Anxiety in Teens Essay - 1756 Words

An individual that has strives to live with anxiety or an anxiety disorder faces many struggles daily because of the feelings the conditions stimulate. There are an infinite amount of symptoms, causes, and consequences, but an equal amount of treatment options and ways to handle anxiety. Anxiety disorders can be viewed as general or extremely specific, but all in all each one affects the life of a person living with one or knowing someone who struggles with it. In regards to teenagers specifically, between three and five percent children and adolescents in the United States have some sort of anxiety disorder (Foa and Andrews 2). With the many challenges teenagers already face because of pressure based on school, athletics, social†¦show more content†¦In teens, many symptoms primarily include wariness, nervousness, muscle tension or cramps, and stomach or headaches (AACAP). Having an anxiety disorder brings about exposure to these symptoms daily, all of which are unfavorable. There are many common types and conditions of anxiety disorders that can be diagnosed based on the symptoms present. The four most prevalent anxiety disorders among teenagers include social anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and post traumatic stress disorder; many other forms of anxiety exist such as phobias, and panic attacks (Foa and Andrews 3). In a teens life, having anxieties such as social and panic attacks can form habitual actions such as not going anywhere or doing specific things. Social anxiety particularly begins between late childhood and early teens (Foa and Andrews 14). With this anxiety, fear is provoked when thinking about or interacting in a social setting or situation.This discomfort can be specific or general to a certain idea or situation (Foa and Andrews 13). Most types of anxiety disorders can coordinate to another. Like social anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder can be directed principally a situations or nothing in pa rticular (Foa and Andrews 14). It can be challenging for teens to explain the source of their anguish especially if they are not diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. Generalized anxiety disorder is the most commonlyShow MoreRelatedAnxiety Among Teens With Anxiety1977 Words   |  8 Pages Anxiety in Teens Have you ever felt scared of school? How about to the point where you physically can’t make yourself go the next day? This is a large problem that a lot of teens face during their high school lives. This is called anxiety; A natural human response to a hazardous or tense situation (Nadelson). Teens with anxiety often are reluctant to come to school, have low grades because of said truancy, and seem to feel sick often, along with many more symptoms. Students with strong anxietyRead MoreDepression and Anxiety in Teens777 Words   |  4 Pagesto a popular personality test called the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, or MMPI for short, and analyzed by researchers from five different universities shows that there is as many as five times the number of teenagers suffering from anxiety and depression as there were in the early twentieth century. The exact cause of the sharp incline in identified mental disorders amongst our youth is still yet unknown. In order to curtai l the escalating numbers we must identify the underlying issuesRead MoreTeen Depression And Anxiety1781 Words   |  8 Pagesreading. Many teens suffer from depression and anxiety, aren’t just from traumatic experiences in a teenager’s life, anyone can suffer from these issues. We will explore types of anxiety like OCD, substance abuse and self harm and their relationship to depression and anxiety. The relationship between depression and anxiety will also be discussed. Depression and anxiety cause problems in daily life and understanding those who suffer from them will help in finding them treatment. Teens suffer fromRead MoreThe Anxiety Of The Teen Hacker3411 Words   |  14 Pagesa startup is scrambling to finish coding for a project. With time running out, the company considers hiring a budding teen hacker to help with the task. The teen hacker assures the company’s founder that he can complete the coding in just two days. â€Å"You think you can do our whole job in two days?† the founder inquires skeptically. â€Å"I know I can do it in two days,† assures the teen. â€Å"I pound Mello Yello, Oreos, and Adderall, and I don’t sleep ‘till I’m done.† Depressives have Prozac, worrywarts haveRead MoreWhat ´s Teen Anxiety?817 Words   |  4 PagesAnxiety has a main definition; a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease. Although, it has its single definition, each person diagnosed with anxiety has different symptoms. With that, some have more severe cases of the actual diagnosis. It has been noted that anxiety has had an increase in teens recently. In the last 30 years, the statistics for anxiety in fifteen to sixteen year olds have doubled for both girls and boys (â€Å"Increased Levels of Anxiety†¦Ã¢â‚¬  1). It is said, â€Å"in societal moments like theRead MoreRhetorical Strategies : America s Teen Anxiety Epidemic1264 Words   |  6 Pagesin Cunnion’s â€Å"America’s Teen Anxiety Epidemic is Heartbreaking. Parents, Here’s The Incredible Think You Might Do Now† Does the anxiety of children rely heavily on that of their parents? One author, Jeannie Cunnion, wrote â€Å"America’s teen anxiety epidemic is heartbreaking. Parents, here’s the incredible thing you might do now,† published in 2017 in Foxnews argues that the anxiety that parents have gets projected onto their children which is the reason for kids high anxiety. Cunnion builds the integrityRead MoreHow Social Media Can Help Teens Suffering From Depression And Anxiety992 Words   |  4 Pagesfrom mental health problems are seeking out interactions with others online because they feel isolated or alone†, as one of the paper’s authors told the Huffington Post. So if that’s the case, maybe social media can actually help teens suffering from depression and anxiety. Dr. Melinda Ring wrote an article for CNN explaining that her teenage son had been going through some hard times with a mood disorder and found solace in his interactions on social media . He focused his Instagram account on positivityRead MoreThe Glamorization of Mental Illness Among Teenagers1652 Words   |  7 Pagesgeared towards teens and adolescents, it takes but a few minutes to encounter a post that glorifies a disturbed mind. However, being mentally disturbed does not make a person beautiful. Many teens and adolescents believe that fabricating and self-diagnosing certain mental illnesses are a way to gain peer acceptance and to stand apart from the crowd. Although this belief may seem harmless, the glamorization of mental illnesses can create severe physical and emotional problems for teens. The most commonRead MoreCauses of Teenage Depression1538 Words   |  7 Pagesfor Parents†). To better understand why teens are depressed, it would help to know the causes of depression, such as, trauma, life experiences, and social anxiety or peer pressure. Trauma’s can definitely scare someone for a lifetime, but it can also give them depression. The traumatic events during childhood, such as, physical or emotional abuse, and the loss of a parent, may cause changes in the brain that makes a person more susceptible to depression (â€Å"Teen Depression†). Physical and emotional abuseRead MoreSome Of The Effects That Peer-Pressure Have On Teens1176 Words   |  5 PagesThat Peer-Pressure Have On Teens Teens are effected in so many ways by peer pressure is social pressure by member of ones peer group to take a certain action, adopt certain values, or other wise conform in order to be accepted. Peer pressure effect different teens in different ways. Teen are often being pressured into using drugs, having sex, drinking and bullying, the list goes on. When the peer pressure becomes overwhelming teens suffer great effects such social anxiety, depression some even result

Essay about Summary Of 1984 - 835 Words

Summary of 1984 nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The story begins with Winston, the main character, coming back to his apartment from his job at the Ministry of Truth. Winston ¹s job was to change recorded events, predictions made by the Party, and documents to make then  ³ correct ². In actuality his job was to falsify history to whatever was in the Party ¹s current best interest. Whatever the Party said must always be correct and undisputable, there fore history was constantly being rewritten by people like Winston. One of the Party ¹s slogans was  ³He who controls the past, controls the future. He who controls the present, controls the past. ² nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Every word anyone said was heard by the inner Party, also, every motion†¦show more content†¦it was done so systematically and effectively, it was hard to believe the world had ever been otherwise. Children were raised to love Big Brother (the human face the Party took on). They were taught to turn anyone in who showed signs of deviation from the Party, even their own parents. they were born not knowing anything of the past, and without anyway of finding out. Anything that was taught to them as true, was taken as the truth. Even a whole new language had been in development, called Newspeak. Newspeak effectively limited the amount of words to a bare minimum. The goal was to completely get rid of any words that allowed for individual or original thought. Words such as Love, science, God, and freedom (in the sense of political or intellectual freedom) were all nonexistent. People had no way of expressing anything, because there were no words to do so wi th. That way,any possible threat to the Party could be wiped out of existence. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The world had been divided into three large countries: Eurasia, Eastasia, and Oceania. Oceania was the country in which Winston lived, and the Party controlled. The three countries were constantly at war with one another. Oceania may be allies with Eastasia and at war with Eurasia one month, and the exact opposite the next. But whoever Oceania was at war with at the moment, they insisted they had always been at war with. There were no documents to prove otherwise, and people were constantlyShow MoreRelatedA Summary and Analysis of 1984 by George Orwell1223 Words   |  5 PagesBOOK REPORT Name of the Book – 1984 Author – George Orwell This book starts in London on April fourth, 1984. The book is written in partly third person, and partly in first person. The book is divided into three distinct parts. The first part is showing you the main character, Winston Smith and his differences and frustration with the world he works and lives in. The country or the â€Å"Super state† he lives in called Oceania is run under a government called INGSOC (English Socialism). The leadersRead MoreThe Dystopian Novel, By George Orwell, And Andrew Niccol s `` Harrison Bergeron ``1222 Words   |  5 Pagespeace, freedom is slavery, Ignorance is strength (Orwell 7) this is one of the very many slogans that were used to control society in George Orwell s piece 1984. Dystopian literature is a futuristic universe that is oppressive and uses bureaucratic, totalitarian, and/or technological control to control society. In Orwell s Dystopian book 1984, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr s short story Harrison Bergeron, and Andrew Niccol s film In tim e, there are many examples of a Dystopia is that contain a lot of comparisonsRead MoreCooper V. Austin Essay example856 Words   |  4 PagesBissons will, which is not contested, was executed June 18, 1982. Prior Proceedings: * Dr. Bisson died in 1985, and shortly thereafter Greer filed a petition in probate court to admit the June 18, 1982, will and two codicils thereto dated August 20, 1984, and August 6, 1985, respectively, to probate as and for the Last Will and Testament of Wheelock A. Bisson, M.D. By order entered November 26, 1985, the probate court admitted the paper writings to probate as the Last Will and Testament of Dr. BissonRead MoreSon of Sam Agree or Disagree1269 Words   |  6 Pagespublishers were offering large sums of money for his story; because of this the New York Legislature enacted the Son of Sam Law. According to the Federal Son of Sam Statute (18 USCS  § 3681 (2000)) (‘Son of Sam’ statutes: federal and state summary)that was enacted in 1984. Criminals cannot profit from their crime in any way. Criminals who write a book to tell their story will not be able to receive any proceeds from that book. The same thing is true for any thoughts, opinions, drawings, movies, etc. Read MoreThe And Of Eating Disorders1438 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction The EDI, as a multifaceted instrument and as one of the most widely used assessment tools, provides a standardized rating scale, which is used internationally (Garner, 1984). Eating disorder specialists frequently use EDI with adolescents who experience symptoms and present psychological features of eating disorders. According to the user’s manual, EDI-3 asses associated risk factors and outcomes of treatment and it can be used to assess the DSM-IV-TR diagnoses of Anorexia Nervosa, BulimiaRead MoreThe Quotes From Winston s Diary912 Words   |  4 PagesThe quote from Winston’s diary in 1984 illustrates the acts of rebellion he has towards the â€Å"totalitarian† government in Oceania. Winston’s urge to challenge the political regime that rules the all of Airstrip One, as he sometimes, have the flash back from the past and through his fantasies, he envision the future without the totalitarian government. Winston, however, is craving for freedom of being in a world where people are not being watched, and where they can act, feel and do whatever they desireRead MoreComparing The Accounts From The Past Into The 20th Century1007 Words   |  5 Pagesmoney using the comparable sets of data of two different time frames of football transfers between 1984-1999 and of 2000-2015. The usefulness of the results will provide statistics of how money has changed today and how it will affect the further future. - 1984-1999 amount and year (variable 1) and 2000-2015 amount and year (variable 2) of transfers from two different time frames (comparable sets) 1984-1999 most expensive transfers Christian Vieri = â‚ ¬43, 1999 Nicolas Anelka = â‚ ¬35.2, 1999 Denà ­lsonRead MoreEthiopias Dependence on Rain Water and the Derg651 Words   |  3 Pageswith the shortage of rainfall but instead it evoked a devastating famine. All throughout Ethiopia’s history there has never been a famine so disastrous as the one that occurred 1984. Throughout the period of drought and misery a total of eight million people were at risk of starvation. Not only that but in october 1984 the death toll was at two hundred thousand and an estimated of two thousand people would die each day. As each month changed so did the death toll. Though the relationship was theRead MoreAnimal Farm And 1984 George Orwell Analysis889 Words   |  4 PagesGeorge Orwell used the theme of betrayal to show how the society in both â€Å"Animal Farm† and â€Å"1984† controls the people. Both books have a totalitarian government controlling everyone but in 1984 the government has people betray each other to gain power. People do as they’re told and lose the relationships such as family, friends, or intimate relationships, all of which they would have in a normal society. The government does this so each individual bec omes alienated from each other and feels likeRead MoreRationale For Data Evaluation : Evaluation Of Process In Patient Diabetes923 Words   |  4 Pagespatient-outcomes for insulin dependent diabetics, non-compliance with treatment and outcomes were noted throughout (Miles Huberman, 1984). The repetition of gross non-compliance and poor patient outcomes prompted the formulation of the above PICOT question and has geared efforts in improving the interaction between clinician and patient in an outpatient setting (Miles Huberman, 1984). To ensure efficacy and validity in this study, this writer has ensured that the questionnaire items were measured based on

