Communicating Using Social Media Essay

Technology has developed tremendously the past decade, more so than it has in the past, and a variety of businesses are being challenged in this area. People from all over the world are constantly innovating new ideas, brainstorming on how to interact more efficiently, than and as fast as they or it possibly can. In order to do this, individuals must communicate with one another, using resources and updated tools to drive out the competition. Technology has changed business in many ways, but its affect on communication is arguably the most significant (Morley, 2013). Also, the skill to speak plainly and supportive is one of the talents that businesses look for in employees. The use of technology can assist students, companies, and computer gurus with communicating, which will lessen the time it takes. The use of social media in the workplace has elevated concerns about loss of time and productivity. However, our study reveals that at the workplace, social media is being increasingly used by professionals for multitasking and for better time management. (Revathy, 2012) Technology can also have penalties that diminish relationships without the tool as a mediator. There are positive, negative, and gray areas when discussing social networking, social media, and how it has affected businesses or the populace in general. Technology and communication are what make up social networking, which has become a â€Å"norm† for Generation X & Y. The findings came just a few months after the Kaiser Family Foundation reported that Americans between the ages of 8 and 18 spend on average 7 1/2 hours a day using some sort of electronic device, from smart phones to MP3 players to computers — a number that startled many adults, even those who keep their Blackberry’s within arm’s reach during most waking hours..(Stout, 2010) These generations are leading our country globally, internationally, and locally. Because it has been more recent that Smartphone’s and Apple products have flooded the market, there have not been a lot of comprehensive studies done on the impact it is having and I will alleviate on my findings. Social networking can lessen costs, make communication better, and is beginning to assist greatly with marketing departments all over the world. Digital technologies swiftly transform our communication style, the way we purchase and industry interactions in several departments. Compared to older technologies, new technologies have been adopted and implemented more quickly by individuals and businesses. Organizations that use social media are able to reach their consumers promptly, effortlessly, and receive quick responses. The ability to have questions answered immediately allows customer support staff to work faster without irritating the customer. The downside is that employees are less likely to engage in social activities away from their computers (Webster, 2010). While information and communication technologies influence brand loyalty and brand awareness, there is a secure relationship between demanding market-oriented configurations and improving customer loyalty, recognition, and satisfaction. When the influence of social media-focused information & communication technologies on the costs was determined, it was revealed that these technologies reduce administrative costs, supplier/partner costs, internal communication costs, and customer management costs, which in turn positively influences the business performance (Gecti & Dasan, 2013). It is a lot cheaper to do business in a social media environment when regarding promotions, expenses, and revenue made. Marketing, sales, and promotional activities done in social media environments provide businesses an opportunity to act independently of their physical environments (Gecti & Dasan, 2013). This article also spoke of employees having better relationships with one another, being able to conne ct online has helped their line of communication drastically; so their attitudes and work environment has improved as well. It was enlightening to see that these technologies definitely affect brand recognition of the corporation and customer devotion to services and products. Large and small companies seek to form a connection between their customers, products or services; particularly through advertisement and other creative activities. When sudden transfer of information, instant feedback, and broad areas of influence are considered especially in social media environments, businesses execute marketing-focused activities in these environments (Gecti & Dasan, 2013). The latest technologies guide the way; facilitate a new perspective, and guarantee positive and negatives for the nations’ wealth and businesses’. This brings to mind the surfacing of new applications for many telecommunications, companies, and individuals. Social media is exceptionally significant in viral marketing and in the encouragement of new products. Consciousness and successful use of social media has produced ample solutions in these areas and has generated a novel line of work for the information technology industry. As information travels faster and faster and more reliably, barriers of distance disappear, and businesses are realizing how easy it is to outsource jobs overseas (Mcgrath, 2013). There are additional positions being implemented daily into social networking and the people that are already in place in this segment are constantly growing. Someone is responsible for collecting the responses made by consumers and interpreting them so that they can pr omote â€Å"liked† items. By using Face Book and Twitter, generally you can determine whether a product is going places or not. Comments, news, or shares about products or companies in social networks, blogs, and news sites so on are constantly monitored through specially developed software to collect information and to provide instant response. In this way, businesses have a chance to store and manage the unstructured information (Kietzman, 2011). Traditionally, consumers used the Internet to simply expend content: they read it, they watched it, and they used it to buy products and services. Increasingly, however, consumers are utilizing platforms—such as content sharing sites, blogs, social networking, and wikis—to create, modify, share, and discuss Internet content. This represents the social media phenomenon, which can now significantly impact a firm’s reputation, sales, and even survival. Yet, many executives eschew or ignore this form of media because they don’t understand what it is, the various forms it can take, and how to engage with it and learn (Keitzmann, 2011). As all these positive aspects of social media can and is changing the way we think and buy. The major concern is that is moving so fast that the leaders making huge decisions that can affect our daily lives are reluctant in catching up with the new ways. This hesitance will cause a negative influence on communication in business and technology. Hopefully, eventually these two extremes will coincide and all generations can find a way to join together in moving forward at the same pace. Until then, future leaders of America will have to step up and find innovative ways to implement training in these areas. I believe that the more important thing to remember through all of the â€Å"change† is that we are doing it together and to be open minded to the idea that there may be a more efficient way to do something. Whether it is gain feedback or to simply get a shift covered, technology is changing fast and if he/she does not get on the fast train with the rest of the world, then companies may suffer extraneously. The negative sides to social media and technology in business communications consists of the obvious: misunderstood messages, misinterpreted texts, email, IM, etc., isolation, no actual social life, too public, and simply too difficult to comprehend. It’s worth noting, however, that today only 5 percent of communications occur on social networks. Moreover, almost all digital human interactions can ultimately become â€Å"social,† and jobs involving physical labor and the processing of transactions are giving way, across the globe, to work requiring complex interactions with other people, independent judgment, and the analysis of information. As a result, we believe social technologies are destined to play a much larger role not only in individual interactions but also in how companies are organized and managed. While the adoption of social technologies is growing rapidly, a huge untapped potential for them to create value remains (Bughin, Michael, James, 2012). That statistic was from last year and it was only five percent that companies actually engage in social media. I am positive the numbers have grown significantly, but I am also sure that there is a large percentage that does not want anything to do with this world. Some employers may feel social is inappropriate for the office because its name implies socializing rather than working (Poluck, 2012). There are many different ways that people can misunderstand emails or texts, especially when you cannot see the person. There are a lot of emoticons and symbols used to replace emotions, but without being able to look into someone’s eyes or see their body language, it is almost impossible to tell if they meant what they said the way that you think you should have interpreted it. People could waste valuable time trying to encrypt these messages when they could have picked up the phone. Having a pleasurable conversation with our family, friends or significant others, we lock our eyes to our computer and mobile device screens instead of listening and giving feedback. Technology has its advantages, but we should take a footstep back and grasp what it is doing to our skills, talents, and relationships. The question on researchers’ minds is whether all that texting, instant messaging and online social networking allows children to become more connected and supportive of their friends — or whether the quality of their interactions is being diminished without the intimacy and emotional give and take of regular, extended face-to-face time (Stout, 2010). Our children will be educated in a completely different era than we were, than our parents, and their parents which can be intimidating when you look carefully at how fast all of this happening. Also, another disadvantage that Morley says, â€Å"Instant communication can make it harder for workers to deal with one task at a time when their work is constantly being interrupted by comments and questions that relate to other projects or even personal issues. In fact, some employees must make an effort to turn off communication devices while they work to meet deadlines (Morley). Maybe companies are strategically planning ways to welcome new technologies or implementing training programs so that employees are aware of how to communicate effectively online. In my experience, I have not been in an organization that implemented a training program for communication, let alone a training of how to â€Å"tweet† professionally. If a company already has policies on misconduct, then mostly they could enforce the same rules when applying to social networking in the workplace. I did work for one hotel that took one of its sales persons and gave her the title of coordinator over social engagement. As I was leaving last summer, she was handling all trip advisor comments and applied them to the employees when it was good or bad. If there were good comments on particular employees, she would recognize and reward, which did motivate them. Through my research, I found limitless articles, journals, CDs, books, etc. that offered training on communication individually, group settings, and in the workplace. If I were to choose, I would definitely choose one that focuses on communicating respectively, but that also starts with the basics so that all ages and cultures can catch up to speed. Start with different departments and treat it as any training session, make it fun and interactive. If people are not given the knowledge, we cannot expect them to act any differently. People are representing their companies when they are working and when they are not. If those individuals are â€Å"connected† to people at work and you put your entire personal life online, then you can expect co-workers at your job to know the details of your weekend. Human resource department can also use these open networking sites to look up your page and see if you will be a good candidate or not. Whether it is positive or negative, the use of social media with technology in business communications is happening, regardless who likes it or who is not â€Å"ready† for it. References Bughin, J., Chui, M., & manyika, J. (2012). Capturing business value with social technologies. McKinsey Quarterly (4), 72-80. Geà §ti, F., & Dastan, I. (2013). The impact of social media-focused information & technologies on business performance via mediating mechanisms: An exploratory study on communication and advertising agencies in Turkey. International Journal of Business and Management, 8(7), 106-115. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1357565373?accountid=32521 Jan H. Kietzmann, Kristopher Hermkens, Ian P. McCarthy, Bruno S. Silvestre, Social media? Get serious! Understanding the functional building blocks of social media, Business Horizons, Volume 54, Issue 3, May–June 2011, Pages 241-251, ISSN 0007-6813, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2011.01.005. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0007681311000061) McGrath, Jane. (2008). How has technology changed the way we conduct business? HowStuffWorks.com. Retrieved from http://money.howstuffworks.com/technology-changed-business.htm Morley, Amanda. (n.d). Effects on Technology in Business Communications. Chron. Demand Media. Retrieved June 16, 2013 from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/effects-technology-business-communications-23045.html Pollack, J. (2009, May 23). ‘Something’s got to change’; social media the internet’s moving too fast for companies to not keep up with it – old traditions, such as memos, don’t work in the age of mass and immediate communication, tech executive says. Telegraph-Journal. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/423358594?accountid=32521 Revathy, L. N. (2012, Mar 26). Business communication shifting to social media. Businessline. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1321923181?accountid=32521 Stout, Hillary. (2010, April 10). Antisocial Networking? New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/fashion/02BEST.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Webster, Shannon. (n.d.). What are the positive and negative effects of using technology to communicate? Chron. Demand Media. Retrieved June 16, 2013 from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/positive-negative-effects-using-technology-communicate-21241.html

