How has the role of the nation-state changed in a globalised society?

Introduction There has been considerable debate about whether globalisation has changed the role of the nation-state. While a somewhat nebulous concept, a nation-state can be defined as a geopolitical entity deriving its legitimacy through the service of a sovereign population or nation (Holton 2011; Croucher 2004). Globalisation can be loosely understood as the increasing political, cultural, and economic interaction of international populations (Al-Rodhan et al. 2006). This essay will look at the changing role of the nation-state in the modern period of globalisation (post-WWII), although there is certainly much to be said about earlier periods. In terms of structure, it will begin by considering economic, political, and cultural changes. This will be juxtaposed by the following section outlining arguments that downplay the relationship between globalisation and the nation-state. It will be concluded that the nation-state has undergone substantial change in the globalised world, but that there remains a great deal of structural continuity. Globalisation has the changed the economic role of the nation-state in several respects. Cerny (1995) suggests an erosion of the ability to provide all three main kinds of public good: regulatory, productive/distributive, and redistributive. One ‘good’ in the first category is a stable currency, the control of which has traditionally fallen within the remit of the national banks or their equivalents. This is still theoretically true, but today foreign governments, organisations, or even individuals can play a critical role because of globalisation. One need only consider Black Wednesday (16 September, 1992) in Britain, when George Soros ‘broke the Bank of England’ by short-selling the pound, or the gradual accumulation of American dollars by China due to the latter’s trade surplus, to see how globalisation has stripped the nation-state of much of its power in terms of controlling currency. In the world o f rapid communication, especially via the internet, the situation has become even more difficult to control (Goksel 2004; Evans 1997; Cerny 1995). In addition, globalisation often means the presence of numerous foreign firms within national borders, which can lead to currency fluctuations as a result of foreign remittances. The rapid transfer of economic instability across borders, as was the case during the global financial crisis (2007-8) or the financial crisis in East Asia (1997-8), shows how the role of the nation-state in maintaining economic order has been eroded more generally (Goksel 2004). It is argued by Strange (1997) and others that the balance of economic power has shifted in favour of multinational corporations (MNCs). They believe this process began in earnest in the 1960s and 1970s because of foreign direct investment (FDI) from the USA, but that it has increased since the 1980s due to the influence of Japanese and Western European FDI. The recent revelation that th e Trans-Pacific Partnership might bring in legislation allowing MNCs to override American national laws, by appealing to an international tribunal, suggests that there might soon be a significant reduction in the economic powers of the nation-state (Carter 2012). It is impossible to speak of the economic effects of globalisation without also discussing the political consequences. The most important forces in this respect are the supranational bodies to which many nation-states now belong, such as the EU (European Union), which regulates the labour markets, industrial organisation, business practices and trade conditions of its member states. Moreover, the majority of member states have relinquished their former currencies in favour of the Euro, which has meant transference of monetary policy over from sovereign national banks to the European Central Bank (ECB) (Goksel 2004). There are a significant number of other trade blocs (customs unions, common markets, monetary unions) across the globe, such as NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) or the SAARC (South American Association for Regional Cooperation), which operate under similar conditions. These are symptoms and perpetuators of globalisation, all of which represent a diminishment of the economic independence of nation-states. In the 20th century there has been a blossoming of trade blocs, but it should be noted that they go back long before the era of modern globalisation, with the first probably being the 13th-century Hanseatic League (Milner 2002). Large political collectives have had a significant effect on the role of the nation-state in other respects. The state’s role in the globalised world often now includes broader, international objectives focused on sweeping environmental, social, economic or other concerns (Evans 1997). The EU has a budget to which member states must contribute, which further reduces the economic sovereignty of participating nation-states (Wolf 2001; Holton 2011; G oksel 2004). Likewise, groups such as the G7, G8, and G20, which consist of the largest economies in the world, impose new obligations on nation-states, related to issues such as energy consumption, ozone depletion, or acid rain, among others (Goksel 2004). Some of obligations date back many decades, such as the United Nations’ (UN) Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 1948. The importance of supranational political actors in particular can perhaps best be seen in the security sphere. Historically, the defence of the populous has been one of the central roles of the nation-state, and to certain extent the main justification for its power (Held 1998; Held and McGrew 1998). It is noted by Strange (1997) that this obligation has largely been removed in some cases from the hands of individual nations, which rely instead on multilateral agreements. As Goksel (2004: 2) puts it, ‘Armies are often kept not so much to enforce terr itorial claims or to extend them, but rather to maintain civil order.’ The state’s role in providing defence has been altered in order to allow it to fit into a new system of global defence agreements. The traditional military role of the nation-state, which focused on ‘the acquisition, employment and use of military force to achieve national goals’, has been abandoned in many cases today (Held 1998: 226). In a certain sense this is fitting because there are now many global security concerns, such as terrorism, that require multilateral cooperation in matters of intelligence gathering. This has diminished the traditional role of the nation-state in guiding its own defence policy, but in some cases it has enhanced its position. For example, Hobsbawm (2007: 137) believes that by exaggerating the terrorist threat American has been ‘inventing enemies that legitimise the expansion and use of its global power’. Globalisation has perhaps expanded and diminished the security role of the nation-state, depending on where one looks. In either case, however, there has been change. There is also a cultural argument to be considered. The nation-state has been an important locus of identity for individuals and communities for centuries. How long exactly is a matter of fierce controversy, and this topic has divided IR (international relations) scholars into three dominant schools: the primordialists, the ethnosymbolists (e.g., Smith 1987, 1995, 2009), and the modernists (e.g., Hobsbawn 1990; Anderson 1983; Gellner 1983). In any case, it is argued by modernists such as Hobsbawm (1990) that the nation-state’s role as a cultural and social identifier is gradually being eroded as supranational alternatives emerge. This is supported by the fact that in a globalised society flows of information and ideas are rapid, unpredictable, and unrestricted by national boundaries. Platforms such as the internet, for example, are the great facilit ators of new forms of indentify that chip away at the traditional position of the nation-state (Hobsbawm 1990). It is not universally accepted, however, that the role of the nation-state has changed in the globalised world. There has been particular criticism of the idea that globalisation might lead to the ‘end of the nation-state’ or otherwise drastically diminish its role, arguments synonymous with the modernist school of International Relations (e.g., Evans 1997; Strange 1997; Ohmae 1995; Hobsbawm 1990; Gellner 1983). Holton (2011) argues that nation-states are still the most important of the actors in the global sphere, despite the influence of supranational organisations. For Holton, it is simply the case that the role of the nation-state has to be reframed in global terms. He does, however, acknowledge that some have experienced a curtailment of their economic and political role through a lack of bargaining power, as the cases of the budgetary crisis in EU member states, such as Greece, Portugal, Ireland and Spain, reveal. Hirst and Thompson (1996) do not believe that any trend towards a more globalised world (something they are sceptical of in the first place) has had a significant impact on the nation-state. They note that while decisions are often passed on to multinational bodies, it falls to individual countries to make decisions within this framework. One might argue, however, that arguments such as this underestimate the independence of self-contained, highly secretive governing bodies such as the European Commission. Hirst and Thompson (1996) are particularly critical of the suggestion that globalisation has diminished the role of the nation-state, contending instead that the enhanced ‘possibilities of national and international governance’ have actually strengthened it. Gilpin (2000) takes a similar line, arguing that many of the changes in the role of the nation-state cannot be attributed to increasing globalisation. Rather, they are part of a pattern dating back to before WWI when the Gold Standard was in place. Indeed, the Gold Standard is a relic of the pre-globalisation world, yet it stripped the state of currency control nearly to the same extent as modern monetary unions (Gilpin 2000). Through this lens, the ‘state may be reverting to its 19th-century role in the economy’, which suggests that many of the changes seen today would be equally operative in the ‘pre-globalisation’ world. Goksel (2004) argues that although globalisation has changed the role of the nation-state, it is important not to view this as something that was guaranteed to happen. In this sense he argues against the ‘deterministic approach’ of scholars such as Strange (1997). This is valid observation with reference to certain elements of globalisation, and it is true that in theory no nation-state is obliged to submit powers to supranational organisations. However, it is not valid wi th regard to issues such as the dissemination of technology, where the role of the state in controlling national information was always going to be diminished as the world become more globalised. Goksel (2004: 11) also points to the fact that in a very basic way the role of the nation-state has remained the same as ‘there are structural obstacles to the withering away of the state. Votes have to be cast somewhere, taxes have to be paid to particular authorities, which can be held accountable for public services such as education and health. Moreover, states continue to create a regulatory environment for their economies.’ Arguments such as these highlight the importance of not overstating the case for globalisation as a force for change. In conclusion, the role of the nation-state has been reformed by the globalised world. There are a few possible exceptions to this, such as the highly insular North Korea, but such cases are anomalies. In economic terms, there has been a tendency either for the state to lose power to supranational bodies, or to have it eroded by global forces largely beyond its control. The same is true of the political sphere, in which nation-states have generally found their freedoms curtailed by wider forces, or in some cases extended due to advantageous positioning within multinational organisations, such as is the case with the United States and the UN. Nevertheless, there has been an element of structural consistency in the role of nation-states insofar as they are still the predominant actors in international politics, and most of the functions of supranational and other bodies rely on them. The nation-state remains indispensible and arguments that suggest its demise are overstated. The boundaries of this debate, however, are far from fixed, as the proposed legislation related to corporations and the Trans-Pacific Partnership demonstrates. No doubt it is too early to predict the future of the nation-state in the globalised world, but it has certainly undergone change so far. Word count: 1986 Reference List: Al-Rodhan, R.F. Nayef and Stoudmann, G. (2006). Definitions of Globalization: A Comprehensive Overview and a Proposed Definition http://www.sustainablehistory.com/articles/definitions-of-globalization.pdf [Retrieved 06/01/2014] Carter, Z. (2012) Obama Trade Document Leaked, Revealing New Corporate Powers and Broken Campaign Promises. Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/13/obama-trade-document-leak_n_1592593.html [Retrieved 05/01/2014] Cerny, P. G. (1995) Globalisation and the Changing Logic of Collective Action, International Organization, 49 (4), pp. 595-625 Croucher, S. L. (2004) Globalization and Belonging, Lanham, Md.: Rowman &? Littlefield. Evans, P. (1997) The Eclipse of the State?: Reflections on Stateness in an Era of Globalisation, World Politics, 50, pp. 62-87 Gellner, E. (1983) Nation and Nationalism, Blackwell: Oxford Gilpin, R. (2000) The Challenge of Global Capitalism, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press Goksel. N. K. (2004) Globalisation and the State, Centre for Strategic Research http://sam.gov.tr/globalisation-and-the-state/ [Retrieved 06/01/2014] Held, D. (1989) Political Theory and the Modern State, Stanford California: Stanford University Press Held, D. and McGrew, A. (1998) The End of the Old OrderReview of International Studies, 24 Hirst, P. Q. and Thompson, G. (1996) Globalisation in Question: The International Economy and the Possibilities of Governance, Cambridge: Blackwell Hobsbawm E. (1990) Nations and Nationalism since 1780, Cambridge University Press Hobsbawm, E (2007) Globalisation, Democracy and Terrorism, London: Abacus Holton, R. J. (2011) Globalization and the Nation State, (2nd ed.) Basingstoke: Palgrave, Macmillan Milner, H. V (2002) International Trade in Carlsnaes, W.; Risse, T., Simmons, B. A., Handbook of International Relations. London: SAGE Publications. Ohmae, K. (1995) The End of the Nation State: The Rise of Regional Economies, London: Harper Collins Shaw, M. (1997) The state of globalisation : towards a theory of state transformation. Review of International Political Economy, 4, 3, pp. 497-513 Smith, A. D, (2009) Ethno-symbolism and Nationalism: A Cultural Approach, Routledge Strange, S. (1997) The Erosion of the State, Current History, 96 (613), pp. 365-369 Wolf, M. (2001) Will the Nation-State Survive GlobalisationForeign Affairs, Vol. 80, 1, pp. 178-190

