Practice Reading French With This Easy Shopping Story

French adjectives are difficult to master for English speakers because their rules of agreement and placement, not to forget their pronunciation, are truly challenging. An English speaker needs to change the way he/she thinks, and develop the reflex to do the noun-adjective  agreement, which is not an easy task.   Knowing the rules is not enough. Training is essential. So today, here is a little learn French in context story in which well be using adjectives of course, in particular French adjectives of colors and French adjectives used to describe clothing, as well as  French clothing vocabulary. Of course, before you study this story, I highly recommend you take the time to visit the links above to refresh your memory, and then read the story without the translation and focus on the adjective agreements. Aujourdhui, nous allons suivre Camille dans les magasins. Camille a besoin dune robe pour aller à   un mariage dans trois semaines. Cest un mariage à ©là ©gant, et donc elle cherche une robe habillà ©e, mais assez confortable car elle a bien lintention de danser ! Et bien sà »r, la robe ne doit pas à ªtre trop chà ¨re, car Camille na pas un grand budget. Camille entre dans une boutique et trouve une jolie jupe, longue, fluide et là ©gà ¨re. Mais si elle achà ¨te une jupe, elle devra acheter un haut, et aussi une veste pour là ©glise. Cest trop compliquà ©. Non, dà ©cidà ©ment, Camille cherche une robe, un point cest tout. Il y a une robe bleue qui est pas mal, assez chic, et bien coupà ©e. Mais cest du lin, et Camille ne repasse pas. Cette robe va se froisser, et puis le lin, à §a montre aussi les traces de transpiration. Non, ce nest vraiment pas pratique. Dommage, elle à ©tait jolie et bon-marchà ©. Dans une autre boutique, Camille repà ¨re une petite robe courte, sans manche, et avec un joli motif imprimà ©. Et elle nest vraiment pas chà ¨re ! Elle est soldà ©e, cest vraiment une bonne affaire. Elle lessaie. Ah la la, cest la catastrophe. Cette robe ne lui va pas du tout. Elle est trop courte : ce nest pas de la bonne qualità © et la coupe ne lui va pas du tout. Camille trouve quelle la grossit. Tant pis. La vendeuse suggà ¨re une autre robe, complà ¨tement diffà ©rente. Elle est trà ¨s longue, gris bleu, assez moulante avec un grand dà ©colletà © dans le dos, et des petites bretelles. Camille lessaie. Aà ¯e, à §a bloque au niveau des cuisses... là ©ternel problà ¨me... Camille demande une taille plus grande. Elle arrive à   mettre la robe, mais cest un dà ©sastre. La robe est trop serrà ©e sur les fesses, trop petite sur la poitrine, et en plus elle est beaucoup trop longue. Camille se trouve grosse, moche et vulgaire... pas du tout le look recherchà ©. Cette journà ©e shopping ne se passe pas vraiment comme prà ©vu. Zut alors. Dans une vitrine, Camille voit une petite robe noire à   pois blancs. Elle est classique, mais a une jolie forme cache-coeur, et est ample au niveau des jambes. Elle a des manches courtes, et le tissus a lair fluide et confortable. Camille entre dans la boutique, demande sa taille, et essaie la robe. Ah, voilà   qui est mieux. Camille se sent trà ¨s bien : la robe est douce, et tombe bien sur elle. Elle nest ni trop longue, ni trop courte, et elle lamincit. Et en plus, Camille a des chaussures noires qui iront parfaitement avec.   La vendeuse lui montre une veste assortie. Lensemble est parfait, assez sobre mais chic. Cest un peu plus cher que ce que Camille voulait dà ©penser, mais à §a reste  raisonnable, et en plus cette petite robe sera facile à   remettre. En fait, cest parfait! Mission accomplie!

My Philosophy of Teaching Essay - 1212 Words

My Philosophy of Teaching Teaching is the most rewarding and self-fulfilling career that I could imagine myself doing. The satisfaction that is received when watching a child’s eyes light up when they have comprehended and understood the topics that I have been teaching is a feeling of great achievement. Teaching children to become productive adults helps the foundation of our society. Today’s children are tomorrow’s adults. I want to help society the best way that I know how. I want to be a teacher. My life long dream has always been to become not only a teacher, but also a mentor. Education as an occupation is not a high paid position, but the amount of self-gratification that could be received is the best reward that I could†¦show more content†¦For example, if a student does not learn math, he or she will be unable to balance a checkbook. Although my philosophies incorporate essentialism, I feel strongly toward other philosophies as well. It is my belief that a good teacher’s philosophy cannot necessarily be categorized under one of the traditional terms, but is in fact under the term adaptable. A good teacher is not set in his or her ways, but will adapt to the situation and task at hand. For example, if a student does not plan to attend college, it may be more advantageous for the student to attend vocational school. If a student attends vocational school, this would not fall under the back-to-basics approach as described in essentialism philosophy. In my opinion, a good teacher must be able to deviate from this philosophy. As a teacher, I plan to incorporate the philosophy of progressivism in my classroom, too. It is important for students to understand the relevance of a particular subject matter in relation to his or her life experiences and interests. A good teacher is supposed to be better preparing their students for the future. If that is the case, then all teachers must have some progressivism in their manner of instruction. If not, the teacher would not truly be concerned about the future of the students. The future of the world is technology. People must also learn how to communicate with one another even if they have different views on certain subjects. This will make society betterShow MoreRelatedMy Philosophy Of Teaching Philosophy911 Words   |  4 PagesTeaching Philosophy When I think about my teaching philosophy, I think of a quote by Nikos Kazantzakis, Greek writer and philosopher. 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I would like to incorporateRead MoreMy Philosophy : My Teaching Philosophy893 Words   |  4 PagesMy Teaching Philosophy Since Koreans started to learn English, thousands of people have struggled to master the language. Parents currently invest a lot of money and their children spend enormous amounts of time studying English as government suggests new language policies. However, proper verification and investigation of those policies have not been done yet and the outlet is really not promising (Suh, 2007). Most Korean students study English for tests. The purpose of English is so focused onRead MoreMy Teaching Philosophy : My Personal Philosophy Of Teaching932 Words   |  4 Pages This is my personal philosophy of teaching. This is my belief about teaching and learning and how I will put my beliefs into classroom practices. First and foremost, the purpose of education is to educate students so that they can be ready for the real world. It should prepare students for life, work, and citizenship. To do this, education should teach one to think creatively and productively. In addition to preparing students for the real world, all students should be able to read and comprehendRead MoreTeaching Philosophy : My Philosophy1100 Words   |  5 PagesTeaching Philosophy: Lauren Gross EDUC 120 Learn to Teach, Learn to Learn. / Use the past to teach the future ( That is my philosophy) Theory helps teachers think about what we experience and furthermore to teach and learn about how we, as educators, learn. Teachers should be supportive and cooperative, teachers should play the role of a friend, but also stealthily act in the role of advisor or guide for students. 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The interaction that I have with students is not only enjoyable to me, but it also gives me an invaluable perspective on the subjects I am teaching. Since I started my position at the Mathematical Institute at the University of Oxford, I have tutored in four classes across three semesters and supervised two projects, as detailed in my CV. I am also tutoring two new undergraduate classes inRead MoreMy Philosophy Of Teaching853 Words   |  4 Pages My role, as an educator, is to guide, engage, motivate and inspire students to learn so that they can realize their full potential and achieve their educational or personal goals. As a mathematics instructor my goal is to guide my students to learn to communicate mathematically, value mathematics and its usefulness, understand the material presented, able to recall and apply the concepts. Furthermore, I hope to deepen students understanding in the subject and become confident in their mathematical

