Bloodlines Chapter Twenty-Two

CLARENCE DIDN'T WANT to talk to us about what had happened. In fact, he adamantly denied anything was wrong, claiming he'd scratched his neck while shaving. â€Å"Mr. Donahue,† I said as gently as I could, â€Å"this was made by a surgical tool. And it didn't happen until Keith visited.† â€Å"No, no,† Clarence managed in a weak voice. â€Å"It has nothing to do with him.† Dorothy stuck her head in just then, carrying a glass of juice. We'd called for her shortly after my arrival tonight. For blood loss, the remedies were the same for Moroi and human alike: sugar and fluids. She offered the glass to him with a straw, her lined face filled with concern. I continued my pleas as he drank. â€Å"Tell us what your deal is,† I begged. â€Å"What's the arrangement? What's he giving you for your blood?† When Clarence remained silent, I tried another tactic. â€Å"People are being hurt. He's giving out your blood indiscriminately.† That got a reaction. â€Å"No,† said Clarence. â€Å"He's using my blood and saliva to heal people. To heal sick humans.† Saliva? I nearly groaned. Of course. The mysterious clear liquid. Now I knew what gave the celestial tattoos their addictive high. Gross. Adrian and I exchanged glances. Healing certainly was a use for vampire blood. The tattoo I wore was proof of that, and the Alchemists had worked long trying to duplicate some of the blood's properties for wider medicinal use. So far, there was no way to synthetically reproduce it, and using real blood simply wasn't practical. â€Å"He lied,† I replied. â€Å"He's selling it to rich teenagers to help them with sports. What did he promise you for it? A cut of the money?† Adrian glanced around the opulent room. â€Å"He doesn't need money. The only thing he needs is what the guardians wouldn't give him. Justice for Tamara, right?† Surprised, I turned back to Clarence and saw Adrian's words confirmed on the old Moroi's face. â€Å"He†¦ he's been investigating the vampire hunters for me,† he said slowly. â€Å"He says he's close. Close to finding them out.† I shook my head, wanting to kick myself for not having figured out sooner that Clarence was the blood source. It explained why Keith was always unexpectedly here – and why he got so upset when I showed up without warning. My â€Å"fraternizing with vampires† had had nothing to do with it. â€Å"Sir, I guarantee the only thing he's investigating is how to spend the money he's been making.† â€Å"No†¦ no†¦ he's going to help me find the hunters who killed Tamara†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I stood up. I couldn't stand to hear any more. â€Å"Get him some real food, and see what he'll eat,† I told Dorothy. â€Å"If he's only weak from blood loss, he just needs time.† I nodded for Adrian to follow me out. As we walked toward the living room, I remarked, â€Å"Well, there are good and bad sides to this. At least we can be confident Keith's got a fresh supply of blood for us to bust him with. I'm just sorry Clarence had to get hit so – â€Å" I froze as I entered the living room. I'd simply wanted to go there because it would be a familiar place to discuss our plans, one that was less creepy than Clarence's bedroom. Considering how my imagination often ran wild while I was in this old house, I'd found that few things came as a surprise. But never in my wildest dreams had I imagined the living room would be transformed into an art gallery. Easels and canvas were set up all around the room. Even the pool table was covered by a big roll of paper. The pictures varied wildly in their content. Some simply had splashes of color thrown on them. Some possessed astonishingly realistic depictions of objects and people. An assortment of watercolors and oil paints sat around amidst the art. For a moment, all thoughts of Clarence and Keith disappeared from my head. â€Å"What is this?† â€Å"Homework,† Adrian said. â€Å"Didn't you†¦ didn't you just start your classes? How could they have assigned this much?† He walked over to a canvas showing a swirling red line traced over a black cloud and lightly tested to see if the paint was dry. Studying it, I tried to decide if I really was seeing a cloud. There was almost something anthropomorphic about it. â€Å"Of course they didn't give us this much, Sage. But I had to make sure I nailed my first assignment. Takes a lot of tries before you hit perfection.† He paused to reconsider that. â€Å"Well, except for my parents. They got it on the first try.† I couldn't help a smile. After watching Adrian's moods oscillate so wildly in the last couple weeks, it was nice to see them on the upswing. â€Å"Well, this is kind of amazing,† I admitted. â€Å"What are they? I mean, I get that one.† I pointed to a painting of a woman's eye, brown and long-lashed, and then to another one of roses. â€Å"But the others are open to, um, slightly more creative interpretation.† â€Å"Are they?† asked Adrian, turning back to the smoky painting with the red streak. â€Å"I figured it was obvious. This one is Love. Don't you see it?