The Twilight Saga 5: Midnight Sun 6. Blood Type

I followed her all day through other people's eyes, barely aware of my own surroundings. Not Mike Newton's eyes, because I couldn't stand any more of his offensive fantasies, and not Jessica Stanley's, because her resentment toward Bella made me angry in a way that was not safe for the petty girl. Angela Weber was a good choice when her eyes were available; she was kind – her head was an easy place to be. And then sometimes it was the teachers who provided the best view. I was surprised, watching her stumble through the day – tripping over cracks in the sidewalk, stray books, and, most often, her own feet – that the people I eavesdropped on thought of Bella as clumsy. I considered that. It was true that she often had trouble staying upright. I remembered her stumbling into the desk that first day, sliding around on the ice before the accident, falling over the low lip of the doorframe yesterday†¦ How odd, they were right. She was clumsy. I didn't know why this was so funny to me, but I laughed out loud as I walked from American History to English and several people shot me wary looks. How had I never noticed this before? Perhaps because there was something very graceful about her in stillness, the way she held her head, the arch of her neck†¦ There was nothing graceful about her now. Mr. Varner watched as she caught the toe of her boot on the carpet and literally fell into her chair. I laughed again. The time moved with incredible sluggishness while I waited for my chance to see her with my own eyes. Finally, the bell rang. I strode quickly to the cafeteria to secure my spot. I was one of the first there. I chose a table that was usually empty, and was sure to remain that way with me seated here. When my family entered and saw me sitting alone in a new place, they were not surprised. Alice must have warned them. Rosalie stalked past me without a glance. Idiot. Rosalie and I had never had an easy relationship – I'd offended her the very first time she'd heard me speak, and it was downhill from there – but it seemed like she was even more ill-tempered than usual the last few days. I sighed. Rosalie made everything about herself. Jasper gave me half a smile as he walked by. Good luck, he thought doubtfully. Emmett rolled his eyes and shook his head. Lost his mind, poor kid. Alice was beaming, her teeth shining too brightly. Can I talk to Bella now â€Å"Keep out of it,† I said under my breath. Her face fell, and then brightened again. Fine. Be stubborn. It's only a matter of time. I sighed again. Don't forget about today's biology lab, she reminded me. I nodded. No, I hadn't forgotten that. While I waited for Bella to arrive, I followed her in the eyes of the freshman who was walking behind Jessica on his way to the cafeteria. Jessica was babbling about the upcoming dance, but Bella said nothing in response. Not that Jessica gave her much of a chance. The moment Bella walked through the door, her eyes flashed to the table where my siblings sat. She stared for a moment, and then her forehead crumpled and her eyes dropped to the floor. She hadn't noticed me here. She looked so†¦sad. I felt a powerful urge to get up and go to her side, to comfort her somehow, only I didn't know what she would find comforting. I had no idea what made her look that way. Jessica continued to jabber about the dance. Was Bella sad that she was going to miss it? That didn't seem likely†¦ But that could be remedied, if she wished. She bought a drink for her lunch and nothing else. Was that right? Didn't she need more nutrition than that? I'd never paid much attention to a human's diet before. Humans were quite exasperatingly fragile! There were a million different things to worry about†¦ â€Å"Edward Cullen is staring at you again,† I heard Jessica say. â€Å"I wonder why he's sitting alone today?† I was grateful to Jessica – though she was even more resentful now – because Bella's head snapped up and her eyes searched until they met mine. There was no trace of sadness in her face now. I let myself hope that she'd been sad because she'd thought I'd left school early, and that hope made me smile. I motioned with my finger for her to join me. She looked so startled by this that I wanted to tease her again. So I winked, and her mouth fell open. â€Å"Does he mean you?† Jessica asked rudely. â€Å"Maybe he needs help with his Biology homework,† she said in a low, uncertain voice. â€Å"Um, I'd better go see what he wants.† This was another yes. She stumbled twice on her way to my table, though there was nothing in her way but perfectly even linoleum. Seriously, how had I missed this before? I'd been paying more attention to her silent thoughts, I supposed†¦ What else had I missed? Keep it honest, keep it light, I chanted to myself. She stopped behind the chair across from me, hesitating. I inhaled deeply, through my nose this time rather than my mouth. Feel the burn, I thought dryly. â€Å"Why don't you sit with me today?† I asked her. She pulled the chair out and sat, staring at me the whole while. She seemed nervous, but her physical acceptance was yet another yes. I waited for her to speak. It took a moment, but, finally, she said, â€Å"This is different.† â€Å"Well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I hesitated. â€Å"I decided as long as I was going to hell, I might as well do it thoroughly.† What had made me say that? I supposed it was honest, at least. And perhaps she'd hear the unsubtle warning my words implied. Maybe she would realize that she should get up and walk away as quickly as possible†¦ She didn't get up. She stared at me, waiting, as if I'd left my sentence unfinished. â€Å"You know I don't have any idea what you mean,† she said when I didn't continue. That was a relief. I smiled. â€Å"I know.† It was hard to ignore the thoughts screaming at me from behind her back – and I wanted to change the subject anyway. â€Å"I think your friends are angry at me for stealing you.† This did not appear to concern her. â€Å"They'll survive.† â€Å"I may not give you back, though.† I didn't even know if I was trying to be honest now, or just trying to tease her again. Being near her made it hard to make sense of my own thoughts. Bella swallowed loudly. I laughed at her expression. â€Å"You look worried.† It really shouldn't be funny†¦ She should worry. â€Å"No.† She was a bad liar; it didn't help that her voice broke. â€Å"Surprised, actually†¦. What brought this on?† â€Å"I told you,† I reminded her. â€Å"I got tired of trying to stay away from you. So I'm giving up.† I held my smile in place with a bit of effort. This wasn't working at all – trying to be honest and casual at the same time. â€Å"Giving up?† she repeated, baffled. â€Å"Yes – giving up trying to be good.† And, apparently, giving up trying to be casual. â€Å"I'm just going to do what I want now, and let the chips fall where they may.† That was honest enough. Let her see my selfishness. Let that warn her, too. â€Å"You lost me again.† I was selfish enough to be glad that this was the case. â€Å"I always say too much when I'm talking to you – that's one of the problems.† A rather insignificant problem, compared to the rest. â€Å"Don't worry,† she reassured me. â€Å"I don't understand any of it.† Good. Then she'd stay. â€Å"I'm counting on that.† â€Å"So, in plain English, are we friends now?† I pondered that for a second. â€Å"Friends†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I repeated. I didn't like the sound of that. It wasn't enough. â€Å"Or not,† she mumbled, looking embarrassed. Did she think I didn't like her that much? I smiled. â€Å"Well, we can try, I suppose. But I'm warning you now that I'm not a good friend for you.† I waited for her response, torn in two – wishing she would finally hear and understand, thinking I might die if she did. How melodramatic. I was turning into such a human. Her heart beat faster. â€Å"You say that a lot.† â€Å"Yes, because you're not listening to me,† I said, too intense again. â€Å"I'm still waiting for you to believe it. If you're smart, you'll avoid me.† Ah, but would I allow her to do that, if she tried? Her eyes tightened. â€Å"I think you've made your opinion on the subject of my intellect clear, too.† I wasn't exactly sure what she meant, but I smiled in apology, guessing that I must have offended her accidentally. â€Å"So,† she said slowly. â€Å"As long as I'm being†¦not smart, we'll try to be friends?† â€Å"That sounds about right.† She looked down, staring intently at the lemonade bottle in her hands. The old curiosity tormented me. â€Å"What are you thinking?† I asked – it was a relief to say the words out loud at last. She met my gaze, and her breathing sped while her cheeks flushed faint pink. I inhaled, tasting that in the air. â€Å"I'm trying to figure out what you are.† I held the smile on my face, locking my features that way, while panic twisted through my body. Of course she was wondering that. She wasn't stupid. I couldn't hope for her to be oblivious to something so obvious. â€Å"Are you having any luck with that?† I asked as lightly as I could manage. â€Å"Not too much,† she admitted. I chuckled in sudden relief. â€Å"What are your theories?† They couldn't be worse than the truth, no matter what she'd come up with. Her cheeks turned brighter red, and she said nothing. I could feel the warmth of her blush in the air. I tried using my persuasive tone on her. It worked well on normal humans. â€Å"Won't you tell me?† I smiled encouragingly. She shook her head. â€Å"Too embarrassing.† Ugh. Not knowing was worse than anything else. Why would her speculations embarrass her? I couldn't stand not knowing. â€Å"That's really frustrating, you know.† My complaint sparked something in her. Her eyes flashed and her words flowed more swiftly than usual. â€Å"No, I can't imagine why that would be frustrating at all – just because someone refuses to tell you what they're thinking, even if all the while they're making cryptic little remarks specifically designed to keep you up at night wondering what they could possibly mean†¦now, why would that be frustrating?† I frowned at her, upset to realize that she was right. I wasn't being fair. She went on. â€Å"Or better, say that person also did a wide range of bizarre things – from saving your life under impossible circumstances one day to treating you like a pariah the next, and he never explained any of that either, even after he promised. That, also, would be very non-frustrating.† It was the longest speech I'd ever heard her make, and it gave me a new quality for my list. â€Å"You've got a bit of a temper, don't you?† â€Å"I don't like double standards.† She was completely justified in her irritation, of course. I stared at Bella, wondering how I could possibly do anything right by her, until the silent shouting in Mike Newton's head distracted me. He was so irate that it made me chuckle. â€Å"What?† she demanded. â€Å"Your boyfriend seems to think I'm being unpleasant to you – he's debating whether or not to come break up our fight.† I would love to see him try. I laughed again. â€Å"I don't know who you're talking about,† she said in an icy voice. â€Å"But I'm sure you're wrong anyway.† I very much enjoyed the way she disowned him with her dismissive sentence. â€Å"I'm not. I told you, most people are easy to read.† â€Å"Except me, of course.† â€Å"Yes. Except for you.† Did she have to be the exception to everything? Wouldn't it have been more fair – considering everything else I had to deal with now – if I could have at least heard something from her head? Was that so much to ask? â€Å"I wonder why that is?† I stared into her eyes, trying again†¦ She looked away. She opened her lemonade and took a quick drink, her eyes on the table. â€Å"Aren't you hungry?† I asked. â€Å"No.† She eyed the empty table between us. â€Å"You?† â€Å"No, I'm not hungry,† I said. I was definitely not that. She stared at the table her lips pursed. I waited. â€Å"Could you do me a favor?† she asked, suddenly meeting my gaze again. What would she want from me? Would she ask for the truth that I wasn't allowed to tell her – the truth I didn't want her to ever, ever know? â€Å"That depends on what you want.† â€Å"It's not much,† she promised. I waited, curious again. â€Å"I just wondered†¦Ã¢â‚¬  she said slowly, staring at the lemonade bottle, tracing its lip with her littlest finger. â€Å"If you could warn me beforehand the next time you decide to ignore me for my own good? Just so I'm prepared.† She wanted a warning? Then being ignored by me must be a bad thing†¦ I smiled. â€Å"That sounds fair,† I agreed. â€Å"Thanks,† she said, looking up. Her face was so relieved that I wanted to laugh with my own relief. â€Å"Then can I have one in return?† I asked hopefully. â€Å"One,† she allowed. â€Å"Tell me one theory.† She flushed. â€Å"Not that one.† â€Å"You didn't qualify, you just promised one answer,† I argued. â€Å"And you've broken promises yourself,† she argued back. She had me there. â€Å"Just one theory – I won't laugh.† â€Å"Yes, you will.† She seemed very sure of that, though I couldn't imagine anything that would be funny about it. I gave persuasion another try. I stared deep into her eyes – an easy thing to do, with eyes so deep – and whispered, â€Å"Please?† She blinked, and her face went blank. Well, that wasn't exactly the reaction I'd been going for. â€Å"Er, what?† she asked. She looked dizzy. What was wrong with her? But I wasn't giving up yet. â€Å"Please tell me just one little theory,† I pleaded in my soft, non-scary voice, holding her eyes in mine. To my surprise and satisfaction, it finally worked. â€Å"Um, well, bitten by a radioactive spider?† Comic books? No wonder she thought I would laugh. â€Å"That's not very creative,† I chided her, trying to hide my fresh relief. â€Å"I'm sorry, that's all I've got,† she said, offended. This relieved me even more. I was able to tease her again. â€Å"You're not even close.† â€Å"No spiders?† â€Å"Nope.† â€Å"And no radioactivity?† â€Å"None.