The Lost Symbol Chapter 40-43 Free Essays

CHAPTER 40 What’s taking Trish so long? Katherine Solomon checked her watch again. She’d forgotten to warn Dr. Abaddon about the bizarre commute to her lab, but she couldn’t imagine the darkness had slowed them down this much. We will write a custom essay sample on The Lost Symbol Chapter 40-43 or any similar topic only for you Order Now They should have arrived by now. Katherine walked over to the exit and heaved open the lead-lined door, staring out into the void. She listened for a moment, but heard nothing. â€Å"Trish?† she called out, her voice swallowed by the darkness. Silence. Puzzled, she closed the door, took out her cell phone, and called the lobby. â€Å"This is Katherine. Is Trish out there?† â€Å"No, ma’am,† the lobby guard said. â€Å"She and your guest headed back about ten minutes ago.† â€Å"Really? I don’t think they’re even inside Pod Five yet.† â€Å"Hold on. I’ll check.† Katherine could hear the guard’s fingers clicking on his computer keyboard. â€Å"You’re right. According to Ms. Dunne’s key-card logs, she has not yet opened the Pod Five door. Her last access event was about eight minutes ago . . . at Pod Three. I guess she’s giving your guest a little tour on his way in.† Katherine frowned. Apparently. The news was a bit odd, but at least she knew Trish wouldn’t be long in Pod 3. The smell in there is terrible. â€Å"Thanks. Has my brother arrived yet?† â€Å"No, ma’am, not yet.† â€Å"Thank you.† As Katherine hung up, she felt an unexpected twinge of trepidation. The uneasy feeling made her pause, but only for a moment. It was the same exact disquiet she’d felt earlier when she stepped into Dr. Abaddon’s house. Embarrassingly, her feminine intuition had failed her there. Badly. It’s nothing, Katherine told herself. CHAPTER 41 Robert Langdon studied the stone pyramid. This isn’t possible. â€Å"An ancient encoded language,† Sato said without looking up. â€Å"Tell me, does this qualify?† On the newly exposed face of the pyramid, a series of sixteen characters was precisely engraved into the smooth stone. Beside Langdon, Anderson’s mouth now gaped open, mirroring Langdon’s own shock. The security chief looked like he had just seen some kind of alien keypad. â€Å"Professor?† Sato said. â€Å"I assume you can read this?† Langdon turned. â€Å"Why would you assume that?† â€Å"Because you were brought here, Professor. You were chosen. This inscription appears to be a code of some sort, and considering your reputation, it seems obvious to me that you were brought here to decipher it.† Langdon had to admit that after his experiences in Rome and Paris, he’d received a steady flow of requests asking for his help deciphering some of history’s great unsolved codes–the Phaistos Disk, the Dorabella Cipher, the mysterious Voynich Manuscript. Sato ran her finger over the inscription. â€Å"Can you tell me the meaning of these icons?† They’re not icons, Langdon thought. They’re symbols. The language was one he had recognized immediately–an encrypted cipher language from the seventeenth century. Langdon knew very well how to break it. â€Å"Ma’am,† he said, feeling hesitant, â€Å"this pyramid is Peter’s private property.† â€Å"Private or not, if this code is indeed the reason you were brought to Washington, I am not giving you a choice in the matter. I want to know what it says.† Sato’s BlackBerry pinged loudly, and she yanked the device from her pocket, studying the incoming message for several moments. Langdon was amazed that the Capitol Building’s internal wireless network provided service this far down. Sato grunted and raised her eyebrows, giving Langdon an odd look. â€Å"Chief Anderson?† she said, turning to him. â€Å"A word in private, if I may?† The director motioned for Anderson to join her, and they disappeared into the pitch-black hallway, leaving Langdon alone in the flickering candlelight of Peter’s Chamber of Reflection. Chief Anderson wondered when this night would end. A severed hand in my Rotunda? A death shrine in my basement? Bizarre engravings on a stone pyramid? Somehow, the Redskins game no longer felt significant. As he followed Sato into the darkness of the hall, Anderson flicked on his flashlight. The beam was weak but better than nothing. Sato led him down the hall a few yards, out of sight of Langdon. â€Å"Have a look at this,† she whispered, handing Anderson her BlackBerry. Anderson took the device and squinted at the illuminated screen. It displayed a black-and-white image–the X-ray of Langdon’s bag that Anderson had requested be sent to Sato. As in all X- rays, the objects of greatest density appeared in the brightest white. In Langdon’s bag, a lone item outshone everything else. Obviously extremely dense, the object glowed like a dazzling jewel in a murky jumble of other items. Its shape was unmistakable. He’s been carrying that all night? Anderson looked over at Sato in surprise. â€Å"Why didn’t Langdon mention this?† â€Å"Damned good question,† Sato whispered. â€Å"The shape . . . it can’t be coincidence.† â€Å"No,† Sato said, her tone angry now. â€Å"I would say not.† A faint rustle in the corridor drew Anderson’s attention. Startled, he pointed his flashlight down the black passageway. The dying beam revealed only a deserted corridor, lined with open doors. â€Å"Hello?† Anderson said. â€Å"Is somebody there?† Silence. Sato gave him an odd look, apparently having heard nothing. Anderson listened a moment longer and then shook it off. I’ve got to get out of here. Alone in the candlelit chamber, Langdon ran his fingers over the sharply carved edges of the pyramid’s engraving. He was curious to know what the message said, and yet he was not about to intrude on Peter Solomon’s privacy any more than they already had. And why would this lunatic care about this small pyramid anyway? â€Å"We have a problem, Professor,† Sato’s voice declared loudly behind him. â€Å"I’ve just received a new piece of information, and I’ve had enough of your lies.† Langdon turned to see the OS director marching in, BlackBerry in hand and fire in her eyes. Taken aback, Langdon looked to Anderson for help, but the chief was now standing guard at the door, his expression unsympathetic. Sato arrived in front of Langdon and thrust her BlackBerry in his face. Bewildered, Langdon looked at the screen, which displayed an inverted black-and-white photograph, like a ghostly film negative. The photo looked like a jumble of objects, and one of them shone very brightly. Though askew and off center, the brightest object was clearly a little, pointed pyramid. A tiny pyramid? Langdon looked at Sato. â€Å"What is this?† The question seemed only to incense Sato further. â€Å"You’re pretending you don’t know?† Langdon’s temper flared. â€Å"I’m not pretending anything! I’ve never seen this before in my life!† â€Å"Bullshit!† Sato snapped, her voice cutting through the musty air. â€Å"You’ve been carrying it in your bag all night!† â€Å"I–† Langdon stalled midsentence. His eyes moved slowly down to the daybag on his shoulder. Then he raised them again to the BlackBerry. My God . . . the package. He looked more closely at the image. Now he saw it. A ghostly cube, enclosing the pyramid. Stunned, Langdon realized he was looking at an X-ray of his bag . . . and also of Peter’s mysterious cube-shaped package. The cube was, in fact, a hollow box . . . a small pyramid. Langdon opened his mouth to speak, but his words failed him. He felt the breath go out of his lungs as a new revelation struck him. Simple. Pure. Devastating. My God. He looked back at the truncated stone pyramid on the desk. Its apex was flat–a small square area–a blank space symbolically awaiting its final piece . . . that piece which would transform it from an Unfinished Pyramid into a True Pyramid. Langdon now realized the tiny pyramid he was carrying was not a pyramid at all. It’s a capstone. At that instant, he knew why he alone could unlock the mysteries of this pyramid. I hold the final piece. And it is indeed . . . a talisman. When Peter had told Langdon the package contained a talisman, Langdon had laughed. Now he realized his friend was right. This tiny capstone was a talisman, but not the magic kind . . . the far older kind. Long before talisman had magical connotations, it had another meaning– â€Å"completion.† From the Greek telesma, meaning â€Å"complete,† a talisman was any object or idea that completed another and made it whole. The finishing element. A capstone, symbolically speaking, was the ultimate talisman, transforming the Unfinished Pyramid into a symbol of completed perfection. Langdon now felt an eerie convergence that forced him to accept one very strange truth: with the exception of its size, the stone pyramid in Peter’s Chamber of Reflection seemed to be transforming itself, bit by bit, into something vaguely resembling the Masonic Pyramid of legend. From the brightness with which the capstone shone on the X-ray, Langdon suspected it was made of metal . . . a very dense metal. Whether or not it was solid gold, he had no way of knowing, and he was not about to let his mind start playing tricks on him. This pyramid is too small. The code’s too easy to read. And . . . it’s a myth, for heaven’s sake! Sato was watching him. â€Å"For a bright man, Professor, you’ve made some dumb choices tonight. Lying to an intelligence director? Intentionally obstructing a CIA investigation?† â€Å"I can explain, if you’ll let me.† â€Å"You will be explaining at CIA headquarters. As of this moment, I am detaining you.† Langdon’s body went rigid. â€Å"You can’t possibly be serious.† â€Å"Deadly serious. I made it very clear to you that the stakes tonight were high, and you chose not to cooperate. I strongly suggest you start thinking about explaining the inscription on this pyramid, because when we arrive at the CIA . . .† She raised her BlackBerry and took a close-up snapshot of the engraving on the stone pyramid. â€Å"My analysts will have had a head start.† Langdon opened his mouth to protest, but Sato was already turning to Anderson at the door. â€Å"Chief,† she said, â€Å"put the stone pyramid in Langdon’s bag and carry it. I’ll handle taking Mr. Langdon into custody. Your weapon, if I may?† Anderson was stone-faced as he advanced into the chamber, unsnapping his shoulder holster as he came. He gave his gun to Sato, who immediately aimed it at Langdon. Langdon watched as if in a dream. This cannot be happening. Anderson now came to Langdon and removed the daybag from his shoulder, carrying it over to the desk and setting it on the chair. He unzipped the bag, propped it open, and then hoisted the heavy stone pyramid off the desk and into the bag, along with Langdon’s notes and the tiny package. Suddenly there was a rustle of movement in the hallway. A dark outline of a man materialized in the doorway, rushing into the chamber and approaching fast behind Anderson. The chief never saw him coming. In an instant, the stranger had lowered his shoulder and crashed into Anderson’s back. The chief launched forward, his head cracking into the edge of the stone niche. He fell hard, crumpling on the desk, sending bones and artifacts flying. The hourglass shattered on the floor. The candle toppled to the floor, still burning. Sato reeled amid the chaos, raising the gun, but the intruder grabbed a femur and lashed out with it, striking her shoulder with the leg bone. Sato let out a cry of pain and fell back, dropping the weapon. The newcomer kicked the gun away and then wheeled toward Langdon. The man was tall and slender, an elegant African American whom Langdon had never seen before in his life. â€Å"Grab the pyramid!