Tenet Healthcare Scandal

Introduction Over the years, the healthcare industry has undergone through an exponential growth despite the tremendous market pressure. Tenet Healthcare Corporation is among the many organizations that the struggle for a position in the healthcare industry (Klaidman, 2010). However, this struggle has contributed to a series of legal and ethical scandals that have largely changed the reputation of the company. Based on theoretical and practical explanations, this paper seeks to critically analyze one of the most recent scandal involving doctors at Tenet Healthcare who carried out unnecessary heart surgeries on patients.An Overview of the Company This company was established in 1967 under the name National Medical Enterprises by three lawyers and headquartered in Los Angeles, California. In its early years, the business policy of the company was mainly focused on building and acquiring medical facilities and related services in order to address the growing medical demands in the new m arket. In the late 1980s, the company diversified into specialty hospitals such as building nursing homes, and rehabilitation centers among other developments (Klaidman, 2010). Tenet Healthcare before the scandalFollowing a series of fraud and legal troubles, the company changed its name to Tenet Healthcare Corporation in 1994 whose headquarters is based in Dallas. Tenet Healthcare operates a number of hospitals and other healthcare facilities that are mandated to provide health care services to its customers. It is essential to mention the services provided by Tenet Healthcare are conducted through its subsidiaries (Klaidman, 2010). Tenet Healthcare Corporation owns and operates 69 acute-care hospitals, which provides services to urban communities in 13 states, in the United States.Some of the services provided by the company include acute care, respiratory therapy services, clinical laboratories, operating and recovery rooms, pharmacies and intensive care (California Nurse, 2002). The involvement of the company in recent legal and financial troubles has contributed to the falling of shares of Tenet Healthcare, from over $50 a share in 1994, to $8 a share today. The involvement of the company in a number of scandals contributed to the reduced profits in the 1990s. Nevertheless, a number of hanges in the management of the company following the appointment of Jeffry Barbakow as the chief executive in 1993 contributed to the recovery of the company (Klaidman, 2010). For six years, Tenet Healthcare Corporation tried to consolidate its position in the healthcare industry by buying hospitals around the country. This move contributed to the strong recovery that saw tenet healthcare redeeming itself from a $425million loss in 1994 to a $302 million profit in 2000 (Taylor, 2005). The Unnecessary Cardiac Procedures Scandal Individuals or firms who knew about, participated in or condoned the behavior.Several individuals were linked to the scandal and specifically the ph ysicians who were recruiting patients by paying them. This means that most of the employees and especially physicians knew about the scam. Moreover, Tenet had been performing poorly in terms of finances, and this has been noted to be one of the reasons that prompted the corporation to enter into corrupt deals. During the past decade, Tenet Health Care Corporation has faced scandals pertaining to legal and financial matters. Its image had been tarnished, and thus a number of its customers were compelled to seek medical services elsewhere.Moreover, it had influenced the number of uninsured citizens and reduced employer insurance cover. This gave rise to an excess number of individuals who were unable to cater for their medical services and hence resulted in a significant drop in Tenet’s market. The scandal erupted in October 2002 following allegations from hundreds of patients who believed that many of the heart operations done to patients at the Redding Hospital, in California were unnecessary. After a series of investigation, it was found that Dr. Chae Moon and his counterpart Dr.Fidel Realyvasquez had allegedly carried out a number of cardiac procedures that were neither necessary nor indicated in the reports of over 700 patients. How was the scandal uncovered and by whom The scandal was uncovered when one of the patients, John Corapi, a 55-year old priest visited Redding Medical Center in California for a medical checkup. After consultation with Dr. Moon, Corapi was told that he needed an emergency heart bypass surgery. However, Corapi was not satisfied with the recommendation made by the two doctors (Taylor, 2005).It was at this point that he decided to seek for more opinion from five cardiologists who gave him a different answer from the one given by the two doctors at tenet Healthcare Corporation’s Redding Medical Center. According to the cardiologists, Corapi did not require a heart surgery contrary to the opinion given by the doctors at th e Redding Medical Center. After reporting his case to the FBI, the federal authorities revealed that, hundreds of medical records of surgical patients did not support the need for surgery procedures (The Spark, 2002).Furthermore, when the scandal was uncovered, it was revealed that many patients had become victims of unnecessary cardiac surgeries that left them with complications. According to Klaidman (2010), many patients suffered from a myriad of complications including stroke, heart attack and paralysis. As a result, many of the patients who had undergone unnecessary surgery now require assisted living and 95 of the patients succumbed to death. For that reason, the plaintiffs sued Tenet Healthcare Corporation for fraud, negligence, battery and elder abuse, since most of the patients ranged between 65 to 90 years of age.Additionally, the estates of the 95 patients who died sued the company for wrongful deaths (The Spark, 2002). Once the scandal was discovered, the investigation o f FBI agent led by Michael Skeen invaded Tenet’s Redding Hospital that is based in California. The FBI found out that most of the patients who were required to undergo cardiac operations had not fully qualified. In light of this, a number of the patients’ hearts were in superb condition. After the FBI's probed, it carried further probing with an aim of authenticating the validity of the truth concerning the matter before taking further action.What did they do with the information they uncovered? The information gathered by the FBI was used to sue the physician allegedly associated with the scandal. Tenet as a corporation was not charged. It gave the California State together with the federal government over $50 million (Bejjani et al. , 2006). Additionally, Tenet Healthcare also paid an additional $395 million to over 700 patients in order to settle litigation for the unnecessary surgeries (Taylor, 2005). How did the company reactedThe need to change its image led to a number of reactions from the company. First, the company reacted by stating that, it was not involved in the scandal based on the point that, it was the doctors who were responsible for healthcare and not the hospital. In this case, it implied that only the patients implicated were under investigation and not the hospital (The Spark, 2002). It can be mentioned that, the company had nurtured a culture where fraud could easily be perpetrated without any serious actions being undertaken.Following this scandal, the affected patients received their compensation. On the other hand, the company decided to sell Redding Medical Center which was later renamed Shasta Regional Medical Center (California Nurse, 2002). Despite the fact that the scandal involving Tenet Healthcare Corporation did not preclude criminal or civil charges against individuals, the company agreed to pay the fine in order to settle the allegations poised in the unnecessary heart surgery scandal. This implies that there w as no civil trial in this case.According to Currier and Eimermann (2010), civil trial refers to a court of law proceedings where the judge makes a deliberation about who wins. In this case, the judge examines the evidence provided in order to make a decision on whether the defendant should be held legally responsible for the allegations put forward by the plaintiff (s). Civil cases usually involve civilians and organizations. On the other hand, a criminal trial refers to a court of law proceeding that is intended to settle criminal cases.In this case, the government can sue a person on allegations of certain criminal activities. Additionally, the justice remains to be a principal aim of criminal trials, as opposed to civil trial, which usually seek to achieve a resolution to the dispute (Currier & Eimermann, 2010). With that said, there was no civil trial following the decision by the company to pay a fine to the government and the state of California and later an immense amount as compensation to the affected patients.Even though, this scandal was revealed in 2002, it is said that it had taken place since the early 1990s. Therefore, many people became victims of this scandal (Taylor, 2005). First, the main stakeholders were directly or indirectly affected by the allegations based on how it painted badly on the corporate image of the company. Additionally, over 700 patients and their families were subjected to emotional, psychological and financial problems. The huge charges for the heart surgery required patients to pay a lot of money in the form of medical bills (Klaidman, 2010).The shareholders were also affected because the share of the company dropped from $50 per share in 1994 to $8 in 2002. Lastly, the competitiveness and professional qualifications of the two doctors were also questioned thus making it difficult for them to secure employment in the future (The Spark, 2002). The case of Tenet Healthcare Corporation signifies the negative implications of scandals on the management of an organization. As mentioned earlier, the company has been burdened by financial and legal troubles due to its involvement in a number of fraud and scandals.In the end, the company suffered from the loss of public trust, investors’ confidence and dwindling financial performance. The future of the company depends on how it will use its past in order to redesign its present as the second largest company in the US healthcare industry. How much money did the plaintiffs receive, other agreements As mentioned, reimbursement was made available to the government, patients and their loved ones. Towards the end of 2004, Tenet agreed that it would pay the patients who had been victims of the unnecessary heart surgeries over $395 million. Do you feel it was fair?There have been many instances of corporations deciding to continue unsafe practice because they calculate that not all of the number of people