The Use Of Cognitive Behavioral Theory ( Cbt ) Essay

In pursuit of ways in which new skills and behaviors can be taught in a group setting, the following paper will examine the use of cognitive behavioral theory (CBT) in groups of individuals struggling with substance abuse issues. To begin with, there will be an overview of the selected population, including information contained within the DSM-V outlining exactly who fits into the population of those with substance-related disorders. Next, will be an analysis of research supporting the efficacy of CBT within a clinical setting. Finally, the paper will conclude with specific CBT interventions that have assisted this population in symptom management, behavioral change, and skills development. Substance-related disorders have a broad range of classifications contained in the most recent DSM-V. â€Å"The substance-related disorders encompass 10 separate classes of drugs: alcohol; caffeine; cannabis; hallucinogens; inhalants; opioids; sedatives, hypnotics, and anxiolytics; stimulants (amphetamine-type substances, cocaine, and other stimulants); tobacco; and other (or unknown) substances† (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). The different substances are listed as separate categories on the diagnostic tools and each individual substance is given a level of dependency from mild, moderate, and severe. The DSM-V description goes on to say that â€Å"the pharmacological mechanisms by which each class of drugs produces reward are different, but the drugs typically activate the systemShow MoreRelatedCognitive Psychology : Cognitive Behavioral Therapy1502 Words   |  7 PagesCognitive Behavioral Therapy, in its most modern form, was developed in 1960 by Aaron T. Bec k. However, CBT has an interesting history dating back to the 1920s in the United States and even earlier in other parts of the world. â€Å"Precursors of certain fundamental aspects of CBT have been identified in various ancient philosophical traditions, particularly Stoicism. Stoic philosophers, particularly Epictetus, believed logic could be used to identify and discard false beliefs that lead to destructiveRead MoreCognitive Psychology : Cognitive Behavioral Therapy1447 Words   |  6 PagesCognitive Behavioral Therapy Djiedjorm Doe (Dede) Middlesex Community College Cognitive behavioral therapy, commonly known as CBT, is a systematic process by which we learn to change our negative thought into more positive ones. CBT is a combination of two types of therapy, cognitive therapy and behavioral therapy. cognition is our thought, so cognitive behavioral therapy combines working with our thought process and changing our behavior at the same time. Cognitive behavioral therapistsRead MoreCounseling Therapy729 Words   |  3 PagesCognitive Behavioral Approach My preferred theoretical orientation is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). The main assumption of CBT is that events and situations in life do not cause emotional problems (e.g., guilt or depression); rather problems are due to irrational beliefs and perceptions about the situations (Corey, 2009). The goals of CBT focus on correcting the client’s automatic and self-defeating thoughts, which should ultimately help them to develop a more adaptive philosophyRead MoreCognitive Therapy And Mental Health Problems914 Words   |  4 Pagesenvironment around them. When looking at schemas in relation to psychopathology there are patterns of distorted or faulty thinking that the individual engages in (Beck, 1970). Lastly, cognitive errors focus on the faulty thinking that patients have developed due to the way that they experience the world around them. Cognitive therapy aims to shift this pattern of thinking teaching the patient how to reframe their thoughts to a more rational though t pattern. While this book was written specifically forRead MoreThe Application of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Within a Prison Setting1434 Words   |  6 PagesThe techniques used in cognitive behavioral therapy have proven to be effective in treating depression, anxiety and drug addictions among other things. Analyzing the techniques developed in cognitive behavioral theory and applying them to psychotherapy in prison environments can assist in making improvements in the prevention of criminal activity, rates of incarceration and safety and security of the general population. The literature shows that the use of cognitive behavioral therapy has been effectiveRead MoreAlbert Banduras Theory Of Social Learning Theory1461 Words   |  6 PagesBandura is considered the developer of social learning theory, which is also known as social cognitive theory (Corey, 2013; Feist et al., 2013; Thoma et al., 2015). Badura’s theory, while based upon the principles of behaviorism, depa rts from the traditional behavioral model and leaves room for the exploration of unobservable mental states and their influence on behavior (Corey, 2013; Thoma et al., 2015). Social Cognitive theory bases its theory of learning on two types of learning processes: observationalRead MoreDefinition And Intervention Mid Term Project Is Teen Dating Violence1156 Words   |  5 Pages and effective communication skills. The three most important leader styles that will be identify in my group are directive leaders, participative leaders, and supportive leaders. I will be discussing interventions, such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, positive self-talk, psychoeducational group, and counseling group. Adolescent Dating Violence â€Å"Teen dating violence is a pattern of controlling behavior exhibited towards one teenager by another in a dating relationship†Read MoreCognitive Behavioral Therapy Essay example1507 Words   |  7 PagesCognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is among the most extensively tested psychotherapies for depression. Many studies have confirmed the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) as a treatment for depression. This paper will provide background information about the intervention, address the target population, and describe program structure and key components. It will also provide examples of program implementation, challenges/barriers to implementing the practice, address how the practice supportsRead MoreCognitive Psychology : Cognitive Behavioral Therapy1700 Words   |  7 PagesCognitive Behavioral Therapy Cognitive behavioral therapy is a school of psychotherapy that intends to assist individuals with conquering their emotional issues. A focal idea in CBT is that you feel the way you think. Therefore, CBT focuses on the fact that you can live all the more cheerfully and effectively in you begin thinking with a better mindset. CBT urges you to comprehend that you re thought process or beliefs lie between the occasion and your definitive sentiments and activities. TheRead MoreCentered Therapy And Cognitive Behavioral Therapy1672 Words   |  7 PagesCentered Therapy and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Etiology of Problems Person-Centered Therapists don’t use standardized diagnostic tools to assess client presenting problems – as a way to avoid the kinds of labels that harm client-therapist relationships and as a way to avoid clumping clients together with others of the same condition. A more important initial goal for Person-Centered Therapists is to ensure that the student or client knows and believes that the therapist sees them all as individuals

A Long Way Gone Essay Free Essays

Abby Leavengood HWL P. 5 9-26-12 A Long Way Gone Essay In Ismael Beah’s A Long Way Gone, violence and child soldier’s struggles is a major and common point. These passages were heart wrenching and difficult to get through. We will write a custom essay sample on A Long Way Gone Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now Beah went through a lot of hard times but he survived and pulled through with incredible strength and courage, even when that was not an easy thing to even think about doing. I believe that even though violence is an awful thing that no child should have to endure, I learned a lot through Beah’s awful experiences including war’s injustices and the importance of hope and courage. Ishmael Beah discovered that the only way he could continue on and stay remotely strong was through the use of drugs. I was able to understand that well not through my own experiences of course, but because I cannot imagine any other way of making it through those situations. Taking some form of drug to change your state of mind and allow you to zone out from your surroundings seems like a somewhat logical solution to enduring war as a 15 year old boy. I also learned how impossible it would be to not be addicted to these drugs and how painful the recovery process would be. Through Beah’s book, I also learned that the recovery process of some traumatic experiences can be a living hell. Breaking his drug addiction, learning to trust people again and stopping his persistent nightmares were not easy tasks. I am thankful for people like Ester and the other nurses for having a strong heart and will to help young people with these conditions. Child rehabilitation centers are truly amazing facilities. Dealing with children who have suffered severe, life altering, mental damage must be heart breaking and challenging. I admire the staff and especially Ishmael Beah for their persistence to not give up and their amazing courage. Finally, through Beah’s memoir, I learned that hope and courage can always shine through even the most challenging situations. Beah, who did not want to fight, held his courage throughout the war and never gave up hope, even when it seemed impossible to find anything positive. Ishmael continued on throughout his daily and impeccably challenging life. Yet, hope was there. It shines though all evil and hardships. I truly admire his courage. A Long Way Gone was an enormously inspirational novel. All of Beah’s violent experiences taught his readers about the effects of harsh war, injustice, the world outside of our own happy towns and most importantly the true power of hope and courage. He spoke eloquently and told the truth without sheltering his readers. I think my own personal gain from this book is quite amazing. Wars in small countries like Sierra Leone are not often talked about in the United States. So learning about them is an eye opening and valuable experience. Beah’s book teaches many prized lessons and shares exceptional insight into the world around us. How to cite A Long Way Gone Essay, Essays

