Audit and Assurance

BA (HONS) ACCOUNTING & FINANCE BA (HONS) PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTING PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTANCY COURSE YEAR 3 AUDIT & ASSURANCE 1 INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT BRIEF HAND OUT DATE:5th October 2011 HAND IN DATE: INSTRUCTIONS FOR COURSEWORK You are required to research and prepare a report based on one of the following topics. Please seek the assistance of the module leader Ivor Pingue and your seminar tutors for help and guidance with your coursework. Do not leave the research too late!! The word limit for the report is a minimum of 3,500 (+10%) words. maximum word count can be + 10% (Note: reports submitted with less than 3,500 words will be rejected and given a mark of zero !! ). Reports must indicate the word count and any report that does not include this will be rejected. All reports must be properly referenced and also be submitted with a TURNITIN report. NOTE that high similarity reports could be subject to further investigation which might lead to a charge of academic misconduct for plagiarism. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN In addition to the written report, you are to prepare a separate individual personal development statement in accordance with the attached brief. This individual submission is to be handed in for the attention of Peter Blowes. The personal development statement will contribute up to 10% of your overall mark for the unit. TOPIC 1 Given the recent banking crisis and the current volatility of the financial markets, some commentators have suggested that the current audit model is not fit for purpose and should be changed to reflect the current business practices and models particularly relating to risk and risk assessment. REQUIRED Critically evaluate this statement and consider whether in your view, the current risk based approach to auditing should be amended and if so, what model should be adopted. (NOTE: YOU DO NOT HAVE TO RESTRICT YOUR RESEARCH TO THE UK). TOPIC 2 External auditing has changed to accommodate the changes in corporate governance in the UK and other countries such as South Africa, Australia, US, India and China REQUIRED Using a country or countries of your choice, research and prepare a report to critically evaluate the above statement. TOPIC 3 With the current emphasis on carbon emissions and damage to the environment that businesses cause and an awareness of social issues, the role of auditors in providing social and environmental assurance engagements is likely to increase as we enter into the 21st Century. REQUIRED Research and explain the growth and development of social and environmental auditing in both the UK and a country of your choice. Explain whether you agree or disagree with the statement made. (NOTE: make sure that your research supports and is evidenced by any assertions that you make !! TOPIC 4 Auditors are not only engaged in performing statutory audits but can provide assurance reports to a number of entities both incorporated and unincorporated. Also, auditors can help reduce the incidence of fraud within a business. REQUIRED Write a report suggesting ways that an assurance engagement can be useful to various forms of businesses including the use of forensic auditing services. Also, do you agree that an assurance service can reduce the incidence of fraud? How and why do you arrive at your view? TOPIC 5 There have been a number of reports by the Audit Inspection Unit examining, amongst other things, audit quality and audit compliance reviews (ACR’s) REQUIRED Research the reports that have been produced in the UK that have considered audit quality and critically appraise them. In your report, you should make clear why you consider audit quality to be an important aspect of both the external and internal audit process. Your report should also consider how an audit firm can perform an effective audit compliance review (ACR). TOPIC 6 Given the behaviour of the audit firm Arthur Andersen in the Enron debacle, it could be argued that auditors are never truly independent of their clients and cannot be properly ethical in relation to their dealings with them for a variety of reasons, one of which being fees. REQUIRED Critically appraise the above statement by examining the relationship of the auditor to Enron. You should also consider how governments and the auditing professions in the US and UK have dealt with the issue of auditors independence and ethics. Have they gone far enough in providing public confidence in this area? What suggestions would you make to improve the position? TOPIC 7 The question of competition within the audit market is a ‘hot topic’ particularly for the middle tier and lower tier audit firms who have argued for some time that there is an unfair dominance of big ‘4’ audit firms in relation to FTSE 100 companies. REQUIRED Consider whether in your view the mid and lower tier audit firms have a fair argument in terms of the dominance of the big ‘4’ audit firms in relation to the FTSE companies. What can be done to address this issue to ensure fair competition in the audit market ? Can governments do more in this regard? (NOTE: Consider the current debate relating to this as well as the relevant reports). TOPIC 8 Examine articles within the following auditing journals: Auditing: A Journal Of Practice & Theory International Journal of Auditing Take a period of 36 months and selecting a theme that has been examined within these journals, write a report showing how it has been considered in these journals. Within your answer, state whether in your opinion, the matter has been satisfactorily resolved or whether further research and examination is required. MODULE LEADER

I had only come to America to make a small fortune – Creative Writing

Today was not a good day for me. Not many days are. It started out a warm day. The sun was shining and people where getting on with their lives, drive-bys, robbing banks and the normal nine to five jobs that where available. I don't live in a particularly nice place, Harlem, but at the moment I could only afford to live there. I walked out of my small one bedroom, cramped flat onto the busy street and was on the way to the bus stop to get to work when two people came out of nowhere and attacked me. They stole my wallet and ran away. After about five minutes I limped up off the floor and continued my journey to work. After that it was a slow and painful walk but I eventually reached the bus stop. The bus arrived and I got on. I had to push my way to the back and had to stand up at the back of the bus because there wasn't a free seat available. I glanced down at my watch and realised that I was already five minutes late for work. I had to try so hard to find a job and I didn't want to loose this one and go back to living on the streets. Most people didn't want to hire a black person to even clean the dishes at a restaurant. There was always the option of cleaning the streets but I had only come to America to make a small fortune then I would have gone back home. But now I realise that life doesn't always turn out as you expected to. I worked in a small cafi. I didn't make much there but I could live off it. I got off the bus in a rush and ran down the street as fast as my legs could carry me, ignoring the pain I was still in. The cafi I worked in was two blocks away from the bus stop so I was still quite far away from it. I finally reached it. It was a small white building, which, was really in need of a clean and a paint job. I ran in the back door and started to get changed. My boss was standing at the door and he looked quite angry. I slowly walked up to him and apologised for being late. All I could think about was what he was going to say to me. He had been the only person to give me a chance to work. I tried to apologise to him but he just told me to get my stuff and go home. I decided to walk back home. All I could think about was how back home in the morning you would wake up to the sound of the waves hitting the rocks and the smell of the salt from the sea. I thought about how friendly the people where there and missed the simplicity of life. I thought about the sun setting on the beach and listening to the sea slop around calmly over the gold and silver sand. How at night you can smell the fresh sea air intertwined with the smells of the foods that people had prepared earlier for themselves , carried with the smell of the pure reefer that you got there, not the chemical stuff that you get in Harlem , that's sold on the street corners by the dealers. Then I thought about my home there. I wasn't much but to me it was more than I have in Harlem. It was a little wooden hut. I continued to comfort myself as I solemnly walked back to my apartment. As I walked across a road a man stuck out his leg and tripped me over. I saw the man walk off and cars swerved around me trying not to run me over. I quickly got up and started to run home. I tried to avoid anyone I could see so that my journey back would be quicker. I knew that I was quite close to my apartment so I hurried even more. I finally arrived and as I walked up the stairs people where staring at me. I got inside and felt so depressed. It was the type of feeling when your goalkeeper gets sent off in the 18th minute of the champion's league final. Now all I want to do is go back to Jamaica and see my family but I cant afford it so all I have left is my memories of the past.

Most important figure in American History Essay

Most important figure in American History - Essay Example "And it may be truly said, that never did nature and fortune combine more perfectly to make a man great" - Jefferson (Hawkinson, 2005: 243). Washington served in the American Revolutionary War as a commander in the Continental Army. He had been appointed in 1775 as Commander-in-Chief of the American revolutionary forces by the Continental Congress. The next year it was due to him that the British were driven out of Boston. He also failed New York City that same year plus went across the Delaware River in New Jersey. He astonished and defeated the enemy units. It was because of his tactics that the Revolutionary forces were able to capture the two major British combat armies at Saratoga and Yorktown. When the war was over Washington went back to his private life which prompted the surprised King George III to say, "If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world" (Higginbotham, 2001: 221). Washington presided over the Philadelphia Convention which was responsible for drafting the Constitution of America due to there being mutual discontent with the Articles of Confederation. This happened in 1787 and two years later he became the president of the country (Freidel, 1994). Following his presidency he set up several customs and a using of the novel government's executive department. Washington attempted at creating a country that would have the capability of surviving in a world that was going down due to the ongoing war between Britain and France. He was in favor of plans for building a powerful central government which could be done if funded through the national debt, if there was an implementation of an efficient tax mechanism, and also through the creation of a national bank. Instead of going for war, Washington peacefully negotiated with Britain through the Jay Treaty in 1795. Washington was in favor of the programs organized by the Federalist Party but never actua lly joined the group. Washington is a great figure in American history and is perceived to be the country's identification plus said to be republicanism with regard to his practices. The early American politicians admired Washington greatly. He was given the first award of Congressional Gold Medal with the Thanks of Congress. Washington expired in the year 1799. Several scholars have named him as one of the greatest Presidents of United States. Biography Washington was born in the February of 1732 (Leibiger, 2001). His father passed away when he was 11 and his half brother assumed the part of his father. Washington experienced a lot of protectiveness and demand from his mother who did not allow him to join the British navy as Lawrence, his brother, wanted. When Washington was 16 he went on to live with Lawrence on Mount Vernon. He had his schooling at Colonial Virginia but did not go to college. In 1749 Washington became the surveyor for Culpepper County, Virginia. This happened following a trek for Lord Fairfax. From 1752 till 1758 he was in the military after which the Virginia House of Burgesses elected him. His speeches were in opposition to Britain's policies. Then he even became a leader in the Association. From 1775-1783 Washington led the Continental Army during the American Revolution after which, in 1787, he was made the president of the Constitutional Convention. Although

The relation of color psychology in Fashion Design Research Paper

The relation of color psychology in Fashion Design - Research Paper Example The essay "The relation of color psychology in Fashion Design" concerns the connection between color psychology and fashion design. That said, black and white might mean something different in different cultures, as black may symbolize mourning in certain cultures, and white may symbolize death in certain cultures. The following is an analysis of the colours white and black, with regard to fashion – why they were popularized, what they mean to society, and what they meant to two of the fashion icons who popularized black and white – Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe, respectively. Miller (2004) describes his theory of the little black dress and why it is popular and what it means. According to Miller (2004), there are different suspects as to why the little black dress become popularized. Among these is capitalism, history, modernism, and consumption. Capitalism might be responsible for the little black dress simply because the trend began, through Coco Chanel, as indic ated below, and there were designers who were willing to capitalize on this trend. It is simply a case of giving the consumer what they want. The second suspect, according to Miller (2004) is history. According to this theory, outfitting oneself in colorful dress was a function of the rich in history. As men, and women, decided to look less wealthy, and less egalitarian, they chose black, because it made them non-descript. This goes along with the theory put forth by Rubinstein (2001), who states that the rich in Western society. maintained a kind of visual superiority to the middle class, as a way of asserting their superiority in a land where they had to compete for wealth, prestige, power and social rewards. Another historical analysis of the trend concerns Queen Victoria, who was in â€Å"endless mourning,† wearing black, and the black dress worn by Queen Victoria in her mourning came to symbolize mourning in general (Miller, 2004). Modernism is the third suspect on Mille r’s (2004) list. In particular, the aesthetics of modernism is focused upon minimalism. That said, there is also some thought that, in contrast to the theory that black and white dressing represents modernism, there is the thought that the colour black is traditional, and, therefore, designers such as Giorgio Armani have attempted to offer alternatives to black. The theory behind these offerings are that the modern woman is supposed to have security with herself and her roles, so she can leave the black behind and play around with colour (Benstock & Ferriss, 1994). Finally, Miller (2004) identifies consumption as being the reason for the black dress. In this, Miller (2004) states that women have a certain anxiety about choosing colourful dress. Even though they might want to dress in colour, they cannot bring themselves to do so, because of lack of confidence and anxiety. The â€Å"little black dress† was popularized by Coco Chanel in 1926. Chanel, in general, was a fa shion icon, as well as being a fashion designer, as she introduced minimalist fashions at a time when women were still wearing large hats, corsets and high boots. According to De La Haye (1988), Chanel popularized the minimalist look because she recognized that, after the first World War, that women were yearning for a different look, one that did not demand that she continue to immobilise herself in unnatural shapes, just so that she could become fashionable. This period also coincided with the demise of the couture houses (Crane, 2000). Chanel started by designing simple, yet elegant hats