† â€Å"Dang,† she sighed. â€Å"Kryptonite doesn't bother me either,† I said quickly – before she could ask about bites – and then I had to laugh, because she thought I was a superhero. â€Å"You're not supposed to laugh, remember?† I pressed my lips together. â€Å"I'll figure it out eventually,† she promised. And when she did, she would run. â€Å"I wish you wouldn't try,† I said, all teasing gone. â€Å"Because†¦?† I owed her honesty. Still, I tried to smile, to make my words sound less threatening. â€Å"What if I'm not a superhero? What if I'm the bad guy?† Her eyes widened by a fraction and her lips fell slightly apart. â€Å"Oh,† she said. And then, after another second, â€Å"I see.† She'd finally heard me. â€Å"Do you?† I asked, working to conceal my agony. â€Å"You're dangerous?† she guessed. Her breathing hiked, and her heart raced. I couldn't answer her. Was this my last moment with her? Would she run now? Could I be allowed to tell her that I loved her before she left? Or would that frighten her more? â€Å"But not bad,† she whispered, shaking her head, no fear in her clear eyes. â€Å"No, I don't believe that you're bad.† â€Å"You're wrong,† I breathed. Of course I was bad. Wasn't I rejoicing now, that she thought better of me than I deserved? If I were a good person, I would have stayed away from her. I stretched my hand across the table, reaching for the lid to her lemonade bottle as an excuse. She did not flinch away from my suddenly closer hand. She really was not afraid of me. Not yet. I spun the lid like a top, watching it instead of her. My thoughts were in a snarl. Run, Bella, run. I couldn't make myself say the words out loud. She jumped to her feet. â€Å"We're going to be late,† she said, just as I'd started to worry that she'd somehow heard my silent warning. â€Å"I'm not going to class.† â€Å"Why not?† Because I don't want to kill you. â€Å"It's healthy to ditch class now and then.† To be precise, it was healthier for the humans if the vampires ditched on days when human blood would be spilt. Mr. Banner was blood typing today. Alice had already ditched her morning class. â€Å"Well, I'm going,† she said. This didn't surprise me. She was responsible – she always did the right thing. She was my opposite. â€Å"I'll see you later then,† I said, trying for casual again, staring down at the whirling lid. And, by the way, I adore you†¦in frightening, dangerous ways. She hesitated, and I hoped for a moment that she would stay with me after all. But the bell rang and she hurried away. I waited until she was gone, and then I put the lid in my pocket – a souvenir of this most consequential conversation – and walked through the rain to my car. I put on my favorite calming CD – the same one I'd listened to that first day – but I wasn't hearing Debussy's notes for long. Other notes were running through my head, a fragment of a tune that pleased and intrigued me. I turned down the stereo and listened to the music in my head, playing with the fragment until it evolved into a fuller harmony. Instinctively, my fingers moved in the air over imaginary piano keys. The new composition was really coming along when my attention was caught by a wave of mental anguish. I looked toward the distress. Is she going to pass out? What do I do? Mike panicked. A hundred yards away, Mike Newton was lowering Bella's limp body to the sidewalk. She slumped unresponsively against the wet concrete, her eyes closed, her skin chalky as a corpse. I almost took the door off the car. â€Å"Bella?† I shouted. There was no change in her lifeless face when I yelled her name. My whole body went colder than ice. I was aware of Mike's aggravated surprise as I sifted furiously through his thoughts. He was only thinking of his anger toward me, so I didn't know what was wrong with Bella. If he'd done something to harm her, I would annihilate him. â€Å"What's wrong – is she hurt?† I demanded, trying to focus his thoughts. It was maddening to have to walk at a human pace. I should not have called attention to my approach. Then I could hear her heart beating and her even breath. As I watched, she squeezed her eyes more tightly shut. That eased some of my panic. I saw a flicker of memories in Mike's head, a splash of images from the Biology room. Bella's head on our table, her fair skin turning green. Drops of red against the white cards†¦ Blood typing. I stopped where I was, holding my breath. Her scent was one thing, her flowing blood was another altogether. â€Å"I think she's fainted,† Mike said, anxious and resentful at the same time. â€Å"I don't know what happened, she didn't even stick her finger.† Relief washed through me, and I breathed again, tasting the air. Ah, I could smell the tiny flow of Mike Newton's puncture wound. Once, that might have appealed to me. I knelt beside her while Mike hovered next to me, furious at my intervention. â€Å"Bella. Can you hear me?† â€Å"No,† she moaned. â€Å"Go away.† The relief was so exquisite that I laughed. She was fine. â€Å"I was taking her to the nurse,† Mike said. â€Å"But she wouldn't go any farther.† â€Å"I'll take her. You can go back to class,† I said dismissively. Mike's teeth clenched together. â€Å"No. I'm supposed to do it.† I wasn't going to stand around arguing with the wretch. Thrilled and terrified, half-grateful to and half-aggrieved by the predicament which made touching her a necessity, I gently lifted Bella from the sidewalk and held her in my arms, touching only her clothes, keeping as much distance between our bodies as possible. I was striding forward in the same movement, in a hurry to have her safe – farther away from me, in other words. Her eyes popped open, astonished. â€Å"Put me down,† she ordered in a weak voice – embarrassed again, I guessed from her expression. She didn't like to show weakness. I barely heard Mike's shouted protest behind us. â€Å"You look awful,† I told her, grinning because there was nothing wrong with her but a light head and a weak stomach. â€Å"Put me back on the sidewalk,† she said. Her lips were white. â€Å"So you faint at the sight of blood?† Could it get any more ironic? She closed her eyes and pressed her lips together. â€Å"And not even your own blood,† I added, my grin widening. We were to the front office. The door was propped an inch open, and I kicked it out of my way. Ms. Cope jumped, startled. â€Å"Oh, my,† she gasped as she examined the ashen girl in my arms. â€Å"She fainted in Biology,† I explained, before her imagination could get too out of hand. Ms. Cope hurried to open the door to the nurse's office. Bella's eyes were open again, watching her. I heard the elderly nurse's internal astonishment as I laid the girl carefully on the one shabby bed. As soon as Bella was out of my arms, I put the width of the room between us. My body was too excited, too eager, my muscles tense and the venom flowing. She was so warm and fragrant. â€Å"She's just a little faint,† I reassured Mrs. Hammond. â€Å"They're blood typing in biology.† She nodded, understanding now. â€Å"There's always one.† I stifled a laugh. Trust Bella to be that one. â€Å"Just lie down for a minute, honey,† Mrs. Hammond said. â€Å"It'll pass.† â€Å"I know,† Bella said. â€Å"Does this happen often?† the nurse asked. â€Å"Sometimes,† Bella admitted. I tried to disguise my laughter as coughing. This brought me to the nurse's attention. â€Å"You can go back to class now,† she said. I looked her straight in the eye and lied with perfect confidence. â€Å"I'm supposed to stay with her.† Hmm. I wonder†¦ oh well. Mrs. Hammond nodded. It worked just fine on her. Why did Bella have to be so difficult? â€Å"I'll go get you some ice for your forehead, dear,† the nurse said, slightly uncomfortable from looking into my eyes – the way a human should be – and left the room. â€Å"You were right,† Bella moaned, closing her eyes. What did she mean? I jumped to the worst conclusion: she'd accepted my warnings. â€Å"I usually am,† I said, trying to keep the amusement in my voice; it sounded sour now. â€Å"But about what in particular this time?† â€Å"Ditching is healthy,† she sighed. Ah, relief again. She was silent then. She just breathed slowly in and out. Her lips were beginning to turn pink. Her mouth was slightly out of balance, her lower lip just a little too full to match the top. Staring at her mouth made me feel strange. Made me want to move closer to her, which was not a good idea. â€Å"You scared me for a minute there,† I said – to restart the conversation so that I could hear her voice again. â€Å"I thought Newton was dragging your dead body off to bury it in the woods.† â€Å"Ha ha,† she said. â€Å"Honestly – I've seen corpses with better color.† This was actually true. â€Å"I was concerned that I might have to avenge your murder.† And I would have. â€Å"Poor Mike,† she sighed. â€Å"I'll bet he's mad.† Fury pulsed through me, but I contained it quickly. Her concern was surely just pity. She was kind. That was all. â€Å"He absolutely loathes me,† I told her, cheered by that idea. â€Å"You can't know that.† â€Å"I saw his face – I could tell.† It was probably true that reading his face would have given me enough information to make that particular deduction. All this practice with Bella was sharpening my skill at reading human expressions. â€Å"How did you see me? I thought you were ditching.† Her face looked better – the green undertone had vanished from her translucent skin. â€Å"I was in my car, listening to a CD.† Her expression twitched, like my very ordinary answer had surprised her somehow. She opened her eyes again when Mrs. Hammond returned with an ice pack. â€Å"Here you go, dear,† the nurse said as she laid it across Bella's forehead. â€Å"You're looking better.† â€Å"I think I'm fine,† Bella said, and she sat up while pulling the ice pack away. Of course. She didn't like to be taken care of. Mrs. Hammond's wrinkled hands fluttered toward the girl, as if she were going to push her back down, but just then Ms. Cope opened the door to the office and leaned in. With her appearance came the smell of fresh blood, just a whiff. Invisible in the office behind her, Mike Newton was still very angry, wishing the heavy boy he dragged now was the girl who was in here with me. â€Å"We've got another one,† Ms. Cope said. Bella quickly jumped down from the cot, eager to be out of the spotlight. â€Å"Here,† she said, handing the compress back to Mrs. Hammond. â€Å"I don't need this.† Mike grunted as he half-shoved Lee Stevens through the door. Blood was still dripping down the hand Lee held to his face, trickling toward his wrist. â€Å"Oh no.† This was my cue to leave – and Bella's, too, it seemed. â€Å"Get out to the office, Bella.† She stared up at me with bewildered eyes. â€Å"Trust me – go.† She whirled and caught the door before it had swung shut, rushing through to the office. I followed a few inches behind her. Her swinging hair brushed my hand†¦ She turned to look at me, still wide-eyed. â€Å"You actually listened to me.† That was a first. Her small nose wrinkled. â€Å"I smelled the blood.† I stared at her in blank surprise. â€Å"People can't smell blood.† â€Å"Well, I can – that's what makes me sick. It smells like rust†¦and salt.† My face froze, still staring. Was she really even human? She looked human. She felt soft as a human. She smelled human – well, better actually. She acted human†¦sort of. But she didn't think like a human, or respond like one. What other option was there, though? â€Å"What?† she demanded. â€Å"It's nothing.† Mike Newton interrupted us then, entering the room with resentful, violent thoughts. â€Å"You look better,† he said to her rudely. My hand twitched, wanting to teach him some manners. I would have to watch myself, or I would end up actually killing this obnoxious boy. â€Å"Just keep your hand in your pocket,† she said. For one wild second, I thought she was talking to me. â€Å"It's not bleeding anymore,† he answered sullenly. â€Å"Are you going back to class?† â€Å"Are you kidding? I'd just have to turn around and come back.† That was very good. I'd thought I was going to have to miss this whole hour with her, and now I got extra time instead. I felt greedy, a miser hording over each minute. â€Å"Yeah, I guess†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Mike mumbled. â€Å"So are you going this weekend? To the beach?† Ah, they had plans. Anger froze me in place. It was a group trip, though. I'd seen some of this in other students' heads. It wasn't just the two of them. I was still furious. I leaned motionlessly against the counter, trying to control myself. â€Å"Sure, I said I was in,† she promised him. So she'd said yes to him, too. The jealousy burned, more painful than thirst. No, it was just a group outing, I tried to convince myself. She was just spending the day with friends. Nothing more. â€Å"We're meeting at my dad's store, at ten.† And Cullen's NOT invited. â€Å"I'll be there,† she said. â€Å"I'll see you in Gym, then.† â€Å"See you,† she replied. He shuffled off to his class, his thoughts full of ire. What does she see in that freak? Sure, he's rich, I guess. Chicks think he's hot, but I don't see that. Too†¦too perfect. I bet his dad experiments with plastic surgery on all of them. That's why they're all so white and pretty. It's not natural. And he's sort of†¦scary-looking. Sometimes, when he stares at me, I'd swear he's thinking about killing me†¦ Freak†¦ Mike wasn't entirely unperceptive. â€Å"Gym,† Bella repeated quietly. A groan. I looked at her, and saw that she was sad about something again. I wasn't sure why, but it was clear that she didn't want to go to her next class with Mike, and I was all for that plan. I went to her side and bent close to her face, feeling the warmth of her skin radiating out to my lips. I didn't dare breathe. â€Å"I can take care of that,† I murmured. â€Å"Go sit down and look pale.† She did as I asked, sitting in one of the folding chairs and leaning her head back against the wall, while, behind me, Ms. Cope came out of the back room and went to her desk. With her eyes closed, Bella looked as if she'd passed out again. Her full color hadn't returned yet. I turned to the secretary. Hopefully Bella was paying attention to this, I thought sardonically. This was how a human was supposed to respond. â€Å"Ms. Cope?