Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Strategic Management - Essay Example The Bowman’s Strategy Clock is used in defining the eight possible types of strategies, which are based on the coordinates of price and the value being added (Perceived).The shape of the strategy model is like a star and gives an overall appearance of a clock. The company has been playing the game of differentiation. It has set up a number of steps to make itself superior to its competitors. It can be seen from the huge spending being done by the company as a part of its plan for expansion. It has been spending over a hundred million sterling pounds on a yearly basis, over different projects. Lego has been diversifying with the building of theme parks in Denmark, it also the Lego bricks. In addition to this, theme parks have come up in other parts of the world like UK (United Kingdom) and USA. These have added to the brand value of the company as well as the visibility, attracting over 1.5 million people annually. The company has been trying to differentiate itself from the other players. The building of theme parks is an exercise of branding, which would set itself separate from other competitors (Johnson,s Scholes and Whitington, 2008). So, it is being done so that the company becomes a symbol of quality. The customers would associate th e brand (Lego), with a better sense of quality. This is the analysis of the company in terms of Bowman’s Strategy Clock. ... The value addition is low. It is specific to the segment. The price is high and the value is low. The market may be lost, if not in a position of monopoly. Based on the analysis from the Bowman’s Strategy Clock, the position of the company is analysed. This has been found out be as follows- Position 4(Differentiation) The company has been playing the game of differentiation. It has set up a number of steps to make itself superior to its competitors. It can be seen from the huge spending being done by the company as a part of its plan for expansion. It has been spending over a hundred million sterling pounds on a yearly basis, over different projects. Lego has been diversifying with the building of theme parks in Denmark, it also the Lego bricks. In addition to this, theme parks have come up in other parts of the world like UK (United Kingdom) and USA. These have added to the brand value of the company as well as the visibility, attracting over 1.5 million people annually. The company has been trying to differentiate itself from the other players. The building of theme parks is an exercise of branding, which would set itself separate from other competitors (Johnson,s Scholes and Whitington, 2008). So, it is being done so that the company becomes a symbol of quality. The customers would associate the brand (Lego), with a better sense of quality. This is the analysis of the company in terms of Bowman’s Strategy Clock. DIRECTION OF STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT The decisions regarding corporate growth are centred on the methodologies through which the organization can play a part in the promotion and sustenance of existent competitive advantage. There is a need for the expansion and growth of the companies, which leads to the adoption of different

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

EU Law - Essay Example In the same year, she launched claims for consideration of an educational grant in the UK, giving reasons that courses in genetics were not offered in her country Germany. The application was rejected on ground that Ms. Morgan did not meet conditions on paragraph five, clause two that is 5(2) of the Federal Law on encouragement of Education and Training BAfOG. Ms. Morgan was denied grant, because she was not continuing her learning in another member state, studies initially pursued in Germany for at least one year. She had started her’s in the UK and so, failed to satisfy that condition. In the second case, Ms. Bucher began her studies in ergo-therapy in Netherlands, close to the German border. Living with her parents in Bonn, they moved to Duren, where she registered as her permanent residence before traveling to Heerlen for studies. Ms. Butcher applied for an educational grant to pursue training the Netherlands. The application was rejected on condition that Ms. Bucher did not fulfill paragraph 5(1) of the BAfOG. It was alleged that Ms. Bucher established residence on the border to facilitate her training. Reason given for denial was, Ms. Bucher did not satisfy the conditions either on paragraph 5(1) of the BAfOG or those stated on 5(2). Entitlement to an educational grant as member state citizens to both applicants is the factual claim in the two cases that is C-11/06 and C-12/06 Questions referred to the Court of Justice for interpretation were two, the first question common in both cases. Does the rights of movement allocate for citizens in the Union under Articles 17 EC and 18 EC the rights to deter a Member State, in a case like Ms. Morgan’s and Bucher’s, from awarding an education or training grant to its nationals for a course of study in other Member States on ground that the course does not reflect a continuation of studies pursued at an educational institutional in their national

Chinese philosophy Essay Example for Free

