The Vampire Diaries: The Struggle Chapter Ten

The bell rang. There was no time to go back to the cafeteria and tell Bonnie and Meredith. Elena set off for her next class, past the averted faces and hostile eyes that were becoming all too familiar these days. It was hard, in history class, not to stare at Caroline, not to let Caroline know she knew. Alaric asked about Matt and Stefan being absent for the second day in a row, and Elena shrugged, feeling exposed and on display. She didn't trust this man with the boyish smile and the hazel eyes and the thirst for knowledge about Mr. Tanner's death. And Bonnie, who simply gazed at Alaric soulfully, was no help at all. After class she caught a scrap of Sue Carson's conversation. â€Å"†¦ he's on vacation from college – I forget exactly where†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Elena had had enough of discreet silence. She spun around and spoke directly to Sue and the girl Sue was talking to, bursting uninvited into their discussion. â€Å"If I were you,† she said to Sue, â€Å"I would keep away from Damon. I mean that.† There was startled, embarrassed laughter. Sue was one of the few people at school who hadn't shunned Elena, and now she was looking as if she wished she had. â€Å"You mean,† said the other girl hesitantly, â€Å"because he's yours, too? Or – â€Å" Elena's own laughter was harsh. â€Å"I mean because he'sdangerous ,† she said. â€Å"And I'm not joking.† They just looked at her. Elena saved them the further embarrassment of having to reply or to get tactfully groupies and headed for Meredith's locker. â€Å"Where are we going? I thought we were going to talk to Caroline.† â€Å"Not anymore,† Elena said. â€Å"Wait until we get home. Then I'll tell you why.† â€Å"I can't believe it,† said Bonnie an hour later. â€Å"I mean, I believe it, but I can'tbelieve it. Not even of Caroline.† â€Å"It's Tyler,† Elena said. â€Å"He's the one with the big plans. So much for men not being interested in diaries.† â€Å"Actually, we should thank him,† said Meredith. â€Å"Because of him at least we have until Founders' Day to do something about it.Why did you say it was supposed to be on Founders' Day, Elena?† â€Å"Tyler has something against the Fells.† â€Å"But they're all dead,† said Bonnie. â€Å"Well, that doesn't seem to matter to Tyler. I remember him talking about it in the graveyard, too, when we were looking at their tomb. He thinks they stole his ancestors' rightful place as the town's founders or something.† â€Å"Elena,† Meredith said seriously, â€Å"is there anything else in the diary that could hurt Stefan? Besides the thing about the old man, I mean.† â€Å"Isn't that enough?† With those steady, dark eyes on her, Elena felt discomfort flutter between her ribs. What was Meredith asking? â€Å"Enough to get Stefan run out of town like they said,† agreed Bonnie. â€Å"Enough that we have to get the diary back from Caroline,† Elena said. â€Å"The only question is, how?† â€Å"Caroline said she had it hidden somewhere safe. That probably means her house.† Meredith chewed her lip thoughtfully. â€Å"She's got just the one brother in eighth grade, right? And her mom doesn't work, but she goes shopping in Roanoke a lot. Do they still have a maid?† â€Å"Why?† said Bonnie. â€Å"What difference does it make?† â€Å"Well, we don't want anybody walking in while we're burglarizing the house.† â€Å"While we'rewhat ?† Bonnie's voice rose to a squeak. â€Å"You can't be serious!† â€Å"What are we supposed to do, just sit back and wait until Founders' Day, and let her read Elena's diary in front of the town?She stole it from your house. We've just got to steal it back,† Meredith said, maddeningly calm. â€Å"We'll get caught. We'll get expelled from school – if we don't end up going to jail.† Bonnie turned to Elena in appeal. â€Å"Tell her, Elena.† Besides, it seemed such a†¦ aviolation , to go into someone's house when they were not there, to search their possessions. She would hate it if someone did that to her. But, of course, someone had. Caroline had violated Bonnie's house, and right now had Elena's most private possession in her hands. â€Å"Let's do it,† Elena said quietly. â€Å"But let's be careful.† â€Å"Can't we talk about this?† said Bonnie weakly, looking from Meredith's determined face to Elena's. â€Å"There's nothing to talk about. You're coming,† Meredith told her. â€Å"You promised,† she added, as Bonnie took a breath to object afresh. And she held up her index finger. â€Å"The blood oath was only to help Elenaget Stefan!† Bonnie cried. â€Å"Think again,† said Meredith. â€Å"You swore you would do whatever Elena asked in relation to Stefan. There wasn't anything about a time limit or about ‘only until Elena gets him.' â€Å" Bonnie's mouth dropped open. She looked at Elena, who was almost laughing in spite of herself. â€Å"It's true,† Elena said solemnly. â€Å"And you said it yourself: ‘Swearing with blood means you have to stick to your oath no matter what happens.' â€Å" Bonnie shut her mouth and thrust her chin out. â€Å"Right,† she said grimly. â€Å"Now I'm stuck for the rest of my life doing whatever Elena wants me to do about Stefan. Wonderful.† â€Å"This is the last thing I'll ever ask,† Elena said. â€Å"And I promise that. I swear – â€Å" â€Å"Don't!† said Meredith, suddenly serious. â€Å"Don't, Elena. You might be sorry later.† â€Å"Now you're taking up prophecy, too?† Elena said. And then she asked, â€Å"So how are we going to get hold of Caroline's house key for an hour or so?† November9,Saturday Dear Diary, I'm sorry it's been so long. Lately I've been too busy or too depressed – or both – to write you. Besides, with everything that's happened I'm almost afraid to keep a diary at all anymore. But I need someone to turn to, because right now there's not a single human being, not a single person on earth, that I'm not keeping something from. Bonnie and Meredith can't know the truth about Stefan. Stefan can't know the truth about Damon. Aunt Judith can't know about anything. Bonnie and Meredith know about Caroline and the diary; Stefan doesn't.Stefan knows about the vervain I use every day now, Bonnie and Meredith don't. Even My life is full of lies right now, and I need someoneto be completely honest with. I'm going to hide this diary under the loose floorboard in the closet, so that no one will find it even if I drop dead and they clean out my room. Maybe one of Margaret's grandchildren will be playing in there someday, and will pry up the board and pull it out, but until then, nobody. This diary is my last secret. I don't know why I'm thinking about death and dying. That's Bonnie's craze; she's the one who thinks it would be so romantic. I know what it's really like; there was nothing romantic about it when Mom and Dad died. Just the worst feelings in the world. I want to live for a good long time, marry Stefan, and be happy. And there's no reason why I can't, once all these problems are behind us. Except that there are times when I get scared and I don't believe that. And there are little things that shouldn't matter, but they bother me. Like why Stefan still wears Catherine's ring around his neck, even though I know he loves me. Like why he's never said he loves me, even though I know it's true. It doesn't matter. Everything will work out. It has to work out. And then we'll be together and be happy. There's no reason why we can't. There's no reason why we can't. There's no reason. Elena stopped writing, trying to keep the letters on the page in focus. But they only blurred further, and she shut the book before a betraying teardrop could fall on the ink. Then she went over to the closet, pried up the loose board with a nail file, and put the diary there. She had the nail file in her pocket a week later as the three of them, she and Bonnie and Meredith, stood outside Caroline's back door. â€Å"Hurry up,† hissed Bonnie in agony, looking around the yard as if she expected something to jump out at them. â€Å"Come on, Meredith!† â€Å"There,† said Meredith, as the key finally went the right way into the dead bolt lock and the doorknob yielded to her turning fingers. â€Å"We're in.† â€Å"Are you surethey're not in? Elena, what if they come back early? Why couldn't we do this in the daytime, at least?† â€Å"Bonnie, will you getinside ? We've been through all this. The maid's always here in the daytime. And they won't be back early tonight unless somebody gets sick at Chez Louis. Now, come on!† said Elena. â€Å"Nobody would dare to get sick at Mr. Forbes's birthday dinner,† Meredith said comfortingly to Bonnie as the smaller girl stepped in. â€Å"We're safe.