Leadership concept Free Essays

Nurses are self directed and can solve even the most complex problems with proper leadership and commitment in their practice. It is important for a nurse to work in a cohesive and strong nursing team, as this result in to an effective delivery of client care. In building this empowered nursing team, it is all attributed to the nurse executive. We will write a custom essay sample on Leadership concept or any similar topic only for you Order Now A nurse executive often holds the title of the vice president or is the director. The executive’s position within an organization is critical in uniting the strategic direction of the organization with the philosophical values and goals of nursing. The nurse executive is a clinical leader and business leader in organization, the person responsible and concerned with maximizing quality care and cost effectiveness. The most important responsibility of the nurse executive is to establish a vision for nursing the lays groundwork which enables the managers and staff to provide quality care. This forms the essence and value of the nursing care and is the foundation of quality practiced nursing administration. It is important for the nurse executive, as leader to expand his or her role from collaboration, coaching, monitoring, communicating, coordinating and coinciding with the staffs and other related health care providers. A nurse executive must serve as the role model that exemplifies the mission and vision of the organization. It is important that the values are diversified and promoted by the nurse executive in order to have a culturally competitive group of health care workers. As a leader, is open to change that would help innovate the staffs and promote creativity which will improve the quality of care they are providing. It is important that she or he demonstrates a sound judgment regarding the decisions and regulation that is formulated in the administration, these should be within the scope of the staffs and as well as coincide to the patients. It is important that as a leader he or she would be able to facilitate the designed delivery of care that is suited with the needs of the patient. The nurse leader should be able to make a strong connection with the group in order to unit the group with one aim: to provide the best quality care to patient in line with the cost effectiveness that is inline with treatment. It is important that the nurse executive delegate the tasks appropriately to the staff in order for them to function accordingly. In most cases, failed relationship with the nurse executive and the staff is one of the reasons why health care services are unmanageable. It is important that the nurse executive and the nurse manager to support each other in order to establish the necessary management structure that would help in attaining the organizational goals and provide the appropriate support to the care delivery staff. Within this created connection of the executives, staffs and members of the health groups it would create an environment that nursing practice would thrive. Involvement of staff is beneficial because with the participation of each member it would help incorporate the knowledge and skills into one. This relationship that is formed within the structure of the nursing administration is important because it is the one that determines the role’s and task of the members. Some tasks are carried out personally by the nurse executive but it is important that she is still able to delegate tasks to its member. The leader should be able to interact. Through this interaction, relationships are built and this would be dependent on the tasks that will be formulated by the role holder. This relationship building is the foundation of trust on the members of the organization which is beneficial in carrying out the tasks needed. Each member of the health organization should be entitled to give their perceptions and understanding regarding the current health administration and in turn as the nurse executive she or he should be able to accumulate this and present a substantial form of management. Rosemarie Rizzo Parse’s â€Å"human becoming theory† abides with three themes: meaning, rhythmicity, and transcendence. The first theme is â€Å"meaning† which means that people participate in creating something if it is real for them through their self expression and the values that they have. As a nurse executive, she or he must be able to consider the values and individual perceptions of the members of the team. With this she would be able to understand them and in turn would be able to recognize the needs and improvements. The culture and climate is often the key to how the members will be able to act accordingly. The culture is the routines, rules and how they do things that have been past on by the past and former leaders. The climate on the other hand is the perceptions and behavior of the members. This influences individual and team motivation that is why it is important that the nurse executive to do things according to the values attributes, skills and priorities which would also consider the ethical rights. It is important that the behavior of the leader is well founded with this so she would be able to have her staffs involvement and they in turn with participate to what she asks them to do. The second theme is â€Å"rhythmicity† which means that the self can limit or set the opportunity that emerges which can either be a way of moving or being apart from others. The nurse executive should know when or which opportunity to grab. These opportunities should be with the scope of its members and should also be within the patients needs. The concern should be base on the people in which he or she is in control of. The nurse executive cannot have a one way approach of addressing the needs of the administration because it may not coincide with the needs and understanding of the staffs, it is better that they are both able to acknowledge their concerning by having two way system. The executive listen to the ideas of the members as the members do the same with regards to the ideas of the executive. The third theme is â€Å"transcendence† which means that one must be able to cope up with the changes that are on going and would be able to stand out in it. A nurse executive should be open to change and is open for improvements whether it is regarding the attitudes and behavior or the organizational structure of the administration. She or he as well should be open for this change because in order for her to be an effective leader the change should start from her in order for her members to that too. Decentralized management is the type of structure that enables the nurse executive to have a greater collaborative effort, increased competency of the staff and ultimately a greater sense of professional accomplishment and satisfaction. The decision making is move by the nurse executive to the manager going to the staff. It is important that as a nurse executive she or he would be able to voice out the concern of his or her member in order to have a centralized decision making. The nursing administration is very much dependent on the roles of this nurses that is why the role of the nurse as an advocate is important in order to motivate the staffs and involve them to health care innovations that would help improve the quality of nursing care. As a leader it is important that she would be able to identify the process that needs to be improved. Set her vision and mission that her members could be able to understand, and she could easily facilitate on. In order for them to act she should be able to provide the needed materials and methods in order to carry out the tasks and solve problems. As a leader she should be able not only to carry out the task but carry it out on herself as well, a good leader knows and shows how things could be done. It is important that despite the hardships and differences each one has a good leader and advocate of health should encourage her members in promoting and improving the quality of health care delivery. References: Executives, A. O. O. T. N. (2007). Nurse Executive. 2007, from http://www.nursesource.org/executive.html Theory.com, R. (2007). Human Becoming Theory. Perry, P. (2001). Fundamentals of nursing 6th edition: Mosby Inc.    How to cite Leadership concept, Essay examples

