ground and put it out with his foot. â€Å"Punching me in the eye?† â€Å"Well, no. Of course not. I meant that the idea of getting rough with you is hot. I'm a big fan of full-contact sports.† â€Å"I'm sure you are,† I said dryly. He was arrogant and presumptuous, yet I still couldn't quite force myself to leave. The sound of footsteps behind me made me turn. Mia came around the path and walked up the steps. When she saw us, she stopped suddenly. â€Å"Hey, Mia.† She glanced between the two of us. â€Å"Another guy?† she asked. From her tone, you would have thought I had my own harem of men. Adrian gave me a questioning, amused look. I gritted my teeth and decided not to dignify that with a response. I opted for uncharacteristic politeness. â€Å"Mia, this is Adrian Ivashkov.† Adrian turned on the same charm he'd used on me. He shook her hand. â€Å"Always a pleasure to meet a friend of Rose's, especially a pretty one.† He spoke like he and I had known each other since childhood. â€Å"We aren't friends,† I said. So much for politeness. â€Å"Rose only hangs out with guys and psychopaths,† said Mia. Her voice carried the usual scorn she harbored for me, but there was a look on her face that showed Adrian had clearly caught her interest. â€Å"Well,† he said cheerfully, â€Å"since I'm both a psychopath and a guy, that would explain why we're such good friends.† â€Å"You and I aren't friends either,† I told him. He laughed. â€Å"Always playing hard to get, huh?† â€Å"She's not that hard to get,† said Mia, clearly upset that Adrian was paying more attention to me. â€Å"Just ask half the guys at our school.† â€Å"Yeah,† I retorted, â€Å"and you can ask the other half about Mia. If you can do a favor for her, she'll do lots of favors for you.† When she'd declared war on Lissa and me, Mia had managed to get a couple of guys to tell everyone at school that I'd done some pretty awful things with them. The ironic thing was that she'd gotten them to lie for her by sleeping with them herself. A flicker of embarrassment passed over her face, but she held her ground. â€Å"Well,† she said, â€Å"at least I don't do them for free.† Adrian made some cat noises. â€Å"Are you done?† I asked. â€Å"It's past your bedtime, and the grown-ups would like to talk now.† Mia's youthful looks were a sore point with her, one I frequently enjoyed exploiting. â€Å"Sure,† she said crisply. Her cheeks turned pink, intensifying her porcelain-doll appearance. â€Å"I have better things to do anyway.† She turned toward the door, then paused with her hand resting on it. She glanced toward Adrian. â€Å"Her mom gave her that black eye, you know.† She went inside. The fancy glass doors swung shut behind her. Adrian and I stood there in silence. Finally, he took out the cigarettes again and lit another. â€Å"Your mom?† â€Å"Shut up.† â€Å"You're one of those people who either has soul mates or mortal enemies, aren't you? No in-between. You and Vasilisa are probably like sisters, huh?† â€Å"I guess.† â€Å"How is she?† â€Å"Huh? What do you mean?† He shrugged, and if I didn't know better, I'd have said he was overdoing casualness. â€Å"I don't know. I mean, I know you guys ran away†¦and there was that stuff with her family and Victor Dashkov†¦.† I stiffened at the reference to Victor. â€Å"So?† â€Å"Dunno. Just figured it might be a lot for her to, you know, handle.† I studied him carefully, wondering what he was getting at. There had been a brief leak about Lissa's fragile mental health, but it had been well-contained. Most people had forgotten about it or assumed it was a lie. â€Å"I've got to go.† I decided avoidance was the best tactic just now. â€Å"Are you sure?† He sounded only mildly disappointed. Mostly he seemed as cocky and amused as before. Something about him still intrigued me, but whatever it was, it wasn't enough to combat everything else I was feeling, or to risk discussing Lissa. â€Å"I thought it was time for the grown-ups to talk. Lots of grown-up things I'd like to talk about.† â€Å"It's late, I'm tired, and your cigarettes are giving me a headache,† I growled. â€Å"I suppose that's fair.† He drew in on the cigarette and let out the smoke. â€Å"Some women think they make me look sexy.† â€Å"I think you smoke them so you have something to do while thinking up your next witty line.† He choked on the smoke, caught between inhaling and laughing. â€Å"Rose Hathaway, I can't wait to see you again. If you're this charming while tired and annoyed and this gorgeous while bruised and in ski clothes, you must be devastating at your peak.† â€Å"If by ‘devastating' you mean that you should fear for your life, then yeah. You're right.† I jerked open the door. â€Å"Good night, Adrian.† â€Å"I'll see you soon.† â€Å"Not likely. I told you, I'm not into older guys.† I walked into the lodge. As the door closed, I just barely heard him call behind me, â€Å"Sure, you aren't.†