Research of Restaraunt for Business Research

Table of Contents Introduction3 Research Objectives3 Research Questions4 Answers to Research Questions5 Answer to Research Question 1. 5 Answer to Question 2. 6 Answer to Question 3. 7 Answer to Question 4. 8 Answer to Question 5. 9 Answer to Question 6. 10 Recommendations for the Remington’s Restaurant11 References14 Introduction The Remington restaurant, located in Tampa Florida, wanted to better understand their customer’s views and opinions of the restaurant by using a survey method.This method would reveal the perception of the customer to see what category the Remington restaurant is in, what performance the customer expects, and how satisfied the customers are when they leave the Remington restaurant. This is the best way for the Remington restaurant to improve their service because it paints a picture of what how the customer views their services. Even though competition is important to any business, the customers are the biggest asset to the company.By research ing the customer’s perception of the restaurant one will see how the customer chooses the restaurant desired, how important performance is to the customer, and what was the overall satisfactory. One can acquire such information by reviewing and discussing the survey, finding out what is most or least important to the customer, seeing what is expected on how the restaurant performs, and discussing the satisfaction of the customer. In order to get this information, different methods will be used such as coefficient of variation, coefficients of determination and other tatistical techniques. There are six main research questions that will be addressed that will help the Remington restaurant see how the customers view the restaurant as a whole, and show the restaurant where and how to improve their business. Research Objectives 1. Discuss the type of survey used by the Remington Restaurant and how effective it is by using a research survey design. Compare effectiveness of the res earch to the other research designs of the subordinate data, experiments or observation in the context of collecting information for this project. . Describe the demographic profile of the average Remington customer. 3. Classify and describe which influence is most important to the customers in selecting a place to eat, and what is the least important factor that influences customers in selecting a restaurant. 4. Examine the Remington Restaurant scores on each of the six perception of portions of food, knowledgeable employees, food quality, swift service, atmosphere, and prices. 5. Justify if the Remington Restaurant is providing the expectations that customers want when choosing a restaurant. 6.Decide if there is a connection between being satisfied with the Remington Restaurant and the service, food portion, smart employees, quality of food and fast service. 7. Review the surveys to see what the Zagat Review Research Questions 1. What kind of survey did the Remington Restaurant us e? What kind of result was found by the research design? Compare the effectiveness of the survey research to the other subordinate data, experimentation or observation in the perspective of gathering information for this project. 2. What is the demographic profile of the average Remington Restaurant customer? . Which is most important to the customer when selecting a restaurant and what is least important when selecting a restaurant? 4. How does the Remington Restaurant score on each of the six perception measures of food portions, smart employees, food quality, fast service, atmosphere and prices? 5. Is the Remington Restaurant producing a good influence when selecting a place to eat? 6. Is there a connection between customer’s satisfaction with the Remington Restaurant with the perception of large food portions, smart employees, food quality and quick service?Answers to Research Questions Answer to Research Question 1. The purpose of this section is to answer the first rese arch question. The first question, which is; what kind of survey did the Remington Restaurant use? What kind of result was found by the research design? Compare the effectiveness of the survey research to the other subordinate data, experimentation or observation in the perspective of gathering information for this project. The type of survey that the Remington Restaurant used was the self-administered Internet survey.This kind of survey is probably the cheapest survey for the person collecting data. It involves minimum personnel and low cost as compared with other methods. Since 73% of American households are actively using the Internet, an Internet survey would be the best idea to cover a large location fact while conserving energy, money, and time (Cooper, Schindler, 2008). Internet survey’s can also give one access to graphs, charts and percentages automatically. Also, the Internet survey will be able to give one an idea of the customer’s attitude and perception of the Remington’s Restaurant.By using secondary information one would be able to see general information such as, what the demographic is of the average family is in the area, what is the general income, and how many times the family eats at restaurant in a week. By shifting the focus off of the Remington’s Restaurant and on to the genre of restaurants the Remington’s Restaurant is associated with would dilute the information the Remington’s Restaurant wanted to know about their customer’s satisfaction with the Remington’s Restaurant. Methods such as observational and experimental research would not be ffective for the Remington’s Restaurant. The observational method would not be effective because it would only tell one the behavior of the people such as body language. The experimental method would require a laboratory setting and would not be practical. The main goal for the research is to find out how the customers perceive the perfo rmance of the restaurant and their satisfaction. Also, the Remington’s Restaurant wants to know how their customers select a restaurant. Answer to Question 2. The purpose for this section is to answer the second question.The second question is; what is the demographic profile of the average Remington Restaurant customer? The main variables are as follows: the children who live at home, viewed advertisements, gender, income, age, and familiar competitors. The questionnaire was simple and easy to understand. The applicant had to answer just one number on each question. On the table below one will see the demographic of people who visit the Remington’s Restaurant most often. In statistics the number (or in this case the persons) that occur most frequently is the mode.The information is from the results from the survey taken by customers. Table 1: Demographic Description of the Remington Restaurant’s customers ——————— —————————- VariableCentral TendencyResultStd. Deviation Age335-491 Gender0Male0 Number of Children11 to None1 Advertisements 0No0 Income235k-50k1 Competitors1Outback1 ————————————————- One can see by looking at the table above that the people who visit the Remington’s Restaurant frequently are males who are between the ages of 35 and 49, and make 35,000 to 50,000 a year.These men also have one child, have not seen advertisements for the Remington Restaurant, Outback, and Longhorn. One can also see that the major competitor is Outback Steakhouse. Answer to Question 3. The purpose for this section is to answer the third question which is; which is most important to the customer when selecting a restaurant and what is least important when selecting a restaurant? The variable for this question are as follows ; large food portions, smart employees, excellent food quality, fast service, good atmosphere, and good prices. The choices for these questions are fixed.The applicant had a choice to rate each variable from 1 to 7, which 1 was strongly disagree and 7 was strongly agree. The answer below includes the mean and standard deviation. Table 2: Remington’s Patron’s Criteria In Restaurant Selection ————————————————- ————————————————- VariableMeanStandard Deviation Large Portions5. 86 Quality of Food61. 02 Speed of Service71 Atmosphere5. 95 Reasonable Prices51. 04 From the information from the table above one can see that anything rated over 5 is important to the customer.The variable competent employees were rated under 5 and therefore not important to the majority of customers. Answer to Question 4. The purpose of this section is to answer the fourth question, which is; how does the Remington Restaurant score on each of the six perception measures of food portions, smart employees, food quality, fast service, atmosphere and prices? One will see what kind of perception the customers have of the variables listed in the question. These questions were asked in the same format as the third section. The questions had fixed answers from 1 to 7 with 1 strongly disagree and 7 strongly agree.The answers in the table include the mean and standard deviation. Table 3: Remington’s Patron’s Perceptions ————————————————- ————————————————- VariableMeanStandard Deviation Has Large Portions3. 91 Has Quality of Food6. 9 6 Has Speed of Service31. 21 Has Atmosphere61. 21 Has Reasonable Prices5. 81 Has Competent Employees41. 35 ————————————————- One can see from the table above that large portions and speed of service is below average. Food quality, atmosphere, and reasonable prices are above average.Competent employees are average. Answer to Question 5. The purpose for this section is to answer the fifth question; is the Remington Restaurant producing a good influence when selecting a place to eat? The variables in this case are similar to the previous question and include large food portions, competent employees, food quality, fast service, atmosphere, and reasonable prices. These variables were rated by the customer and given a choice to choose one number for each question. The numbers that represented the answers for the questions were at a range from 1 to 7.The number 1 represented that the customer strongly disagreed and the number 7 was that the customer strongly agreed. Table 4: Importance and Perceptions ————————————————- ————————————————- VariableWhat Customers Expect (Mean)Actual Performance (Mean) Quality of Food66 ————————————————- Fast Service63 One can see here that the Remington’s Restaurant is performing how the customer expects them to perform as a restaurant. This is almost one of the most important factors of the restaurant.The quality of food as expected, but the fast service needs improving. Answer to Question 6. The purpose of this section is to answer the final question, is there a connection between customer ’s satisfaction with the Remington Restaurant with the perception of large food portions, smart employees, food quality and quick service? From the table below one will find the correlation between the variable and the satisfaction of the customers. Table 4: Importance and Perceptions ————————————————- ————————————————-Variablerr2 Large Portions. 41. 17 ————————————————- Competent Employees. 55. 31 ————————————————- Food Quality. 33. 11 ————————————†”———- Speed of Service. -. 6. 004 ————————————————- Good Atmosphere. 40. 15 ————————————————- Good Prices. 06. 004 One can see here that there is a weak and positive relationship between the large portions and satisfaction. The large portions were 17% of the change in satisfaction.Having competent employees was a modest and positive correlation with satisfaction. If the competence of the employees increases, so does the satisfaction. There was a weak positive relationship with the food quality and satisfaction. Food quality was only 11% of satisfaction. There is also a weak and negative correlation between speed of service and satisfaction. In the end one can see that the competent employees are rated the highest in customer satisfaction. R ecommendations for the Remington’s Restaurant Regarding question one. The Remington’s Restaurant has done a good job in the survey method.The self administered, web based survey is the best way to cover a large geographical area in a short amount of time. The survey method is also a good way to retrieve data fast. One of the most important aspects about the survey method is how one can rate an attitude toward something. Regarding question two. The Remington’s Restaurant main customer was a 35-49 year old male who makes 35,001 to 49,000 dollars a year and has one child. The main customer has never seen an advertisement for the Remington’s Restaurant or any of its competitors.A good recommendation for the Remington’s Restaurant would be to advertise more. Also, the competition has not made an impact in the advertising category and would be in favor of the Remington’s Restaurant to pioneer this field. Regarding question three. The average custo mer held competent employees, atmosphere and quality of food of high importance. Being that the Remington’s Restaurant is in the food business, it should strive to keep the quality of food as a high priority. Having competent employees is an asset to the company but should not be valued over the quality of food.Regarding question four. When one looking at table 3 one can see that the Remington’s Restaurant is doing well with the quality of food, atmosphere and employees, but there are areas that need much improvement. Large portions and the speed of service are below average and must far exceed the customer’s expectations. Any business should not settle for average or below average results. Training the employees on time management and having a smooth flowing system to better serve the customers would be ideal in this situation.Also, if the portions can not expand anymore the restaurant should offer the customers free appetizers that are cheap and filling. Bread and chips would be a good start for this process. Offering the customer cheap food will allow for the portions to stay the same and not lose any money on the main courses. Regarding question five. The food must stay at the top of the priority list. The customers value food the most and should expect the food to always be outstanding. A strict procedure to test the quality of the food must be practiced on a regular schedule to ensure that all customers are receiving the same unique aste of the restaurant. Regarding question six. The employees must know what they are serving. The customer’s rated the employee’s knowledge 31% which is over a third of the satisfaction. It may be just a fraction, but it can also the opening and closing of a sale. When a customer feels like he is being taken care of, the sales will increase and the testimony of the company will prosper. Most people do not eat alone and will bring others with them References Cooper, D. & Schindler, P. (2008) . Business research methods (10th ed. ). New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin

Blood Promise Chapter Two

He grabbed her shoulder, jerking her to him. He was fast-they always were-but I was on my game tonight. A swift kick knocked him into a neighboring building’s wall and freed Sydney from his grasp. He grunted on impact and slumped to the ground, stunned and surprised. It wasn’t easy to get the drop on a Strigoi, not with their lightning-fast reflexes. Abandoning Sydney, he focused his attention on me, red eyes angry and lips curled back to show his fangs. He sprang up from his fall with that preternatural speed and lunged for me. I dodged him and attempted a punch that he dodged in return. His next blow caught me on the arm, and I stumbled, just barely keeping my balance. My stake was still clutched in my right hand, but I needed an opening to hit his chest. A smart Strigoi would have angled himself in a way that ruined the line of sight to his heart. This guy was only doing a so-so job, and if I could stay alive long enough, I’d likely get an opening. Just then, Sydney came up and hit him on the back. It wasn’t a very strong blow, but it startled him. It was my opening. I sprinted as hard as I could, throwing my full weight at him. My stake pierced his heart as we slammed against the wall. It was as simple as that. The life-or undead life or whatever-faded away from him. He stopped moving. I jerked out my stake once I was certain he was dead and watched as his body crumpled to the ground. Just like with every Strigoi I’d killed lately, I had a momentary surreal feeling. What if this had been Dimitri? I tried to imagine Dimitri’s face on this Strigoi, tried to imagine him lying before me. My heart twisted in my chest. For a split second, the image was there. Then-gone. This was just some random Strigoi. I promptly shook the disorientation off and reminded myself that I had important things to worry about here. I had to check on Sydney. Even with a human, my protective nature couldn’t help but kick in. â€Å"Are you okay?† She nodded, looking shaken but otherwise unharmed. â€Å"Nice work,† she said. She sounded as though she were forcibly trying to sound confident. â€Å"I’ve never†¦ I’ve never actually seen one of them killed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I couldn’t imagine how she would have, but then, I didn’t get how she knew about any of this stuff in the first place. She looked like she was in shock, so I took her arm and started to lead her away. â€Å"Come on, let’s get out to where there’s more people.† Strigoi lurking near the Nightingale wasn’t that crazy of an idea, the more I thought about it. What better place to stalk Moroi than at one of their hangouts? Though, hopefully, most guardians would have enough sense to keep their charges out of alleys like this. The suggestion of departure snapped Sydney out of her daze. â€Å"What?† she exclaimed. â€Å"You’re just going to leave him too?† I threw up my hands. â€Å"What do you expect me to do? I guess I can move him behind those trash cans and then let the sun incinerate him. That’s what I usually do.† â€Å"Right. And what if someone shows up to take out the trash? Or comes out of one of these back doors?† â€Å"Well, I can hardly drag him off. Or set him on fire. A vampire barbecue would kind of attract some attention, don’t you think?† Sydney shook her head in exasperation and walked over to the body. She made a face as she looked down at the Strigoi and reached into her large leather purse. From it, she produced a small vial. With a deft motion, she sprinkled the vial’s contents over the body and then quickly stepped back. Where the drops had hit his corpse, yellow smoke began to curl away. The smoke slowly moved outward, spreading horizontally rather than vertically until it cocooned the Strigoi entirely. Then it contracted and contracted until it was nothing but a fist-size ball. In a few seconds, the smoke drifted off entirely, leaving an innocuous pile of dust behind. â€Å"You’re welcome,† said Sydney flatly, still giving me a disapproving look. â€Å"What the hell was that?† I exclaimed. â€Å"My job. Can you please call me the next time this happens?† She started to turn away. â€Å"Wait! I can’t call you-I have no idea who you are.† She glanced back at me and brushed blond hair out of her face. â€Å"Really? You’re serious, aren’t you? I thought you were all taught about us when you graduated.† â€Å"Oh, well. Funny thing†¦ I kind of, uh, didn’t graduate.† Sydney’s eyes widened. â€Å"You took down one of those†¦ things†¦ but never graduated?† I shrugged, and she remained silent for several seconds. Finally, she sighed again and said, â€Å"I guess we need to talk.† Did we ever. Meeting her had to be the strangest thing that had happened to me since coming to Russia. I wanted to know why she thought I should have been in contact with her and how she’d dissolved that Strigoi corpse. And, as we returned to the busy streets and walked toward a cafe she liked, it occurred to me that if she knew about the Moroi world, there might be a chance she also knew where Dimitri’s village was. Dimitri. There he was again, popping back into my mind. I had no clue if he really would be lurking near his hometown, but I had nothing else to go on at this point. Again, that weird feeling came over me. My mind blurred Dimitri’s face with that of the Strigoi I’d just killed: pale skin, red ringed eyes†¦ No, I sternly told myself. Don’t focus on that yet. Don’t panic. Until I faced Dimitri the Strigoi, I would gain the most strength from remembering the Dimitri I loved, with his deep brown eyes, warm hands, fierce embrace†¦ â€Å"Are you okay†¦ um, whatever your name is?† Sydney was staring at me strangely, and I realized we’d come to a halt in front of a restaurant. I didn’t know what look I wore on my face, but it must have been enough to raise even her attention. Until now, my impression as we walked had been that she wanted to speak to me as little as possible. â€Å"Yeah, yeah, fine,† I said brusquely, putting on my guardian face. â€Å"And I’m Rose. Is this the place?† It was. The restaurant was bright and cheery, albeit a far cry from the Nightingale’s opulence. We slid into a black leather-by which I mean fake plastic leather-booth, and I was delighted to see the menu had both American and Russian food. The listings were translated into English, and I nearly drooled when I saw fried chicken. I was starving after not eating at the club, and the thought of deep-fried meat was luxurious after weeks of cabbage dishes and so-called McDonald’s. A waitress arrived, and Sydney ordered in fluent Russian, whereas I just pointed at the menu. Huh. Sydney was just full of surprises. Considering her harsh attitude, I expected her to interrogate me right away, but when the waitress left, Sydney remained quiet, simply playing with her napkin and avoiding eye contact. It was so strange. She was definitely uncomfortable around me. Even with the table between us, it was like she couldn’t get far enough away. Yet her earlier outrage hadn’t been faked, and she’d been adamant about me following whatever these rules of hers were. Well, she might have been playing coy, but I had no such hesitation about busting into uncomfortable topics. In fact, it was kind of my trademark. â€Å"So, are you ready to tell me who you are and what’s going on?† Sydney looked up. Now that we were in brighter light, I could see that her eyes were brown. I also noticed that she had an interesting tattoo on her lower left cheek. The ink looked like gold, something I’d never seen before. It was an elaborate design of flowers and leaves and was only really visible when she tilted her head certain ways so that the gold caught the light. â€Å"I told you,† she said. â€Å"I’m an Alchemist.† â€Å"And I told you, I don’t know what that is. Is it some Russian word?† It didn’t sound like one. A half-smile played on her lips. â€Å"No. I take it you’ve never heard of alchemy either?† I shook my head, and she propped her chin up with her hand, eyes staring down at the table again. She swallowed, like she was bracing herself, and then a rush of words came out. â€Å"Back in the Middle Ages, there were these people who were convinced that if they found the right formula or magic, they could turn lead into gold. Unsurprisingly, they couldn’t. This didn’t stop them from pursuing all sorts of other mystical and supernatural stuff, and eventually they did find something magical.† She frowned. â€Å"Vampires.† I thought back to my Moroi history classes. The Middle Ages were when our kind really started pulling away from humans, hiding out and keeping to ourselves. That was the time when vampires truly became myth as far as the rest of the world was concerned, and even Moroi were regarded as monsters worth hunting. Sydney verified my thoughts. â€Å"And that was when the Moroi began to stay away. They had their magic, but humans were starting to outnumber them. We still do.† That almost brought a smile to her face. Moroi sometimes had trouble conceiving, whereas humans seemed to have too easy a time. â€Å"And the Moroi made a deal with the Alchemists. If the Alchemists would help Moroi and dhampirs and their societies stay secret from humans, the Moroi would give us these.† She touched the golden tattoo. â€Å"What is that?† I asked. â€Å"I mean, aside from the obvious.† She gently stroked it with her fingertips and didn’t bother hiding the sarcasm when she spoke. â€Å"My guardian angel. It’s actually gold and†-she grimaced and dropped her hand-â€Å"Moroi blood, charmed with water and earth.† â€Å"What?† My voice came out too loud, and some people in the restaurant turned to look at me. Sydney continued speaking, her tone much lower and very bitter. â€Å"I’m not thrilled about it, but it’s our ? ®reward’ for helping you guys. The water and earth bind it to our skin and give us the same traits Moroi have well, a couple of them. I almost never get sick. I’ll live a long life.† â€Å"I guess that sounds good,† I said uncertainly. â€Å"Maybe for some. We don’t have a choice. This ? ®career’ is a family thing-it gets passed down. We all have to learn about Moroi and dhampirs. We work connections among humans that let us cover up for you since we can move around more freely. We’ve got tricks and techniques to get rid of Strigoi bodies-like that potion you saw. In return, though, we want to stay apart from you as much as we can-which is why most dhampirs aren’t told about us until they graduate. And Moroi hardly ever.† She abruptly stopped. I guessed the lesson was over. My head was reeling. I had never, never considered anything like this-wait. Had I? Most of my education had emphasized the physical aspects of being a guardian: watchfulness, combat, etc. Yet every so often I’d heard vague references to those out in the human world who would help hide Moroi or get them out of weird and dangerous situations. I’d never thought much about it or heard the term Alchemist. If I had stayed in school, maybe I would have. This probably wasn’t an idea I should have suggested, but my nature couldn’t help it. â€Å"Why keep the charm to yourselves? Why not share it with the human world?† â€Å"Because there’s an extra part to its power. It stops us from speaking about your kind in a way that would endanger or expose them.† A charm that bound them from speaking†¦ that sounded suspiciously like compulsion. All Moroi could use compulsion a little, and most could put some of their magic into objects to give them certain properties. Moroi magic had changed over the years, and compulsion was regarded as an immoral thing now. I was guessing this tattoo was an old, old spell that had come down through the centuries. I replayed the rest of what Sydney had said, more questions spinning in my head. â€Å"Why†¦ why do you want to stay away from us? I mean, not that I’m looking to become BFFs or anything†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Because it’s our duty to God to protect the rest of humanity from evil creatures of the night.† Absentmindedly, her hand went to something at her neck. It was mostly covered by her jacket, but a parting of her collar briefly revealed a golden cross. My initial reaction to that was unease, seeing as I wasn’t very religious. In fact, I was never entirely comfortable around those who were hard-core believers. Thirty seconds later, the full impact of the rest of her words sank in. â€Å"Wait a minute,† I exclaimed indignantly. â€Å"Are you talking about all of us-dhampirs and Moroi? We’re all evil creatures of the night?† Her hands dropped from the cross, and she didn’t respond. â€Å"We’re not like Strigoi!† I snapped. Her face stayed bland. â€Å"Moroi drink blood. Dhampirs are the unnatural offspring of them and humans.† No one had ever called me unnatural before, except for the time I put ketchup on a taco. But seriously, we’d been out of salsa, so what else was I supposed to do? â€Å"Moroi and dhampirs are not evil,† I told Sydney. â€Å"Not like Strigoi.† â€Å"That’s true,† she conceded. â€Å"Strigoi are more evil.† â€Å"Hey, that’s not what I-â€Å" The food arrived just then, and the fried chicken was almost enough to distract me from the outrage of being compared to a Strigoi. Mostly all it did was delay me from responding immediately to her claims, and I bit into the golden crust and nearly melted then and there. Sydney had ordered a cheeseburger and fries and nibbled her food delicately. After taking down an entire chicken leg, I was finally able to resume the argument. â€Å"We’re not like Strigoi at all. Moroi don’t kill. You have no reason to be afraid of us.† Again, I wasn’t keen on cozying up to humans. None of my kind were, not with the way humans tended to be trigger-happy and ready to experiment on anything they didn’t understand. â€Å"Any human who learns about you will inevitably learn about Strigoi,† she said. She was playing with her fries but not actually eating them. â€Å"Knowing about Strigoi might enable humans to protect themselves, though.† Why the hell was I playing devil’s advocate here? She finished toying with a fry and dropped it back on her plate. â€Å"Perhaps. But there are a lot of people who would be tempted by the thought of immortality-even at the cost of serving Strigoi in exchange for being turned into a creature from hell. You’d be surprised at how a lot of humans respond when they learn about vampires. Immortality’s a big draw-despite the evil that goes with it. A lot of humans who learn about Strigoi will try to serve them, in the hopes of eventually being turned.† â€Å"That’s insane-† I stopped. Last year, we’d discovered evidence of humans helping Strigoi. Strigoi couldn’t touch silver stakes, but humans could, and some had used those stakes to shatter Moroi wards. Had those humans been promised immortality? â€Å"And so,† said Sydney, â€Å"that’s why it’s best if we just make sure no one knows about any of you. You’re out there-all of you-and there’s nothing to be done about it. You do your thing to get rid of Strigoi, and we’ll do ours and save the rest of my kind.† I chewed on a chicken wing and restrained myself from the implied meaning that she was saving her kind from people like me, too. In some ways, what she was saying made sense. It wasn’t possible that we could always move through the world invisibly, and yes, I could admit, it was necessary for someone to dispose of Strigoi bodies. Humans working with Moroi were an ideal choice. Such humans would be able to move around the world freely, particularly if they had the kinds of contacts and connections she kept implying. I froze mid-chew, remembering my earlier thoughts when I’d first come along with Sydney. I forced myself to swallow and then took a long drink of water. â€Å"Here’s a question. Do you have contacts all over Russia?† â€Å"Unfortunately,† she said. â€Å"When Alchemists turn eighteen, we’re sent on an internship to get firsthand experience in the trade and make all sorts of connections. I would have rather stayed in Utah.† That was almost crazier than everything else she’d told me, but I didn’t push it. â€Å"What kind of connections exactly?† She shrugged. â€Å"We track the movements of a lot of Moroi and dhampirs. We also know a lot of high-ranking government officials-among humans and Moroi. If there’s been a vampire sighting among humans, we can usually find someone important who can pay someone off or whatever†¦ It all gets swept under the rug.† Track the movements of a lot of Moroi and dhampirs. Jackpot. I leaned in close and lowered my voice. Everything seemed to hinge on this moment. â€Å"I’m looking for a village†¦ a village of dhampirs out in Siberia. I don’t know its name.† Dimitri had only ever mentioned its name once, and I’d forgotten. â€Å"It’s kind of near†¦ Om?† â€Å"Omsk,† she corrected. I straightened up. â€Å"Do you know it?† She didn’t answer right away, but her eyes betrayed her. â€Å"Maybe.† â€Å"You do!† I exclaimed. â€Å"You have to tell me where it is. I have to get there.† She made a face. â€Å"Are you going to be†¦ one of those?† So Alchemists knew about blood whores. No surprise. If Sydney and her associates knew everything else about the vampire world, they’d know this too. â€Å"No,† I said haughtily. â€Å"I just have to find someone.† â€Å"Who?† â€Å"Someone.† That almost made her smile. Her brown eyes were thoughtful as she munched on another fry. She’d only taken two bites out of her cheeseburger, and it was rapidly growing cold. I kind of wanted to eat it myself on principle. â€Å"I’ll be right back,† she said abruptly. She stood up and strode across to a quiet corner of the cafe. Producing a cell phone from that magic purse of hers, she turned her back to the room and made a call. I’d polished off my chicken by then and helped myself to some of her fries since it was looking less and less like she was going to do anything with them. As I ate, I pondered the possibilities before me, wondering if finding Dimitri’s town would really be this simple. And once I was there†¦ would it be simple then? Would he be there, living in the shadows and hunting prey? And when faced with him, could I really drive my stake into his heart? That unwanted image came to me again, Dimitri with red eyes and â€Å"Rose?† I blinked. I’d totally spaced out, and Sydney was back. She slid back into her spot across from me. â€Å"So, it looks like-† She paused and looked down. â€Å"Did you eat some of my fries?† I had no clue how she knew, seeing as it was such a huge stack. I’d barely made a dent. Figuring me stealing fries would count as further evidence of being an evil creature of the night, I said glibly, â€Å"No.† She frowned a moment, considering, and then said, â€Å"I do know where this town is. I’ve been there before.† I straightened up. Holy crap. This was actually going to happen, after all these weeks of searching. Sydney would tell me where this place was, and I could go and try to close this horrible chapter in my life. â€Å"Thank you, thank you so much-â€Å" She held up a hand to silence me, and I noticed then how miserable she looked. â€Å"But I’m not going to tell you where it is.† My mouth gaped. â€Å"What?† â€Å"I’m going to take you there myself.