Chinese philosophy Essay Confucius was born in 551-479 BC. His father died while Confucius was three years old. He was raised in a poor single mother family, during a time of civil unrest in china. Confucius is thought to be the first teacher and the one of most influential Chinese philosophers. After his death his teachings became the basis for Confucianism. Confucius believed that we’re naturally good, but it needs to be learned. People have to learn how to â€Å"cultivate the good and throw out the bad. Anything that is worth learning is must be practiced. He thought very highly of education hence one of his sayings â€Å"enrich them educate them†. Confucius focused on relationships, they were very important and every type of relationship should function a certain way. Some people say the Confucius is very similar to Socrates. Two of the main concepts of jen and li are considered basis of Confucianism. Jen is what makes you human, the ability to care, goodness, giving and â€Å"man-to-man-ness†. acting in this manor is highly revered in Confucianism considered human perfection. One must Have moral and ethical respect for human life, treat others with humanity and having self-esteem for one’s self. He believes that jen can be learned. Everyone can be â€Å"perfected† and it needs to be learned. Jen is the foundation of all relationships and it applies to not just one race but to everyone. Li is a guide to human interaction also the general guide to social order and in your life. Li plays the role of higher rung of natural law. For jen to exist society needs to have order. People need to be open with one another. Every action has an effect on someone else, there are limits to individuality. Confucius wanted to order the entire way of life, you shouldn’t be left to guess because you don’t know how to behave. Confucianism has had a huge affect on East Asian society and thinking. China used the Confucian philosophy as the basis for government for 300 years. Then in 1912 the government decided that the philosophy was the reason for why there country was being held back. There was a time when the Chinese government sought to destroy the philosophy by burning all of the books. Of course there attempt were futile. Confucianism also became the basis for government in Japan, Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. While Confucianism had a huge affect in East Asia I was unable to find anything about its affects on western culture. I like the idea of connectedness that Confucianism portrays. The idea that every action has an effect on some else is very true. I feel that in American society we have lost track of that, most of us are only out for ourselves because we are such an individualistic society. Confucius puts emphasis on the family unit; in fact more than half of his teachings about social relations pertain to families. I believe that a good family has a better chance at making better people. One possible negative is that In Confucianism there is a belief that relationships are more important than government law. Some people say that this can promote corruption and nepotism in the government. China has had these problems with their government. In Confucianism’s defense Singapore’s is considered one the the least corrupt countries on earth. I guess every philosophy isn’t perfect there are References China Confucianism: Life of Confucius, Influences, Development. (n. d. ). China Travel Agency with 24/7 Tour Service TravelChinaGuide. Retrieved February 10, 2013, from http://www. travelchinaguide. com/intro/religion/confucianism/ Exploring Chinese History :: Culture :: Philosophy :: Confucianism. (n. d. ). ibiblio The Publics Library and Digital Archive. Retrieved February 10, 2013, from http://www. ibiblio. org/chinesehistory/contents/02cul/c04s04. html The Eastern Philosophy Blog: he Main Concepts of Confucianism. (n. d. ). The Eastern Philosophy Blog. Retrieved February 10, 2013, from http://eastern-philosophy-and-meditation. blogspot. com/2009/01/he-main-concepts-of-confucianism. html APA formatting by BibMe. org. going to be a few things that people will disagree on.

Brand Equity And The Market Mix Marketing Essay

Brand Equity And The Market Mix Marketing Essay Introduction Marketers rack their brains to compose the variable ingredients to construct their stunning recipesconceptual frameworks, which are made up of the marketing mix, in an effort to deliver the differentiated products or services that can outshine their competitors. Currently few companies could afford to set aside the marketing mix and audaciously break into the market. Having a birds eye view of those prominent companies evolutionary histories , namely Coca Cola, Nike, Fuji, and Virgin, their iconic brands, one of their success indicators, work hand in hand with creative and effective execution of the marketing mix. The Marketing Mix McCarthy (1960, pp.7-8) first put forward classification of four basic ingredients: product, place, price and promotion. With the progression of time, dimensions of the marketing mix have been nourishing, as ideas of personnel promotions, storage facilities, display and so forth have been presented successively (Lipson and Darling, 1971:p.17; Borden, 1975:pp.72-75). The Four Ps of the marketing mix have been prostrated as the cornerstone or convincing paradigm in the business practice, thanks to their well-known validity (Grà ¶nroos , 1989: pp.52-60, Grà ¶nroos,1994: p.5). However, over preoccupation with the marketing