injured will bring legal action. Furthermore, the peo ple who sue are not guaranteed a victory in court or can be settled out of court, for far less than a jury will award. With that said, no amount of money can bring the dead back. I think that the amount was not a fair one due to the fact that those doctors knew what they were doing. I do not agree with the reimbursement and I do not think the amount was fair because the families of the victims had to face a lot of pain.Some of the pain and suffering: Immediate expenses associated with the death (medical & funeral), mental anguish to the survivors, Companionship, Loss of care and Loss of earnings in the future. Background Tenet Healthcare formerly was named National Medical Enterprises, ranks as the second largest hospital chain in the United States. The organization owns about 114 acute care hospitals and related businesses in 16 states. Boasting with over 57, 000 active personnel and over 13, 000 certified hospital beds, Tenet Healthcare Company is a force in the United States†™ healthcare delivery industry.Awarding doctors with financial incentives as payment for their support has been ruled out under the state’s stark laws; however, the marketplace cites this as a necessary form of clinching and maintaining that support. Tenet’s hospitals stand accused of paying doctors for referring clients to them as a means of keeping their support. Illegal behavior The illegal behavior was its defrauding of its stakeholders who came to seek medical treatment (Wynne, 2008). The doctors admitted excessive numbers of patients being fully aware that their capacity was lower.The doctors were also aware of the poor conditions in the hospitals but still went ahead to admit patients. In what type of court was Tenet Healthcare tried? The Tenet Healthcare scandal trial took place at the Supreme Court of Appeal in St. Louis Indiana, (circuit court) (Browers, 2012 & The Federal Reporter. , 1997). All the trials including subsequent appeals took place in Court of Appeals, in St. Luis, Indiana; United State The case was forwarded to the superior court in San Diego under the presiding attorney, Carol C. Lam where Tenet subsidiaries were indicted, while Nazaryan’s case was filed in the U.S. District Court (Wynne, 2007). After the case broke out, The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) broke into one of Tenet’s hospitals in San Diego, the Alvarado Hospital, and charged its administrator of 10 years. The charges were brought against Tenet Healthcare In the original indictment, Tenet Healthcare was aptly accused of fraud that was inclusive of illegally admitting psychiatric patients to the institutes and hiking their charges (inflating the cost of admission and administration of medicine (Wynne, 2007). Provide key details about the trial and provide a timeline of key trial events.After the raiding of the Redding hospital by the FBI agents in October 2002, it was revealed that Tenet Healthcare Corporation performed inappropriate an d unnecessary surgeries on patients and also overbilled patients beyond the standard Medicare rates. As a result, a legal suit was initiated against the Corporations. The trial pitted Federal government of the United States versus Tenet Healthcare Corporations. As alleged by the government, the Corporations admitted patients who did not qualify for admission in rehab facilities.This took place between May 15 2005 and December 31 2007. Besides this inappropriate admission, they were charged with soliciting high Rehabilitation fees. This was the qui tam claim that allowed William Meshel and Man Tai to establish a legal suit against the Corporation on behalf of the Federal government. In May 2006, Tenet went to court to dismiss these claims. Did Tenet Healthcare enter into a plea bargaining agreement? If so, to what charges did he/she plead guilty? If not, what were the final charges? Did they differ from those in the original indictment?What was the verdict? After the government dismi ssed the claims of the appellant since they had zero impact on the pre-existing investigations of the government, an agreement bargain was reached with the government but the other suit remained pending. The other settlement between the government and Tenet Healthcare concerned 165 hospitals nationwide. A summary judgment was moved on April 2007, which included the appellant as the original source of the case. The summary judgment was made in favor of the Federal government.As a result, Tenet accepted to pay the fines of overbilling of Medicare within its facilities after pleading guilty to the charges. What was the sentence? Did you feel it was fair? Justify our position. Tenet Corporation was guilty of overbilling, but the appellant who established the suit were unqualified to do so on the terms of qui tam. This was simply because they did not possess independent and original knowledge of Tenet’s fraudulent activities and practices in Medicare. Consequently, Tenet had under taken the responsibility of reparations of damages to both the government and its patients.This sentence was not fair. Tenet had more liabilities on top of Medicare overbilling. A large number of its patients died due to unnecessary surgeries and rehabilitations. The appellant, acting in the public interest, had the right to make their case heard for justice to be done, something which the district court denied and dismissed. Did they differ from those in the original indictment? What was the verdict? They did not differ much from the original indictment in that they were the same issues that were evidenced in the first indictment; overbilling and malpractice.The verdict was arrived at after Tenet pleaded guilty of overbilling its Medicare and admitting stable patients into the rehabilitation facilities. Tenet Healthcare Corporation was, therefore, found guilty of overbilling its medical services. It was also found that the qui tam of the two appellants was not tenable due to the fa ct that they were not the primary source of such information. The information was already in the public domain when they moved to court. Did Tenet Healthcare appeal? If so, on what grounds did he/she base the appeal?Tenet Healthcare corporations did not appeal in this case since it had passed a compromise with the government to pay the fines, an action that was supposed to redeem the image of the health care sector and to serve justice to the victims. Did Tenet Healthcare have mens rea and actus Reus? Justify your position Yes. This is because they had agreed to settle the fine, which is a sign of accepting that their activities were not acceptable and went against the law. They, therefore, accepted the liability of their ‘profit-driven actions.The general basis for imposing liability in criminal law is that the defendant must be proved to have committed a guilty act whilst having had a guilty state of mind. The physical elements are collectively called the actus Reus and the accompanied mental state is called the mens rea. Moreover, it is the fundamental duty of the prosecution to prove both of these elements of the offense to the satisfaction of the judge or jury beyond reasonable doubt. In the absence of such proof, the defendant will be acquitted.According to Cheeseman (2010) actus Reus is guilty act, which is the actual performance of a criminal act and mens rea is evil intent the possession of the requisite state of mind to commit a prohibited act. What constitutional protections do your subjects have? Equal protection and right to appeal for the accused and plaintiff, by the case brought against either party (Mann, 2008). The Tenet criminal trial encompasses several cases and conspiracies charged against the Tenet Healthcare Corporation. References Brown, G. (2012). The trait & style approach to leadership. Houston Chronicle.Retrievedfrom http://smallbusiness. chron. com/trait-style-approach-leadership-21103. html Cashen, L. H. (2009). Pressures f or the creation of a more independent board of directors inthe post-restructuring period. Academy of Accounting & Financial Studies Journal,1357-72. DATAMONITOR: Tenet Healthcare Corporation. (2011). Tenet Healthcare CorporationSWOT Analysis, 1-8. Jackson, R. A. (2009). Keeping your reputation clean. Internal Auditor, 65(3), 38. Jones, D. (2007). Combining Disciplines: Making the Connection between Compliance, Risk,and Quality Management. Journal of Health Care Compliance, 5-12.Lievens, F. , Geit, P. , & Coetsier, P. (1997). Identification of transformational leadershipqualities: An examination of potential biases. European Journal of Work andOrganizational Psychology, 6(4), 415-430. Reiman, T. , & Oedewald, P. (2002). The assessment of organizational culture: Amethodological study. Retrieved fromhttp://www. vtt. fi/inf/pdf/tiedotteet/2002/T2140. pdf Rundle, R. L. (2008). Worst 5-Year Performer: Tenet Healthcare. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://online. wsj. com/article/SB 120371036978986415. html Tenet Agrees to Settle Lawsuits with Cardiac Patients. 2005). hfm (Healthcare FinancialManagement), 59(2), 27. Tenet Healthcare Corporation. (2008). Tenet Healthcare Corporation SWOT Analysis, 1-9. Tenet Healthcare scandal: Part of a health care system that kills for profits. (2002). Spark. Retrieved from http://the-spark. net/np692605. html Tenet Health System Medical. (2012). Mission and values. Retrieved fromhttp://www. tenethealth. com/about/pages/missionandvalues. aspx Vrana, D. (2003). Barbakow Quits as Tenet's CEO. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved fromhttp://articles. latimes. com/2003/may/28/business/fi-tenet28 California Nurse, (2002).Tenet Healthcare: the seamy side of a dysfunctional system. California Nurse, 98(8):6-8. Currier, K. A. , & Eimermann, T. E. , (2010). Introduction to paralegal studies: a criticalthinking approach. New York: Aspen Publishers. Klaidman, S. (2010). Coronary: A True Story of Medicine Gone Awry. New York: Simon &Schuster publ ishers. Taylor M. , (2005). Tenet settles Redding case. Modern Healthcare, 21, 35(47):20. The Spark (2002). Tenet Healthcare scandal: Part of a health care system that kills forprofits. Retrieved on 12 September 2012 from: http://the-spark. net/np692605. html. California Nurse, (2002).Tenet Healthcare: the seamy side of a dysfunctional system. California Nurse, 98(8):6-8. Currier, K. A. , & Eimermann, T. E. , (2010). Introduction to paralegal studies: a criticalthinking approach. New York: Aspen Publishers. Klaidman, S. (2010). Coronary: A True Story of Medicine Gone Awry. New York: Simon &Schuster publishers. Taylor M. , (2005). Tenet settles Redding case. Modern Healthcare, 21, 35(47):20. The Spark (2002). Tenet Healthcare scandal: Part of a health care system that kills for profits. Retrieved on 12 September 2012 from: http://the-spark. net/np692605. html.