Research Of Franchise Business Model In Australia Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Research Of Franchise Business Model In Australia. Answer: Introduction: This report will define the outline in the research proposal for research. This research is being conducted on the future of franchise business model in Australia. The research is to explore that what is the growth of the franchise business in Australia and what is the future scope for franchise business in Australia. The franchise business in Australia has recorded a rapid growth for few years. Franchising in Australia is considered as most flourishing sectors of the economy. It is well reputable format for doing business in Australian economy (FCA, 2017). Around 80000 business units are operating under the franchise business format in Australia. The average growth of these sectors is 3.4% in Australia. It contributes around 178 AUD billion of the total revenue for economy (IBSWorld, 2017). This proposal is about the outline the elements of the research to be conducted for exploring the future scope of franchise business in Australia. This research proposal will include research tit le, research purpose, significance of the research, research methods and methodology, ethical consideration, research outcomes and limitations, and conclusion and recommendation. Findings: Title: What is future scope of Franchise business model in Australia? Purpose: The main aim of this research is to identify the future scope of franchise business model in Australia. In order to fulfill the main research aim following objectives have been designed: To understand the concept of franchise business model To explore the types franchise business in Australia To identify the benefits of franchise business in Australia To evaluate the superiority of franchise business model then other kind of business model To explore the present growth of the franchise business in Australia Significance of the research: This research is going to explore the potential scope for franchise business model in Australia. This topic is deemed to be appropriate in current market scenario and situation in Australia. This topic is relevant and very feasible to be studied because franchise businesses are showing rapid growth in Australia. Since last three decades, the franchise business model is recording high growth that is why it is enough feasible topics for the business research. Franchise is the model for establishing a new business like licensing, joint venture, export, subsidiary, strategic alliance, and other models. Today, many of the organization going globally and they require to select a best profitable and effective business model to enter into international market. Possibly, this research may help them to select the business model to enter into Australian market. This research will mostly help the people interested and going to start their independent business. This research may help the SMEs and entrepreneurs going to open their own business. This research will explore the benefits and types of the franchise business model that may help the entrepreneurs in determining their business model. At the same time, it will compare the franchise business model with other models that will show the key feature and roles of franchise business, which will back the decision of entrepreneurs and SMEs. Along with this, the research will explore the present growth of franchise business in Australia that will help business people in evaluating the business model and taking decision regarding selection of the franchise business model. Apart from this, the forecasting is basically depends of the past data. So, the research will explore the growth rate of the franchise business that may support in the evaluation of the franchise business model. Along with this, this research will help in exploring that in which sectors it is more flourishing. Main points to be argued in the research project: The main focus and argument in this research will be on The current growth of the franchise business in Australia The franchise in different business lines in Australia The advantage of franchise over other business models Future scope of the franchise business in Australia The franchise by SMEs and entrepreneurs Research methods and methodology Research methods Description Selected method and justification Research philosophy There are two types of research philosophy include positivism research philosophy and interpretivism research philosophy. In this research study, Interpretivism philosophy will be used. It is because positivism research philosophy provides quantitative data that helps in evaluating only the growth of franchise business in Australia (Wilson, 2014). While the interpretivism provides detailed information that will help in analyzing the research problem quantitatively and qualitatively. Research Approach There are two types of research approach deductive and inductive research approach. Here, in this research study inductive research approach will be used to develop new theories and concepts that can be used practically for solving the research problem (Sessler and Imrey, 2015). Research Design There are two types of research design qualitative and quantitative. Qualitative research provides qualitative information such as attitudes, opinions, gender, and perception of the participants. At the same time, quantitative research generate quantitative data base that can be measured such as height, number of persons, and others (Muijs, 2010). In this research study, quantitative and qualitative research both will be used to gain deep insight into the franchise business in Australia (Silverman, 2016). However, quantitative will be more stressed to evaluate the performance of franchise business in Australia. Sampling Sampling is the process of collecting variables from the population to meet the research purpose. The samples may be drawn by using simple random sampling, quota sampling, deliberate sampling, multistage sampling and others (Wilson, 2010). Here sample of 50 franchises will be drawn by using deliberate sampling method. The deliberate sampling method will help in selecting the most growing franchises in Australia. While the random sampling draw the samples equally. Data and data collection method Data may be of two types, primary data and secondary data. Primary data are those data, which is discovered first time using different methods such as observation, field trial, interview, survey and others. Secondary data may be collected from census, articles, newspaper and magazine, books, and others (Thomas et al, 2011). In this study, both primary and secondary data will be required to accomplish the research. For primary data, survey method will be used to collect the information from the respondents. Primary data will be in the form of number of franchises, lines of franchises, revenue from franchises, business growth of the franchise and others that will be in the quantitative form. At the same time, for collecting secondary data will be in the form of benefits of franchise, types of franchise, concept of franchise and others that will be drawn from the handbooks, research papers and articles. Data analysis and representation Data analysis and representation is the process of sorting, analyzing and representing the data. Different statistical, economical, and mathematical tools can be used to analyze the data (Bryman, 2015). The researcher will use SPSS, regression and correlation analysis, descriptive statistics, and Z-test will be used to process and analyze the data to convert it into meaningful information. These tools will help in deep analysis of the data (Taylor et al, 2015). At the same time, charts, tables, and graphs will be used to represent the information derived from analysis. Primary research methods: Research method Description and justification Interview Interview is the face to face interaction between the researcher and research participants. In interview, participants will be asked some predefined questions to get the information out of them. The interview in this research will help in collecting right information as face to face interaction gives the sense whether the participants are providing the right information (Tarone et al, 2013). The interview may help the researchers in molding the questions according the mood of the respondents so that their interest can be maintained in the research. Survey questionnaire The researcher in this research study will also use the survey questionnaire. Survey questionnaire will collect the view of franchises. The survey questionnaire is able to provide relevant information as it is prepared based on the understanding from the literature review on the research topic and general understanding of topic (Pickard, 2012). The survey questionnaire might be sent to the participants through the mail, where researcher cannot access. Along with this, the survey questionnaire will be comprised of rating scale and other questions that will be very easy to participants to fill up the questionnaire (Anfara and Mertz, 2014). Ethical consideration: Ethics is the set of code of conducts, norms, principles and values that have to be followed in the research process to ensure the reliability and validity of the research (Ritchie et al, 2013). The ethical consideration is vital in the research to ensure the effective research and to conduct the research effectively and efficiently. In the research, the general ethical issues are plagiarism, coercion, confidentiality of personal information, anonymity, misuse of the information, illegal purpose of the research and others (Miller et al, 2012). The use of multiple data sources may cause the potential risk of ethical issues in this research. Therefore, the researcher will consider all the potential ethical issues and conflicts properly while conducting the research. The researcher will ensure the confidentiality of the information gained from the respondents by using security system in the computer setup. The security system will protect the personal and non personal information of the respondents to ensure that the information is full of confidential and is not leaked (Flick, 2015). This will helps in ensuring the anonymity of the respondents who dont want to be exposed before others whether they are involved in the research. In the primary research, all the ethical norms and principles will be complied with while selecting the primary research methods. Furthermore, the researcher will not use unauthorized information to keep the research ethical. The information to be gathered from the secondary sources will be credited to its original author provided it. Proper citation will be used to give the credit to the authors for information retrieved from their publications. The free consent of the participants will be gained for conducting the research rather than coercing them for providing information (Halperin and Heath, 2012). Along with this, there will be a great integrity between primary and secondary research. The primary research will be supporting the information from the secondary research that will ensure the reliability of the research and relevancy and quality of information. Expected outcomes and limitations: Expected outcome: From the research to be conducted it is expected that it will provide reliable information that will help the entrepreneurs in developing franchise business in effective manner. This research will provide the information about the franchise in different business lines in Australia. It will support the decisions of the organizations going to start their business in Australia through establishing their franchise. This research will help the entrepreneurs in evaluating the superiority and growth of the franchise business in Australia. It will help in planning the franchise business in Australia effectively and efficiently. Along with this, this research will provide the insight into the current growth and status of the franchise business in Australia. It will provide the information that will help in understanding the concept of franchise, benefits of franchise, types of franchise, and process of faranchise. Research Limitation: Every research carries some limitations that have to be exposed in the research report. The main limitation associated this research is the time framework for the research because the research is very wide. It requires a long time to give more effectiveness to the research result. Besides this, the research is very wide which have the chance of gaining diverse result from the result. Along with this, sampling error may be counted as the big limitation with this research due to limited time (Merriam and Tisdell, 2015). Along with this, survey will be used in this study to collect the data that is one of the most issues in this research to collect the data through survey questionnaire in limited time framework. But the research will use e-mail to send and collect the questionnaire to prevent from this limitation. Furthermore, this research focus on the exploring the growth of the franchise business in Australia to identify the future scope of franchise that does not fully meet the obje ctive of analyzing the superiority of the franchise over other business models in Australia. Research Process: First of all, I selected a research topic that is relevant to the current business scenario in Australia. I analyzed the appropriateness and significance of the research, which ensured me about relevancy and quality of research topic. After selecting the relevant and clear research topic, it clearly defined the objective of the research to be conducted. The objective directed me for furthering the research. Then I identified that what on the research should most focus to meet the research objectives (Lederman and Abell, 2014). The main points to be argued in the research, I defined to clear the intention of the research and make the research more critical and purposeful. After this, I went to select the research methodology and method that is most important part of the research. I selected research philosophy, research approach, and research design that best suits to the research purpose and available resources. Then, I decided about the sample size to be drawn in the research and th en selected a sampling method to pull out the sample from the population. After that, I selected the method for collecting both primary and secondary data. Then the data analysis and representation tools were determined to interpret the data in exact meaning (Bryman and Bell, 2015). After this, I ensured that how I will consider the ethical issues during the research and how I will eliminate the ethical issues. Eventually, I described the possible outcomes and results of the research that what result the research will provide possibly and what limitations the research carries. Conclusion and Recommendation: From the above, it can be concluded that the research to be conducted will be on identifying the future scope of the franchise business in Australia. It is found that this topic is appropriate and feasible as it is well relevant to most flourishing business sectors in Australia that may somehow helpful for SMEs and entrepreneurs. Furthermore, the researchers will use interpretivism research philosophy, inductive research approach, and qualitative and quantitative research design. The deliberate sampling method will be used to draw the samples. Survey questionnaire for primary data and books, research papers, and articles for secondary data will be used. The researcher will use SPSS, statistical and economical tools, graphs, tables, and charts for the analysis and representation of the data. Along with this, it is found that there is limited time available for the research and it is somehow cost constrained also. The email survey questionnaire is very time consuming in the research pr oject. Therefore, it can be recommended that researcher mostly focus on the interview of the participants that will help in gaining the instant reply from respondents. Apart from this, the researcher should focus on the reliability and quality of the data to meet the objectives of the research successfully. References: Anfara Jr, V.A. and Mertz, N.T. eds. (2014). Theoretical frameworks in qualitative research. New York: Sage publications. Bryman, A. (2015).Social research methods. USA: Oxford university press. Bryman, A., Bell, E. (2015).Business research methods. USA: Oxford University Press. FCA, (2017). The peak body for Australian franchising. Retrieved from https://www.franchise.org.au/franchising--an-introduction.html Flick, U. (2015). Introducing research methodology: A beginner's guide to doing a research project. USA: Sage. Halperin, S. and Heath, O. (2012). Political Research: Methods and Practical Skills.UK: OUP Oxford. IBSWorld (2017). Franchising in Australia. Retrieved from https://www.ibisworld.com.au/industry-trends/market-research-reports/thematic-reports/franchising.html Lederman, N. and Abell, S. (2014). Handbook of Research on Science Education. UK: Routledge. Merriam, S. B., Tisdell, E. J. (2015).Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. USA: John Wiley Sons. Miller, T., Birch, M., Mauthner, M. and Jessop, J. eds. (2012). Ethics in qualitative research. USA: Sage. Muijs, D. (2010). Doing Quantitative Research in Education with SPSS. UK: SAGE. Pickard, A. (2012). Research methods in information. London: Facet publishing. Ritchie, J., Lewis, J., Nicholls, C. M., Ormston, R. (Eds.). (2013).Qualitative research practice: A guide for social science students and researchers. USA: Sage. Sessler, D.I. and Imrey, P.B. (2015). Clinical research methodology 1: Study designs and methodologic sources of error. Anesthesia Analgesia, 121(4), pp. 1034-1042. Silverman, D. ed. (2016). Qualitative research. USA: Sage Tarone, E. E., Gass, S. M. and Cohen, A. D. (2013). Research methodology in second-language acquisition. UK: Routledge. Taylor, S.J., Bogdan, R. and DeVault, M. (2015). Introduction to qualitative research methods: A guidebook and resource. USA: John Wiley Sons. Thomas, J.R., Nelson, J.K. and Silverman, S.J. (2011). Research Methods in Physical Activity. USA: Human Kinetics. Wilson, J. (2010). Essentials of Business Research: A Guide to Doing Your Research Project. USA: SAGE. Wilson, J. (2014). Essentials of Business Research: A Guide to Doing Your Research Project. USA: SAGE.