† the man commanded. â€Å"Follow me!† CHAPTER 42 The African American man leading Langdon through the Capitol’s subterranean maze was clearly someone of power. Beyond knowing his way through all the side corridors and back rooms, the elegant stranger carried a key ring that seemed to unlock every door that blocked their way. Langdon followed, quickly running up an unfamiliar staircase. As they climbed, he felt the leather strap of his daybag cutting hard into his shoulder. The stone pyramid was so heavy that Langdon feared the bag’s strap might break. The past few minutes defied all logic, and now Langdon found himself moving on instinct alone. His gut told him to trust this stranger. Beyond saving Langdon from Sato’s arrest, the man had taken dangerous action to protect Peter Solomon’s mysterious pyramid. Whatever the pyramid may be. While his motivation remained a mystery, Langdon had glimpsed a telltale shimmer of gold on the man’s hand–a Masonic ring–the double-headed phoenix and the number 33. This man and Peter Solomon were more than trusted friends. They were Masonic brothers of the highest degree. Langdon followed him to the top of the stairs, into another corridor, and then through an unmarked door into a utilitarian hallway. They ran past supply boxes and bags of garbage, veering off suddenly through a service door that deposited them in an utterly unexpected world–a plush movie theater of some sort. The older man led the way up the side aisle and out the main doors into the light of a large atrium. Langdon now realized they were in the visitor center through which he had entered earlier tonight. Unfortunately, so was a Capitol police officer. As they came face-to-face with the officer, all three men stopped, staring at one another. Langdon recognized the young Hispanic officer from the X-ray machine earlier tonight. â€Å"Officer Nunez,† the African American man said. â€Å"Not a word. Follow me.† The guard looked uneasy but obeyed without question. Who is this guy? The three of them hurried toward the southeast corner of the visitor center, where they arrived at a small foyer and a set of heavy doors blocked with orange pylons. The doors were sealed with masking tape, apparently to keep the dust of whatever was happening beyond out of the visitor center. The man reached up and peeled off the tape on the door. Then he flipped through his key ring as he spoke to the guard. â€Å"Our friend Chief Anderson is in the subbasement. He may be injured. You’ll want to check on him.† â€Å"Yes, sir.† Nunez looked as baffled as he did alarmed. â€Å"Most important, you did not see us.† The man found a key, took it off the key ring, and used it to turn the heavy dead bolt. He pulled open the steel door and tossed the key to the guard. â€Å"Lock this door behind us. Put the tape back on as best as you can. Pocket the key and say nothing. To anyone. Including the chief. Is that clear, Officer Nunez?† The guard eyed the key as if he’d just been entrusted with a precious gem. â€Å"It is, sir.† The man hurried through the door, and Langdon followed. The guard locked the heavy bolt behind them, and Langdon could hear him re-applying the masking tape. â€Å"Professor Langdon,† the man said as they strode briskly down a modern-looking corridor that was obviously under construction. â€Å"My name is Warren Bellamy. Peter Solomon is a dear friend of mine.† Langdon shot a startled glance at the stately man. You’re Warren Bellamy? Langdon had never met the Architect of the Capitol, but he certainly knew the man’s name. â€Å"Peter speaks very highly of you,† Bellamy said, â€Å"and I’m sorry we are meeting under these dreadful circumstances.† â€Å"Peter is in terrible trouble. His hand . . .† â€Å"I know.† Bellamy sounded grim. â€Å"That’s not the half of it, I’m afraid.† They reached the end of the lit section of corridor, and the passageway took an abrupt left. The remaining length of corridor, wherever it went, was pitch-black. â€Å"Hold on,† Bellamy said, disappearing into a nearby electrical room from which a tangle of heavy-duty orange extension cords snaked out, running away from them into the darkness of the corridor. Langdon waited while Bellamy rooted around inside. The Architect must have located the switch that sent power to the extension cords, because suddenly the route before them became illuminated. Langdon could only stare. Washington, D.C.–like Rome–was a city laced with secret passageways and underground tunnels. The passage before them now reminded Langdon of the passetto tunnel connecting the Vatican to Castel Sant’Angelo. Long. Dark. Narrow. Unlike the ancient passetto, however, this passage was modern and not yet complete. It was a slender construction zone that was so long it seemed to narrow to nothing at its distant end. The only lighting was a string of intermittent construction bulbs that did little more than accentuate the tunnel’s impossible length. Bellamy was already heading down the passage. â€Å"Follow me. Watch your step.† Langdon felt himself fall into step behind Bellamy, wondering where on earth this tunnel led. At that moment, Mal’akh stepped out of Pod 3 and strode briskly down the deserted main corridor of the SMSC toward Pod 5. He clutched Trish’s key card in his hand and quietly whispered, â€Å"Zero-eight-zero-four.† Something else was cycling through his mind as well. Mal’akh had just received an urgent message from the Capitol Building. My contact has run into unforeseen difficulties. Even so, the news remained encouraging: Robert Langdon now possessed both the pyramid and the capstone. Despite the unexpected way in which it had happened, the crucial pieces were falling into place. It was almost as if destiny itself were guiding tonight’s events, ensuring Mal’akh’s victory. CHAPTER 43 Langdon hurried to keep pace with Warren Bellamy’s brisk footsteps as they moved without a word down the long tunnel. So far, the Architect of the Capitol appeared far more intent on putting distance between Sato and this stone pyramid than he did on explaining to Langdon what was going on. Langdon had a growing apprehension that there was far more going on than he could imagine. The CIA? The Architect of the Capitol? Two Thirty-third-degree Masons? The shrill sound of Langdon’s cell phone cut the air. He pulled his phone from his jacket. Uncertain, he answered. â€Å"Hello?† The voice that spoke was an eerie, familiar whisper. â€Å"Professor, I hear you had unexpected company.† Langdon felt an icy chill. â€Å"Where the hell is Peter?!† he demanded, his words reverberating in the enclosed tunnel. Beside him, Warren Bellamy glanced over, looking concerned and motioning for Langdon to keep walking. â€Å"Don’t worry,† the voice said. â€Å"As I told you, Peter is somewhere safe.† â€Å"You cut off his hand, for God’s sake! He needs a doctor!† â€Å"He needs a priest,† the man replied. â€Å"But you can save him. If you do as I command, Peter will live. I give you my word.† â€Å"The word of a madman means nothing to me.† â€Å"Madman? Professor, surely you appreciate the reverence with which I have adhered to the ancient protocols tonight. The Hand of the Mysteries guided you to a portal–the pyramid that promises to unveil ancient wisdom. I know you now possess it.† â€Å"You think this is the Masonic Pyramid?† Langdon demanded. â€Å"It’s a chunk of rock.† There was silence on the other end of the line. â€Å"Mr. Langdon, you’re too smart to play dumb. You know very well what you’ve uncovered tonight. A stone pyramid . . . hidden at the core of Washington, D.C. . . . by a powerful Mason?† â€Å"You’re chasing a myth! Whatever Peter told you, he told you in fear. The Legend of the Masonic Pyramid is fiction. The Masons never built any pyramid to protect secret wisdom. And even if they did, this pyramid is far too small to be what you think it is.† The man chuckled. â€Å"I see Peter has told you very little. Nonetheless, Mr. Langdon, whether or not you choose to accept what it is you now possess, you will do as I say. I am well aware that the pyramid you are carrying has an encrypted engraving. You will decipher that engraving for me. Then, and only then, will I return Peter Solomon to you.† â€Å"Whatever you believe this engraving reveals,† Langdon said, â€Å"it won’t be the Ancient Mysteries.† â€Å"Of course not,† he replied. â€Å"The mysteries are far too vast to be written on the side of a little stone pyramid.† The response caught Langdon off guard. â€Å"But if this engraving is not the Ancient Mysteries, then this pyramid is not the Masonic Pyramid. Legend clearly states the Masonic Pyramid was constructed to protect the Ancient Mysteries.† The man’s tone was condescending now. â€Å"Mr. Langdon, the Masonic Pyramid was constructed to preserve the Ancient Mysteries, but with a twist you’ve apparently not yet grasped. Did Peter never tell you? The power of the Masonic Pyramid is not that it reveals the mysteries themselves . . . but rather that it reveals the secret location where the mysteries are buried.† Langdon did a double take. â€Å"Decipher the engraving,† the voice continued, â€Å"and it will tell you the hiding place of mankind’s greatest treasure.† He laughed. â€Å"Peter did not entrust you with the treasure itself, Professor.† Langdon came to an abrupt halt in the tunnel. â€Å"Hold on. You’re saying this pyramid is . . . a map? † Bellamy jolted to a stop now, too, his expression one of shock and alarm. Clearly, the caller had just hit a raw nerve. The pyramid is a map. â€Å"This map,† the voice whispered, â€Å"or pyramid, or portal, or whatever you choose to call it . . . was created long ago to ensure the hiding place of the Ancient Mysteries would never be forgotten . . . that it would never be lost to history.† â€Å"A grid of sixteen symbols doesn’t look much like a map.† â€Å"Appearances can be deceiving, Professor. But regardless, you alone have the power to read that inscription.† â€Å"You’re wrong,† Langdon fired back, picturing the simplistic cipher. â€Å"Anyone could decipher this engraving. It’s not very sophisticated.† â€Å"I suspect there is more to the pyramid than meets the eye. Regardless, you alone possess the capstone.† Langdon pictured the little capstone in his bag. Order from chaos? He didn’t know what to believe anymore, but the stone pyramid in his bag seemed to be getting heavier with every passing moment. Mal’akh pressed the cell phone to his ear, enjoying the sound of Langdon’s anxious breathing on the other end. â€Å"Right now, I have business to attend to, Professor, and so do you. Call me as soon as you have deciphered the map. We will go together to the hiding place and make our trade. Peter’s life . . . for all the wisdom of the ages.† â€Å"I will do nothing,† Langdon declared. â€Å"Especially not without proof Peter is alive.† â€Å"I suggest you not test me. You are a very small cog in a vast machine. If you disobey me, or attempt to find me, Peter will die. This I swear.† â€Å"For all I know, Peter is already dead.† â€Å"He is very much alive, Professor, but he desperately needs your help.† â€Å"What are you really looking for?† Langdon shouted into the phone. Mal’akh paused before answering. â€Å"Many people have pursued the Ancient Mysteries and debated their power. Tonight, I will prove the mysteries are real.† Langdon was silent. â€Å"I suggest you get to work on the map immediately,† Mal’akh said. â€Å"I need this information today.† â€Å"Today?! It’s already after nine o’clock!† â€Å"Exactly. Tempus fugit.† How to cite The Lost Symbol Chapter 40-43, Essay examples