† Blood Promise Chapter Two He grabbed her shoulder, jerking her to him. He was fast-they always were-but I was on my game tonight. A swift kick knocked him into a neighboring building’s wall and freed Sydney from his grasp. He grunted on impact and slumped to the ground, stunned and surprised. It wasn’t easy to get the drop on a Strigoi, not with their lightning-fast reflexes. Abandoning Sydney, he focused his attention on me, red eyes angry and lips curled back to show his fangs. He sprang up from his fall with that preternatural speed and lunged for me. I dodged him and attempted a punch that he dodged in return. His next blow caught me on the arm, and I stumbled, just barely keeping my balance. My stake was still clutched in my right hand, but I needed an opening to hit his chest. A smart Strigoi would have angled himself in a way that ruined the line of sight to his heart. This guy was only doing a so-so job, and if I could stay alive long enough, I’d likely get an opening. Just then, Sydney came up and hit him on the back. It wasn’t a very strong blow, but it startled him. It was my opening. I sprinted as hard as I could, throwing my full weight at him. My stake pierced his heart as we slammed against the wall. It was as simple as that. The life-or undead life or whatever-faded away from him. He stopped moving. I jerked out my stake once I was certain he was dead and watched as his body crumpled to the ground. Just like with every Strigoi I’d killed lately, I had a momentary surreal feeling. What if this had been Dimitri? I tried to imagine Dimitri’s face on this Strigoi, tried to imagine him lying before me. My heart twisted in my chest. For a split second, the image was there. Then-gone. This was just some random Strigoi. I promptly shook the disorientation off and reminded myself that I had important things to worry about here. I had to check on Sydney. Even with a human, my protective nature couldn’t help but kick in. â€Å"Are you okay?† She nodded, looking shaken but otherwise unharmed. â€Å"Nice work,† she said. She sounded as though she were forcibly trying to sound confident. â€Å"I’ve never†¦ I’ve never actually seen one of them killed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I couldn’t imagine how she would have, but then, I didn’t get how she knew about any of this stuff in the first place. She looked like she was in shock, so I took her arm and started to lead her away. â€Å"Come on, let’s get out to where there’s more people.† Strigoi lurking near the Nightingale wasn’t that crazy of an idea, the more I thought about it. What better place to stalk Moroi than at one of their hangouts? Though, hopefully, most guardians would have enough sense to keep their charges out of alleys like this. The suggestion of departure snapped Sydney out of her daze. â€Å"What?† she exclaimed. â€Å"You’re just going to leave him too?† I threw up my hands. â€Å"What do you expect me to do? I guess I can move him behind those trash cans and then let the sun incinerate him. That’s what I usually do.† â€Å"Right. And what if someone shows up to take out the trash? Or comes out of one of these back doors?† â€Å"Well, I can hardly drag him off. Or set him on fire. A vampire barbecue would kind of attract some attention, don’t you think?† Sydney shook her head in exasperation and walked over to the body. She made a face as she looked down at the Strigoi and reached into her large leather purse. From it, she produced a small vial. With a deft motion, she sprinkled the vial’s contents over the body and then quickly stepped back. Where the drops had hit his corpse, yellow smoke began to curl away. The smoke slowly moved outward, spreading horizontally rather than vertically until it cocooned the Strigoi entirely. Then it contracted and contracted until it was nothing but a fist-size ball. In a few seconds, the smoke drifted off entirely, leaving an innocuous pile of dust behind. â€Å"You’re welcome,† said Sydney flatly, still giving me a disapproving look. â€Å"What the hell was that?† I exclaimed. â€Å"My job. Can you please call me the next time this happens?† She started to turn away. â€Å"Wait! I can’t call you-I have no idea who you are.† She glanced back at me and brushed blond hair out of her face. â€Å"Really? You’re serious, aren’t you? I thought you were all taught about us when you graduated.† â€Å"Oh, well. Funny thing†¦ I kind of, uh, didn’t graduate.† Sydney’s eyes widened. â€Å"You took down one of those†¦ things†¦ but never graduated?† I shrugged, and she remained silent for several seconds. Finally, she sighed again and said, â€Å"I guess we need to talk.† Did we ever. Meeting her had to be the strangest thing that had happened to me since coming to Russia. I wanted to know why she thought I should have been in contact with her and how she’d dissolved that Strigoi corpse. And, as we returned to the busy streets and walked toward a cafe she liked, it occurred to me that if she knew about the Moroi world, there might be a chance she also knew where Dimitri’s village was. Dimitri. There he was again, popping back into my mind. I had no clue if he really would be lurking near his hometown, but I had nothing else to go on at this point. Again, that weird feeling came over me. My mind blurred Dimitri’s face with that of the Strigoi I’d just killed: pale skin, red ringed eyes†¦ No, I sternly told myself. Don’t focus on that yet. Don’t panic. Until I faced Dimitri the Strigoi, I would gain the most strength from remembering the Dimitri I loved, with his deep brown eyes, warm hands, fierce embrace†¦ â€Å"Are you okay†¦ um, whatever your name is?† Sydney was staring at me strangely, and I realized we’d come to a halt in front of a restaurant. I didn’t know what look I wore on my face, but it must have been enough to raise even her attention. Until now, my impression as we walked had been that she wanted to speak to me as little as possible. â€Å"Yeah, yeah, fine,† I said brusquely, putting on my guardian face. â€Å"And I’m Rose. Is this the place?† It was. The restaurant was bright and cheery, albeit a far cry from the Nightingale’s opulence. We slid into a black leather-by which I mean fake plastic leather-booth, and I was delighted to see the menu had both American and Russian food. The listings were translated into English, and I nearly drooled when I saw fried chicken. I was starving after not eating at the club, and the thought of deep-fried meat was luxurious after weeks of cabbage dishes and so-called McDonald’s. A waitress arrived, and Sydney ordered in fluent Russian, whereas I just pointed at the menu. Huh. Sydney was just full of surprises. Considering her harsh attitude, I expected her to interrogate me right away, but when the waitress left, Sydney remained quiet, simply playing with her napkin and avoiding eye contact. It was so strange. She was definitely uncomfortable around me. Even with the table between us, it was like she couldn’t get far enough away. Yet her earlier outrage hadn’t been faked, and she’d been adamant about me following whatever these rules of hers were. Well, she might have been playing coy, but I had no such hesitation about busting into uncomfortable topics. In fact, it was kind of my trademark. â€Å"So, are you ready to tell me who you are and what’s going on?† Sydney looked up. Now that we were in brighter light, I could see that her eyes were brown. I also noticed that she had an interesting tattoo on her lower left cheek. The ink looked like gold, something I’d never seen before. It was an elaborate design of flowers and leaves and was only really visible when she tilted her head certain ways so that the gold caught the light. â€Å"I told you,† she said. â€Å"I’m an Alchemist.† â€Å"And I told you, I don’t know what that is. Is it some Russian word?† It didn’t sound like one. A half-smile played on her lips. â€Å"No. I take it you’ve never heard of alchemy either?† I shook my head, and she propped her chin up with her hand, eyes staring down at the table again. She swallowed, like she was bracing herself, and then a rush of words came out. â€Å"Back in the Middle Ages, there were these people who were convinced that if they found the right formula or magic, they could turn lead into gold. Unsurprisingly, they couldn’t. This didn’t stop them from pursuing all sorts of other mystical and supernatural stuff, and eventually they did find something magical.† She frowned. â€Å"Vampires.† I thought back to my Moroi history classes. The Middle Ages were when our kind really started pulling away from humans, hiding out and keeping to ourselves. That was the time when vampires truly became myth as far as the rest of the world was concerned, and even Moroi were regarded as monsters worth hunting. Sydney verified my thoughts. â€Å"And that was when the Moroi began to stay away. They had their magic, but humans were starting to outnumber them. We still do.† That almost brought a smile to her face. Moroi sometimes had trouble conceiving, whereas humans seemed to have too easy a time. â€Å"And the Moroi made a deal with the Alchemists. If the Alchemists would help Moroi and dhampirs and their societies stay secret from humans, the Moroi would give us these.† She touched the golden tattoo. â€Å"What is that?† I asked. â€Å"I mean, aside from the obvious.† She gently stroked it with her fingertips and didn’t bother hiding the sarcasm when she spoke. â€Å"My guardian angel. It’s actually gold and†-she grimaced and dropped her hand-â€Å"Moroi blood, charmed with water and earth.† â€Å"What?† My voice came out too loud, and some people in the restaurant turned to look at me. Sydney continued speaking, her tone much lower and very bitter. â€Å"I’m not thrilled about it, but it’s our ? ®reward’ for helping you guys. The water and earth bind it to our skin and give us the same traits Moroi have well, a couple of them. I almost never get sick. I’ll live a long life.† â€Å"I guess that sounds good,† I said uncertainly. â€Å"Maybe for some. We don’t have a choice. This ? ®career’ is a family thing-it gets passed down. We all have to learn about Moroi and dhampirs. We work connections among humans that let us cover up for you since we can move around more freely. We’ve got tricks and techniques to get rid of Strigoi bodies-like that potion you saw. In return, though, we want to stay apart from you as much as we can-which is why most dhampirs aren’t told about us until they graduate. And Moroi hardly ever.† She abruptly stopped. I guessed the lesson was over. My head was reeling. I had never, never considered anything like this-wait. Had I? Most of my education had emphasized the physical aspects of being a guardian: watchfulness, combat, etc. Yet every so often I’d heard vague references to those out in the human world who would help hide Moroi or get them out of weird and dangerous situations. I’d never thought much about it or heard the term Alchemist. If I had stayed in school, maybe I would have. This probably wasn’t an idea I should have suggested, but my nature couldn’t help it. â€Å"Why keep the charm to yourselves? Why not share it with the human world?† â€Å"Because there’s an extra part to its power. It stops us from speaking about your kind in a way that would endanger or expose them.† A charm that bound them from speaking†¦ that sounded suspiciously like compulsion. All Moroi could use compulsion a little, and most could put some of their magic into objects to give them certain properties. Moroi magic had changed over the years, and compulsion was regarded as an immoral thing now. I was guessing this tattoo was an old, old spell that had come down through the centuries. I replayed the rest of what Sydney had said, more questions spinning in my head. â€Å"Why†¦ why do you want to stay away from us? I mean, not that I’m looking to become BFFs or anything†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Because it’s our duty to God to protect the rest of humanity from evil creatures of the night.† Absentmindedly, her hand went to something at her neck. It was mostly covered by her jacket, but a parting of her collar briefly revealed a golden cross. My initial reaction to that was unease, seeing as I wasn’t very religious. In fact, I was never entirely comfortable around those who were hard-core believers. Thirty seconds later, the full impact of the rest of her words sank in. â€Å"Wait a minute,† I exclaimed indignantly. â€Å"Are you talking about all of us-dhampirs and Moroi? We’re all evil creatures of the night?† Her hands dropped from the cross, and she didn’t respond. â€Å"We’re not like Strigoi!† I snapped. Her face stayed bland. â€Å"Moroi drink blood. Dhampirs are the unnatural offspring of them and humans.† No one had ever called me unnatural before, except for the time I put ketchup on a taco. But seriously, we’d been out of salsa, so what else was I supposed to do? â€Å"Moroi and dhampirs are not evil,† I told Sydney. â€Å"Not like Strigoi.† â€Å"That’s true,† she conceded. â€Å"Strigoi are more evil.† â€Å"Hey, that’s not what I-â€Å" The food arrived just then, and the fried chicken was almost enough to distract me from the outrage of being compared to a Strigoi. Mostly all it did was delay me from responding immediately to her claims, and I bit into the golden crust and nearly melted then and there. Sydney had ordered a cheeseburger and fries and nibbled her food delicately. After taking down an entire chicken leg, I was finally able to resume the argument. â€Å"We’re not like Strigoi at all. Moroi don’t kill. You have no reason to be afraid of us.† Again, I wasn’t keen on cozying up to humans. None of my kind were, not with the way humans tended to be trigger-happy and ready to experiment on anything they didn’t understand. â€Å"Any human who learns about you will inevitably learn about Strigoi,† she said. She was playing with her fries but not actually eating them. â€Å"Knowing about Strigoi might enable humans to protect themselves, though.† Why the hell was I playing devil’s advocate here? She finished toying with a fry and dropped it back on her plate. â€Å"Perhaps. But there are a lot of people who would be tempted by the thought of immortality-even at the cost of serving Strigoi in exchange for being turned into a creature from hell. You’d be surprised at how a lot of humans respond when they learn about vampires. Immortality’s a big draw-despite the evil that goes with it. A lot of humans who learn about Strigoi will try to serve them, in the hopes of eventually being turned.† â€Å"That’s insane-† I stopped. Last year, we’d discovered evidence of humans helping Strigoi. Strigoi couldn’t touch silver stakes, but humans could, and some had used those stakes to shatter Moroi wards. Had those humans been promised immortality? â€Å"And so,† said Sydney, â€Å"that’s why it’s best if we just make sure no one knows about any of you. You’re out there-all of you-and there’s nothing to be done about it. You do your thing to get rid of Strigoi, and we’ll do ours and save the rest of my kind.† I chewed on a chicken wing and restrained myself from the implied meaning that she was saving her kind from people like me, too. In some ways, what she was saying made sense. It wasn’t possible that we could always move through the world invisibly, and yes, I could admit, it was necessary for someone to dispose of Strigoi bodies. Humans working with Moroi were an ideal choice. Such humans would be able to move around the world freely, particularly if they had the kinds of contacts and connections she kept implying. I froze mid-chew, remembering my earlier thoughts when I’d first come along with Sydney. I forced myself to swallow and then took a long drink of water. â€Å"Here’s a question. Do you have contacts all over Russia?† â€Å"Unfortunately,† she said. â€Å"When Alchemists turn eighteen, we’re sent on an internship to get firsthand experience in the trade and make all sorts of connections. I would have rather stayed in Utah.† That was almost crazier than everything else she’d told me, but I didn’t push it. â€Å"What kind of connections exactly?† She shrugged. â€Å"We track the movements of a lot of Moroi and dhampirs. We also know a lot of high-ranking government officials-among humans and Moroi. If there’s been a vampire sighting among humans, we can usually find someone important who can pay someone off or whatever†¦ It all gets swept under the rug.† Track the movements of a lot of Moroi and dhampirs. Jackpot. I leaned in close and lowered my voice. Everything seemed to hinge on this moment. â€Å"I’m looking for a village†¦ a village of dhampirs out in Siberia. I don’t know its name.† Dimitri had only ever mentioned its name once, and I’d forgotten. â€Å"It’s kind of near†¦ Om?† â€Å"Omsk,† she corrected. I straightened up. â€Å"Do you know it?† She didn’t answer right away, but her eyes betrayed her. â€Å"Maybe.† â€Å"You do!† I exclaimed. â€Å"You have to tell me where it is. I have to get there.† She made a face. â€Å"Are you going to be†¦ one of those?† So Alchemists knew about blood whores. No surprise. If Sydney and her associates knew everything else about the vampire world, they’d know this too. â€Å"No,† I said haughtily. â€Å"I just have to find someone.† â€Å"Who?† â€Å"Someone.† That almost made her smile. Her brown eyes were thoughtful as she munched on another fry. She’d only taken two bites out of her cheeseburger, and it was rapidly growing cold. I kind of wanted to eat it myself on principle. â€Å"I’ll be right back,† she said abruptly. She stood up and strode across to a quiet corner of the cafe. Producing a cell phone from that magic purse of hers, she turned her back to the room and made a call. I’d polished off my chicken by then and helped myself to some of her fries since it was looking less and less like she was going to do anything with them. As I ate, I pondered the possibilities before me, wondering if finding Dimitri’s town would really be this simple. And once I was there†¦ would it be simple then? Would he be there, living in the shadows and hunting prey? And when faced with him, could I really drive my stake into his heart? That unwanted image came to me again, Dimitri with red eyes and â€Å"Rose?† I blinked. I’d totally spaced out, and Sydney was back. She slid back into her spot across from me. â€Å"So, it looks like-† She paused and looked down. â€Å"Did you eat some of my fries?† I had no clue how she knew, seeing as it was such a huge stack. I’d barely made a dent. Figuring me stealing fries would count as further evidence of being an evil creature of the night, I said glibly, â€Å"No.† She frowned a moment, considering, and then said, â€Å"I do know where this town is. I’ve been there before.† I straightened up. Holy crap. This was actually going to happen, after all these weeks of searching. Sydney would tell me where this place was, and I could go and try to close this horrible chapter in my life. â€Å"Thank you, thank you so much-â€Å" She held up a hand to silence me, and I noticed then how miserable she looked. â€Å"But I’m not going to tell you where it is.† My mouth gaped. â€Å"What?† â€Å"I’m going to take you there myself.†