Succubus Heat CHAPTER 17

The sweet scent of a white chocolate mocha woke me from a heavy sleep the following morning. For a few moments, as I stirred to consciousness, it was like waking up any other day. Then, as I opened my eyes and shifted position, my body's nerves came to life, reminding me what had happened yesterday. It wasn't the horrible torturous pain I'd experienced before, but I had enough aches and soreness to dissuade me from too much movement. Still, I managed to more or less sit up when Dante entered my bedroom. He held the mocha in one hand and what looked like a bakery bag tucked under his arm. In the other hand, he carried an enormous vase of blue and white hydrangeas, interspersed with orchids. I never would have pictured those particular flowers going together, but the arrangement worked. â€Å"Did you rob a florist?† I asked. Dante gave me a withering look as he handed me the mocha. â€Å"Why are you assuming the worst again?† â€Å"Because orchids aren't cheap,† I said. â€Å"They were out of crab grass, so I had to settle.† He gently placed the vase on my dresser and then freed the bakery bag. â€Å"And I beat up some kids for these.† After a long, delicious sip, I set the mocha on my bedside table and took the bag from him. Inside were chocolate croissants-my favorite kind of breakfast pastry. â€Å"All this because I got beat up?† I asked. He sat on the side of the bed. â€Å"I'm worried about you.† â€Å"I should get in fights with demons more often,† I teased, my last few words getting muffled as I bit into a croissant. Tiny flakes and crumbs fell onto my sheets, but I didn't care. â€Å"Not funny, succubus,† he said. And to my surprise, I could see that he meant it. None of his usual sardonic humor showed on his face. There was no bitter twist to his lips. â€Å"That's never happening again. And I'm going to make sure you get better, immortal healing or not.† â€Å"Never took you for a nursemaid.† â€Å"Be quiet,† he snapped. â€Å"And keep eating. Your body needs calories to heal.† Happy to oblige, I started to take another bite and then froze. â€Å"Do you think I might start putting on weight?† Calories were nothing I'd ever had to count before. I'd feared neither weight gain nor health effects from the things I ate. â€Å"I think that's the least of your worries.† I supposed he was right. I kept eating-but with a little less enthusiasm. He still looked so serious and worried that I couldn't shake my warm and fuzzy feelings. â€Å"Thank you for all of this. It's really great.† He smiled at me, and his gray eyes were lovely in the morning light. â€Å"Not many people in this world I feel deserve my help. You're in an exclusive club.† I started to make a comment about how the rest of the club members must be imaginary, but there had already been too much snark this morning. Nanette's attack had seriously shaken Dante up. â€Å"Thank you,† I said again. A thought struck me. â€Å"I might have some other way for you to help. Will you grab my purse?† He retrieved it from the living room and handed it over. Reaching inside, I was relieved to see the photo that I'd swiped from Mary was still there. I studied it for a moment, willing the medallion to yield some sort of revelation. All I saw was a translucent brown disc and runes or symbols that could easily be mistaken for a child's scribbles. With a sigh, I handed it to him. â€Å"Does this mean anything to you?† His brows knit thoughtfully as he looked it over. â€Å"No. Should it?† â€Å"I think it might be part of Jerome's summoning. Remember when I asked you about an artist who carved quartz? This is what I turned up. Supposedly, the stone and marks are clues, but I don't know what they are. I guess that's where I need people like you or Erik.† He gazed at the picture for several more moments, and to my surprise, I saw anger building in his features. Abruptly, he stood up and tossed the picture on the floor. â€Å"Son of a bitch,† he growled. â€Å"What's the matter?† I exclaimed. â€Å"This,† he said, gesturing at me and the fallen picture. â€Å"This is the matter. What good am I, succubus? I'm ten times more powerful than those people I sent you to go see. Aside from Lancaster, there's probably no one else in this fucking town who knows as much about the arcane as I do. And what good is it?† He paced around my room and ran his hand angrily through his hair. â€Å"Nothing. That's what it's good for. I can't seem to help you. I can't do a goddamned thing. I couldn't save you from that demoness. And I don't know anything about this medallion thing.† I was stunned by his reaction. â€Å"Hey, whoa. It's okay. Sit down. Don't beat yourself up.† â€Å"It's not okay.† He came to a halt. â€Å"I feel†¦powerless.† For someone who'd spent his life doing horrible things in the quest for power, I could recognize what a hard admission that was. â€Å"You're not obligated to do anything here,† I said gently. â€Å"You help me more than you realize. But this isn't your fight. This isn't your responsibility.† † You're my responsibility,† he said. â€Å"If I can't look out for you, then why do you need me?† â€Å"I'm not with you for what you can do for me.† â€Å"Yeah? You're with me for my winning personality?† The truth was, I still wasn't sure at times why I was with him. I couldn't help but recall his comments about me keeping him as a bed warmer, but true or not, now wasn't the time to bring that up. Plus, he'd been sweet lately-something I'd never expected when I'd turned to him in my post-Seth rage. â€Å"Dante, I'm serious. Don't worry about any of this. I'll take care of it and talk to my friends.† I saw from the look on his face that that wasn't quite what he'd wanted to hear. Knowing I had other people to go to seemed to make him feel more inadequate. â€Å"You shouldn't be involved in this at all,† he said. â€Å"What, in finding Jerome? Of course I have to be.† â€Å"There are others, people who are more powerful. I don't want you getting hurt again! Why can't you just lie low and keep yourself safe?† he demanded. â€Å"Because it's not what I do! And no one else is going to do it anyway. They're just letting this go. Letting Jerome go.† â€Å"Why don't you let it go?† he asked. â€Å"Would it be so bad to work under another demon? You've worked for others.† I turned and gazed out the window. The sky was blue, but something told me it was cold out. It was a quirk of Seattle weather. We often had warmer temperatures when it was cloudy out, colder ones when it was sunny. Dragging my eyes back to Dante, I said, â€Å"Yeah, I have. But this is different. This isn't right-it shouldn't have happened. I have to find Jerome.† â€Å"Yes. You do. It's written all over you. Why do you have to make everything so difficult and create these problems?† â€Å"If you're unhappy, no one's making you stick around,† I said quietly. â€Å"Of course I'm sticking around. And if there's nothing to be done for your impulsivity, I might as well help.† He snatched up the photo and glared at it. â€Å"Let me take this and ask some questions. I might not know what it is-yet-but there are resources I can tap.† There was a hard set to his face. He was a man with a mission, which I preferred to him being down on himself or ranting at me. I was about to send him off with my blessings, but something held me back. I couldn't let the picture go. â€Å"I want to keep the photo,† I told him. He stared. â€Å"You don't think I'll bring it back?† â€Å"No, I'm not worried about that. But I did a lot to get it, and besides, I want to show it to some people too. We'll make a copy of it. You can take that.† â€Å"Yeah? You got a copy machine in the bathroom?† â€Å"Can't you just draw it or something?† â€Å"Succubus.† â€Å"Well, I don't know! But if you want to do sleuthing, you're going to have to find a workaround. Until I feel like traipsing around the city with you, I want the picture to stay with me.† He glowered, looking very much like his usual bitter self. Finally, realizing I wasn't going to yield, he did a hasty trace of the medallion onto another sheet of paper. He added a few notes off to the side and did his best approximation of the symbols. He seemed miserable the entire time. â€Å"Sorry,† I said. â€Å"It's fine,† he said. â€Å"You're going now?† â€Å"If you think you'll be okay.† I assured him I would be. My phone was nearby, and I had a feeling if he stayed, he'd just grow more and more upset about how he'd let me down and about how I was putting myself at risk for reasons he didn't understand. At least this gave him a feeling of purpose. I promised to call if something happened and breathed a sigh of relief when he finally left. I stayed in bed for a while after that, consuming my calorie-laden breakfast and thinking about his extreme reaction. I hoped he'd find something out for me, and in the meantime, I needed to do some investigating of my own. First things first, though. I needed to shower. It turned out to be harder than I expected-but not impossible. I just had to move slowly when I walked to the bathroom, careful not to get too ambitious. Hugh's bandages still covered my back, and it took a fair bit of dexterity to remove them. They were soaked with blood, but underneath, the cuts showed signs of Mei's healing. They were still there, still uncomfortable, but had all scabbed over and were much smaller. I kept the water lukewarm as I showered and was careful when I toweled off to not break any of the scabs open. By the time I was sitting on my couch in the living room, I felt like I'd run a marathon. I'd never wanted shape-shifting so badly in my life. I wore loose clothes-drawstring pants and a T-shirt without a bra-but it had taken some effort to put them on. My hair I'd given up on completely, figuring combing it out would have to do. I didn't have the patience to dry it and didn't want to think about the frizziness I was inviting. Aubrey joined me on the couch as I rested from my morning labors and flipped through the channels. After cycling through twice, I gave up and left the TV on some sort of nature show about Siberian tigers. Aubrey watched it with wide eyes, but I wasn't interested. â€Å"This is your equivalent of reality television,† I observed. â€Å"The talk shows don't come on until later,† a voice suddenly said. â€Å"That's when things get good.† I sighed. â€Å"Carter. What a pleasant surprise.† The angel strolled into my line of sight and sat down on the armchair opposite me. Aubrey immediately left me and hopped onto his lap. â€Å"Traitor,† I said. He grinned and scratched her head. â€Å"Word on the street is that you had a bad day yesterday.† â€Å"I've had worse,† I said. â€Å"Marginally. You should have seen me before Mei healed me.† â€Å"Bah, demons can't heal. Not really. They lose the finesse it takes when they cross over.† â€Å"Hey, I'll take what help I can get.† I brightened. â€Å"And speaking of help, I think I've got a picture of the seal-â€Å" â€Å"No.† â€Å"No what?† â€Å"I know what you're going to ask, and the answer is no.† â€Å"You have no idea what I'm going to ask!† â€Å"You're going to ask me to help identify the seal so you can figure out where Jerome is.† I stayed silent. Damn. He rolled his eyes. â€Å"And the answer is no.† â€Å"But you could make this so much easier,† I argued. â€Å"Dante's out trying to figure out what the seal means. You could tell me right now.† â€Å"Georgina, I told you before. I can't interfere.† â€Å"Then why are you here?† â€Å"To see how you're feeling. Believe me, I wish I could interfere. I'd do a better healing job than Mei.† I fell silent, mind spinning. â€Å"Were you here yesterday?† â€Å"Doing what?† â€Å"Look, I won't consider it interfering, but just tell me if it was you.† Carter didn't look confused very often. If anything, he was usually the one messing with other people's minds. I think under normal circumstances, when the immortal state of affairs in Seattle wasn't in limbo, he would have faked it and hidden his confusion. Now, he just shook his head in exasperation. â€Å"What are you talking about?† â€Å"Someone was here after Nanette beat me up. A guy. He put me to bed and called Hugh.† â€Å"It wasn't me.† â€Å"Technically, it wouldn't even be interfering.† â€Å"Georgina,† he said sternly. â€Å"Listen. It wasn't me.† I held his gaze and shivered at the intensity in his eyes. His were gray, but whereas Dante's were like leaden clouds on a winter day, Carter's were like gleaming silver. â€Å"It wasn't you,† I said at last. He'd answered directly, with none of the half-truths and subterfuge angels normally employed. He'd answered directly, and angels couldn't lie. â€Å"I suppose you didn't blow up the stove either?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Who did, then? You said in Vancouver you'd try to protect me. I figured this was you.† â€Å"It's possible the stove blew up because of a gas leak.† â€Å"Maybe,† I grumbled. He smiled, instantly transforming him to the mocking angel I usually knew. â€Å"Believe me, Daughter of Lilith, I wish I could take credit for these things. And if it comes down to it, and I have the means and ability, I will try to protect you. For now, I've still got to stay out of this.† â€Å"House calls aside.† â€Å"Just a visit between friends.† He winked and stood up. â€Å"I really do wish I could help more, but you're going to have to find another way. Be careful, whatever you end up doing.† â€Å"You're not warning me away from all this?† He arched an eyebrow. â€Å"Should I be?† â€Å"No,† I mused. â€Å"But everyone else is. They say it's dangerous.† â€Å"It is dangerous. But these are dangerous times, and honestly? You're the only one that I think has the means or desire to get us out of this mess. Good luck, Georgina. And don't leave the house without checking your hair.† He vanished. â€Å"Fucking angels.† I realized then that I was starving for real food, not sugar-filled sweets. My kitchen was sparse as usual, so I decided to risk the world and go pick up something. I was tired and certainly incapable of running a marathon, but Mei's healing really had gone a long way. I could manage the one block walk to a nearby take-out Chinese restaurant. I placed the order, and by the time I was out of my robe and out the door, the food was ready. I stopped at a convenience store as well to pick up some pop, and the whole endeavor only ended up taking about thirty minutes. From the look on Aubrey's face, you would have thought I'd been gone a whole day, but then, she just wanted my orange chicken. I changed back to my robe and relaxed with the food, pondering how to spend my day. As I'd told Dante, I didn't want to go traipsing about town, but I wanted some leads on the medallion. Erik was probably my best bet at this point, and I hoped he'd be able to ID my symbols from phone descriptions. Before I could do that, I heard a knock at my door. I expected it to be Hugh making a house call, but to my astonishment, it was Seth. â€Å"Hey,† I said, stepping aside so that he could come in. â€Å"Hey,† he returned. I stuffed my hands into the ratty robe's pockets, wishing I hadn't been so hasty to change back to casual mode. My hair was undoubtedly a lost cause, so there was no point stressing over that. â€Å"How's it going?† â€Å"Okay.† He met my eyes frankly, something he hadn't done in a while. It sent a tingle down my back. â€Å"I was just nearby and wanted to†¦well, that is†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He sighed. â€Å"I just wanted to apologize for what happened yesterday†¦.