Accounting Software of Amcor Limited-Free-Samples for Students

Question: Discuss about a Company in Australia that uses accounting software. Answer: Introduction Amcor Limited is a manufacturing company that deals in rigid plastic packaging and producing flexible. It is an Australian based company that deals in packaging. The products of Amcor are responsible for protecting beverages, food, medicines and personal care products. Its headquarters is in Victoria, Australia. In the year of 1860, this company was founded. That time it was known as Australian Paper Manufacturers. Later on it was named as Amcor in the year 1986. It is known to be the largest PET bottles producer in the world. The main focus of this report is to discuss about the implementation of accounting software in the Amcor Limited. It also describes the structure of the organization along with the competitive advantages of Amcor Limited. It also talks about the accounting software that this company uses for its operations and in order to improve its efficiency. There are several benefits and limitations present in the current structure and software of the organization. Accounting software can be used by this organization to carry out their job in an effective and efficient manner Current Organizational Structure Amcor is an Australian based manufacturing company (Amcor.com 2017). It has an organizational structure that is hierarchical in nature. The top level constitute of the managing director. Then the next level consists of the directors of several departments like finance, operations, marketing and human resource management. Then there is the level of managers of the various departments like marketing, personal manager, production team leaders and finance supervisors. The lowest level constitute of production team members, sales team and accounts assistants. The management team is very strong and its main focus is the innovation. Figure 1: Organizational Structure (Source: Lunenburg 2012) This is the general organizational structure of the company (Fan, Wong and Zhang, 2013). The detailed organizational structure is given as below. Figure 2: Organizational Structure (Source: Sapinsider.wispubs.com 2017) This diagram shows the overall hierarchical structure of the company. Its management team is very strong and it can be also shown in terms of hierarchy as given below. This type of structure is organized in nature and helps the organization to maintain a stable state. All the employees are aware of their roles and responsibilities (Sapinsider.wispubs.com 2017). They know whom to report in case of any emergency and important issue. There are fixed rules that are to be followed in the company. The goals of the company are clearly defined and it is very easy for Amcor to achieve its goals by following this structure because the tasks are clear while employees are executing it. Operational problems faced by Amcor due to its Structure There are several loopholes of having this organizational structure. This structure does not allow Amcor to work in a flexible manner (CorporateSite 2017). It also creates problem in planning for any long term goals because future is uncertain and this structure might not be profitable in the future. This structure also acts as a barrier in case of creativity Amcor targets to become the most innovative company in the world but this structure comes in its way. The roles of some department become very active while there are some departments that remain idle. This type of structure does not allow two way communications leading to communication gap (Tran and Tian 2013). This structure leads to a cause of low team spirit. In future this might lead to serious troubles affecting the morale of the employees. The operational problems which they face are the less visibility in the supply chain management of the company (Singh 2013). Another issue is the barrier in case of innovation. There are gap in the skills of the workers. They have to think about the environment too. Their main issue is to balance maintenance along with high productivity. System Acquisition Method of Amcor Limited Amcor Limited uses the Enterprise Resource Planning software. The several software used by this company are SAP ERP 6.0, SAP SCM 5.0 and SAP CRM 7.0. These solutions help the company to perform very well in the industry. The cost of processing sales order is reduced and the time to calculate the selling price is also less. The cash flow is increased. The potential of investment is increasing. The revenue of the company is increased sue to the acquisition of ERP. The number of stock outages is less because of reliable materials. Freight costs are reduced due to this acquisition. There is little functionality in SAP that is not present in other software. SAP uses (Oxygen 2017). This ERP is complimented by the use of Microsoft Office word. System Flowchart of the Sales Procedures The sales model in a manufacturing company is not so well developed and is inadequate in nature. The sales process begins with determining the needs, sales teams and actions to be taken. It starts with the customer (Gunasekaran and Spalanzani 2012). The customer first requests for an order. The manufacturer checks whether the products are available or are feasible for production and then sells or manufactures further products. This process is repetitive in nature and has no such issues. In the flow chart below we get to see that the customer first places the order and then the company approves or disapproves the order request based on certain conditions (Hosgor, 2015). Then if the order gets approved the manufacturer plays its role. After the products are ready it is sold to the customers. Figure 3: System Flowchart of the Sales Procedure (Source: Ingram et al. 2012) The above flow chart gives a clear idea about the sales procedure in Amcor Limited. Control Problems and Different Types of Frauds that are Possible in this System There are several problems associated with the present ERP system in the organization. First and foremost implementation of this type of software is highly expensive for the company. These types of systems are highly complex and are not under the total control of the organizations. Several numbers of experts are required in order to maintain the ERP system. Severe training is required for the purpose of handling this system. If the software is outdated then it can crash the entire system leading to loss of sensitive data. There is a chance of insufficient capability of reporting that can lead the company to an external reporting as well as loss of data control (Christauskas and Miseviciene 2012). Any kind of delay in update can lead to vulnerabilities in the software. In case of lack of security and compliance standards, this can lead to severe issue. There are also several kinds of frauds that can take place along with this system. There can be fictitious vendor that are created in the system. For these kinds of fictitious vendors there can be fictitious bank accounts too. The signatures in the invoice can also be false misguiding the company. The invoice distribution can be coded to a wrong account. There can be a lot of false or fake supplier master and bank accounts without any documentation. Development and Adoption of the Accounting Software Packages There are several accounting software that can be adopted like Xero, Myob and Quickbooks. There are several issues in using traditional software like the system is not always up to date. Data needs to be moved from one place to another and using software keeps the data only in one place. Access is only there in the hand of one person. It is expensive and slow at the same time. On the other hand these cloud accounting software are very useful for the business in terms of cost and effectiveness. It increases the efficiency of the system. The accounting software that is used by the Amcor Limited is called Reval (Reval 2017). This is Software as a service platform for the organization for the purpose of management of treasury and management of risk. This software helps to manage cash and liquidity and also understand the financial risk of a company. These are used by more than 650 companies around the world. It provides a superior customer experience increasing the return on investment o f the company. It provides a scalable solution. It also provides global support. Current Market Size The graph provided below give the current market size of Amcor Limited. It shows the share price for the last 1 year. It can be seen the performance has improved. The performance has been fluctuating but there was a tremendous improvement around July 2017 (Amcor.com 2017). Although the share price at present is less but the performance of the company is high. Figure 4: Market Size of Amcor Ltd. (Source: Amcor.com 2017) Leaders in the Market and Competitive Advantage The top leaders in this industry are Georgia Pacific, Silgan Holdings Inc. along with Amcor Limited. Silgan Holdings is one of the leading suppliers of rigid packaging of goods products. Its annual sales and revenue in the year 2016 was reported to be 3.6 billion dollars (Silganholdings.com 2017). This company is one of the main competitors of Amcor Limited. Georgia pacific on the other hand is an American company that is considered to be worlds largest manufacturer of paper. Amcor can be considered to be leader in this field with annual revenue of 9.5 billion dollars. The competitive advantage of this company is its innovation. Its main focus is always on customer satisfaction that has led to the tremendous growth of the company. Among the accounting software Reval is considered to be the market leader along with Xero, Myob and Quickbooks. Existing Challenges Encountered by Users of Accounting Software There are several challenges that are involved in using the accounting software. The most challenging issue is the lack of security because the data is present in the cloud and if it gets hacked then it will become accessible to anyone affecting many users. The reporting service facility of the system is very low. It also affects the efficiency of the system. Some of the accounting software systems are not up to date that affects the productivity of the organization. The software may not user friendly and is very difficult for all the employees of the company to use. It can also affect the accuracy of the system. Some of the systems have inefficient and insufficient features but are extremely expensive. These types of software do not have any bank reconciliation features (Christauskas and Miseviciene 2012). The customer relationship management feature is extremely poor. Sometimes the accounting software is not compatible with their system. Technical supports are not present for the e ntire time. The technical support that can be provided over the phone is very inconvenient. The access speed is also less sometimes. This affects the productivity of the system. The organization using such software suffers because their work has to come to a stop because of the problem of speed in the system. These are the disadvantages associated with using the accounting software. Recommendations Installation of proper security policy can resolve most of the issues mentioned above. A strong firewall can help the system to overcome most of the risks related to the security issue of the system. This will allow only authorized users to access the system while it will disallow unauthorized users. Network security software will help to protect the software from any type of misuse of the data. Financial models used by the Amcor Limited must use a flexible model for the proper efficiency of the system. A driver based solution will allow the use of software for any other purpose too. The adaptability of the system must be good in order to get accustomed to any type of work. Conclusion This report concludes that the accounting packages used by the Amcor Limited are based on cloud computing technology, rather Software as a Service. There are several challenges and benefits associated by the software used by the company. These challenges can be rectified by proper procedures and methods. This report also discusses about the factors behind the success of the company and its competitive advantages. This report also gives a brief outline about the organizational structure and its loopholes. This report also gives recommendation about overcoming the limitation of the accounting software References Amcor.com. 2017.Amcor - Home. [online] Available at: https://www.amcor.com/ [Accessed 22 Aug. 2017]. Christauskas, C. and Miseviciene, R., 2012. Cloudcomputing based accounting for small to medium sized business.Engineering Economics,23(1), pp.14-21. CorporateSite. 2017. [online] Available at: https://d2491pxl8gaali.cloudfront.net/CorporateSite/media/Sustain-Reports/Amcor-2014-GRI-Report.pdf [Accessed 22 Aug. 2017]. Fan, J.P., Wong, T.J. and Zhang, T., 2013. Institutions and organizational structure: The case of state-owned corporate pyramids.The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization,29(6), pp.1217-1252. Gunasekaran, A. and Spalanzani, A., 2012. Sustainability of manufacturing and services: Investigations for research and applications.International Journal of Production Economics,140(1), pp.35-47. Ho?gr, E.A., 2015. Organizational Structure.Wiley Encyclopedia of Management. Ingram, T.N., LaForge, R.W., Avila, R.A., Schwepker Jr, C.H. and Williams, M.R., 2012.Sales management: Analysis and decision making. ME Sharpe. Lunenburg, F.C., 2012. Organizational structure: Mintzbergs framework.International journal of scholarly, academic, intellectual diversity,14(1), pp.1-8. Oxygen. 2017.SAP ERP Upgrade - Amcor | Oxygen. [online] Available at: https://www.uxcoxygen.com/case-studies/sap [Accessed 22 Aug. 2017]. Reval. 2017.Reval Treasury and Risk Management Technology. [online] Available at: https://www.reval.com/ [Accessed 22 Aug. 2017]. Sapinsider.wispubs.com. 2017.Amcor Rigid Plastics Manufactures a Winning Archiving Strategy. [online] Available at: https://sapinsider.wispubs.com/Assets/Case-Studies/2012/October/Amcor-Rigid-Plastics-Manufactures-A-Winning-Archiving-Strategy [Accessed 22 Aug. 2017]. Silganholdings.com. 2017.Silgan Holdings Inc.. [online] Available at: https://www.silganholdings.com/ [Accessed 22 Aug. 2017]. Singh, A., 2013. A study of role of McKinsey's 7S framework in achieving organizational excellence.Organization Development Journal,31(3), p.39. Tran, Q. and Tian, Y., 2013. Organizational structure: Influencing factors and impact on a firm.American Journal of Industrial and Business Management,3(2), p.229. Wagner III, J.A. and Hollenbeck, J.R., 2014.Organizational behavior: Securing competitive advantage. Routledge. Walsh, T., Arca Systems AB, 2002.Pallet container with a door. U.S. Patent D466,690.