Marketing Mix for Apple Watch Edition - myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about theMarketing Mix for Apple Watch Edition. Answer: Apple is the multinational company that deals with technological products such as mobile phones, MacBooks, iPods etc. it is the company that is headquartered at California. The company has started its operation in 1976 by selling personal computers as their first products type. After struggling to so many years, the company has made its position to what it is today. the company has high products range but the most popular products these days which is talked about the most in recent times is watch that is Apple watch (Hitt, Ireland and Hoskisson, 2012). Apple watch is the very smart watch that was officially announced in the year of 2014 but released in April 2015. Apple watches are the very unique products among all the products offerings by Apple. There are three different models that are present in the market for Apple watch that are Apple Watch, Apple watch edition and Apple watch sports. Target market for Apple Watch: Target market is that segment of the market that has been selected by the company in order to market its products. First of all, the company that segments that market as per the characteristics of the customers and then target the segment that is most relevant to the products that the company is offering (Boone and Kurtz, 2013). As far as Apple is considered, it has been analysed that the company is serving large of products to the customers but Apple watch is the product that requires the company to target a particular market as it is not a generalized product used by everyone. There are different basis on which the market has been segmented and thus each segment of the market from each of the division needs to be targeted. Loyalty: it has been analysed that Apple has many loyal customers and the company focuses on targeting those customers only. This is because they know that they have the capability to retain the customers. As the Apple watch can be liked to iPhone and thus the company can target the iPhone users to sell the watches. Geography: Target market on the basis of geography includes the elements such as region and density (De Wit and Meyer, 2010). As far as the region is considered, it has been analysed that Apple is targeting the market of developing as well as developed countries. The more market of the company is in developed countries only. In terms of density, it has been analysed that the company wants to serve the urban market with its products that is Apple Watch. Demography: In terms of demography, the segments are made on the basis of age, gender, lifestyle, income and occupation. It has been analysed that the target market for Apple watch in terms of age is 25-45. Males and females both are targeted (Heracleous, 2013). It has been analysed that Apple is the brand that is considered as the status symbol for the people and thus the people with high lifestyle and standards are majorly targeted by the company. In terms of occupation, the people who are professionals or are at material positions tends to but the products more. This is because these people have high income and the products of Apple are highly priced. Lifestyle and behaviour: The behaviour of the customers is also a criterion on which the company focuses on. It has been analysed that Apple wants to serve it loyal customers and do not focus on serving the different market range (Akana, et al. 2016). They just want to enhance the customer loyalty so that their customers cannot go anywhere. Positioning: Watch market: The market of smart watch is enhancing rapidly with high pace. It has been analysed that many brands are entering this industry such as Google, Samsung, etc. it is the industry that provides the market with high technology products that are used by a particular type of segment. Unique positioning of Apple watches: As far as the positioning strategy of the company is considered, it has been analysed that the Apple watch when launched first was positioned as the product for need. But as far as the new series of Apple Watch 2 is considered, this product is positioned as the style statement. Tim Cook suggested that Apple Watch can be wore whole day as it is newly designed to be a style statement. The two major words that are being used to position the new version of watches are style and taste. When the 1st series of the watches was launched, it was launched with a meaning of showing health and fitness details but now the series has been positioned as the style statement watch that also benefits the customers to have health and fitness details along with time description of course. Early adopters have used the products but it has been analysed that the mass that has been set for the products has not yet achieved by the company. Marketing mix of Apple watch: Product: The product that needs to discuss in this case is Apple watch. It is the watch that comes in different variations. Apple watch is the watch that performs multiple functions. It provides the customers with the benefits of having health and fitness details in their watch. It can link to the iPhone and the message and calls can be attended by watch only. The 2nd series of the watch also provides the benefit of being stylish (Raphan and Friedman, 2014). This is because the products have been positioned as the style statement among the customers. Apple watch has software installed in it that allows the customers to connect their phones to the watch. As far as series 1 of the watches is considered, it has some features like dual core variety and S1 processor while series 2 have S2 processor. Price: Apple watch is the products that are very convenient and functional. It is the product that is launched by Apple to be worn and not to be carried. It is providing many benefits to the customers and is high quality products (Jeyarajah, 2015). Because of high quality and range of functions, it is realized by the company that the providing strategy that needs to be sued is premium pricing. Prices are very high as compared to the competitor brands that have launched the similar products. High pricing or premium providing strategy allow the company to earn more profits and also helps the company to justify its positioning as the premium brand and the products as the style statement (Berthon, Pitt, Plangger and Shapiro, 2012). Even though the price of the products is high but the company has the confidence on its loyal customers that they will but their products. The brand name of the company and its quality is the competitive advantage for the company. Place: Apple is the international brand. The company serves the customers serves the customers in almost all over the world. The brand includes a very strong network and the distribution system that supports the company to deliver the product to the market. At the initial days of the launch of Apple watch the products was not available on the stores of Apple (Graham, 2008). The customer who wants to buy the products has to order the products from the online website. The individual has to call for an executive to install and fix the watch and provide the demo to how to use the watch (Dishman and Calof, 2008). Later one, the company found that it is very difficult process to be conducted and thus the company make changes in their distribution process. The company has selected different distribution network. The company deliver the Apple watch selected pieces through the Apple exclusive stores in the big cities of different countries and through some premium class retailers. Now the products a re available in almost all the stores. The company is also selling its products through website as well. Different mediator websites such as Flipkart, Myntra, and Amazon also sell the Apple products now. This has increased the reach of the customers to the products and also the availability of the products. Promotion: Promotion activities for the company are very important. This is because only launching the products is not enough (Danaher, Hardie and Putsis Jr, 2001). The products need to be marketed as well so that the products can be reached to the customers and the market gets aware of the existence of the products. In case of Apple, it has been analysed that the company not only market the products after its launch but also market the products before launching it into the market. Apple is the brand that is already very popular among the high class customers. It is the brand that positioned itself as the premium brand that is style statement of the people these days. Apple uses many types of advertising techniques in order to market the products like Apple watch. Some of the promotional activities of the company are: Advertising: the company use this method to market Apple watch through different media; advertising is the method that helps the company to show the visual or audio message to the customers regarding the products through different media (Fan, Lau and Zhao, 2015). It helps the company to be reminded by the people and also provide higher reach in the market. The company use the medium such as television and print media to post the ads in order to market Apple watch. Ad posted in Vogue magazine. Sales promotion: Sales promotion is also the method that has been used by Apple to sell Apple watch. The people at the Apple store are so much educated with the knowledge of technology and the features of the products that they can easily convince the customers to buy the products. This is strategy of sales promotion (Grewal, et al. 2014). Public relations: It has been analysed that the company also focuses on making public relation by conducting public campaigns that allow the firm to introduce the new products and its features before the launch of the products (Peattie and Peters, 1997). It has been seen that the customers wait for the launch of the products by Apple because the company make so much of pre promotion before the launch which makes the products already popular. This suggests that the customers are very much eager to use the products by Apple. Recommendations: Although Apple is doing great in the market and with the customers, but there is still some of the scope left for the company, where the company can improve its practices so that the customer value can be enhanced. Some of the recommendations for the company are discussed below: It has been analysed that the products of the company such as Apple watches facing some of the system problems after the update. This may be because of the bugs that are found in the updates. The company release the updates so frequently n their system that they remains with many bugs which can cause problem to the devices, the company should concentrate on making the system updates that are bugs free so that the device of the people does not get affected after doing the update (Shostack, 1977). This helps the company to develop more customers value as most of the customers are facing such issues. Pricing of the products that they company provide is very high as compared to the problem while the products or the Apple watch is not that much high in the quality. If the watches of other brands are considered they are also providing the same features with low prices (Chrysochou, 2010). Thus, customers find it easy to buy those products of other brands rather than Apple. Apple is just becoming the status symbol and losing the trust of the customers. It has been analysed that the company should lower the rice so that more of the customers of middle class and also buy the products. References Akana, J., Andre, B.K., Aoyagi, S., Ashcroft, A.M., Bataillou, J., Coster, D.J., De Iuliis, D., Dye, A.C., Hankey, M.E., Hoenig, J. and Howarth, R.P., 2016.Electronic device with graphical user interface. U.S. Patent D756,357. Berthon, P.R., Pitt, L.F., Plangger, K. and Shapiro, D., 2012. Marketing meets Web 2.0, social media, and creative consumers: Implications for international marketing strategy.Business horizons,55(3), pp.261-271. Boone, L.E. and Kurtz, D.L., 2013.Contemporary marketing. Cengage learning. Chrysochou, P., 2010. Food health branding: The role of marketing mix elements and public discourse in conveying a healthy brand image.Journal of Marketing Communications,16(1-2), pp.69-85. Danaher, P.J., Hardie, B.G. and Putsis Jr, W.P., 2001. Marketing-mix variables and the diffusion of successive generations of a technological innovation.Journal of Marketing Research,38(4), pp.501-514. De Wit, B. and Meyer, R., 2010.Strategy: Process, content, context. Cengage Learning EMEA. Dishman, P.L. and Calof, J.L., 2008. Competitive intelligence: a multiphasic precedent to marketing strategy.European Journal of Marketing,42(7/8), pp.766-785. Fan, S., Lau, R.Y. and Zhao, J.L., 2015. Demystifying big data analytics for business intelligence through the lens of marketing mix.Big Data Research,2(1), pp.28-32. Graham, H., 2008.Marketing strategy and competitive positioning. Pearson Education India. Grewal, D., Levy, M., Mathhew, S., Harrigan, P. and Bucic, T., 2014. Marketing, North Ryde, N.S.W. Heracleous, L., 2013. Quantum strategy at Apple Inc.Organizational Dynamics,42(2), pp.92-99. Hitt, M.A., Ireland, R.D. and Hoskisson, R.E., 2012.Strategic management cases: competitiveness and globalization. Cengage Learning. 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Othello- Iago Essays - Othello, Iago, Michael Cassio, Emilia

Othello- Iago As villain in Shakespeare's play Othello, Iago has two main actions. They are to plot and to deceive. Iago hates Othello for two reasons. He believes that Othello made love to his wife, and Iago is mad that Cassio was chosen to be Lieutenant instead of himself. From this hate comes the main conflict of the play. Iago plans to ruin Othello by carrying out a plan based on lies and deceit. This plan will make Iago the only person that Othello believes he can trust, and Iago will use this trust to manipulate Othello. First, Iago plans to remove Cassio from his position as lieutenant so that he himself take over Cassio's position as confidant and Lieutenant to Othello. Then Iago hopes to convince Othello that Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair. If Iago's plan unfolds properly, he will be granted the revenge that he believes he deserves. Iago's plan and his motives are disclosed through a series three of conversations. He speaks with Roderigo twice and Cassio once. These three conversations show how Iago manipulates others to gain his own ends, and they also give motives for Iago's behavior. The conversations all follow the same pattern. Iago first speaks with Roderigo and Cassio to forward his plan, and then Iago has a soliloquy in which he discusses his motives. Iago states that the reasons for his hate are that Othello slept with Emilia and Cassio was chosen to be Othello's Lieutenant. However, Iago's actions lead to ends that do not revenge his given motives. Coleridge calls Iago's actions the motive-hunting of a motiveless malignity . In other words, Iago's only reason for destroying Othello is that Iago is an inherently bad person. The conversations that Iago has with Roderigo and Cassio show that Iago invents reasons for his actions against Othello, so that his own selfish ends can be met. Iago's first dialog with Roderigo serves as an introduction to Iago's plan. In this scene the reader learns that Roderigo is in love with Desdemona, because he threatens to drown himself when he learns that Othello and Desdemona are engaged. Uses Roderigo's weakness to help him remove Cassio from his lieutenant position. Iago tells Roderigo to put money in thy purse (333) . Iago believes that Othello and Desdemona will not be together for a very long time since Othello is a Moor and Desdemona is an aristocrat. Iago urges Roderigo to earn money now so that he can be an eligible suitor when Desdemona is looking for another husband. This conversation and the soliloquy following it introduce the two different sides of Iago. Iago tells Roderigo what he wants to hear in order to enlist his help. However, in the following soliloquy the reader is introduced to what Iago really has planned. He states that he would never associate with someone like Roderigo except to gain his own ends. Thus do I ever make my fool my purse--/ For I mine own gained knowledge should profane/ If I would time expand with such a snipe/ But for my sport and profit (365-368). Iago feels that Roderigo is a foolish man who exists only for Iago's use or sport. This idea a strengthened by the word snipe. The Arden Shakespeare defines snipe as fool (p. 159) and states that the word meant gull or dupe (p. 159) before Shakespeare. These definitions emphasize the fact that Iago feels no respect for Roderigo and is manipulating Roderigo only to further his plan. In the same speech, Iago's real plan is revealed only to the audience. Iago wants to convince Othello that Cassio and Desdemona are in love. They are the two people that Othello trusts, and if Othello believes that they have turned on him, this will lead to his downfall. Iago plans to tell Othello that Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair. Cassio is a ladies man, and Iago believes that Cassio's charm makes women fall in love with him. Iago will make the innocent flirtations of Cassio and Desdemona seem like secret love to Othello. After some time to abuse Othello's ears/ That he is too familiar with his wife/ He hath a person and a smooth dispose/