mix would possibly isolate marketers from customers owing to its dependence on mass marketing ,which indicates that customers are the superficial numbers for the marketers and marketers may loose touch with the real customers(Grà ¶nroos,1994: p.4). Furthermore, acting as the simplified remedy for the marketing problem, the marketing mix paradigm makes the seller occupy the dominant position and the buyer inferior standing, which can hardly apply to the marketing of service (Grà ¶nroos, 1994: p.6). The burgeoning service industry gave birth to the relationship marketing (Gummesson, 1991: pp.60-67). Establishment and fulfilment of promise play a pivotal role in the relationship marketing, which nurtures the quality interaction between marketer and customer (Reichheld et al., 1990: pp. 105-111). Despite these drawbacks of the marketing mix, the effective orchestration of its elements is proven to be applicable to attain the set objectives under many circumstances. (Baker, 2007:p.329). The aim of this essay is to elaborate on the contribution the marketing mix makes to an organizations brand equity through in-depth analysis of the outstanding paragon, Yum! Brands, China Division. Brand Equity Aaker(1991,1996:p.103) once indicated that connotation of brand equity is multifaceted, which consists of brand loyalty, brand awareness, perceived quality, brand associations and other proprietary brand assets. The name of product is deeply imprinted with the value conferred by the brand equity (Yoo et al., 2000:p.197). Thus, the brand enjoying relatively high brand equity more probably wins customers positive and strong association (Yoo et al., 2000:p.196). In terms of the functionality of brand equity, it enriches brand alternatives, enhances the preference to pay the premium prices, intensifies the marketing communication effectiveness as well as the brand licensing opportunities and strengthens capabilities towards the marketing competition and price fluctuation (Keller, 1993:pp.4-8; Simon and Sullivan, 1993:pp.28-37; Smith, 1992:pp.13-16; Yoo et al., 2000:p.196). An unparalleled brand, as the intangible asset, consists of such features as name, design, symbol which indentifies the product of a particular organisation that has a lasting differential advantage (Doyle, 1999:p.292). At the first mention of fast food, Chinese people would instantly shortlist a bundle of names with KFC topping on their lists, due to its immense brand power. According to the ranking of 50 Best Chinese Quick-Service Companies in 2009, Yum! Brands, China Division with the annual profits of  ¿Ã‚ ¡2.88b and strong momentum of expanding its business empire in Chinas second and third tier cities, surpassing another tycoon McDonalds, ranked the first, thanks to its two household brands, KFC and Pizza Hut (Anonymous, 2010). In compliance with Yum! Brands global vision to define global company that feeds the world, Yum! Brands, China Division is also committed to creating traditional Chinese quick-service restaurant chain, East Dawning, which is targeted specially at those diehards of traditional Chinese food (Novak, 2009) .Furthermore, China Division became one of the stakeholders of Little Sheep, a popular Chinese hot pot concept, with 27% proportion of share in 2009 (Novak,2009).The ab ove efforts imply China Divisions ambition to develop diversified customer bases and make it elastic towards its competitors challenges. In 2009, the four brands synergistically contributes to its operating profits growth of 25% in China (Anonymous, 2009).What underpins their astounding performances is its China Divisions superb mastery of the marketing mix. Brand Equity and the Marketing Mix According to Yoo et al. (2000:p.196), if marketing effort could give rise to more favourable behaviour towards the branded products than the unbranded ones, positive relationship between marketing effort and brand equity would be established. Yoo et al. (2000:p.198) also suggest that creation and exploitation of the marketing mix is decisive in shaping dimensions of brand equity. For instance, Yum!Brands China Division successfully introduced the casual dining category Pizza Hut and KFC Home Service, making its products available around the clock whenever customer places an order(Anonymous,2008). Such intense distribution enables consumers to perceive more value for the two brands, subsequently resulting in the increased customer satisfaction and brand loyalty (Yoo et al., 2000:p.199). Given that the marketing mix encompasses many elements, this essay primarily selects four perspectives: product, price, servicescapes, promotion tactics to demonstrate the intertwining relationship between application of the marketing mix and formation of brand equity. Product Henry Ford (1908) once commented A market is never saturated with a good product, but it is very quickly saturated with a bad one. (Anonymous, 2006). Instead of technically importing its international menu and faithfully sticking to its cash cows such as New Orleans Roasted Burgers, Extra-tasty Crispy Burgers, Popcorn Chicken, and Pepperoni Lover, China Division has made considerable adaptation and innovation on its menu to cater to Chinese peoples tastes and flavour. Some specialties that could never appear on other countries KFC menus are Dragon Twister, and Beef Wrap with the Sichuan Sauce to name just a few(Anonynmous,2007). Additionally, the