† I asked, using my persuasive voice again. Her eyelashes fluttered, and her heart sped up. Too young, get a hold of yourself! â€Å"Yes?† That was interesting. When Shelly Cope's pulse quickened, it was because she found me physically attractive, not because she was frightened. I was used to that around human females†¦yet I hadn't considered that explanation for Bella's racing heart. I rather liked that. Too much, in fact. I smiled, and Mrs. Cope's breathing got louder. â€Å"Bella has gym next hour, and I don't think she feels well enough. Actually, I was thinking I should take her home now. Do you think you could excuse her from class?† I stared into her depthless eyes, enjoying the havoc that this wreaked on her thought processes. Was it possible that Bella†¦? Mrs. Cope had to swallow loudly before she answered. â€Å"Do you need to be excused, too, Edward?† â€Å"No, I have Mrs. Goff, she won't mind.† I wasn't paying much attention to her now. I was exploring this new possibility. Hmm. I'd like to believe that Bella found me attractive like other humans did, but when did Bella ever have the same reactions as other humans? I shouldn't get my hopes up. â€Å"Okay, it's all taken care of. You feel better, Bella.† Bella nodded weakly – overacting a bit. â€Å"Can you walk, or do you want me to carry you again?† I asked, amused by her poor theatrics. I knew she would want to walk – she wouldn't want to be weak. â€Å"I'll walk,† she said. Right again. I was getting better at this. She got up, hesitating for a moment as if to check her balance. I held the door for her, and we walked out into the rain. I watched her as she lifted her face to the light rain with her eyes closed, a slight smile on her lips. What was she thinking? Something about this action seemed off, and I quickly realized why the posture looked unfamiliar to me. Normal human girls wouldn't raise their faces to the drizzle that way; normal human girls usually wore makeup, even here in this wet place. Bella never wore makeup, nor should she. The cosmetics industry made billions of dollars a year from women who were trying to attain skin like hers. â€Å"Thanks,† she said, smiling at me now. â€Å"It's worth getting sick to miss Gym.† I stared across the campus, wondering how to prolong my time with her. â€Å"Anytime,† I said. â€Å"So are you going? This Saturday, I mean?† She sounded hopeful. Ah, her hope was soothing. She wanted me with her, not Mike Newton. And I wanted to say yes. But there were many things to consider. For one, the sun would be shining this Saturday†¦ â€Å"Where are you all going, exactly?† I tried to keep my voice nonchalant, as if it didn't matter much. Mike had said beach, though. Not much chance of avoiding sunlight there. â€Å"Down to La Push, to First Beach.† Damn. Well, it was impossible, then. Anyway, Emmett would be irritated if I cancelled our plans. I glanced down at her, smiling wryly. â€Å"I really don't think I was invited.† She sighed, already resigned. â€Å"I just invited you.† â€Å"Let's you and I not push poor Mike any further this week. We don't want him to snap.† I thought about snapping poor Mike myself, and enjoyed the mental picture intensely. â€Å"Mike-schmike,† she said, dismissive again. I smiled widely. And then she started to walk away from me. Without thinking about my action, I reached out and caught her by the back of her rain jacket. She jerked to a stop. â€Å"Where do you think you're going?† I was almost angry that she was leaving me. I hadn't had enough time with her. She couldn't go, not yet. â€Å"I'm going home,† she said, baffled as to why this should upset me. â€Å"Didn't you hear me promise to take you safely home? Do you think I'm going to let you drive in your condition?† I knew she wouldn't like that – my implication of weakness on her part. But I needed to practice for the Seattle trip, anyway. See if I could handle her proximity in an enclosed space. This was a much shorter journey. â€Å"What condition?† she demanded. â€Å"And what about my truck?† â€Å"I'll have Alice drop it off after school.† I pulled her back to my car carefully, as I now knew that walking forward was challenging enough for her. â€Å"Let go!† she said, twisting sideways and nearly tripping. I held one hand out to catch her, but she righted herself before it was necessary. I shouldn't be looking for excuses to touch her. That started me thinking about Ms. Cope's reaction to me, but I filed it away for later. There was much to be considered on that front. I let her go beside the car, and she stumbled into the door. I would have to be even more careful, to take into account her poor balance†¦ â€Å"You are so pushy!† â€Å"It's open.† I got in on my side and started the car. She held her body rigidly, still outside, though the rain had picked up and I knew she didn't like the cold and wet. Water was soaking through her thick hair, darkening it to near black. â€Å"I am perfectly capable of driving myself home!† Of course she was – I just wasn't capable of letting her go. I rolled her window down and leaned toward her. â€Å"Get in, Bella.† Her eyes narrowed, and I guessed that she was debating whether or not to make a run for it. â€Å"I'll just drag you back,† I promised, enjoying the chagrin on her face when she realized I meant it. Her chin stiffly in the air, she opened her door and climbed in. Her hair dripped on the leather and her boots squeaked against each other. â€Å"This is completely unnecessary,† she said coldly. I thought she looked embarrassed under the pique. I just turned up the heater so she wouldn't be uncomfortable, and set the music to a nice background level. I drove out toward the exit, watching her from the corner of my eye. Her lower lip was jutting out stubbornly. I stared at this, examining how it made me feel†¦ thinking of the secretary's reaction again†¦ Suddenly she looked at the stereo and smiled, her eyes widening. â€Å"Clair de Lune?† she asked. A fan of the classics? â€Å"You know Debussy?† â€Å"Not well,† she said. â€Å"My mother plays a lot of classical music around the house – I only know my favorites.† â€Å"It's one of my favorites, too.† I stared at the rain, considering that. I actually had something in common with the girl. I'd begun to think that we were opposites in every way. She seemed more relaxed now, staring at the rain like me, with unseeing eyes. I used her momentary distraction to experiment with breathing. I inhaled carefully through my nose. Potent. I clutched the steering wheel tighter. The rain made her smell better. I wouldn't have thought that was possible. Stupidly, I was suddenly imaging how she would taste. I tried to swallow against the burn in my throat, to think of something else. â€Å"What is your mother like?† I asked as a distraction. Bella smiled. â€Å"She looks a lot like me, but she's prettier.† I doubted that. â€Å"I have too much Charlie in me,† she went on. â€Å"She's more outgoing than I am, and braver.† I doubted that, too. â€Å"She's irresponsible and slightly eccentric, and she's a very unpredictable cook. She's my best friend.† Her voice had turned melancholy; her forehead creased. Again, she sounded more like parent than child. I stopped in front of her house, wondering too late if I was supposed to know where she lived. No, this wouldn't be suspicious in such a small town, with her father a public figure†¦ â€Å"How old are you, Bella?† She must be older than her peers. Perhaps she'd been late to start school, or been held back†¦that wasn't likely, though. â€Å"I'm seventeen,† she answered. â€Å"You don't seem seventeen.† She laughed. â€Å"What?† â€Å"My mom always says I was born thirty-five years old and that I get more middleaged every year.† She laughed again, and then sighed. â€Å"Well, someone has to be the adult.† This clarified things for me. I could see it now†¦how the irresponsible mother helped explain Bella's maturity. She'd had to grow up early, to become the caretaker. That's why she didn't like being cared for – she felt it was her job. â€Å"You don't seem much like a junior in high school yourself,† she said, pulling me from my reverie. I grimaced. For everything I perceived about her, she perceived too much in return. I changed the subject. â€Å"So why did your mother marry Phil?† She hesitated a minute before answering. â€Å"My mother†¦she's very young for her age. I think Phil makes her feel even younger. At any rate, she's crazy about him.† She shook her head indulgently. â€Å"Do you approve?† I wondered. â€Å"Does it matter?† she asked. â€Å"I want her to be happy†¦and he is who she wants.† The unselfishness of her comment would have shocked me, except that it fit in all too well with what I'd learned of her character. â€Å"That's very generous†¦I wonder.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Would she extend the same courtesy to you, do you think? No matter who your choice was?† It was a foolish question, and I could not keep my voice casual while I asked it. How stupid to even consider someone approving of me for their daughter. How stupid to even think of Bella choosing me. â€Å"I-I think so,† she stuttered, reacting in some way to my gaze. Fear†¦or attraction? â€Å"But she's the parent, after all. It's a little bit different,† she finished. I smiled wryly. â€Å"No one too scary then.† She grinned at me. â€Å"What do you mean by scary? Multiple facial piercings and extensive tattoos?† â€Å"That's one definition, I suppose.† A very nonthreatening definition, to my mind. â€Å"What's your definition?† She always asked the wrong questions. Or exactly the right questions, maybe. The ones I didn't want to answer, at any rate. â€Å"Do you think that I could be scary?† I asked her, trying to smile a little. She thought it through before answering me in a serious voice. â€Å"Hmm†¦I think you could be, if you wanted to.† I was serious, too. â€Å"Are you frightened of me now?† She answered at once, not thinking this one through. â€Å"No.† I smiled more easily. I did not think she was entirely telling the truth, but nor was she truly lying. She wasn't frightened enough to want to leave, at least. I wondered how she would feel if I told her she was having this discussion with a vampire. I cringed internally at her imagined reaction. â€Å"So, now are you going to tell me about your family? It's got to be a much more interesting story than mine.† A more frightening one, at least. â€Å"What do you want to know?† I asked cautiously. â€Å"The Cullens adopted you?† â€Å"Yes.† She hesitated, then spoke in a small voice. â€Å"What happened to your parents?† This wasn't so hard; I wasn't even having to lie to her. â€Å"They died a very long time ago.† â€Å"I'm sorry,† she mumbled, clearly worried about having hurt me. She was worried about me. â€Å"I don't really remember them that clearly,† I assured her. â€Å"Carlisle and Esme have been my parents for a long time now.† â€Å"And you love them,† she deduced. I smiled. â€Å"Yes. I couldn't imagine two better people.† â€Å"You're very lucky.† â€Å"I know I am.† In that one circumstance, the matter of parents, my luck could not be denied. â€Å"And your brother and sisters?† If I let her push for too many details, I would have to lie. I glanced at the clock, disheartened that my time with her was up. â€Å"My brother and sister, and Jasper and Rosalie for that matter, are going to be quite upset if they have to stand in the rain waiting for me.† â€Å"Oh, sorry, I guess you have to go.† She didn't move. She didn't want our time to be up, either. I liked that very, very much. â€Å"And you probably want your truck back before Chief Swan gets home, so you don't have to tell him about the Biology incident.† I grinned at the memory of her embarrassment in my arms. â€Å"I'm sure he's already heard. There are no secrets in Forks.† She said the name of the town with distinct distaste. I laughed at her words. No secrets, indeed. â€Å"Have fun at the beach.† I glanced at the pouring rain, knowing it would not last, and wishing more strongly than usual that it could. â€Å"Good weather for sunbathing.† Well, it would be by Saturday. She would enjoy that. â€Å"Won't I see you tomorrow?† The worry in her tone pleased me. â€Å"No. Emmett and I are starting the weekend early.† I was mad at myself now for having made the plans. I could break them†¦but there was no such thing as too much hunting at this point, and my family was going to be concerned enough about my behavior without me revealing how obsessive I was turning. â€Å"What are you going to do?† she asked, not sounded happy with my revelation. Good. â€Å"We're going to be hiking in the Goat Rocks Wilderness, just south of Rainier.† Emmett was eager for bear season. â€Å"Oh, well, have fun,† she said halfheartedly. Her lack of enthusiasm pleased me again. As I stared at her, I began to feel almost agonized at the thought of saying even a temporary goodbye. She was just so soft and vulnerable. It seemed foolhardy to let her out of my sight, where anything could happen to her. And yet, the worst things that could happen to her would result from being with me. â€Å"Will you do something for me this weekend?† I asked seriously. She nodded, her eyes wide and bewildered by my intensity. Keep it light. â€Å"Don't be offended, but you seem to be one of those people who just attract accidents like a magnet. So†¦try not to fall into the ocean or get run over or anything, all right?† I smiled ruefully at her, hoping she couldn't see the sadness in my eyes. How much I wished that she wasn't so much better off away from me, no matter what might happen to her there. Run, Bella, run. I love you too much, for your good or mine. She was offended by my teasing. She glared at me. â€Å"I'll see what I can do,† she snapped, jumping out into the rain and slamming the door as hard as she could behind her. Just like an angry kitten that believes it's a tiger. I curled my hand around the key I'd just picked from her jacket pocket, and smiled as I drove away.