† â€Å"If they've got enough money to go to expensive restaurants, you'd think they could afford to leave a few lights on,† said Bonnie, refusing to be comforted. Privately, Elena agreed with this. It was strange and disconcerting to be wandering through someone else's house in the dark, and her heart pounded chokingly as they went up the stairs. Her palm, clutching â€Å"It's got to be in her bedroom,† she said. Caroline's window faced the street, which meant they had to be even more careful not to show a light there. Elena swung the tiny beam of the flashlight around with a feeling of dismay. It was one thing to plan to search someone's room, to picture efficiently and methodically going through drawers. It was another thing actually to be standing here, surrounded by what seemed like thousands of places to hide something, and feeling afraid to touch anything in case Caroline noticed it had been disturbed. The other two girls were also standing still. â€Å"Maybe we should just go home,† Bonnie said quietly. And Meredith did not contradict her. â€Å"We have to try. At least try,† said Elena, hearing how tinny and hollow her voice sounded. She eased open a drawer on the highboy and shone the light onto dainty piles of lacy underwear. A moment's poking through them assured her there was nothing like a book there. She straightened the piles and shut the drawer again. Then she let out her breath. â€Å"It's not that hard,† she said. â€Å"What we need to do is divide up the room and then searcheverything in our section, every drawer, every piece of furniture, every object big enough to hide a diary in.† She assigned herself the closet, and the first thing she did was prod at the floorboards with her nail file. But Caroline's boards all seemed to be secure and the walls of the closet sounded solid. Rummaging through Caroline's clothes she found several things she'd lent the other girl last year. She was tempted to take them back, but of course she couldn't. A search of Caroline's shoes and purses revealed nothing, even when she dragged a chair over so that she could investigate the top shelf of the closet thoroughly. Meredith was sitting on the floor examining a pile of stuffed animals that had been relegated to a chest with other childish mementos. She ran her long sensitive fingers over each, checking for slits in the material. When she reached a fluffy poodle, she paused. â€Å"I gave this to her,† she whispered. â€Å"I think for her tenth birthday. I thought she'd thrown it away.† Elena couldn't see her eyes; Meredith's own flashlight was turned on the poodle. But she knew how Meredith was feeling. â€Å"I tried to make up with her,† she said softly. â€Å"I did, Meredith, at the Haunted House. But she as good as told me she would never forgive me for taking Stefan from her. I wish things could be different, but she won't let them be.† â€Å"So now it's war.† â€Å"So now it's war,† said Elena, flat and final. She watched as Meredith put the poodle aside and picked up the next animal. Then she turned back to her own search. But she had no better luck with the dresser than she had with the closet. And with every moment that passed she felt more uneasy, more certain that they were about to hear a car pulling into the Forbes' driveway. â€Å"I've got it. Elena, it's a diary!† Relief swooped through Elena then, and she felt like a crumpled piece of paper being straightened and smoothed. She could move again. Breathing was wonderful. She'd known, she'd known all along that nothingreally terrible could happen to Stefan. Life couldn't be that cruel, not to Elena Gilbert. They were all safe now. But Meredith's voice was puzzled. â€Å"It's a diary. But it's green, not blue. It's the wrong one.† â€Å"What?† Elena snatched the little book, shining her light on it, trying to make the emerald green of the cover change into sapphire blue. It didn't work. This diary was almost exactly like hers, but it wasn't hers. â€Å"It's Caroline's,† she said stupidly, still not wanting to believe it. Bonnie and Meredith crowded close. They all looked at the closed book, and then at one another. â€Å"There might be clues,† said Elena slowly. â€Å"It's only fair,† agreed Meredith. But it was Bonnie who actually took the diary and opened it. Elena peered over her shoulder at Caroline's spiky back-slanted writing, so different from the block letters of the purple notes. At first her eyes wouldn't focus, but then a name leapt out at her.Elena. â€Å"Wait, what's that?† Bonnie, who was the only one actually in a position to read more than one or two words, was silent a moment, her lips moving. Then she snorted. â€Å"Listen to this,† she said, and read: † ‘Elena's the most selfish person I've ever known. Everyone thinks she's so together, but it's really just coldness. It's sickening the way people suck up to her, never realizing that she doesn't give a damn about anyone or anything except Elena.' â€Å" â€Å"Carolinesays that? She should talk!† But Elena could feel heat in her face. It was, practically, what Matt had said about her when she was after Stefan. â€Å"Go on, there's more,† said Meredith, poking at Bonnie, who continued in an offended voice. † ‘Bonnie's almost as bad these days, always trying to make herself important. The newest thing is pretending she's psychic so people will pay attention to her. If she wasreally psychic she'd figure out that Elena is just using her. There was a heavy pause, and then Elena said, â€Å"Is that all?† â€Å"No, there's a bit about Meredith. ‘Meredith doesn't do anything to stop it. In fact, Meredith doesn'tdo anything; she just watches. It's as if she can't act; she can onlyreact to things. Besides, I've heard my parents talking about her family – no wonder she never mentions them.' What's that supposed to mean?† â€Å"Try around October eighteenth. That was when it was stolen,† said Elena, putting her questions aside. She'd ask Meredith about it later. There was no entry for October eighteenth or the weekend after; in fact, there were only a few entries for the following weeks. None of them mentioned the diary. â€Å"Well, that's it then,† said Meredith, sitting back. â€Å"This book is useless. Unless we want to blackmailher with it. You know, like we won't show hers if she won't show yours.† It was a tempting idea, but Bonnie spotted the flaw. â€Å"There's nothing bad about Caroline in here; it's all just complaints about other people. Mostly us. I'll bet Caroline wouldlove to have it read out loud in front of the whole school. It'd make her day.† â€Å"So what do we do with it?† â€Å"Put it back,† said Elena tiredly. She swung her light around the room, which seemed to her eyes to be filled with subtle differences from when they'd come in. â€Å"We'll just have to keep on pretending we don't know she has my diary, and hope for another chance.† â€Å"All right,† said Bonnie, but she went on thumbing through the little book, occasionally giving vent to an indignant snort or hiss. â€Å"Will you listen to this!† she exclaimed. â€Å"There isn't time,† Elena said. She would have said something else, but at that moment Meredith spoke, her tone commanding everyone's immediate attention. â€Å"A car.† It took only a second to ascertain that the vehicle was pulling up into the Forbes' driveway. Bonnie's eyes and mouth were wide and round and she seemed to be paralyzed, kneeling by the bed. â€Å"Go! Go on,† said Elena, snatching the di-ary from her. â€Å"Turn the flashlights off and get out the back door.† They were already moving, Meredith urging Bonnie forward. Elena dropped to her knees and lifted the bedspread, pulling up at Caroline's mattress. With her other hand she pushed the diary forward, wedging it between the mattress and the dust ruffle. The thinly covered box springs bit into her arm from below, but even worse was the weight of the queen-size mattress bearing down from above. She gave the book a few more nudges with her fingertips and then pulled her arm out, tugging the bedspread back in place. She gave one wild glance back at the room as she left; there was no time to fix anything more now. As she moved swiftly and silently toward the stairs, she heard a key in the front door. What followed was a sort of dreadful game of tag. Elena knew they were not deliberately chasing her, but the Forbes family seemed determined to corner her in their house. She turned back the way she had come as voices and lights materialized in the hall as they headed up the stairs. She fled from them into the last doorway down the hall, and they seemed to follow. They moved across the landing; they were right outside the master bedroom. She turned toward the adjoining bathroom, but then saw lights spring to life She was trapped. At any moment Caroline's parents might come in. She saw the french windows leading to a balcony and made her decision in that same instant. Outside, the air was cool, and her panting breath showed faintly. Yellow light burst forth from the room beside her, and she huddled even farther to the left, keeping out of its path. Then, the sound she had been dreading came with terrible clarity: the snick of a door handle, followed by a billowing of curtains inward as the french windows opened. She looked around frantically. It was too far to jump to the ground, and there was nothing to grab hold of to climb down. That left only the roof, but there was nothing to climb up, either. Still, some instinct made her try, and she was on the balcony railing and groping for a handhold above even as a shadow appeared on the filmy curtains. A hand parted them, a figure began to emerge, and then Elena felt something clasping her own hand, locking on her wrist and hauling her upwards. Automatically, she boosted with her feet and felt herself scrambling onto the shingled roof. Trying to calm her ragged breath, she looked over gratefully to see who her rescuer was – and froze.

”Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens, and ”Jayne Eyre” by Charlotte Bront Essay

In ‘Great Expectations’ by Charles Dickens, and ‘Jayne Eyre’ by Charlotte Bronte, there is a description of a room. In this essay, I will compare the similarities and differences of the two rooms. The two stories were written thirteen years apart, in the 19th century. In ‘Jayne Eyre’, the red room is decorated in bright colours, in comparison to ‘Great Expectations’, which is a faded white room. They are both large, and ornately furnished. In ‘Great Expectations’, the little boy is narrating (first person narrator), ‘I answered, more in shyness than politeness’, this quote supports two facts, one that it is a first person narrative, and that the feelings of the boy are quite uncomfortable and slightly timid about the situation he’s in. ‘Don’t be ridiculous, boy’, this shows that the first person is in fact a boy, therefore suggesting a young naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve nature in the story’s narrator. This reflecting the reader’s view on the happening’s in the story, but more precisely the extract on this particular subject. Like ‘Great Expectations’, ‘Jayne Eyre’, has a first person narrative, Jayne, herself. The narrator in ‘Jayne Eyre’, is actually older than the narrator in ‘Great Expectations’. The narrator seems less anxious than the boy in ‘Great Expectations’, there seems to be no signs of nervousness or anxiety in the passage of ‘Jayne Eyre’ from the narrator. Both the rooms in the two stories are parts of rich, wealthy, large houses. ‘One of the largest and stateliest chambers in the mansion’, and ‘massive pillars of mahogany’ support my statement for ‘Jayne Eyre’. In ‘Great Expectations’, ‘large room’ and ‘a fine lady’s dressing table’ also strengthen my statement. Both the rooms in the two stories have been kept as almost museums, as if time stood still at one point and never restarted. In ‘Great Expectations’, the room creates this impression from remarks from the boy (the narrator), such as, ‘No glimpse of daylight was to be seen in it’, this suggests how no light has entered Miss Havesham’s dressing-room since whatever happened when time effectively ‘stood still’. ‘She had not quite finished dressing’, as if she had started but then suddenly frozen half way through, forgetting about it and everything else in her world. ‘Half packed trunks, were scattered’, this also suggests the ‘stopping of time’. It says in the passage about how everything used to white, but had no faded and was a pale yellow colour, ‘had been white long ago’, ‘was faded and yellow’. ‘No brightness left’, this also suggests that time has stopped. In ‘Jayne Eyre’, ‘Very seldom slept in’, this suggests loneliness to the room, where nothing breathes in it, like it’s also been frozen in time. ‘Blinds always drawn down’, this suggests that no light is allowed into the room, therefore leaving it in darkness, like Miss Havesham’s dressing room. ‘This room was chill’, this suggests loneliness in the room, expressing lack of happenings in the chamber. Words used to describe the room such as, ‘silent’, and ‘solemn’, also show that the room has effectively been frozen in time. These words are also reflected in ‘Great Expectations’, as the boy enters the room, he is greeted with utter silence and a solemn atmosphere. The sense of a ‘chill’ is also reflected in a way in Miss Havesham’s dressing-room, with all the bland, cold, faded, white colours, you also interpret a cold atmosphere. The use of colour and light in the two passages are also very effective on the affect it’s having on the reader. In the red room, it is filled with deep reds and whites (hence ‘the red room’). These colours offer warmth and maybe innocence. In Miss Havesham’s dressing-room, the whole room is that of a faded white colour, showing maybe faded innocence, or purity which has lost it’s initial form. The mentioning of people in the paragraphs helps to create certain atmospheres within the rooms. In ‘Great Expectations’, Miss Havesham, makes a strong impression on the room. She is wearing all white, (suggesting that she was a bride-to-be when ‘time froze’) although the white is faded, turning to a pale yellowy colour. Expressing the room’s coldness and staleness. When the boy describes her as a ‘waxwork and skeleton’ that had eyes that moved and looked at him’, this is also expressing the feelings of Miss Havesham reflecting on the room’s atmosphere aswell. In the red-room, there isn’t actually a person physically present in the room as such as Jayne is describing it to you (the reader), although it does mention certain people. Mr. Reed is a man that had ‘breathed his last’ in this room. This sends an eerie feeling into the room, a very uncomfortable feeling wraps itself around the room. The fact that nobody actually enters the room often at all gives you an idea of the room’s loneliness aswell. ‘A sense of dreary consecration had guarded it from frequent intrusion’, this also supports my statement of the room’s lack of feeling or love. A very lonely room is felt by the fact that nobody wants to enter the room. This is obviously given through the fact of Mr. Reed’s death. I think my response was stronger to ‘Great Expectations’, as I found it more intriguing. One of the main causes of this would be that there was actually a person present in the room as it was being narrated. A very interesting person aswell, somebody that can capture your attention. I would imagine so because I simple don’t hear of people who lock themselves up like that, although it is a fictitious character. I didn’t get into ‘Jayne Eyre’ as much, it seemed to float past me as I went through it without making much of an impact. As I said a few moments ago, it is probably as there isn’t a person in the room as I’m reading the story to interest me as such. I felt that the writing in both stories conjured up a respectful amount of imagery in my mind, but in all I think my preference has swayed towards ‘Great Expectations’.

Reflective Learning Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reflective Learning - Term Paper Example They represent a learning cycle, repeated innumerable times in an individual’s life. According to Kolb, the learning can start anywhere in the cycle but is most efficient if the full circle is completed. Here is an example of the learning cycle: someone has a negotiation about his salary with his superior. His idea of negotiation is that you have to be firm, show confidence and no weakness to your negotiation partner. So he slams down an offer, but it ends badly. His superior rejects. After this experience, he observes others to see if other strategies can work better. It can be direct observations, but also movies, or memories that he hasn’t reflected over before. In the step of abstract conceptualization, he discusses with others and maybe read something on the subject. He tries new strategies in everyday situations, and evaluates them in new reflective observation. When it’s time for a new discussion about the salary, he has a lot better understanding and new methods to reach the result he wants. It is off course also possible that this person goes through a learning cycle with only three of the steps: he acts, observes, and tries a new action. Another possibility is that he never realizes the opportunity for learning, and just leaves the first experience cursing his boss. Another central concept from Kolb is that of learning styles. The theory is that every person has two dominant of the four concepts above, that make up their learning style. Since four combinations are possible, there are four major learning styles. They are accommodating, diverging, converging and assimilation. Accommodating learners are intuitive, practical and experimental. Diverging learners gather information, use various viewpoints and are imaginative and artistic. Converging learners are problem-solvers and use a technical and practical approach. Assimilation learners are analytical and use reason and logic in their approach. There are also other ways to express

International competitiveness and competitive advantage Essay

International competitiveness and competitive advantage - Essay Example The current state of the global economy development and evolution along with the increasing tendency of its competitiveness is known to be related, primarily, with increasing of the competitiveness of its businesses, the loss of which in the course of economic reforms proved the most significant shortcomings. The success of the identifying and forming objectives the competitive advantage are called to improve the industrial competitiveness companies. This fact, however, makes them more dependent on the level of development of methodological approaches to the establishment and effective functioning of the competitive advantage in general.In accordance with the world practice, the market relations represent the interconnected solution to these problems. The use of these principles guarantees the increase of the competitiveness of the enterprises. The main areas of competitive advantage of the organization's security are concentration of resources for the company to predict the actions of competitors, holding the initiative in the competition, software resource potential to achieve the goals, development flexible planning firms in the market. The competitive advantage that in specific markets determines various competitors is a significant factor in climate, or the competitive situation on the commodity market. Competitive advantage is defined a set of characteristics, properties of the product or brand that creates for the company definite advantage over its direct competitors.

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Automated Process of Accounting Information Systems - Essay Example The parts of development for payroll are with the time clocks and reporting of the statements to accounting and human resources. A worker must clock in to an electric time clock that will send the information to server that creates a time card report on every worker. Finally of the pay time, management signs off on every workers time and prints statements into pay checks signed by the treasurer. The accounts payable method runs quite easily with the exemption of cash on delivery dealings. Like accounts payable, accounts receivable is uncomplicated. Most dealings happen by point of sale, meaning when a consumer takes goods from the store, it is paid for by credit card or cash straight away. Occasionally, with approval from management, a consumer can charge the goods to an in store account. When this occurs, the industry sends invoice to the client. Later, the industry deposits the cash in the bank. The inventory method poses the largest cost to the industry. Additionally, when inventory is too small and unavailable, it reasons the industry sales. To combat this difficulty, the industry should execute a small and too high stock alert method. This will assist the industry to meet successor 95% stock level goal. The recommended changes, for instance using electronic system that tracks inventory and implementing industry specific software, account receivables and payables would give a reliable, secure and useful way to track natural resources from the point of replenishment, to the post of the finished goods, and at last through invoicing management. The alteration would put the industry incomes, expenses, and returns in one electronic platform accessed by the administration of Kudler industry. â€Å"Kudler needs to define the marketing problem and the opportunity for increased customer satisfaction. At this time the problem seems to be related to gathering research and information to expand their current service offerings into areas such

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International intervention and Pathways to Peace in Kashmir - Essay Example In 1947, the British dominion of India came to an end with the creation of two new nations. Each of the 565 Indian princely states had to decide which of the two new nations to join, India or Pakistan. Jammu and Kashmir, which had a predominantly Muslim population and a Hindu ruler, was the largest of these autonomous states and bordered both modern countries. Its ruler was the Hari Singh. Hari Singh preferred to remain independent and sought to avoid the stress placed on him by either India and Pakistan by playing each against the other. But under pressure he decided to accede to India which created this dispute. The Indian claim centers on the agreement between the Maharaja Hari Singh, Jawahar Lal Nehru and Lord Mountbatten according to which the erstwhile Kingdom of Jammu and Kashmir became an integral part of India through the instrument of accession. Even though more than 80% of India's population practices Hinduism, the President of India, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, is a Muslim while the leader of the ruling Congress Party is a Catholic. Indians also maintain that Kashmiris would be better off in India because they claim that Muslims are better off in India than in any other non-Muslim nation. India says Kashmir its integral part on the basis of following reasons: 2. 1. For a UN Resolution subscribing Plebiscite monitored by any third neutral party, Pakistan should first vacate its part of Kashmir. 2. India does not accept the Two Nation Theory that forms the basis of Pakistan, rather India says that majority is authority and any nation in India can get power through democratic institutions, hence there is no need of plebscite. 3. The state of Jammu and Kashmir is made autonomous by the article 370 of the Constitution of India. 4. India alleges that most of the terrorists operating in Kashmir are themselves Pakistanis from Pakistan administered Kashmir and that Pakistan has been involved in State sponsored terrorism. First Pakistan should control that cross border terrorism then India would go towards any acceptable solution of the dispute. 5. India regard Pakistan's claim to Kashmir based largely on religion alone to be no longer correct because now India has more muslims than Pakistan. Pakistani view Historically, the Pakistani claim on Kashmir has been based on the fact that the majority of Kashmir population is Muslim and, if given the option, most Kashmiris would vote to join Pakistan or seek independence. Since 1951, Pakistan has been demanding India to hold a plebiscite in Kashmir as agreed by both nations in 1951 at UNO forum. Pakistan claims that Kashmiris took a violent path to independence only when they became hopeless and disillusioned about their future in the late 1980s. Pakistan claims that India is now using excessive state forces to suppress the freedom struggle of Kashmiris and in doing so, is causing severe human rights violations in the disputed territory of Indian occupied Kashmir (Peter 2006). This is also documented by several human rights groups. Pakistan further claims that: 1. According to the two-nation theory by which Pakistan was formed, originally Kashmir should have been with Pakistan, because it has a absolute Muslim majority. Pakistan believes that given a choice, almost all Kashmiris will vote. 2. India has shown disregard to the resolutions of the UN, by not holding a