freshness and nutrients of the food are under the stringent supervision (Anonymous, 2010). From KFCs official website, customer can be informed of products accurate composition of nutrition (Anonymous, 2009). Therefore, products are procured in a transparent manner, winning trust and loyalty from customers and generating repeat buyers. Besides, its menu changes with the alteration of seasons and emergence of events and holidays. Pizza Hut Casual Dining Restaurant recently put forward 22 new courses before the upcoming autumn (Anonymous, 2010). This summer, KFC witnessed enormous profits made by its activity of watching World Cup and winning prizes through purchasing the bucket (Anonymous, 2010). In addition to its constant development of tangible products, Pizza Hut puts out a unique and added-value service, party-hosting. It would be in charge of preparing a theme party from the scratch, including designing and organizing (Anonymous, 2008).This move vindicates Millers et al. view (1998:pp.19-25) that shopping should not be considered as a mere product acquisition but a part of social relationship which provides their social identity. Guanxi or social networking plays an important role in Chinese society (Eric Tsang, 1998:p.64). Party occasion is an ideal opportunity to accommodate such need. Pizza Huts enticing se rvice could spare people from worrying about the trivialities of throwing party and promote its products and brand value in the meantime. All moves carried out by Chinese division perfectly coincide with Yum! Brands philosophy-feed the world, both physically and mentally. Price Yoo et al. (2000:p.200) once commented that price promotion in the form of special sales, media-distributed coupons, package coupons, and rebates would undermine brand equity in spite of the short-term returns. Subsequently, sales promotion could be easily emulated by the competitors (Aaker, 1991). Worse still, an inferior brand image could be displayed through the sales promotion (Yoo et al., 2000:p.200). However, KFC, Pizza Hut and East Dawnings pricing strategies just run counter to the above theories. Every day, over three kinds of KFC food are on sale and coupons can be easily downloaded from its official website (Anonymous, 2008). As for Pizza Hut Casual Dining Restaurant, it recently put forward business set meal of  ¿Ã‚ ¡2.8 to attract those office workers with limited coffee break and keen on the balanced diet(Anonymous,2010). Such deed has now been warmly received by the target customers. The reason behind their consistent low pricing strategy rightly conforms to the status quo of Chinese fast food industry where consumers are price-sensitive and major consumption segment is student and young people with finite disposable money (Anderson et al., 1998:pp.152-162).The theory proposed by Avlonitis (1980) appropriately backs up Yums pricing strategy that selling convenience goods should employ heavy advertising and competitive pricing policy to achieve product differentiation. As a consequence, one of the effective ways to appeal to Chinese people who are bombarded with hundreds of fast food alternatives is the competitive pricing strategy. Simon H. (1989:p.319) pointed out that sale effect of a price change shows up more quickly compared with other tactics, namely advertising. KFC and Pizza Hut have already benefited from this strategy and cultivated their respective regular customer base, as KFC targets at the mass consumers and Pizza Hut Casual Dining Restaurant is pos itioned as the refined business dining restaurant (Anonymous, 2008). Their varied price ranges are set accordingly, making China Division more flexible to the pricing competition. Servicecapes Servicescapes refer to the physical settings of the point of sale, which involve three dimensions: ambient conditions, spatial layout and functionality and signs, symbols, and artefacts (Bitner, 1992: pp.66-67). These would influence not only the first impression on customers but also employee satisfaction, productivity and motivation (Becker, 1981). KFC, Pizza Hut and East Dawning spare no effort to do the furnishing at their own points of sale in accordance with their respective bands images. As for KFC, warm bright yellow and red intrigue the customers appetite and lower personalized counter intends to make employees intimately interact with children (Cai, 1998). As to Pizza Hut, elegant oil paintings and sedate brown tables and wallpaper make customer feel serene in the cities forests of concrete(Cai, 1998). The consumer would be embraced with soft Chinese music and traditional Chinese table sets at East Dawning (Cai, 1998).Such highly identified decoration vividly exemplifies three different brands focuses. It would be no surprise to see the heavy customer traffic in those restaurants (Yoo et al., 2000: p.199). Good-image stores do invite more attention, contacts and visits from the prospective customers. Furthermore, positive word -of-mouth propaganda can come into being (Rao and Monroe, 1989:pp.351-356). Promotion Tactics Advertising spending accounts for substantial investment for KFC and Pizza Hut, as the money channelled for advertising exerts positive impact on brand equity and perspectives (Cobb-Walgren et al., 1995). Besides, advertising would be conducive to generating favourable impression on brand equity, increasing brand awareness and creating strong