Dystopia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Dystopia - Essay Example This, therefore, implies that the members of the society live in a state and conditions that cannot be said to be conducive for human existence because of how they are controlled. Some of the sources of control that make the citizens to live in a dehumanized state include religious, technological and corporate control (Gordin, Tilley and ‎ Prakash 56).The American society is controlled by bipartisan parties that are not focused on the actual societal needs. There are several aspects of the American society today that show that the citizens are living in a dehumanized state. In the American society, there has been the collective loss of memory. Moreover the society has forgotten the history of mankind, how man came into existence and how man used to live long time ago. This has been caused by the bureaucratic religious and technological control in the society. In the current American society, mega corporations such as United Continental and Colgate Palmolive have continued to reduce and dwarf the power of the government and the citizens (Shteyngar 201). Due to this bureaucratic control, things like heath care and education have been privatized and the effect of this is disastrous. The collective memory loss and the forgetting of history of mankind have made the citizens become easy to manipulate. Gordin, Tilley and ‎ Prakash continue to say that the American society is easy to manipulate psychologically (32). The result of this is that the society has lived in a dehumanized state. The control that the society experiences from the bureaucratic, religious and corporate aspects of their lives has facilitated the psychological control; hence, making the state of living to be one that can be said to be a dehumanized one. Shteyngart say that the American society is so much concerned about their well wellbeing and they strive hard to be able to improve their lives (112). They have continued to be controlled by their jobs and personal needs. In the

Mirrors by Lucy Grealy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mirrors by Lucy Grealy - Essay Example While she was 9 years, Grealy suffered jaw cancer therefore forcing a part of her right side jaw to be removed. She underwent 30 surgeries as a way of reconstructing her face and so in her story mirror, she talks about the perceptions and obsessions people have of beauty which demonstrates how the society at large is. She had the belief that if the surgeries would eventually fully reconstruct her face, she could be happy as she would be a normal person just like the rest of the world. In an article written by Michelle Wittle inside the mind of a writer she talks about Grealy’s article. Wittle talks positively about the manner in which Grealy’s article is talking about the challenges people go though in their day to day life as a result of their self image. She puts emphasis on the way people define the lives they live in terms of what they see in the mirror. Wittle is proud of the way Grealy at last is able to face her worst fears and looks in the mirror seeing positive things. â€Å"I am a big victim of this theory† (Wittle, 2010). Wittle can relate to Grealy’s story as she herself has let other people define her according to her looks; or how she should live her life just because they say so. She therefore does not condemn Grealy because of the fears she faced with her self image. She compares herself to Grealy by saying that she herself has learnt of how to soul-search herself and live her life instead of living the way others want to â€Å"Like Grealy, I am learning to look at myself on the inside† (Wittle 2010).