Commentary on an extract from the Idea of Perfection Essays

Commentary on an extract from the Idea of Perfection Essays Commentary on an extract from the Idea of Perfection Paper Commentary on an extract from the Idea of Perfection Paper This extract from The Idea of Perfection by Kate Grenville represents Kates simple idea of perfection, which is that things dont have to be perfect as in flawless, and everything has it bad side. However, perfect in giving a satisfying feeling, also pureness and originality with the flaws. Thus the writer uses the bridge as a symbol to present her idea. This idea is portrayed through contrast, the presentation of the character and the setting, diction and imagery. The feelings of satisfaction and complete acceptance are the main feeling that readers can sense from the extract. These feelings are greatly recognized through the use of diction and imagery used in presenting the character and the setting. The description dictions such as humble, apologetic look, clumsy thing, and simple joints, helps to send the readers a modest and humble image of the setting, not a flawless image. Making the readers imagine the setting as pure and natural. Also the character is presented as a natural person, unsure of her self, not a perfect person; just by making the character realize how ridiculous she is, helps the readers to relate to the characters situation of looking back and judging ones self. Also the situation where the character draw the bridge more than once, gives a feeling that the character is not perfect and cant draw everything perfectly as they look. The purpose of making everything from the character to the setting not perfect, yet in a satisfying way, aids the writer to build her main idea of perfection. The major factor in building the writers idea is also the contrast used through the extract. The contrast of dark and light, shadow and light, are intended to represent bad and good, meaning that there is no such thing as perfect, because then we have to disregard the shadow. Also the use of contrast and opposing ideas shows that there is always wrong and right. Thus the whole idea of using contrast was intended by the writer to show that there is always another side to everything. The writer focuses on the bridge to also attempt to portray her idea through it. As the first look and description of the bridge contradicts the examining look later, the writer uses this contradiction to express her feeling of satisfaction and comfort in this simple, yet complicated structure, color and texture of the bridge. Thus detailing her description of the little minor things that make this complicated bridge, expressing her fascination towards these satisfying interplays of the bridge. Such dictions that support this fact are fitted together in a satisfying way, that drew the eye. Also the imagery that accompanied the bridge and it descriptions, like color imagery and simile helped in revealing how intrigued the writer was towards the bridge, especially in lines (32-40). The writers fascination towards the bridge is used as a mean to make the readers relate to a moment of realization where even though things are flawed, they can still generate a simple feeling of satisfaction and acceptance. The extract is purely just an idea of the writers, that introduces a new look at perfection, flawed perfection. Flawed perfection is what humans are all about; we are perfectly humans with our flaws; and this flawed perfection gives us acceptance to who we are, makes us natural and human. The writer could just simply relate this idea to everyday life things; however, it cant be detached from the idea that flawed perfection is what keeps us intrigued, interesting and natural. Thus the writer uses the fact that flawed perfection in intriguing, yet natural, in other words complicated, yet simple; to build her novel.

Business Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Business Planning - Essay Example The plan on Brian’s book barn should include young people on its managerial team. The two managers have experience and relevant training but cannot understand the current market perfectly. For example, there is a proposal that the major market for their books and magazines will be children and parents. The plan should also include services from the book barn. The current ones will not appeal to the modern teenager who is interested in modern phenomena. There should be reductions of books and magazines that have less fascinating topics to the contemporary person. There could be improvements if the plan on the book barn had fewer objectives. Fewer objectives for any business plan make businesses more practical because it proves that management can handle the fulfillment of the same objectives. The plan on the salon business could be effective if it were comprehensive in its mention of the capital of the entire business. The management should make research that is more intensive than the one it made on basics of salon business. The research will facilitate better knowledge of salon trends that is necessary for the preparation of a perfect business plan. The plan should also ensure that there is the evident reflection of most of its funding. This will facilitate the easy realization of any aspects that would compromise on the success of the entire salon business. Business plans present relevant summaries of their respective businesses. If people wish to establish businesses, they must hire professional to help them.

Potential Liability on Cross-site Scripting Essay

Potential Liability on Cross-site Scripting - Essay Example These high level management personalities of diverse disciplines, howsoever trustworthy, cannot digress from their own responsibilities to justifiably oversee such crucial and important functional branch as online security. The insurance industry has solid customer base and vast financial inputs. Online security must be exclusively handled by security experts just like operations, program development and network operations are handled by experts in these fields. Otherwise the industry could become an easy target of ceaseless and relentless attacks of malevolent hackers spread all over the globe. The managers of the three disciplines meet only twice annually as the security management committee to co-ordinate security developments and plans. This step-motherly treatment to security could prove to be counterproductive and expensive in the long run. Other potential liabilities the company needs to address are risks arising from high volume of online interactions and transactions with clients. When clients forget their username and/or password, they are required to answer a challenge question to retrieve the information by email. If anyone can forget username and/or password there is no guarantee they are likely to remember challenge questions and answers. Ideally, the company must provide clients with passwords. (Case Information) Recommendation on the immediate handling of the XSS threat to LIB The first and foremost action recommended is employ full time security consultant and fix responsibilities inclusive of the XSS threat to LIB. The immediate next step is to make clients aware of the XSS risk and educate them on the course of action they need to bear in mind and act upon whenever browsing LIB website. The operations manager, program development manager and network operations manager must continue to maintain vigilance in security matters and report unusual occurrences to the security department/consultant. These three management entities must coordinate with security on daily or at least on weekly basis. (The Cross Site Scripting (XSS) FAQ) Recommendations on improvement in the management of security at LIB Having a separate entity to handle online security issues at LIB is the ideal decision and the first step to address risks to the overall business. The company can further improve its online security concerns by maintaining high alert on offline areas as well. A systematic reward scheme must be put in place for those providing information and alerts on unusual online movements. The company must also have its own discreet methods to test its security system by using tactics such as sting operations periodically in top secrecy. The company must also keep itself abreast on hackers' modus operandi and the susceptibilities and vulnerabilities of the online insurance industry. As a standard measure, every company using online business systems and network will ostensibly possess security technologies applicable to its sphere of operation and guard the interests of its clients and its own by routing online communications by encrypting, scrambling and decoding

Prerogative Has Been Abused Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Prerogative Has Been Abused - Essay Example It is not surprising thus to witness managers terminating employees for any reason they deem fit, sometimes basing their decisions on pure discrimination and ‘whistle-blowing’. This largely creates conflict in the workplace (Price, 2007). A number of reports indicate that a good number of managers exhibit harassment to their subordinates, some sexual in nature. No wonder, a number of acts and pieces of legislations, the world over, prohibit discriminatory harassment including sexual harassment (Frankaro, 2007). The other area where managers seem to overstep their boundaries is in management of customer relationship and employee interaction. Related to this is placing bottlenecks of employees’ communication with clients and sometimes within themselves, tailored around the ‘ebb and flow’ of communication as defined by the management. Sometimes, managers consciously or unconsciously inhibit the flow of communication between workers to promote witch-hunti ng and cause incitement. Most of them are not cognizant of the fundamental requirement associated with this and sometimes base their fear and defensive action on their insecurities and inferiority complex (Gollan, 2005). Actions of some employers represented by the managers are de-motivating to employees. Micro-management is an issue that many employees detest. The practice sometimes arises from the concern of most managers to have particulars mini-details, and pressure to deliver results within a particular unreasonable timeline (Gennard, 2006). Much as it has been argued that micromanagement is effective to bring lazy and procrastinating employees into action, oftentimes, micromanagements could be based on pure inferiority complex and other set of insecurities or as a strategy to dismiss an employee. In order... The managers-subordinate relationship can be described as good and bad. Employees are tired of being bullied at the work-place and micromanagement does more evil than good. The solution for improvement, however, lies in managers taking a step to enhancing the cordial relationship. The delegation of duties is very important. These will facilitate a highly productive and warmer workplace that ensures employees recognition and positive sanctioning. The other way certainly is facilitating regular meetings between employees and managers, as well ensuring that communication between the two is promoted. employees become timid in taking initiatives and making sacrifices since they feel that whatever they do is not positively sanctioned. To the Manager, walling-up, and shutting-down his effort becomes the order of the day since she/he will harbor the belief that no one listens. Interestingly, behaviors of managers such bullying has led to incidences of physical confrontations and violence in the workplace. Bernadi, for example, reports a case a high profile violence of one Pierre Lebrun, who was working at OC Transport in Ottawa, Mexico, where the employee shot people, with five of them reportedly dying, and him ultimately committing suicide.