Tolerance and Pluralism in a Civil Society

Pluralism and tolerance is most common in a vibrant and cohesive civil society. Pluralism can be applied in various places such as religion and politics but no matter where it is applied the theme behind pluralism is to create evenness. In religion pluralism means that there is a balance or in other words evenness in all religion therefore all religions are viewed as even in terms of their quality in worship. This is because God is the overall father of all of mankind. The different names of God arise due to differences in language.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Tolerance and Pluralism in a Civil Society specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In ancient times religions that saw themselves as the only ones that worshipped the true God used to declare war against their neighbors in pursuit of making them convert to their religion. They did not see anything wrong in killing such people because they had a perception that God would award them for fighting for His name (Plaw 34). All religions that are Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism among others explain that God created man in His image. There is no known scripture that states that only certain religion is appropriate. The only worship that’s not allowed by all religions is the worship of Satan or devil worship. Erlewine argues that different religions have different forms of worship but all the same they are directed towards communicating with God (56). This implies that the ancient people didn’t know this and that’s why nations fought each other in the name of religion. Nowadays people have been enlightened and thus they see things differently except the primitive people who have been left behind. By accepting each other regardless of our religions humans can be united as one community. For this unity to be realized there has to be respect of religions hence one should not despise somebody else’s religion. This recogn ition of diverse religions will foster peaceful co-existence. When we realize that all our religions are even then we should tolerate each others religious practices. Whether one hates a religious ritual practiced by a given group there is no excuse for not accepting other peoples form of worship (Plaw 12). This is an important aspect of a well structured civil society. This tolerance is extended to work places in some countries where employees of a given religion are allowed to practice their religious culture such as observing religious holidays i.e. Christmas day for Christians and Idul fitrr for Muslims. Tolerance does not refer to believing in teachings of other religions but it’s the respect accorded to all religions evenly.Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Kristen argues that some people still treat others according to their religion and that’s why some go vernments have been accused of being biased in the way they treat people. Such governments are accused of labeling other religions as rebels (79). For instance Islam has been associated with terrorism in the recent past because of allegations concerning Osama Bin Laden because all members of alqaeda are Muslims. These has tainted the name of Islam as a religion that enjoys killing other humans especially after the September eleventh attacks that saw many people die from terror attack. Anti-terrorism police units have been accused of arresting people of a certain religion which has been expressed as disrespect for their religion. Religious teachings and practices should be appreciated as long as they don’t cause any harm because religion was invented to unite humans but not to spread hatred. Tolerance is achieved when we don’t agree with the views of each other but we allow other people to stick to their beliefs as long it does not affect our lives negatively. That†™s why the constitution of most developed countries allows freedom of worship. Tolerance is directly related to liberation because it means we don’t judge other people by what they believe (Erlewine 123). Even when it comes to other areas in life tolerance and pluralism is greatly recommended. Pluralism in the society dictates that all people are worth regardless of their social class, race, gender and age. Many are times when people despise a suggestion made by someone whom they feel can not give a valid opinion. In most societies money and power commands respect thus people who don’t have such qualities are not appreciated. Pluralism should not be gauged by the material things that are owned by an individual. Opinions and decisions are not physically visible because they are derived from our hearts and brains. Plaw explains that material things do not reflect somebody’s intelligence because wealth comes by chance and it may have been acquired through dishone st ways such as corruption (45). On the other hand poverty is not induced by lack of knowledge but it is caused by situations that fail to favor some people due to their background. In fact all people have the same ability. If the poor were to be given the same opportunity as the wealthy they would perform much better. People should learn to accept others regardless of their situation because no body chooses to be poor. There are instances where certain people are given an exceptional treatment by the society because they are perceived to be more important than others. The driving force behind such treatment is the possibility of getting monetary handouts as a reward for making them skip the normal procedures of doing something.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Tolerance and Pluralism in a Civil Society specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For instance if a celebrity walked into a bank to make a withdrawal he is expe cted to follow the line and wait for his turn because if he is made to skip the line the customers of that bank will feel despised. Surprisingly enough there are people who demand to be treated differently in public places because of their social status. Such practices are not acceptable if we want to be in a civil society that promotes tolerance and pluralism. Financial prosperity should not be used as an excuse to seek exceptional treatment. This feeling of unevenness makes others to feel offended because they feel they deserve equal opportunities. When we learn that we are all of the same worth regardless of our achievements that’s when we begin to appreciate our differences. Humans should accept that our personalities are different and therefore one should be accepted for who he is because all of us can’t have the same achievements. This is because we all depend on each other in our daily lives thus no one can exist as an isolated island. Though one may have all th e material things they will still need assistance from other people because money can’t buy everything (Kristen 56). The dependency on each other is used to bind the society together. For instance the wealthy rely on the availability of manpower that is provided by the poor who are willing to do manual work in order to earn a living in executing their plots. The rich need somebody to attend to their gardens and laundry while on the other hand these odd jobs are a source of income to the poor thus the relationship between the two parties is based on mutual understanding. Without the rich the poor can not survive and the rich also can not do without the poor because even the tallest skyscraper needs masons to dress the stones. It is also important to treat all jobs evenly because somebody’s profession is vital to one self. This is because the society is built by all kinds of people because everyone has a role to play in the society (Plaw 15). Some jobs are despised becau se they are tedious hence everyone wants a white collar job. If all of us were to have similar jobs same possessions there is no doubt the world would be a living hell. The reason why communities fight each other is because they have to tolerate each other. Most inter-community battles are based on ethnicity. Communities can coexist peacefully if only they accepted their differences. As mentioned earlier freedom is part and parcel of tolerance and freedom means the right to be wrong. Instead of fighting due to indifferences communities should aim at safeguarding the interests of each other.Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The world can be a better place for all humans if only some people were not greedy and selfish as they are. The society can be united by sharing the little that is available to the benefit of all. For instance, if Muslim followers established a community based school the enrolment of students should not be based on religion because the school is meant to be used by all people regardless of their religion. By allowing students who don’t believe in Islam the Muslim society implies that it tolerates the views of other religions. Students who are not Muslims should not be forced to adopt Islam teachings unless they feel like doing so. And while they are there they should to practice the teachings of their respective religions. The argument here is that there is only one God but we worship Him differently and at different places of worship. I have noted that most societies have accepted the views of each other gradually. For instance in African countries like Kenya and Nigeria whe re the population is made up of people from different religions, the majority of the population are Christians but they don’t discriminate their Muslim brothers. Most fast food joints have a certification that is provided by the Muslim community to verify that the chicken served in that joint is halal meaning that it was slaughtered by a Muslim. This is because Muslims don’t eat chicken that is not halal because it’s against the teachings of Islam (Kristen 43). In the above scenario the inhabitants of that country accept their differences in religion and they don’t go against the wishes of their counterparts but instead consider safeguarding their collective interest. Therefore, it is essential that a civil society should be vibrant and cohesive in order to promote tolerance and pluralism. Works Cited Erlewine, Robert. Monotheism and Tolerance: Recovering a religion of reason.  Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2010. Print. Kristen, Johnson Theolog y, Political theory and Pluralism: Beyond tolerance and difference. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007. Print. Plaw, Avery. Frontiers of Diversity: explorations in contemporary pluralism. New York: Rodopi, 2005. Print. This essay on Tolerance and Pluralism in a Civil Society was written and submitted by user Vivienne R. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. 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Netflix Entertainment Industry Analysis Essay

Netflix Entertainment Industry Analysis Essay Netflix Entertainment Industry Analysis Essay Example Netflix Entertainment Industry Analysis Essay Example The primary research targets are the existing customers of Netflix. The purpose of the enquiry is to ascertain current trends that entice customers. In fact, the entertainment industry is a very flexible venture. The changes in technology and preferences necessitate service providers to introduce novel amenities that will attract new clients. In addition, the entertainment industry is one of the most competitive industries in the world. Therefore, it is essential for service providers to conduct periodic research. This trend will help identify the new tendencies that Netflix can adapt to attract a new target market and increase the existing market (Douglas 58). Main Hypothesis about Entertainment Industry Hypothesis 1: Gaming platforms will increase the number of clients subscribing to services by Netflix Hypothesis 2: Epic/fantasy and reality genres are more preferred by clients Hypothesis 3: Clients would consider watching shows from other parts of the world, such as Africa and India Hypothesis 4: Clients watch TV shows more frequently than movies Recent trends in technology have made it probable for customers to watch their favorite movies via gaming platforms. This trend is complemented by the growth of the videogame sector. Now, research proves that the number of people playing games surpasses the people watching television shows and movies (Goldfayn 23). Hence, this primary research aims at establishing the perceptions and views of customers regarding the efficacy of the gaming platforms. The significance of the gaming platforms to Netflix will arise with the expansion and attainment of new target market (Grinapol 96). The current users subscribed to movie shows will have the advantage of subscribing to videogames and movies simultaneously. This move will increase the subscription for clients who need both services. This primary research will establish the views of Netflix customers concerning the genre. Nowadays, the majority of customers have a strong allegiance to a specific genre of TV shows and movies. This is exemplified by the great success of â€Å"Game of Thrones†, an epic TV show airing on HBO. The TV show is currently at its sixth season and has a very loyal and huge audience. Therefore, Netflix could introduce a new show of this genre to obtain a new target market that would be highly attracted by the show (Lüsted 45). Thus, this research will establish the perception of Netflix customers regarding epic genres. In addition, reality television has attracted a new audience that entails the whole family. The reason for this is the fact that the reality shows depict the real issues facing the society today. This genre is also important and should be considered by Netflix when developing shows for television. In a bid to establish a new target market, the primary research will inquire from customers if they would consider watching TV shows from other parts of the world such as Africa and India. In particular, Bollywood has produced movies that have sold many copies throughout the world. For instance, â€Å"Slum Dog Millionaire† and â€Å"Three Idiots† were very successful in all parts of the world including the United States. The TV show outsourced from Bollywood was very successful. This primary research will hence try to establish if the existing customers of Netflix would consider watching movies and TV shows from other parts of the world. For example, many customers have indicated that they love Trevor Noah, a comedian from South Africa (Keating 30). This finding indicates that a new target market can be obtained through acquiring movies and TV shows from other parts of the world. Since these movies will have a different concept from what the customers are accustomed to, the customers may appreciate and buy more movies from these regions. Marketing Objectives This marketing plan is a management approach to achieving the goals of a marketing campaign over well-coordinated use of several promotional means aiming to reinforce each other. The techniques encompass advertising, sales, promotions, direct marketing, and public relationships (Douglas 63). The marketing will offer competitive advantage, increase sales, and proceed while saving money and time. Netflix should employ these marketing techniques to target a different audience. For instance, social media target the young generation while conventional methods such as TV commercials target the older generation. Therefore, internet marketing would be more efficient in ensuring that Netflix reaches its target audience. Netflix should operate at low costs, eliminate intermediaries, and introduce new shows to have a competitive edge over its competitors (Douglas 10). Marketing Strategy The market for Netflix has a great potential for growth. Clients who have subscribed for movies characterize the existing market and TV shows online via the internet and via mail for clients in the United States (Grinapol 96). The number of clients opting for DVD rental services is few as compared to the clients who have subscribed via the internet. Netflix has a tendency of releasing a full show online for subscribed customers. This method allows the clients to access all the episodes of a TV show at an instant. In addition, this approach is efficient for clients who love having all episodes before they commence watching a TV show. However, releasing one episode at a time creates an urgency and desire for the particular show. Therefore, Netflix should adapt a strategy that will allow the famous shows to become available to the public one at a time when the shows are released. The survey conducted included twenty respondents. This sufficient number was significant in increasing the validity of the research (Goldfayn 23). The major findings from the research included a reality and epic genre preference among the customers. The majority of the customers indicated that they opted for TV shows that had an epic genre. This accounts for the fact that these shows appealed to the imagination of the clients and create a fantasy world that they get in. Gaming platforms were increasingly preferred due to their flexibility and ability to conduct simultaneous tasks. Most of the clients indicated that they watched television shows more than they watched films. SWOT Analysis Strengths Netflix has a high productivity and revenue. The enterprise has a reputable market with no barriers. The executive has developed an impeccable customer relationship. Customers get the value for their cash and embrace the amenities they receive (Keating 30). Weaknesses There is a very competitive market for movies and TV shows. Customers are lured to the cheap products, which may shift their allegiance to other companies. Amazon and Hulu offer the biggest competition for Netflix. The competition is more evident for Amazon since Netflix is hosted via the Amazon Cloud (Douglas 93). Opportunities According to Nielsen, the breakdown of streaming services in America currently stands at 36% Netflix, 13% Amazon, and 6.5% Hulu. Therefore, the company has a favorable platform to expand the services. In such a way, under the right management, the enterprise will grow to become a transnational giant and dominate entertainment in other countries. Threats The rising costs in original programming will increase the cost of operation (Goldfayn 23). For instance, Netflix paid two million dollars per episode for each episode of the black list aired. The higher bidding from competitors is likely to increase this cost further. Marketing Mix The new products introduced by the company will be priced efficiently to attract the target audience. The new products should be introduced on a promotional basis. For instance, â€Å"buy five, get one free† could be employed on Wednesdays. The products will be streamed via the company website for international clients and via mail for American clients (Keating 30). The enterprise will eliminate intermediaries from its chain of acquiring and distributing products and services. Then, the products will be conveyed directly to consumers via the online streaming platforms. The prices for the products will be negligible since distributing products directly lowers their cost. Most intermediaries raise their products in a bid to increase their profit margin. Promotion of the new products and services of the company will be conducted through the successful movies and series that have attracted a huge audience. For instance, the blacklist can be used to advertise a new TV-show such as Sense8. The latter TV-show has attracted a great number of people. Advertising it on an already successful TV-show will intensify the audience to higher levels. Netflix will employ an integrated marketing approach. Integrated marketing communication is a management strategy to realizing the objectives of a marketing campaign through a well-harmonized use of several promotional techniques intending to complement each other. The methods include advertising, sales, promotions, direct marketing, and public relationships. The concept has many benefits. It generates competitive advantage, increases sales, and proceeds while saving cash, time, and hassle. Netflix will employ this method to target diverse audience. Social media avenues target the young generation while conventional approaches such as TV commercials target the older generation. Implementation Plan Netflix has the resources to expand beyond American borders to other parts of the world. The excellent products and services will be sold in any given market in the world. The enterprise should make acquisitions of entertainment industries in other parts of the world where the entertainment market has not been exhausted. This approach would be the fastest way for Netflix to intensify its presence in the global market and have a competitive edge. The enterprise should intensify digital marketing further. This plan will translate to arise in the sales since it reaches the target audience more effectively (Douglas 91). The research and development department of Netflix will engage customers in numerous interviews. This will help the company capture the needs and recent trends in the entertainment industry. The company will intensify and improve its products and services and eventually host its services via its own cloud. Currently, the company is using Amazon cloud to stream its services. Therefore, it does not have complete control of the cloud. Developing its own cloud will result to a situation where the company can increase the number of TV-shows and movies that suits it. The initial cost of acquiring a private cloud will be high, but the long-term use of the cloud will result in lower costs. Netflix will intensify client support through online videos. The videos will show clients how to fix and troubleshoot their internet settings when streaming videos. The enterprise will acquire a large bandwidth to provide services that are similar to teleconferencing. The customer care agents will interact with clients via video facilities that will make it easier for them to identify the areas that the clients are experiencing difficulties and hence help them to resolve the issues. Conclusion Hypothesis 1, 2 and 3 have been strongly supported by the data from the primary research. Hence, they are accepted by the researcher. However, the data available on hypothesis 4 does not strongly support the hypothesis. Therefore, the hypothesis is not accepted. In such a way, further research is necessary to provide more insight on the subject.