SAMSUNG electronics (public relation) Research Paper

SAMSUNG electronics (public relation) - Research Paper Example Statement of the situation: Samsung needs to improve its public relations in order to increase the sales of its new products and to maintain its brand image. Since there are a large number of subsidiaries to Samsung electronics, appropriate public relation strategies are needed in order to resolve potential problems. Samsung always tracked the latest technologies and moved accordingly. The company’s status varies from field to field. Samsung has never looked back since it has entered into DRAM or Dynamic Random Access Memory business in 1983. Despite of being dominant over other electronics companies existing today, the company always adopts policies, which can lift their reputation among the people. Its current policy of emphasizing on innovations is mainly encouraged by the future situations. The company is well alert on the matter of future downfall due to a fierce competition from the Chinese electronic manufactures in the field of memory chip making and electronic devices due to their policy of aggressive market expansion and low manufacturing cost. Therefore Samsung electronics need to have a strategic public relations plan, which will improve the company’s brand image. Since there are many branches and networks operating all over the world, the company can’t ensure the better working conditions of each of its employees. This can cause disinterest among employees towards the company’s goals and this will affect the public relations management of the firm negatively. Key strategies: The key strategies of Samsung’s new policy in improving public relations are: To be able to gain trust among the people so that they are always ready to depend on the company’s technologies spontaneously and without much effort from the company’s side. To be able to promote its name to increase the sales to considerable amount. This is not a difficult task keeping in mind that they are the dominant force in the market. To concent rate mainly on the changes that are required to withstand the future crisis basically from rivals as well as customers preferring other brands. To ensure better relationship with the consumers, by providing them the facilities they require. Strategic objectives: To achieve 100% customer satisfaction so that customers feel that Samsung’s latest technology is better than any product of the other companies. This will improve the public relations of Samsung electronics. To achieve 100% employee satisfaction. This is one of the best methods in improving public relations, that is, by gaining complete support from the employees. Having a strong commitment to the public as Samsung has invested in a sustainable electronics recycling program by teaming up with Global Electric Electronic Processing (GEEP) Key publics: Customers: As the main feature in any business organization is its customer, customers should be well aware of the new policies of the company. Since it is dominating over the electronics device departments, there will not be any lack of trust among the customers. The present customers that we have are more than satisfied with Samsung electronics and this paves a new way for the future prospective customers. With

Discribe the impact of Darwin's evoluntionary theory on at least 4 Essay

Discribe the impact of Darwin's evoluntionary theory on at least 4 areas of American thought during the late 19th Century, inclu - Essay Example Through his 1859 book ‘The Origin of Species’, Charles Darwin instigated a change in the world views about the origin of humankind among other species, which challenged previously existing theories such as Creationism. With this new perspective, evolution began to affect the overall system of American thought. Some of the aspects of American thought include American philosophy, technology usage in the American society, religion, medicine, politics, environment, culture and globalization in the American context. This paper delves into the impact of Darwinism on some of these aspects of American thought in the nineteenth century. The paper also looks into the changes that took place with regard to each aspect and that saw some subjects gain more popularity and others decline. Keywords: Evolution, Changes, Philosophy, Darwinism, American Thought Introduction Evolution refers to the process of a string of natural modifications that a species of a population of organisms unde rgoes, which causes the species to develop, adjust to their surroundings, and eventually die out or become extinct (Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, n.d.). All species including humans have developed through the process of biological evolution. Human evolution refers to the drawn-out progression of change which facilitated the development of people from apelike progenitors. Scientific evidence has revealed that the physical and developmental attributes shared by the entire human species originated from apelike predecessors and evolved over a period of time (Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, n.d.). The theory of evolution has been subject to intensive scientific research over the last 150 years. There is numerous and convincing evidence that living organisms have undergone the process of evolution spanning over a period of millions of years. According to Andrews and Stringer the account of human evolution dates back to approximately 30 million years ago i n North Africa, when the now expansive Sahara desert was an expanse of lush rain forests and the region was inhabited by a species identified by historians as Aegyptopithecus (1989). This theory was developed by Charles Darwin and is detailed in his 1859 book ‘Origin of Species’. Following its development, the theory was adapted and accepted in many societies despite the fact that it faced acclamation and criticism in equal measure. In the American society as with many others in the world over, world views based on the origin of mankind as well as the development of world and human civilizations began to be shaped by the theory. In retrospect, Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution resulted in changes in many aspects of American thought in the nineteenth century. Multiple fields of science, research and education have been influenced by Darwinism. Some of these aspects are discussed below. Impact of Darwinism on Philosophy The realization of the theory of natural s election that is a component of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution resulted in changes in American philosophy in the nineteenth century. Philosophy is applied and put into practice by humans in their development of world views and perspectives. Philosophy is developed within the human mind. The theory of natural selection to a great extent includes the development of humankind and the human brain; making them both results of natural selection. As a result therefore, Darwinism directly impacts on philosophy (Lemmens, 2006). The theory of

Compare and Contrast Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6

Compare and Contrast - Essay Example In this light, we will find out the background, culture and beliefs of the artists who created the following two specimens of artifacts: The Venus of Willendorf, created during the Paleolithic era, and The Neolithic Plastered Skull of the Neolithic era. The Venus of Willendorf was discovered in 1908 in an Aurignician loess deposit above the Danube River near Willendorf, Austria.by the archaeologist Josef Szombathy. Currently in Naturhistorisches Museum in Vienna, this tiny statue (only 11.1 cm in length) is sculpted from a fine porous oolitic limestone unavailable in the region. It is assumed that this is done with flint tools done in a foreign land (Witcombe, 2003). In the case of the Neolithic Plastered Skulls, the artifacts were discovered during the Amman-Zarqua highway construction in the 1970's in Ain Ghazai near Amman, Jordan. Gary Roliefson excavated the site to prevent its potential destruction from the urbanization of the site. Plaster used in covering walls and floors of structures in Ain Ghazal are the materials utilized in creating the relics. Also, in this place, plaster is also intended for the treatment of the skulls of the dead (Feldman, 2006). When it comes to the location of the relics' discovery, the Venus of Willendorf is located in a place where the materials, fine porous oolitic limestone, of the image are ... In this period, nurturing arable lands for agricultural purposes has already been the common practice. The tendency of people at those times is to commune with each other and to grow plants and livestock for food. Both the artifacts' materials are from minerals coming from the ground (limestone and plaster). However the difference in the manner in creating them shows the diversity of the level of technology in these two periods in human prehistoric eras. The sculptor in the Paleolithic carved the Venus of Willendorf out of limestone with flint tools in its natural and processed state. The creator of the Neolithic Plastered Skulls, on the other hand, had already acquired sufficient knowledge to produce a mixture of mud plaster and lime plaster (Rollefson, 1998). In terms of the features of the two artifacts it is interesting to note that the Venus of Willendorf exaggerates the features of the figure while the Neolithic Plastered Skulls displays human features realistically. Perhaps the most notable distinction between the plastered skulls in Jordan from the Venus of Willendorf is the latter's absence of genitalia. By this distinction alone, we can see the intention of the artists in creating these prehistoric artistic opuses. The distinction of the features of these relics presents the interesting contrast of the reason of their creation of these priceless antique art forms. Though the real intention of creating them are still to be known, archaeologists have developed certain logical and possible theories based on the features of the artworks. With regards to the Venus of Willendorf some archaeologists advocates the theory that it has religious significance. For them it is a relic that the Paleolithic tribe who created it considers a

Latin music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Latin music - Essay Example This "Latin music" essay describes such musical style as bossa nova. The bossa nova music became a new style that combined samba and jazz pulses in which the complexity of the two was converted into another type of â€Å"stuttering† beat as many music lovers realized from Gilberto’s guitar. It is amazing because the songs were mainly casual and refined, yet infused with an attractive and catching swing. It is also clear that Gilberto sang the lyrics with a personal touch, warm, and whispering tone that made the melodies flow calmly. On his part, Jobim reinforced the amazing melodies with uniform harmonies, which can only compare to the pulses found in today’s classical jazz music. In essence, bossa nova recurring and harmonic productivity was created articulately in a sophisticated simplified manner that was extraordinary in the music industry at the time (Henry 57). In the height of 1960s, bossa nova appeared in American society even though it was indirectly. In reality, the film â€Å"Orfeu Negro† which denoted Black Orpheus based on the trends of bossa nova won a Grand Prize in the Cannes Film Festival acclaiming glory. This is because the song â€Å"Manha de Carnival† was the theme melody for the movie while Samba as well as bossa nova became the chief rhythms that it adopted. In this respect, bossa nova became instantly popular in the international scene and most of the composers of the song were widely known from this performance. Bossa nova attracted many musicians especially in America to introduce the rhythms in American Jazz. It was in this respect that â€Å"Girl from Ipanema† was composed and it became a popular and endowed song across the world (Henry 58). Instruments that Accompany Bossa Nova One of the most important instruments in bossa nova music is classical guitar, which mainly picks on the nylon-string using bare fingers and not a pick or coin. For a clean and clear sound, it requires unaccompanied g uitar combined with intrinsic vocals as Joao Gilberto diligently demonstrated them. The guitar is crucial even when performing jazz like collections for groups so that it is played to