Reading reflection Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reading reflection - Coursework Example to be intellectually creative by having their ideas accepted as well as being offered matters to be concerned about intellectually, it gives them an opportunity to learn about the world with their general intellectual ability being stimulated as a happy side effect. In her article, she discusses issues such as learning environment, the role of a mentor or teacher as well as emotional and mental knowledge of the learner which are all significant in mentorship. Malcolm Gradwell’s book, tipping point entails application of epidemic phenomena in solving various social phenomena. The author illustrates that such a move is significant in restoring complexities and mysteries of the human behavior (Schmidt & Olson, 2008). He states that having knowledge of social phenomena as a wave helps in mystifying them other than considering them transparent. The knowledge achieved through reading the book helps mentors to understand that human behavior can be manipulated for the best. Knowledge of social phenomena is significant in understanding the behavior of the mentee and thereby manipulating it for the best. Colby and Damon’s article, â€Å"How moral commitment develops through life† explains the implication associated with the guidance of an adult which often occur mechanically. The authors argue that social influence is a more organic and an irregular process that remains closely in tune with the agenda of child development as w ell as taking place on numerous psychological processes (Damon & Colby, 1996). A mentor can offer simple encouragement or direct the attention of the child, friend or family friend. The authors offer the best approach in understanding the significant of mentorship to a friend or