brand associations (Shimp, 1997:pp.25-35). Although people would feel annoyed by interruption of commercials of KFCs bucket and Pizza Huts Super Supreme when appreciating films, the intensely repetitive advertising would make KFC or Pizza Hut automatically top on their personal fast food alternatives when they are starved(Anonymous,2008). Subsequently, such habitual choice could elevate their brand equity (Hauser and Werfeldt, 1990:pp.398-404). Besides advertising, KFC is also adept at making the most of sponsorship to enhance its brand equity, such as organizing national three-player basketball contest in conjunction with Chinese Basketball Association (Anonymous, 2004 ),which vividly showcases its dynamic brand image, and working in partnership with 2010 Shanghai World Exposition, (Wuyu,2009). Its old enemy McDonalds has never made foray in such field. However, the sponsorship does make a difference. For example, Fuji committed$7 million in sponsoring the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, which just received refusal of sponsorship from Kodak (Desmond, 1997). According to Desmond (27 October, 1997), Fuji landed 50,000 new distributor outlets thanks to its sponsorship. Such marketing investment generated the enviable returns (Desmond, 1997). It is difficult to make accurate estimation on KFC economic returns from its sponsorship, but elevated social impact and subsequent enhanced brand value could be figured out. Additionally , China Division has been identified as the corporate with distinct social responsibility through doing Hunger Relief Programme with Chinese Children Fund and setting up fund for supporting the natural disaster relief and the financially-challenged students to further education (Anonymous, 2006). All these contribute to reputable brand image of Yum! Brands China Division. Discussion Besides the above classical 4Ps, other elements of the marketing mix such as packaging and personal selling jointly nourish China Divisions brand marvel. The package as the forefront of brand strategy would communicate the value of convenience, environmental consciousness, Conclusion Relationships between the selected the marketing mix and brand equity have been excavated in this essay. Particular attention has been drawn to four aspects of marketing efforts made by Yum! Brands China Division. The establishment and enrichment of brand equity is achieved by thorough execution of the marketing mix. It is through fully capitalizing on the variable parts of marketing strategy accompanied with the utilization and exploitation of brand resources that brand owner can probably withstand the acid test and enjoy the everlasting prosperity.

Constitutional Law and its Contemporary Challenges: Speech, Search and

Constitutional Law was created as the chosen way to preserve the United States of America Constitution, ratified by Congress in 1783, in respect to its meanings, use, and enforcement, for free government, and equal justice under the law for all Americans. However, as times and generations have passed, the U.S. Constitution remains the supreme law of the land. Among the most contemporary and controversial elements are the challenges of evolving interpretations of the freedom of speech, and search warrants, which have both had a major impact on society. In particular, we explore speech not protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution, as well as some circumstances when a search warrant is not required for a valid search. A conclusion is drawn and outlined based on research conducted to offer a concise in-depth observation of the above topics. FIRST AMENDMENT FREEDOMS The First (1st) Amendment of the United States (U.S.) Constitution, ratified December 15, 1791, â€Å"guarantees to all Americans regardless of age, ethnicity, disability, faith, or gender, the freedom of speech, freedom of press, the right to assemble, the right to peacefully assemble, and the right to petition Congress (Government) for a redress of grievances† (Kanovitz, 2010). However, as these types of speech are protected by the 1st Amendment, there are other kinds of speech that are not. The framers of the 1st Amendment intended for this amendment to be broad as to allow the amendment room to adapt to future changes in societal diversities as we live today (Kanovitz, 2010). In these protected rights are solid foundations that secures the opportunity to openly share ideas, thoughts, and various differences in points of view, encouraging interaction... ...merican soil, the question remains as to how much privacy Americans really possess. Yes, security in the person and home is still at the discretion of law enforcement, but how far will the government reach in what seems to be an elaborate effort to gain total control over what the Constitution defines as a free society? This, and many other questions remain unanswered today, but it must be remembered that this is a government of, for, and by the people, not a dictatorship that it has come to be in today’s world. â€Æ' Works Cited Gardner, Bryan A. (2009). In Black's Law Dictionary. St. Paul, Minnesota: West / Thomson Reuters. Kanovitz, J. R. (2010). Constitutional Law (12th ed.). (E. R. Ebben, Ed.) New Providence, NJ, U.S.A.: Matthew Bender & Company, Inc., LexisNexis Gorup. Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1, 88 S.Ct. 1868 (Supreme Court June 10, 1968).