† Yesterday. The kiss. Something that only a demon attack could have dwarfed. I shook my head, trying not to recall how I'd felt that kiss all the way to my toes. â€Å"You have nothing to apologize for. I think†¦I think I was as much to blame. Besides, it was nothing.† â€Å"Nothing?† he asked, looking both surprised and hurt. â€Å"I mean, not nothing ,† I amended hastily. â€Å"But we were both kind of worked up, and things got crazy, and well, like I said†¦nothing to apologize for.† â€Å"Okay†¦I'm glad you're not upset. I don't want there to be anything†¦well, anything bad between us.† I thought about all the fights and arguments. â€Å"Well, I'm not sure we've reached that state. I mean, come on, do you think things will ever be normal and friendly between us?† â€Å"Yes,† he said bluntly. â€Å"No matter what has or hasn't happened romantically, I still feel like†¦like there's something between us†¦like, a connection, I mean. I feel like we're always destined to be important in each other's lives.† You are my life , I thought and promptly looked away, as though he might have heard me. â€Å"Do you regret it?† I asked before I realized I had. â€Å"Regret?† â€Å"Ending things.† I looked back at him, fearing his answer, no matter what it was. â€Å"I regret†¦well, I don't regret saving you from future hurt. I do regret the hurt I've caused you†¦if I'd known you'd react and spiral the way you have†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You can't take that into consideration,† I said hastily. â€Å"That's not your fault.† I was surprised to be saying that, but it was true. My bad behavior these last months had been my doing. â€Å"I can't help it. I'll always worry about you. Like I said, I feel like no matter what, we're always going to be connected†¦like there's something bigger than us at work. As it is†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"What?† â€Å"Never mind.† I stepped forward, never taking my eyes off him. â€Å"Tell me.† â€Å"As it is†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He shrugged. â€Å"Life is easier not dating you. But sometimes†¦it feels incomplete. Like there's a piece of me missing.† â€Å"And that's easier?† â€Å"Think of it as winning the lottery and having people waiting on all your needs, but it's at the cost of, I don't know, getting your leg amputated.† â€Å"Wow. You should be a writer with that imagery.† He smiled. â€Å"Yeah, yeah. But you know what I mean.† Except, I was missing a part of my life and things were harder, not easier. â€Å"You at least have Maddie.† â€Å"You have Dante.† â€Å"Dante's not Maddie, believe me.† â€Å"Fair enough. She's great†¦I care about her†¦love her†¦I don't know. It's all just different.† Silence fell, but it was comfortable. â€Å"Good lord. I can't believe we're discussing this rationally.† â€Å"See? Not so hard to be friends.† I had my doubts about that. â€Å"I guess.† â€Å"Don't worry. We'll keep trying. Before long, we'll be on a bowling league or something.† He spoke his words lightly, but there was a catch that belied the truth of his words. Being friends wasn't easy for Seth either. He still cared about me and was suffering just as much as me with this separation. Seeing that made something in me soften. â€Å"Hey, it's okay. We'll make this work.† I reached out to hug him, and he automatically returned it. I felt warm and safe and right in his embrace-until he casually squeezed my back. I cried out, jerking away at the pain that shot through me. We sprang apart, and he looked at me in alarm. â€Å"What's wrong? Are you okay?† â€Å"It's†¦complicated.† My standard answer to uncomfortable questions. â€Å"Georgina!† â€Å"It's nothing. Don't worry about it.† He strode toward me, reached a hand out, then pulled back. Intensity filled his face. â€Å"Are you hurt?† I tried to keep out of his reach. â€Å"Look, I got in a fight last night, and I'm sporting some, uh, residual effects. It's mostly gone, though, so there's nothing to worry about.† â€Å"You? Got in a fight? With who?† â€Å"Whom. And it was with Nanette. I told you, it's nothing.† â€Å"Who's Nanette?† â€Å"She's†¦a demon.† He gave me a level look. â€Å"A demon. A full-fledged demon.† â€Å"Something like that.† â€Å"Let me see your back.† â€Å"Seth-â€Å" â€Å"Georgina! Let me see your back.† There was anger in his words, not at me, but at the thought of someone hurting me. It reminded me a little of Dante's reaction, except that Dante always had a bit of anger in him. It was normal. To see it woken up in Seth†¦to see him so passionate and fierce†¦ Slowly, slowly, I turned around and undid the front of my robe, letting it slip halfway down my back. I heard Seth gasp at what he saw, and then a few moments later, he stepped forward and pushed my hair off my back so that he could get a better view. I shivered when his fingers touched my skin. â€Å"Georgina†¦this is horrible†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"It was worse before.† I spoke flippantly, hoping to deflect his worry and realizing I'd only increased it now. â€Å"Worse?† I tugged the robe up and turned back around. â€Å"Mei healed it. I'm fine.† â€Å"Yeah, it seems that way.† â€Å"Look, it's nothing you have to worry about.† â€Å"Not worry about?† His eyes were filled with incredulity. â€Å"Even when you're†¦normal†¦a demon could still kill you, right?† â€Å"Yeah.† Seth put his hand to his forehead and sighed. â€Å"This is what it's like, isn't it?† â€Å"What?† â€Å"What you went through with me. Living with the fear that I could die. Having it tear you apart.† I didn't answer right away. â€Å"You don't have to worry about me. This'll work out.† â€Å"Did this†¦did Nanette do this because of your investigating?† I nodded, then crooked him a wry smile. â€Å"Still like how brave I am?† He stepped closer to me and looked me up and down in a way that was so serious, my smile faded. â€Å"Even after this, you aren't going to stop, are you? You're going to keep pushing to find Jerome?† â€Å"Do you want me to stop?† This was almost like my earlier conversation with Dante, when he'd made it clear he thought I was a fool for continuing with my quest. Seth's answer was a long time in coming. â€Å"I don't want you to get hurt. But I understand you, and I know why you have to do this†¦and it's still part of that strange, brave nature of yours that's so†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He didn't finish, but I saw the anguish in his eyes, the worry and heartache over something happening to me. It was mingled with something else, though. Pride. Affection. I put my arms around him again, wanting to comfort him now. â€Å"Hey, hey. It's going to be okay. I'll be okay.† His hands rested on my hips, careful of my back, but honestly, I barely noticed. My attention was on his lips, pressed against my cheek. â€Å"Georgina, Georgina,† he breathed against my skin. â€Å"You are†¦incredible.† And like in the car, I don't know who exactly was to blame, but our lips met and were kissing again. Unlike before, we didn't break apart out of shock. We kept kissing. And kissing. His lips were intoxicating and felt like they'd been designed especially for mine. Our bodies pressed against one another, though his embrace was still gentle. As the kiss continued, that same sensation came back to me: this was purely a kiss. Just an expression of love between two people with no dire side effects, no soul stealing. The longer it went on, the more amazed I was. By now, as a succubus, I would have begun to taste his energy and feel his thoughts. But not now. I was alone in my own head, savoring his body and not his soul. We pulled back slightly, and he moved his hands up to the side of my face, smoothing my hair away and touching my cheek. â€Å"Georgina. You are†¦beautiful.† We kissed again, and it was so sweet, so pure, that it didn't seem possible. I hadn't had a physical experience that could really be called sweet or pure since†¦well, since my mortal days. But this was. And by pure, I didn't mean non-sexual†¦because my body was definitely awake and yearning for his. But, it was pure in the sense that there were no ulterior machinations here, just our feelings. My love for him was the turn-on, and as his hands ran down my arms and back to my hips, it was the knowledge that it was Seth that made it all so powerful. His hands carefully moved down to the robe's tie and undid the knot. He broke the kiss and studied my face as he hesitantly, almost reverently, slipped the robe off me. It hit the floor, and I stepped away from it. Seth moved with me, running his fingers along my arms, leaning down to kiss my neck. I tilted my head back as my own hands began pushing up his T-shirt. When I had it half-way, he paused to push it up the rest of the way. Then his hands were on my waist once more, sliding down and feeling the curve of my hips. I had on plain cotton panties-sexily cut, at least-and his fingertips traced the edges down along my thighs, every touch soft yet quivering with pent-up energy. I don't think I was being quite as gentle. I was hungry to touch him, eager as I ran my hands along his chest and the lean muscles of his stomach. I wanted to kiss it and taste it and lose myself in all things Seth. I began backing up toward my bedroom, and he followed, turning hesitant once we reached the bed and I started to sit. â€Å"You can't†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he began. â€Å"I can lie down,† I said, doing exactly that. â€Å"I just can't slam my back down or anything.† After watching me for a moment, making sure I spoke the truth, Seth took off his jeans and lay down next to me. I rolled slightly to my side, pressing back to him. We resumed kissing, doing no more than that, just letting our nearly bare bodies wrap around each other. Having all this skin touching between us was heady. Never, never had I imagined it could really happen. Our hands explored each other, feeling every line and curve we'd always been denied. Every gesture between us was exquisite. Every caress was a prayer. We regarded each other's bodies with wonder and joy. When my hands slipped to the edges of his boxers, I found his own fingers were tugging at my panties. We hardly needed any communication, and once completely naked, I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him toward me and seeking the completion with him I'd so long dreamed of. To my surprise, he pulled from my arms and scooted down the bed. â€Å"What are you doing?† I asked. â€Å"This,† he said. He smoothly pushed my legs apart, and I felt him shower my inner thighs with light, delicate kisses. Up and up his warm mouth moved until he made contact with my clit. I gasped softly at the fire that coursed through me from that light flick of the tongue. It was so light†¦yet so powerful. I'd been so intoxicated with the simple fact that we could touch that I hadn't been consciously aware of just how aroused I had grown. I ached and was wet and nearly melted at his touch. He lifted his mouth up slightly. â€Å"Do you know how long I've dreamed about this? To be able to touch you? To taste you?† I had little chance to ponder his rhetorical question because his lips returned to me, sucking and licking, somehow infinitely gentle and blazingly hot at the same time. I closed my eyes and lost myself in the pleasure of it, of Seth bringing me closer and closer to orgasm. As my muscles tightened and my cries grew more frequent, he intensified his movements, his tongue dancing and teasing harder and more rapidly. I wanted to hold off, to prolong this as I did his books, but I couldn't help it. My climax hit me hard and fast, and I moaned long and low as I came. All the while, Seth kept his mouth down there, refusing to let up as my body arched and trembled from the sparks of ecstasy that flowed through me. When my body finally quieted, he lifted himself up again and returned to my side, showering my chest with more of those tiny kisses. I brought my face to his, trading in the little kisses for one big one. His mouth tasted like me, and I opened my lips farther and farther as our tongues stroked each other. I might have come already, but I still burned between my legs and still needed him. I pressed myself against him, wrapping my legs around him so that there was almost no space between our hips. â€Å"Georgina†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he said warningly. It was another sign of how well we knew each other that I realized he wasn't worried about asking permission about what came next. He was worried about my back again. So, shifting over, I rolled him to his back and straddled him, looking down at him with a small smile. He gave me an answering one, amused by my ready solution. As we held gazes, I was again overwhelmed with the emotion of the experience, of how indescribable it was to finally touch someone I loved. I had been terrified at the thought of dying, but I realized then that I was only afraid of dying uselessly. For Seth, to save him, I would have gladly laid down my life. He was right. We were connected in something bigger than both of us. Empowered by that realization, I lowered my hips, joining us at last. I felt him enter me, felt him fill me up. We both paused then, neither breathing or moving, half-expecting something to happen or end this. Nothing did, and after that, I didn't hesitate any further. I slowly moved my hips up and down, savoring the feel of him in me and underneath me as he glided in and out. My hands were on his chest and his were on my hips. Our eyes were on each other, never wavering, never breaking contact. How to describe sex with Seth? It's difficult. It was unlike anything I'd had in my existence as a succubus. Somewhere, in the back of my head, it resonated with memories of my marriage, when my husband and I had still been happy. Every other instance after that had been lacking†¦until now. Each movement and touch with Seth was a dream, a wonder. The intensity of our lovemaking steadily increased. My need for him grew stronger and stronger, and I rode him with a ferocity that was still tender and full of the love that burned between us. I loved the feel of him, loved how I could thrust him into me, hard and deep. And yet†¦ â€Å"It's not enough,† I murmured. â€Å"We're still not close enough.† It might have been a foolish sentiment, considering we were as physically close as two people could be. But Seth understood. â€Å"I know,† he gasped. â€Å"I know. We'll never be close enough.† Joy lit his face then, and when he came, his body arched up toward mine. I leaned down and increased my rhythm and hardness, wanting so badly to be even closer and have as much of him in me as I could. His mouth parted in a soft moan that mirrored my earlier one, and when he started to instinctively close his eyes, he quickly opened them again to stay locked with my gaze. There was no looking away between us, no avoiding what we felt. As I stared into his eyes and felt his body's trembling fade, energy seemed to crackle between our souls in a way that had nothing to do with succubus soul-stealing. Carefully, I eased myself off him and lay down on my side again, draping my body over his. I was drowning in feeling and emotion. â€Å"Georgina,† he murmured, pulling me closer. â€Å"You are the world.† I'd heard that somewhere before, but I was too overwhelmed to parse it much. I was too lost in Seth. Instead, what I said was unoriginal but absolutely true: â€Å"I love you.†