Mary Schwartz and Beach Electrical Systems Case Study

Mary Schwartz and Beach Electrical Systems - Case Study Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that Mary’s absences pose many problems to the organization. Under social learning theory, employees will model behaviors of those in the workplace that they witness receiving reward or punishment. Since Mary was never even given a warning for her past experience, there are risks that employees will model her behaviors. She was considered a credible role model and under social learning theory, employees might reproduce her behaviors believing they can also get away with higher absences. There is one problem, though. Mary’s excellent employment record is documented with employee appraisals. This means that in her employment file there is evidence that she is a model employee. This could make it more difficult for the organization to develop a case against her termination. It is only the opinion of the management team that she has suddenly failed to meet performance expectations. This can be easily challenged by her many merits in her employment file for performance success. From the point of view of the organization, the past employment record should not have anything to do with her being terminated today. However, legally, Mary has much support for winning an argument that she was wrongly terminated based on her track record. Due to her current negative attitude and ongoing absences, the business has the ethical right to terminate her employment. The Health and Safety Executive warns that it is not good practice for companies to make assumptions about what causes an employee to be absent. This is because there are many laws established that protect her. Mary is a protected class employee under the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and this makes the situation even more sensitive. However, from the organizational view, the business requires individuals who are team-focused and ready to contribute to meeting performance standards and strategic goals.

Web site review asignment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Web site review asignment - Research Paper Example The three insurance companies reviewed in this paper are namely, AIG, Allianz and American Family Insurance. AIG and Allianz are both well-established in fact they hold the fourth and third places in the world, respectively. Meanwhile, American Family is a fast-growing insurance company established in 1927. Allianz originates in Germany while the other two are American companies. Expectedly, these three companies maintain websites for promotions and other customer concerns. As insurance companies, the three are expected to have something in common: all offer insurance coverage for individuals and businesses. Nevertheless, American Family makes a big difference in terms of its products and services. Table 1 presents a summary of what the three companies offer. The three insurance providers have some products in common including auto, health, life, and home/property insurance. At first glance, one can determine that American Family has more coverage than the two other companies, especially in terms of individual products. Likewise, the other two share the same range of benefits except for educational package, which only AIG offers. Insurance for vehicles have become a common trend, hence the three companies present coverage of such on their websites. Auto insurance usually covers new automobiles, and such is the case with the three companies. All boast of a wide coverage but AIG limits itself to luxury cars. Meanwhile, the two other companies offer almost the same products and services, including coverage of motor vehicles. Both of them have repair and towing services 24 hours a day, under even the most difficult weather conditions. Notably, American Family includes accessory programs to their usual coverage such as the Teen Safe Driver, Auto Rental Reimbursement and discounts to services. It is good to see that the two websites enumerate their programs and services but Allianz has a better way of

Roles in the Courtroom Essay Example for Free

Roles in the Courtroom Essay Everyone has been in or seen a courtroom. If not personally, they have definitely seen one on television. Shows like Law Order and the First 48 gives the generalization of how a criminal is caught, brought to justice and it’s done all within one hour. Then there are civil court shows like Judge Judy and Judge Mathis, where you can see what actually happens in a court of law when someone is sued. All in all, when you watch these shows you never get the full effect of the roles each person in a courtroom plays to bring a person to justice. Some roles are more important than others, but people like Bailiffs, Judges or even Jurors all share an amount of responsibility in making sure that justice is served. In any courtroom you will see a Bailiff, Prosecutor, Defense Attorney, and a Judge. The Bailiff is usually a sheriff or a high- ranking police officer. Their presence alone keeps order in the courtroom amongst the audience all the way to the judge. A Bailiff’s role is simple. They swear in witnesses and they also play the go between man with the judge and jury. They call court to order and announce when the Judge enters the room. Their role is minimal but important still in its own way. Next are the Defense Attorney and the Prosecution whose duties and responsibilities are basically the same. They must gather and present evidence to the jury to discredit or give reasonable doubt that a crime was or wasn’t committed. The Defense is there to advice his client on the right plea to take. He is also there to make sure his client understands what is going on and make sure his client gets a fair and speedy trial. Other than that their duties are the same. They both are there to discredit the other. They both participate in jury selection and establish witnesses that will benefit their case. Both are responsible for presenting their case to the Judge and Jury, but if the case never reaches a trial it’s usually due to both sides plea-bargaining. This is ultimately the Judges decision but is usually the reason why some cases don’t go to trial. The Judge has a key role in the criminal justice system. He is elected into office by his peers and is ultimately the last person to make any decision in regards to a case. Although they don’t say much a Judge has a lot of duties and responsibilities and is one of the most important people needed in a courtroom. They are there from start to finish in any case. At the preliminary hearing they are responsible for making sure the accused is aware of their rights, they enter a plea of either guilty, not guilty or no contest, and the Judge also sets the bail. During the trial they decide what evidence will be allowed. Their understanding of the law is important when keeping order and how the court proceedings will be handled. During the trial the judge makes sure the accused rights aren’t violated. The Judge also makes sure that the jury understands what a person is charged with whether it is First –degree or second-degree murder. It is the Judges responsibility to make sure the Jury knows the difference. Last but not least they have control over the sentencing. This is the most important part aside from the Jury decision on whether or not the accused is guilty. Although The Judge’s role and responsibility seems to be the most important in the court, it is the role and respon sibility of the Jury that is needed more than anything. Everyone has the right to a trial by an â€Å"impartial† jury, which means that the trial will be fair. To be fair, some believe a person must be tried amongst a group of one’s peers. This means that they are from the same community/area. Sex, race and ethnicity have no bearings in any case, as far as jury selection. Jury’s bring diversity, different perspectives and views. It is up to the Defense and the Prosecution to make sure the right people are chosen, and that they will be more in favor of their case when presented in court. This is why Juror’s must go through a jury selection. People who will be beneficial to either the Prosecutions or Defenses case are kept and those who appear to have no bearings on the case aren’t selected. Once on the Jury they are given instructions by the judge on how the case will go, what they are to listen for, and what a person is charged with. Then they listen to the case and they are to determine if the accused i s responsible for their actions by a reasonable doubt. Meaning if there is any doubt in their mind that the accused is innocent, then the doubt is placed, and either they must be convicted of a lesser crime or the case must be dismissed period. All the evidence and witnesses presented in court is done with wondering how the jury will perceive it. Their impression on the evidence has the greatest impact and is ultimately what will determine the fate of the accused in all cases. That is why it is important that the Judge gives the verdict choices to the Jury and that he makes sure that the Jury understands them when they go to deliberate. They then return and give their verdict of guilty, not guilty to the offense the accused was charged or to a lesser charge period. Anyone can see that the Jury is important in any court proceedings. Jury’s will always have a key role in the court system and their role is most important. There are many roles and responsibilities in the court system. There are bailiffs, prosecutors, defense attorneys but the most important is the jury. Their roles and responsibilities are important and are needed to ensure that the criminal court system is run appropriately. That is why there is so much put into jury selection. They are the deciding factor in determining how long a person will be spending of their life in jail.