False Portrayal of Mental Illness in the Media Essay -- The Roommate, F

False Portrayal of Mental Illness in the Media Protagonist The movie â€Å"The Roommate,† revolves around a young girl named Sarah (Minka Kelly) who is starting her freshman year of college. Little does she know that she has a roommate that is diagnosed with numerous mental disorders that she is not treating by taking her medication. When they are initially acquainted as roommates, Sara comes across as being innocent and depicts very normal behavior. However, as soon as Rebecca and Sarah become closer to each other, Rebecca forms an obsession with Sara and strange events begin to occur. Each of Sarah’s close friends or allies becomes hurt, and even killed. As soon as Sara discovers the symptoms of her mental illness, she becomes extremely wary in her presence, and grows more distant of her. Additionally, she sees her as a threat and as the cause of all the wrongdoing that is occurring around her. Diagnosis portrayed In the movie, the antagonist, Rebecca is diagnosed with bipolar disorder. However, the movie does not initially introduce her as someone with this mental illness. Rather, at the start of the movie, Rebecca acts naà ¯ve, innocent, and completely normal. As a result, no one gets the slightest impression that she is abnormal in any way. Ultimately, the truth is revealed to the leading character, Sara, when Rebecca’s mother asks if she has been taking her medication. Moreover, things become significantly clearer when Sara and her love interest, Stephen, find a full bottle of Zyprexa pills in her room, implying that she has not been taking her medication. Thereupon, they find out that it is used to treat bipolar disorder. Dysfunction portrayed As the duration of the movie progresses, Rebecca’s true colors come out when ... ...e but that she is also sad and very lonely. Nevertheless, the scene at the end of the movie, showing Rebecca’s death, was inevitable that left me feeling empty, and empathetic towards Rebecca. However, from a clinical view, I am a bit insulted in how the media depicted her disorder as being inhumane and monstrous. On the same note, it disappointed me to see that many viewers would get a misguided impression of the people who suffer from bipolar disorder. References Crowe, M. (2011). Feeling out of control: A qualitative analysis of the impact of bipolar disorder. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 19, 294-302. Karriem, Vernada. (2011). Understanding Bipolar Disorder. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/ss/slideshow-bipolar-disorder-overview False Portrayal of Mental Illness in the Media Essay -- The Roommate, F False Portrayal of Mental Illness in the Media Protagonist The movie â€Å"The Roommate,† revolves around a young girl named Sarah (Minka Kelly) who is starting her freshman year of college. Little does she know that she has a roommate that is diagnosed with numerous mental disorders that she is not treating by taking her medication. When they are initially acquainted as roommates, Sara comes across as being innocent and depicts very normal behavior. However, as soon as Rebecca and Sarah become closer to each other, Rebecca forms an obsession with Sara and strange events begin to occur. Each of Sarah’s close friends or allies becomes hurt, and even killed. As soon as Sara discovers the symptoms of her mental illness, she becomes extremely wary in her presence, and grows more distant of her. Additionally, she sees her as a threat and as the cause of all the wrongdoing that is occurring around her. Diagnosis portrayed In the movie, the antagonist, Rebecca is diagnosed with bipolar disorder. However, the movie does not initially introduce her as someone with this mental illness. Rather, at the start of the movie, Rebecca acts naà ¯ve, innocent, and completely normal. As a result, no one gets the slightest impression that she is abnormal in any way. Ultimately, the truth is revealed to the leading character, Sara, when Rebecca’s mother asks if she has been taking her medication. Moreover, things become significantly clearer when Sara and her love interest, Stephen, find a full bottle of Zyprexa pills in her room, implying that she has not been taking her medication. Thereupon, they find out that it is used to treat bipolar disorder. Dysfunction portrayed As the duration of the movie progresses, Rebecca’s true colors come out when ... ...e but that she is also sad and very lonely. Nevertheless, the scene at the end of the movie, showing Rebecca’s death, was inevitable that left me feeling empty, and empathetic towards Rebecca. However, from a clinical view, I am a bit insulted in how the media depicted her disorder as being inhumane and monstrous. On the same note, it disappointed me to see that many viewers would get a misguided impression of the people who suffer from bipolar disorder. References Crowe, M. (2011). Feeling out of control: A qualitative analysis of the impact of bipolar disorder. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 19, 294-302. Karriem, Vernada. (2011). Understanding Bipolar Disorder. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/ss/slideshow-bipolar-disorder-overview

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner Chapters 14