Eugene O'neill's Long day's journey into night analysis Essay

Eugene O'neill's Long day's journey into night analysis - Essay Example The play mostly consists of painful admissions and bitter exchanges amongst the family until problems after problems pile together and the family gets engulfed in complete despair. It is said that O’Neill based the characters off himself, his older sibling and both their parents. James Tyrone Sr. was born in Ireland but his family migrated to the United States of America when he was just eight years old. Two years later, his father abandoned the family and went back to Ireland where he died with rat poison in his system. It was thought to be suicide but James remained adamant that it was not. Being fatherless forced him to get employed so he could support himself, which led to him having a strong work ethic. Also, having to work for money led him to having a great appreciation to it, almost going overboard and turning miserly. He does not seem to have any worries in his life but his greatest fear is losing all his money and ending up in a poorhouse. The play proves this by showing him to be dressed in shabby clothes as he seems to wear the clothes till they are worn out and cannot be used any further. He was a famous actor during his youth when he toured the United States of America with Mary. But playing the same character repeatedly let him to being unable to develop further as an actor and he was not able to go higher in the acting industry much to his everlasting regret. However, despite being sixty five years old, he has managed to retain his good looks and even looks younger than his age. Despite no longer being an actor, his mannerisms are those similar to one but that does not make him pretentions or even temperamental. This is because of â€Å"his humble beginnings and Irish farmer forbears† (ONeill 2). He is a healthy man in spite of smoking cigars and being a perpetual alcoholic. Mary is fifty four years old but, despite the age, still remains pretty. She loves her husband James

The West Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The West - Term Paper Example Western culture also includes social norm’s heritage, political system. People involved in Western culture are very religious and believe in ethical and traditional values. It is also includes a mature political system. People in Western culture mostly use new technologies in their work. Western culture is also rich in art, music, tradition, folkloric, spiritual thinking, moral tradition, literary, philosophy, social values and many more. Their spiritual thinking is powered by Biblical-Christian and the cultures like art, music are introduced by Romanticisms. Many cultural values are developed in Post- Classical Era. Graeco Romans along with Renaissance influence the valuable culture like philosophy, literacy and tradition. It is also rich with heritages of Germanic, Slavic, and many ethical groups and Celtic. Because of its richness in literary, arts, music, philosophy and many other things Western culture is different from other area’s civilization. Most of the traditional knowledge is gained from Western Canon and it is one of the major parts of Western culture. Due to the effect of cold war our earth splits in three worlds. The world on the first position is referred to as West, the second part is given to Warsaw Pact and Soviet Union and the last part is the integration of different countries like Yugoslavia, India, China and many more. The Western part includes members of NATO and many other countries that are associated with united state. Many countries like Switzerland, Ireland, Austria and Sweden are not feeling comfortable because of the happening done during cold war. Finland remains under the control of military sphere of Soviet Union and many other remaining countries remain neutral because these countries were not communalist and they were not the member of Commence. Apart from this these neutral countries were the member of EFTA and follow the culture of Western civilization. Spain joined NATO after 1982 i.e. after the end of cold war

Societal Views On The Role Of Women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Societal Views On The Role Of Women - Essay Example One would suggest that the actions of these women throughout the two works might have come to hurt their societies because had all the women in these societies acted as they did, then it is likely that the entire social order might have collapsed. Nevertheless, this did not happen and in the case of Sula, she was looked upon as a reference by other members of the society and her example ensured that all the people live moral lives so that they could not end up like her. Despite this, after her death, it is noted that the society of The Bottom quickly disintegrated into one of chaos. Hedda is a woman who believes in the beauty and freedom and does not believe in abiding by the constraints placed on individuals by their societies. It is for this reason that she chooses to convince Lovborg to commit suicide as a means of ensuring that he does not remain a rival to her husband. However, after Lovborg does indeed commit suicide, and her actions are discovered by Judge Brack, she confesses her view of life and her weaknesses to him. However, knowing that Brack might potentially be capable of blackmailing her as long as she is alive, she chooses to commit suicide. She shows her strictly independent spirit and her need to ensure that she retains her freedom no matter the cost. Therefore, both Hedda and Sula are extremely strong and independent women who do not bow to societal conventions and instead live their lives as they want. Their actions are those of women who yearn for the freedoms that the men in their societies enjoy.

The Genetics Of Food Crops Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Genetics Of Food Crops - Essay Example Firstly there is unintentional harm to other organisms (Such as how other animals will react to modified pollens that other organisms eat). Secondly, there is the reduced effectiveness of pesticides insofar as plants that have been modified to be pest resistant may boost the immune system of insects so that they are less affected by traditional pesticides. Thirdly there is the unintended gene transfer to other species which means cross-pollination with non-genetically modified plants. As a fourth point, there is the risk of increased allergic response to genetically modified crops. One additional point is the unknown long-term effects on human health and finally, there are economic concerns associated with massive new cheap crops that may crowd out traditional food crop growers. With all these points in consideration, one must understand that all these criticisms mean nothing to somebody that is starving to death. People who are impoverished rely heavily on inexpensive food crops. If improvements can be made to increase food output, nutritional output or reduce costs associated with growing food than it may be beneficial to the people who would best capitalize on this product. As a final point if Norman Borlaug had never made the genetic improvements to our cereal crops than according to the American Council on Science and Health (2007) that it is estimated that over a billion people would have starved to death. For his contribution, Borlaug was awarded both the Nobel Peace Prize and the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Directions in Language Essay Example for Free

Directions in Language Essay On this essay we are going to expressly talk on promoting Academic Success for ESL Students and also understanding second language acquisition for school, I will take my time to explain Linguistic processes and discusses the linguistic processes of first and second language acquisition. First language acquisition is a complex, lifelong process. And I will also explain in detail the influential factors of social and cultural processes on all aspects of linguistic, cognitive, and academic development. Students that are in English speaking Countries, who English language is very new to need to acquire profiency in the language, and this same student need to learn some things in addition such as, to learn a range of academic content, some of which they are very new to. Now let us look through these major model factors. The model defines factors that enable predictions to be made regarding English learners’ degree of second language acquisition in an academic context. Taking a critical look from the authors angle describe in detail the dimensions and components of the model and gives more clearly several currently popular types of education programs for English language learners in the United States. Such as their degree of adherence to the model. Finally, we compare the predictions of the model, using predicted rankings of relative program success, to the actual measured effectiveness of each program in producing varying degrees of English learners’ achievement gap closure with mother tongue-English speakers. Promoting Academic Success for ESL Students We are going to look critically at, why is necessary to promote academic success for ESL students and Understanding second language acquisition for school. In the recent research by (Thomas Collier, 1995) shows that when examining interactions among student background you can deduce the difference in treatment and variables and their influence on student outcomes. The two-way bilingual education at the elementary school level which was found has giving a promising program model for the long-term academic success for language minority students. Language acquisition over the years has recently become a thing of necessity for every ESL students, acquiring language as a major tool for effective learning and successful years of study. In a scenario ESL student in country such as USA. It becomes a must for such a student to learn second language, if not it will be a little bit difficulty for such a student to learn fast and even relate with other friends around. ESL students must be encouraged to relate with English speakers and language minority students learning academically through each others languages. (Virginia, George Mason University, 1995). Perceptions among staff, students, and parents that it is a gifted and talented program, leading to high expectations for student performance with this kind of influence given to both languages a level of language stability would be achieved to a large extent creating self-confidence among language minority students. The duty of parents to promote both language minority and language majority for closer home-school cooperation can not be over emphasized to help in promoting the influence academic success for ESL Student, their must be cordial relationship between ESL students and Teachers/lectures or between ESL students and other colleagues and more so between wards/guardian and ESL students and the school authorities. We must watchfully guide against racism around us and protect the interest of ESL Students. The continuous support for staff development, emphasizing whole language approaches, natural language acquisition through all content areas, cooperative learning, interactive and discovery learning, and cognitive complexity of the curriculum for all proficiency levels. . (Virginia, George mason university, 1995). The linguistic processes of first and second language acquisition: The lifelong process: For us to really understand the progresses in language acquisition during the school years, it is expedient to recognize the complex, lifelong processes we actually go through to acquire our first language and second language acquisition in parallel processes. The complex oral language development system from birth to age five is universal, without any physical disabilities or isolation from humans. But the most talented five-year-old child entering pre-nursery is not yet half-way through the process of first language development. Research heard it that Children from ages 6 to 12 will continue to acquire steady or continuous distinctions, formal discourse patterns, vocabulary, syntax, semantics, and complex aspects of pragmatics in the oral system of their first language (Berko Gleason, 1993). More so, children that are properly brought up in this level adding reading and writing to the language of listening and speaking across the globe are usually very intelligent, skilled and increase in grades level and a clear increase in language academics subject. Adolescent that eventually gained admission into high school must have learned and acquired lots of vocabulary in every discipline of study and will continue to acquire more writing skills, this process continues like that till you get to adult age. Adult age is very sensitive age as language acquisition is concerned, as an adult you may not be able to learn too more language than your first language you had acquired. So first language acquisition is an unending process throughout our lifetime (Berko Gleason, 1993; Collier, 1992a). Let us take a look Second language acquisition is also a complex phenomenon. We use some of the same processes we have used to acquire our first language, going through progressive stages and relying on native speakers to provide modified speech that we can at least partially comprehend. The influential factors of social and cultural processes There are four major component of model namely, sociocultural, linguistic, academic, and cognitive processes. These four components are interrelated together and for you to really understand their importance in developing second language acquisition processes that occurs in the school context. There is a figure below to show the interrelationship between the four components. Figure 1 Language Acquisition for School (Virginia P. Collier, 1994. ) Sociocultural processes At the center of the figure above, you will notice that other components are surrounding social and cultural processes through the process of acquiring a second language in school. It is Central to that students acquisition of language are all of the surrounding social and cultural processes occurring through everyday life within the students past, present, and future, in all contexts-home, school, community, and the broader society. The work of Sociocultural may include individual student variables such as self-esteem or anxiety or other affective factors processes in promoting second language acquisition. These factors can strongly influence the students response to the new language, affecting the process positively only when the student is in a socioculturally supportive environment. Linguistic processes: A second component of the model, consist of the technical aspects of language development â€Å"(an innate ability all humans possess for acquisition of oral language)†, as well as the acquisition of the written system of language metalinguistic, conscious and formal teaching of language in school. First and second languages across globe include the acquisition of the oral and written systems of the students, such as phonology, vocabulary, morphology and syntax, semantics, Pragmatics, paralinguistic, and discourse. (Virginia 1994. ) Academic development. A third component of the model, academic development, includes all school work in language arts, mathematics, the sciences, and social studies for each grade level, Grades K-12 and beyond. It this succeeding grade, academic work dramatically expands the vocabulary, sociolinguistic, and discourse dimensions of language to higher cognitive levels. Academic knowledge and conceptual development transfer from the first language to the second language; thus it is most efficient to develop academic work through students first language, while teaching the second language during other periods of the school day through meaningful academic content. In earlier decades in the United States, we emphasized teaching the second language as the first step, and postponed the teaching of academics. Research has shown us that postponing or interrupting academic development is likely to promote academic failure. In information driven society that demands more knowledge processing with each succeeding year, students cannot afford the lost time. (Virginia 1994. ) Cognitive development: The fourth component of this model, the cognitive dimension, has been mostly neglected by second language educators in the U. S. until the past decade. In language teaching, we simplified, structured, and sequenced language curricula during the 1970s, and when we added academic content into our language lessons in the 1980s, we watered down academics into cognitively simple. (Virginia 1994. ) Tasks we also too often neglected the crucial role of cognitive development in the first language. Now we know from our growing research base that we must address all of these components equally if we are to succeed in developing deep academic proficiency in a second language. Interdependence of the four components All of these four components-sociocultural, academic, cognitive, and linguistic-are interdependent. If one is developed to the neglect of another, this may be detrimental to a students overall growth and future success. The academic, cognitive, and linguistic components must be viewed as developmental, and for the child, adolescent, and young adult still going through the process of formal schooling, development of any one of these three components depends critically on simultaneous development of the other two, through both first and second languages. Sociocultural processes strongly influence, in both positive and negative ways, students access to cognitive, academic, and language development. It is widely advice and crucial that educators provide a socioculturally supportive school environment that enable natural language, academic, and cognitive development to flourish. (Virginia 1994) Conclusion These few points raised above I belief has shown the importance of Language Acquisition for ESL students, crucially I have been able to raise some reasonable points concerning, understanding the relevance of Language Acquisition for ESL student. Promoting academic success for ESL students Understanding second language acquisition for school Then I have been able discuss the linguistic processes of first and second language acquisition which also link to First language acquisition is a complex, lifelong process. More so, I have been able to explain the very importantly the influential factors of social and cultural processes on all aspects of linguistic, cognitive, and academic development and interrelationship between these component and why they must be put in place, if we really want to promote Language Acquisition for ESL students. Without bordering our minds for ever am sure that these points contributed have immensely added to effect of promoting Language Acquisition for ESL students, understanding the importance of first language and second language acquisition and also the processes involved in learning these first and second language. The component involved in enhancing the Language Acquisition had been enumerated above. Reference Berko Gleason, (1993); Collier, (1992) Collier P Virginia, (1995). Directions in Language Education National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education. George Mason University. Vol. 1, No. 4, Collier. P. Virginia, (1997). Promoting academic success for ESL students Understanding second language acquisition for school (3rd ed. ). Woodside, NY: Bastos. Thomas Collier, (1995).