We Find The Defendant Guilty Of All Charges! Essays -

"We find the defendant guilty of all charges!" Romeo and Juliet Essay It is known that in Shakespeare's tragedies main characters die in the end, and in his comedies people marry. Since Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy, Romeo and Juliet are going to die in the end. Some events have to lead to their deaths, and someone makes these events happen. The person(s) who started it all and did something that led to all the other events that caused the death of "a pair of star-crossed lovers" (Prologue, 6). The Capulets and Montagues would be most responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet because if their ancestors didn't start the fighting, and they didn't continue it, nothing terrible would have happened. The first lines of the book tell us about the hate and envy between the two houses. Choir: "Two households, both alike in dignity,/. . ./From ancient grudge to new mutiny," (Prologue, 1-3). The choir tells us that the whole conflict started a long time ago with really little things, and then grew into huge fights involving many people. No leader of either household ever though about making peace, they were all too busy to spoil everything for the rival family. Only after the death of their children they realized how wrong they were. (Their hate reminds me of Holocaust, when Nazis hated and killed Jews for no particular reason at all, only because they were of a different religion. That kind of hate just makes me mad.) Romeo and Juliet first meet each other at a party at the Capulets' house. They fall in love with each other at the first sight without knowing that they are from rival houses, and when they do learn about it, it is too late. Juliet says: "My only love, sprung from my only hate!/Too early seen unknown, and known too late!" (I, v, 147-148). Juliet realizes that it was a mistake to fall in love with Romeo, because he is one of the people she should watch out for. He is her first and only love, but he is an enemy of her family. Luckily for Romeo, Juliet is smart, and such dumb thing as unreasonable hate between their parents wouldn't stop her from loving Romeo and getting married with him. She is sorry that their families are enemies, though, because everything would be much easier if they weren't. So this is the first time when the hate between Capulets and Montagues becomes an obstacle to Romeo and Juliet's happiness. Only after their children die, do the Montague and Capulet come to their senses. The Prince accuses them of killing Romeo and Juliet: ". . . Capulet, Montague,/See what a scourge is laid upon your hate,/That heavens finds means to kill your joys with love!" (V, iii, 304-306). The Prince makes them see how wrong they were all the time, that all because of their hate, because they couldn't let their children love each other, Romeo and Juliet died. After that, Capulet and Montague make peace, and Montague even says that he will make a gold statue of Juliet, but what is that going to do, it is too late, nothing will bring their children back. It is totally Capulets' and Montagues' fault that Romeo and Juliet died. If they didn't hate each other so much, they would let their children marry, and they would be able to live happily ever after. There was only one person that realized how unreasonable the fighting was and even tried to stop it, and he was Benvolio. Benvolio was a Montague, but the Capulets didn't have a peacemaker such as Benvolio. They only had Tybalt, whose only goal was to destroy all the Montagues. Also we don't really know how Romeo and Juliet's parents would have reacted if they had known that their children love each other. Romeo and Juliet didn't even try to tell them about love between them because they were afraid that their parents wouldn't understand them, but maybe they would. The problem is, we don't know, because Capulet and Montague learned about their children's love when they were already dead. It is still mostly Capulets' and Montagues' fault that Romeo and Juliet died, but maybe

Free Essays on Fredderick Douglas

Frederick Douglas â€Å"Frederick Douglas† is a poem of a black American and his perspectives during a time when blacks were slaves and had no civil rights to a time when they had freedom. This poem was written by Robert Hayden. Several different perspectives are used by the author as he writes about a time when Black Americans experienced a change in American History of no human rights to being free. The author brings a historical view of Douglas’s past as a slave when he writes â€Å"this former slave†. This statement covers an era of the United States when slavery was legal. Robert Hayden also show social perspective of these times as he writes â€Å"beaten to his knees†, which is a great example of the behavior and the social interaction Anglo Americans and Black Americans had back in those days. The Author with historical perspectives travels back in time and with social perspectives allows the reader understand the price Black Americans paid for freedom.... Free Essays on Fredderick Douglas Free Essays on Fredderick Douglas Frederick Douglas â€Å"Frederick Douglas† is a poem of a black American and his perspectives during a time when blacks were slaves and had no civil rights to a time when they had freedom. This poem was written by Robert Hayden. Several different perspectives are used by the author as he writes about a time when Black Americans experienced a change in American History of no human rights to being free. The author brings a historical view of Douglas’s past as a slave when he writes â€Å"this former slave†. This statement covers an era of the United States when slavery was legal. Robert Hayden also show social perspective of these times as he writes â€Å"beaten to his knees†, which is a great example of the behavior and the social interaction Anglo Americans and Black Americans had back in those days. The Author with historical perspectives travels back in time and with social perspectives allows the reader understand the price Black Americans paid for freedom....

Definition and Examples of Verbal Placeholders

Definition and Examples of Verbal Placeholders A placeholder is a word (such as whatchamacallit) used by speakers to signal that they dont know or cant remember a more precise word for something. Also known as a  kadigan, tongue-tipper, and dummy noun. Examples and Observations You need something to sell. Now this could be anything. It could be a thingamajig. Or a whosi-whatsi. Or [pulls out a Watchamacallit candy bar from his pocket] a Whatchamacallit.(Steve Carell as Michael Scott in Business Office, The Office)Work, the whats-its-name of the thingummy and the thing-um-a-bob of the what dyou-call-it.(P.G. Wodehouse, Psmith, Journalist, 1915)I have unspiked the sliding doors at the far end of the barn, so that the greatly increased flow of visitors can move past the whatchamacallit without eddies and backwash. In one end they go, and out the other.   (Kurt Vonnegut, Bluebeard. Delacorte Press, 1987)It will do magic,Believe it or not,Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo.Now Salagadoola meansA-Menchika-boola-roo,But the thingamabobThat does the jobIs Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo.(Al Hoffman, Mack David, and Jerry Livingston, Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo. Cinderella, 1950) Doodad doodad n (Variations: do-dad or do-funny or doofunny or do-hickey or doohickey or do-hinky or doohinky or do-jigger or doojigger or doowhangam or do-whistle or doowhistle or do-willie or doowillie) Any unspecified or unspecifiable thing: something one does not know the name of or does not wish to name.  (Barbara Ann Kipfer and Robert L. Chapman, American Slang, 4th ed. Collins Reference, 2008) Placeholders Placeholders . . . have little or no semantic meaning and should rather be interpreted pragmatically. The placeholder words that Channell discusses... are thing, thingummy (with the variants thingummyjig and thingummybob), whatsisname, whatnot, whosit, and whatsit... Incidentally, they are all defined as slang in Cassells Dictionary of Slang (2000)... The situation where the next dialogue occurs reveals that Fanny does not know the name of the boy who was laughing with Achil and uses thingie as a placeholder: Fanny: And I walked off and like I just walked away and Achil and thingy were laughing at, you know, just not at me at how how crap [name]Kate: [Yeah.]Fanny: had been and how I had to go away.(142304: 13-215) Thingamajig occurs four times with reference to an object and twice with reference to a person. In (107) we meet 14-year-old Carola and Semantha . . . from Hackney: Carola: Can I borrow your thingamajig?Semantha: I dont know what thingamajig it is.(14078-34) Semanthas reaction shows that there is no doubt that thingamajig belongs to the category of vague words. It obviously refers to an object that Carola would like to borrow, but Semantha apparently has no idea of what she is referring to.  (Anna-Brita Stenstrà ¶m et al., Trends in Teenage Talk: Corpus Compilation, Analysis, and Findings. John Benjamins, 2002) Douglas Adams on the Placeholder in Do-Re-Mi One particularly niggling piece of Unfinished Business, it occurred to me the other day in the middle of a singing session with my five-year-old daughter, is the lyrics to ‘Do-Re-Mi,’ from The Sound of Music... Each line of the lyric takes the names of a note from the sol-fa scale, and gives it meaning: ‘Do (doe), a deer, a female deer; Re (ray), a drop of golden sun,’ etc. All well and good so far. ‘Mi (me), a name I call myself; Fa (far), a long, long way to run.’ Fine. I’m not saying this is Keats, exactly, but it’s a perfectly good conceit and it’s working consistently. And here we go into the home stretch. ‘So (sew), a needle pulling thread.’ Yes, good. ‘La, a note to follow so . . . What? Excuse me? ‘La, a note to follow so . . . What kind of lame excuse for a line is that?â€Å"Well, it’s obvious what kind of line it is. It’s a placeholder. A placeholder is what a writer puts in when he can’t think of the right line or idea just at the moment, but he’d better put in something and come back and fix it later. So, I imagine that Oscar Hammerstein just bunged in a ‘a note to follow so’ and thought he’d have another look at it in the morning.Only when he came to have another look at it in the morning, he couldn’t come up with anything better. Or the next morning. Come on, he must have thought, this is simple. Isn’t it? La . . . a something, something ... what?’...â€Å"How difficult can it be? How about this for a suggestion? ‘La, a ... a ...well, I can’t think of one at the moment, but I think that if the whole world pulls together on this, we can crack it.(Douglas Adams, Unfinished Business of the Century. The Salmon of Doubt: Hitchhiking the Galaxy One Last Time. Macmillan, 2002)

What are the advantages and disadvantages of asexual and sexual Essay

What are the advantages and disadvantages of asexual and sexual reproduction in animals - Essay Example Division of the zygote takes place repeatedly resulting to the growth of an embryo. This embryo grows inside the female or outside in other animals into multi cellular organism. As a result of the shared genetic information in sexual reproduction by the gametes, the off spring produced contains variety. This constitutes part of the advantages of sexual reproduction since the genetic variation gives the species an advantageous element of survival. Furthermore, genetic variation results to evolution of species which form better organisms (Kent, 2000). This species have better surviving traits in the unstable environments. Species which reproduce sexually have low extinction rates. This is beneficial as it ensures continuity of population. Sexual reproduction has several disadvantages. To this end, the need to have both male and female mate for reproduction is some time inconveniencing since both may not be willing (Rinkevich & Matranga, 2009). It also consumes excessive time and energy to look for a suitable partner. Moreover, there is no assurance after fertilization that the nucleus cell of male will fuse with the female cell. .Furthermore, counter-productive genetic combination conditions should be stable. Asexual reproduction involves one organism producing an offspring identical to it genetically. It requires one parent to reproduce. In single celled organisms the parent cells are split into two cells’ with equal content by binary fission. Multi-cellular organisms use a process known as mitosis to split cells into cells with equal number of chromosomes. Asexual reproduction has several advantages. One, it is very beneficial to the types of animals that stay in one area or not able to look for mates to reproduce. The fact that asexual reproduction does not need mating of female and male gives is advantageous to these animals as they are able to reproduce as they are. Another advantage, since no need to find a mate many off springs are produces