Leadership Theories and Organisational Direction

Leadership Theories and Organisational Direction Management leadership style matters a lot in deciding fate of an organisation. These styles are reflected in both long term and short term strategies of the company. Considering the importance of management and leadership style lot of theorist came up with their philosophies. Some of them consider charismatic personality of leader the key to success while other considers team work the best solution. This report is being produced for the directors of NEWG to explain various management and leadership concepts. It shows how these theories can affect working of an organization and can play a decisive role in the achievement of organisational objectives. If applied in relevance to the needs of organization can lead to ultimate success. Leadership Theories and Organizational Direction Every organisation is setup with some objectives in mind. It can be profit earning, charity, law enforcing or voluntary, whatever the objective it reflects in the policies of an organisation. Leadership sets the direction for an organisation and management ensures to implement policies that lead organisations to achieve set goals. Keeping in mind aims of organisation different management theories can be adapted to support core objectives that set the style of management in an organization. Transformational Leadership Theory Initially developed by James McGregor Burns in the decade of 1970, the theory gained a lot of popularity among business world. This theory has four constituents i.e. charismatic personality, encouragement through motivation, intelligent inspiration and personalized attention. Being charismatic means leader has qualities that attract people around him. It can be leaders personality, sex appeal, style of communication, vibrant, robust and authoritative presence. Take an example of Martin Luther King, an activist and strong American leader who stood for the African American civil right cause. Such leadership with their excellent communication skills persuade people for change. They bring the idea that existing system is not helping them reduce their problems and they need to adopt new strategies. They motivate people to think differently, create new ways of doing things that is where the word transformational comes from. Such leaders show a lot of care for people; focus on their needs and touch their concerns. This way they try to win hearts of their followers, because change is a difficult thing to grasp. People feel relaxed in their old environments and it is utmost difficult to change someones habits. This needs a lot of effort and commitment without which it would be impossible to bring about change. Having good personality, vision, inspiration through motivation and personal attention to audience are excellent traits for a good leader. This helps wining sympathies of people who will then work whole heartedly to achieve objectives. This strategy is especially very effective when an existing system is not working very well and there is need to change. But for this system to work, leadership should have very good knowledge and understanding of the environment in which organisation is operating. This is era of information and if the leadership is not aware of all that is happening in the surrounding it cannot persuade people. Second thing that needs consideration is that leader should understand different situations and proceed accordingly because actions which are suitable for one environment need not be the best fit in some other surroundings. Thirdly facts alone will not help changing minds of the people but the leadership should have very good communication skills to convey thei r idea. Last but not least taking people into consideration is another important factor because nothing can be achieved without contribution of followers. To achieve sympathies of people, one needs to show concern and sympathy with them, coordinate with them on personal terms. Change is a painful thing and majority of people resist change. In order for a venture to be successful the most important requirement is that people are ready to adopt change which is only possible if they understand that the person in-charge of change i.e. leadership has a heart to feel their concerns. Otherwise merciless change will face strong resistance and will not achieve its ultimate goal. This is excellent, cost effective theory of management that can be applied at Milky Bits and workings on the principles of transformational theory company can achieve faith, loyalty and hearts of workers that would enormously improve the efficiency in Milky Bits. Transactional Leadership Theory As described by Bernard M. Bass in 1981, transactional leadership is based on performance reward. Tasks are assigned to the employees and if they are successful they are rewarded else punished, i.e. transaction, exchange as a result of performance. Rather than relying on the concept of motivation as described in transformational theory it brings about the idea of incentive and penalty. It develops kind of relationship between leader and follower that is doing as directed. If an employee performs his / her task meeting the deadline, within budget and as per directives of its manager, employee will get benefits. If the employee somehow misses to achieve what was required, he would be punished. This is an extreme type of relationship and shows reactive approach of management. This theory is focused on authority of manager who sets the rewards / punishments for short term goals. In order to work it effectively the manager should clearly identify tasks that are in line with the overall objectives of organisation and provide sufficient resources to member of staff while assigning tasks. Manager should have enough authority and control to reward or punish subordinates and he should continually monitor the actions of subordinates. According to the theory, employees have single objective for job i.e. to get incentive that is mainly in the form of financial benefits but it could be something else like recognition or promotion etc. Enticements are the most powerful driver for workers to concentrate on their tasks; hence carefully designed target incentive system can improve workers output in Milky Bits. Although it is a short term solution, because if used permanently it can develop a culture where no one will work without clear incentives, but it can bring good results if managers succeed to clearly identify tasks that lead to ultimate objectives. Assign these tasks to the relevant employee, provide them with all sufficient resources and give them proper training. It can produce excellent results for Milky Bits, which is growing organisation, in very short period of time. Charismatic Theory German sociologist Max Weber in 1920 introduced Charismatic Theory that revolves around personality that has traits to attract followers. These could be natural God gifted attributes that sets them apart from general public like their family / religious background, their sex appeal, their vision and dynamism of their personality. Besides that some qualities can be learnt like good analytical and communication skills. Without having authority or powers gathers people around him, as a matter of fact charismatic leader uses the power of people. Such leaders have the ability to understand mood of people and design their acts accordingly. People blindly faith and follow their leader which is great achievement for any leader. Later on Conger and Kanungo in 1998 described Charismatic Leader is one having attributes of vision and communication, compassion to the environment, care to the needs of people, risk-taker and doing un-usual things. Hence charismatic leader should have the ability to foresee the future i.e. vision. He should be able to effectively communicate with people because if he has some ideas but cannot convince the general public it would be waste. He should understand the environment in which he is working because different situations need different form of action. Charismatic leader should understand feelings and needs of the people for this he should involve with the people, understand and realise their problems and understand their requirements. Without strong understanding of peoples issues it is difficult to motivate them. Leader is torch bearer of change, in this respect this theory is closely linked with transformational theory, but change is a difficult phenomenon. First of all peop le normally have strong resistance for change and secondly you can anticipate to some extent but nobody is cent per cent sure about the outcome of change. Things can go wrong at point, for this very reason a leader should be bold risk taker. Leader is a person who takes unexpected decisions at critical times because difficult situations need tough decisions. Ordinary people dont expect such decisions to be taken; hence Conger and Kanungo added risk taker and un-usual decision maker as the traits of charismatic theory of leadership. This theory could prove to be very effective in certain kind of situations. When there is need of some strong decision and there is no time to negotiate with people. If such decisions come from a person whom everyone trusts, gives respect and has blind faith in him it would be easy to implement such decisions. It is a cost effective solution as people following their leaders merely on the basis of their followership. This means you dont need to give them incentives to do something rather they are doing most of the things voluntarily. But this needs a very strong personality having all the traits to win hearts of people. This can prove to be successful, effective and cost efficient method of management at Milky Bits. Contingency Theory Earliest contingency theory presented by Fiedler suggests that that there is no ideal way of organizing things. Different type of actions needs to be taken in different situations. This theory is different from other theories based on characteristics of leaders or reward system and focuses on the situational aspects. It describes that management decision are affected by various factors like working environment, kind of task at hand and position of the manager at that very time. When taking some decision it is wise to understand the surrounding and visualise the impact of certain actions that could affect the entire process. It is also important to consider nature of task, like if something is very important and time bound it would need different strategy than one needed to perform routine tasks. Also important to consider is the power position of manager because in organisations there are lot of ups and downs. If manger is not in authoritative position or feels he would face bitter criticism he should avoid taking hard decisions. Verbal meaning of the word contingency is something that is cause by some other incident but in this theory it suggests line of action taken by management keeping in view environment created by people working in a certain situation. Although it is exceptional theory to deal with certain awkward situations it heavily relies on streamlining actions with the group environment. Its success largely depends on exposure and willingness of group member to put their efforts for the achievement of organisational objectives. It is very useful idea to tailor acts according to situations in order to get maximum benefits of situation rather than sticking with strict and static policies. Managers at Milky Bits should be trained to respond different situations accordingly. This will help improve companys performance and take corrective decisions at the time of need. This will help avoiding conflicts between management and employees and further to avoid any untoward situation creating chaos in the working environment. Situational Theory This theory presented by Kenneth Blanchard and Paul Hersey suggests that managers should use different styles depending upon situations. Manager should have strong ability to analyse different situations. They should understand capability of their subordinates and keeping in view the existing circumstances, managers behaviour could be different with the same person at different times. According to Blanchard and Hersey leadership style is characterized by extent of support and direction given by manager to subordinates. At stage 1 manager defines the roles and responsibilities of employees, assigns tasks to them and then closely supervises or monitors them. In this scenario choices are made by manger hence most of the communication is one-way. Employees are committed to do their tasks diligently but they need direction and support from their seniors. At 2nd stage manager still defines roles and responsibilities but with consultation of sub-ordinates. Communication is somehow two-way. Employees are competent in their area of expertise but lack commitment so supervision is needed. Manager takes their consultation which increases their confidence and sense of being involved makes them more committed. At level 3 leaders focus less on tasks and more on relations, they discuss situations with their sub-ordinates and leave them with their strategy to do the tasks. This technique works with employees who are competent enough to do the tasks independently but due to lack of confidence need support of their superiors. Level 4 is a stage where sub-ordinate has both competence and commitment, so manager although has authority and control on decisions delegates these to the sub-ordinates. Sub-ordinate himself takes decisions and has total control of project / task. It is up to him to involve manager or not. Effective managers use these level as and when required at particular stages. There is no set pattern but only innovative capability of manager decides which path to take in a particular scenario. Such a policy could be helpful for Milky Bits as it will help managers understand capabilities of their staff and assign tasks to them accordingly. It will also benefit the organisation in staff development by following different levels giving them appropriate guidance and support building confidence on them that will help them work independently on upcoming tasks. Vroom and Yettons Normative Model Vroom and Yetton suggested Narrative Model as There are number of alternatives to deal with any situation. Leader should have the ability to select the best option in any situation. It also proposes that while selecting the best possible course of action willingness of employees should also be given weight. This theory assumes that acceptance of decision increases its effectiveness and commitment. Also willingness of employees adds to the acceptance of decisions taken by managers. Vroom and Yetton also identified decision procedures as follows. Firstly manager uses his own exposure to take decision; this strategy is useful if acceptability among employees is not very important, manager has enough knowledge and exposure about the subject area, secondly manager seeks information from his sub-ordinates and then takes decision; this is useful when manager does not have enough information and needs enough first hand information, thirdly manager shares problem with sub-ordinates individually, seeks their opinion to reach some decision; this is useful when some of the employees have expert knowledge of the subject domain that will help manager reaching a good decision; fourthly discusses the issues with sub-ordinates in groups to come at conclusion; when all the employees have same level of knowledge and manager intends to benefit from their knowledge and tries to bring harmony in his team members and fifthly puts these issues before sub-ordinates as a group and bases his decision on the consensus of employees; this strategy targe ts on the acceptance of employees more than the quality of decision taken. One wrong decision taken at critical stage can be decisive for an organization. Management at Milky Bits should be given appropriate training to deal with such situations that will help the organization to come out beneficent at the time of crisis. Tri-Dimensional Leadership Theory (Yukl) Yukls tri-dimensional theory suggests that there is no set course of action which will be successful in all the circumstances. It is management and leadership who decide what action to take at a particular time. It heavily relies on effectiveness and efficiency, human resource relations and innovation adaptation. If managements focus is effectiveness and efficiency, its strategy will be task-oriented. To improved efficiency first step is that everyone should know his roles and responsibilities, what is expected of him / her. This clear cut job assignment will help an employee concentrate on his job and facilitate managers to evaluate employees performance. This will improve sense of responsibility and employees will be more focused on their job roles which will improve their effectiveness and efficiency. In case of human resource relations, strategy will be relations-oriented. Management will try to build good relations with employees in order to come closer with them, understand their views and negotiate with them. This helps management obtain 1st hand knowledge of employees problems and come up with solutions that will win the hearts of employees. This involvement of employees and their participation in decision making will help them do their tasks with more motivation and achieve organisational goals and objectives. Innovative and adaptation style is required when an organization is in need of change. Management will sort out new ways of doing things. Change is the only constant thing in nature, internal external factors both influence an organisation to change its strategies to survive and thrive in business. This needs strong thinking and analysis followed by careful decision making. This theory suggests that leaders should be able to analyse the situations and they should be flexible enough to meld their strategies accordingly. Leaders should have strong analytical and diagnostic qualities to determine strategy most relevant to situation. New Leadership Strategy Reviewing all research and findings of previous theorists and being student of Strategic Management Leadership if I am asked to develop my own strategy, I would suggest following 3 points. Leadership should have strong knowledge of subject area and exceptional relationship with their followers. Motivate followers combining organisational objectives with the goals of individuals. Give them respect reward. Management should always have plan B to work around un-acceptable situations and they should involve sub-ordinates to prepare these contingency plans. Leadership should lead by example, their words will worth more if they themselves follow what they ask their followers to do. No strategy will work if followers are un-satisfied. Respect and financial gains are instinct for every human being. It should be made sure that employees benefit from prosperity of organisation. Business world is ever-changing, stagnant policies and leadership will suffer in this dynamic environment so leadership should be innovative enough to counter these challenges. If possible leadership should involve followers in policy changes.