Informative Essay on Save the Last Dance and Step Up Essay Example for Free

Informative Essay on Save the Last Dance and Step Up Essay Informative Essay on Step Up and Save the Last Dance The two movies, Step Up and Save the Last Dance, have many things in contrast and in comparison to the other. In Step up, a girl named Sarah Johnson, a promising dancer in high school hoping to be admitted to study at Julliard School. She fails the audition and soon thereafter learns that her mother has been involved in a fatal car accident trying to get to her audition. After her mother’s death, Sara is wracked by built and gives up on ballet. She moves in with her father whom she doesn’t know well, transferring to an urban Chicago school. At her new school she finds that she is one of a handful of white people but quickly friendship flames up between her and a single mom named Chenille. Chenille invites Sara to a dance club called Stepps where she experiences dancing to hip-hop for the first time. While at Stepps, Sara meets Derek, Chenille’s brother and a student with dreams of attending Georgetown Medical School. Upon meeting and seeing each other at school, Derek decides to help Sara develop her dancing skills by incorporating more hip-hip into her ballet style. As they become closer, Derek takes her to a ballet and afterwards Sara confides in him about her mother and her dreams she tossed away. After, Derek convinces her that she needs to do what she wants and follow her dreams of Julliard. Sara auditions for Julliard for the second time, Derek arriving at a crucial point to offer encouragement and support. Sara was finally accepted into Julliard, and to celebrate Sara’s successful audition, they go dancing at the club Stepps. In Save the Last Dance, Tyler Gage was sentenced to 200 hours of community service for breaking into and vandalizing Maryland School of Arts. His community service is to be served at the school and notices as he peers into a dance class a girl named Nora Clark, whom was preparing for her â€Å"senior showcase,† an audition which could determine whether or not she is offered a job with any one of the professional dance companies. When friends of Tyler visit him on the school’s lot, Nora curiously watches from a window as Tyler incorporated a mix of break-dancing and ballet moves he recently observed while watching her. Nora finds herself unexpectedly without a partner for her routine when her partner sprains his ankle during a dance practice. She  held some auditions but decides that no one at her school meet her expectations. Tyler offered to be her partner, but Nora initially refuses. But Tyler proves that he can handle her requests by effortlessly catching and lifting her in a leap, quickly reconsidering his offer to help. Nora convinces the director of the school to allow him to rehearse with her and as they continue with rehearse; they teach each other their styles of dance and become closer to one another. When Nora takes Tyler to a special spot of hers, she reveals to him of how she envisioned her routine and becomes inspired to help her dream come true. He started with recruiting younger dancers for her routine while trying to balance his new goals, his new friends and rekindling the friendships with his old friends. Tyler decides he wants to attend Maryland and speaks with the director about this when Nora suggests that the showcase could be used as his entrance audition. The director agrees to this and advises that this could prove that he deserves a chance. Nora and Tyler move forward with their relationship and rehearsals continue as normal until Noraâ⠂¬â„¢s former dance partner returns seemingly healed from his injury. Tyler, feeling no longer needed, leaves the group and thus returns to the janitorial community services he was sentenced to. Nora continued to incorporate many of Tyler’s suggestions for the routine but finds the new choreography is much too difficult for her previous dance partner. Her partner resigns himself from the routine whilst Nora is once again left without a partner. Nora considers abandoning her dance career, but transforms her choreography into a solo piece when she received support and encouragement from her mother who used to be opposed of her future in dance. Tyler realizes after becoming reacquainted with his old friends that he needs to make better choices in his life when his friend was fatally shot after stealing a car. Tyler showed up at Nora’s showcase last minute and tries to persuade Nora to let him perform with her and to forgive him for his actions. She declined but changes her mind as Tyler wishes her good luck and walks away. After their performance, a director from a professional dance company spoke to Nora about signing her on with them and the director from the school told Tyler he is now a â€Å"transfer student† at Maryland. To be clear with the comparisons and contrasts, Sara was a student who knew only ballet and was taught hip-hop by her boyfriend, Derek. Tyler was a  hip-hop break-dancer who was taught ballet by his girlfriend, Nora. Sara threw away her dreams of going to Julliard due to her mother passing while trying to go to her first audition. Tyler threw away his dream of going to Maryland when Nora decided to use her former dance partner for her showcase. As both sets of main characters incorporate their dance styles together, both sets grew closer to their partner and ended up being in a relationship. Derek convinces Sara to reconsider her dream of Julliard, continue with what makes her happy and re-audition for Julliard. Nora convinced Tyler to use her showcase as his entrance audition, convincing the director of the school as well. Both movies also have surprise visits to emotionally support their partners during a stressful and hard event. Tyler showed up at Nora’s showcase last minute as well as Derek at Sara’s audition. Tyler got into Maryland, Nora became a professional dancer, Derek got into Medical School and Sara got into Julliard. They all accomplished their dream. But in contrast, they both started out dancing a different style before learning to mix it up with another. Tyler first only knew break-dancing and learned ballet. Sara only knew ballet and learned hip-hop. They both started with two different styles. Tyler, the main character in Step Up, was trying to get into Maryland High School as Sara was trying to get into Julliard, a college that’s also difficult to get into. Tyler doesn’t have trouble fitting in at the school while he’s supposed to be there for community service, he fits right in when his dance talents are brought to light. Sara didn’t fit in at her new school and didn’t end up fitting in even in the end of the movie, she just had her few friend s and was happy with that even though she was still considered the oddball of the school for being one of the few white people there. There may be a few more comparisons than contrasts, but I love the movies so much I had trouble pointing out every contrast and unknowingly sought out the comparisons over the contrasts. If there’s a person that has never watched these two movies I would highly recommend them!