ANIS2007 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

ANIS2007 - Essay Example Not only did the traditional Acts like the Indian Act undermined the achievements of the Anishinabe during that period, but the influence of the Act still exists today while new others have been established. The new establishments are in a way hindering the Anishinabe’s expectations towards achieving a society where equity among all is considered. These current actions include C51 Bill that impacts both the Anishinabe as well as non-Anishinabe social movements. The paper therefore examines the achievements and what the Anishinabe expects to achieve while also considering traditional tools of oppression and current government actions. The colonial rules perpetuated ideas across the colonized nations to ensure a continuous discrimination towards a certain group or groups of individuals. The Indian Act is among the major discriminatory ideas that led to the discrimination of Aboriginal women in Canada all through since its introduction. The discrimination is still evidenced today within various means that in return continue to hinder the goal of Anishinabe’s (Smith,  2008). The Indian Act continues to normalize as well as perpetuate gender discrimination in three broad areas through regulation of the family, political exclusion as well as the reserve system together with exclusion as a result of geographic coverage. The Indian Act is thus essential in understanding the historical as well as the current socio-political movements in Canada. Since its creation in 1876 by the federal government, The Indian Act focused on presenting a colonial idea that depicted men as society leaders owing to their household l eadership roles portraying women as their husbands’ dependants. The Act denied women against possessing material property unless for widows who were allowed such possession upon the death of the husband under the reverse system. It is however important to note that the widow never inherited

Principles of Management Essay Example for Free

Principles of Management Essay The fundamental aim of any given business is to make profits and maximize those profits. Organizations therefore in its day to day business activities will always aim at making the maximum profits at a very low cost of production. This basically means that a company wants to make very high profits without incurring a lot of expenses. In minimizing their cost of production while still ensuring that maximum profits are realized, sometimes companies violate regulations and laws governing them. It is therefore of utmost importance that there are other external bodies charged with the function of carrying out checks and balances to ensure that companies, businesses and organizations in general do not violate laid down regulations as they attempt to maximize their profits at very low costs of production and also that the consumers gets the products at very affordable prices and that the environment is not polluted by the by-products of the manufacturing companies. Therefore the first purpose of regulating companies is to ensure that the consumer on the ground is not shortchanged in terms of prices. This basically means that without regulations a company may charge unreasonably high prices for its products to the disadvantage of the customer. The regulatory bodies therefore ensure that a standard price for every particular product is set and companies are given a limit and extent up to which they are not expected to exceed. Should there be a violation by any company the regulatory body always steps in and takes an immediate action and if the company had no justifications whatsoever to go against the laid down regulations, disciplinary measures against the company are the next step. Business regulation is viewed by many as a way of enhancing better business environment. Regulation is also done to ensure that companies give consumers quality products for their money. It has been observed over the past years that failure to keenly monitor a company’s activities leads to recklessness and negligence by manufacturers so that consumers get very lo0w quality products. The laws governing the regulation of a company therefore provide for a regulatory body whose function is basically to check the kind of products a company produces in terms of quality. The issue of quality is almost synonymous to suitability of a product for use by customers in terms of safety. A product could be of low quality in that it is not up to the standards expected of such a product. For instance, if it is a vehicle it would be said to be of low quality if it fails to cover the mileage a car of a similar make would be expected to make. Quality is also looked at in terms of suitability so that it is important for the regulatory board to establish whether a company is making are suitable for use. For instance, if it is a company that manufactures food stuffs, then the regulatory body must ensure that the foods manufactured are actually edible and safe for human consumption. In case of medical products they must ensure chemicals used in the manufacture of medicines have no side effects on the body of a patient. In case of electronic products it is vital to ensure that the are safe so that they don’t blow up on the user of that product. It is for this reason that every country has regulatory bodies known as bureaus of standards of goods and products in general are maintained by the manufacturers. Regulation by external regulatory bodies is also done to ensure do not carelessly dispose off waste products thereby polluting the environment. Most companies if left to go unregulated would cause a l0ot of harm to the environment. This is because of the kind of waste products they produce. Most of the waste products are not only toxic but also poisonous. The regulatory bodies are therefore very instrumental in ensuring that companies treat their waste products prior to releasing them to the outside world. Better still, they ensure that even with the w3aste products being treated, they are disposed in the right place and manner. A case scenario of a company that used to produce to waste products that were toxic and then carelessly release the waste products into the open air. This in turn caused the surrounding residents great suffering as there was an outbreak of diseases. The regulatory body immediately intervened and the company was closed down indefinitely until they found a lasting solution. It has also been observed that most industries would rather drain their waste products in the water . odies notwithstanding their toxic levels so that they cut down expenses of having to dispose the waste products in the right way. This kills the aquatic animals thus destroying the environment. The regulatory bodies in such cases are very quick to ensure that no life both human and that of animals is put in danger. Regulation is also done to ensure prompt payment of taxes by companies. Every company in business in every country is required to pay taxes to the government of that particular country. This forms a source of income for the government. Most companies as discussed earlier are very evasive because their main goal is to make maximum profits. Thus they sometimes attempt to evasion of payment of taxes in order to make as high profits. It is no secret that even the consumers on the ground who are the back bone of the business field are more often than not treated very unfairly by the businessmen as they attempt to achieve their principal of maximum profit at the lowest possible cost. Manufacturers and owners of companies always want to be beneficiaries of their work at no extra cost thus tax evasion and avoidance is very common in the business field. However, they ignore the fact that by engaging in such malpractices of tax evasion and avoidance the government stands s to lose a lot in terms of revenue and as a result the country’s population suffers as the government is no longer able to sustain their needs due to insufficient revenues. Note that the manufacturers have had nothing to lose as their businesses still go on as desired. It is also important to note that failure of companies to pay taxes automatically means that a lot more will be demanded from the individuals thus suppressing the common citizen. Most people don’t find the importance of paying taxes. Tax is an obvious source from which countries can generate cash to fund human development. It is also one of the means by which they can begin to free themselves from dependence on handouts and the punitive conditions often attached to aid. Tax can also help countries determine their own route out of poverty. How Tax Policies Fleece the Poor, Christian Aid, September 2005, page6) Regulatory bodies therefore ensure that companies pay taxes as they should to avoid suppressing the poor people. Research indicates that evasion and avoidance of taxes by companies has led to a considerable increase in Value Added Tax which is the tax imposed on common goods used by ordinary people therefore placing an unfairly heavy burden on poor people. Regulation of companies is also done to ensure that employers respect labor laws put in place to protect rights of employees at the work place. More often than not employers ignore the rights of their employees thus employees are made to work under very poor conditions. Therefore the regulatory bodies in conjunction with non-governmental bodies come together in defending the rights if the workers and ensuring that companies follow the laws governing the rights of the employees to the letter. The regulatory bodies also ensure that workers are not treated unfairly in terms of wages by ensuring that they are paid above the minimum wage. It also ensures that employees are not overworked in term s of work load and the number of hours that they work. The regulatory bodies are also very keen in terms of the age limit so that companies do not employ underage employees in order to have cheap labor. Another major function of the regulatory bodies is to ensure that companies submit annual returns as they should and within the required time. The annual returns and reports contain the activities of the company for a given period usually one year and include income generated, profits made, expenses incurred and losses made. Most companies default in the submission of these annual reports and returns in order to conceal the profits made and consequently evade being taxed. They also default in submission of the reports as a way of covering up for any activity or activities carried out in the year that contravened any laid down rules. The regulatory bodies therefore step in to ensure that all companies submit their annual returns and reports and that they do so within the required time. Regulatory bodies also play a major role in ensuring that companies comply with the general requirements of operating and running of a company. This is in relation to the formation of a company, who makes the board of governors, who constitutes members of a company, shareholders and all other requirements a company is expected to comply with in its operations. The regulatory bodies are always in the frontline in the protection of investors so that companies do not manipulate them as far as investment is concerned. From the roles discussed earlier, it is very clear that a regulatory body is of great importance in the business field as it ensures that companies operate without the slightest form of flaws. From the discussion, it is very clear. From the discussion, it is clearly spelt out that companies cannot by any means regulate themselves. This is for the obvious reasons that regulations of their operations are obviously incompatible with the fundamental principle with their fundamental purpose, goal and objective of making maximum profits at the lowest possible cost. It is unrealistic and almost impossible to expect that companies will regulate themselves while it is very clear that their main objective in business and the task of regulation totally are not synonymous. It is therefore in order to conclude that if companies are left to be in charge of themselves and asked to regulate themselves while it is very clear that their many objectives in business and the task of regulation totally do no rhyme. It is therefore in order to conclude that if companies are left to be in charge of themselves, they would take advantage, exploit people and the consumer on the ground would be on the losing end. It is therefore correct to state that regulation of companies and other business organizations can only be successfully done by external regulatory bodies separate from the company itself who have no interest whatsoever in either the company or activities. Therefore it is only with the right regulatory measures that a fair playground in the business industry can be achieved. This can be achieved by ensuring that regulatory bodies are established for checks and balances of companies and business organizations at large. Regulation by eternal regulatory bodies has also played a major role in establishing fair and healthy competition among businessmen therefore has a level playground to do their business.