† I shrugged. â€Å"Maybe I don't have an artistic enough mind.† â€Å"Maybe,† he agreed. â€Å"Once we bust your buddy Keith, we'll discuss my genius art all you want.† â€Å"Right,† I said, growing serious again. â€Å"We need to search his place for evidence. I figured the best way to do that is if I lure him out and you break in while he's gone. To get through the lock – â€Å" Adrian waved me off. â€Å"I can pick a lock. How do you think I got into my parents' liquor cabinet in middle school?† â€Å"Should've guessed,† I said dryly. â€Å"Make sure you look everywhere, not just in obvious places. He could have compartments hidden in the walls or in furniture. You want to find vials of blood or metallic liquid or even the tool that pierced Clarence.† â€Å"Got it.† We hashed out a few more details – including who he should call when he found something – and were about to leave when he asked, â€Å"Sage, why'd you pick me to be your partner in crime in this?† I thought about it. â€Å"Process of elimination, I guess. Jill's supposed to be kept out of trouble. Eddie'd be a good asset, but he needed to go back with her and Lee. Besides, I already knew you didn't have any moral qualms about breaking and entering.† â€Å"That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me,† he declared with a grin. We headed out to Keith's after that. All the lights were on in the first floor of his building, dashing a last-minute hope I'd had that maybe I wouldn't have to lure him out. I would've actually liked to help with the search. I dropped Adrian off and then drove to a twenty-four-hour restaurant that was outside the opposite side of town. I figured it would be perfect for keeping Keith away from his home. The driving time alone would provide Adrian with extra searching time, though it meant Adrian had to wait outside for a while until Keith left. Once I finally arrived, I got a table, ordered coffee, and dialed Keith's number. â€Å"Hello?† â€Å"Keith, it's me. I need to talk to you.† â€Å"So talk,† he said. He sounded smug and confident, no doubt happy at pulling off the last-minute tattoo sale. â€Å"Not on the phone. I need you to meet me.† â€Å"At Amberwood?† he asked in surprise. â€Å"Isn't it after hours?† It was indeed, but that was a problem for later. â€Å"I'm not at school. I'm at Margaret's Diner, that place out by the highway.† Long silence. Then: â€Å"Well, if you're already out past curfew, then just come here.† â€Å"No,† I said firmly. â€Å"You come to me.† â€Å"Why should I?† I hesitated only briefly before playing the card I knew would get him, the one thing that would make him drive out here and not raise suspicions about the tattoos. â€Å"It's about Carly.† â€Å"What about her?† he asked after a moment's pause. â€Å"You know exactly what.† After a second's pause, Keith relented and hung up. I noticed that I had a voice mail from earlier in the day that I hadn't heard come in. I called and listened. â€Å"Sydney, this is Wes Regan from Carlton College. Just wanted to go over a couple things with you. First, I'm afraid I have some bad news. It doesn't look like I'm going to be able to retroactively admit your brother from auditor status. I can enroll him next semester for sure if he stays in good standing, but the only way he can keep taking classes now is if he continues to do so as an auditor. He won't be able to get financial aid as a result, and in fact, you'll actually need to pay the auditing fee soon if he's going to stay in the classes. If he wants to drop altogether, we can do that too. Just call me and let me know what you'd like to do.† I stared at the phone in dismay when the message was over. There went our dreams of sliding Adrian into fully enrolled student status, not to mention his dreams of getting financial aid and moving out of Clarence's. The next semester probably started in January, so Adrian was facing four more months at Clarence's. Adrian would also be facing four more months of bus-riding and taking classes without college credit. But were the credits and financial aid really the most important things here? I thought back to how excited Adrian had been after only a couple classes, how he'd thrown himself into the art. His face had been radiant when he stood in his â€Å"gallery.