Social mobility

Social mobility What is social mobility? Drawing on different perspectives, assess the impact of the education system on opportunities and life chances on the basis of social class. What implications does this have for the work of helping agencies? Social mobility simply describes how people move along the social ladder. For this to happen there must necessarily be some form of social class in place. Social class occurs everywhere, even in the poorest communities. Take a typical village in Ghana for example, you will find that probably the village palm wine tapper or renowned farmer may be at the top of the social ladder; by village standards, they are the rich guys; these in addition could also serve as money lenders or movers and shakers. In the middle of the social ladder in the said village you might find the middle class who constitutes probably the majority of villagers with average incomes making just about enough from their farming or other vocations to make ends meet. Of course, at the bottom of this ladder will be the lower classes that have no jobs or qualifications and are at the mercy of the rich palm wine tapper. Social mobility describes how the classes move from their level of class upwards or downwards. This movement could involve the acquisition of new skills or education in the bid to get better jobs and hence get more income. Sometimes movement is caused by for example winning the lottery, an inheritance from parents or relatives or any procedure either deliberate or accidental which moves a person from one class to another. Social mobility or intergenerational mobilityas economists prefer to call it measures the degree to which peoples social status changes between generations. It is seen by many as a measure of the equality of life opportunities, reflecting the extent to which parents influence the success of their children in later life or, on the flipside, the extent to which individuals can make it by virtue of their own talents, motivation and luck. (Blanden J et al 2005) The Sociology guide has described Social mobility as a vital part of social stratification and an inseparable part of social stratification system because the nature, form, range and degree of social mobility depending on the very nature of the stratification system. Stratification system means the process of placing individuals in different layers or strata. In a social mobility paper Stephen Aldridge describes social mobility as a movement or opportunities for movement between different social groups and the advantages that go with this in terms of income, security of employment, opportunities for advancement etc. (Aldridge, 2001) There are types of social mobility. Intra-generation is when there has been a change in a persons social position. A typical example will be clerical assistant who works his/her way up in an organisation. However, if a persons social position changes over a generation it is called inter-generation mobility. An example is Margaret Thatcher and many others. She became prime minister as a grocers daughter. There appears to be significant intergenerational mobility in the United States, although perhaps less than is sometimes believed. Origins significantly affect destinations. Specifically, adult sons and daughters are more likely to look like their parents in terms of occupation or income than one would predict on the basis of chance. Still, there is considerable mobility. Indeed, even when occupations or income categories are broadly defined, a majority of adult offspring occupy a different occupational or income category than their parents.(Daniel P et al 1997) Horizontal mobility is another type of social mobility where a person changes their job-related position but does not change social class. An example is where a clerical assistant moves from Wellingborough to London and becomes an administrative officer. Vertical mobility on the hand takes the stage where people change their job-related position and change their social class as well. An example of vertical mobility will be for example a street cleaner becoming a solicitor or an army officer becoming a cleaner. They have fundamentally changed their socio-economic position. There are types of vertical social mobility. If someone moves down the social ladder it becomes downward mobility. When they move up on the social ladder it becomes upward mobility. For example if an Army officer is promoted in rank it becomes an upward mobility. The magazine Business Week in 2007 wrote an article about how mobile phones in Africa are creating high standards of living and boosting upward mobility. Only a few years ago, places like Muruguru didnt even register in the plans of handset makers and service providers. What would a Kenyan farmer want with a mobile phone? Plenty, as it turns out. To the astonishment of the industry, people living on a few dollars a day have proven avid phone users, and in many parts of the world cellular airtime has become a de facto currency. The reason is simple: A mobile phone can dramatically improve living standards by saving wasted trips, providing information about crop prices, summoning medical help, and even serving as a conduit to banking services. (Business Week, 2007) Another recent example of downward mobility is in this article in the telegraph. Though she is married to a builder, the 27-year-old housewife has rickety wooden planks for walls and covers her roof with plastic sheeting to keep out the rain in Harares Hatcliffe suburb far from the neighbourhood where she used to live. Right now I dont have a housing lot, but we are paying money to local co-operatives (to save for a down payment) so we may get lots to build houses, Chama said. And she is far from alone. According to official estimates, around two million Zimbabweans in this country of 12.2 million need accommodation. (Reagan Mashavave, 2009)- Another type of social mobility is structural mobility which involves vertical mobility but its movement is brought about by a major disorder. It can also be brought on by changes in society that brings improvement to a large number of people. Typical examples will be industrialisation, expansion of education and computerisation. These changes have all brought improvement to people in the UK and around the world. People have through it acquired higher social status and found higher paid jobs than their parents. There is also individual mobility which involves people being hindered from taking opportunities because of where they were live, their colour, gender, religion, their educational background, job, wellbeing and many others. The impact of the education system on opportunities and life chances on the basis of social class is enormous and hasnt changed much since education began. It is still difficult for working class children to access grammar and good comprehensive schools as the middle class and upper class have populated areas where these schools are placed. Childrens social class is still the most significant factor in determining their exam success in state schools, the Governments head of teacher training acknowledges today. In an interview with The Independent, Graham Holley, the chief executive of the Training and Development Agency, said: The performance of a school and a child in it is highly linked to social class. If you turn the clock back on pupils in school today 15 years and predict their outcomes from where they were born, you can do it. (Garner, 2008) Working class families are tied to the low paid jobs and often live in areas where schools are failing. Jobs are hard to find in these areas and its inhabitants are usually heavily dependant on benefits. Their lives are occupied with how to manage everyday living and not on reading to their children and giving them music and language lessons. The poorest children still have little chance of becoming lawyers, doctors, senior civil servants and financiers, a report published by the Liberal Democrats today shows. The Social Mobility Commission, set up by the party, said billions of pounds spent on improving social mobility over the past decade has helped middle-class rather than working-class children. Last year only 35% of pupils eligible for free school meals obtained five or more A* to C GCSE grades, compared with 63% of pupils from wealthier backgrounds.(Shepherd J, 2009) Disadvantaged children have little chance of watching educational programmes on television nor do they have the chance of reading the broad sheets. They are simply not patronised in their households. Libraries are rarely used and mobile libraries are not highly participated in working class areas. Areas in London for instance have seen various housing developments but they are not in the reach of the low paid. Overcrowding has many implications for the already struggling families as there is often no where to do homework. After school clubs charge for their services leaving low paid families out in the cold. Therefore chances of disadvantaged children reaching high levels of achievement in school are slightly dim. Young people in manual social classes remain under-represented in higher education in Great Britain. Despite increasing from a participation rate of 11 per cent in 1991/92 to 19 per cent in 2001/02, participation remains well below that of the non-manual social classes. Participation rates for the non-manual social classes increased from 35 per cent to 50 per cent over the same period. (http://www.statistics.gov.uk) The consequences of the manual or low class remaining under-represented in higher education is unthinkable as children from these background will experience either downwardly mobile or not move on the social ladder at all as a result of them not entering higher education. Todays job market is very competitive and even those with good qualifications are finding it difficult to hold onto their jobs. It means that most all white collar jobs will be held by the middle class and upper class families. All the independent evidence shows overall standards to be rising. But the bad news is that when it comes to the link between educational achievement and social class, Britain is at the bottom of the league for industrialised countries. Today, three-quarters of young people born into the top social class get five or more good GCSEs, but the figure for those born at the bottom is less than one-third. We have one of the highest university entry rates in the developed world, but also one of the highest drop-out rates at 16.(Independent, 8 September 2003) Anthony Giddens writes in Sociology and Social Mobility that education is not necessarily a means to an end. Education would have to work with other factors to foster social mobility. Education shouldnt be seen as a panacea for all societys problems. It has a significant role to play, but we cant hold schools and Universities solely responsible for promoting social mobility. Its important not to think of the education system as if it works in a vacuum factors like changes in employment and the economy, and the social determinants of childrens educational attainment, are critical in determining patterns of mobility.(Giddens, 2007) However, education definitely has opportunities for people to progress along the social ladder by providing relevant new skills, information, courses and therefore creating opportunities in life for them. A few years back a hair dresser did not need know too much about what she/he did as a hair dresser but in today environment he/she would have to know all the science there is to cutting, dressing and managing the business. Technology and other factors have raised the standard of work so high that without continuous professional development opportunities are not stretch far. In this new labour market, the value of college degrees overall is greater than ever before. Between 1984 and 2000, employment in jobs requiring a college degree grew by 20 million in the US, accounting for two-thirds of total job growth. Over the same period, wages for college graduates increased. In contrast, high school graduates in America who did not continue with education saw their wages fall below middle class levels for the first time. As a consequence, the opportunities for Americans with terminal high school diplomas are less than a generation ago.(Social Mobility Foundation, 2008) Although a small percentage of poor families are accessing higher education there is evidence that the UK government for instance is working frantically to improve the chances of the less privileged through innovations like Every Child Matters. This innovation is to give every child the chance of accessing education and other services in the community to give them better outcomes in life. Hence the establishment of Surestart Centres which is a one stop service for early education, childcare, health and family support. This Government has invested heavily in policies designed to give all children the chance to succeed. There have already been significant improvements in educational achievement, and reductions in teenage pregnancy, re-offending and children living in low income households. Todays children and young people experience wider opportunities and benefit from rising prosperity, better health and education than those in previous generations. The implications on the work of helping agencies are many. Helping agencies like Childrens Centres pick up the brunt of any inequalities that lay in society. We bid or vie for large sums of money to run various courses and projects that underpin social mobility. In the bid of helping families read we have set up borrow a chattersack in our childrens centre. This is to encourage parents who might otherwise not access libraries or buy books for their children. The books and toys are expensive but we charge a very minimal fee for them. Often people bring to us various problems like divorce, debt and housing issues which we do our best to refer to other agencies for further assistance. We hold classes with Citizen Advice Bureau to advise people on budgets and other financial incapability. Many of our clients are lone parents or young families struggling on low incomes. They are often in debt and or have little financial knowledge. They often live on large council estates where aspirations are not that great. The recent recession has hit these areas hard and some people are experiencing downwardly mobility. This comes with various demands like counselling, retraining and financial loss. Equality of opportunity is a sine qua non for any modern society and, in Britain, is a principle supported by all mainstream political opinion. Despite this, household income remains the biggest single predictor of a childs future success, and a recent report by the Sutton Trust found that, all too frequently, young people from financially disadvantaged backgrounds end up in a cul de sac of opportunity. (Social Mobility Foundation, 2008) Below is an example of some the types of work some helping agencies do. They use government funds to bridge the gap between rich and poor by organising trips to parks, educational establishment to boost confidence and increase knowledge. Nearly 175,000 bright children on free school meals will be given a chance at the age of 11 to visit a university as part of a drive to lift the aspirations of working-class people and increase stalled social mobility in Britain. Young people in the top 20% of ability based on test results, and who are eligible for free school meals, are about half as likely to go to university as those who are not eligible for free meals. They will now be offered two chances to visit universities. (Wintour, 2007) We organise sporting activities that will encourage the less privileged to put their feet in door of expensive sporting activities. We work with other agencies to bring information and understanding to parents who in effect calve their childrens place on the social ladder. A new report by the British think-tank Demos has hit the headlines, with its claim that Parents are the principal architects of a fairer society. Based on research from the Millennium Cohort Study, the report argues that how children are parented has a more significant impact upon their future life chances than just about anything else, including poverty and the social class into which they are born. (Bristow J, 2009) Helping agencies are faced with many demands for services they can and cannot provide. At our centre for instance there is the demand for certain services like computer classes, some sort of back to work training, cooking classes but we havent got the facilities and the man power to run such courses. We are therefore forced to send clients to other childrens centres in that losing their business. If we do manage to run any of the courses that put pressure on our facilities then we have to limit the numbers which in turn causes us to run the courses several times to fit everyone in. There is also a steady demand for information on sensitive family matters like finance. Education seems to be one the important factors manipulating social mobility. In todays society, education is becoming increasingly important as it used to ascertain the jobs people will end up in. Education is also used to determine peoples social class position. The recent government for instance has introduced many initiatives. Free child care for two year olds was trialed for sometime and is going to be offered to children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Back to work incentive of  £500 and the investment into early years, FE schools and workplace training are all initiatives which research has suggested that has not boosted social mobility. In 1999 Tony Blair told the Labour Conference: If we are in politics for one thing, it is to make sure that all children are given the best chance in life. A decade on, the Government has had to admit that billions of pounds of investment in nurseries and schools and on training has failed to bridge the class divide, and that social mobility in Britain has stalled. (Bennett and Bahra 2007) As mentioned before there are many factors contributing to this fact. One such fact is the advantage that middle class families have over poorer families when it comes to education. References Web Sources Daniel P et al (1997) Intergenerational mobility in the United States [online] Available from: http://www.urban.org/publications/406796.html [Accessed 16/12/09] http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_39/b4051054.htm?campaign_id=rss_tech[ Accessed 27/12/09] http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters/about/background/background/ [Accessed 16/12/09] http://www.polity.co.uk/giddens5/news/sociology-and-social-mobility.asp#intro[Accessed [16/12/09] http://www.statistics.gov.uk/STATBASE/ssdataset.asp?vlnk=7308 [Accessed 27/12/09] Jennie Bristow (2009) There is more to human character than sharing toys [online] Available from: http://www.parentswithattitude.com/parentsforum/tag/social-mobility[19/12/09] Non Web Sources (2003), Class still counts in Britain. Independent, Monday Sept 8 Bennett and Bahra (2009), Social mobility: Labour tries to revive flagging crusade to help poor children. The Times, Wednesday Jan 14 Blanden J et al (2005), Social Mobility in Britain Low and falling, Centrepiece 2005 Mashavave R. (2009) Downwardly mobile in Zimbabwe. Telegraph, Tuesday Dec 15 Richard G (2008), Social class determines childs success. Independent, Thursday Sept 18 Shepherd J (2009), Social class still determines success. Guardian, Monday Social Mobility Foundation (2008) A national project for social mobility Stephen A (2001), Social Mobility , A discussion Paper , Performance and Innovation Unit The Sutton Trust (2008) : Social Mobility and Education. London Wintour P (2009), Social mobility drive focuses on schools. The Guardian, Wednesday Jan 14