Women in the Work Force Essay -- Working Conditions Third World Americ

Women in the Work Force Working in a factory which is similar to living in a third world country is difficult. Horrible, intolerable conditions haunt workers at home and in the working environment. Women lead tough lives because they are dictated orders, by men, in and out of the house. Many women have families to support, so making little salaries is a strain on the family. The main issue with conditions in the work force is that management does not have a clear understanding of what the women and the children working are going through. Working conditions in third world countries are similar to some working conditions in America. In third world countries, a woman in the family has expected roles as a wife and a mother. According to Stromquist, â€Å"Roles provide the scripts people adopt in their interaction with others† (4). The mother of the family must keep everyone in order and on tack with their duties. There are women in the world who are never permitted to leave the house (Louie 98). The mother of the house takes care of the children, takes care of her husband, and takes care of all of the household chores. The woman does not usually have an outside role beyond the family. The man in the house will make sure this happens. In third world countries, the community has common expectations for all women. A woman should be portrayed as soft, sweet, affective, intuitive, obedient, and dependent (Stromquist 4). Women should show emotion and be overly motherly, which is opposite of the men. Women are assigned jobs such as caretakers, producers of goods, and services in the nonmonetarized household economy because they can use there motherly characteristics to help them with these jobs (Stromquist 4). These j... ...are enough to support a family. If managers could switch places with the workers there might be a better understanding of what actions need to be fulfilled in making factories a better working place for women. Then women workers would not have to suffer the way they do and would not have to make their children suffer either. Work Sited Boal, Mark. â€Å"American Sweatshops.† Mother Jones 24.3 (2002): 1-2. Roesch Library, Dayton, Ohio. 21 Oct. 2002. Fredericks, Ilse. â€Å"Mom’s battle to work in Sweatshops.† Sunday Times (South Africa). (2002): 1-2. Louie, Miriam. Sweatshop Warriors. New York: South End Press, 1990. Stromquist, Nelly P. Women in Third World Countries. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1997. Vaknin, Sam. â€Å"Commentary: The Self-Appointed Altruists.† Financial News. (2002): 1-4. Women in the Work Force Essay -- Working Conditions Third World Americ Women in the Work Force Working in a factory which is similar to living in a third world country is difficult. Horrible, intolerable conditions haunt workers at home and in the working environment. Women lead tough lives because they are dictated orders, by men, in and out of the house. Many women have families to support, so making little salaries is a strain on the family. The main issue with conditions in the work force is that management does not have a clear understanding of what the women and the children working are going through. Working conditions in third world countries are similar to some working conditions in America. In third world countries, a woman in the family has expected roles as a wife and a mother. According to Stromquist, â€Å"Roles provide the scripts people adopt in their interaction with others† (4). The mother of the family must keep everyone in order and on tack with their duties. There are women in the world who are never permitted to leave the house (Louie 98). The mother of the house takes care of the children, takes care of her husband, and takes care of all of the household chores. The woman does not usually have an outside role beyond the family. The man in the house will make sure this happens. In third world countries, the community has common expectations for all women. A woman should be portrayed as soft, sweet, affective, intuitive, obedient, and dependent (Stromquist 4). Women should show emotion and be overly motherly, which is opposite of the men. Women are assigned jobs such as caretakers, producers of goods, and services in the nonmonetarized household economy because they can use there motherly characteristics to help them with these jobs (Stromquist 4). These j... ...are enough to support a family. If managers could switch places with the workers there might be a better understanding of what actions need to be fulfilled in making factories a better working place for women. Then women workers would not have to suffer the way they do and would not have to make their children suffer either. Work Sited Boal, Mark. â€Å"American Sweatshops.† Mother Jones 24.3 (2002): 1-2. Roesch Library, Dayton, Ohio. 21 Oct. 2002. Fredericks, Ilse. â€Å"Mom’s battle to work in Sweatshops.† Sunday Times (South Africa). (2002): 1-2. Louie, Miriam. Sweatshop Warriors. New York: South End Press, 1990. Stromquist, Nelly P. Women in Third World Countries. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1997. Vaknin, Sam. â€Å"Commentary: The Self-Appointed Altruists.† Financial News. (2002): 1-4.

Business Environment Of Oman Air Essay

Introduction SWOT analysis is a beneficial tool that takes into account not only for our own business but also our competitor’s events and current industry trends as well. It is a framework for any organization in strategic planning for the factors that affects business be it internal or external. This understanding of business factors will help managers effectively to any changes in the factors and facilitate decision making. Factors can be based on economy and non-economic. By economic factors we understand the fiscal and monetary factors, whereas non-economic factors include socio cultural, educational, political and legal system. To identify the internal strengths systematically SWOT analysis is an important tool for an organization. Objective In this paper we will use SWOT analysis to increase the sales revenue for next five years. SWOT Analysis is a useful method to understand the Strengths and Weaknesses and for detecting both the Opportunities open to the business and the Threats the business will face. SWOT Analysis for business SWOT is a very powerful tool in business as with a little thought it can help you discover prospects that you are well-placed to exploit and by understanding the weaknesses of your business, you can manage and remove threats that would otherwise catch you unexpectedly. By observing at our own business and our competitors using the SWOT framework, we will start a crafted strategy that will help us distinguish Oman Air from other competitors, so that we can compete successfully in the market. Strength and Weaknesses of an organization are mostly internal whereas the opportunities and threats are often external factors. The internal factors are mostly the factors that can be controlled internally in a company. Factors like e-commerce, technology and business expansion. The organizations have to continuously upgrade and adapt to factors if it has to sustain in the market. Internally the company is considered as in conversion machine who  takes in input such as labor, money, equipment and material from the external factors and it converts those input into an output such as service, products and goods. The few factors that constitute the internal factors are Vision, missions and objectives, internal power relationship, management structure nature, company image and brand equity, and human resource. The external factors is a set of complex, rapidly changing and significant interacting institution and forces that effects the organizations ability to serve its customer. This factors conditions interact with strategic decisions and therefore it is important for organizations to understand it’s importance. SWOT analysis framework is both simple and powerful tool for strategy development. Analysis of the strength and weakness of the organization and opportunities and threats in the factors is the first step in strategic management process. Strengths Direct flights to Europe, far east, Asia, Africa, Indian sub-continent and middle east. National fuel price National carrier of Oman Government support Weaknesses Connectivity to far Europe and United States which affects the sales revenue. High operational cost. Product Employee Education and growth Opportunities Many award won by the airline helps in better marketing and increase sales High season and low season sales as per class of travel Our business sector is expanding, with many future opportunities for success. Local government wants to encourage local businesses. Expansion Plans Threats Competitors sales strategies Connectivity of Flights Emerging demand for low cost Airlines. Strengths Oman air has direct flights to Europe, Middle east, Africa, Asia and Indian subcontinent which is one greatest strength of the company. The sales team uses this to attract tourist, medical tourist and corporate customers. The revenue can increase if we increase the frequency of the fights to Indian subcontinent from 1 flight per day to 2 flights per day to destination to Cochin, Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi. Increasing frequency to flights to Europe will add on to more revenue by increasing from 3 flights to 5 flights per week to Paris, Munich and by connecting the Munich flight via Milan. The Fuel price is another factor which directly affects the cost of per flight. The airline can avoid extra expenditure by using more fuel efficient aircrafts and by using one engine during taxi especially at airports like Dubai where the rush hours are too busy and involves longer taxi. The one engine taxi will help is reducing fuel consumption and will bring extra revenue. Weaknesses Oman air been a small organization faces lot of competition from the neighboring countries. Oman air flies to only 47 destinations out of which only 4 European destinations. Airline loses lot of business due to lack of connectivity to other European sectors like to Belgium, Amsterdam and also to America. If Oman air increases its connectivity to US and more European sectors this will increase the sales by attracting more customers from other countries Muscat being the hub and bring more revenue in next five years. The cost of operations in Muscat is high. The basic salary paid to locals is very high compare to other countries and airlines. Due to government involvement in the airline the compulsion to recruit locals is very strict. For example the basic salary paid to a check in staff in Oman air is 350 Omani rials with whereas Emirates pay 300. To reduce this cost company has to increase revenue from other sources as this is inevitable cost. Opportunities Oman Air won the best business class seats award for last 3 years, best middle east airline in economy service award in 2014and many others. This achievement can be used more and get more customers by advertising. Investment in marketing and advertisement now will bring more customer and increase in revenue in next coming years. Liaise with corporate and agent customers to frame incentive programs and agreement in order to ensure maximization of business partnership and build strong customer base Airline business is directly affected as per the seasons. During the high season like June and July the airline can close the lower class fares and sell only the high class tickets. Because of demand in market the sales will be high. Whereas during low peak season the flights should be open for lower classes that will attract more customers and fill the fights and generate more revenue in long run. Constantly checking with corporate customers to promote all frequent flyer programs and enroll them to add business to WY network. Keep our competitors in mind Oman air can plan for fare sales during off season to again boost the sales. Threats Oman air being small airline with just 47 destination and 30 aircrafts faces lot of competition from other big airlines around like emirates, Qatar, Etihad, Jet airways etc. and also some low cost airlines like Fly Dubai. Oman Air have few destinations but this big giants in the market give competition to Oman air operations. Better connectivity of other competitors is one of the major factors that effects the load factor on Oman air. Customer prefer to fly on the same airline with a continuity for example if a customer wants to fly to Amsterdam he will prefer taking Emirates or Qatar as they fly direct or via another airport. This results in losing many local passenger as well as international customers. Company can escape these losses by expanding faster and after proper survey of market to retain its customer. Increasing the connectivity will help in retaining the loyal customer and also to gain new customers which will help in increasing the revenue in longer run. The route factors and the fares on those routes play another important role in the competitive market of aviation. During off  peak seasons the competitors as well reduce their fares to get more business. They offer sale prices and other attractive offers to make the customer chose there airline. To avoid this Oman air will do better market study and come out with more attractive offers and incentives for travel agents to sale Oman air tickets and services. Conclusion The above findings will therefore increase the revenue of Oman air by 10 percent every year for next five years after meeting all extra costs that the company has to incur. Success of Oman Air depends on the adaptability of the business factors, it is subjected to. The factors are link together and all factors influences policy making in the business. SWOT analysis is an effective tool in examining the business factors. Business should respond to the factors changes and the manager’s approach toward those changes is very vital. With the understanding of this factors that will influence the business Oman Air can save lot of time and bring the difference by using SWOT Analysis. References Daniel, C.(2011). Business Factors. http//www.articlesnatcg.com/Article/Business-Factors/252704. Dreze, J. & Amartya, S (1996). Economic development and social opportunity, oxford University press. Menon, A. et al. (1999). â€Å"Antecedents and Consequences of Marketing Strategy Making†. Journal of Marketing (American Marketing Association Quincy, Ronald.† SWOT Analysis: Raising capacity of your organization† Rutgers School of Social Work. http://www.learnmarketing.net www.omanair.com