Human rights essay. none should be subjected to torture or to cruel, Essay

Human rights . none should be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment - Essay Example The introduction contains an illustration of the history and evolution of torture in society and its contribution to the modelling of modern laws and possible future legislations. It also offers a brief look into the various forms of torture and the rationale and justification according to the times during which they happened and a convincing argument of their illogic and unjustly nature despite the immaturity of human laws at those times. The Introduction will also contain modern laws that are akin to torture and reasons why such laws should be reviewed. A brief summary of case scenarios in history of human punishment and the violation of human dignity through degradation, by action, writing or word of mouth will be highlighted. The conclusion will be a summation of the relevance and justification of the rights of all citizens against torture , inhumane ,derogatory treatment and punishment .It espouses a final view of the paper and its end remark as pertains to the essay`s ethical ,social and political spheres. Human torture is defined as the intentional cause of pain either physically, mentally or psychologically, causing injury to an individual who is in most circumstances under the control of the person causing the damage against his or her will (Donnelly 2008, p. 4). The act is aimed at obtaining certain information concerning another person or about the individual being tortured, as a form of repayment for either a past deed or for an action not done, as a form of threat or fright to force an individual to either do or not to do something. An act is usually considered torturous if such when done with the knowledge of or simple consent of an official in a state or non-state organized movement. Torture occurs in various forms .The length of time over which the torture lasts depends on a varied number of factors such as the type, the ability of the individual being tortured to resist the process, the frequent

An aspect of small business management and development through case PowerPoint Presentation

An aspect of small business management and development through case study based on a . Entrepreneurship and small firms - PowerPoint Presentation Example common that a business creation model will be made up of the planning phase, implementation phase, the completion phase and closure phases (Tourish, 2010). In line of the current presentation, the planning phase is going to be given a lot of emphasis. Part of the planning or pre-implementation phase is the allocation of decisions to start up the business as well as the different ways in which different people go about the starting of their businesses. It has been said that depending on the decision that surrounds an entrepreneur’s quest to start a business, different rates of successes are going to be experienced at the implementation because the decisions influenced motivation to drive along with the business a great deal (Bovee, Thill & Chaturvedi, 2008). Business creation process may be defined or explained as the specific tasks that entrepreneurs undertake in their bid to start up businesses in an identified locality (Canary, 2011). For Alternative Publishing Ltd, the business creation process was different from Lawton Dancewear in the way in which research and development were fused into the business creation process. Partly attributable to the background of the two groups of entrepreneurs involved, they were different approaches towards the business creation process as Majid an Suhail with their educational backgrounds and appreciation of the fact that they did not have much knowledge in the area they were venturing into undertook a lot of research as part of the business creation process. Though Mrs. Holland did some research, it was not detailed and was not about business creation. The former also worked extensively on marketing since they had the realisation that they did not have a ready market and needed to do marketing all by themselves. Mrs Holland seemed to have ready market from the demand from friends and so did not do much marketing at the business creation phase. Between the two case studies, there are key similarities and differences that

Urban Education Movie Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Urban Education Movie Analysis - Essay Example As the report stresses the film shows discrimination of the Hispanic learners in a number of ways. The schools in Los Angeles degraded and portrayed inhuman treatment Hispanic learners by not allowing them to use bathroom facilities at lunch time, deprivation of standard academic services for non-white learners, lack of quality academic learning material absence of a bilingual program and a ban on speaking Spanish in school. The education systems treat the white students as they are from a superior race compared to the Hispanics. This kind of unequal treatment, when compared to white learners, made it unfair for the Hispanics to compete on level terms with their fellow students. From the essay it is clear that the students’ initiative to walk out is a brave and necessary move despite the risks involved. The social movement was inevitable as it raised the issue and triggered others to come out and express their dissatisfaction with â€Å"the system†. The students exhibit heroic traits by rising against the injustices. Failure to do so would have led to continuous non-recognition of their skills, ideas and talents. An ideal education system serves to promote academic excellence as well as contribute towards the realization of their talents. It also inspires students to express their ideas in a platform where there is equality. From the film, it is evident that the oppressed have the obligation to cause alarm so that their plight can be addressed.

The influence of identity and values Essay Example for Free

The influence of identity and values Essay An individual’s sense of belonging is determined by their relationships with others and their ability to maintain their own strong values and morals whilst conforming to the requirements of the group. Those who refuse to compromise their values for the broader community may find themselves isolated, which in turn may affect their identity. In Shakespeares tragi-comic play As You Like It, the characters form unusual relationships in an alternative environment enabling their true values and morals to be revealed and furthering the development of their identity. In David Frankels film The Devil Wears Prada we see the refreshing nature of displacement from one’s natural environment and how following this alternate path exposes the challenges to one’s identity. Ultimately, both texts reflect the powerful impact of context on forming value driven relationships, resulting in changes to one’s identity and values. An individuals relationship with others impacts upon their ability to belong, revealing the powerful role of values when appealing to the requirements of the group. Some people choose to define themselves through individuality, while others require the presence of others in order to belong. Shakespeare cleverly contrasts the familial relationships between Oliver and Orlando in comparison with Rosalind and Celia in his play As You Like It. The strong connection between Rosalind and Celia condemns them into banishment where the allusion to an impregnable bond is formed, Dearer than the natural bonds of sisters. Their predicament is then juxtaposed with the disconnection between the brothers of Oliver and Orlando, which was created by the mistreatment and inequality experienced through primogeniture. Through emotive language Orlando enforces how the horses are better bred than him, alluding to animalistic treatment of him by his brother Oliver. It is Rosalind and Celias choice to depend on each other and therefore follow one another into banishment, when Celia claims through hyperbole she cannot live out of her company. However, in comparison Orlando chooses to be true to his values seeking individuality and independence from his negative relationships with Oliver. His destructive relationship with Oliver is due to a power imbalance and pure greed, driving Olivers actions. Orlando exposes Olivers mistreatment through the bold statement I will no longer injure it, foreshadowing future uprisings and further conflict in the play, before peace can be restored. The play reveals how the relationships between people can shape an individuals idea of themselves, affecting their ability to belong, whether belonging is gained through the positive connections or through the withdrawal from negative experiences. While place can nourish an individuals sense of belonging, it is dependent on ones values and relationships to determine which environment one chooses to connect with. Frankel’s film The devil Wears Prada develops two opposing settings, Andy’s personal life based around family and friends, such as homely Nate, in comparison to the elite fashion magazine Runway, whose editor in chief Miranda lives a more sophisticated life. In the scene following Andy’s arrival, her naivety leads her to question â€Å"who is Miranda?† in an innocent and unknowing tone, highlighting her ignorance of the fashion world. Andy’s personal values of justice continue to question the ethics and morals of the company when she smirks at the superficiality and triviality of Miranda and Nigel’s model preparations for the magazine. The Mid-shot with an eye level camera angle juxtaposed with the immediate full length body image to highlight Andy’s lack of appreciation for physical appearance, suggests Andy seeks importance in her personal values and morals rather than from looks. Similarly to Rosalind, Andy relies on her values and morals in an environment where she is isolated and alienated, in order to seek a sense of belonging. Andy’s initially strong relationship with Nate too determines which environment she chooses to connect with. Andy shows how her priorities change when she forms a flirtatious bond with Christian and misses Nate’s birthday. Nigel foreshadows â€Å"when your life goes up in smoke it’s time for a promotion† supporting the shallow ideas promoted by the fashion industry. The cake’s candles are blown out and the smoke rises exposing Andy’s sacrifice of her relationship in order to belong to her chosen environment. Thus, one’s values and relationships can have both a destructive and enriching effect on an individual’s sense of belonging to place – although Andy loses her connection to home and Nate, she gains one with Miranda and the Runway magazine. A connection to place enriches an individual’s sense of self, which can be altered or affected by the harsh realities of their current environment. As You Like It creates two alternative settings with the play, the envious court with the personification of the court to convey its hostility and the Forest of Arden, as a romantic idealized setting. When Rosalind is living in the court, she is deprived of her knowledge and perceived with lesser importance through the alliteration of bountiful blind woman, confirming that the world is unfair. juxtaposed when she is banished to the Forest of Arden, where she has to sacrifice her identity as a woman and disguise herself as Ganymede, she is able to expose her true morals and values. Similarly, the court conveys its hostility when the alliteration and plosive p in painted Pomp emphasizes the harshness of the court, is contrasted with Duke Seniors rhetorical question are not these woods more free from peril than the envious court? Illustrated as a place of nurturing, healing and change, the forest is shown through the courteous tone Oliver uses when he says Good morrow fair ones. Thus, it was truly the forest that encouraged this sense of renewal and enlightened him upon his developed identity. With the accumulation and onomatopoeia cleverly showcases that Duke Senior feels secure in himself and his environment when he states tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones and good in everything. Ultimately, an environment can both enrich and challenge ones sense of belonging, yet overall it will formulate an individuals identity through the changing of morals and values. An act of displacement from the individuals homely environment can expose ones dynamic identity and varied sense of belonging. When protagonist Andy is displaced from her natural, everyday life and directed to work as Miranda Priestley’s assistant, her changing identity greatly impacts on her sense of belonging within the environment. Andy tolerates Miranda’s humiliating treatment in the hope of receiving a job as a reporter or writer somewhere more prestigious. The photo montage of Andy’s new and fashionable clothing suggests she compromises her integrity and values in order to gain experience and a reputation at Runway, evident when Andy forgoes her former values for shallower, superficial ones, related to fashion and sex appeal. Antagonist Miranda represents values of superficiality and ruthlessness when she exclaims â€Å"you have no style or sense of fashion† preclude love and happiness as the key values of human existence. However, Miranda’s influence on Andy can encourage her to choose to align herself with values that do not represent her true identity, such as love, family and personal life. When Andy’s true values are juxtaposed with what Miranda has to offer, which means being lonely and isolated, Andy is forced to re-engage with her original values and rekindle her relationship with Nate, re-establish her familial and personal connections, which ultimately convey her real identity. Ultimately, the film reveals how the consequences of displacement can affect an individual’s connection to their environment, forcing the realisation of an unrealistic identity, encouraged by negative experiences.