† Jill's words also echoed through my mind, about how the art had given him something to channel his feelings into and made the bond easier for her to cope with. Those classes were good for both of them. How much was an auditing fee? I wasn't sure but knew it wasn't as much as tuition. It was also a onetime cost that I could probably slide into my expenses without raising the attention of the Alchemists. Adrian needed those classes, of that I was certain. If he knew financial aid wasn't an option this semester, there was a good chance he'd just drop them altogether. I couldn't allow that. He'd known there might be â€Å"a delay† while the financial aid came together. If I could keep him going to Carlton a little longer, then maybe he'd get invested enough in the art that he'd stay on, even when the truth came out. It was a sneaky thing to do, but it would benefit him – and Jill – in the end. I dialed back Wes Regan's office, knowing I'd get his voice mail. I left him a message saying that I'd drop off a check for the auditing fee and that Adrian would stay on until he could be enrolled next semester. I hung up, saying a silent prayer that it would take a while for Adrian to find out any of this. The waitress kept giving me the evil eye over just having coffee, so I finally ordered a piece of pie to go. She had just set the carton down on my table when an irritated Keith entered the restaurant. He stood in the doorway, looking around impatiently until he saw me. â€Å"Okay, what's going on?† he demanded, making a big show of sitting down. â€Å"What's so important that you felt the need to break school rules and drag me halfway across town?† For a moment, I froze up. Looking into Keith's eyes – real and artificial – triggered all the conflicting feelings I'd had about him this last year. Fear and anxiety over what I was trying to pull off warred with the deep hate I'd long carried. Baser instincts wanted me to make him suffer, to throw something at him. Like the pie. Or a chair. Or a baseball bat. â€Å"I – â€Å" Before I could say another word, my phone chimed. I looked down and read a text message from Adrian: GOT IT. CALL MADE. ONE HOUR. I slipped the phone into my purse and exhaled. It had taken Keith twenty minutes to get here, and during that time, Adrian had been dutifully searching the apartment. He'd apparently been successful. Now it was up to me to delay Keith until reinforcements showed up. One hour was actually a lot less time than I'd expected. I'd given Adrian Stanton's phone number, and she would've dispatched whatever Alchemists were closest. I'd figured that would mean Los Angeles, but it was hard to say with the scope of our jobs. If there were Alchemists on the east side of the city, they'd get here very quickly. It was also possible they could cut time by simply flying a private jet in. â€Å"What's that?† asked Keith irritably. â€Å"A text from one of your vampire friends?† â€Å"You can stop the act,† I said. â€Å"I know you don't really care about me ‘getting too close' to them.† I hadn't intended this to be the topic that distracted him, but I'd take it. â€Å"Of course I do. I worry about your soul.† â€Å"Is that why you called my dad?† I asked. â€Å"Is that the reason you wanted me out of Palm Springs?† â€Å"It's for your own good,† he said, putting on that holier-than-thou air. â€Å"Do you know how wrong it was that you even wanted this job in the first place? No Alchemist would. But you, you practically begged for it.† â€Å"Yeah,† I said, feeling my anger rise. â€Å"So Zoe wouldn't have to do it.† â€Å"Tell yourself that if you want. I know the truth. You like these creatures.† â€Å"Why does it have to be so cut-and-dried? In your view, I either have to hate them or be in league with them. There's a middle ground, you know. I can still be loyal to the Alchemists and on friendly terms with vampires and dhampirs.† Keith looked at me like I was ten years old. â€Å"Sydney, you're such an innocent. You don't understand the ways of the world like I do.† I knew all about his â€Å"ways of the world† and would've said as much if the waitress hadn't come by to take his drink order just then. When she was gone, Keith continued his spiel. â€Å"I mean, how do you even know you're feeling the way you do? Vampires can compel, you know. They use mind control. Spirit users like Adrian are really good at it. For all we know, he's been using his powers to endear himself to you.† I thought of all the times I'd wanted to shake some sense into Adrian. â€Å"He's not doing a very good job, then.† We bickered back and forth about this, and for once, I was glad of Keith's obstinacy and refusal to see reason. The longer he argued with me, the more time the Alchemists had to get to his apartment. If Stanton had told Adrian one hour, she probably meant it. Still, it was best to be safe. My breaking point came when Keith said, â€Å"You should be glad I'm looking out for you like this. This is about more than vampires, you know. I'm teaching you life lessons. You memorize books but don't understand people. You don't know how to connect to them. You're going to carry this same naive attitude with you into the real world, thinking everyone means well, and someone – some guy, probably – will just take advantage of you.† â€Å"Well,† I snapped, â€Å"you'd know all about that, wouldn't you?† Keith snorted. â€Å"I have no interest in you, rest easy.† â€Å"I'm not talking about me! I'm talking about Carly.† So. Here it was. The original purpose of our meeting. â€Å"What's she have to do with anything?† Keith kept his tone steady, but I saw it. The slightest flicker of anxiety in his eye. â€Å"I know what happened between you guys. I know what you did to her.