Intellectual Property Essay -- Intellectual Property Essays

Intellectual property are the legal rights (control and ownership) of creations, such as ideas; inventions; designs, etc. for the use in commerce (Bainbridge, 2012). Intellectual law in countries seeks to deter individuals or organizations from copying or capitalizing upon another’s work. The main areas protected by protect intellectual property law include: patent, copyright, trademark, and trade secret. Intellectual Property can be categorized under the following: Monopoly Right to prevent copying De Facto Monopoly Contractual Patents Unregistered Trade Marks Trade Secrets Confidential Information Registered Trade Marks Unregistered Designs Know-How Registered Design Copyright This essay focuses on Patents, Registered Designs, Unregistered Design Right and trademarks. A patent is needed to increase innovation and competition. It is an issued document which is applied for and is granted by a governing body that states that an invention which is patented is legally bound to its owner for exploitation i.e. manufacturing, use, sales and imports. A patent is generally issues for 20 years and their costs generally depend on the stage of the application process. In the UK, the total cost of a patent could be estimated at  £5000 over 5 years. International patents (PCT) on the other hand could total  £7000 over 2.5 years. This is because within the UK, the examination of patentability stage is generally cheaper ( £1500) compared to the International equivalent ( £300) but most importantly the closing process in the International patent application could be in a range of  £0 –  £30,000, whilst the UK patent end stage is approximately  £100 (HGF, 2014). Patents could give the product or idea not only a competitive a... ...ion of Time Warner Price paid: $147 billion, of which $128 billion was for IP (87%) Examples of the value of patents include: †¢ Nortel, a former Canadian telecommunications company, had a patent portfolio of over 6000 patents. Notable companies like Google bidding; later sold to other notable companies including Apple, Microsoft, RIM, EMC, Ericsson and Sony for $4.5Bn. REFERENCES Bainbridge, D. (2012). Intellectual Property. Pearson; 9 edition. Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, Intellectual Property Office, (No date). Designs: How to Protect your Design. London: HMSO Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, Intellectual Property Office, (No date). Trade Marks: Quick Facts. London: HMSO Harrison Goddard Foote LLP, (2014). Intellectual property workshop World Intellectual Property Organization, Intellectual Property Handbook, (2008).

Gay Parenting Should Not Be Encouraged Essay -- Sociology Same Sex Mar

Gay Parenting Should Not Be Encouraged Statistics from the United States (ACLU Fact sheet, 1999) estimate the there are between 6 and 14 million children being raised in same sex parent families. Whilst some significant advances have been made by the pro gay parenting movement, current legislation is for the most part geared against same sex marriage and adoption, this status quo should be maintained. Gay parents rights group argue that being raised by two parents of the same sex provides a balanced and healthy approach to parenting. This is untrue, being raised by gay parents means that the family unit has an unbalanced ratio of male and female role models in the home environment, you could reasonably expect that this imbalance would spread into the parents circle of friends and the people that the family socialise with on a regular basis. Children look for both a mother and a father and benefit from having both in the home. Ellis (2001) stated, "Gender plays a large role...we may not think these differences are politically correct but, by God, they're developmentally correct. One argument that gay parents have is that children don't need two sex couple role models. Having two parents of the same sex deprives the children of the chance to see how males and females interact in a family situation. Even though gay parents argue the children are exposed to their fair share of traditional male and female relationships, these may be somewhat censored as the visiting child is not part of that family and most families tend to keep certain things within the family. Parents are very strong role models and children are known to mimic what they see. "Men and women parent differently, each contribute different and positive ... ...y.proquest.com">http://gateway.proquest.com Schiffen, L. (2004, 29 Feb). How the judges forced the President's hand. New York Times. Retrieved Jul 30, 2004 from http://gateway.proquest.com Throckmorton, W. (2004). Do gay parents influence the Sexual Preferences of Children?. Retrieved Jul 30, 2004 from http://www.narth.com/docs/influence.html Unknown. (1999, Apr 6). Overview of gay and lesbian parenting, adoption and foster care. Retrieved Jul 30, 2004 from http://archive.aclu.org/issues/gay/parent.html Unknown. (2004). Facts and figures about kids with gay parents. Retrieved Jul 30, 2004 from http://www.colage.org/research/facts.html

Capulet Character In Romeo and Juliet Essay

Capulet has had a dramatic change in character over the course of the book. At first, he would not dare see his young daughter get married yet. But he changed and decided that if she did not marry, she would be disowned. It is very confusing how this happens, because it is such a dramatic change in such a short period of time. At first, Capulet thinks that Juliet isn’t ready for marriage. For he believes that she is too young, innocent and immature. But saying o’er what I have said before. My child is yet a stranger in the world. She hath not seen the change of fourteen years. Let two more summers wither in their pride Ere we may think her ripe to be a bride. In this passage from Act I, Scene 2, Capulet tells Paris that his daughter is only thirteen years old, and not yet ready to be a bride. He tells him to wait two more summers until she’s fully ready to be wed. This shows the caring, fatherly side of Capulet. It shows through, because he is protecting his only child from escaping her childhood too early, and growing up too fast. He truly loves Juliet. Later in the story, in Act III, Scene 5, his point of view on this topic completely changes. He then concludes that if Juliet does not wed, she will be punished. â€Å"I’ll not wed,† â€Å"I cannot love,† â€Å"I am too young,† â€Å"I pray you, pardon me.†Ã¢â‚¬â€ But, an you will not wed, I’ll pardon you. Graze where you will, you shall not house with me. Look to ’t, think on ’t, I do not use to jest. Thursday is near. Lay hand on heart, advise. An you be mine, I’ll give you to my friend. An you be not, hang, beg, starve, die in the streets, Capulet mocked Juliet saying things that he agreed with in the past, and then threatened to throw her out on the streets if she did not marry. He went from a caring, protective father, to a father who didn’t care if his own daughter were to die. His mood change was drastic, and out of the blue. I don’t know exactly why his mood changed so suddenly, but I do know it happened, and it went downhill, not uphill. Capulet’s mood change was a big turning point in the book, because it triggered Friar’s new plan, which led to the death of the star-crossed lovers. He went from being loving, and sensitive, to brutal and irrational. He was not consistent and crossed his own words. Lord Capulet had a dramatic character change throughout the story regarding Juliet’s marriage, and it was not a good one.