â€Å"I heard someone get hurt – Kristie needs me more than Raoul,† he explained quickly. â€Å"Are you†¦ leaving us?† Riley's face changed. It was like I could see his shifting tactics written on his features. His eyes widened, suddenly anxious. â€Å"I'm worried, Bree. I told you that she was going to meet us, to help us, but I haven't crossed her trail. Something's wrong. I need to find her.† â€Å"But there's no way you can find her before Raoul gets to the yel ow-eyes,† I pointed out. â€Å"I have to find out what's going on.† He sounded genuinely desperate. â€Å"I need her. I wasn't supposed to do this alone!† â€Å"But the others†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Bree, I have to go find her! Now! There are enough of you to overwhelm the yel ow-eyes. I'l get back to you as soon as I can.† He sounded so sincere. I hesitated, glancing back the way we had come. Fred would be halfway to Vancouver by now. Riley hadn't even asked about him. Maybe Fred's talent was stil in effect. â€Å"Diego's down there, Bree,† Riley said urgently. â€Å"He'l be part of the first attack. Didn't you catch his scent back there? Did you not get close enough?† I shook my head, total y confused. â€Å"Diego was there?† â€Å"He's with Raoul by now. If you hurry, you can help him get out alive.† We stared at each other for a long second, and then I looked south after Raoul's path. â€Å"Good girl,† Riley said. â€Å"I'l go find her and we'l be back to help clean up. You guys have got this! It might be over by the time you get there!† He took off in a direction perpendicular to our original path. I clenched my teeth at how sure he seemed of his way. Lying to the end. But it didn't feel like I had a choice. I headed south in a flatout sprint again. I had to go get Diego. Drag him away if it came to that. We could catch up with Fred. Or take off on our own. We needed to run. I would tel Diego how Riley had lied. He would see that Riley had no intention of helping us fight the battle he'd set up. There was no reason to help him anymore. I found the human's scent and then Raoul's. I didn't catch Diego's. Was I going too fast? Or was the human's scent just overpowering me? Half my head was absorbed in this strangely counterproductive hunt – sure, we would find the girl, but would we be ready to fight together when we did? No, we'd be clawing each other apart to get to her. And then I heard the snarling and screaming and screeching explode from ahead and I knew the fight was happening and I was too late to beat Diego there. I only ran faster. Maybe I could stil save him. I smel ed the smoke – the sweet, thick scent of vampires burning – carried back to me on the wind. The sound of mayhem was louder. Maybe it was almost done. Would I find our coven victorious and Diego waiting? I dashed through a heavy fringe of smoke and found myself out of the forest in a huge grassy field. I leaped over a rock, only to realize in the instant I flew past it that it was a headless torso. My eyes raked the field. There were pieces of vampires everywhere, and a huge bonfire smoking purple into the sunny sky. Out from under the bil owing haze, I could see dazzling, glittering bodies darting and grappling as the sounds of vampires being torn apart went on and on. I looked for one thing: Diego's curly black hair. No one I could see had hair so dark. There was one huge vampire with brown hair that was almost black, but he was too big, and as I focused I watched him tear Kevin's head off and pitch it into the fire before leaping on someone else's back. Was that Jen? There was another with straight black hair that was too smal to be Diego. That one was moving so fast I couldn't tel if it was a boy or a girl. I scanned quickly again, feeling horribly exposed. I took in the faces. There weren't nearly enough vampires here, even counting those that were down. I didn't see any of Kristie's group. There must have been a lot of vampires burned already. Most of the vampires stil standing were strangers. A blond vampire glanced at me, meeting my gaze, and his eyes flashed gold in the sunlight. We were losing. Bad. I started backing toward the trees, not moving fast enough because I was stil looking for Diego. He wasn't here. There was no sign he had ever been here. No trace of his scent, though I could distinguish the smel s of most of Raoul's team and many strangers. I had made myself look at the pieces, too. None of them belonged to Diego. I would have recognized even a finger. I turned and real y ran for the trees, suddenly positive that Diego's presence here was just another of Riley's lies. And if Diego wasn't here, then he was already dead. This fel into place for me so easily that I thought I must have known the truth for a while. Since the moment that Diego had not fol owed Riley through the basement door. He'd already been gone. I was a few feet into the trees when a force like a wrecking bal hit me from behind and threw me to the ground. An arm slipped under my chin. â€Å"Please!† I sobbed. And I meant please kill me fast. The arm hesitated. I didn't fight back, though my instincts were urging me to bite and claw and rip the enemy apart. The saner part of me knew that wasn't going to work. Riley had lied about these weak, older vampires, too, and we'd never had a chance. But even if I'd had a way to beat this one, I wouldn't have been able to move. Diego was gone, and that glaring fact kil ed the fight in me. Suddenly I was airborne. I crashed into a tree and crumpled to the ground. I should have tried to run, but Diego was dead. I couldn't get around that. The blond vampire from the clearing was staring intently at me, his body ready to spring. He looked very capable, much more experienced than Riley. But he wasn't lunging at me. He wasn't crazed like Raoul or Kristie. He was total y in control. â€Å"Please,† I said again, wanting him to get this over with. â€Å"I don't want to fight.