† He became very interested in stirring ice around with his straw. â€Å"I didn't do anything to her. I have no idea what you're talking about.† â€Å"You know exactly what I'm talking about! She told me. She came to me afterward.† I leaned forward, feeling confident. â€Å"What do you think my dad would do if he found out? What would yours do?† Keith looked up sharply. â€Å"If you're so certain something terrible happened, then why doesn't your dad already know? Huh? Maybe because Carly knows there's nothing to tattle on. Anything we did, she wanted to, believe me.† â€Å"You are such a liar,† I hissed. â€Å"I know what you did. You raped her. And you will never suffer enough for it. You should've lost both of your eyes.† He stiffened at the reference to his eyes. â€Å"That's harsh. And has nothing to do with any of this. What the hell's happened to you, Sydney? How'd you turn into such a bitch? Maybe making you associate with vampires and dhampirs has caused more damage than we realized. First thing tomorrow, I'm going to call Stanton and ask that they pull you now. No waiting until the end of the week. You need to be away from this dark influence.† He shook his head and gave me a look both condescending and pitying. â€Å"No, you need to be re-educated, period. It should've happened a long time ago, as soon as they caught you busting out that murderer.† â€Å"Don't change the topic.† I spoke haughtily, though he'd again woken a sliver of fear in me. What if Adrian and I failed? What if the Alchemists listened to Keith and hauled me away? He'd never have to worry about me again in a re-education center. â€Å"This isn't about me. We were talking about Carly.† Keith rolled his eyes in annoyance. â€Å"I'm done talking about your slutty sister.† That was when my earlier impulse to throw something at him won out. Lucky for him, it was only my coffee and not a chair. Also lucky for him: the coffee had cooled considerably. There was still a lot of it left, and it managed to splash everywhere, drenching his unfortunate choice of a white shirt. He stared at me in astonishment, sputtering to get his words out. â€Å"You bitch!† he said, standing up. As he started moving toward the door, I realized that my temper might have just blown the plan. I hurried over and caught hold of his arm. â€Å"Wait, Keith. I-I'm sorry. Don't go.† He jerked his arm away and glared at me. â€Å"It's too late for you. You had your chance and blew it.† I grabbed him again. â€Å"No, no. Wait. There's still lots we have to talk about.† He opened his mouth with some snippy remark and then promptly shut it. He studied me for several seconds, his face growing serious. â€Å"Are you trying to keep me here? What's going on?† When I couldn't muster a response, he pulled away and stormed out the door. I quickly ran back to the table and tossed a twenty on it. I grabbed the pie and told the bewildered waitress to keep the change. The clock in my car told me I had twenty minutes until the Alchemists were supposed to show up at Keith's. That was also the time it would take to get back there. I drove right behind him, making no effort to hide my presence. It was no secret now that something was going on, something I'd lured him away from home for. I blessed every red light that stopped us, praying he wouldn't arrive too early. If he did, Adrian and I were going to have to delay him. It wouldn't be impossible, but it also wasn't something I wanted to do. We finally made it back. Keith pulled into his building's tiny lot, and I parked uncaringly in a fire zone out front. I was only steps behind him as he ran to the door, but he hardly seemed to notice. His attention was on the lit-up windows of his building and the dark silhouettes barely discernible beyond the heavy drapes. He burst in through the door, and I followed a moment later, nearly running into him as he came to a complete standstill. I didn't know the three suited men there with Adrian, but I knew they were Alchemists. They had that cold, polished feel that we all strove for, and their cheeks were emblazoned with gold lilies. One was going through Keith's kitchen cupboards. Another had a notepad and was talking to Adrian, who was leaning against the wall and smoking. He smiled when he saw me. The third Alchemist was kneeling on the floor in the living room near a small storage cupboard in the wall. A tacky painting of a shirtless woman's back lay nearby, which apparently had been used to hide the compartment. Its wooden door had clearly been forcibly opened, and various contents were strewn haphazardly around – with a few exceptions. The Alchemist was going to great pains to sort one pile of objects: metal tubes and needles used to drain blood, along with vials of blood and small packets of silvery powder. He looked up at our sudden entrance and fixed Keith with a cool smile. â€Å"Ah, so glad you're here, Mr. Darnell. We were hoping we could take you with us for some questioning.† Keith's face fell.