Marketing Communication and Branding Essay

Introduction After careful market research of some of the different phone markets in today’s industry; the market that was the most interest to the writer was the disability phone market. Of all the mobile phones researched, none were found to have Braille included; only speaking activated commands – designed to send text messages as well as calling. The idea the writer proposes is a phone for the visually impaired which has a sole purpose for calling people. The keys will be fitted with Braille so that the individuals are able to effectively feel what number they are pressing. SOSTAC – Situation Analysis Upon research it was found the size of the disability phone market is small in comparison to others, such as android where there are thousands of brands available. â€Å"Around 360,000 people are registered blind or partially sighted in the UK† (Action for Blind People, 2011), showing that, with the assumption that everyone needs a mobile phone in today’s society, the key segments that this brand will relate to are the 360,000 potential customers within the visual impairment mobile phone market. The key competing brands include Doro, an established competitor who supply a range of mobile phones for the disabled. They supply too many online retailers, ranging from handheld mobile phone to home landlines. Alternatively, Amplicom is another competitor who develops mobiles with large buttons, aimed at the visually impaired market. These competitors will be the toughest to compete with due to their experience and current market share; a large investment and money will be req uired to make sure that the proposed brand can gain a decent amount of market share. Porter’s five forces is an appropriate model which can be related to overcome such competition, due to its ability to â€Å"†¦evaluate entry barriers, suppliers, customers, substitute products and industry rivalry† (Freitag, 2005). Furthermore Porter’s five forces can determine what the current market is for the brand, as well as the outlining any existing competitor’s positions in relation to the developing product. Moreover, it can also show how a firm’s stakeholders can influence the company with the use of bargaining power (Chee and Harris, 1998). This  information would be vital to obtain prior to the launch of the brand to reduce the chance of product failure. The macro-environmental factors will be implemented to the brand through PEST analysis; Political, Economical, Situational and Technological. Political factors which relate appropriately to the disability mobile phone market include the strict laws on the disposal of production ma terials such as batteries and any forms of radioactive waste, as well as any compulsory health and safety procedures during the production and contribution of the developing products. Breaking these rules could result in heavy penalties including fines and even the termination of the company in severe cases. Suitable economic factors include the assessment of the current poor financial climate. This leads to the assumption that it is currently not attractive to place investments as money is generally tight for most, reducing the overall customer base for the developing product. Example solutions for this could include enticing consumers with bargain phone prices or even reduced fixed monthly contract payments which will include a suitable amount of minutes for the target segment. Furthermore by offering all deals at lower end prices will suitably fit the market, as there can be a general assumption that those who are visually impaired may also fit well within the retirement market, a segment that generally has less money spare. Regarding social factors the main issue considered is ethics; relating to how products are developed and distributed, in addition to advertising techniques used to help promote the brand. Equal opportunities and fair working conditions should be issued to all employees involved in the development and promotion of the brand so that the product can represent diversity; relating appropriately to the disabled mobile phone market. Advertisements should be honest and not have any misleading content to confuse any consumers; and all information promoted will be fully implemented into the design of the mobile phone. Technological factors are by large the most relevant and important to consider within mobile phone industries. Due to the constant development of technology within the actual mobile phones, it is an competitive industry to be involved in. Nevertheless within the disability phone market the ‘look’ of the phone is a lesser important factor during purchasing; it is what the phone provides to the consumer to aid their special needs when contacting someone. Simple, up-to-date software is required so that all relevant  features are implemented, in addition to having an appropriately sized screen with higher contrast settings so that the visually impaired are able to read clearer. Large number buttons are essential so the Braille fits comfortably and the user is able to identify what number they want to press with ease. Objectives Here are three objectives that are going to be set for the new developing brand: * Increase awareness of the service in disabled people by 50% within 6 months * In three years time production costs should be reduced by 10% * In the next two years revenue should be approximately  £7 million These objectives act as sufficient targets and in turn will motivate staff and drive productively due to the time scaled that these objectives must be achieved. The chosen objectives all appropriately relate to the current disability phone market and the specific areas that could be improved, such as increasing the awareness of service for people with special needs. This could therefore encourage other companies to develop other suitable day-to-day products to suit their needs also, which could furthermore promote the idea of developing a whole new organisation specially aimed at designing products to aid people with special needs. Strategy The push/pull strategy involves creating demand from two aspects; push strategy involves the demand being created by the manufacturer’s distributers, and pull relates to the manufacturer creating demand via their own promotion techniques (Frazier and Summers, 2011). The brand will follow a pull strategy because it is envisioned that demand will be created through advertising and an effective, unique selling point. This is good because through a push strategy, it is sometimes required to distribute a higher volume of goods, which is better related to a mobile phone industry with a larger audience, unlike the niche, disabled market. Another benefit of this is that because the developing brand is unheard of an unproven; preventing stock piling of products if they are not sold, saving money. Although, a pull strategy will require a large investment for advertising, it is estimated that the cost of production and potential stock piling outweighs this in fiscal terms. Relating to the objectives, the pull strategy will aid  the accomplishment of said targets with the use of an advertising campaign, creating the demand that will create supply to the blind market. To engage the consumers, advertising campaigns will hosted at specific events which relate to the disability market, such as the Cambridge Disability Sport and Arts festival. By doing this it will allow the promotion of the developing product to be recognised and positively received by the disabled. This will allow potential consumers to try out the mobile phone and leave feedback regarding their thoughts and opinions. The Paralympics 2012 is taking place in London, an excellent occasion which can be related to individuals with special needs. It is a global event which promotes diversity of all sorts within the sponsoring organisations and sport activities; which can be related to the promotion of the brand’s developing product and encourage consumers to try it out to see if it can suit their needs. Combined, by implementing such advertising campaigns during the Paralympics and obtaining a respected and relatable celebrity sponsor can help achieve the completion of the increasing awareness objective. Additionally, after appropriate research, selling the phone at a competitive price will create demand; and furthermore help achieve the  £7 million revenue objective. To achieve the reduced in production costs objective, mass production will need to take place, which will effectively lower production costs, or even investing in a new technology to produce more units at a cheaper rate, over a period of time, may even reduce costs by 10%. Tactics Expanding further within the advertising campaigns aimed to help achieve the awareness and revenue objectives, this will include visual posters on noticeable areas of everyday life such as telephone boxes, buses, taxis and even billboards. To carry out ethical diversity promotions, the advertisements will also be located within care centres for the visually impaired, as well as any social and youth clubs to increase awareness. Radio adverts will also take place as it is fair to assume that a wide diversity range of people listen to the radio, allowing the promotion of the  developing product to all audiences. Any user feedback from testing the developing product will be noted down and kept for future improvement, allowing management to raise questions on how to improve the brand and image it represents to consumers. By doing so will potentially improve the awareness of the disability market as well as increasing the possibility of generating revenue due to the improvement of the product to suit the special needs. Ade Adepitan, a wheelchair basketball sportsman and TV presenter can be a suitable celebrity endorsement to help promote the product as he is someone the key segment can truly relate to will help achieve awareness and furthermore create a positive brand reputation which will create demand; and therefore revenue and profits. Issuing the mobile phone with a competitive price of  £60 is suitably competitive and will create demand; helping to achieve the  £7 million revenue objective if 116,666 units are sold within the 2 year time scale. Promoting this product in the UK only can help assess if the product is largely successful to its key segment, and after the 2 year objective is attained, further action can take place to help make the product go global. Lower production costs will occur if an appropriate manufacturer is found; who follows all ethical procedures the brand wants to promote, in addition to supplying the company with great production unit price rates so that the most possible revenue and profits can be generated. Furthermore, a ‘green policy’, known as a policy to help lead greener lives, can promote the brand to be extremely sufficient with its production, enticing customers and portraying the brand image to be ethical and fair. Nevertheless green policies are very expensive, which would mean that either a generous sponsor would have to be applied for, or even a loan would have to take place to implement such activities. Action Firstly, finance will have the overall responsibility of distributing budgets to all departments so that the entire production and launch of the new brand is successful. Once all budgets have been issued the marketing department will be able to effectively form a plan on when the launch will take place and what is proposed to take place during the entire duration. Within the marketing department a market research team will be organised so an investigation of production methods and price rates of manufacturers is performed, as well as making sure all ethical procedures the brand would like to follow are implemented. Relevant findings will be informed to the finance department to see if there are enough budgets to apply any new changes. All tasks taking place for the launch will be managed by a team leader – essential for the success of team member communication and task success. This will then be approved by a main, overall manager of the entire launch, so all task deadlines are met and workloads are of a high standard to boost the quality of the promotion. A time management tool named a Gantt chart will be implemented so all tasks are clearly shown, along with their time deadlines to help guide leaders and encourage team members to strive to complete a task to benefit the brand’s launch. This will be combined with a critical path analysis, where all shortest possible times in which tasks can be completed are shown to avoid delaying the entire launch. Example Critical Path Analysis, Source: http://tutor2u.net Example Gantt chart, Source: www.ganttchart.com/ Control Two things will effectively measure the growth of awareness and gather an accurate estimate. Firstly the sales records will be analysed. A growth in sales indicates the rise of awareness and any initial sales from year one indicate consumer’s knowledge of the product. A questionnaire will also be released to specific geographical locations and the results will give an indication as to how many people and how far spread the awareness of the branch has reached. An appropriate measure to identify whether or not the production costs have been reduced would be to look at energy bills to see if the change in production equipment or manufacturers has been an effective adjustment. To determine whether or not revenue will reach 7 million pounds can be monitored by customer loyalty and re-purchasing. A high customer re-purchase rate is a strong indicator that the brand is respected and trusted with their products and service. References Action for Blind People, (2011), Facts and figures about issues around sight loss, [online] available at: http://www.actionforblindpeople.org.uk/about-us/media-centre/facts-and-figures-about-issues-around-sight-loss/ [accessed 05/05/2012] Chee, H. and Harris, R., (1998), Global marketing strategy, London: Financial Times Pitman Publishing. Frazier, G. L. and Summer, J. O., (2011), Contemporary Views on Marketing Practice, [e-book] Marketing Classics Press. Available at: Google Books http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=eqn23RV52hEC&pg=PA217&dq=push+pull+strategy+definition&hl=en&sa=X&ei=IHeqT7y9DIqw0QWDgOXlAw&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=push%20pull%20strategy%20definition&f=false [accessed 24/04/2012] Freitag, N., (2005), Critical The Impact of Culture on International Marketing Plans and Review of the French Wine Industry, Munich: Grin Publishing, 1(1), p.15. GanttCharts, (2012), [image online] available at: [accessed 04/05/2012] Tutor2u, (2012), [image online] available at: [accessed 01/05/2012] Bibliography Doro, (2011), [online] available at: http://www.doro.co.uk/products/Specialneeds/ [accessed 25/04/2012] Matobmobile, (2010), [online] available at: http://matobmobile.co.uk/index.php?id=elderly_mobile_phones [accessed 25/04/2012] Scribd, (2012), Pest Analysis, [online] available at: http://www.scribd.com/doc/58834389/Pest-Analysis-Nokia [accessed 21/04/2012]