Fall of the soviet union Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Fall of the soviet union - Research Paper Example b. In 1985, Saudi Arabia refuses to support international oil-price. As a result, oil-production increased high, but oil-price fell. Consequently, the Soviets lost 20 billion dollars annually. c. So, the Soviets were forced to loan heavily from 1985-1988 and finally, soviet economy completely stalled. II. The economic crisis of Soviet Union, one of the main reasons of soviet downfall, began long before the fall of oil-price in international market. a. The agriculture policy, adopted by the Soviet authority in 1920s played a disastrous role in the country’s production sector. b. In international market, the Soviet Union turned into the largest grain-importer from the largest exporter of grains in the 1980s. c. Also the huge expenditure in the Afghan War pushed the country towards bankruptcy. III. Reagan Doctrine also played a crucial role in the downfall of the Soviet Union. The Reagan Government created effective defense against the communist expansionism in different countrie s of the world by providing the anti-communists with military and moral help. a. The Reagan Government provided military-support to the Taliban in Afghanistan. b. Also by creating a successful defense, it rather accelerated the fall of the Soviet Union by increasing the expenditure on the Soviet’s part. ... l of the Soviet Union Name Course Tutor Date Introduction The fall of the Soviet Union was essentially the result of the combined interaction of a number of factors such collapse of domestic economy, defeating situation in Afghanistan, growing resentment against communism at home and abroad, the United States’ confrontation against the communist expansion, etc. During the first half of the 1980s, the soviet economy began to face increasingly the economic crisis which put the soviet leaders in urgent necessity to deploy more troops in Afghanistan in order to reach the shore of the Indian Ocean. But fortunately Reagan Presidency in the White was far-sighted enough to build a line of confrontation in Afghanistan using the Taliban Militants.1 The situation in the 19980s for the Soviet leaders was somewhat like a dilemma. On one hand, they needed more economic resources to survive. The more they fed the gigantic soviet Army at abroad at the expense of domestic development and econo mic growth, the faster the domestic economy collapsed. Moreover, the Reagan Presidency was successful enough to grow a diplomatic defense in the Middle Eastern countries. As a result, around the middle of the 1980s, the Soviet troops gained popularity as an invading force, whereas the United States emerged as a pro-liberation power at home and abroad. Subsequently, in September 13, 1985, Saudi Arabian Government declared that it would, no longer, support the oil-prices. As a result, oil-depended soviet-export sector began to fall head down, losing $20 billion dollars annually, in the beginning of 1986.2 Indeed the subsequent soviet steps to prop up domestic economy were not effective enough to rescue the country from the oncoming bankruptcy, in 1989, made the collapse of the regime inevitable.

Racism and the African Condition in America Research Paper

Racism and the African Condition in America - Research Paper Example The African Americans, who during the early times of the American civil war were not part of the recognized American society, were used as sources of labor. As such, they were treated as no more than animals that provided labor for the benefit of the slave owners and drivers, who reaped the benefits of free labor and controlled how much output they wanted from the slaves. This was one of the highest levels of racism, where non-blacks would not work, and if they did, they would do the least amount of work. The above case was also demonstrated by the use of African Americans being used to take part in and complete tasks that were deemed degrading to the prestigious and elite white race. Due to this, African-Americans had their role in the society reserved as per predisposition that they were inferior to the whites, which allowed African-Americans to be used for heavy manual labor in the farms and plantations. Following their predisposition in society, they were referred to as Negroes a nd were entitled to all forms of slavery-affiliated activities concerning forced labor. This was by all means, against traditional convention found in ancient civilizations, in which slavery was not based on skin color, but rather on the superiority of character and ability of the person I question. This is because ancient slaves were often the spoils of war or people that were captured from wars and raids, but the African American slaves were only picked to work based on the color of their skins. The above was a blatant portrayal of racism that existed in the period prior to the American civil war from the time of their capture from their native homes in different parts of West Africa. In addition to slavery, due to the color of the skin African-Americans bore the title of slaves from as early as the 18th century. With this in mind, they did not hold any form of human dignity as they were viewed and perceived as being less than human, but better than animals considering that they u nderstood the directions given to them. Under the treatment as slaves, they did not enjoy equal rights with the rest of the human population in America, as they were not human to the American slave drivers and owners; a direct translation of this statement indicates that as slaves they lived under very dilapidated conditions with no necessities except those that sustain life. However, they had to work for the same food they fed on in spite of working on plantations and fields for hours on end. They were forced into sugar factories and tobacco farms, with no form of protective gear, as they were as disposable as the next animal of no value despite raking in plenty of fortunes for their owners. As such, no other races were involved in work as slaves except African-Americans who were denied their rights as individuals and humans through collective treatment and misconceptions of inferiority in a white-dominated continent or land of Americans.1 In addition, for African-Americans to be d enied their rights there must have been a form of recognition of them being humans in order to decide that they were not equal to the rest. Religiously from the moment that the African-Americans were allowed to practice their own religious practices, they were faced with numerous racial challenges.