Chapter 15 The Quidditch Final

â€Å"He sent me this,† Hermione said, holding out the letter. Harry took it. The parchment was damp, and enormous teardrops had smudged the ink so badly in places that it was very difficult to read. Dear Hermione, We lost. I'm allowed to bring him back to Hogwarts. Execution date to be fixed. Beaky has enjoyed London. I won't forget all the help you gave us. Hagrid â€Å"They can't do this,† said Harry. â€Å"They can't. Buckbeak isn't dangerous.† â€Å"Malfoy's dad's frightened the Committee into it,† said Hermione, wiping her eyes. â€Å"You know what he's like. They're a bunch of doddery old fools, and they were scared. There'll be an appeal, though, there always is. Only I can't see any hope†¦Nothing will have changed.† â€Å"Yeah, it will,† said Ron fiercely. â€Å"You won't have to do all the work alone this time, Hermione. I'll help.† â€Å"Oh, Ron!† Hermione flung her arms around Ron's neck and broke down completely. Ron, looking quite terrified, patted her very awkwardly on the top of the head. Finally, Hermione drew away. â€Å"Ron, I'm really, really sorry about Scabbers†¦Ã¢â‚¬  she sobbed. â€Å"Oh — well — he was old,† said Ron, looking thoroughly relieved that she had let go of him. â€Å"And he was a bit useless. You never know, Mum and Dad might get me an owl now.† The safety measures imposed on the students since Black's second break-in made it impossible for Harry, Ron, and Hermione to go and visit Hagrid in the evenings. Their only chance of talking to him was during Care of Magical Creatures lessons. He seemed numb with shock at the verdict. â€Å"S'all my fault. Got all tongue-tied. They was all sittin' there in black robes an' I kep' droppin' me notes and forgettin' all them dates yeh looked up fer me, Hermione. An' then Lucius Malfoy stood up an' said his bit, and the Committee jus' did exac'ly what he told 'em†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"There's still the appeal!† said Ron fiercely. â€Å"Don't give up yet, we're working on it!† They were walking back up to the castle with the rest of the class. Ahead they could see Malfoy, who was walking with Crabbe and Goyle, and kept looking back, laughing derisively. â€Å"S'no good, Ron,† said Hagrid sadly as they reached the castle steps. â€Å"That Committee's in Lucius Malfoy's pocket. I'm jus' gonna make sure the rest o' Beaky's time is the happiest he's ever had. I owe him that†¦.† Hagrid turned around and hurried back toward his cabin, his face buried in his handkerchief. â€Å"Look at him blubber!† Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had been standing just inside the castle doors, listening. â€Å"Have you ever seen anything quite as pathetic?† said Malfoy. â€Å"And he's supposed to be our teacher!† Harry and Ron both made furious moves toward Malfoy, but Hermione got there first — SMACK! She had slapped Malfoy across the face with all the strength she could muster. Malfoy staggered. Harry, Ron, Crabbe, and Goyle stood flabbergasted as Hermione raised her hand again. â€Å"Don't you dare call Hagrid pathetic, you foul — you evil –â€Å" â€Å"Hermione!† said Ron weakly, and he tried to grab her hand as she swung it back. â€Å"Get off, Ron!† Hermione pulled out her wand. Malfoy stepped backward. Crabbe and Goyle looked at him for instructions, thoroughly bewildered. â€Å"C'mon.† Malfoy muttered, and in a moment, all three of them had disappeared into the passageway to the dungeons. â€Å"Hermione!† Ron said again, sounding both stunned and impressed. â€Å"Harry, you'd better beat him in the Quidditch final!† Hermione said shrilly. â€Å"You just better had, because I can't stand it if Slytherin wins!† â€Å"We're due in Charms,† said Ron, still goggling at Hermione. â€Å"We'd better go.† They hurried up the marble staircase toward Professor Flitwick's classroom. â€Å"You're late, boys!† said Professor Flitwick reprovingly as Harry opened the classroom door. â€Å"Come along, quickly, wands out, we're experimenting with Cheering Charms today, we've already divided into pairs –â€Å" Harry and Ron hurried to a desk at the back and opened their bags. Ron looked behind him. â€Å"Where's Hermione gone?† Harry looked around too. Hermione hadn't entered the classroom, yet Harry knew she had been right next to him when he had opened the door. â€Å"That's weird,† said Harry, staring at Ron. â€Å"Maybe — maybe she went to the bathroom or something?† But Hermione didn't turn up all lesson. â€Å"She could've done with a Cheering Charm on her too,† said Ron as the class left for lunch, all grinning broadly — the Cheering Charms had left them with a feeling of great contentment. Hermione wasn't at lunch either. By the time they had finished their apple pie, the after-effects of the Cheering Charms were wearing off, and Harry and Ron had started to get slightly worried. â€Å"You don't think Malfoy did something to her?† Ron said anxiously as they hurried upstairs toward Gryffindor Tower. They passed the security trolls, gave the Fat Lady the password (â€Å"Flibbertigibbet†), and scrambled through the portrait hole into the common room. Hermione was sitting at a table, fast asleep, her head resting on an open Arithmancy book. They went to sit down on either side of her. Harry prodded her awake. â€Å"Wh — what?† said Hermione, waking with a start and staring wildly around. â€Å"Is it time to go? W — which lesson have we got now?† â€Å"Divination, but it's not for another twenty minutes,† said Harry. â€Å"Hermione, why didn't you come to Charms?† â€Å"What? Oh no!† Hermione squeaked. â€Å"I forgot to go to Charms!† â€Å"But how could you forget?† said Harry. â€Å"You were with us till we were right outside the classroom!† â€Å"I don't believe it!† Hermione wailed. â€Å"Was Professor Flitwick angry? Oh, it was Malfoy, I was thinking about him and I lost track of things!† â€Å"You know what, Hermione?† said Ron, looking down at the enormous Arithmancy book Hermione had been using as a pillow. â€Å"I reckon you're cracking up. You're trying to do too much.† â€Å"No, I'm not!† said Hermione, brushing her hair out of her eyes and staring hopelessly around for her bag. â€Å"I just made a mistake, that's all! I'd better go and see Professor Flitwick and say sorry †¦ I'll see you in Divination!† Hermione joined them at the foot of the ladder to Professor Trelawney's classroom twenty minutes later, looking extremely harassed. â€Å"I can't believe I missed Cheering Charms! And I bet they come up in our exams; Professor Flitwick hinted they might!† Together they climbed the ladder into the dim, stifling tower room. Glowing on every little table was a crystal ball full of pearly white mist. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat down together at the same rickety table. â€Å"I thought we weren't starting crystal balls until next term,† Ron muttered, casting a wary eye around for Professor Trelawney, in case she was lurking nearby. â€Å"Don't complain, this means we've finished palmistry,† Harry muttered back. â€Å"I was getting sick of her flinching every time she looked at my hands.† â€Å"Good day to you!† said the familiar, misty voice, and Professor Trelawney made her usual dramatic entrance out of the shadows. Parvati and Lavender quivered with excitement, their faces lit by the milky glow of their crystal ball. â€Å"I have decided to introduce the crystal ball a little earlier than I had planned,† said Professor Trelawney, sitting with her back to the fire and gazing around. â€Å"The fates have informed me that your examination in June will concern the Orb, and I am anxious to give you sufficient practice.† Hermione snorted. â€Å"Well, honestly†¦'the fates have informed her'. Who sets the exam? She does! What an amazing prediction!† she said, not troubling to keep her voice low. Harry and Ron choked back laughs. It was hard to tell whether Professor Trelawney had heard them as her face was hidden in shadow. She continued, however, as though she had not. â€Å"Crystal gazing is a particularly refined art,† she said dreamily. â€Å"I do not expect any of you to See when first you peer into the Orb's infinite depths. We shall start by practicing relaxing the conscious mind and external eyes –† Ron began to snigger uncontrollably and had to stuff his fist in his mouth to stifle the noise — â€Å"so as to clear the Inner Eye and the superconscious. Perhaps, if we are lucky, some of you will see before the end of the class.† And so they began. Harry, at least, felt extremely foolish, staring blankly at the crystal ball, trying to keep his mind empty when thoughts such as â€Å"this is stupid† kept drifting across it. It didn't help that Ron kept breaking into silent giggles and Hermione kept tutting. â€Å"Seen anything yet?† Harry asked them after a quarter of an hour's quiet crystal gazing. â€Å"Yeah, there's a burn on this table,† said Ron, pointing. â€Å"Someone's spilled their candle.† â€Å"This is such a waste of time,† Hermione hissed. â€Å"I could be practicing something useful. I could be catching up on Cheering Charms –â€Å" Professor Trelawney rustled past. â€Å"Would anyone like me to help them interpret the shadowy portents within their Orb?† she murmured over the clinking of her bangles. â€Å"I don't need help,† Ron whispered. â€Å"It's obvious what this means. There's going to be loads of fog tonight.† Both Harry and Hermione burst out laughing. â€Å"Now, really!† said Professor Trelawney as everyone's heads turned in their direction. Parvati and Lavender were looking scandalized. â€Å"You are disturbing the clairvoyant vibrations!† She approached their table and peered into their crystal ball. Harry felt his heart sinking. He was sure he knew what was coming — â€Å"There is something here!† Professor Trelawney whispered, lowering her face to the ball, so that it was reflected twice in her huge glasses. â€Å"Something moving†¦ but what is it?† Harry was prepared to bet everything he owned, Including his Firebolt, that it wasn't good news, whatever it was. And sure enough — â€Å"My dear,† Professor Trelawney breathed, gazing up at Harry. â€Å"It is here, plainer than ever before†¦ my dear, stalking toward you, growing ever closer†¦ the Gr –â€Å" â€Å"Oh, for goodness' sake!† said Hermione loudly. â€Å"Not that ridiculous Grim again!† Professor Trelawney raised her enormous eyes to Hermione's face. Parvati whispered something to Lavender, and they both glared at Hermione too. Professor Trelawney stood up, surveying Hermione with unmistakable anger. â€Å"I am sorry to say that from the moment you have arrived in this class my dear, it has been apparent that you do not have what the noble art of Divination requires. Indeed, I don't remember ever meeting a student whose mind was so hopelessly mundane.† There was a moment's silence. Then — â€Å"Fine!† said Hermione suddenly, getting up and cramming Unfogging the Future back into her bag. â€Å"Fine!† she repeated, swinging the bag over her shoulder and almost knocking Ron off his chair. â€Å"I give up! I'm leaving!