A Game of Thrones Chapter Thirty-one

Tyrion As he stood in the predawn chill watching Chiggen butcher his horse, Tyrion Lannister chalked up one more debt owed the Starks. Steam rose from inside the carcass when the squat sellsword opened the belly with his skinning knife. His hands moved deftly, with never a wasted cut; the work had to be done quickly, before the stink of blood brought shadowcats down from the heights. â€Å"None of us will go hungry tonight,† Bronn said. He was near a shadow himself; bone thin and bone hard, with black eyes and black hair and a stubble of beard. â€Å"Some of us may,† Tyrion told him. â€Å"I am not fond of eating horse. Particularly my horse.† â€Å"Meat is meat,† Bronn said with a shrug. â€Å"The Dothraki like horse more than beef or pork.† â€Å"Do you take me for a Dothraki?† Tyrion asked sourly. The Dothraki ate horse, in truth; they also left deformed children out for the feral dogs who ran behind their khalasars. Dothraki customs had scant appeal for him. Chiggen sliced a thin strip of bloody meat off the carcass and held it up for inspection. â€Å"Want a taste, dwarf?† â€Å"My brother Jaime gave me that mare for my twenty-third name day,† Tyrion said in a flat voice. â€Å"Thank him for us, then. If you ever see him again.† Chiggen grinned, showing yellow teeth, and swallowed the raw meat in two bites. â€Å"Tastes well bred.† â€Å"Better if you fry it up with onions,† Bronn put in. Wordlessly, Tyrion limped away. The cold had settled deep in his bones, and his legs were so sore he could scarcely walk. Perhaps his dead mare was the lucky one. He had hours more riding ahead of him, followed by a few mouthfuls of food and a short, cold sleep on hard ground, and then another night of the same, and another, and another, and the gods only knew how it would end. â€Å"Damn her,† he muttered as he struggled up the road to rejoin his captors, remembering, â€Å"damn her and all the Starks.† The memory was still bitter. One moment he'd been ordering supper, and an eye blink later he was facing a room of armed men, with Jyck reaching for a sword and the fat innkeep shrieking, â€Å"No swords, not here, please, m'lords.† Tyrion wrenched down Jyck's arm hurriedly, before he got them both hacked to pieces. â€Å"Where are your courtesies, Jyck? Our good hostess said no swords. Do as she asks.† He forced a smile that must have looked as queasy as it felt. â€Å"You're making a sad mistake, Lady Stark. I had no part in any attack on your son. On my honor—† â€Å"Lannister honor,† was all she said. She held up her hands for all the room to see. â€Å"His dagger left these scars. The blade he sent to open my son's throat.† Tyrion felt the anger all around him, thick and smoky, fed by the deep cuts in the Stark woman's hands. â€Å"Kill him,† hissed some drunken slattern from the back, and other voices took up the call, faster than he would have believed. Strangers all, friendly enough only a moment ago, and yet now they cried for his blood like hounds on a trail. Tyrion spoke up loudly, trying to keep the quaver from his voice. â€Å"If Lady Stark believes I have some crime to answer for, I will go with her and answer for it.† It was the only possible course. Trying to cut their way out of this was a sure invitation to an early grave. A good dozen swords had responded to the Stark woman's plea for help: the Harrenhal man, the three Brackens, a pair of unsavory sellswords who looked as though they'd kill him as soon as spit, and some fool field hands who doubtless had no idea what they were doing. Against that, what did Tyrion have? A dagger at his belt, and two men. Jyck swung a fair enough sword, but Morrec scarcely counted; he was part groom, part cook, part body servant, and no soldier. As for Yoren, whatever his feelings might have been, the black brothers were sworn to take no part in the quarrels of the realm. Yoren would do nothing. And indeed, the black brother stepped aside silently when the old knight by Catelyn Stark's side said, â€Å"Take their weapons,† and the sellsword Bronn stepped forward to pull the sword from Jyck's fingers and relieve them all of their daggers. â€Å"Good,† the old man said as the tension in the common room ebbed palpably, â€Å"excellent.† Tyrion recognized the gruff voice; Winterfell's master-at-arms, shorn of his whiskers. Scarlet-tinged spittle flew from the fat innkeep's mouth as she begged of Catelyn Stark, â€Å"Don't kill him here!† â€Å"Don't kill him anywhere,† Tyrion urged. â€Å"Take him somewheres else, no blood here, m'lady, I wants no high lordlin's quarrels.† â€Å"We are taking him back to Winterfell,† she said, and Tyrion thought, Well, perhaps . . . By then he'd had a moment to glance over the room and get a better idea of the situation. He was not altogether displeased by what he saw. Oh, the Stark woman had been clever, no doubt of it. Force them to make a public affirmation of the oaths sworn her father by the lords they served, and then call on them for succor, and her a woman, yes, that was sweet. Yet her success was not as complete as she might have liked. There were close to fifty in the common room by his rough count. Catelyn Stark's plea had roused a bare dozen; the others looked confused, or frightened, or sullen. Only two of the Freys had stirred, Tyrion noted, and they'd sat back down quick enough when their captain failed to move. He might have smiled if he'd dared. â€Å"Winterfell it is, then,† he said instead. That was a long ride, as he could well attest, having just ridden it the other way. So many things could happen along the way. â€Å"My father will wonder what has become of me,† he added, catching the eye of the swordsman who'd offered to yield up his room. â€Å"He'll pay a handsome reward to any man who brings him word of what happened here today.† Lord Tywin would do no such thing, of course, but Tyrion would make up for it if he won free. Ser Rodrik glanced at his lady, his look worried, as well it might be. â€Å"His men come with him,† the old knight announced. â€Å"And we'll thank the rest of you to stay quiet about what you've seen here.† It was all Tyrion could do not to laugh. Quiet? The old fool. Unless he took the whole inn, the word would begin to spread the instant they were gone. The freerider with the gold coin in his pocket would fly to Casterly Rock like an arrow. If not him, then someone else. Yoren would carry the story south. That fool singer might make a lay of it. The Freys would report back to their lord, and the gods only knew what he might do. Lord Walder Frey might be sworn to Riverrun, but he was a cautious man who had lived a long time by making certain he was always on the winning side. At the very least he would send his birds winging south to King's Landing, and he might well dare more than that. Catelyn Stark wasted no time. â€Å"We must ride at once. We'll want fresh mounts, and provisions for the road. You men, know that you have the eternal gratitude of House Stark. If any of you choose to help us guard our captives and get them safe to Winterfell, I promise you shall be well rewarded.† That was all it took; the fools came rushing forward. Tyrion studied their faces; they would indeed be well rewarded, he vowed to himself, but perhaps not quite as they imagined. Yet even as they were bundling him outside, saddling the horses in the rain, and tying his hands with a length of coarse rope, Tyrion Lannister was not truly afraid. They would never get him to Winterfell, he would have given odds on that. Riders would be after them within the day, birds would take wing, and surely one of the river lords would want to curry favor with his father enough to take a hand. Tyrion was congratulating himself on his subtlety when someone pulled a hood down over his eyes and lifted him up onto a saddle. They set out through the rain at a hard gallop, and before long Tyrion's thighs were cramped and aching and his butt throbbed with pain. Even when they were safely away from the inn, and Catelyn Stark slowed them to a trot, it was a miserable pounding journey over rough ground, made worse by his blindness. Every twist and turn put him in danger of falling off his horse. The hood muffled sound, so he could not make out what was being said around him, and the rain soaked through the cloth and made it cling to his face, until even breathing was a struggle. The rope chafed his wrists raw and seemed to grow tighter as the night wore on. I was about to settle down to a warm fire and a roast fowl, and that wretched singer had to open his mouth, he thought mournfully. The wretched singer had come along with them. â€Å"There is a great song to be made from this, and I'm the one to make it,† he told Catelyn Stark when he announced his intention of riding with them to see how the  "splendid adventure† turned out. Tyrion wondered whether the boy would think the adventure quite so splendid once the Lannister riders caught up with them. The rain had finally stopped and dawn light was seeping through the wet cloth over his eyes when Catelyn Stark gave the command to dismount. Rough hands pulled him down from his horse, untied his wrists, and yanked the hood off his head. When he saw the narrow stony road, the foothills rising high and wild all around them, and the jagged snowcapped peaks on the distant horizon, all the hope went out of him in a rush. â€Å"This is the high road,† he gasped, looking at Lady Stark with accusation. â€Å"The eastern road. You said we were riding for Winterfell!† Catelyn Stark favored him with the faintest of smiles. â€Å"Often and loudly,† she agreed. â€Å"No doubt your friends will ride that way when they come after us. I wish them good speed.† Even now, long days later, the memory filled him with a bitter rage. All his life Tyrion had prided himself on his cunning, the only gift the gods had seen fit to give him, and yet this seven-times-damned she-wolf Catelyn Stark had outwitted him at every turn. The knowledge was more galling than the bare fact of his abduction. They stopped only as long as it took to feed and water the horses, and then they were off again. This time Tyrion was spared the hood. After the second night they no longer bound his hands, and once they had gained the heights they scarcely bothered to guard him at all. It seemed they did not fear his escape. And why should they? Up here the land was harsh and wild, and the high road little more than a stony track. If he did run, how far could he hope to go, alone and without provisions? The shadowcats would make a morsel of him, and the clans that dwelt in the mountain fastnesses were brigands and murderers who bowed to no law but the sword. Yet still the Stark woman drove them forward relentlessly. He knew where they were bound. He had known it since the moment they pulled off his hood. These mountains were the domain of House Arryn, and the late Hand's widow was a Tully, Catelyn Stark's sister . . . and no friend to the Lannisters. Tyrion had known the Lady Lysa slightly during her years at King's Landing, and did not look forward to renewing the acquaintance. His captors were clustered around a stream a short ways down the high road. The horses had drunk their fill of the icy cold water, and were grazing on clumps of brown grass that grew from clefts in the rock. Jyck and Morrec huddled close, sullen and miserable. Mohor stood over them, leaning on his spear and wearing a rounded iron cap that made him look as if he had a bowl on his head. Nearby, Marillion the singer sat oiling his woodharp, complaining of what the damp was doing to his strings. â€Å"We must have some rest, my lady,† the hedge knight Ser Willis Wode was saying to Catelyn Stark as Tyrion approached. He was Lady Whent's man, stiff-necked and stolid, and the first to rise to aid Catelyn Stark back at the inn. â€Å"Ser Willis speaks truly, my lady,† Ser Rodrik said. â€Å"This is the third horse we have lost—† â€Å"We will lose more than horses if we're overtaken by the Lannisters,† she reminded them. Her face was windburnt and gaunt, but it had lost none of its determination. â€Å"Small chance of that here,† Tyrion put in. â€Å"The lady did not ask your views, dwarf,† snapped Kurleket, a great fat oaf with short-cropped hair and a pig's face. He was one of the Brackens, a man-at-arms in the service of Lord Jonos. Tyrion had made a special effort to learn all their names, so he might thank them later for their tender treatment of him. A Lannister always paid his debts. Kurleket would learn that someday, as would his friends Lharys and Mohor, and the good Ser Willis, and the sellswords Bronn and Chiggen. He planned an especially sharp lesson for Marillion, him of the woodharp and the sweet tenor voice, who was struggling so manfully to rhyme imp with gimp and limp so he could make a song of this outrage. â€Å"Let him speak,† Lady Stark commanded. Tyrion Lannister seated himself on a rock. â€Å"By now our pursuit is likely racing across the Neck, chasing your lie up the kingsroad . . . assuming there is a pursuit, which is by no means certain. Oh, no doubt the word has reached my father . . . but my father does not love me overmuch, and I am not at all sure that he will bother to bestir himself.† It was only half a lie; Lord Tywin Lannister cared not a fig for his deformed son, but he tolerated no slights on the honor of his House. â€Å"This is a cruel land, Lady Stark. You'll find no succor until you reach the Vale, and each mount you lose burdens the others all the more. Worse, you risk losing me. I am small, and not strong, and if I die, then what's the point?† That was no lie at all; Tyrion did not know how much longer he could endure this pace. â€Å"It might be said that your death is the point, Lannister,† Catelyn Stark replied. â€Å"I think not,† Tyrion said. â€Å"If you wanted me dead, you had only to say the word, and one of these staunch friends of yours would gladly have given me a red smile.† He looked at Kurleket, but the man was too dim to taste the mockery. â€Å"The Starks do not murder men in their beds.† â€Å"Nor do I,† he said. â€Å"I tell you again, I had no part in the attempt to kill your son.† â€Å"The assassin was armed with your dagger.† Tyrion felt the heat rise in him. â€Å"It was not my dagger,† he insisted. â€Å"How many times must I swear to that? Lady Stark, whatever you may believe of me, I am not a stupid man. Only a fool would arm a common footpad with his own blade.† Just for a moment, he thought he saw a flicker of doubt in her eyes, but what she said was, â€Å"Why would Petyr lie to me?† â€Å"Why does a bear shit in the woods?† he demanded. â€Å"Because it is his nature. Lying comes as easily as breathing to a man like Littlefinger. You ought to know that, you of all people.† She took a step toward him, her face tight. â€Å"And what does that mean, Lannister?