Texas Tech Acceptance Rate: What Does it Take to Get In?

A large research university located in Lubbock, Texas, Texas Tech University offers 150 undergraduate courses of study across 13 schools. Just what does it take to get in? Here’s what you should know. In order to apply to Texas Tech, you’ll need to submit your: *SAT and ACT are superscored . Texas Tech does not require the writing supplement for either test. Students who meet the following criteria are guaranteed admission into Texas Tech: If you do not meet the assured admissions requirements, Texas Tech â€Å"strongly suggests† responding to Essay Prompts A and/or B listed in the essay prompts and submitting three recommendations. Although these application components are not required, you should submit them unless you meet the criteria for assured admission. Texas Tech University recommends that applicants complete the Foundation Curriculum with the Distinguished level of achievement as outlined by the Texas Education Agency . Students who receive automatic admission on the basis of being in the top 10% of their graduating high school class must present a Distinguished diploma. The recommended high-school curriculum is as follows: Language Arts (4 Credits) English I, II & III Advanced English Course Options include English IV, Creative Writing, Humanities, & Advanced Journalism Mathematics (4 Credits) Algebra I Geometry Algebra II Advanced Math Course Options include Precalculus, AQR, AP Statistics & Engineering Mathematics Science (4 Credits) Biology IPC or Advanced Science Two advanced Science Courses Options include Chemistry, Physics, Forensic Science, & Astronomy Social Studies (3 Credits) U.S. History U.S. Government (.5 credit) Economics (.5 credit) World Geography or World History Foreign Language (2 Credits) Both credits must be the same language Note: Some programs have additional foreign language requirements Physical Education (1 Credit) Fine Arts (1 Credit) Electives (6 Credits) With an acceptance rate of 69.2%, Texas Tech is somewhat selective. The average GPA for admitted students in 2.85. The middle 50% of SAT and ACT scores for the freshman class are 1158-1240 and 22-27, respectively. Estimating your chance of getting into a college is not easy in today’s competitive environment. Thankfully, with our state-of-the-art software and data, we can analyze your academic and extracurricular profile and estimate your chances. Our profile analysis tool can also help you identify the improvement you need to make to enter your dream school. Texas Tech notes that it evaluates applicants based on their: While the overall admissions rate signifies that admissions are not as competitive at this university compared with some of its peers, you should keep in mind that some programs, such as the Honors College, are more rigorous and have lower acceptance rates than others. You should also bear in mind that not only can your test scores and GPA guarantee you admission into Texas Tech, but they can also qualify you for scholarships that significantly reduce your college costs. â€Å"Most students have an identity, an interest, or a talent that defines them in an essential way. Tell us about yourself.† This makes it clear that Texas Tech looks for curious, passionate students. In your essay and other areas of your application, you should demonstrate a talent that sets you apart and displays your innovation and creativity. Perhaps you’re a creative writer and will demonstrate that through both writing-related extracurricular activities and a dynamite essay. Or maybe you’re a star oboe player. Whatever your hook is, make sure it’s obvious on your application. â€Å"What was the environment in which you were raised? Describe your family, home, neighborhood, or community, and explain how it has shaped you as a person.† While many colleges seek out a diverse student body, Texas Tech goes a step further by asking you to consider how your roots have shaped your identity. This should be a cohesive theme throughout your application: how your community—in whatever way you define it—has contributed to your identity as a person. You might, for example, describe your unique upbringing, being very close to members of your extended family, or participating in your religious or cultural community. Keep the assured admissions criteria in mind. If you meet the assured admissions criteria, Texas Tech can be a secure safety school for you. Otherwise, you will need to put extra effort into the other aspects of your application, such as your essays. Texas Tech provides tips to follow , and you should read ours as well. You should also send teacher recommendations and ensure that your extracurricular profile is strong to make up for weaker grades and test scores. Being denied admission to any college, particularly one of your top choices, is disappointing. Still, it’s important to take a step back and regroup. If you get rejected from Texas Tech, here’s what you can do: Take a gap year or transfer in. If you had your heart set on Texas Tech or received bad news from the other colleges on your list, one option is to take a gap year and reapply next admissions cycle. If you do decide to go this route, make sure you have a productive plan for the year. You might undertake a research project, volunteer, study to improve your SAT scores, or take classes at another college. You can also matriculate at another college and transfer to Texas