† Though he stil held himself ready, his face changed. He looked at me in a way I didn't total y get. There was a lot of knowledge in that face, and something else. Empathy? Pity, at least. â€Å"Neither do I, child,† he said in a calm, kind voice. â€Å"We are only defending ourselves.† There was such honesty in his odd yel ow eyes that it made me wonder how I had ever believed any of Riley's stories. I felt†¦ guilty. Maybe this coven had never planned to attack us in Seattle. How could I trust any part of what I'd been told? â€Å"We didn't know,† I explained, somehow ashamed. â€Å"Riley lied. I'm sorry.† He listened for a moment, and I realized that the battlefield was quiet. It was over. If I'd been in any doubt over who the winner was, that doubt was gone when, a second later, a female vampire with wavy brown hair and yel ow eyes hurried to his side. â€Å"Carlisle?† she asked in a confused voice, staring at me. â€Å"She doesn't want to fight,† he told her. The woman touched his arm. He was stil tensed to spring. â€Å"She's so frightened, Carlisle. Couldn't we†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The blond, Carlisle, glanced back at her, and then he straightened up a little, though I could see he was stil wary. â€Å"We have no wish to harm you,† the woman said to me. She had a soft, soothing voice. â€Å"We didn't want to fight any of you.† â€Å"I'm sorry,† I whispered again. I couldn't make sense of the mess in my head. Diego was dead, and that was the main thing, the devastating thing. Other than that, the fight was over, my coven had lost and my enemies had won. But my dead coven was ful of people who would have loved to watch me burn, and my enemies were speaking to me kindly when they had no reason to. Moreover, I felt safer with these two strangers than I'd ever felt with Raoul and Kristie. I was relieved that Raoul and Kristie were dead. It was so confusing. â€Å"Child,† Carlisle said, â€Å"wil you surrender to us? If you do not try to harm us, we promise we wil not harm you.† And I believed him. â€Å"Yes,† I whispered. â€Å"Yes, I surrender. I don't want to hurt anybody.† He held out his hand encouragingly. â€Å"Come, child. Let our family regroup for a moment, then we'l have some questions for you. If you answer honestly, you have nothing to fear.† I got up slowly, making no movements that could be considered threatening. â€Å"Carlisle?† a male voice cal ed. And then another yel ow-eyed vampire joined us. Any sort of safety I'd felt with these strangers vanished as soon as I saw him. He was blond, like the first, but tal er and leaner. His skin was absolutely covered in scars, spaced most thickly together on his neck and jaw. A few smal marks on his arm were fresh, but the rest were not from the brawl today. He had been in more fights than I could have imagined, and he'd never lost. His tawny eyes blazed and his stance exuded the barely contained violence of an angry lion. As soon as he saw me he coiled to spring. â€Å"Jasper!† Carlisle warned. Jasper pul ed up short and stared at Carlisle with wide eyes. â€Å"What's going on?† â€Å"She doesn't want to fight. She's surrendered.† The scarred vampire's brow clouded, and suddenly I felt an unexpected surge of frustration, though I had no idea what I was frustrated with. â€Å"Carlisle, I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He hesitated, then continued, â€Å"I'm sorry, but that's not possible. We can't have any of these newborns associated with us when the Volturi come. Do you realize the danger that would put us in?† I didn't understand exactly what he was saying, but I got enough. He wanted to kil me. â€Å"Jasper, she's only a child,† the woman protested. â€Å"We can't just murder her in cold blood!† It was strange to hear her speak like we both were people, like murder was a bad thing. An avoidable thing. â€Å"It's our family on the line here, Esme. We can't afford to have them think we broke this rule.† The woman, Esme, walked between me and the one who wanted to kil me. Incomprehensibly, she turned her back to me. â€Å"No. I won't stand for it.† Carlisle shot me an anxious glance. I could see that he cared a lot for this woman. I would have looked the same way at anyone behind Diego's back. I tried to appear as docile as I felt. â€Å"Jasper, I think we have to take the chance,† he said slowly. â€Å"We are not the Volturi. We fol ow their rules, but we do not take lives lightly. We wil explain.† â€Å"They might think we created our own newborns in defense.† â€Å"But we didn't. And even had we, there was no indiscretion here, only in Seattle. There is no law against creating vampires if you control them.† â€Å"This is too dangerous.† Carlisle touched Jasper's shoulder tentatively. â€Å"Jasper. We cannot kil this child.† Jasper glowered at the man with the kind eyes, and I was suddenly angry. Surely he wouldn't hurt this gentle vampire or the woman he loved. Then Jasper sighed, and I knew it was okay. My anger evaporated. â€Å"I don't like this,† he said, but he was calmer. â€Å"At least let me take charge of her. You two don't know how to deal with someone who's been running wild so long.† â€Å"Of course, Jasper,† the woman said. â€Å"But be kind.† Jasper rol ed his eyes. â€Å"We need to be with the others. Alice said we don't have long.† Carlisle nodded. He held his hand out to Esme, and they headed past Jasper back toward the open field. â€Å"You there,† Jasper said to me, his face a glower again.