Nationalism in German History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Nationalism in German History - Essay Example And this was the nationalism period of Germany. The Congress of Vienna restored a Germany comprising thirty-nine states. Before 1789 these states had numbered over two hundred. At first glance it seemed that the 1815 arrangement was a move towards simplification and unity, but this was only an appearance (Hagen & Sarah 1991, pg. x). For one thing, many of the thirty-nine states were in possession of more territory after 1815 than they had ever had before, and they were far more interested in maintaining these gains than in any schemes for a single German government in which their own identity might be lost. Germany after 1815 was still a much divided country (pg. xi). This division of Germany exactly suited the aims of the Austrian Chancellor, Metternich, who had a decisive voice in the settlement. Austria could control a disunited Germany far more easily than a united one. While the German princes were divided by political jealously and distrust, the Austrians would have no united opposition to their policies and could exert a decisive influence in the affairs of Germany. An assembly for the whole Germany was created after 1815, but this was by no means an effective German parliament. It represented the princes, not the people, of Germany, and was not in any way elected by popular vote (Martin 2000, pg. 49). The Diet of the German Confederation met at Frankfurt and consisted of 17 members (pg. 50). Eleven of the big states had one member each, and various groups of the smaller states each had one member. Metternich secured the permanent presidency of the Diet for Austria, a position to be discussed and the procedure to be adopted (pg. 39). The Diet did discuss in 1816 the creation of a single Germany, but nothing came of these discussions, mainly because of jealousy between the states, and especially between the two largest states, Austria and Prussia. A scheme for the building of Federal fortresses for the defence of Germany was also abandoned. Lastly, whenever fundamental laws of the Confederation or the Federative Act itself were to be enacted, th e Diet was expanded into a General Assembly of 69 members (pg. 30). Those elements in Germany who had looked forward to real unity, the Nationalists, were intensely disappointed by this state of affairs. The Liberals, who had hoped at least for elected parliaments and governments responsible to the people in each of the German states, leading on to a united Liberal Germany, were also frustrated. A certain number of the German princes did introduce more liberal forms of government, especially in Bavaria where in 1818 a parliament was set up which represented the peasants, townspeople and nobles, and also in Baden, Wurttemberg and Saxe-Weimar (James 1990). But the great majority of thirty-nine states were governed by their princes in alliance with a highly privileged class of nobility, and politically the middle and peasant classes were ignored (James 1990). It must not be thought that the majority of German people were clamouring at this time either for Liberalism or Nationalism in Germany (James 1990). There were scarcely interested. Liberalism had its strongest hold amongst the intellectual class of writers, poets, scholars, university professors, lecturers and students. In the universities of Germany a number of student movements developed in these years, such as the Gymnastic Clubs and Students' Unions or Burschenschaften2,