† And to the whole class's amazement, Hermione strode over to the trapdoor, kicked it open, and climbed down the ladder out of sight. It took a few minutes for the class to settle down again. Professor Trelawney seemed to have forgotten all about the Grim. She turned abruptly from Harry and Ron's table, breathing rather heavily as she tugged her gauzy shawl more closely to her. â€Å"Ooooo!† said Lavender suddenly, making everyone start. â€Å"Ooooo, Professor Trelawney, I've just remembered! You saw her leaving, didn't you? Didn't you, Professor? ‘Around Easter, one of our number will leave us forever!' You said it ages ago, Professor!† Professor Trelawney gave her a dewy smile. â€Å"Yes, my dear, I did indeed know that Miss Granger would be leaving us. One hopes, however, that one might have mistaken the Signs†¦The Inner Eye can be a burden, you know†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Lavender and Parvati looked deeply impressed, and moved over so that Professor Trelawney could join their table instead. â€Å"Some day Hermione's having, eh?† Ron muttered to Harry, looking awed. â€Å"Yeah†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Harry glanced into the crystal ball but saw nothing but swirling white mist. Had Professor Trelawney really seen the Grim again? Would he? The last thing he needed was another near-fatal accident, with the Quidditch final drawing ever nearer. The Easter holidays were not exactly relaxing. The third years had never had so much homework. Neville Longbottom seemed close to a nervous collapse, and he wasn't the only one. â€Å"Call this a holiday!† Seamus Finnigan roared at the common room one afternoon. â€Å"The exams are ages away, what're they playing at?† But nobody had as much to do as Hermione. Even without Divination, she was taking more subjects than anybody else. She was usually last to leave the common room at night, first to arrive at the library the next morning; she had shadows like Lupin's under her eyes, and seemed constantly close to tears. Ron had taken over responsibility for Buckbeak's appeal. When he wasn't doing his own work, he was poring over enormously thick volumes with names like The Handbook of Hippogriff Psychology and Fowl or Foul? A Study of Hippogriff Brutality. He was so absorbed, he even forgot to be horrible to Crookshanks. Harry, meanwhile, had to fit in his homework around Quidditch practice every day, not to mention endless discussions of tactics with Wood. The Gryffindor-Slytherin match would take place on the first Saturday after the Easter holidays. Slytherin was leading the tournament by exactly two hundred points. This meant (as Wood constantly reminded his team) that they needed to win the match by more than that amount to win the Cup. It also meant that the burden of winning fell largely on Harry, because capturing the Snitch was worth one hundred and fifty points. â€Å"So you must catch it only if we're more than fifty points up,† Wood told Harry constantly. â€Å"Only if we're more than fifty points up, Harry, or we win the match but lose the Cup. You've got that, Haven't you? You must catch the Snitch only if we're –â€Å" â€Å"I KNOW, OLIVER!† Harry yelled. The whole of Gryffindor House was obsessed with the coming match. Gryffindor hadn't won the Quidditch Cup since the legendary Charlie Weasley (Ron's second oldest brother) had been Seeker. But Harry doubted whether any of them, even Wood, wanted to win as much as he did. The enmity between Harry and Malfoy was at its highest point ever. Malfoy was still smarting about the mud-throwing incident in Hogsmeade and was even more furious that Harry had somehow wormed his way out of punishment. Harry hadn't forgotten Malfoy's attempt to sabotage him in the match against Ravenclaw, but it was the matter of Buckbeak that made him most determined to beat Malfoy in front of the entire school. Never, in anyone's memory, had a match approached in such a highly charged atmosphere. By the time the holidays were over, tension between the two teams and their Houses was at the breaking point. A number of small scuffles broke out in the corridors, culminating in a nasty incident in which a Gryffindor fourth year and a Slytherin sixth year ended up in the hospital wing with leeks sprouting out of their ears. Harry was having a particularly bad time of it. He couldn't walk to class without Slytherins sticking out their legs and trying to trip him up; Crabbe and Goyle kept popping up wherever he went, and slouching away looking disappointed when they saw him surrounded by people. Wood had given instructions that Harry should be accompanied everywhere he went, in case the Slytherins tried to put him out of action. The whole of Gryffindor House took up the challenge enthusiastically, so that it was impossible for Harry to get to classes on time because he was surrounded by a vast, chattering crowd. Harry was more concerned for his Firebolt's safety than his own. When he wasn't flying it, he locked it securely in his trunk and frequently dashed back up to Gryffindor Tower at break times to check that it was still there. All usual pursuits were abandoned in the Gryffindor common room the night before the match. Even Hermione had put down her books. â€Å"I can't work, I can't concentrate,† she said nervously. There was a great deal of noise. Fred and George Weasley were dealing with the pressure by being louder and more exuberant than ever. Oliver Wood was crouched over a model of a Quidditch field in the corner, prodding little figures across it with his wand and muttering to himself Angelina, Alicia, and Katie were laughing at Fred's and George's jokes. Harry was sitting with Ron and Hermione, removed from the center of things, trying not to think about the next day, because every time he did, he had the horrible sensation that something very large was fighting to get out of his stomach. â€Å"You're going to be fine,† Hermione told him, though she looked positively terrified. â€Å"You've got a Firebolt!† said Ron. â€Å"Yeah †¦Ã¢â‚¬  said Harry, his stomach writhing. It came as a relief when Wood suddenly stood up and yelled, â€Å"Team! Bed!† Harry slept badly. First he dreamed that he had overslept, and that Wood was yelling, â€Å"Where were you? We had to use Neville instead!† Then he dreamed that Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherin team arrived for the match riding dragons. He was flying at breakneck speed, trying to avoid a spurt of flames from Malfoy's steed's mouth, when he realized he had forgotten his Firebolt. He fell through the air and woke with a start. It was a few seconds before Harry remembered that the match hadn't taken place yet, that he was safe in bed, and that the Slytherin team definitely wouldn't be allowed to play on dragons. He was feeling very thirsty. Quietly as he could, he got out of his four-poster and went to pour himself some water from the silver jug beneath the window. The grounds were still and quiet. No breath of wind disturbed the treetops in the Forbidden Forest; the Whomping Willow was motionless and innocent-looking. It looked as though the conditions for the match would be perfect. Harry set down his goblet and was about to turn back to his bed when something caught his eye. An animal of some kind was prowling across the silvery lawn. Harry dashed to his bedside table, snatched up his glasses, and put them on, then hurried back to the window. It couldn't be the Grim — not now — not right before the match — He peered out at the grounds again and, after a minute's frantic searching, spotted it. It was skirting the edge of the forest now†¦It wasn't the Grim at all †¦ it was a cat †¦ Harry clutched the window ledge in relief as he recognized the bottlebrush tail. It was only Crookshanks†¦ Or was it only Crookshanks? Harry squinted, pressing his nose flat against the glass. Crookshanks seemed to have come to a halt. Harry was sure he could see something else moving in the shadow of the trees too. And just then, it emerged — a gigantic, shaggy black dog, moving stealthily across the lawn, Crookshanks trotting at its side. Harry stared. What did this mean? If Crookshanks could see the dog as well, how could it be an omen of Harry's death? â€Å"Ron!† Harry hissed. â€Å"Ron! Wake up!† â€Å"Huh?† â€Å"I need you to tell me if you can see something!† â€Å"S'all dark, Harry,† Ron muttered thickly. â€Å"What're you on about?† â€Å"Down here –â€Å" Harry looked quickly back out of the window. Crookshanks and the dog had vanished. Harry climbed onto the windowsill to look right down into the shadows of the castle, but they weren't there. Where had they gone? A loud snore told him Ron had fallen asleep again. Harry and the rest of the Gryffindor team entered the Great Hall the next day to enormous applause. Harry couldn't help grinning broadly as he saw that both the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables were applauding them too. The Slytherin table hissed loudly as they passed. Harry noticed that Malfoy looked even paler than usual. Wood spent the whole of breakfast urging his team to eat, while touching nothing himself. Then he hurried them off to the field before anyone else had finished, so they could get an idea of the conditions. As they left the Great Hall, everyone applauded again. â€Å"Good luck, Harry!† called Cho. Harry felt himself blushing. â€Å"Okay — no wind to speak of — sun's a bit bright, that could impair your vision, watch out for it — ground's fairly hard, good, that'll give us a fast kickoff –â€Å" Wood paced the field, staring around with the team behind him. Finally, they saw the front doors of the castle open in the distance and the rest of the school spilling onto the lawn. â€Å"Locker rooms,† said Wood tersely. None of them spoke as they changed into their scarlet robes. Harry wondered if they were feeling like he was: as though he'd eaten something extremely wriggly for breakfast. In what seemed like no time at all, Wood was saying, â€Å"Okay, it's time, let's go –â€Å" They walked out onto the field to a tidal wave of noise. Three quarters of the crowd was wearing scarlet rosettes, waving scarlet flags with the Gryffindor lion upon them, or brandishing banners with slogans like â€Å"GO GRYFFINDOR!† and â€Å"LIONS FOR THE CUP† Behind the Slytherin goal posts, however, two hundred people were wearing green; the silver serpent of Slytherin glittered on their flags, and Professor Snape sat in the very front row, wearing green like everyone else, and a very grim smile. â€Å"And here are the Gryffindors!† yelled Lee Jordan, who was acting as commentator as usual. â€Å"Potter, Bell, Johnson, Spinnet, Weasley, Weasley, and Wood. Widely acknowledged as the best team Hogwarts has seen in a good few years –â€Å" Lee's comments were drowned by a tide of ‘boos' from the Slytherin end. â€Å"And here come the Slytherin team, led by Captain Flint. He's made some changes in the lineup and seems to be going for size rather than skill –â€Å" More boos from the Slytherin crowd. Harry, however, thought Lee had a point. Malfoy was easily the smallest person On the Slytherin team; the rest of them were enormous. â€Å"Captains, shake hands!