A Brief History of Heineken – Company Analysis

A Brief History of Heineken Company Analysis Heineken is one of the global leading brewers. The company is headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and spreads its business all over the world. In this report, we have taken a deep look into the Heineken Company. We will generally display the company portfolio, and then followed by the company’s past 5 years performance. Afterwards, the report will focus on Heineken’s international marketing activities with detailed explanations of its international marketing strategies. Ultimately, the report will extend to discuss miscellaneous topics of Heineken Company, and ends up with an exhaustive conclusion. Introduction Heineken is one of the world’s biggest brewers and is committed to remaining strong and independent. The brand is named after the founder’s name – Heineken -can be found all around the world. Heineken has become one of the most valuable international premium beer brand since last century and it is still growing stronger. Heineken is also one of the experts of beer brewing and has built quite a number of specialty beers around the globe. In addition to the Heineken brand, there are more than 170 specialty beers which meet a variety of consumers’ needs from every corner of the world. The famous brands include AmstelÂÂ ®, Europe’s third-largest selling beer, CruzcampoÂÂ ®, TigerÂÂ ®, ZywiecÂÂ ®, Birra MorettiÂÂ ®, OchotaÂÂ ®, Murphy’sÂÂ ® and StarÂÂ ®. Heineken has wide international presence through a global network of distributors and breweries. Heineken owns and manages one of the world’s leading portfolios of beer brands and is one of the world’s leading brewers in terms of sales volume and profitability. History The Heineken story began more than 140 years ago in 1864 when Gerard Adriaan Heineken acquired a small brewery in the heart of Amsterdam. Since then, four generations of the Heineken family have expanded the Heineken brand and the Company throughout Europe and the rest of the world. Employees In 2007, the average number of employees employed was 54,004 170 brands Heineken’s leading brand portfolio includes more than 170 international premium, regional, local and specialty beers. Our principal brands are HeinekenÂÂ ® and AmstelÂÂ ®. We continually seek to reinforce our brands through innovations in production, marketing and packaging. 139.2 million hl The Heineken brand is available in almost every country on the planet. We own more than 119 breweries in more than 65 countries brewing a Group beer volume of 139.2 million hectolitres. Segments Heineken applies typical Global Area Structure to their organizational strategy. Global area structure is an organizational arrangement in which primary operational responsibility is delegated to area managers, each of whom is responsible for a specific geographic region. (International Business, 5th edition, Rugman & Collinson). Heineken distinguish es the following geographical segments: Western Europe Central and Eastern Europe The Americas Africa and the Middle East Asia Pacific Head Office/eliminations. Segment information is presented only in respect of geographical segments consistent with Heineken’s management and internal reporting structure. Heineken runs its business in five regions, which is in charge of regional presidents. Regional subsidiaries, which remain high responsiveness to the group departments,are responsible for management, risk assessment and operation efficiency. The distribution models of Heineken’s is of a big variety. Goods are delivered in multiple ways in every country, depending on the countries’ conditions, usually direct to the wholesalers or via third parties. Hence, distributions diverse. The various distribution models are taken in charge by regional subsidiaries as well. In such a circumstance, no secondary segment information is in hand.

Literature review on Nurse Prescribing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Literature review on Nurse Prescribing - Essay Example he basic rationale given as to why the inclusion of nurses was limited to health visitors and district nurses was that they could be identified from the Unitd Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery, and Health Visiting (UKCC) registry if they have completed further education from the time of registration (Jones 10). As of 2002, nurse prescribers number to approximately 22000 in the UK, and of this number, 300 are in Scotland (Bates 63). The main goal of nurse prescribing is to give the utmost benefit to the patients. It aims to provide more efficient and faster access to health care. The duties of nurses in relation to prescribing after undergoing training include prescribing pharmacy and general sales list medicines which are prescribed by General Practitioners, and prescribing prescription-only medicines or POMs associated with certain medical conditions. The role of the nurses in making prescribing decisions has responsibility tagged with it along with accountability. The nurses are both professionally and legally accountable wherein they have to be thoroughly knowledgeable on the products or medicines they are prescribing, when these over-the-counter products should be recommended, and when certain products should not be prescribed or recommended. The nurse’s working knowledge should be based on the circumstances of the patients including the current medications, current health status, past health or medical history, ample information and understanding of the products’ dosage, therapeutic action, interaction, and side effects, data on the alternatives to prescribing, and the frequency of use depending on the conditions (Courtenay and Butler 5). While prescribing entails more responsibility, competence and more learning aptitude for the nurses, and exposes them to more possible liabilities and patient complaints, not all medical professionals are open to the perceived benefits of nurse prescribing to the patients, doctors and the nurses