Study on stress management for teachers in Malaysia

Study on stress management for teachers in Malaysia Teaching is one of the most stressful jobs in Malaysia. The talk on Stress Management for Teachers (Kolej Disted-Stamford news, 23 February 2008) declared that teaching is a challenging profession and hence, teachers could do with learning how to de-stress to maintain good health and high spirits.  There are two main sources of stress which affect teachers; heavy workload and students problem. Nowadays, a teachers duty is multifaceted as they undertake not only teaching but also matters associated with curriculum, students, parents, the school community as well as departmental initiatives. Another key point to note, the success of the newly launched National Education Blueprint has given a big impact on the development of the schools and teachers themselves. This plan is expected to produce intellectual students who are able to collect information and acquire knowledge and skills, instead of purely memorizing knowledge. Education system should cater to the needs of all students; smart, mediocre, weak or disabled. The success of the National Education Blueprint depends on the teachers ability, quality, skills and effectiveness in educating students. Teachers are required to have proficient skills in teaching and educating students to fulfill the governments aspiration in providing world class education. As a result of this new system, married female teachers may face an increase in workload which will in turn affect their work performance as well as their psychological well-being. According to Smylie (1999), These are tough times being a teacher (p. 59). Ewing and Smith (2003) reported that between 25% and 40% of beginning teachers in the Western World countries are leaving teaching or facing burnout syndrome. Over the past ten years, many researchers focused on the effect of work overload on work-family conflict. Generally, they found that high levels of work overload led to higher levels of work-family conflict (WFC). From a personal perspective, {suggested that the demands that employees have to fulfil considering their resources namely time and emotions to devote to work with less devote to their families.} work demands require employees to devote more resources namely time and emotions to work, leaving them with fewer resources to devote to their families. Greenhaus and Beutell (1985) define work-family conflict as a type of inter-role conflict in which role pressures from work and family are mutually incompatible. That is, work demands are not compatible with family demands (Allen, Herst, Bruck, and Sutton, 2000). Allen et al. (2000) reviewed the relationship between work-family conflict and (a) work-related outcomes, (b) non-work-related outcomes, (c) stress-related outcomes and generally found significant relationships across these areas. They concluded that work-family conflict has important personal and organizational consequences. It is important to note that the early research on multiple roles focused almost on women, particularly on women who occupied the roles of wife, mother, and employee. The multiple roles of women may affect the well-being of the family such as the husband, children and including the wife herself. Conflict occurs when a family is unable to cope with this multiples roles effectively and the result has been found to affect work satisfaction and psychological well-being (Greenhaus and Beutell, 1985; Loscocco and Roschelle, 1991; Phelan et al., 1991). In order to maintain the health and success of teachers and schools, greater understanding of WFC is fundamental. Consequently, the influence of WFC in the prediction of psychological well-being is receiving increasing attention (e.g., ODriscoll, Brough, and Kalliath, 2004). This has led to an increment in the number of occupational stress researchers as well as WFC variables in their estimates of both individual health and work performance (Brough O Driscoll, 2005). Research suggests that an individuals self-efficacy in a specific domain provides information regarding how the individual perceive and cope with challenges. In the case of managing conflict that inevitably arise between personal and professional responsibilities, assessing work-family conflict efficacy may provide a unique perspective on what might ultimately help to reduce the negative outcomes namely decrease in life and job satisfaction that are associated with work-family conflict. Understanding how self-efficacy function in the relationship between work-family conflict and these outcomes could bring about meaningful therapeutic measures for women experiencing work-family conflict. Self-efficacy is defined as, peoples judgments in their capabilities to organize and execute courses of action required to attain designated types of performance (p. 391). Bandura (1977) described self-efficacy as a key determinant of psychological change, choice of settings and activities, quality of performance in a specific domain, and level of persistence when one meets adverse or negative experiences. Having mentioned about efficacy, other predictors may also have significance in contributing to WFC and well-being. Religious coping and religiosity that have been found to affect health status positively, including overall morbidity and mortality, acute conditions, fatal ailments, pain and chronic illness (Levin, 1994). Religious belief has been perceived as one way of coping with conflict. The positive influence of religious certainty on well-being was found to be direct and substantial, whereby individuals with a strong religious faith reported higher levels of life satisfaction and greater personal happiness (Ellison, 1991), as well as lower levels of distress (Ross, 1990). Religious activities especially prayers are usually regarded as positive coping devices directed toward both the problem and personal growth (Folkman, Lazarus, Dunkel-Shetter, De Longis Gruis, 1986). Due to the insufficient of information on the psychological outcomes of combining work and family roles among Malaysian women, the present study is aimed at investigating the direct and indirect relationships between WFC efficacy, religious coping, WFC and well-being. The study hypothesized that the relationship between WFC efficacy, religious coping and well-being is mediated by WFC. Therefore, the proposed model hypothesized WFC to act as an intervening variable between WFC efficacy and religious coping and well-being among female teachers in Malaysia. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Changes in family structures are transforming the workplace while adjustments in parental work patterns are altering family life. Thus, there has been a dramatic increase in rates of paid employment globally among mothers with children. Research on WFC since the past 30 years has been fuelled by the growing proportion of employees who are dual-earner partners or single parents. As the number of working women with young children at home and dual-career households rise, so does the need for research and organizational attention towards potentially reducing stress due to WFC. Research to date suggests that high levels of work-family conflict are related to dysfunctional outcomes such as life dissatisfaction, anxiety, depression, and poor health in individual, increased interpersonal conflict and divorce in relationships, and as for the organizations, namely absenteeism, tardiness and loss of talented employees. Besides that, The National Union of The Teaching Profession (NUTP) Secretary, General Lok Yim Pheng, in New Sunday Times, May 18, 2008, informed that teachers are overloaded with paper work and they are pressured to train students on how to answer examination questions. Teachers must always maintain the quality of their work, try to improve their productivity and acquire knowledge and skills to develop human capital in the globalized world. Moreover, teachers play an essential role in shaping a community as their products of educating efforts contribute to its functionality. These are the demands of teaching profession nowadays. Researchers have identified various stressors that may affect the psychological well-being of teachers and one of the stressor is workload that may lead to burnout. Although some researchers may argue that social status is one of the most important factors for psychological well-being (Bredemeier, 1979), it seems that excessive workload could impose an undue level of stress that is more serious than any other stressors. A large number of studies show that teachers are exposed to workload which results particularly in stress and strain. At least one third of teachers can be seen as suffering from extreme stress and/or burnout (e.g., Boyle, Borg, Falzon Baglioni, 1991; Friesen Sarros, 1989). Researchers have considered various unique antecedents to WFC (Greenhaus and Beutell, 1985; Frone, 1992). However, the role of personality factors on womens well-being, on the other hand, is less well documented. Only a few researchers have assessed the relationship between WFC efficacy and religious coping. For instance, Carlson (1999) found negative affectivity to be directly related to greater WIF conflict. There is a need to identify how WFC efficacy and religious coping can be linked with WFC and well-being in a causal relationship in the school setting. The present study uses the Structural Equation Model (SEM) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to examine relationships among two independent (exogenous) and dependent (endogenous) variables simultaneously in a causal framework. With regard to personal resources, why do some teachers succeed in being good teachers continuously enhancing students achievements, setting high goals for themselves and pursuing them persistently, while others fail to meet expectations imposed on them and tend to collapse under the burden of everyday stress? Based on this statement, the study examines the problem by investigating the influence of teachers WFC efficacy and religious coping on work-family conflict and well-being of female teachers in Malaysia. If teachers WFC efficacy and religious coping can be proven to reduce WFC among female teachers, it seems possible to increase teachers WFC efficacy and improve teachers coping style using religious approach which in turn may boost teachers well-being. Again, if WFC efficacy and religious coping are causally related to WFC as hypothesized, this relationship will reduce teachers WFC and increase teachers well-being respectively. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY In generally, this study serves the purpose to examine the impact of WFC efficacy and religious coping on WFC and well-being of secondary school teachers in Malaysia. To validate the instruments utilized in this study, the researcher adopted the two-step Structural Equation Modeling. Then, the researcher estimated the hypothesized relationships. The primary purpose of this research is to construct-validate the instrument to assess WFC of female teachers in Malaysia which are Work-family conflict (WFC), Work-family conflict efficacy (WFC efficacy) Religious coping (RC), Well-being (WB) consisted of Health (GHQ) and Job-Family Dissatisfaction (JFD). The study also estimates the relationships of WFC, WFC efficacy, RC and well-being of female teachers in Malaysia. RESEARCH QUESTIONS The following research questions are formulated to address the hypothesized relationships: 1. Are the constructs of work-family conflict, work-family conflict efficacy, religious coping and well-being valid and reliable? 2. Does work-family conflict efficacy directly influenced the well-being of female teachers in Malaysia? 3. Does work-family conflict efficacy indirectly influenced well-being via work-family conflict of female teachers in Malaysia? 4. Does religious coping directly influenced well-being of female teachers in Malaysia? 5. Does religious coping indirectly influenced well-being via work-family conflict of female teachers in Malaysia? Does teachers work-family conflict directly influenced by their well-being? Does WFC-efficacy and religious coping significantly correlated? THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK OF WORK-FAMILY CONFLICT The model of this study, which is derived from Frone et al., (1992), examines the interrelationships among the two predictors WFC efficacy and RC that may affect well-being directly and indirectly via work-family conflict. This research focuses on the variables that are considered vital to increase well-being and to reduce WFC. The hypothesized interrelationships and interdependency among these variables are presented in Figure 1. The model depicts four measurement models, labeled as efficacy accounted for the variability in WFC efficacy and FWC-efficacy. First, work-family conflict-efficacy (WFC efficacy) which acts as a predictor or an independent variable comprises work-family conflict efficacy (WFC efficacy) and family-work conflict efficacy (FWC efficacy) of work-family conflict and well-being. This type of personality may improve or increase ones well-being because it strongly affects a persons ability to do a task. Teachers WFC efficacy should aim at reducing teachers experiences with WFC aside from functioning as a personality booster. Thus, an individuals personality plays a role in the amount of work-family conflict that he or she experiences. The second latent variable, religious coping illustrates the underlying factors for positive religious/spiritual coping (POS RC) and negative religious/spiritual coping (NEG RC). In order for teachers to cope with work-family conflict, they need to choose an effective coping style. In this study, religious coping as a second predictor of WFC and well-being may have significant relationships with both dependents. It is certainly reasonable to argue that teachers who manage their religious coping well would most likely have less WFC and a better well-being. In addition, the relationship between the two constructs namely WFC efficacy and religious coping would covary. In other words, the researcher believes that the constructs are correlated, but does not assume that one construct is dependent upon another. This relationship is depicted by a two-headed arrow connection as shown in Figure 1. In the current study, WFC efficacy and religious coping will be tested as predictors of WFC and w ell-being. The third latent variable, WFC, represents the underlying factor for Work-interfering-with-family and Family-interfering-with-work. WFC occurs when participation in the work role and the family role is incompatible in some respect. Work-family conflict can arise from; 1) the time demands of one role that interfere with participation in the other role and; 2) the stress that originates in one role that spills over into the other role which, only detracts from the latters quality of life. As a result, participation in one role is made more difficult by virtue of participation in the other role. Individuals who invest more time or more psychological involvement in their work rather than their family experience the highest levels of work-to-family conflict and life stress, which ultimately reduce their quality of life. The fourth latent variable, well-being, accounts for the variability in General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and Job-Family Dissatisfaction (JFD) which is hypothesized to represent participants reported well-being. Thus, it is not what the situation offers but rather how we react to a situation that determines our well being. If work and family roles were imbalanced, conflict might occur which would eventually affect the well-being of a person. Effects will range from job-family dissatisfaction to health problems, which