The High Cost of High-Tech Foods Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The High Cost of High-Tech Foods - Case Study Example Moreover, another ethical issue that comes up is that of government responsibility towards the public and this is mainly because of the fact that despite numerous studies that show the dangers of GM foods for human consumption, the government still chooses to cite those studies published by companies that sell GM foods, even though these studies are more likely than not to be biased. The final ethical issue that comes up is that of Monsanto donating seeds to Haiti that are expensive to fertilize, leading to a situation where Haitians are left dependent on aid. Â  The anti-GM foods group seems to be correct in its argument that GM foods are not good for human consumption mainly because of the scientific studies that have been made that show the same result. Furthermore, the FDA has approved some GM foods only for animal and not for human consumption and this can only have been done as a result of dangers that were perceived when conducting studies. It is essential to note that there are risks which have been associated with GM foods or seeds related to them such as those GM seeds. Once planted cannot produce seeds which can be planted in the following season, meaning that even more of the GM seeds need to be bought in order to ensure that there is enough food (Caroll and Buchholtz, 2010). Such a situation, like the one shown in the study of Haiti, shows that GM makes it difficult for poor individuals, especially peasants, who live on the land, to overcome the problem of hunger and achieve food security. The cultivation of GM seeds is more expensive than necessary and this leaves subsistence farmers in a worse off condition than before adopting GM seeds.