The Rise Of China In Governance

The Rise Of China In Governance The topic about the rise of China has been heated up recently after China overtakes Japan as the worlds second largest economy in this year. China has opened its market to embrace the era of globalization after Deng Xiaopings economics reform in 1978. China has attended multiple important international organizations such as joining the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1995 and becoming a core member in the Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (G20) in 2008. China also has established many organizations and forums such as inviting Russia to establish Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in 2001 which can be considered as the Chinese version of NATO to promote closer cooperation between China, Russia and many former Soviet Union members in Central Asia. In order to maintain the stability of North-East Asia, China also invited North Korea in the Six-Party talks to build a bridge between Pyongyang and Washington to talk about the North Korean nuclear weapons p rogram. It seems that China is becoming more and more influential in the contemporary international politics. I believe that the Economics development of China should be an important topic in the study of international relations. It is because China is unlike other East Asian countries such as South Korea and Japan. They have transformed form very poor countries to advance economies because they follow the western experience to improve their economies. However, China ignores the western model of development, and China tries to find its own way of development which is also called as Socialism with Chinese Characteristics. I believe that the most important accomplishment of this system is that China has lifted more than 500 million people out of poverty line. From the past thirty years, the success of Chinas Economic reform provides an alternative path for many developing countries in Africa, Latin American and former Soviet Union countries. It is because these countries could not reform their economies as successful as China under the regime of Washington Censuses. I am going to examine theor y of neo-realism, neo-liberalism, and constructivism regarding the rise of China. From neo-realism perspectives, they are pessimistic about the rise of China, and China cannot rise peacefully. Neo-realists also called as structural realists. They believe that there is not overarching authority above the states in the international system. In the meantime, they dont agree with classical realists idea of human nature to describe the international system. Due to anarchy and lack of the relative distribution of power in the international system, other states must balance the rise of China because all states are power-seeking and they have to maximize their relative power in order to expand their militaries so that they will not be defeated after all. They believe that the rise of China can be described as the zero-sum game. It means that most states will become weaker when China becomes stronger. Security dilemma always maintains effective in this system. If China expand its military, other states will be worried their survival so that they have to increase their mili tary strength or make alliances with the US. Then, China will do the same to these states to maintain its status. Neo-realists also believe that most states are sensitive to the military capacity of other states, and they will do something to ensure their survival in this system. According to John Mearsheimer, If China continues its impressive economic growth over the next few decades, the US and China are likely to engage in an intense security competition with considerable potential for war. Most of Chinas neighbors, to include India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Russia and Vietnam, will join with the US to contain Chinas power. China whether it remains authoritarian or becomes democratic is likely to try to dominate Asia the way the US dominates the Western hemisphere. Specifically, China will seek to maximize the power gap between itself and its neighbors, especially Japan and Russia. An increasingly powerful China is also likely to try to push the US out of Asia, much the way the US pushed the European great powers out of the Western hemisphere.(1) It shows that small states near China have started to feel worried about the rise of China, and they will join together with the US to make a coalition to contain China. It is similar to most states in Western Europe which made an alliance with the US to contain Soviet Union during the Cold War. From neo-liberalism perspectives, they are optimistic about the rise of China, and China is able to rise peacefully. Neo-liberalist also called as neo-liberal intuitionalists because they focus on building institutions such as IMF and WTO to expand trade and to have closer cooperation. When China became a member of the WTO, China officially turned into a capitalist country. A high population can provide cheap labors for American companies, and there is a huge undiscovered domestic market. It can promote trade and cooperation so that most countries can benefit from the rise of China. They believe that the rise of China can be described as the positive-sum game. It means that trading with China will have a win-win scenario. Neo-liberalist also believes in democratic peace theory. It means that two democratic states are very unlikely to fight each other because media freedom and transparencies are very high between two democratic states so that they can know others behavior and intention thoroughly. From The end of history and the last man, Francis Fukuyama argues that liberalism will prevail over all other ideologies, and democratic states will remain the most stable and peaceful in the system. (80, Lamy) After the Cold War, China is not longer a communist state so that there is possibility that capitalism can bring democracy to China if the Chinese societies become mature enough to have a national election in the future. Due to Economic interdependence, neo-liberalists believe that China is very unlikely to have a war with the United States. The relationship between China and the United States are intertwined in the era of globalization. Many American entrepreneurs employ many Chinese labors making all kinds of products. In the meantime, many Chinese people invest in the United States. There is a high cost to start a war, and both states will suffer during the war. Collective security is the second reason that China will not start a war with the United States. According to Robert and Kingsbury, Collective Security refers to an arrangement where each state in the system accepts that the security of one is the concern of all, and agrees to join in a collective response to aggression.(82, Lamy) China is one of five permanent members of the Security Council in UN so that China understands the rules and norms inside the system. Other states will support the United States if China decided to start a war with the US. Constructivists are neither positive nor negative about the rise of China. They are interested in why rise of China could be a threat to the United States. Also, they are interest in how interaction between China and the United States can change or transform the structure inside the system. Constructivists believe that the idea of rising China is socially constructed by people. In order to understand this idea, we must concentrate on the meanings and the identities of rising China, and the Chinese history. The idea of sovereignty was constructed by the treaty of Westphalia in 1648 after the Thirty Years War. China and most East Asia states were forced to accept and practice this idea because China was weak, and China failed to protect its Chinese tribute system at that time. The Chinese tribute system is that most East Asian countries would pay the tribute prize to China so that China would not attack them and accept them as subject countries under the heavenly King. Most East Asia states did not want to be colonized by those European states so that they had to give up the Chinese tribute system and to accept the western model of sovereignty. From a social constructivist perspective, the rising China may not be a destabilizing force in East Asia. It is because constructivists believe that this argument is based on the Western experience, and the history of East Asia is totally different form the Western experience so that it may not be suitable to describe the politics of East Asia. Constructivists would like to review the East Asian history before 1642 and they will not apply the western experience directly into Asia-Pacific. According to David Kang, a strong China had historically been a driving force for stability in East Asia. (15, Kang) It shows that the East Asian countries generally are not worried about the rise of China and thus choose to accommodate rather than balance a rising China. It is because China, unlike Japan, has never sought to utilize its dominant position to colonize its neighbors. I believe that constructivism or neo-liberalism seems a better paradigm to describe the rise of China. Because the neo-realists Euro-centrism and the balance-of-power model cannot describe Chinas foreign policy toward its neighbors. Most East Asia states see China as an opportunity than a threat, and they are rapidly strengthening economic tie with China to take full advantage of trading with China. Most Asian states believe that their economic inter-dependence with China will ensure that they can be mutually beneficial. I also believe the high population of China has created a new market for those states, simulating their economic growth. In response to this growth, their foreign policies are more aligned with China than the United States. The U.S. economic influence in East Asia has significantly diminished with the regional rise of China. Therefore, those states believe that a strong China tends to stabilize East Asia, and the situation of East Asia tends to be chaotic with a weak China. Some people argue that the rise of China will make international system return to bipolar system like the United States and the Soviet Union during Cold war from 1945 to 1989. However, I dont believe that China is able to challenge the USA because there are many domestic problems inside China. Firstly, one third of the population in China will be over 65 years old ten years later. It means that Chinese population will not be so productive. Chinese growth begins to slow after 2020 because of its aging population and one-child policy. In the meantime, the United States can take immigrants to solve the problems of the aging population but China is not able to do so. Secondly, the American government could be the nations largest long-term advantage over China. The United States still has a fundamentally democratic and pluralistic government. On the other hand, Chinas authoritarian government may ultimately make it less stable and prosperous than the American government. Frequent violatio ns of civil liberties such as a Tiananmen-like event could slow down Chinas economic growth rate. If the Chinese government still ignores intellectual property rights, it also threatens long-term investments from foreign investors. In China, information is restricted, and environmental and political problems largely hidden from foreign media. On the other hand, American problems are openly displayed to forging media. The American government cannot easily control the media to devise or fabricate a consistent message about American success to foreign audiences. Therefore, these internal advantages of the United Sates will let the US continue to be the leader of the world.