are viewed as psychological distress. Work-Family Conflict Efficacy H3 Well-being (distress job dissatisfaction Work-family Conflict (wif,fiw) H2 H7 H6 H3 Religious Coping H5 Figure 1 The Hypothesized Model of Work-family Conflict and Well-Being Note: Exogenous Construct: WFC efficacy; religious coping; WFC Endogenous Construct: WFC; well-being RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS In the hypothesized model, six hypotheses are tested to depict the relationships between work-family conflict and the three variables identified above. In the following discussion, each of these six hypotheses are identified and explained. The Reciprocal Relationship between Work-Family Conflict Efficacy, Work-Family Conflict and Well-Being Studies have shown that the personal resources that women bring with them into their roles explained more of the variance in reported strain symptoms than the role stressors alone (e.g. Amatea Fong, 1991). Self-efficacy in a particular domain has been indirectly and directly linked to outcomes in that domain. For instance, Lent, Brown and Hackett (1994) suggested that self-efficacy promotes academic and vocational outcomes, such as interest, choice and performance. The conservation of resources model proposes that individuals act to acquire and maintain a variety of resources, such as objects, energies, condition and personal characteristic. On the basis of these findings, the following hypotheses are proposed: H2 Those with high work-family conflict efficacy will portray increased well-being (low distress and low dissatisfaction) H3 The effects of work-family conflict efficacy on well-being are mediated by work-family conflict, such that those with high work-family conflict efficacy demonstrate less conflict which will leads to increased well-being (low distress and low dissatisfaction). The Reciprocal Relationship between Religious Coping, Work-family Conflict and Well-Being In recent years, a growing body of literature has explored the implications of religion and spirituality for various mental and physical health outcomes (Koenig 1994). Other findings have also indicated that various dimensions of religiousness and spirituality may enhance the subjective states of well-being (Ellison, 1991). A report by the Fetzer Institute (2003), stated that a few studies in the US show that the subjective beneficial effects of participating in religious services, prayer and Bible reading are primarily due to their role in strengthening religious belief and individuals who describe themselves as having a strong religious faith report being happier and more satisfied with their lives. Most recently, Lapierre and Allen (2006) had used conservation of resources model to study the different coping methods employed by individuals to avoid WFC. They found that some coping methods are more useful than others to help individuals gain or conserve resources. Thus, the followi ng hypotheses are proposed: H4 Those with high religious coping show increased well-being (low distress and low dissatisfaction). H5 The effects of religious coping on well-being are mediated by work-family conflict such that those with high religious coping portray less conflict which leads to increased well-being (low distress and low dissatisfaction) The Reciprocal Relationship between Work-Family Conflict and Well-Being Work-family conflict has been found to have a significant negative relationship with measured of psychological health rather than physical health (Mikkelsen Burke, 2004). Noor (2006) presented some selected research findings on work, family and womens well-being. The result showed that women were more strongly affected by the changes in their lives compared to men because even when employed they are still primarily responsible for the home and family. Role theory and spillover theory are the underpinning theories to explain the connection between WFC and well-being. Thus, the following hypothesis is proposed: H6 WFC negatively influences well-being. The Reciprocal Relationship between Work-Family Conflict Efficacy and Religious Coping Covary Judge, Erez and Bono (1998) suggested that self-efficacy has a strong influence on individuals, whether they adopt an optimistic or pessimistic coping style (Seligman Schulman, 1996). They suggested that those with high generalized self-efficacy believe in their ability to change bad situations. The type of coping strategy selected has been shown to be related to the experience of work-family strain and overall well-being. Researchers have also found that self-efficacy is linked to the effectiveness of coping (Anderson, 1977; Bandura, 1977). On the basis of these findings, the following hypothesis is proposed: H7 WFC efficacy and religious coping significantly correlated. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY This is a fundamental area of study for both researchers and practitioners, as more and more female teachers struggle having to take up with multiple roles in life being a wife, a parent and even a caretaker of elderly parents aside from her teaching profession. Teachers are the main doers in the process of forming a community and students are the products of teachers educating efforts. Due to the above basis, there are three important research areas that need focus namely; theory, methodology and practicality. Firstly, from the theoretical viewpoint, less attention is devoted to examine how WFC and well-being are indirectly related to efficacy and RC. The studies by Frone (2003) called for the examination of personality dispositions as antecedents of WFC. The role of personality factors on womens well-being, on the other hand, is less well documented. Carlson (1999) found negative affectivity to be directly related to greater WIF conflict. Although many studies on WFC involved nurses, managers, clericals, doctors, lawyers and engineers there were not many studies related to work and family conflict in the teaching profession. According to Kinicki et al.s (1996) review, the basic proposition which states that environmental and personality variables influence the choice of coping strategies, has been generally supported by empirical research, but the relationships between coping strategies and outcomes are inconsistent. Research on coping should address both the effects of coping on appraisal and strain as well as vice versa (Harris, 1991). It is vital to note that this study focus on the relationships between religious coping and work-family conflict and well-being. Furthermore, knowing how women deal with the realities of their conflicts rather than how they feel about them seems particularly important. Therefore it is of great interest to get a deeper knowledge of the antecedents/predictors of the teachers work-family conflict. Secondly, is/from the methodological component/perspective. There are inconsistent findings regarding the relationship between WFC and well-being. Due to this reason, this study also investigates the direct and indirect relationships concurrently. Apart from that, this study also examines WFC efficacy as a predictor of WFC due to the inconclusive findings related to efficacy and stress. In the current study, the researcher examines work-family conflict efficacy that may play an important role as a predictor of WFC in increasing teachers well-being. Unfortunately, not much is known about the relationships between WFC efficacy, religious coping, WFC and well-being in Malaysian studies. Thus, this study examines direct and indirect relationships between WFC, WFC efficacy, religious coping and well-being. By using Structural Equation Modeling, the direct and indirect relationships can be simultaneously tested. To achieve this purpose, the data are analyzed using Confirmatory Factor Analy sis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Additionally, there is only few research on WFC among teachers in the Malaysian population utilizing SEM. The result of the study would substantiate understanding about the phenomenon of work-family conflict in teacher population with the use of SEM. Thirdly, in practicality, it is important to study WFC and the psychological well-being of female school teachers. Studies has indicated that many teachers are incapable of juggling their professional and family roles effectively (Elbaz-Lubisch, 2002; Spencer, 1986). Teachers in Ackers study (1992) clearly thought that the combination roles of being a teacher and a mother were not at all convenient. Job satisfaction and teaching competence are important variables in regard to teachers continuity in the profession. For instance, studies by Certo and Fox (2002) indicated that job satisfaction in teaching was associated with aspects such as workplace conditions, administrative control, and organizational culture. It also touched on how teachers felt about their own competencies like teaching accomplishments and their general feelings coming to work. When teacher satisfaction was examined by Scott and Dinham (2003), they found that it was influenced by students achievement and personal e fficacy. Hence, it may be plausible to argue that a teachers well-being is influenced by job satisfaction and competence plus, reduced well-being associated with work may lead to stress that will in turn affect job performance. This study hopes to contribute to the importance of the relationships between WFC, WFC efficacy, religious coping and well-being of female teachers. Work-family problems, if they are not effectively managed, will not only affect individuals and their families, but also adversely affect their employers and ultimately the society at large. Hence, the responsibility for developing and implementing effective ways to reduce work-family interference and increase development should be shared by organizations, individuals and their families, as well as policy-makers. This study may also assist the policy-makers and administrators to implement intervention strategies aimed at managing teachers WFC, if possible reducing their workload. Additionally, practitioners are interested in the extent to which various interventions like family-friendly policies and programs, and the supportiveness of the work-family culture would actually reduce employees work-family role conflict. They are also interested in how this can have significant impact on a number of work, family and personal outcomes, as mentioned above. Therefore, future research should be aimed at examining the effectiveness of such interventions. LIMITATION OF THE STUDY First, limiting the generalizability of current findings, even though the sample represents the organizations population, they were female. Secondly, the disadvantage of using a survey method is that it influence the willingness of individuals to respond accurately. Finally, the present study is clearly limited by the cross-sectional nature of the research. DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY This study focused only on married female secondary school teachers in the District of Hulu Langat in Selangor. This sample size was limited to only those who were in one district in one state. The researcher controlled the influence of participants marital status, number of children, working experience on WFC and level of institutions (secondary schools) that were expected to have high significant levels of conflict between work and family roles. The presence of children within the home has been identified as a factor that affects conflict. Regarding the influence children have on work and family conflict, research has suggested that FWC and WFC are exacerbated by the number of children living within the home (Kinnunen Mauno, 1998; Voydanoff, 1988). This research also included in-depth open-ended interviews to further explore the mechanisms that explain teachers WFC. DEFINITION OF THE OPERATIONAL KEY TERMS For the purpose of this study, the key terms or constructs under the study are operationally defined as follow, with some elaborations on the definitions. Work-Family Conflict Work-family conflict has been defined as a form of inter-role conflict in which pressures from work and family roles are incompatible (Greenhaus Beutell, 1985). For instance, when one devotes extra time and energy into one role, the other role is compromised. This study defines work-family conflict according to Netemeyer et al., (1996, p. 401) as a form of inter-role conflict in which the general demands of, time devoted to and strain created by the job interfere with performing family-related responsibilities. Work-Family Conflict Efficacy Work-family conflict efficacy is defined as an individuals beliefs in her or his ability to manage work-family and family-work conflict (Cinamon, 2003). In this study, work-family conflict efficacy refers to the perceptions of self-efficacy to manage work-family conflict and family-work conflict. Self-efficacy was theoretically defined in this study as self-regulatory efficacy, which is a specific type of perceived self-efficacy. The given attainment in this study was à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Bandura (1997) defined a specific type of self-efficacy, self-regulatory efficacy, as the ability to guide and motivate oneself to get things done that one knows how to do. The issue is not whether one can do them occasionally but whether one has the efficacy to get oneself to do them regularly in the face of varied dissuading (p.43). Religious Coping Various definitions of coping have been proposed, including coping as a psychoanalytic process; as a personal trait, style or disposition; as a description of situationally specific strategies; and as a process. In this study, coping in the context of religious approach is used. Thus, religious coping is defined as dealing with life effectively within the search for significance towards the sacred (Pargament, 1997). Religious coping includes a positive and negative religious/spiritual coping factor that reflects benevolent religious involvement in the search for significance and a negative factor that reflects religious struggle in coping. Well-being Kathryn Dianne (2009) argued that employee well-being consists of subjective well-being (life satisfaction and dispositional affect), workplace well-being (job satisfaction and work-related affect) and psychological well-being (self acceptance, positive relations with others, environmental mastery, autonomy, purpose in life and personal growth). In this study well-being refers to symptoms of psychological distress and job-family dissatisfaction. Symptoms of psychological distress Goldberg (1978) has identified symptoms of psychological distress through somatic and affective of distress. Job-Family Dissatisfaction Job-family dissatisfaction refers to a respondents perception of negative spillover from his or her work to family (Small Riley, 1990), for example the negative impact of a respondents work demands or stressors on her marital and parental roles. Mediator Mediators are intervening variables, which could explain why relationships exist. Mediation exists when an exogenous construct indirectly influences an endogenous construct via a third variable or construct. That is, the effect of a third variable or construct (mediator) intervenes between two other related constructs. In this study, work-family conflict functions as a mediator. SUMMARY Chapter one is organized into nine sections. The first section presents the background of the study, followed by the statement of problem and purpose of the study. To achieve the purpose of the study, several research questions have been formulated and explained more on the conceptual framework part, a set of relationships (work-family conflict efficacy, religious coping, work-family conflict and well-being) in a path diagram is depicted. Sixth, on the basis of