Importance of Communication Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Importance of Communication - Research Paper Example With respect to Hindustan Lever Limited (HLL), the company provides great example for understanding that how the market scenario had provided decision makers to understand the problems and opportunities and turn them to innovation. Innovation may rake the shape of a unique product, different methods or new approach of performing business. It arrives from inside of a company. Successful innovations take place by different outlooks and concepts. HLL had put great deal of efforts to develop innovative approaches and increase sales in the rural poor market of India. Generally, the products of multinational companies are targeted for developed market and the price is often beyond the purchasing power of rural citizens. Thus, multinational companies always market their products for the top level customers in poorer nations. HLL seeks to take the opportunity of making products available for poor consumers. They seek to reach to the poor customers by research and development approach. HLL ob served that to sell their products in the rural market of India there is need to shift from traditional media. In India, there were differences in using the television media among poor people and thus there was need for more direct and individual approach to communicate their message to the poor consumers. The main problem HLL faced for selling the products was illiteracy among poor Indian people. The decision makers had recognized that customers need to be educated first to understand the benefits they can get by using HLL products (Achtmeyer, â€Å"Hindustan Lever†). There was a great opportunity in front of HLL as the food market was strong in India. Food accounts for almost half of all commercial consumptions in India. India’s market was characterized by overwhelming national and social diversity. The HLL market researchers had studied the market of India and learned that majority of food purchased by poor people are raw in nature. The food products where made as w ell as sold locally. Each food products such as wheat, rice and salt among others have separate supply chain. As salt was the key input of majority of HLL products, the decision makers had selected salt as prospect for market growth (Achtmeyer, â€Å"Hindustan Lever†). HLL entered in the salt market of India by their new product ‘Kissan Annapuna’ in the year 1995. At that time, 10% of total consumer salt was sold branded. The decision makers had recognized the need for improving the customers’ knowledge. Besides the rural market, the consumers of urban market also purchased unbranded salt. In order to expand their business, HLL concentrated on the urban market to demonstrate the practicality of their branded salt. The demand and production of salt was well in India, thus HLL focused on upgrading the quality of their salt and purity in their products. The major issue for HLL was the price of product as their main competitor was local salt which was inexpens ive. The cost of HLL salt was high because it included the shipping expenses, packaging expenses and refinery expenses that were absent in local products.

Political Philosophy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Political Philosophy - Assignment Example The researcher states that Socrates and his pupil Plato are one of the first in history to delve into the aspect of political philosophy. Plato’s the Republic spoke of Plato’s vision for an ideal state understood that justice was essential to the unity of the population, the relevancy of the political process and his to the benefit of everyone in the state. He said that the divisions in the social structure of a city were more dangerous than any external force. And that gaining peace through the use of force is not preferable to a partnership created through the sharing of mutual interests and understanding. Aristotle, however, saw the functions of politics just as the functions of a body. He surmised that there were different parts of a city each of which served a common function. Their order of living is decided by the constitution which is analogous to the soul. And it can only possess a semblance of order if it has a ruler. Aristotle distinguished the various types of the government saying that each had a commonality which can help the individual attain a noble living. However, Aristotle’s writings did not speak about the emotional health of its citizens saying that the presence of morality and the ability to complete tasks given would lead them to a fulfilling life. He also saw that a constitution like its people does not remain constant over time and it should be the will of the lawmakers to change it for the betterment of the community. The development of rationalism occurred around the time of the Renaissance (Marxist Internet Archive). It was during this time among the merchants and craftsmen of Northern Italy that political philosophy began to flourish again. One such philosopher responsible was the founder of political science Niccolà ² Machiavelli. Machiavelli argued that the true prosperity of any state depended upon the qualities, strength or experience of an individual leader.