Tech. As with first-year admissions, the university has assured transfer admission criteria (applicable to your college GPA and credits): Transferable Hours GPA Requirements 12-23 hours 2.50 cumulative   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   24 or more hours 2.25 cumulative Individual schools and majors within the university have additional assured transfer admissions criteria: Architecture: 3.0 GPA Biology, Cell & Molecular Biology, Microbiology: 2.5 GPA Business: 15 hours + 2.75 GPA Community, Family & Addiction Sciences: 2.5 GPA Engineering: 24 hours + 3.0 GPA Honors College: 3.5 GPA Human Development & Family Studies: 2.5 GPA Interior Design: 2.7 GPA Kinesiology/Sport Management: 2.5 GPA Note that if you don’t meet these requirements, Texas Tech will evaluate you based on other criteria. Keep it in perspective. Even if TTU was your top choice, chances are, you’ll find a way to make a college that did accept you work. College really is what you make of it, and if you put effort into adjusting to another school by joining clubs, working hard in your classes, and cultivating a social life, you’ll likely find that you can make a fulfilling college experience for yourself, even if you end up at a college that wasn’t your top choice. When you sign up for our program, we carefully pair you with the perfect admissions specialist based on your current academic and extracurricular profile and the schools in which you’re interested. Your personal application specialist will help you with branding, essays, and interviews, and provide you with support and guidance in all other aspects of the application process.

Socio-ultural influence on the increase in consumerist behavior among Essay

Socio-ultural influence on the increase in consumerist behavior among Indians in U.S - Essay Example One of the most important after effects of globalisation is the influence it have caused to base the consumer choice on the materials being provided to them rather than understanding of their buying requirements. This is notwithstanding the ongoing debate on theoretical explanations given on the modern consumer behaviour.But from the experiences gained on the market behavior during the 21st century, the pervasive market performance has covered every material in the market place. This is obvious from the ways the brand building has been followed in various products like segregating the consumers considering their age and also their cultural influence.Exclusive adult product or products for curly haired are the symbols of such market delineation to enhance the consumer acceptability and thus leading to the burgeoning their business. At the same time the market based economy have failed to eliminate large number of beliefs and customs.The fears arising from the religious beliefs are nev er offset even by the well planned and creative intervention in the market Also, the impact of the culture of the dictating the market principles has also not been fully justified. The dominant component among all the existing market forces in a typical scenario would probably be elite population whose options usually dominates the market. The majority of the mass are less influential in the market economics as they are found to undertake the actions that is most necessary for them as it would be highly fantasy for this group of the population in the regions to opt for any luxurious mode of lifestyles. Thus the basic understanding has been those who fail to get what they require embraces the scarcity while those who have the ability to procure all they need tend to move to the extend of highly disordered consumption styles.. Thus the evidence have been given to come to a conclusion on the effect of culture on the consumer behavior. Most of the studies or research have focussed on the effect of the consumer tendencies on a static population level. But the globalization which have resulted in the free transfer of commodities across different countries also have resulted in the large-scale manpower movements. Thus the effect of cultural impact this has created on the consumerist behavior is necessary. The study undertaken here is to understand how the change observed in the consumer pattern within a newly migrated or relocated group of people. The investigations would also include the factors that influence such group of people to change or withstand the change. Thus the study would give a new dimension to the research issues on the consumerist tendencies in the post-globalized period. Literature survey It is widely understood that the social stratification has been aggravated as a result of the strong hold of the capitalist social structure (Cohen and Roosevelt, 2002). The factors like negative consumerism emerging from the continuous denials of acquiring various products have lead to the re-look into various aspects of value based consumer theories (Feather stone, 2007). Thea earlier studies have shown that an inclination to well established brand names existed among all the young university students. A comparison mad across the Nokia and Siemens show that the enhanced credibility created to the consumers with the support of well-tailored campaigns and highly transparent knowledge sharing have helped Nokia to go far ahead of the rival Siemens (Anderman et al, 1999). In another situation, the business organization often identifies the most important cultural aspects of the target groups and hence plan their marketing programme accordingly. The consumer demarcation on these social d ynamics have yielded good amount of success. Some of the well known cases are Volkswagen for the working woman, Saga Holidays for the young elderly, the Pink pound for gay men (Lee,