Relationship between Greeks and Gods in Hippolytus :: Hippolytus Essays

Relationship between Greeks and Gods in Hippolytus  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      The play Hippolytus by the Greek playwright Euripides is one which explores classical Greek religion.   Throughout the play, the influence of the gods on the actions of the characters is evident, especially when Aphrodite affects the actions of Phaedra.   Also central to the plot is the god-god interactions between Artemis and Aphrodite.   In this essay, I hope to provide answers to how the actions of Hippolytus and Phaedra relate to the gods, whether or not the characters concern themselves with the reaction of the gods to their behavior, what the characters expect from the gods, how the gods treat the humans, and whether or not the gods gain anything from making the humans suffer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Before we can discuss the play, however, a few terms need to be defined.   Most important would be the nature of the gods.   They have divine powers, but what exactly makes the Greek gods unique should be explored.   The Greek gods, since they are anthropomorphic, have many of the same characteristics as humans.   One characteristic of the gods which is apparent is jealousy.   Aphrodite seems to be jealous of Artemis because Hippolytus worships Artemis as the greatest of all gods, while he tends to shy away from worshipping Aphrodite (10-16).   This is important because it sets in motion the actions of the play when Aphrodite decides to get revenge on Hippolytus.   The divine relationship between the gods is a bit different, however.   Over the course of the play, Artemis does not interfere in the actions of Aphrodite, which shows that the gods, while divine, do have restrictions; in this case, it shows the gods cannot interfere with each other. (1328-1330)   The gods are sometimes evil and revengeful, though, as can seen by what Artemis has to say about Aphrodite: "I'll wait till she loves a mortal next time, and with this hand - with these unerring arrows I'll punish him." (1420-1422)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The relationship of mankind and the gods also needs to be discussed. This relationship seems to be a sort of give-and-take relationship, in part.   The Greeks believed that if they gave to the gods, through prayer and sacrifices, that the gods would help them out.   This is especially true of Hippolytus and his almost excessive worship of Artemis.   Also, Theseus praying to his father Poseidon is another example of this, only