Exploring Race and Challenging Privilege Essay -- Personal Narrative R

Exploring Race and Challenging Privilege I thought I understood racism well enough. Since early childhood I’ve learned from parents and teachers that racism is a sense of racial superiority, a way of making judgments about people based on their skin color before you get to know them, and a cause of hate crimes and foul language. I think I’m not racist, and as a white woman I’m not likely to be the victim of racism, so I usually think racism has nothing to do with my life. But I’m uncomfortable with the idea of race because what I’ve learned about race is contradictory. I’m taught that people of different races are equal, but I see that they live separately. I’m told that they should get along, but the past and the present reveal that they don’t. I’m a product of political correctness that at best gives me a list of things not to say, and at worst makes me want to pretend that race doesn’t exist, but that does not give me a thorough understanding of how to think about race or how to see my role in a society in which race matters. Kozol, Tatum, and Delpit made me confront my discomfort and guided me through the thorny terrain of thinking about race. They’ve made me think more about my own identity as part of racial and socio-economic groups. They’ve given me some tools that seem more effective than rhetoric about equality to help me to recognize and overcome prejudices that I’ve always pretended I didn’t have. They’ve taught me that racism and classism are not evident only in isolated discriminatory acts, but that they pervade American institutions, including the one upon which our hopes of creating a truly equal society most firmly rests, public education. They’ve made me aware of the effects of white privilege and e... ...a firm understanding of racial dynamics in my classroom and know what I want to teach my students about race and how to go about that so that I don’t accidentally teach them the wrong things. As an active tax-paying citizen, I want to support tax reform that will equalize the disparities in public education and other public institutions that should serve all Americans. As an individual, I search myself for biases, try to be aware of the way others perceive me, and make it a goal to take risks to breach gaps between racial and class groups. This commitment to open learning should help me through the many processes that remain – as I try to develop my stance on other thorny issues like affirmative action, as I form new relationships with people, and as I acknowledge my starting place as a white woman in racist America when I make choices about how to lead my life.

Casablanca and Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) :: Nineteen Eighty-Four 1984 Essays

Casablanca and Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984)      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   How can a hero survive in a world gone mad?   Both Casablanca, the classic 1940s film, and 1984, a piece of classic literature by George Orwell, revolve around a world in chaos, where it is impossible to trust anyone, and a war wages on within and without.   In 1984, the protagonist, Winston, hides from a totalitarian, thought controlling government, that is out to stomp out all aggression against the Party.   In Casablanca, the lead character, Rick, dealt with a world rocked by the impacts of World War II, where everyone was a spy, and even the spies were spied on.   Both wish for hope and courage in their mutually exclusive worlds, yet only Rick finds hope in his.   Winston dies with utter hopelessness, where no one will ever know of his life or deeds, yet he dies a hero.   Rick is a cynic, tossed into a chaotic yet romantic world, and comes forth victorious.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Casablanca, we emerge with a feeling of hope, and joy, that the forces of good can win, and that eventually we will triumph over our enemies, wherever or whatever they may be.   While slochky and romantic, Casablanca is a touching movie, and probably one of the best ever made.   1984 on the other hand, is a deep psychological thriller.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     In the world of utter thought-control, we find that even a strong hero such as Winston, is struck down by the party, for simply being alive, and that the virtuosity within humanity will eventually be overcome by our greed and lust.   Their struggles are that of man against the oppressor.   Both 1984 and Casablanca deal with a world gone mad, and the struggles of not-so-ordinary people.   Oftentimes, parallels can be made between characters in the two.   Renault can be compared with O'Brien, because both are 'double agents' in their own ways, and one never knows for which side they work for.   Of course, in the end O'Brien is an agent of the Party, and Renault is a sympathetic Frenchman, who befriends Rick - Louis, this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sam of course, is stability.   He can't be bought or sold, and is seemingly a constant, always there and never too deep into the problems of the world.   Sam represents the carefree aspect in all of us, the feeling that we'd just as soon turn our attention away from the war and hum a tune.

Radio Television Malaysia

The history of radio in Malaysia started in the year 1921. A. L. Birch, an electrical engineer from the Johor Government brought the original radio set into the country. (Radio Television Malaysia, 2010) Johor Wireless Association was set up and broadcasting through 300 meter waves began. (Radio Television Malaysia, 2010) This was then followed by the establishment of the same association in Penang and the Malayan Wireless Association in Kuala Lumpur. Studio of Broadcasting Corporation of Malaya was opened on 11th March 1937 by Sir Shenton Thomas. Radio Television Malaysia, 2010) In the year 1930, Sir Earl from the Singapore Port Authority commenced its short wave broadcast every fortnight either on Sundays or Wednesdays. (Radio Television Malaysia, 2010) Straits Settlement took over The British Broadcasting Corporation of Malaysia. Radio channels in Malacca, Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Seremban and Singapore was taken over by the Japanese to broadcast misinformation. (Radio Television Malaysia, 2010) Department of Broadcasting was set up in Singapore on the 1st of April year 1946. In the early 50's, broadcasting activities in Malaya were operated from its temporary studio in Jalan Young in Kuala Lumpur and later in 1956, were moved to the Federal House, Kuala Lumpur. (Radio Television Malaysia, 2010) Broadcasting in Malaysia started to grow throughout the country, including Sabah and Sarawak. On 28th December 1963, Television services were brought into the business. (Radio Television Malaysia, 2010) The growth of the first channel, Rangkaian Satu encouraged the second channel to be recognized on 17th November 1969. Followed by the incident where Radio and Television were combined under the Ministry of Information. Quick development was seen in broadcasting for both television and radio. Broadcast time was extended so that everyone can have the luxury of listening to it, even for the night shift workers. (Radio Television Malaysia, 2010) Different languages were broadcasted as well. Growth of television became very rapid. On 1st March 1994, TV Malaysia started its early telecast as early as 6 in the morning. TV1, the Prime Channel brought in â€Å"Selamat Pagi Malaysia† (Good Morning Malaysia). TV2, The Golden Channel, later trailed by launching â€Å"Moving On Two† in December 1996. Radio Television Malaysia, 2010) Viewers started increasing year by year by then. RTM has existing telecommunication via TV1, TV2, and the 34 radio channels of various languages at the National, state, local and international level. (Radio Television Malaysia, 2010)The audience share for TV1 is 15. 9%. Whereas audience share for TV2 is 19. 2%. TV2 has more audience share. RTM1 broadcasts its news at 8 pm. News style is very localized and limited with just a few international news only. All news presented was current news. No old news was reported unless it is following up news. Example of current and local news reported is local news on fake eggs and fake medicine. Other than that, missing girl case in Kelantan was also one of the current news reported. Nevertheless, the example of international news reported was news on Japan after the Tsunami and news on recent floods that hit Australia. There was no sense of entertainment in RTM1 news. However for TV2 news which is broadcast at 8. 30pm, news reported is less localized. News reported are less localized with the balance of both local and international news making it more interesting for viewers and audience to know what is happening around the world. All news presented was current and similar to RTM1. Example of local news presented by TV2 is recent BAKTI news and baby dumping cases. Example of International news reported by TV2 is China’s agriculture state and about Tsunami victims in Japan. For entertainment base however, there was no actual entertainment sector in both RTM1 and TV2. Nevertheless, RTM1 did have a small sector on promoting Sarawak’s tourism and the beauty of the country. Included its history, background of Sarawak, wayang kulit and popular buildings. Basically, just promoting the country and encourage us to travel locally. Other than that, TV2 have a small segment called â€Å"Today in History† talking about history of our country hoping to educate us and remind us not to repeat history. RTM 1 had sign language translator which showed the channel’s concern to be able to cater all types of viewers. Other than that, RTM1 had relevant notes at the bottom of the screen for additional information as well. Audience can catch up on the notes if they happen to miss the reporters reporting on the news. Brief information and part on Malaysian stock markets was showed as well. TV2 news had clear and relevant points that simplified viewers understanding of the news shown. TV2 too had notes at the bottom of the screen as well making it audience friendly. News anchor looked more relaxed when presenting the news compared to news anchor in RTM1. Unfortunately, TV2 does not have sign language translator. In a nutshell, both channels had clear and relevant videos to give a mental picture to viewers, clear introduction in presenting news, and lastly, relevant interviews and quotes to strengthen the points made with the news presented. For style of writing, RTM1 used familiar words in reporting. Unfortunately, the â€Å"how† element was not described thoroughly in the news reporting of RTM1. The â€Å"how† element was missing. TV2 news uses formal English to present news in formal way. Nevertheless, the who, what, why, why, how element was all clearly mentioned in the broadcast piece which can definitely deliver the message to the news viewers. News in RTM1 is not as concrete as only brief information, a â€Å"run through† was given to the audience about the news. For example, only brief information was given about the announcement of the 1Malaysia email project. TV2 broadcast news is more concise and factual. The flow of broadcast news piece came out as more effective in TV2 news compared to RTM1 as the news in TV2 goes in order. News in RTM1 was formal and straight to the point. Some news presented was less important and they had videos shown with the news to create a scene. For TV2, was formal but less tense environment. Fortunately, more selection of news for viewers as it had a balance of both international and local news. Both channels had certain trades, time of news showed competitiveness as RTM1 news is at 8pm whereas RTM2 news broadcast at 8. 30pm. Audience would have to make a choice in choosing which news to watch.