Examining The Impact Of Mentoring Desistance Among Prisoners Criminology Essay

Examining The Impact Of Mentoring Desistance Among Prisoners Criminology Essay This chapter seeks to situate the importance of the impact of mentoring in promoting desistance among ex-prisoners, and why effective interventions such as mentoring which aim to reduce reoffending are crucial for the wellbeing of society and should therefore be explored in order to discover which elements of such interventions do or do not promote desistance. A critical review of current relevant literature in the field of mentoring and how it impacts on desistance will be reported on and hopefully a gap within that literature will be identified which this research will attempt to address. The Problem of Reoffending The Social Exclusion Unit (SEU) has provided some of the most overwhelming statistics regarding reoffending ex-prisoners and has declared that Prison sentences are not succeeding in turning the majority of offenders away from crime (2002: 5). Fifty eight per cent of prisoners released in 1997 were reconvicted of another offence within 2 years of being released from custody, and of those, thirty six per cent also went on to receive an additional prison sentence (SEU, 2002: 5). Even though the Ministry of Justice (2010: 2) declare that the proportion of ex-prisoners reoffending is actually falling (noting a decrease in re-offences from forty three per cent in the year 2000 cohort, to forty one per cent in the 2008 equivalent), and The Home Office recent Five Year strategy for protecting the Public and reducing reoffending (2006: 9) claims Crime is going down. The risk of being a victim of crime is at the lowest level in 24 years, reoffending rates still remain persistently high. In conjunction with punishment, the reform of offenders is crucial to reducing reoffending and delivering justice to the public. But when these figures quoted from the above sources are combined they make for shocking reading and depending on how they are interpreted can imply that current rehabilitative interventions which aim to reform offenders and reduce reoffending, are thus failing. This raises questions about how current rehabilitative interventions can be improved to achieve their aims, or if new interventions, such as mentoring for example, should be researched further, and used more widely (and possibly in place of current strategies) if they show positive effects. Rehabilitation Criminal Justice theories of rehabilitation broadly take the stance that crime is best prevented by working directly with offenders to address the personal, social and economic factors most closely associated with their offending behaviour, which Canton and Edie term as their criminogenic needs (2008: 93). Millie and Erol (2006: 2) identify some examples of criminogenic needs as, substance misuse, poor educational and vocational skills, poor cognitive and interpersonal skills, and antisocial attitudes. By focussing on these risk factors it is more likely that an offender will successfully rehabilitate (Millie and Erol, 2006: 2) and desist from committing further crime. At the beginning of the 20th century, penal policy was strongly influenced by a theory of rehabilitation. Unfortunately rehabilitative strategies failed to live up to the claim that they would reduce recidivism according to Martinson, resulting in his gloomy conclusion that nothing works (1974) and provoking a loss of confidence in the rehabilitative ideal during the 1970s and 80s in Britain (Hollin, 2005: 7). However, through a series of meta-analytic reviews which developed the What Works agenda, and provided a compelling case against Martinsons (1974) declaration, Britain witnessed a remarkable resurgence of the rehabilitative ideal in the 1990s (Hollin, 2005: 8). The general message of the meta-analyses that took place during the What Works movement was that when rehabilitative treatment was used with offenders it could have small but noteworthy effects in terms of reducing reoffending. McGuire and Priestly (1995) outline their interpretation of these key areas through a set of guiding principles, concluding that if followed they could lead to greater effectiveness in program content and delivery. These guiding principles are; Risk Classification- effective risk assessment is said to be required for the accurate matching of the clients with the level of delivery of certain rehabilitative programmes Focus on criminogenic needs Responsivity- matching styles of learning between worker and service user Community based interventions Treatment modality- a combination of skills-orientated, cognitive behavioural and other methods Programme integrity- that ensures programme aims are reflected in the methods used (McGuire and Priestly, 1995). However, it would be wrong to assume that the case for treatment was established as it is difficult to derive the exact magnitude of this overall treatment effect (Hollin, 1999: 3) from the meta-analyses, and perhaps more significantly because not all interventions that were researched had the same effect on recidivism, making the findings unreliable to a certain degree. Like all research methods, the meta-analysis process also has limitations, with Sharpe (1997) noting that; mixing dissimilar studies into the analysis and only using published research (of which some might have involved poorly designed and conducted original studies), results in meaningless findings (cited in Hollin, 1999: 7). This research will attempt to overcome some of the ambiguities that arose from the findings of the What Works era that although provided evidence of what does work with offenders in tackling reoffending generally, provided little in-depth and substantial evidence regarding what aspects of certain programmes (such as mentoring) promoted desistance among offenders and will seek evidence of this from service users themselves who have not traditionally been asked to comment on the service they receive (Ford et al, 1997). Resettlement Another process which aims to reduce the likelihood of prisoners reoffending upon release into the community is known as resettlement which although does hold out hope for the rehabilitation of offenders, focuses most of its attention on the pressing practical problems faced by many ex-prisoners, which if solved or at least significantly improved can go some way to reducing the likelihood of reoffending. The charity User Voice which draws on insights from offenders in order to develop strategies to reduce reoffending (User Voice, n.d) highlighted in its report The User Voice of the criminal justice system that gaining treatment, accommodation and work are key factors in the journey toward successful resettlement (2008: 13). Likewise a report from the Home Office (Lewis et al, 2003: 8-9) which evaluated the findings from 7 pathfinder programmes placed an emphasis on providing a co-ordinated approach to practical resettlement problems and recommended that the gaps it identified in provision of services needed to facilitate reintegration of offenders prompt a need for; Improved partnership working with Employment Services, Benefits Agencies, local authorities and relevant voluntary/private sector agencies; and access to a wider range of suitable housing, among others. Recent legislation and policy has attempted to combine ideas from theories of Rehabilitation and Resettlement and recommendations from reports such as those detailed in order to combat the problem of reoffending through various new strategies and most importantly through the creation of the National Offender Management Service. This has generally meant increased levels of alternative interventions being used in criminal justice in order to reduce reoffending, such as mentoring. Current Policy The Governments Reducing Reoffending National Action Plan (Home Office, 2004) translated the Social Exclusion Units recommendations most specifically (2002) into policy, with its core focus on the resettlement of prisoners after release. This National Action Plan required the production of Reducing Re-offending Strategies and linking Action Plans for the delivery of key services which were divided into seven separate pathways including; accommodation, education, training and employment (ETE), mental and physical health; drugs and alcohol; finance, benefit and debt; children and families of offenders; and attitudes thinking and behaviour (Maguire and Raynor, 2006: 4). The delivery of these services enacted by the Home Office (2004) now takes place in a dramatically different organisational framework after the creation of NOMS which brought Probation and Prison under one management system and most importantly for purposes of rehabilitation and resettlement introduced end to end offender management, meaning an offender would now be under the supervision of one manager throughout the whole of their sentence. This new concept of end to end offender management implies the close involvement of partner agencies in service planning and provision (Maguire and Raynor, 2006: 5), and is an important move for third sector organisations such as mentoring projects, who are now increasingly seen to play an influential role in the resettlement of ex-prisoners and reducing reoffending. This optimism for third sector organisations is supported by the Ministry of Justice in reports such as Working with the third sector to reduce reoffending: securing effective partne rships 2008-2011 (2007) and by NOMs in its consultation paper Volunteers Can: Towards a volunteering strategy to reduce re-offending (2007). This newly found optimism for third sector organisations to be able to improve the chances of successful rehabilitation and resettlement thus reducing the likelihood of reoffending, has naturally lead to an increase in the prevalence and use of such organisations including mentoring projects, as part of criminal justice interventions. The Rise of Mentoring Joliffe and Farrington (2007: 2) note that mentoring is used in the criminal justice context to increase the life successes of individuals who are at risk of reoffending by providing direct practical assistance (for e.g. filling out housing applications, assisting in searching for employment) and indirect support (for e.g. by acting as a positive role model). By providing individuals with both of these forms of support, mentoring aims to assist in reducing reoffending and increase positive life outcomes (Joliffe and Farrington, 2007: 10). For the purpose of their systematic review Tolan et al identify the following 4 central characteristics of mentoring; Interaction of two individuals over an extended period of time. Inequality of experience or power between the mentor and the mentee (recipient) with the mentee possessing a greater share. The mentee is in a position to imitate and benefit from the knowledge, skill, ability, or experience of the mentor. The absence of the role inequality that typifies other helping relationships and is marked by professional training, certification, or predetermined status differences such as parent-child or teacher-student relationships (Tolan et al, 2008: 6). Mentoring is a relatively new concept to the UK, especially in the field of criminal justice. It is identified by Newburn and Shiner that mentoring originated as a formal response to social exclusion and social welfare problems in the US (2006: 1), with one of the earliest mentoring programmes being identified as the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) which was established in 1904. The Big Brothers/Big Sisters programme has since expanded rapidly in the US and is used as a template by other mentoring organisations with similar visions elsewhere in the World including the UK (Big Brothers Big Sisters, n.d) through ventures such as The Dalston Youth Project (DYP) and Big Brothers Big Sisters UK (Newburn and Shiner, 2006: 2). Although, despite its increasing popularity mentoring continues to be associated with a number of difficulties. Defining mentoring becomes difficult due to the vast set of practises it can cover including one or all of the following; coaching, facilitating, counselling, befriending, tutoring, teaching, role-modelling, buddying or life-styling (Phillip, 1999; Clutterbuck, 2002). It is these definitional problems combined with the contemporary nature of the intervention that creates further difficulty in assessing the value of mentoring, which is why there is little empirical research evaluating its impact, particularly concerning how or why it is or is not of benefit in promoting desistance (i.e. what aspects of mentoring impact on desistance) and not simply does it reduce recidivism. The Effectiveness of Mentoring Most evaluations of mentoring schemes have originated from the US and report generally favourable findings in relation to reducing reoffending. For example, Becker (1994) studied delinquent youths who were involved in the Partners Inc. Mentoring programme and reported a 65-75% reduction in recidivism. In Joliffe and Farringtons rapid evidence assessment (2007) 18 studies were analysed in order to assess how successful mentoring is in reducing reoffending, with 7 of these showing a statistically significant positive impact on reoffending, demonstrating a 4 to 11 per cent reduction of subsequent offending for those involved in these mentoring schemes. It was noted though that this result was driven primarily by those studies with lower methodological value. The best studies that were designed to provide the most accurate assessment of the impact of mentoring actually suggested that mentoring did not cause a statistically significant reduction in reoffending. It was also noted that due to the restricted time-period that their study had to be completed in, it was unrealistic to be able to include unpublished studies, difficult to obtain materials and foreign language studies. This can reduce confidence in the findings and also results in publication biases due to there being a greater tendency for statistically significant findings to be published over studies that show non-statistically significant findings. However, there are other advantages to mentoring, which may impact on reducing reoffending but which cannot be directly measured (For e.g. improving chances of gaining employment). Most research into mentoring appears to focus significantly on quantitative measures of success rather than qualitative approaches, which might provide a better measure of its benefits. For example when Newburn and Shiner (2006) conducted a study of the Mentoring Plus scheme they did not find it impacted successfully on reducing re-offending per se, but they did find the impact of mentoring was strongest in relation to engagement with education, training and employment (a key pathway to aid reducing reoffending). But similarly to some other studies, they took a cautious approach in their conclusion of their evaluation by stating that mentoring faces an uncertain future (2006: 17) but it has real potential (2006: 16). Clancy and colleagues (2006) have associated through the gate work with lower reconviction rates due to the mentor having already established a positive relationship with the mentee in custody and this being continued after release ( See also; Hudson et al, 2007). This is supported by Hudson et al (2007) who highlight mentoring schemes as a promising strategy to assist ex-prisoners in settling in at their initial accommodation and assisting their progress afterwards. The structure of mentoring can also affect the success of mentoring schemes. Joliffe and Farrington (2007) found that the mentoring programmes that were most successful in reducing reoffending were those where the mentee and mentor met at least once a week and spent longer periods of time together when they met. St James-Roberts et al (2005) also identified that programmes lasting over ten months, including 15 meetings on average, and had a steering group, were recognised as most successful. They found that the characteristics of the mentee also had effects on outcomes too, reporting that mentees who were younger, had a lack of offending history and were female were most successful. Joliffe and Farrington (2007) noted that when mentoring occurred as part of a multi-modal programme, with a larger number of interventions involved, these programmes tended to be more successful in reducing reoffending. Pathfinder studies (Lewis et al, 2007) also provide support for the growth of interventions based around a combination of cognitive-motivational work and facilitating offenders access to service agencies. Other benefits of mentoring on reducing reoffending have come from Clancy et al who completed a review of the Transitional Support Scheme (TSS) which provided mentoring for offenders in Wales. The study concluded that the scheme produced statistically significant changes in offenders attitudes to crime and that offenders found assistance completing forms and managing finances the most useful aspect of mentoring (2004, as cited in Ministry of Justice, 2008: 10-12). Furthermore another vital factor in the effectiveness of the scheme was that the mentors were understood by offenders to be detached from the criminal justice system, therefore mentees were more likely to participate in a relationship with them. The most recent systematic review of mentoring schemes has come from the Campbell Collaboration in the US (Tolan et al, 2008). The study evaluated the effects of the mentoring interventions included in their study on delinquency outcomes for youthand key associated outcomes (2008: 5). The Review concluded that when the 39 included studies were analysed for outcomes measuring delinquency or closely related outcomes it suggests mentoring for high-risk youth has a modest positive effect for delinquency, aggression, drug use, and achievement (2008: 8). They noted that effects were strongest when emotional support was a key process in mentoring interventions (2008: 8). However, Tolan et al are wary not to make any sweeping conclusions about what elements of mentoring make it an effective intervention by stating that the valuable features and most promising approaches cannot be stated with any certainty, putting this down to the remarkable lack of description of key features or basic progr am organization in the studies included in their review (2008: 8). They finally call for more careful design and testing of mentoring effects to provide the needed specificity to guide effective practice of this popular approach (2008: 5). On the whole mentoring seems to be a promising intervention and the elements which have been identified as making it effective, have been highlighted, but there is still a lack of research into mentoring effectiveness from the UK, especially concerning its impact on adult rather than young offenders or at risk individuals. This implies that most mentoring projects in the UK have begun due to a leap of faith. Most studies that have been published into the effectiveness of mentoring so far have also been overly concerned with quantitative analyses of mentoring with the majority only being interested in reconviction rates, resulting in them only been able to provide some general and tentative statements about what specific elements of mentoring might impact on its ability to reduce reoffending. This ignores the possibility that qualitative approaches may provide a better measure of the benefits of mentoring, as they are able to assess the numerous indirect impacts mentoring may have on desistance in the long run. There is also a lack of studies focussing on the thoughts of the service user and as it is ultimately only the offenders themselves who can stop reoffending it is vital that their views on how this should be done are taken into account, this is reinforced by Matzas method of appreciation in which aim is to comprehend and illuminate the subjects view and to interpret the world as it appears to him (1969: 25). The Process of Desistance Farrall and Calverley describe desistance as the process of ending a period of involvement in offending behaviour (2006: 1). This definition recognises that the study of desistance is not primarily concerned with whether an individual has committed further crime or not but rather the journey towards becoming a non-offender. Maruna (1998) supports this by claiming desistance is not an event but a process (as cited in Farrall, 2002: 65) and Laub et al define desistance as a gradual movement away from criminal offending (1998: 3). It has been widely agreed that one of the most important influences on future offending patterns is a change in offenders thinking as well as their circumstances. For example Zamble and Quinsey who concluded from their study of released male prisoners in Ontario that habitual offending is best predicted by looking at an individuals acquired ways of reacting to common situations (1997: 147) and that pessimistic or negative reactions to common problems for many prisoners can lead them to give up on attempts to lead a crime free life. Similarly Marunas (2000) interview-based study lead to him conclude that what he terms different kinds of narrative (or the personal understandings or accounts of behaviours and situations) can either support desistance or continued offending. Maruna found that a key factor in narratives that promote desistance was the belief that the offender had begun to take control of their life, where as in comparison those still offending seemed to have little vision of what the future might hold, [but] desisting interviewees had a plan and were optimistic they could make it work (2000: 147). DiClemente and Prochaska (1982) identify a broad cycle of change with specific stages; Pre-contemplation Contemplation Action Maintenance, which people might pass through when attempting to change any previously habitual behaviours. A persons readiness can be affected by a range of factors which might include among others; major life events, age, physical and social circumstances and social bonds (Maguire and Raynor, 2006: 24). Burnett instead refers to a zig-zag path of desistance which involves reversals of decision, indecision, compromise and lapses, and suggests that if interventions are to facilitate the desistance process this ubiquitous state of ambivalence should be fully acknowledged and addressed (2004: 169). Another element which many writers agree is a central component in the process of desistance is the generation and maintenance of motivation (See Maruna, 2000; Maruna and Immarigeon, 2004). But however strong a persons narrative or motivation to change is, this can be seriously frustrated by a range of social problems, such as persistent accommodation problems or barriers to employment (Burnett and Maruna, 2004: 8). As people undergo a process of change and begin to desist they will also need new skills and capacities appropriate to their new lifestyle, and access to opportunities to use them (Maguire and Raynor, 2006: 8). They will need to acquire new social and human capital, with human capital referring to the skills and knowledge that an individual possesses and social capital being conceptualised as socially structured relationships between individuals, in families and in aggregations of individuals in neighbourhoods, churches, schools and so on (Hagan and McCarthy, 2007 as cited in Farrall, 2004: 60). It is suggested that if ex-offenders do not have access to these new appropriate social capital and human capital then the process of desistance could be slowed down (Farrall, 2004) which the use of a volunteer mentor would hopefully overcome. Maguire and Raynor (2006) suggest that many of the observations described above from desistance theorists have implications for interventions aiming to reduce recidivism and the following points should be taken into account by those involved in the resettlement of offenders, such as mentors or probation officers, in order to foster change and reduce reoffending; There is a need to respond to offenders individual needs rather than applying a one size fits all series of interventions. It is important that the offender takes the lead in the process of change or that it is understood as a shared effort between the offender and one attempting to foster change in them. Emphatic support required in order to maintain the motivation of the offender. It is imperative that assistance is given in taking advantage of opportunities to improve the lifestyle of the offender and in attaining relevant skills for them. Motivation of the offender can be maintained by overcoming social and practical problems. It should be expected that relapses will occur, whereby the offender falls back into previous patterns of behaviour, but this should not act as an indication that desistance has failed (Maguire and Raynor, 2006: 8). Like many of the studies of mentoring that have already been discussed Maguire and Raynor (1997) also highlight the importance of throughcare, suggesting this may increase the chances of interventions being effective, and the offenders involved desisting. They define throughcare as encompassing the following characteristics; Early preparation for release and planning. Creation of a close relationship with the offender before they are released from prison. A focus on continuity between work started with individuals whilst they are in custody with work taking place upon release. The provision of any required services (for example a drug treatment worker) as soon as is possible after their release (Maguire and Raynor, 1997). As has been proven through the evaluation of previous studies into the impact of mentoring on reoffending, as a rehabilitative intervention and one which aims to aid the resettlement process, it has huge potential to be able to curb offending behaviour. However little research has yet to be done into what impact mentoring can have as part of the whole process of desistance and what it is about mentoring that specifically encourages or discourages the mentees to desist in the long run. Maguire and Raynor (1997; 2006) have gone at least some way to link how interventions should be structured in order to promote desistance, and this dissertation will be exploring this process in relation to the specific intervention of mentoring.