Spirit Bound Chapter Twenty-Six

MAYBE IT WAS SOMEONE'S SICK sense of humor, but I ended up in Dimitri's now-vacated cell. I had come quietly after that guardian laid the charges before me. In fact, I'd become comatose because too much of what he'd said was impossible to process. I couldn't even really get to the part about me. I couldn't feel outrage or indignation over the accusation because I was still stuck on the part about Tatiana being dead. Not just dead. Murdered. Murdered? How had that happened? How had that happened around here? This Court was one of the most secure places in the world, and Tatiana in particular was always guarded–by the same group that had descended on Dimitri and me so quickly. Unless she'd left Court–and I was pretty sure she hadn't–no Strigoi could have killed her. With the constant threats we faced, murder among dhampirs and Moroi was almost unheard of. Sure, it happened. It was inevitable in any society, but with the way ours was hunted, we rarely had time to turn on each other (shouting in Council meetings aside). That was part of why Victor had been so condemned. His crimes were about as bad as things got. Until now. Once I got past the impossible idea of Tatiana being dead, I was able to ask the real question: Why me? Why were they accusing me? I was no lawyer, but I was pretty sure calling someone a sanctimonious bitch was not hard evidence in a trial. I tried getting more details from the guards outside my cell, but they remained hard-faced and silent. After making my voice hoarse from shouting, I slumped onto the bed and went to Lissa's mind, where I was certain I'd get more information. Lissa was frantic, trying to get answers from anyone she could. Christian was still with her, and they stood inside the foyer of one of the administrative buildings, which was filled with a flurry of activity. Dhampirs and Moroi alike ran everywhere, some frightened of this new government instability and others hoping to take advantage of it. Lissa and Christian stood in the midst of it all, like leaves swept along in a storm's fury. While Lissa was now technically an adult, she had still always been under the wing of some older person at Court–usually Priscilla Voda, and occasionally even Tatiana. Neither of them was available now, for obvious reasons. While many royals respected her, Lissa had no real source to turn to. Seeing her agitation, Christian clasped her hand. â€Å"Aunt Tasha will know what's going on,† he said. â€Å"She'll turn up sooner or later. You know she won't let anything happen to Rose.† Lissa knew there was a bit of uncertainty in that statement but didn't mention it. Tasha might not want anything to happen to me, but she certainly wasn't all-powerful. â€Å"Lissa!† Adrian's voice caused both Lissa and Christian to turn around. Adrian had just entered, along with his mother. Adrian looked as though he had literally gone straight from my bedroom to here. He wore yesterday's clothes, slightly rumpled, and his hair was styled with none of his usual care. By comparison, Daniella looked polished and put together, the perfect picture of a businesswoman who hadn't lost her femininity. At last! Here were people who might have answers. Lissa rushed over to them gratefully. â€Å"Thank God,† Lissa said. â€Å"No one will tell us what's happened†¦ except that the queen is dead and Rose is locked up.† Lissa looked up at Daniella's face pleadingly. â€Å"Tell me there's been some kind of mistake.† Daniella patted Lissa's shoulder and gave as comforting a look as she could manage, given the circumstances. â€Å"I'm afraid not. Tatiana was killed last night, and Rose is their main suspect.† â€Å"But she would never have done that!† exclaimed Lissa. Christian joined her in righteous fury. â€Å"Her yelling at the Council that day isn't enough to convict her for murder.† Ah, Christian and I had the same line of reasoning. It was almost scary. â€Å"Neither is crashing the Death Watch.† â€Å"You're right. It's not enough,† agreed Daniella. â€Å"But it doesn't make her look good either. And apparently, they have other evidence they say proves her guilt.† â€Å"What kind of evidence?† Lissa demanded. Daniella turned apologetic. â€Å"I don't know. That's still part of the investigation. They'll have a hearing to present the evidence and question her whereabouts, possible motives†¦ that kind of thing.† She glanced around at the people rushing by. â€Å"If they even get that far. This kind of thing†¦ it hasn't happened in ages. The Council gains absolute control until a new monarch is elected, but there's still going to be chaos. People are afraid. I won't be surprised if the Court goes under martial law.† Christian turned to Lissa, hope on his face. â€Å"Did you see Rose last night? Was she with you?† Lissa frowned. â€Å"No. I think she was in her room. The last time I saw her was the day before yesterday.† Daniella didn't look happy about that. â€Å"That's not going to help. If she was alone, then she has no alibi.† â€Å"She wasn't alone.† Three sets of eyes turned in Adrian's direction. It was the first time he'd spoken since first calling to Lissa. Lissa hadn't focused on him too much yet, meaning I hadn't either. She'd only observed his superficial appearance when he arrived, but now she could see the little details. Worry and distress had left their marks, making him look older than he was. When she tuned in to his aura, she saw the usual gold of a spirit user, but it and its other colors were muddied and tinged with darkness. There was a flickering there too, a warning of spirit's instability taking hold. This had all come about too quickly for him to react, but I suspected he'd hit the cigarettes and liquor as soon as he had a free moment. It was how Adrian coped with this sort of thing. â€Å"What are you saying?† Daniella asked sharply. Adrian shrugged. â€Å"She wasn't alone. I was with her all night.† Lissa and Christian did a good job of maintaining neutral expressions, but Daniella's face registered the shock that any parent would have upon hearing about her child's sex life. Adrian noticed her reaction as well. â€Å"Save it,† he warned. â€Å"Your morals, your opinions†¦ none of it matters right now.† He gestured toward a group of panicked people running by, screaming about how Victor Dashkov must have surely come to Court to kill them all. Adrian shook his head and turned back to his mother. â€Å"I was with Rose. That proves she didn't do it. We'll deal with your motherly disapproval about my love life later.† â€Å"That's not what worries me! If they do have hard evidence and you get mixed up in this, you could be under suspicion too.† The composure Daniella had entered with was beginning to crack. â€Å"She was my aunt,† cried Adrian incredulously. â€Å"Why on earth would Rose and I kill her?† â€Å"Because she disapproved of you dating. And because Rose was upset over the age ruling.† This came from Christian. Lissa glared, but he merely shrugged. â€Å"What? I'm just stating the obvious. Someone else would if I didn't. And we all heard the stories–people have been making up things that are extreme even for Rose.† A strong comment indeed. â€Å"When?† asked Daniella, clutching Adrian's sleeve. â€Å"When were you with Rose? When did you get there?† â€Å"I don't know. I don't remember,† he said. She tightened her grip. â€Å"Adrian! Take this seriously. This is going to make a huge difference on how things proceed. If you got there before Tatiana was killed, then you won't be tied to it. If you were with Rose afterward–â€Å" â€Å"Then she has an alibi,† he interrupted. â€Å"And there's no problem.† â€Å"I hope that's true,† murmured Daniella. Her eyes didn't seem focused on my friends anymore. The wheels in her head were spinning, her thoughts jumping ahead as she tried to think how best to protect her son. I had been an unfortunate case for her. He was, understandably, a red-alert emergency for her. â€Å"We're still going to have to get you a lawyer. I'll talk to Damon. I have to find him before the hearing tonight. And Rufus will have to know about this too. Damn.† Adrian arched an eyebrow at that. I had the impression Lady Ivashkov didn't swear very often. â€Å"We have to find out what time you were there.† Adrian still wore his distress around him like a cloak and looked as though he might fall over if he didn't get nicotine or alcohol soon. I hated to see him like that, particularly over me. There was strength within him, no question, but his nature–and the sketchy effects of spirit–made coping with this hard. Yet, through his agitation, he managed to pull up a memory to help his frantic mother. â€Å"There was someone in the building lobby when I came in†¦ a janitor or something, I think. No one at the front desk, though.† Most buildings usually kept a staff member around for emergencies or concierge services. Daniella's face lit up. â€Å"That's it. That's what we'll need. Damon will find out the time you were there so that we can get you free and clear of this.† â€Å"And so he can defend me if things turn bad?† â€Å"Of course,† she answered swiftly. â€Å"What about Rose?† â€Å"What about her?† Adrian still looked ready to fall apart, but there was seriousness and focus in his green eyes. â€Å"If you find out Aunt Tatiana was killed before I was there, and Rose is thrown to the wolves alone, will Damon be her lawyer?† His mother faltered. â€Å"Oh, well, darling†¦ Damon doesn't really do that sort of thing†¦.† â€Å"He will if you ask him to,† said Adrian sternly. â€Å"Adrian,† she said wearily, â€Å"you don't know what you're talking about. They say the evidence against her is bad. If our family's shown supporting–â€Å" â€Å"It's not like we're supporting murder! You met Rose. You liked her. Can you look me in the eye and say it's okay for her to go in with whatever half-assed defense they dredge up for her? Can you?† Daniella blanched, and I swear, she actually cringed away. I don't think she was used to such fierce resoluteness from her devil-may-care son. And though his words were perfectly sane, there was kind of a crazy desperation in his voice and attitude that was a little scary. Whether that was caused by spirit or just his own emotion, I couldn't say. â€Å"I†¦ I'll speak to Damon,† Daniella said at last. She'd had to swallow a few times before actually getting the words out. Adrian let out a deep breath and some of that fury went with it. â€Å"Thank you.† She scurried away, melting into the crowd and leaving Adrian alone with Christian and Lissa. The two of them looked only a little less stunned than Daniella had. â€Å"Damon Tarus?† Lissa guessed. Adrian nodded. â€Å"Who's that?† asked Christian. â€Å"My mom's cousin,† said Adrian. â€Å"The family lawyer. A real shark. Kind of sleazy too, but he can pretty much get anyone out of anything.† â€Å"That's something, I suppose,† mused Christian. â€Å"But is he good enough to fight this so-called hard evidence?† â€Å"I don't know. I really don't know.† Adrian absentmindedly reached for his pocket, the usual cigarette spot, but he had none today. He sighed. â€Å"I don't know what their evidence is or how Aunt Tatiana even died. All I heard was that they found her dead this morning.† Lissa and Christian exchanged grimaces. Christian shrugged, and Lissa turned back to Adrian, taking on the role of messenger. â€Å"A stake,† said Lissa. â€Å"They found her in bed with a silver stake through her heart.† Adrian said nothing, and his expression didn't really change. It occurred to Lissa that in all this talk about innocence, evidence, and lawyers, everyone had kind of overlooked the fact that Tatiana had been Adrian's great-aunt. He hadn't approved of some of her decisions and had made plenty of jokes about her behind her back. But she was still his family, someone he'd known his entire life. He had to be feeling the pain of her death on top of everything else. Even I felt a little conflicted. I hated her for what she'd done to me, but I'd never wanted her dead. And I couldn't help but remember that she'd occasionally spoken to me like I was a real person. Maybe it had been faked, but I was pretty sure she'd been sincere the night she'd stopped by the Ivashkovs'. She'd been weary and thoughtful, mostly just concerned about bringing peace to her people. Lissa watched Adrian go, sympathy and sorrow flooding through her. Christian gently tapped her arm. â€Å"Come on,† he said. â€Å"We've found out what we needed to know. We're just in the way here.† Feeling helpless, Lissa let him lead her outside, dodging more panicked crowds. The orange of a low sun gave every leaf and tree a golden, warm feel. There had been a lot of people out when we returned from the warehouse with Dimitri, but it was nothing compared to this. People were buzzing with fear, hurrying to pass the news. Some were already in mourning, clad in black, with tears on their faces. I wondered how much of that was real. Even in the midst of tragedy and crime, royals would be scrambling for power. And each time she heard my name, Lissa would grow more and more angry. It was the bad anger too, the kind that felt like black smoke in our bond and often made her lash out. It was spirit's curse. â€Å"I can't believe this!† she exclaimed to Christian. I noticed, even if she didn't, that he was hurriedly taking her somewhere where there weren't people. â€Å"How could anyone think that about Rose? It's a set up. It has to be.† â€Å"I know, I know,† he said. He knew spirit's danger signs too and was trying to calm her down. They'd reached a small, grassy area in the shade of a large hazelnut tree and settled onto the ground. â€Å"We know she didn't do it. That's all there is to it. We'll prove it. She can't be punished for something she didn't do.† â€Å"You don't know this group,† grumbled Lissa. â€Å"If someone's out to get her, they can make all sorts of things possible.† With only the faintest awareness, I drew a little of that darkness from her into me, trying to calm her down. Unfortunately, it just made me angrier. Christian laughed. â€Å"You forget. I grew up around this group. I went to school with this group's kids. I know them–but we're not panicking until we know more, okay?† Lissa exhaled, feeling much better. I was going to take too much darkness if I wasn't careful. She gave Christian a small, tentative smile. â€Å"I don't remember you being this reasonable before.† â€Å"It's because everyone has different definitions of ‘reasonable. ‘ Mine's just misunderstood, that's all.† His voice was lofty. â€Å"I think you must be misunderstood a lot,† she laughed. His eyes held hers, and the smile on his face transformed into something warmer and softer. â€Å"Well, I hope this isn't misunderstood. Otherwise, I might get punched.† Leaning over, he brought his lips to hers. Lissa responded with no hesitation or thought whatsoever, losing herself in the sweetness of the kiss. Unfortunately, I was swept along with it. When they pulled away, Lissa felt her heart rate increase and her cheeks flush. â€Å"What exactly was that the definition of?† she asked, reliving how his mouth had felt. â€Å"It means ‘I'm sorry,'† he said. She looked away and nervously plucked at some of the grass. Finally, with a sigh, she looked back up. â€Å"Christian†¦ was there ever†¦ was there ever anything between you and Jill? Or Mia?† He stared in surprise. â€Å"What? How could you think that?† â€Å"You spent so much time with them.† â€Å"There is only one person I have ever wanted,† he said. The steadiness of his gaze, of those crystal blue eyes, left no question as to who that person was. â€Å"No one else has ever come close. In spite of everything, even with Avery–â€Å" â€Å"Christian, I'm so sorry for that–â€Å" â€Å"You don't have to–â€Å" â€Å"I do–â€Å" â€Å"Damn it,† he said. â€Å"Will you let me finish a sent–â€Å" â€Å"No,† Lissa interrupted. And she leaned over and kissed him, a hard and powerful kiss that burned through her body, one that told her there was no one else in the world for her either. Well. Apparently Tasha had been right: I was the only one who could bring them back together. I just somehow hadn't expected my arrest to play a role. I pulled away from her head to give them some privacy and save myself from watching them make out. I didn't begrudge them their moment. There was nothing either could do for me right now, and they deserved their reunion. Their only course of action was to wait for more information, and really, their method of passing time was a lot healthier than whatever Adrian was probably doing. I lay down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. There was nothing but plain metal and neutral colors around me. It drove me crazy. I had nothing to watch, nothing to read. I felt like an animal trapped in a cage. The room seemed to grow smaller and smaller. All I could do was replay what I'd learned via Lissa, analyzing every word of what had been said. I had questions about everything, of course, but the one thing that stuck with me was Daniella mentioning a hearing. I needed to know more about that. I got my answer–hours later. I'd fallen into sort of a numb haze by then and almost didn't recognize Mikhail standing in front of my cell door. I leapt from my bed to the bars and saw that he was unlocking the door. Hope surged through me. â€Å"What's going on?† I asked. â€Å"Are they letting me go?† â€Å"I'm afraid not,† he said. His point was proven when, after opening the door, he promptly put my hands in cuffs. I didn't fight it. â€Å"I'm here to take you to your hearing.† Stepping into the hall, I saw other guardians gathered. My own security detail. A mirror of Dimitri's. Lovely. Mikhail and I walked together, and mercifully, he spoke along the way instead of maintaining that awful silence that seemed to be common treatment for prisoners. â€Å"What's the hearing exactly? A trial?† â€Å"No, no. Too soon for a trial. A hearing decides whether you're going to trial.† â€Å"That sounds kind of like a waste of time,† I pointed out. We emerged from the guardians' building, and that fresh, damp air was the sweetest thing I'd ever tasted. â€Å"It's a bigger waste of time if you go to a full-fledged trial, and they realize there was no case to stand on. At the hearing, they'll lay out all the evidence they have, and a judge–or, well, someone acting as a judge–will decide if you should have a trial. The trial makes it official. That's where they pass the verdict and dole out the punishment.† â€Å"Why'd they take so long for the hearing? Why'd they make me wait in that cell all day?† He laughed, but not because he thought it was funny. â€Å"This is fast, Rose. Very fast. It can take days or weeks to get a hearing, and if you do go to trial, you'll stay locked up until then.† I swallowed. â€Å"Will they move fast on that too?† â€Å"I don't know. No monarch's been murdered in almost a hundred years. People are running wild, and the Council wants to establish order. They're already making huge plans for the queen's funeral–a giant spectacle that'll distract everyone. Your hearing is also an attempt to establish order.† â€Å"What? How?† â€Å"The sooner they convict the murderer, the safer everyone will feel. They think this case against you is so solid, they want to rush it through. They want you to be guilty. They want to bury her knowing her killer is moving toward justice, so that everyone can sleep easy when the new king or queen is elected.† â€Å"But I didn't–† I let my denial go. There was no point. Ahead of us, the building that housed the courtroom loomed. It had seemed forbidding the first time I'd been here for Victor's trial, but that had been owing to fear of the memories he sparked in me. Now†¦ now it was my own future on the line. And apparently not just my own future–the Moroi world was watching and waiting, hoping I was a villain who could be safely put away forever. Swallowing, I gave Mikhail a nervous look. â€Å"Do you think†¦ do you think they'll send me to trial?† He didn't answer. One of the guards held the door open for us. â€Å"Mikhail?† I urged. â€Å"Will they really put me on trial for murder?† â€Å"Yes,† he said sympathetically. â€Å"I'm pretty sure they will.†