International Diversification

Introduction Diversification is a method of investing that been shown to increase portfolio return while reducing portfolio risk as measured by standard deviation. This method specifically increases the efficient frontier for investors. The challenge to an investing firm is an appetite by its customers for an ever increasing efficient frontier. One area to explore to obtain this increase is through further diversifying through international diversification. International portfolio diversification gives your investments a passport to added diversification benefits. The international boundaries to investing have collapsed. Fairly recently, foreign securities have become easier to trade due to improved communications and data technology. Worldwide investors have been realizing that there are substantial gains to be made by investing internationally. International portfolio diversification is portfolio investing in other nations whose economic cycles are not perfectly in phase, in an attempt to reduce risk, measured by portfolio standard deviation. The success of international portfolio diversification depends on low correlations of returns between countries. Investing in a country with an economic cycle that closely matches or exactly matches the economic cycle in the investor’s home country will offer little or no diversification benefits. What is meant by a diversification benefit is a reduction of portfolio risk when an asset is added to a portfolio. The same principles that go along with domestic portfolio diversification can be applied worldwide. Opening the gates of an investor’s portfolio to the world offers the investor several advantages. The benefits include: a world focus; broad diversification; and low correlations. These advantages will lead the investor to have greater success in achieving his financial goals. By investing internationally, an investor will realize that he now has a world focus. More than half of the world’s stock market capitalization is in non-US companies. By only having a domestic focus, an investor loses sight of the investment opportunities that can be realized overseas. International investment also brings a broader range of investments for diversification. By increasing the number of assets available to invest in, international diversification can lessen risks and produce more stable returns. New assets available to invest in could range from a foreign company’s stock to a foreign country’s currency. The potential for a diversification benefit exists in all foreign investments. This potential should not be ignored. {draw:frame} The potential is even greater due to the low correlations that can be found internationally. Returns from different national markets have relatively lower correlation than the domestic market. The lower these correlations are, the greater the diversification benefit will be. The reason that international diversification is beneficial is that individual markets have unsystematic risk. This unsystematic risk can be diversified away by adding international assets. This risk is due to risk that results from uncontrollable or random events that are country specific. According to Solnik, 1974, internationally diversified portfolios can have as little as 11. 7% of the risk of individual securities. The underlying reason for added risk reduction from international diversification is that world markets fluctuate differently than our own. Other nations’ economic cycles are not always in phase. This translates to low correlations which can reduce variability in portfolio returns. The different fluctuations can be caused by various factors. These factors include differences in: monetary policies; fiscal policies; industrialization; technology; laws; economic shocks; and other factors. {draw:frame} International diversification pushes out the efficient frontier. Risk is reduced for any given level of return, and return is enhanced for any given level of risk. An internationally diversified portfolio (represented by line 1,) has clear advantages compared to a domestically diversified portfolio (represented by line 2. ) Point B has the same return as Point A but has less risk. Point C has the same risk as Point A but more return. Also, a point between B and C would have less risk and more return than Point A. Investing in emerging markets offer tempting advantages to investors. The volatile economies of countries considered to be in this category have a potential for extraordinary returns. A caveat to investors considering opportunities in emerging markets are the presence of unstable governments, the chance of nationalization, poor property rights protection, and large swings in prices. Emerging markets are far from a sure thing. But, despite high individual risk, emerging markets can reduce portfolio risk. The volatile economies of these countries have such low correlations compared to the domestic market that they actually provide the greatest degree of diversification. Despite the strong argument for international diversification, there are some grounds to consider when investing. There are barriers to investing internationally. These include legal difficulties, lack of information, stringent tax regulations, and high transaction costs. These costs can reduce returns and must be considered when figuring returns. As mentioned before, these barriers are diminishing. When investing internationally there are risks beyond the risk of individual securities or portfolios. There is liquidity risk, because it is often not as easy to sell international securities. There is also exchange risk when transferring the funds from international assets back to the home currency. This risk can be hedged through the use of currency futures contracts, but hedging increases transaction costs. Some investors actually prefer exchange risk because of the possibility of increased returns. Some investors simply do not invest internationally because they have a degree of home bias. Investors in this category usually do not invest internationally because they are unfamiliar with international markets. They prefer domestic investing because they are familiar with the domestic market. Some investors in this category simply do not invest internationally because they do not want to support markets outside of the US. Despite the meager reasons for a home bias, there is a strong home bias among US investors. The organization, In the Money Investments (IMI), is a partnership formed by two financial professionals in the state of RI. The company packages financial products together for its clients and charges various fees for the service which includes execution and account maintenance. The company services clients of all ages and incomes but primarily serves clients age 35-65 with greater than $100,000 in annual earnings and $300,000 of net worth who are seeking various investment goals including retirement, college savings, and wealth maximization. The company competes directly with other local investment firms as well as with the national firms such as Fidelity, Charles Schwab and others. The company has offices in both Newport and Providence and employs 46 employees. The company has $500 million under management and annual net income of just over $1 million. The company’s primary strategic advantage is the level of trust that it has with its clients. This trust creates solid referrals, allows for a better working, long-term relationship. Its customers are not the type to â€Å"jump ship† after a single bad year. An increased investment product offering by IMI, specifically through adding internationally diversified investment products, is being investigated to see whether or not its loyal customers will adopt the products. This increased product offering could lead to more satisfied investors which will increase word of mouth and lead to increased new customers. This will also lead to an increased investment level by investors as they see greater return for their levels of risk in their investment. The partners have requested a study to investigate the likelihood of its existing customer base adopting the internationally diversified products. They are worried about the customers adopting something that may be foreign to them as well as an investor home bias. Research Questions The research questions posed for empirical investigation are: Does investor satisfaction affect their willingness to invest internationally? Does investor investment aptitude affect their willingness to invest internationally? Research Problem In the Money Investments needs to know whether or not their existing client base will purchase a new internationally diversified product. Specifically we are looking at investor’s satisfaction with In the Money and the level of the investor’s investment aptitude in determining whether or not the investor would purchase an internationally diversified product. The existing client base needs to be researched to see if they have these attributes that are being investigated and whether or not they will be likely to purchase the internationally diversified product. Hypotheses There are two hypotheses being examined in this study. They are as follows: H1: Advanced investors will be more likely to purchase an internationally diversified product. H2: Investors that have been satisfied in the past will be more likely to purchase an internationally diversified product. Variables Variables examined for this study are as follows: Independent Variable 1: Investor Ability Independent Variable 2: Investor Satisfaction Dependant Variable: Inclination to purchase an internationally diversified investment. Theoretical Framework: {draw:g} {draw:g} Operational Definition {draw:frame} {draw:frame} The likelihood of an investor to purchase a company’s internationally diversified product is important for an investment firm to know before making a product offering. In this case, In the Money Investments has to take some consideration of the dimensions of the investment world that can affect that likelihood. The dimensions of the investment world that very well may be affecting that likelihood are: 1. Investor Satisfaction; 2. Investor Status; 3. Investor Demographics; 4. Current Macroeconomic Factors Investor satisfaction can be determined by the image the investment firm portrays to the investor, the relationship the investor holds with the firm, the previous experiences in levels of returns and volatility the investor has in their portfolio. If an investor is satisfied with each of the listed elements, we can then measure the correlation between satisfied investors and their purchasing decisions for an internationally diversified product. Investor status is a dimension that varies based on experience, education, level of wealth, and risk tolerance. These elements create a background or resume for an investor. Each of these elements can be combined to form a numeric representation of an investor’s investment ability. Using this numeric value, a status of the investor can be measured against their willingness to accept an international investment into their portfolio. Investor demographics is a dimension which can show patterns of acceptance among demographic groups. Investors from certain countries or with certain birthplaces may be more or less likely to purchases internationally diversified products. Also, investors of different sex or age may be more or less likely to purchases Lastly, current macroeconomic factors ia a dimension which may affect an investor’s willingness to purchase an internationally diversified product. A poor market and recent terrorist attacks are example of this. Justification of the Problem In the Money Investments needs to know whether or not their efforts to include an internationally diversified product offering will be beneficial o their business. If the firm offers a product and it does not sell, the firm will lose money involved in presenting the product offering as well as in soft costs from time spent by members of the firm in investigating the offering. The firm is interested in offering the internationally diversified products because their customers desire more returns in their portfolios without incr easing their current levels of portfolio risk. In order to increase market share and retain their current customers, they are looking to this avenue as a way to remain competitive. Significance of the study This study would show the firm whether or not they should provide the product offering. It will allow them to investigate their client base’s determinants of their purchasing decision of internationally diversified investment products. Successful measurement of the client base’s determinants of their purchasing decision will allow In the Money Investments to forecast their sales and then perform profitability analysis on the new product offering Summary In the Money Investments is seeking to maintain market share and satisfy their customers’ increasing appetites for returns without being exposed to any additional risk. Previous research has shown that international diversification is a way that this can be achieved. However, In the Money Investments needs to know whether or not a client would be willing to purchase a new product offering in this area. Internationally diversified investments are not for everybody and it needs to be known whether internationally diversified investment products are right for In the Money Investments client base. This study seeks to investigate that issue. Annotated Reference List Appendices Appendix A: Draft of proposal Appendix B: Empirical journal articles Appendix C: Survey questionnaire