Online Games

The effect of Online Games to the academic performance of the Students.. .. it is a habit that many of us teenager get hooked up. College students studying general physics constituted the population of the study. Due to the organizational system of classes at the community college level where this research took place, random sampling was not used. Existing classes were randomly assigned as either the experimental group or the control group. There were 20 students in the experimental group and 20 students in the control group.The t test was conducted to compare the means of two independently sampled experimental and control groups. College students studying general physics constituted the population of the study. Due to the organizational system of classes at the community college level where this research took place, random sampling was not used. Existing classes were randomly assigned as either the experimental group or the control group. There were 20 students in the experimental g roup and 20 students in the control group. The t test was conducted to compare the means of two independently sampled experimental and control groups.College students studying general physics constituted the population of the study. Due to the organizational system of classes at the community college level where this research took place, random sampling was not used. Existing classes were randomly assigned as either the experimental group or the control group. There were 20 students in the experimental group and 20 students in the control group. The t test was conducted to compare the means of two independently sampled experimental and control groups. College students studying general physics constituted the population of the study.Due to the organizational system of classes at the community college level where this research took place, random sampling was not used. Existing classes were randomly assigned as either the experimental group or the control group. There were 20 students in the experimental group and 20 students in the control group. The t test was conducted to compare the means of two independently sampled experimental and control groups. College students studying general physics constituted the population of the study. Due to the organizational system of classes at the community college level where this research took place, random sampling was not used.Existing classes were randomly assigned as either the experimental group or the control group. There were 20 students in the experimental group and 20 students in the control group. The t test was conducted to compare the means of two independently sampled experimental and control groups. College students studying general physics constituted the population of the study. Due to the organizational system of classes at the community college level where this research took place, random sampling was not used. Existing classes were randomly assigned as either the experimental group or the control group.Th ere were 20 students in the experimental group and 20 students in the control group. The t test was conducted to compare the means of two independently sampled experimental and control groups. College students studying general physics constituted the population of the study. Due to the organizational system of classes at the community college level where this research took place, random sampling was not used. Existing classes were randomly assigned as either the experimental group or the control group. There were 20 students in the experimental group and 20 students in the control group.The t test was conducted to compare the means of two independently sampled experimental and control groups. College students studying general physics constituted the population of the study. Due to the organizational system of classes at the community college level where this research took place, random sampling was not used. Existing classes were randomly assigned as either the experimental group or the control group. There were 20 students in the experimental group and 20 students in the control group. The t test was conducted to compare the means of two independently sampled experimental and control groups.College students studying general physics constituted the population of the study. Due to the organizational system of classes at the community college level where this research took place, random sampling was not used. Existing classes were randomly assigned as either the experimental group or the control group. There were 20 students in the experimental group and 20 students in the control group. The t test was conducted to compare the means of two independently sampled experimental and control groups.College students studying general physics constituted the population of the study. Due to the organizational system of classes at the community college level where this research took place, random sampling was not used. Existing classes were randomly assigned as either the experimental group or the control group. There were 20 students in the experimental group and 20 students in the control group. The t test was conducted to compare the means of two independently sampled experimental and control groups.College students studying general physics constituted the population of the study. Due to the organizational system of classes at the community college level where this research took place, random sampling was not used. Existing classes were randomly assigned as either the experimental group or the control group. There were 20 students in the experimental group and 20 students in the control group. The t test was conducted to compare the means of two independently sampled experimental and control groups.

'The global financial crisis (2007-2009) is an evidence of the Essay

'The global financial crisis (2007-2009) is an evidence of the weaknesses of the existing international and national regulator - Essay Example The excessive spending and the systemic risk associated due to the fluctuation of macroeconomic factors in the world economic environment exposed the investments and the subsequent lending by the financial institutions to high risks which was slowly growing into a large bubble1. Before the global financial crisis that started in US during 2007 and rippled throughout the world, the prices of the real estate was soaring very high. Thus, people could make huge profits in the short run by investing in US properties which was unmatched with any other investment in the US and the international markets. Apart from this, the national government in US also adopted the policy of property holding right for the US citizens that encouraged the financial institutions and their intermediaries to lend for the purpose of purchase of property2. However, due to the lack of tight regulatory framework, there were cases of lending and investments that could be identified as risky due to several factors li ke repayment capability of the investor, feasibility of the investment returns, regulatory compliance, etc3. The heavy bubble of bad lending by the financial institutions burst into a global financial crisis which was an evidence of the weakness of the national and international regulatory frameworks that were put in place for avoiding the systemic risk and the excessive risk taking of the financial institutions. Systemic risk The systematic risk is explained by the risk that arises due to the fluctuation of the macro economic factors like export-import, appreciation of depreciation of currencies, economic performance of developed countries, changes in international investments, fluctuations in the financial return and risk, etc. The global financial crisis brought out the systemic risk that started in the US and melted down globally to international economies across the world4. The inter-linkage between the houses of production, markets and the financial intermediaries led the plat form where the manufacturing and the production units suffered a slowdown in the production level due to the loss of the financial intermediaries which in turn was affected due to the default risk of the borrowers who invested in the US real estate and properties5. The lack of tighter regulatory framework fuelled the investments in the US real estates. The regulatory framework for the financial institutions is also liable of not putting checks when the financial institutions relaxed their approaches on due diligence and compliance checks to find the default risk in case of lending6. The business houses were also granted loans for increasing the supply to match the rising demand. The systemic risk exposed the weakness of the regulatory frameworks when the household and the businesses defaulted in paying back the borrowed money to the financial institution and there was financial catastrophe in the US economy7. Excessive risk taking by financial institutions The global financial crisi s in 2007 to 2009 could be attributed to excessive risk taken by the financial

Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Law - Essay Example The appellant slipped and fell on the cruise ship while walking through the Conservatory restaurant located in the ship. On falling on the restaurant’s floor, the appellant, Dawkins, sustained soft tissue injuries in her knee and wrist. She claimed that there was a small pool of fluid, which made the floor slippery making her slip. The appellant later took the matter to Southampton County Court claiming damages under Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957. Considering the ship’s location during the accident, the claim would be heard only under the Athens Convention on Carriage of Passengers and their Luggage by Sea 1974, which was part of Wales and England’s law already owing to the provisions of section 183 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995. The lower court (which is the county court) handled the case as stipulated by the general legal process. The case followed the general legal process as the accident had happened within the county and the case therefore heard in a county court. Failure to make judgement led to a higher court (Royal Court) to resolve it as required by the legal process. The defendant on his part claimed that he had put in place reasonable measures to ensure that the accident did not take place because they failed to observe reasonable care. When the Recorder conducted an investigation regarding the claim by the appellant about the spillage of liquid on the floor, It was discovered that the defendant had put in place a system of frequent inspection of the floor in order to avoid causing injuries to the clients that would arise owing to wanting of care. It was the appellant’s responsibility to justify the lapse on the system of the inspection with the Conservatory restaurant, as this was the only reason to prove negligence on the part of the cruise ship. Relying on the provisions of the Ward v Tesco Ltd, the Recorder dismissed claims for damages by the plaintiff, Mrs. Janet Dawkins. In line with the case law, the mater was latter appealed to the Royal Courts of Justice before lord justice Moore-Brick and Lord Justice Aikens. The court of appeal judges tried to establish the burden of proof on the side of the appellant that damages the defendant’s act of negligence brought on suffering to the appellant. Banks state that using the test Ward v Tesco Ltd,3 they realized that the defendant could not establish the evidence that could prove the presence of necessary systems for ensuring the safety of the passengers. According to the court of appeal, judges’ failure to provide evidence by those responsible for overseeing implementation of the safety system of inspection and observation is a clear justification that no one could establish the time span of which the liq uid had been on the floor. In other words, the burden of proof lied with the defendant, P & O cruise ship, to prove that the gap between the liquid spilled on the floor, and the time the accident took place was too minimal to allow for quick safety measure response by the staff charged with responsibility of overseeing the safety system.4 As such, the Court of appeal judges overturns the ruling of the Recorder in Southampton County Court. Liability of Bresco The liability of Bresco, a local supermarket, arises under the Company’s Act 2006. 5 Bresco, being the occupier of the supermarket store, owes all the visitors entering the building a duty of care. This means that Bresco should eliminate any hazard or acts that may cause injury to any party entering the premises, within the premises or leaving the premises. Negligence on the part arises if it fails to do that. Breach to observe reasonable care can lead to

Cost and Quality Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cost and Quality Analysis - Essay Example The two are intimately related. However, Brent (1989) explains that there is a certain quality of the health care can lead to lower costs. This is because of the failure of the process to bring a series of high costs. The unit output of the healthcare services is scrapped while the resources used in the production are wasted. In order to recover the scrapped units, additional resources have to be reallocated to the appropriate deficiency. These allocations involve those aimed at replacing the customer who is lost due dissatisfaction in the organization. The organization may also be liable for the additional warranty cost and other damages traced to the failure. Brent (1989) explains that, the lower quality will eventually result to higher costs for the organization. The additional costs arise due to the liability of the process failure caused by the low quality of the services offered to the customer. This situation is termed as Quality waste, which is a representation of the consump tion of resources for repairing the output unit that fails to meet the expectations of the customers. The waste is traced through identification scrap and rework. This is a way of managing and eliminating quality wastage from within the organization aimed to improve the quality of the services. ... Their aim is to focus on the evaluation of the quality of healthcare provided in the hospitals. Buttell, Hendler and Daley (2007), the government has actively engaged in the pursuit of establishing accreditation standards. The other initiative that they are taking is to develop a board recertification to physicians and health care organizations. This is in order to focus on their reporting of the public performance information. These organizations and physicians are to be licensed via multispecialty group practices. An independent agency is established with the roles and responsibilities to review the effectiveness via the public and private partnership. This is aimed at establishing guidelines with standards for the provision of better health care services. Through these agencies, parameters are set about the care that is anticipated to all customers. These parameters include access to medical records, reasonable waiting duration and regularity source of care. The agencies are also focusing on establishing a performance standards aimed at gauging the meeting of the standards. This is in order to regulate the performance of the medical services quality provided to the customers. The agencies are also aimed at separating the generation of the evidence of the translation of the guideline and the anticipated standard. There are initiatives that are focused at improving the quality of services and at the same time incorporating costs control. By the nature of the health care being a process that comprises of series. In order to effect the operations of an institution that provides health care services, the organization should seek to establish

Deprived Relationship between U.S. Working Mothers and Their Children Research Paper

Deprived Relationship between U.S. Working Mothers and Their Children - Research Paper Example This makes life a big challenge for them, because they have to manage everything just like stay-at-home moms, and because they cannot let down the expectations that their families have from them. And if they let down, they are considered as failed. They find themselves in constant guilt because they feel that they have not been taking care of their children because of putting their work ahead of them. They have to arrange for childcare, which takes away much of their salaries. They stay stressed. Their husbands do not spare them for not doing house work; and, their children suffer from not having them around them when they need them. This paper tends to discuss what difference lies between children of working mothers and those of stay-at-home moms. The thesis statement is that: the emotional relationship between working mothers in the U.S. and their children is not as good as the relationship between stay-at-home moms and their children. ... Why working mothers cannot leave their jobs is because they have built their careers over the years, and they cannot take the risk of losing the opportunities they have gained with their hard work. They have to return to their jobs because they know that in U.S., even after the establishment of some laws in their favor, like the FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act), employers do not like to give any relaxation to them when they want to spend some time off with their newly born children. So, they have to arrange for childcare and return to work. This makes them spend a good portion of the day away from their children, which diminishes their importance for the little ones, who learn to stay without them and depend on some other caregiver. Child neglect has taken its toll on the relationship between the mother and the child, which expresses itself when the children grow older into their teenage. They become emotionally distant, because they have been physically distant from their mothers. On the other hand, children of stay-at-home moms have their mothers around them 24/7, and they know that they are safe and protected. This brings them emotionally close to their mothers, and the impact is for lifetime. Although a stay-at-home mom cannot contribute in financial responsibilities of the father, yet she manages her home and looks after her children in the most appropriate way, which is something that makes her superior than working mothers in the eyes of her family, and especially her children. Stay-at-home moms bear more loving, caring, and confident children, than working moms. Confidence comes when children know that their mothers are with them, from the time they

Leibniz's Conception of Substance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Leibniz's Conception of Substance - Essay Example Such full understand is beyond the grasp of our finite minds, but is not beyond the grasp of God Any object in the universe is connected in some way or another. Every substance is like an entire world and like a mirror of God, or indeed of the whole world which it portrays, each one in its own fashion. Each substance reflects all the others. No substance can really cause any change in any other. What happens to be causal interaction among substances is really a "pre-established harmony" among them, reflecting the fact that God created each one with an eye to all the rest. The identity of indiscernibles - of all the harmoniously evolving substances in the universe, no two are alike in every respect. If any two were completely alike, they would be one substance rather than two. The mere possibility of these other worlds defeats the implication that whatever happens in our world is necessary. Leibniz's view rule out human freedom. God has decreed that "the will shall always seek the apparent good in certain particular respects. He, without at all necessitating our choice, determines it by that which appears most desirable". Whatever we do stems from our own will, and is done in pursuit of our vision of the good. Hence, anything we do is our own responsibility. God inclines our soul without necessitating them. Leibniz was dissatisfied with the way Descartes and Spin... To say, as Descartes did, that there are two independent substances - thought and extension - was to produce the impossible dilemma of trying to explain how those two substances interact as body and mind either in human beings or in God. Spinoza had tried to solve the dilemma by saying that there is only one substance with two knowable attributes, though and extension. But to reduce all reality to a single substance was to lose the distinction between the various elements in nature. To be sure, Spinoza spoke of the world as consisting of many modes in which the attributes of thought and expression appear. Still, Spinoza's monism was a pantheism in which God was everything and everything was [art of everything else. To Leibniz, this conception of substance was inadequate because it blurred the distinctions among God, humans, and nature each of which Leibniz wanted to keep separate. Paradoxically, Leibniz accepted Spinoza's single-substance theory and his mechanical model of the universe. However, he presented such a unique theory of this one substance that he was able to speak of the individuality of persons, the transcendence of God, and the reality of purpose and freedom in the universe. Extension versus Force. Leibniz challenged the fundamental assumption upon which both Descartes and Spinoza had built their theory of substance, namely, extension implies three-dimensional size and shape. Descartes assumed that extension refers to material substance that is extended in space and is not divisible into something more primary. Spinoza, too, considered extension as an irreducible material attribute of God and Nature. Leibniz disagreed. Observing that the bodies or things we see with our senses are divisible into