What are the factors that influence consumer behavior towards choosing Essay

What are the factors that influence consumer behavior towards choosing mobile phone brands - Essay Example A mobile phone is an electronic device which is used in two way communication. To make use of a mobile phone, connection to a cellular network is required which is an interconnection of base stations through which signals are transmitted, hence the mobile uses those signals to forge and maintain connection. A user using a mobile phone can make or receive telephone calls to and from other cellular networks and also fixed line phones worldwide. Each mobile phone holds a subscription with a cellular network which then connects it to a mobile network operator and thus let’s communication to flow freely. With the influx of countless models of mobiles in the UK market, with minor or significant differences in features, generally they are categorized into two groups. We have feature phones, which are normally characterized as low end mobile phones having less functions, whereas at the other extreme we have Smartphone which are high end phones with sophisticated, computing capabilities. Hence the focus of this report is to discuss a Market Research Study with the aim of providing readers with a comprehensive insight into the factors that influence the consumer behavior when it comes to choosing mobile phones, particularly for UK market. Once the factors have been determined, this report will further shed light on the market research objectives as well as the main purpose and procedure for this proposed market research study. In addition to the aforementioned topics in this report you will also find ample information regarding how to conduct a qualitative and quantitative market research study explaining the finer points in detail. Also a proposed reporting research schedule and timing, fees and credentials will be a part of this report. The report’s prime focus will be on the consumer influences because it is these factors that aid the consumer in making a rational choice when given several alternatives to choose from. The

Analysis of Nursing Leadership Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Analysis of Nursing Leadership - Term Paper Example Transformational leadership occurs when a leader put the interests of his employees first without overlooking the consciousness and recognition of the purpose and mission of the group. It also encompasses a leader who encourages employees to look beyond self interest but instead prioritize organizational goals. In doing so together, dedication and finely tuned capacity of the organization will lead to increased overall productivity. The so called transformational leader focuses on raising people from low level of need to, considered to be needed to survive state, to high level. They not only encourage their people to transcend their personal interests for other collective purpose, but also help them achieve a many personal needs as well. Transformational leaders are known to foster conviction, gratitude, commitment and respect amongst their followers. This calls for the leaders to perceive their followers or staff as whole people but not just as employee. This has made it possible fo r both the leaders and their followers raising each others ethics and motivations to levels which could not have been possible. Understanding of a transformational leader can be best through the outcomes. ... It is done by heightening follower’s keenness to environmental variations and challenges. For the case of a hospital, involving other stakeholders to give their mind on the services will be a better tool for gauging the success of this institution. Inspiration speeches given by transformational leaders to their followers makes them look forward to a new and better future. This needs ideological perception rather than just economical terms. This can be achieved by involving the whole staff in shaping and reshaping the hospitals strategic plan on a habitual basis. Surveillance on the staff in order to establish their needs will be advantageous to the workers as this makes them perform their duties with minimal destruction. Achievement of shared vision will be realized through coaching offered by transformational leaders. Working with a transformational leader instills sense of urgency. Collaboration need to be advocated for and self esteem be promoted. The existing environment h as to be one which is conducive for knowhow creation and sharing. Leaders who recognize their followers based on the achievement instill self confidence amongst their followers which helps in improving the overall productivity. Incorporating change into the system goes along way in encouraging hard work amongst followers or staff. This can be done through monitoring advancement, changing evaluation and prize systems, and hiring employees with an obligation of collaboration. For the case of working without a transformational leader, all the above mentioned privileges will not be enjoyed by the workers. Prospects of growth that are linked with the efforts of transformational leaders will never be achieved in their absence. The overall productivity of the