American intervention in and post WWII Essay

Every society, religion and ethnicity always has within it capability for extreme violence. This is often manifested in the culture to consider other fractions of the society as inferior and go ahead with acts to exterminate or kill them.   This scenario is accelerated to greater heights when the faction considered remain silent even when their rights are violated. Benito Mussolini, the II Duce, was an avid writer and later became a journalist with the Milan socialist paper ‘Avanti’ He was famous amongst the supporters of a socialist idea and then began promoting his views on the support of war against Germany in World War I. After joining politics for sometime,  Ã‚   Mussolini went back to journalism as a career on which he spearheaded and promoted his ideas against Germany. This led to the birth of fascist party on March 23rd 1919 immediately after the end of World War I. The destruction and loss of lives led to the popularity of the National Fascist Party since many were disenchanted the leadership following the after effects of the war. Mussolini stood on time and seemed to offer solutions to the Italy’s ailing economy and bring back the lost glory after the World War I. The Roman Salute and the Black Shirt Militia which were later copied by Hitler were his creation. He was elected to the Italian Chamber of Deputies on March 15th, 1921. This provided more confidence and boost to his political ambitions. Several factors worked on Mussolini‘s favor in his rise to power. In August 1922, the ruling Leftist Party called for a nationwide strike. Mussolini saw this as an act that would destabilize the state and ordered the leftists to call off the strike or his Fascist Party would. King Vittorio Emmanuelle III saw the capability of Mussolini in handling the affairs of the nation and invited him to travel to Rome and form the government. Mussolini did not accept the invitation and instead insisted on a telegraph and soon it was wired. The desire by France to take control of mineral rich Ruhr Valley saw it take sides with Italy on the Conference of Ambassadors and this bolstered Italy’s position since most of its endorsements were accepted.   The government of Greek had nothing else to do and sensing defeat gave in to Italy’s demands thereby adding more confidence to Mussolini. The thirst for more power and expansionist ideas led Mussolini to annex the city of Fiume from Yugoslavia, a successful operation that earned him a British Knight of the Bath. He was unsatisfied with the treatment Italy was accorded for giving the necessary assistance in defeating the Germans in the World War I. His thirst for power never ended and he dreamt of the day the Mediterranean Sea would be under his control. Italy then invaded Ethiopia under Mussolini‘s commands as a revenge against their shameful defeat at the battle of Adwa in 1896. Such expansionist ideas led to Italy’s blacklisting by the League of Nations and as such forged a new close relationship with the Nazi Germany that harbored the same ideas. The League of Nations lacked the political mandate to reign on rogue nations such as Italy and Germany and Mussolini realizing this, continued with his expansionist ideas .Mussolini invaded Albania in 1939 and fully strengthened its alliance with Germany by forming the Pact of Steel.   His exploits in war were always unsuccessful and due to lack of organized military techniques, lost many of the regions it had annexed earlier. By 1943 Italy’s role in the war had seriously deteriorated and Mussolini was headed to a big loss in the war. Mussolini developed the culture of dismissing the king commands and made him a ceremonial leader. In July 1943, Mussolini met his end onto the hold on power. He was arrested and deposed by elements within the ranks of his own Fascist National Party and the King appointed Field Marshal Pietro Badoglio as the New Prime Minister. He was arrested but saved by Hitler who still regarded him as strong ally in the war. He made many unsuccessful attempts to return to power by forming the Italian Socialist Republic in regions that were under German control, imposing himself as the leader. Mussolini was finally arrested by on April 28, 1945 with his mistress Clara Petacci, this time by Italian forces near Lake Como. He remained under Italian custody but realizing that he was going to be killed ordered that he be shot immediately. His long time friend, Walter Audisio eventually shot him in his chest on Mussolini’s request.   American Intervention in and Post World War II The overall American intervention in World War II was as a result of the surprise   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  attack of Pearl Harbor the Japanese army and the Franklin D Roosevelt fear of an imminent attack of North America by the Germans. The allied forces continuously bombed the allied strongholds and military bases including the German and Japanese cities of Dresden and Tokyo respectively (Jackson and Gleave, pp 87-103). This was based on the belief that killing and destroying civilian areas would discourage more civilians in supporting the war and also put more pressure on their governments to bring an end to the war. While this idea was geared towards ending the war faster, it in turn brought about the opposite. Civilian support for their leaders and the war increased and the war took longer than was previously thought causing many deaths and further destruction of property. Another intention of America on intervening in World War II was done in the name of freedom and democracy to the oppressed.   It is true that freedom and democracy form fundamentals of human rights but these interventions have left behind more sufferings manifested in the loss of lives and the destruction of property. This is because it is always difficult to make a distinction between rebels or armed groups and civilians. Italy was the first of the axis to experience the nature of America’s military intervention when President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill, and the combined Joint Chiefs of Staff decided to make the first island of Sicily their first target. According to the U.S. Army Center for Military History (para. 2), the allied forces conquered Messina, the capital Sicily on 17 August 1943, a feat that propelled the Allied forces to push forward with their agenda of freeing Europe of Nazi and fascist idea. The support in terms of humanitarian and relief services from the United States did not begin after the war but in fact began long before the war. This demanded full control of organizations and relief services. During the war, relief services to the Axis –countries was not permitted as in the case of world war I. President Franklin D. Roosevelt saw this as providing further support to German and its allies .This condition continued for long even after the entry of the United States into the war in support of the allied forces. 1939 Neutrality Legislation demanded whole openness and full background details regarding relief agencies as some organizations could be sympathetic to the warring factions. In 1941, Joseph E Davis took over as the head of war relief agencies and brought in much needed reforms that included reducing the number of licensed relief organization from 300 to only 67 by the end of the war immediately after the war the relief control board formally known as the war relief agencies took over the advisory role on voluntary foreign aid. The relief services provided by the American government in World War I had many differences with that of world II, these included regulations regarding the provision of relief services to the prisoners of war and the additional statute on the Geneva Convention regarding the role of the Red Cross. All countries that took part in World War II with exception of Japan and the Soviet Union, were signatory to the 1929 Geneva Convention regarding the overall treatment of prisoners of war. Relief suppliers that included clothing toiletries and medicine were taken to prisoners in the prisons. Continuous inspections by the international Red Cross made sure that term of the Geneva Convention were fully complied with and all prisoners of war receive humane and fair treatment. Due to the different standards for treatments of war prisoners, the Geneva Convention strived to achieve an even state of treatment. Prisoners of war from countries that were not signatories to the Geneva Convention were badly treated by the Geneva Authorities. The overall performance of the Italians in World War II has had different opinions on whether it was a success or a failure.   The general idea that the  Ã‚   Italians military gave a poor show of there strength and surrendered early is not very true.   There are standing examples in very successful war exploits that Italian military achieved Italian military poor ratings from the world war11 seemed too have cropped up due to failed annexing of Greek Island and the unsuccessful take over of North Africa. Describing Italian soldiers as numerous were other factors that definitely contributed to such military mistakes.   Lack of modern weapon, poor leadership and division amongst the rank of Mussolini’s senior advisors that led to lack of will in the objective to accomplish his major war exploits. In 1939, Germany invaded Poland and took control of it; Italy at this point was not in a military position to launch and offensive. Hitler and Mussolini both wanted a redrawing of Europe’s map and in harboring this kind of vision; Mussolini ignored the state of Italy’s military strength and the inability of its war industrial complex to produce modern weapons that were capable of  Ã‚   sustaining a full scale war. Other neighboring nation such as Britain, Germany and France had put a lot in the development and   production of military weapons and had supplicated tanks, guns ammunition and trucks at there disposal(Evan, pp 743-756). In fact at the time of joining the Second World War, Italy’s position in terms of equipment was only at the same level with the First World War.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Its war artillery included the remnants from the First World War that were in ineffective and outdated. It lacked industrial capacity to produce new military equipment and those that were made were always out numbered by the demand. Beretta Pistols and automatic rifles were considered very efficient war machines but were always short in supply while the dreaded machine and sub standard qualities. The shipyard at their disposal was properly designed but lacked the strength in armor and lacked radar. This made it difficult for the Italy military to perform effective in comparison to other nations. Mussolini invented the art of propaganda and as such projected an image of effective air power but was in reality non existent. The whole military had only a few thousands of air crafts, most of which were bi-plane. The modern creations were of no match to those in the possession of the Allied forces. The command of Italy at the beginning of World War II was considered the poorest of all the nations that took active military exploits. Mussolini depended on loyalty as the main basis of selecting officers in various military ranks at the expense of experience. In fact Italy had the least number of experienced generals by the time of joining the war. The commanders and generals who had taken part in World War I were considered as sympathetic to the King and as such were taken to Africa and specifically in Somalia to do away with opposition in homeland. Other tactics involved the demotion of officers who were loyal to the King to lower ranks and replacing them with those that were considered loyal to the II duce. Mussolini asserted full control of the media and all organs of the state and those who criticized him were exiled in the wastelands of Italy such as Somalia. The remainder was composed of loyal military commanders and generals who were loyal to Mussolini and acted as his own stooges. This consisted of a class in the military that lacked the experience to handle a full scale war. Italy’s navy had very limited number of ships that were capable of defending its territorial waters (Gregory, pp 86-99). Poor leadership in the military and the lack of will to fully implement Mussolini’s objectives were main contributors to Italy’s unsuccessful conquests. Italy could not come out the war victorious. The Italian command sensing loss after the Axis evacuated their strongholds in Italy such as the Island of Sicily and the loss of Messina (Atkinson, pp 201-220). The high army command then opened secret negotiations with the Allied forces behind Mussolini’s back with the full support of the King who felt betrayed by Mussolini and undermined his position. He in fact blamed Mussolini on political problems that befell Italy. This almost marked the end of Italy’s active military involvement in the war. The unrelenting Germans disarmed Italian soldiers and rushed in to take up their positions upon realizing that they were about to surrender to the Allied forces.   Conclusion In conclusion, it is obvious that Italian military under the command of Mussolini was headed to a big failure in the war as they got involved into a war the least prepared for and lack of political will to fight Mussolini’s personal war. The whole military at that time lacked both the material and human resource and everything was undertaken to please Mussolini’s desire to gain a greater control of Europe. Questions as to why Mussolini’s would drive an ill equipped army into a full scale war remain baffling to date. The terming of Italian soldiers as cowards was utterly baseless as they fought so well under the experienced guidance of German soldiers led to defeat in Greece and the continuous successful offensive along the Russian borders. It was therefore a multiple number of factors that led to Italy’s early surrender but not cowardice. Mussolini’s inability to learn and change tactics was the major contributor to the progressive loss of war. Lastly it can be said that Italy bravely fought and lost.