Literary Response to Passage from The Story of My Life by Helen Keller Essay

Literary Response to Passage from The Story of My Life by Helen Keller - Essay Example In literary works, however, where different perceptions, feelings and moods are to be conveyed alongside pure facts, analogies can be used to make the text more interesting, memorable and evocative for the reader. In this case the analogy of the ship is a good example of how the author uses language to represent emotional as well as factual elements in her life story. The passage occurs on the first page of Chapter IV in the book, and relates the child Helen Keller’s anticipation of meeting her teacher Anne Sullivan. It starts with a direct question to the reader: â€Å"Have you ever been at sea in a dense fog†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and it aims to represent the loss of human senses and the feeling of helplessness that this brings. In English the term â€Å"at sea† can be used literally, to mean undergoing a voyage on water, or figuratively, meaning that someone has lost his or her bearings, and is drifting far from land. Since it is difficult to imagine being blind and deaf as an actual experience, the analogy of standing on a ship in fog serves to illustrate what it feels like. Inanimate objects like the ship, take on human characteristics: â€Å"the great ship, tense and anxious, groped her way†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Just as the ship has â€Å"no way of knowing how near the harbor was† so Helen Keller had no idea what was about to happen to her. The ship is personified here, and this encourages the reader to step into the role of a ship heading for harbor. It is clear that Helen Keller’s imagination is doing its best to make up for the lack of sights and sounds to give clues to what is happening all around her. In the middle of the passage the author explains what the analogy of the ship means: â€Å"I was like that ship before my education began.† By using this statement as a key to the text, the reader can figure out that the ship is Helen Keller, the harbor is the safety and security that she found in the teachings and loving care that h er teacher brought her. A very interesting part of the analogy is found in the expression â€Å"a tangible white darkness shut you in.† This is an unusual expression because it makes reference to the human senses in an apparently contradictory way. Darkness is not normally something that you can touch, and so the word â€Å"tangible† is out of place, and furthermore, the adjective â€Å"white† is not usually used to describe darkness. This collocation sounds wrong, because the whole point about darkness is that it is precisely not white. Helen Keller deliberately places these contradictory words together because she is trying to find a way of describing the phenomenon of being deaf and blind. By mixing the sense of touch with an unusual use of color, she is emphasizing the way that a deaf and blind person uses other senses to imagine the way that the world is. This is a very inventive usage, and shows the author’s literary skill. The point is further expa nded when she links the word â€Å"light† with the word â€Å"love† in the phrase â€Å"the light of love.† The darkness she suffered as a child was also a spiritual one, and the analogy of a ship sailing into a harbour full of light conveys a sense of arrival to safety after a long spell of being afraid of the unknown. By addressing the reader directly, and using the ship analogy, Helen Keller depersonalizes her own suffering, but at the same time conveys the emotions she felt, and this is a very skilful use of the technique of analogy.

Wiki Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Wiki - Essay Example A number of reasons for businesses to invest in healthy foods in the article include building relations and stronger connections with customers and communities respectively, as demonstrated by Wal-Mart. Disney, Walgreens, and other restaurants have made changes towards healthy foods through reducing sodium, eliminating junk foods, and cutting on fat and calorie content. The fact that businesses will stand to benefit from this arrangement is the reasoning behind the call for them to invest and expand provision o healthy food to meet the cause of their bottom-line while increasing the heath standards in America and consequently reducing obesity rates. The other reason is the need to reduce obesity and health related illnesses whose costs are also borne by businesses indirectly through lower productivity, absenteeism, and directly through payment of hospitalization bills. The other reason behind the call for businesses to venture into healthy food business is the costs they have to bear from the impacts of obesity and health related illnesses. The result of measures to promote healthy living by different people in society is 13% reduction in obesity rates of elementary school-aged kids in Mississippi, fall in obesity rates in New York, Philadelphia, and California. However, the goal is far from accomplished, and businesses are challenged to give â€Å"American families better information and healthier choices†. Obesity being a universal theme, Dhruv Khullar writes on availability of junk foods cheaply than healthy foods and measures to reverse the trend in â€Å"Why Shame won’t stop obesity†. Khullar (2012) explores high availability of â€Å"high-fat, high-calorie, and low nutrient foods†, as the main causes of increased obesity and associated diseases in America. He delves into the issue of obesity advertising and shaming

Semantics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Semantics - Essay Example For instance, the sentence Annie looked at people wearing glasses can mean that Annie was looking at people who were wearing glasses themselves, or it can mean that Annie was wearing glasses while looking at people. These two different meanings have a very large impact on the effectiveness of the sentence. Related to ambiguity is the relationship between sentence meaning and utterance meaning. Put simply, sentence meaning is independent of context, and utterance meaning is dependent upon context (Lyons 38). However, the relationship between the two is hardly simple, and many cases of ambiguity are a result of the differences between the two: â€Å"Perceived discrepancies between sentence meaning and utterance meaning give rise to the frequently asked question What did s/he mean when s/he said that? (Allan 43). It would not be appropriate to attempt to determine whether one was more important than the other because they are used for two different situations. One might as well ask whe ther having a context or not having a context was more important to the study of semantics. As stated, sentence meaning is independent of context, though there is more to the definition that needs to be considered. For instance, the sequence of words obviously has to be possible in a given language, and it has to be complete in a given sense. There would be no point in attempting to examine the meaning of a sentence such as Chomsky’s example. The meaning of the sentence England is an island is easy to discern. England, as a country, is a familiar entity, and the concept of an island being a land-mass completely surrounded by water is also well-known. Looking at any map, the fact that England is a land-mass that is completely surrounded by water is not a difficult thought to grasp. Utterance meaning is used by a speaking on a particular occasion and is dependent upon the context of the situation. John Lyons once stated that â€Å"utterances are unique

Idle Tears Paraphrase Essay Example for Free

Idle Tears Paraphrase Essay Paraphrase: As the speaker looks upon cheerful autumn fields, he longs for bygone days. His feelings rise from the seat of emotion, the heart, and gather to the eyes (line 3) as tears. He cannot link the tears to a specific memory, for they are idle tears—tears that he cannot explain. Apparently, it is the past in general that moves him, the days that are (lines 5, 10, 15, and 20). .The past can hearten, like mornings first light on the sail of a ship returning our friends from the land of the dead. And it can sadden, like evenings last light on the sail of a ship carrying those friends beyond the horizon. So sad, so fresh (line 10) are those days of long ago. .How strange and sad it is for a dying man to hear the first chirp of the birds at the dawn of a summer day and watch the sun turn the window into a glimmering square. .The bygone days are as sweet to us as the memories of kisses from loved ones who have died—as as sweet at those we imagined we bestowed on the lips of a person pledged to another. Memories of those days are as deep as first love and full of regret for what we did or did not do. They are death in life, those days that are long gone. Figures of speech: Alliteration know not (line 1) depth of some divine despair (line 2) Fresh as the first beam (line 6) friends up from (line 7) which reddens over one (line 8) with all we love below the verge (line 9) So sad, so fresh (line 10) sad and strange as in dark summer dawns (line 11)Apostrophe/Paradox Death in Life Apostrophe: The speaker addresses Death. Paradox: Death in Life Metaphor Death in Life, the days that are no more (line 20) Comparison of the days that are no more to Death in Life Simile The second stanza compares the freshness of the days that are no more (line 10) to the freshness of the first beam (line 6). It also compares the sadness of the days that are no more to the sadness of the last [beam] which reddens (line 8). The simile reads this way: The days that are no more are fresh as the first beam glittering on a sail . . . [and] sad as the last one which reddens. . . . The third stanza compares the sadness and strangeness of the days that are no more (line 15) to the earliest pipe of half-awakend birds / To dying ears (lines 11 and 12). The simile reads this way: The days that are no more are sad and strange . . . as the earliest pipe of half-awakend birds to dying ears. The fourth stanza compares the days that are no more (line 20) to the dearness of remembered kisses (line 16), the sweetness of kisses by hopeless fancy feigned (line 17), and the deepness of love (lines 18 and 19). The simile reads this way: The days that are no more are dear as remembered kisses after death . . . and sweet as those by hopeless fancy feignd . . . deep as love, deep as first love. . . .