† Tyrion cocked his head. â€Å"Why, every man at court has heard him tell how he took your maidenhead, my lady.† â€Å"That is a lie!† Catelyn Stark said. â€Å"Oh, wicked little imp,† Marillion said, shocked. Kurleket drew his dirk, a vicious piece of black iron. â€Å"At your word, m'lady, I'll toss his lying tongue at your feet.† His pig eyes were wet with excitement at the prospect. Catelyn Stark stared at Tyrion with a coldness on her face such as he had never seen. â€Å"Petyr Baelish loved me once. He was only a boy. His passion was a tragedy for all of us, but it was real, and pure, and nothing to be made mock of. He wanted my hand. That is the truth of the matter. You are truly an evil man, Lannister.† â€Å"And you are truly a fool, Lady Stark. Littlefinger has never loved anyone but Littlefinger, and I promise you that it is not your hand that he boasts of, it's those ripe breasts of yours, and that sweet mouth, and the heat between your legs.† Kurleket grabbed a handful of hair and yanked his head back in a hard jerk, baring his throat. Tyrion felt the cold kiss of steel beneath his chin. â€Å"Shall I bleed him, my lady?† â€Å"Kill me and the truth dies with me,† Tyrion gasped. â€Å"Let him talk,† Catelyn Stark commanded. Kurleket let go of Tyrion's hair, reluctantly. Tyrion took a deep breath. â€Å"How did Littlefinger tell you I came by this dagger of his? Answer me that.† â€Å"You won it from him in a wager, during the tourney on Prince Joffrey's name day.† â€Å"When my brother Jaime was unhorsed by the Knight of Flowers, that was his story, no?† â€Å"It was,† she admitted. A line creased her brow. â€Å"Riders!† The shriek came from the wind-carved ridge above them. Ser Rodrik had sent Lharys scrambling up the rock face to watch the road while they took their rest. For a long second, no one moved. Catelyn Stark was the first to react. â€Å"Ser Rodrik, Ser Willis, to horse,† she shouted. â€Å"Get the other mounts behind us. Mohor, guard the prisoners—† â€Å"Arm us!† Tyrion sprang to his feet and seized her by the arm. â€Å"You will need every sword.† She knew he was right, Tyrion could see it. The mountain clans cared nothing for the enmities of the great houses; they would slaughter Stark and Lannister with equal fervor, as they slaughtered each other. They might spare Catelyn herself; she was still young enough to bear sons. Still, she hesitated. â€Å"I hear them!† Ser Rodrik called out. Tyrion turned his head to listen, and there it was: hoofbeats, a dozen horses or more, coming nearer. Suddenly everyone was moving, reaching for weapons, running to their mounts. Pebbles rained down around them as Lharys came springing and sliding down the ridge. He landed breathless in front of Catelyn Stark, an ungainly-looking man with wild tufts of rust-colored hair sticking out from under a conical steel cap. â€Å"Twenty men, maybe twenty-five,† he said, breathless. â€Å"Milk Snakes or Moon Brothers, by my guess. They must have eyes out, m'lady . . . hidden watchers . . . they know we're here.† Ser Rodrik Cassel was already ahorse, a longsword in hand. Mohor crouched behind a boulder, both hands on his iron-tipped spear, a dagger between his teeth. â€Å"You, singer,† Ser Willis Wode called out. â€Å"Help me with this breastplate.† Marillion sat frozen, clutching his woodharp, his face as pale as milk, but Tyrion's man Morrec bounded quickly to his feet and moved to help the knight with his armor. Tyrion kept his grip on Catelyn Stark. â€Å"You have no choice,† he told her. â€Å"Three of us, and a fourth man wasted guarding us . . . four men can be the difference between life and death up here.† â€Å"Give me your word that you will put down your swords again after the fight is done.† â€Å"My word?† The hoofbeats were louder now. Tyrion grinned crookedly. â€Å"Oh, that you have, my lady . . . on my honor as a Lannister.† For a moment he thought she would spit at him, but instead she snapped, â€Å"Arm them,† and as quick as that she was pulling away. Ser Rodrik tossed Jyck his sword and scabbard, and wheeled to meet the foe. Morrec helped himself to a bow and quiver, and went to one knee beside the road. He was a better archer than swordsman. And Bronn rode up to offer Tyrion a double-bladed axe. â€Å"I have never fought with an axe.† The weapon felt awkward and unfamiliar in his hands. It had a short haft, a heavy head, a nasty spike on top. â€Å"Pretend you're splitting logs,† Bronn said, drawing his longsword from the scabbard across his back. He spat, and trotted off to form up beside Chiggen and Ser Rodrik. Ser Willis mounted up to join them, fumbling with his helmet, a metal pot with a thin slit for his eyes and a long black silk plume. â€Å"Logs don't bleed,† Tyrion said to no one in particular. He felt naked without armor. He looked around for a rock and ran over to where Marillion was hiding. â€Å"Move over.† â€Å"Go away!† the boy screamed back at him. â€Å"I'm a singer, I want no part of this fight!† â€Å"What, lost your taste for adventure?† Tyrion kicked at the youth until he slid over, and not a moment too soon. A heartbeat later, the riders were on them. There were no heralds, no banners, no horns nor drums, only the twang of bowstrings as Morrec and Lharys let fly, and suddenly the clansmen came thundering out of the dawn, lean dark men in boiled leather and mismatched armor, faces hidden behind barred halfhelms. In gloved hands were clutched all manner of weapons: longswords and lances and sharpened scythes, spiked clubs and daggers and heavy iron mauls. At their head rode a big man in a striped shadowskin cloak, armed with a two-handed greatsword. Ser Rodrik shouted â€Å"Winterfell!† and rode to meet him, with Bronn and Chiggen beside him, screaming some wordless battle cry. Ser Willis Wode followed, swinging a spiked morningstar around his head. â€Å"Harrenhal! Harrenhal!† he sang. Tyrion felt a sudden urge to leap up, brandish his axe, and boom out, â€Å"Casterly Rock!† but the insanity passed quickly and he crouched down lower. He heard the screams of frightened horses and the crash of metal on metal. Chiggen's sword raked across the naked face of a mailed rider, and Bronn plunged through the clansmen like a whirlwind, cutting down foes right and left. Ser Rodrik hammered at the big man in the shadowskin cloak, their horses dancing round each other as they traded blow for blow. Jyck vaulted onto a horse and galloped bareback into the fray. Tyrion saw an arrow sprout from the throat of the man in the shadowskin cloak. When he opened his mouth to scream, only blood came out. By the time he fell, Ser Rodrik was fighting someone else. Suddenly Marillion shrieked, covering his head with his woodharp as a horse leapt over their rock. Tyrion scrambled to his feet as the rider turned to come back at them, hefting a spiked maul. Tyrion swung his axe with both hands. The blade caught the charging horse in the throat with a meaty thunk, angling upward, and Tyrion almost lost his grip as the animal screamed and collapsed. He managed to wrench the axe free and lurch clumsily out of the way. Marillion was less fortunate. Horse and rider crashed to the ground in a tangle on top of the singer. Tyrion danced back in while the brigand's leg was still pinned beneath his fallen mount, and buried the axe in the man's neck, just above the shoulder blades. As he struggled to yank the blade loose, he heard Marillion moaning under the bodies. â€Å"Someone help me,† the singer gasped. â€Å"Gods have mercy, I'm bleeding.† â€Å"I believe that's horse blood,† Tyrion said. The singer's hand came crawling out from beneath the dead animal, scrabbling in the dirt like a spider with five legs. Tyrion put his heel on the grasping fingers and felt a satisfying crunch. â€Å"Close your eyes and pretend you're dead,† he advised the singer before he hefted the axe and turned away. After that, things ran together. The dawn was full of shouts and screams and heavy with the scent of blood, and the world had turned to chaos. Arrows hissed past his ear and clattered off the rocks. He saw Bronn unhorsed, fighting with a sword in each hand. Tyrion kept on the fringes of the fight, sliding from rock to rock and darting out of the shadows to hew at the legs of passing horses. He found a wounded clansman and left him dead, helping himself to the man's halfhelm. It fit too snugly, but Tyrion was glad of any protection at all. Jyck was cut down from behind while he sliced at a man in front of him, and later Tyrion stumbled over Kurleket's body. The pig face had been smashed in with a mace, but Tyrion recognized the dirk as he plucked it from the man's dead fingers. He was sliding it through his belt when he heard a woman's scream. Catelyn Stark was trapped against the stone face of the mountain with three men around her, one still mounted and the other two on foot. She had a dagger clutched awkwardly in her maimed hands, but her back was to the rock now and they had penned her on three sides. Let them have the bitch, Tyrion thought, and welcome to her, yet somehow he was moving. He caught the first man in the back of the knee before they even knew he was there, and the heavy axehead split flesh and bone like rotten wood. Logs that bleed, Tyrion thought inanely as the second man came for him. Tyrion ducked under his sword, lashed out with the axe, the man reeled backward . . . and Catelyn Stark stepped up behind him and opened his throat. The horseman remembered an urgent engagement elsewhere and galloped off suddenly. Tyrion looked around. The enemy were all vanquished or vanished. Somehow the fighting had ended when he wasn't looking. Dying horses and wounded men lay all around, screaming or moaning. To his vast astonishment, he was not one of them. He opened his fingers and let the axe thunk to the ground. His hands were sticky with blood. He could have sworn they had been fighting for half a day, but the sun seemed scarcely to have moved at all. â€Å"Your first battle?† Bronn asked later as he bent over Jyck's body, pulling off his boots. They were good boots, as befit one of Lord Tywin's men; heavy leather, oiled and supple, much finer than what Bronn was wearing. Tyrion nodded. â€Å"My father will be so proud,† he said. His legs were cramping so badly he could scarcely stand. Odd, he had never once noticed the pain during the battle. â€Å"You need a woman now,† Bronn said with a glint in his black eyes. He shoved the boots into his saddlebag. â€Å"Nothing like a woman after a man's been blooded, take my word.† Chiggen stopped looting the corpses of the brigands long enough to snort and lick his lips. Tyrion glanced over to where Lady Stark was dressing Ser Rodrik's wounds. â€Å"I'm willing if she is,† he said. The freeriders broke into laughter, and Tyrion grinned and thought, There's a start. Afterward he knelt by the stream and washed the blood off his face in water cold as ice. As he limped back to the others, he glanced again at the slain. The dead clansmen were thin, ragged men, their horses scrawny and undersized, with every rib showing. What weapons Bronn and Chiggen had left them were none too impressive. Mauls, clubs, a scythe . . . He remembered the big man in the shadowskin cloak who had dueled Ser Rodrik with a two-handed greatsword, but when he found his corpse sprawled on the stony ground, the man was not so big after all, the cloak was gone, and Tyrion saw that the blade was badly notched, its cheap steel spotted with rust. Small wonder the clansmen had left nine bodies on the ground. They had only three dead; two of Lord Bracken's men-at-arms, Kurleket and Mohor, and his own man Jyck, who had made such a bold show with his bareback charge. A fool to the end, Tyrion thought. â€Å"Lady Stark, I urge you to press on, with all haste,† Ser Willis Wode said, his eyes scanning the ridgetops warily through the slit in his helm. â€Å"We drove them off for the moment, but they will not have gone far.† â€Å"We must bury our dead, Ser Willis,† she said. â€Å"These were brave men. I will not leave them to the crows and shadowcats.† â€Å"This soil is too stony for digging,† Ser Willis said. â€Å"Then we shall gather stones for cairns.† â€Å"Gather all the stones you want,† Bronn told her, â€Å"but do it without me or Chiggen. I've better things to do than pile rocks on dead men . . . breathing, for one.† He looked over the rest of the survivors. â€Å"Any of you who hope to be alive come nightfall, ride with us.† â€Å"My lady, I fear he speaks the truth,† Ser Rodrik said wearily. The old knight had been wounded in the fight, a deep gash in his left arm and a spear thrust that grazed his neck, and he sounded his age. â€Å"If we linger here, they will be on us again for a certainty, and we may not live through a second attack.† Tyrion could see the anger in Catelyn's face, but she had no choice. â€Å"May the gods forgive us, then. We will ride at once.† There was no shortage of horses now. Tyrion moved his saddle to Jyck's spotted gelding, who looked strong enough to last another three or four days at least. He was about to mount when Lharys stepped up and said, â€Å"I'll take that dirk now, dwarf.† â€Å"Let him keep it.† Catelyn Stark looked down from her horse. â€Å"And see that he has his axe back as well. We may have need of it if we are attacked again.† â€Å"You have my thanks, lady,† Tyrion said, mounting up. â€Å"Save them,† she said curtly. â€Å"I trust you no more than I did before.† She was gone before he could frame a reply. Tyrion adjusted his stolen helm and took the axe from Bronn. He remembered how he had begun the journey, with his wrists bound and a hood pulled down over his head, and decided that this was a definite improvement. Lady Stark could keep her trust; so long as he could keep the axe, he would count himself ahead in the game. Ser Willis Wode led them out. Bronn took the rear, with Lady Stark safely in the middle, Ser Rodrik a shadow beside her. Marillion kept throwing sullen looks back at Tyrion as they rode. The singer had broken several ribs, his woodharp, and all four fingers on his playing hand, yet the day had not been an utter loss to him; somewhere he had acquired a magnificent shadowskin cloak, thick black fur slashed by stripes of white. He huddled beneath its folds silently, and for once had nothing to say. They heard the deep growls of shadowcats behind them before they had gone half a mile, and later the wild snarling of the beasts fighting over the corpses they had left behind. Marillion grew visibly pale. Tyrion trotted up beside him. â€Å"Craven,† he said, â€Å"rhymes nicely with raven.† He kicked his horse and moved past the singer, up to Ser Rodrik and Catelyn Stark. She looked at him, lips pressed tightly together. â€Å"As I was saying before we were so rudely interrupted,† Tyrion began, â€Å"there is a serious flaw in Littlefinger's fable. Whatever you may believe of me, Lady Stark, I promise you this—I never bet against my family.†