† said Madam Hooch. Flint and Wood approached each other and grasped each other's hand very tightly; it looked as though each was trying to break the other's fingers. â€Å"Mount your brooms!† said Madam Hooch. â€Å"Three†¦two†¦one†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The sound of her whistle was lost in the roar from the crowd as fourteen brooms rose into the air. Harry felt his hair fly back off his forehead; his nerves left him in the thrill of the flight; he glanced around, saw Malfoy on his tail, and sped off in search of the Snitch. â€Å"And it's Gryffindor in possession, Alicia Spinner of Gryffindor with the Quaffle, heading straight for the Slytherin goal posts, looking good, Alicia! Argh, no — Quaffle intercepted by Warrington, Warrington of Slytherin tearing UP the field — WHAM! — nice Bludger work there by George Weasley, Warrington drops the Quaffle, it's caught by — Johnson, Gryffindor back in possession, come on, Angelina — nice swerve around Montague — duck, Angelina, that's a Bludger!?C SHE SCORES! TEN-ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!† Angelina punched the air as she soared around the end of the field; the sea of scarlet below was screaming its delight â€Å"OUCH!† Angelina was nearly thrown from her broom as Marcus Flint went smashing into her. â€Å"Sorry!† said Flint as the crowd below booed. â€Å"Sorry, didn't see her!† A moment later, Fred Weasley chucked his Beater's club at the back of Flint's head. Flint's nose smashed into the handle of his broom and began to bleed. â€Å"That will do!† shrieked Madam Hooch, zooming between then. â€Å"Penalty shot to Gryffindor for an unprovoked attack on their Chaser! Penalty shot to Slytherin for deliberate damage to their Chaser!† â€Å"Come off it, Miss!† howled Fred, but Madam Hooch blew her whistle and Alicia flew forward to take the penalty. â€Å"Come on, Alicia!† yelled Lee into the silence that had descended on the crowd. â€Å"YES! SHE'S BEATEN THE KEEPER! TWENTY-ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!† Harry turned the Firebolt sharply to watch Flint, still bleeding freely, fly forward to take the Slytherin penalty. Wood was hovering in front of the Gryffindor goal posts, his jaw clenched. â€Å"‘Course, Wood's a superb Keeper!† Lee Jordan told the crowd as Flint waited for Madam Hooch's whistle. â€Å"Superb! Very difficult to pass — very difficult indeed — YES! I DON'T BELIEVE IT! HE'S SAVED IT!† Relieved, Harry zoomed away, gazing around for the Snitch, but still making sure he caught every word of Lee's commentary. It was essential that he hold Malfoy off the Snitch until Gryffindor was more than fifty points up — â€Å"Gryffindor in possession, no, Slytherin in possession — no! Gryffindor back in possession and it's Katie Bell, Katie Bell for Gryffindor with the Quaffle, she's streaking up the field — THAT WAS DELIBERATE!† Montague, a Slytherin Chaser, had swerved in front of Katie, and instead of seizing the Quaffle had grabbed her head. Katie cart-wheeled in the air, managed to stay on her broom, but dropped the Quaffle. Madam Hooch's whistle rang out again as she soared over to Montague and began shouting at him. A minute later, Katie had put another penalty past the Slytherin Seeker. â€Å"THIRTY-ZERO! TAKE THAT, YOU DIRTY, CHEATING –â€Å" â€Å"Jordan, if you can't commentate in an unbiased way –â€Å" â€Å"I'm telling it like it is, Professor!† Harry felt a huge jolt of excitement. He had seen the Snitch — it was shimmering at the foot of one of the Gryffindor goal posts — but he mustn't catch it yet — and if Malfoy saw it — Faking a look of sudden concentration, Harry pulled his Firebolt around and sped off toward the Slytherin end — it worked. Malfoy went haring after him, clearly thinking Harry had seen the Snitch there†¦ WHOOSH. One of the Bludgers came streaking past Harry's right ear, hit by the gigantic Slytherin Beater, Derrick. Then again†¦ WHOOSH. The second Bludger grazed Harry's elbow. The other Beater, Bole, was closing in. Harry had a fleeting glimpse of Bole and Derrick zooming toward him, clubs raised — He turned the Firebolt upward at the last second, and Bole and Derrick collided with a sickening crunch. â€Å"Ha haaa!† yelled Lee Jordan as the Slytherin Beaters lurched away from each other, clutching their heads. â€Å"Too bad, boys! You'll need to get up earlier than that to beat a Firebolt! And it's Gryffindor in possession again, as Johnson takes the Quaffle — Flint alongside her — poke him in the eye, Angelina! — it was a joke, Professor, it was a joke — oh no — Flint in possession, Flint flying toward the Gryffindor goal posts, come on now, Wood, save –!† But Flint had scored; there was an eruption of cheers from the Slytherin end, and Lee swore so badly that Professor McGonagall tried to tug the magical megaphone away from him. â€Å"Sorry, Professor, sorry! Won't happen again! So, Gryffindor in the lead, thirty points to ten, and Gryffindor in possession –â€Å" It was turning into the dirtiest game Harry had ever played in. Enraged that Gryffindor had taken such an early lead, the Slytherins were rapidly resorting to any means to take the Quaffle. Bole hit Alicia with his club and tried to say he'd thought she was a Bludger. George Weasley elbowed Bole in the face in retaliation. Madam Hooch awarded both teams penalties, and Wood pulled off another spectacular save, making the score forty-ten to Gryffindor. The Snitch had disappeared again. Malfoy was still keeping close to Harry as he soared over the match, looking around for it once Gryffindor was fifty points ahead — Katie scored. Fifty-ten. Fred and George Weasley were swooping around her, clubs raised, in case any of the Slytherins were thinking of revenge. Bole and Derrick took advantage of Fred's and George's absence to aim both Bludgers at Wood; they caught him in the stomach, one after the other, and he rolled over in the air, clutching his broom, completely winded. Madam Hooch was beside herself — â€Å"YOU DO NOT ATTACK THE KEEPER UNLESS THE QUAFFLE IS WITHIN THE SCORING AREA!† she shrieked at Bole and Derrick. â€Å"Gryffindor penalty!† And Angelina scored. Sixty-ten. Moments later, Fred Weasley pelted a Bludger at Warrington, knocking the Quaffle out of his hands; Alicia seized it and put it through the Slytherin goal — seventy-ten. The Gryffindor crowd below was screaming itself hoarse — Gryffindor was sixty points in the lead, and if Harry caught the Snitch now, the Cup was theirs. Harry could almost feel hundreds of eyes following him as he soared around the field, high above the rest of the game, with Malfoy speeding along behind him. And then he saw it. The Snitch was sparkling twenty feet above him. Harry put on a huge burst of speed; the wind was roaring in his ears; he stretched out his hand, but suddenly, the Firebolt was slowing down — Horrified, he looked around. Malfoy had thrown himself forward, grabbed hold of the Firebolt's tail, and was pulling it back. â€Å"You –â€Å" Harry was angry enough to hit Malfoy, but couldn't reach — Malfoy was panting with the effort of holding onto the Firebolt, but his eyes were sparkling maliciously. He had achieved what he'd wanted to do — the Snitch had disappeared again. â€Å"Penalty! Penalty to Gryffindor! I've never seen such tactics.† Madam Hooch screeched, shooting up to where Malfoy was sliding back onto his Nimbus Two Thousand and One. â€Å"YOU CHEATING SCUM!† Lee Jordan was howling into the megaphone, dancing out of Professor McGonagall's reach. â€Å"YOU FILTHY, CHEATING B –â€Å" Professor McGonagall didn't even bother to tell him off She was actually shaking her finger in Malfoy's direction, her hat had fallen off, and she too was shouting furiously. Alicia took Gryffindor's penalty, but she was so angry she missed by several feet. The Gryffindor team was losing concentration and the Slytherins, delighted by Malfoy's foul on Harry, were being spurred on to greater heights. â€Å"Slytherin in possession, Slytherin heading for goal — Montague scores –† Lee groaned. â€Å"Seventy-twenty to Gryffindor†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Harry was now marking Malfoy so closely their knees kept hitting each other. Harry wasn't going to let Malfoy anywhere near the Snitch†¦. â€Å"Get out of it, Potter!† Malfoy yelled in frustration as he tried to turn and found Harry blocking him. â€Å"Angelina Johnson gets the Quaffle for Gryffindor, come on, Angelina, COME ON!† Harry looked around. Every single Slytherin player apart from Malfoy was streaking up the pitch toward Angelina, including the Slytherin Keeper — they were all going to block her — Harry wheeled the Firebolt around, bent so low he was lying flat along the handle, and kicked it forward. Like a bullet, he shot toward the Slytherins. â€Å"AAAAAAARRRGH!† They scattered as the Firebolt zoomed toward them; Angelina's way was clear. â€Å"SHE SCORES! SHE SCORES! Gryffindor leads by eighty Points to twenty!† Harry, who had almost pelted headlong into the stands, skidded to a halt in midair, reversed, and zoomed back into the middle of the field. And then he saw something to make his heart stand still. Malfoy was diving, a look of triumph on his face — there, a few feet above the grass below, was a tiny, golden glimmer — Harry urged the Firebolt downward, but Malfoy was miles ahead — â€Å"Go! Go! Go!† Harry urged his broom. He was gaining on Malfoy — Harry flattened himself to the broom handle as Bole sent a Bludger at him — he was at Malfoy's ankles — he was level — Harry threw himself forward, took both hands off his broom. He knocked Malfoy's arm out of the way and — â€Å"YES!† He pulled out of his dive, his hand in the air, and the stadium exploded. Harry soared above the crowd, an odd ringing in his ears. The tiny golden ball was held tight in his fist, beating its wings hopelessly against his fingers. Then Wood was speeding toward him, half-blinded by tears; he seized Harry around the neck and sobbed unrestrainedly into his shoulder. Harry felt two large thumps as Fred and George hit them; then Angelina's, Alicia's, and Katie's voices, â€Å"We've won the Cup! We've won the Cup!† Tangled together in a many-armed hug, the Gryffindor team sank, yelling hoarsely, back to earth. Wave upon wave of crimson supporters was pouring over the barriers onto the field. Hands were raining down on their backs. Harry had a confused impression of noise and bodies pressing in on him. Then he, and the rest of the team, were hoisted onto the shoulders of the crowd. Thrust into the light, he saw Hagrid, Plastered with crimson rosettes — â€Å"Yeh beat 'em, Harry, yeh beat 'em! Wait till I tell Buckbeak!† There was Percy, jumping up and down like a maniac, all dignity forgotten. Professor McGonagall was sobbing harder even than Wood, wiping her eyes with an enormous Gryffindor flag; and there, fighting their way toward Harry, were Ron and Hermione. Words failed them. They simply beamed as Harry was borne toward the stands, where Dumbledore stood waiting with the enormous Quidditch Cup. If only there had been a Dementor around†¦As a sobbing Wood passed Harry the Cup, as he lifted it into the air, Harry felt he could have produced the world's best Patronus.