Why Nestle Is Multinational Corporate Marketing Essay

Why Nestle Is Multinational Corporate Marketing Essay Introduction to MNC (Multinational Corporate) MNC (Multinational corporate) known started from 17th century which traces origin from Dutch East India Company. And this corporate structure more widely functioned in 21th century. According to Stuart Wall, Sonal Minocha and Bronwen Rees (2010), MNC (Multinational corporate) is a company that has headquarters in one country but has operations in other country. MNC had defined by Dunning (1993) MNC are engages in FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) and owns or controls value-adding activities in more than one country. Typically the multinational would not just own value-adding activities, but might buy resources and create goods or services in a variety of countries. Multinational Corporate in 2007 an estimated 79000 multinational corporate, collectively controlled a total of around 800000 foreign affiliates, employed almost 82million people worldwide and accounted for sales revenue of over $31 trillion, some 11% of world GDP. . (Stuart Wall;SonalMinocha and Bronwen Rees. 2010. pg. 31). Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is any forms that investor earns interest in corporation which functions outside of the domestic territory of investor. Besides that, foreign direct investment needs a relationship between a parent company and it foreign subsidiary. It is also gives rise for multinational corporate based on their report Economy Watch (2010). What is Globalization? Globalization means businesses transaction around the world. Research (Global Education, 2009) has shown that globalization have many meanings and definitions, but mostly known as the greater movement of people, goods, capital and ideas affected by the increments of the economic integration which in turn is propelled by the increasing trades and investments. It is like moving towards living in a borderless world. There has always been a sharing of goods, services, knowledge and cultures between people and countries. In recent years, the improvement of technologies and a reduction of barriers mean the speed of exchange is much faster. Globalization provides lots of different types of opportunities and challenges (Global Education, 2009). Why Nestle is Multinational Corporate? Nestle is a multinational corporate since the headquarter is located in Switzerland but operates businesses in the many other countries over the world such as Europe, United State, China, Malaysia, Hong Kong etc. As we know, Nestle is an infants product. Besides producing infants, Nestle has also produces some other products such as chocolate, yogurt drink, cornflakes, ice-cream etc which can easily found in supermarkets all over the world. Introduction to Nestle In 1860s, a pharmacist named Henri Nestle had succeeded developed a food for babies whom are unable to breastfeed. And his first success was to be able to feed a premature infant who could not tolerate his mothers milk or any of the usual substitutes. (Nestle, 2010) In 1867, he adopted his own coat of arms as a trademark in 1867. In German Nestle means little nest. The Nestle symbol is universally understood to carry the meaning of nurturing and caring, security, nourishment and family bonding. These attributes are still the guiding legacy for the company Henri Nestlà © founded which fulfills the commitment to Good Food, Good Life. The Nestlà © Coat-of-Arms Sources: Nestle Sdn Bhd 2010 In 1905 Nestlà © work together with the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company, the year after Nestlà © added chocolate to its line of foods. The newly formed Nestlà © and Anglo-Swiss Milk Company had factories in the Spain, Germany, United States and Britain. Soon, the company had full-scale manufacturing in Australia with warehouses in Hong Kong, Singapore and Bombay. Most production still took place in Europe. (English Tea Store, 2004-2009) At first, Nestle business was mainly based on milk and dietetic foods for children. Then, Nestlà © grew and diversified its range of products, through acquisitions and mergers with the already famous brands of that time. For example, the manufacturing of LACTOGEN began in 1921, and in the same year, a beverage containing wheat flour was marketed under the brand name MILO. In 1938, NESCAFÉ was introduced to the as the first instant coffee. Then, in 1947, Nestlà © merged with the MAGGI Company. Currently, Nestle is still having their principles, which to provide the best products throughout the world. As the leading Food, Nutrition, Health and Wellness Company, Nestlà © provides the best food for anytime of day and for anytime of your life. Nestlà © has grown to become the worlds largest food company which offers more than 8500 brands and 10000 products throughout the whole world. With its headquarters in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlà © has more than 456 factories in more than 80 countries and having more than 283,000 employers. (Nestle Products Sdn Bhd , 2010) Actual impact of globalization on Nestle PESTLE analysis which contains of political, economic, social, technology, legal and environment analysis which consist of external environmental. It is a useful analysis to understanding the situation of a company in an industry. Political analysis The stability of political in a country will be under the consideration by NESTLE to build a plant that can operates NESTLEs factories that considering the countrys political stability, good tax incentives as well as its skilled workforce, NESTLE chose Malaysia to be the site of another regional manufacturing centre for NESCAFE (Mr. Josà © Lopez, Executive Vice President, Nestle S.A. responsible for global operations and GLOBE (Nestlà ©s Global Business Excellence Programmer)). Economic Analysis The important of economic factors will leads to the strength of consumer spending. For example, in recession economy, people might cut of their budget to consume household stuff rather than unnecessary stuff such as chocolate. Americans likes luxury chocolates, a new premium line of cacao which is called Nestle Treasures God had launched in order to cash in on the recession. Social Analysis Even though Nestle as a multinational corporate which operates their business in the other country, but do respect to peoples culture and traditional which is a corporate that think global, act local by working hard to integrate itself into the cultures and traditions of the country. For example, Kit-Kats formula is almost different everywhere. A Russian Kit-Kat is smaller than a Bulgarian, but less sweet than Germanys Kit-Kat. While in Japan, the strawberry Kit-Kat is all the rage. Technology Analysis As the technology of recently changed rapidly in global, Nestle have attracted people to purchasing their products by using advertising. For example, Kit-Kat have been advertised by attracting youngster or child because it is a sweeten tid-bits. Infants foods advertisement is to attracted housewife to purchase it to given their child a healthy life. Recent research on technology analysis (Nestle Policy and Environmental sustainable) (2008) reports shown that during the manufacturing process, Nestle had using efficient technologies to ensure that there is no wasted energy while producing products. In addition, to control the eliminate emission including the greenhouse gases. Legal Analysis In 1996, Nestle was the first multinational corporate that voluntary for Halal certification for its own food products. Those food products that exported to the other countries were certified as Halal products. As a global food company like Nestle, hygiene is a must. Since Nestle has the Halal certification and hygiene was the procedure which contain in that certificate. Besides that, health and safety were the principle that keeps by Nestle. While provided employees to minimize risks in their personal lives, Nestle had always emphasize each of their employees about to change the employees attitudes towards personal safety. Environmental Analysis Nestle always committed to people to produce the best quality to their consumers. Besides that, Nestle also prevented the wasted food by reduced the materials weight and volume, yet supported initiatives of recycle from used packaging. Nestle have also use recycled materials to produce its products. But, Nestle had done a fact that will cause of the lost of the home for orangutan. According to Heidi Marshall (2010), Nestles product-Kit Kat is a product of environmental destruction. This is because of the material that used in the candy bars and for the other Nestle products as well was comes from a palm oil that get from by destroying Indonesia rainforests. The strategy that used by Nestle to actual impact of globalization are included: Market Penetration Strategy Market penetration strategy is which to refer to increase market share of the current products. A firm using this method by raises their sale revenue without any changing of their existing products. Nestle may try to use the promotion which is buy 1 free 1 for its products. For example, buy 2 packs of 1kg Milo free a 10 pack of instant Nescafe. A market penetration will also involve the 4ps which is products, price, promotion and place. According to (Stuart Wall; SonalMinocha and Bronwen Rees, 2010), the product in international marketing is the extent to which a standard and differentiated product should be provided. For example, Nestle is using the differentiated products since it produce its products Kit-Kat in different flavor. A Russian Kit-Kat is smaller than a Bulgarian, but less sweet than Germanys Kit-Kat. While in Japan, the strawberry Kit-Kat is all the rage. The international price is related to the account market different between countries, exchange rates, difficulties of voicing and collecting payment across borders, the effects of tariffs and purchase taxes on competitiveness, governmental regulations of the host country and the long term strategic plan of the company in the different markets in which it operates. For the promotion, it is often expressed to attracted people to consume their products and yet to capture a new consumer to purchasing their products. Nestle is always advertise their products thru media ways. To make sure that people know their products yet to pursuing people to make a purchase on their products. For example, Nestle advertise its products thru the television advertisement. This can make sure that children will attracted by its advertisement while it advertise. A place or distribution it is difficult to control from outside the overseas country itself. A company will solve this problem by its own subsidiary. In addition, if the products are being imported, a multinational company will recruit a local agent to ensure that there is safety, cheapest and quickest way is using. For example, Nestle might recruit a people that located outside of overseas of it country to solve the problem such as a warehouses, the selling markets and etc. SWOT Analysis of Nestle As Dr. Jill Novak, (2009) commented that: Strength Nestle is a global food producer since it located in over 100 countries. It is consistently one of the worlds largest producers which with global sales in 2008 topped $101 billion. In addition, Nestle was named one of Americas Most Admired Food Companies in Fortune magazine. Furthermore, Nestle provides quality brands and products and line extensions that are well-known, top-selling brands including: Maggi, Haagen Dazs, Kit Kat, Nescafe, CoffeeMate, prepared baby foods, yogurt, foods for infants and many more. Weakness Most of the products have their own weaknesses. For Nestle, it was not as successful as the other country in France. Nestle could not compete against a strong and established brand which is Dannon that entered into France earlier than Nestle which is top selling of health yogurt. Besides that, since 2004, Nestle has been forced to reduce the amount of sugar in their products that may cause of diabetes among American children. In addition, Nestle has been removed the packaging and advertising that false claims of heart healthy and lower cholesterol which is an order from FDA(Food and Drug Administration) and American Medical Association which is the under fire of the breakfast cereal industry. Opportunities In today, everyone hope and needs to have a healthy life, as a producer like Nestle, it has an opportunities to raise their selling profits with producing health-based products. Since Nestle was a well-known branded, for sure, it will be easy to attract people to purchase their products. Further, they launched a new premium line of cacao called Nestle Treasures Gold, in order to cash in on the recession economy in which consumers cut back on luxury goods, but regularly indulge in candy and chocolate. Americans want luxury chocolates, and high-end chocolate is immune to the recession (so far), because it is an inexpensive indulgence. Threats Even though Nestle was a big producer in the world, but it still has its competitor, such as Hersheys, Cadbury-Schweppes (owned by Pepsi), Kelloggs, Starbucks, , Quaker, Kraft Foods, Danone, , Heinz, Unilevel and many more. Furthermore, any contamination foods supply especially e.coli which causes the recalled of their brand-Toll House cookie dough. Outbreaks were linked to 28 states and the product had to be recalled globally. Nestlà © has yet to find out how this happened, and is still investigating (Dr. Jill Novak, (2009). Potential impacts of globalization on Nestle Nestle corporate have its own potential in globalization since it is a big foods producer in global. Technology In the world of today, technology will be changing rapidly in global. And this will leads a good improvement in all type of products that will be produce around the world. A research and development department will be a part of Nestle from today towards future achievement by gaining profits without wasting the raw material in manufacturing process. Besides that, by using a developed technology may reduce the effects that will occurs greenhouse effect. For example, use of plastics packaging in every single of Nestle products improve to recycled paper packaging, used of plastic bottle in filling the Nestle beverage into tin that can recycle use. On the others side, a case that occurs in India, which is Nestle chocolate, will be melted before its eyes. This is because there are lacks of distribution and the heat temperature in India will make the chocolate melted. By using the technology that can solve this problem that is using the technology to change its chocolate ingredients so that can afford India heat temperature. Environmental As the info below, Nestles Kit Kats was made from a palm oil that came from by destroying the rainforest in Indonesia. This is cause of the pollution in Indonesia. To solve this problem, Nestle corporate should consider using the palm oil from the other countries by not destroying the rainforest of the country. On the other side, there is another solution too. That is, refining the vegetables oil that can out inside the ingredient of making chocolate. Social As a food producer in global, Nestle may do some different in their products. Such as, a new flavor of the chocolate could be launch. This is because different country has a different taste towards foods. For Malaysia, a durian can be a part of the ingredient in the making of Kit-Kat. For Korea, a Kim chi flavor Kit-Kat can also create. This is a try for Nestle to attract people by producing different flavor but same products around the world. The strategy that might use by Nestle in the potential impacts on globalization is: Diversification strategy According to Stuart Wall;SonalMinocha and Bronwen Rees diversification strategy involve the company branching out into both new products and new markets. For example, from the info that I mention below, Nestle might create a different flavor of Kit-Kat to attracted new customer. For Malaysia, Nestle may create a durian flavor Kit-Kat to attracted those customer who are not chocolate lover but is a durian lover to purchase this products. Conclusion On the day Nestle was introduced, it was only food for infants. As time goes, Nestle has grown to be more famous in brand name and focus in widen its product line. Today, Nestle is one of the most famous and successful foods and drinks producer. Furthermore, Nestle had expands to globalization which consist of factories around the world. Besides that, Nestle will always try counter threats and competitor, such as the current products or new product entrants. Therefore, Nestle still has the potential to grow more and continue to be the one of the leader in the market share.