Case 1; What else can go wrong Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Case 1; What else can go wrong - Essay Example If Van West could have understood Mexican culture, everything would have been easy. This is because culture dictates the way individuals treat each other, outlines that which is acceptable, the manner in which management is viewed and the way in which people approach their daily work. Since Hernandez has been helpful to Van West, he needs to inform him when it comes to business it is important to focus on your objectives. Therefore, West should transfer him to another department to avoid daily meeting while at work. In Mexican culture, a boss has the role of influencing a faction or group of people towards the attainment of a goal. Bosses are expected to lead by example, so that others are motivated to follow him and not just any individual with a position of influence. In addition, He or she is an individual who is in charge of a certain division of a company. In this case, superior people in the firm are undermining the subordinates a situation that has brewed into a cold relationship between the two groups. In order to address these issues, Van West needs to negotiate with the workers and agree on a different pay package. This will make workers change their mind about striking because they can perceive the move as inclusive and unbiased. In the end, individual relationship will improve since workers will feel safe. They will not have a negative attitude about the hierarchy since it cares about their

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 44

Marketing - Essay Example A research conducted by the City analysts has predicted that Sainsbury’s is likely to register a decline in its grocery sales by 2.5% for the preceding three months. This is with the exclusion of fuel. This is going to be a big setback for Salisbury’s given that it has, for the last decade, registered only an increase in the sale of its groceries. Salisbury’s used to record all these profits until the consumers in the U.K changed their shopping habits. This was also due to the emergence of Aldi and Lidl which are discount chains. It is also noted that the prices of food fall considerably. With these changes in the markets, the big four supermarket chains in the U.K, Salisbury’s Tesco, Asda and Morrisons, have lost their market share was almost a fifth in the previous two months. Despite the fall in the market share, Morrisons is however indicated by the latest Kantar sales figures to be growing. This is unlike the other three chains of supermarkets. James Anstead, who is an analyst at Barclays, has predicted that predicted that the sales in like-for-like products for Salisbury’s are likely to drop by 25%. This is due to the coming on board of the discount chains which have offered immense competition to the supermarkets. It is indicated also that the brand of Aldi is more worth than that of Tesco. Tesco having reported a similar decline as Salisbury’s, it therefore means that the brand of Aldi is also more worth than that of Salisbury. It is predicted that in the next five years, the sales for the supermarkets are going to drop as the discounters and online shopping double their sales. The increase in sales for online shopping and the discounters is estimated at 92.9% and 82.2% respectively. This is unlike the supermarkets whose sales are expected to drop by 2.9% until the end of the year 2020. The increase in the

Strategy Used By Samsung And Hyundai Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Strategy Used By Samsung And Hyundai - Essay Example Samsung Inc. developed a new video which involved football superstars using Samsung devices and equipment to train themselves for defeating a group of alien rivals. In this campaign, Samsung promoted the Galaxy S5 which is in its introduction phase of the product life cycle (Shayon, 2014; Prezi Inc., 2014). The effort made by Samsung to promote Galaxy S5 is considered as the first of its kind wherein FIFA World Cup 2014 had been taken as a theme and the top players were used to attract customers through social channels. This particular campaign as witnessed has been successful in making a huge impact in the global market which has been quite beneficial for Samsung’s Galaxy S5 in its introductory phase. This is the stage when a particular commodity is newly familiarized in the market which requires certain marketing support. Advertising is used as a marketing tool to create awareness among consumers about the product in order to alleviate its brand image (Soltani, 2012; Trehan & Trehan, 2011). Similarly, Hyundai with the use of hashtag ‘#BecauseFutbol’ promoted its brand along with products to the football fans worldwide. Hyundai, the automobile company, is in its growth phase of product life cycle which effectively used the ‘Tumblr-powered microsite’ to promote its brand in the global market. This is the stage when there is a steady rise in the sales curve of the company along with market growth.

Final Hypothesis of Exercise and Weight Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Final Hypothesis of Exercise and Weight - Essay Example Past studies indicates that when one is engaged in regular physical exercise then the weight is likely to be moderate. This is because of the increased metabolic reaction that improves the respiratory processes in the body and makes a lower weight individual to gain gradually to some limit and burn excess fats in a person with much weight to slim down to some moderate weight. This simply means that exercise and ideal weight are directly positively correlated. The choice of Exercise as the independent variable and weight as the dependent variable is based on the relative influence they have on each other regarding the physical health status in an individual through the weight measure of a person (Gedatus, 2001). These two variables have been realized to be the most appropriate towards the risk of obesity and other weight related disorders. The main assumptions regarding the relation ship between these two variables are explained below. There is a steady response of state of the heartb eat rate with changes in exercise workload. It is also worth to note that it is assumed that there is a linear relationship between rate of respiration, heartbeat rate and exercise workload. ... People who undertake less physical activities may undergo less respiratory processes whereas people who undertake more physical work undergo more respiratory processes. In other words, people who undertake less physical activities may gain more weight than others. In short, exercise workload, respiratory processes and obesity have direct links between each other. Obese people are at increased risk of respiratory symptoms, such as breathlessness, particularly during exercise, even if they have no obvious respiratory illness Obesity has a clear potential to have a direct effect on respiratory well-being, since it increases oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production, while at the same time it stiffens the respiratory system and increases the mechanical work needed for breathing (Salome et al., 2009) Heartbeat rate depends not only to exercise workload but also to the age of the exerciser. In other words, heartbeat rates of a younger man during exercise will be more than the heartb eat rates of an older man who is experiencing the same exercise workload (See appendix 2 for more details). Moreover, heartbeat rate calculation formula for women and men are different. The maximum heartbeat rate of a woman can be calculated using the formula 226-age whereas that of a man will be 220-age (Heart Rate Chart, 2009). It is evident from the above formulas that heartbeat rates of women will be more than that of men during exercising. Measurement of heartbeat rates, before, after and during physical exercise will give a proper idea about the fitness level of a person. For normal persons, heartbeat rates return to normal state quickly after the exercise workload whereas for others it may not come back to the normal state quickly. Linear relationship between

Buddhism Essay Example for Free

Buddhism Essay Ultimate reality:Â  None, Nothing is permanent. Holidays:Â  Buddhas birthday, Buddhas enlightenment and lunar quarters Human nature: There is no self or soul. Human existence is nothing more than a combination of five impermanent components (khandas). Purpose of life: Theravada Become an arhat, escape the cycle of rebirth, and attain nirvana. Mahayana Become a boddhisatva then help others attain enlightenment. Afterlife: Rebirth or nirvana. Nirvana is seen simply as the cessation of suffering by some and as a heavenly paradise by others. Founder/Leader Siddhartha Gautama Buddha was born a prince in Lumbini, Nepal, at the foot of Mount Palpa in the Himalayan ranges, in 580 B. C. He died at age 80 in 480 B. C. His father was Suddhodana, king of the Sakhyas-. His mother, Maya, died seven days after his birth, he was raised by his foster mother, Maya’s sister Mahaprajapati. He was also known as Sakhya Muni, meaning an ascetic of the Sakhya tribe. He is also called the Enlightened One. Upon his birth, astrologers predicted that upon achieving manhood, Siddhartha would become ither a universal monarch (Chakravarti), or would abandon all earthly comforts to become a monk and a Buddha. Siddhartha married Yasodhara at age sixteen, who subsequently gave birth to their son, Rahula. Desiring to see how the people in his town were living, he managed to get out of his walled enclosure accompanied by his servant, Channa. He came upon a decrepit old man, a sick man, and a corpse and he was shocked. He then met a monk who impr essed him with his serenity and beauty. Siddhartha left his home forever, donning yellow robes and shaving his head, to take up Yogic practices. Seeking instruction from several hermit teachers who lived in caves in the neighboring hills, he practiced severe Tapas (austerities) and Pranayama (breath control) for six years, during which time he almost starved to death and became exceedingly weak. Given food by a young woman, he sought a comfortable place to sit and eat it. He found a large tree, now known as the great Bo-tree, or Tree of Wisdom. He came out of the meditation victorious, his face shining with illumination and splendor, having attained Nirvana. At age 35, Siddhartha was a Boddhisatva. Buddha left his wondrous Bo-tree behind, venturing out into the world to teach others who were seeking Wisdom and Enlightenment. The subsequent teachings of The Buddha are the foundation of Buddhism. Creed The Four Noble Truths 1. Life means suffering 2. The origin of suffering is attachment 3. The cessation of suffering is attainable 4. The path to the cessation of suffering Code Five Percepts 1. I undertake the training rule to abstain from taking life. 2. I undertake the training rule to abstain from taking what is not given. 3. I undertake the training rule to abstain from sexual misconduct. 4. I undertake the training rule to abstain from false speech. 5. I undertake the training rule to abstain from fermented drink that causes heedlessness. Eight Percepts 1. I undertake to abstain from causing harm and taking life (both human and non-human). 2. I undertake to abstain from taking what is not given (for example stealing, displacements that may cause misunderstandings). 3. I undertake to abstain from sexual activity. 4. I undertake to abstain from wrong speech: telling lies, deceiving others, manipulating others, using hurtful words. 5. I undertake to abstain from using intoxicating drinks and drugs, which lead to carelessness. . I undertake to abstain from eating at the wrong time (the right time is after sunrise, before noon). 7. I undertake to abstain from singing, dancing, playing music, attending entertainment performances, wearing perfume, and using cosmetics and garlands (decorative accessories). 8. I undertake to abstain from luxurious places for sitting or sleeping, and overindulging in sleep.