Physical Architecture Layer Design Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Physical Architecture Layer Design - Coursework Example It involves the plan for the hardware and software used in the system, security of the system, communication infrastructure and global support. It is at the physical layer architecture design that a decision on the type of physical architecture of the system is made. The architecture can be chosen from server-based, client-based or client –server architectures depending on the system to be designed. Architectural components The components of a physical layer can be widely grouped in two categories, mainly hardware and software (application). Hardware components may include the computers (clients and the servers) and the network used in the system while the software components comprise data storage, data access logic, application logic and presentation logic. Software components are as vital for the running of the system as the hardware.(Wixom, 12) Among its many functions are: data storage; achieved by documenting data in the CRC cards, presentation of the information to the u ser while accepting the user commands through the application logic and processing needed to access data like database queries through data access logic. The hardware components on the hand include the physical computers and the networks connecting the computers to form a distributed system. The computers can either be sever or client. Different arrangement of the computers gives different physical architectures. Physical architectures Physical architectures are composed of clients (I/O hardware used by user, PCs and terminals), servers (mainframes, minis or micros) and network (hardware and software to connect client to server) and are grouped in three categories namely client based, server based and client server based. (Denis, 2) In Server based architecture, the server performs all the four application functions presentation logic, data access logic, application logic and data storage. The client only need basic hardware like the monitor and keyboard to communicate with the serv er. Upgrading this type of architecture can be quite expensive beside the fact that the server can become overloaded since the server does everything which may result to system failure. (Kendall, 8) As opposed to Server based architecture, in Client based architecture the client does most of the work as the server just deals with data storage functions. All the logic resides in the client computer while data is stored in the server computer. All the data must travel over the network to the server for processing which may lead to a lot of network traffic. This type of architecture is simple to develop but hard to maintain. Client-server architecture is more preferable as compared to server and client based architecture since it balances processing between the client and the server unlike the two other architectures. It is the mostly used architecture in modern system among the three architectures. The client computer mainly deals with the presentation and application logics while dat a access and data storage logics are handled by the server computer. There are two or more tiers available for this architecture depending on the partitioning of the application logics. Scalability is one of the major advantages of client-server archi

Social Responsibility of The Athletes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Social Responsibility of The Athletes - Essay Example They have an influential power that can bring people from different cultures or religious to come up with amazing strategies in the society (Smith, 2013). They can allow the people through their different activities related to the society. They should be confident, honest and supportive. They have to get past to athlete’s association and personal advisers and think about what is best for the people of their nation. Athletes stand a better chance of making the world a better place. This is attributed to the fact that they are public figures and command a great following. The less fortunate people in the society are as much important as the athletes themselves, their coaches as well as their fans. Athletes have the responsibility to fight for social justice. They should be ready to part of their huge salaries for the sake of recognition of the people’s rights and better living condition. Some of the top earners in sports include; Aaron Rodgers, North American who plays football for Green Bay Packers earns 43 million USD per year, Drew Bees, the North American football player for New Orleans Saints earns 40 million USD per year, just to mention but a few (Neto, 2013). These players can give the portion of their salaries to charity or projects and programs aimed at helping the needy. They should be ready to stand by what is right and what they believe even if they are criticized. Athletes can change lives through social responsibility. The reason is that athletics have the power to bring about strong emotions and encourage health, friendship, and respect. They are able to support and inspire people with intellectual disability through sports. Sports help them to improve physical fitness, show courage, and be involved in the sharing of gifts; talents and friendship. The Union of European Football Association’s (UEFA) social responsibility partners see this as an outstanding job.