Impact Of Globalization And Deregulation On Air Lines Tourism Essay

Impact Of Globalization And Deregulation On Air Lines Tourism Essay Air transport is a major industry by its own right and it is a source of very important inputs into wider political, economic and social processes. The demand for air transport has created global effects which in return have affected its supply both locally and internationally. This paper will provide an insight to the effects of globalization, the results of deregulation and privatization on the airlines and airport sector. It will also provide information concerning the main revenue sources within airports and techniques used to measure performance. In addition it will address issues concerned with safety in airports and measures for dealing with the security issues. Summary Globalization has an adverse effect on the demand and supply of services in the air transport sector which in return leads to adjustment of both the local and international prices, air trade policies and the consumption rate. Consequently the increased geographical coverage leads to increased concentration of traffic in the international hub airport. There is an argument that globalization results to increase in income and consumption on monthly basis as a result of overall increase in economic activities. In addition the profits achieved by air lines are highly affected by globalization since the competing airlines have to vary their prices in order to compete in the international markets, this could lead to some competitors to lower their prices or even increase according to the demand and supply in a given periods of the year. Deregulation resulted to both short and long term effects in the air industry. It made some airlines to cancel their services to some places since after deregulation the companies were running on losses. It also allowed new airline companies to enter into the market without following the already established rules by the bigger and already exiting companies. Privatization has led to increased charges in the airports as a result of lack of enough economic regulations and failure to apply the principles of ICAO in calculating tariffs and fees. The airport has two main revenue streams which are the aeronautical stream and the non-aeronautical stream. Both of these streams act as revenue sources with the latter doing better than the former. There are a number of safety and security problems that need to be addressed in most airport and they include the population of people living near the airports, wind, vortex constraints and the increased number of buildings in the airports. Airport Management From a general perspective, globalization can be referred to as the process through which people from all corners of the world are brought together to be members of a common society and work together. This process entails a combination of technological, socio-cultural, economic and political forces. Barret states that there are many implications manifested as a result of globalization which are very significant for the international air transport industry (229). Globalization therefore affects the demand and supply for air services leading to adjustments to air trade policies which in return have greatly changed the air trade: For instance the open sky police have affected the demand for air lines so much as result of allowing more efficient feed to the long-haul stage of transatlantic operations (Barret 235).Consequently the increased geographical market coverage has led to increased concentration of the traffic in the international hub airports. Large physical market demand coupled with increased integrated services such as common lounge, code sharing and excellent baggage checking have led to increased demand for international air services (Barret 235). Ashford, argues that globalization results to increased income and consumption in every month due to increase in overall economic activity, though the affluence is not evenly spread (67) .Several consumptions are facilitated by air transport, in larger nations a rise in income leads to many people spending more in internal vacations and having increased visits to friends and family. It is therefore evident that the competition for domestic services is affected by change in international demand. Globalization affects the profits gained by airlines, for example the early 1990s international financial crisis led to downturns in the market. Similarly other factors such as the New York and Washington terrorist attacks have demonstrated to have resulted to very bad moments in the industry. In contrast the returns achieved during the good times always fail to compensate for the bad times. Alderighi also argues that the key players in international market operate regular flier programs that honor frequent clients with bonuses and free flights, the bonuses include higher classes of services, up-grades and permission to have access to airport lounge (567). Many airlines have turned to reducing the cost in order to have an advantage over other stake holders. In case the competing carriers fail to match the reduced prices, then both fares maintain the competitive level of expensive-cost airlines, allowing the cheap-cost carrier to receive a margin toward fixed costs, alternatively the expensive-cost airline might quit the market. This strategy has been highly applied by the low-cost international airlines such as Ryanair in Europe, it helps the low-cost airlines to undercut their rivals and then obtain the market power. The market has been highly dominated by the low-cost carriers but as they expand they have shifted to more thinner and less suitable markets that fit their operation styles. Deregulation had both long and short term effects; first a bigger number of airlines stopped using routes with fewer profits that were used by passengers to travel to small cities. For instance, until 1978, the united airlines which previously had flown to Bakersfield, a thriving oil town in California with a population of 225,000 people stopped flight to the town, hence depriving the city dwellers flights to developed cities like Las Vegas .Secondly deregulation led to development of hub- and-spoke routes. The leading airlines centered their operations in the key cities which acted as the stops for many flights, even in cases where the flights were not in direct routes. Deregulations allowed the up-coming airlines to enter the market without agreeing with the demands of the bigger and well established airlines .A good example was the peoples Express, an airlines company which came up with unconventional management methods like fewer managers, low salaries and multiple job performance by employees. The company applied exceedingly tight operations in which passengers were responsible with paying for meals on plane and paid for baggage that they had checked- in. The company used very low fares that could be compared with the electricity bus lines. The revenues for peoples express increased dramatically all through 1980s, increasing up to a billion dollars in a day. Later in 1986 the company was sold after reaching its peak due to increased losses and complains of dissatisfaction by the passengers. Generally after deregulation of the CAB rules the result was that airlines competed within un-restricted ground for passengers hence a rise in revenue for th e bigger international and national airlines. Consequently it led to low fares. In a broad view privatization can be referred to as the process of reducing the involvement of the government in service provision. The result product of privatization of airlines and airports has been increased charges of services offered in airports, with some places recording drastic increases. This increase in charges is due to lack of sufficient economic regulations and failure to apply the ICAO principles in calculating tariffs and fees. The investors are also to be blamed for the increased charges due to their thirst to gain excess profits. In this effect some organizations have moved forward to control the entire process of privatization, for instance the AITAL which is a Latin American Transport Association states that it is not against privatization although it has fears that privatization will result to increase in tariff and fees which in turn will lead to increased airlines operating cost. The AITAL bases its argument on the view that the airports remain to be pure monop olies which inflict unilateral criteria. Another possible reason for increase in the operating cost is due to the fact that in current market fees and tariffs highly depend on competitive situation of the concerned markets, direct relation with operating cost is also lacking. It is therefore obvious that increased airport charges will lead to increases in costs of airlines, which cannot be indemnified by increase in fares. Question 2. The main revenue streams in an airport can be divided into two categories: The aeronautical and the non-aeronautical. Generally the aeronautical source is composed of fees towards the traditional basis of airport-related ventures like the provisions of runways, facilitation, aircraft stands, security and more importantly the staff undertaking such activities (342). On the other hand the non-aeronautical revenues are gained by undertaking activities such as offering parking, retail businesses, operating restaurants, advertising and provision of accommodation facilities. Interestingly the non-aeronautical income is growing so rapidly compared to the aeronautical revenues hence providing greater profit margins. In order to ensure that all the activities within an airport occur following the prescribed time and with low cost one needs to come up with good performance evaluation techniques. Therefore using an airport scorecard helps so much in ensuring that all activities in an airstrip are done correctly. To have excellent performance the crew members should receive good care and total attention so that they can perform to achieve excellent performance. In addition of more importance is security issues within the airport, this should be handled with utmost power and interest. One way of ensuring that an airport has good security network is by installing the relevant technological gadgets in order to keep away all the intruders (Barrett 535) The major performance indicators can be used as key factors to show the performance of a business and help in filling in the gaps between the real performance and standard performance. Another technique used in airports to establish their performance entails use of airport management KPIS which is divided into four perspectives-passenger relation perspective, financial perspective, social consideration and flight related services. The financial perspective gives an explanation concerning the sources of revenues and expenditures within an airport. These include the operating expenses, aircraft parking fees and passenger charges. The passenger related operations point at the operations in the airport that directly affect passengers. These operations include baggage, number of security checks, check-in time, number of available trolleys for the clients and the immigration time. The flight related operations include checking delays in the National airspace system, delays caused by weather and Air carrier delays (Barrett, 458). This is indicators are very important in analyzing different flight delay factors. The social consideration is concerned with ensuring that the social responsibility and accountability within a business are achieved. Question 3. Cooper, states that the safety and security issues in and around the airports need to be addressed in a very serious matter (712). The safety problems arise as a result of interaction of various factors like traffic, environment and technology. Another reason why the safety issues in most airports needs to be addressed lies in the available evidence, basically provided by the 747 crash in 1992 in Amsterdam. The 1992 crash showed that people living around the airports are exposed to high risks which are comparable to the strictly regulated risks found around chemical plants. Therefore with traffic volumes rapidly increasing there is a prediction that continued growth in the coming years will put a strain on airport capacity. For example the airbus industries predict that there will be an average yearly passenger traffic increase of 5.0 per cent before the next 20 years, which will have an impact of increasing the traffic to 168 per cent. Another safety concern is presented through a dimension concerned with third party risk as seen in increasing number of countries in Europe. Way states that the air transport system relies on airports as hubs hence their presence leads to a convergence of air traffic around the airports (72-73). In addition many accidents occur at the times of take-off and when landing and hence this happens near airports. The critical issues that need to be addressed in order to prevent an increase in safety problems related to the airport include having control over turbulence environments and wind at airports; these are area of great concern. Airports are a major attraction for corporate real estates and therefore buildings are increasingly being erected next to the runways (Wells 459). In return this buildings cause wind turbulence that in some cases make the aircrew to temporarily loss control over the aircraft immediately before the touchdown or immediately after lift-off hence resulting to very serious accidents. As a result of the great monetary value gained from the building spaces in the airports, the pressure to authorize the building activities to continue will definitely grow. A current ICAO criterion on obstacle clearance does not provide enough protection. The wake vortex constraints is another issue that needs to be addressed since it governs the distance that should be maintained between aircraft lined in sequence while making an approach to the runway. The distance determines the capacity at the runways during peak moments and therefore the general airport capacity. Another aspect that is increasingly becoming a limiting factor to airport capacity is environmental constraints and in particular noise pollution. To solve this issue the ATC organizations have developed advanced departure and arrival procedures like Continuous Descent. In conclusion, the airport department has been seen to face certain challenges such as deregulation, globalization and privatization. Despite this, this department has been a key contribution to the economic growth throughout the world. The management has set certain measures to fight these challenges and improve the airport sector. Due to the increased air transport system, the sector is also expected to gain more profits and improvements hence fighting to increase the growth of the economy. The management should hence be made tough and competent enough to achieve the set goals. Work Cited Alderighi, Moses. Network competitionthe coexistence of hub-and-spoke and point- to- point systems, Journal of Air Transport Management 11, 5 (2005): 328-334. Print. Ale, Sjareen. The assessment and management of third party risk around a major airport. Journal of Hazardous Materials 2.3 (2000):71-80. Print. Ashford, Stanton. Airport Operations, New York: McGraw-Hill .1997. Print. Barrett, Moon. How do the demands for airport services differ between full-service carriers and low-cost carriers? Journal of Air Transport Management, 10 (2004): 33-39. Print. Cooper, Etal. Tourism Principles and Practice. Harlow: Prentice Hall, 2006. Print. Hollo, Barrett, Airport competition in the deregulated European aviation market. Journal of Air Transport Management, 6 (2000):13-27. Print. Page, Joseph. Transport Tourism: Global Perspectives. Harlow: Prentice Hall, 2005. Print. Way, Taylor. The Business of Tourism. Harlow: Prentice Hall, 2006. Print. Wells, Alexander. Airport Planning and Management. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003. Print.