Ell Assessments Essay

With the rise in immigrant students comes a rise in students who do not speak English. Schools are facing the need to not only teach these students their regular academics but also a new language. In Guthrie, Oklahoma, there may seem like there would not be as much need for such programs but the fact is that English language learners are also here. ELL students need assistance from the schools they attend in order to master their English skills and be able to become productive citizens when they graduate. Schools have had to come up with procedures to identify ELL students, assess and monitor their learning and proficiency, keep teachers informed, and ensure ELL students access to grade-level content and develop language simultaneously. When a new student enters school in Guthrie, Oklahoma first they are required to fill out a home language survey form, (Oklahoma Department of Education, 2012). This form basically asks what the primary language spoken at home is. If another language other than English is spoken then students are required to take the WIDA placement test, (Miles, 2013). If a student scores below a 5. 0 they are considered to be an English language learner, (Miles, 2013). That is how they identify ELL students at Guthrie Public Schools. Parents also need to be informed of these tests wither 30 days before school starts or within two weeks of school starting, (Oklahoma Department of Education, 2012). Throughout the school year schools have to assess ELL students to determine their progress. At Guthrie public schools ELL students in elementary school are monitored for progress every quarter by a bilingual tutor, (Miles, 2013). In junior and high school students are monitored daily by their teachers for progress, (Miles, 2013). The tutor and teacher monitor students social activities, their regular classroom environment, their activity in class, behavior, learning comprehension, as well as formal assessments. Formal assessments are tests done every quarter to see how much a student has progressed from the previous quarter. If a student is being social with other students during recess, actively participating in class, and learning the curriculum being taught then the ELL student is considered to be learning and comprehending English. ELL students are exempt from taking standardized tests for two years so they can become proficient in how to read, write, speak, and understand English, (Miles, 2013). Students must show proficiency in English in order to not be considered ELL anymore, (Oklahoma Department of Education, 2012). Another important part of ensuring the progress of ELL student is keeping their teachers informed of ELL student’s status. The way Guthrie public schools inform teachers of the ELL’s status is by sending them and email or letter with a copy of their test scores, (Miles, 2013). Teachers need to make accommodations for the students because they want the ELL students completely immersed in English. ELL students attend regular classes with regular peers, (Miles, 2013). Teachers assess ELL students daily just like they assess non ELL students. They do informal assessments like how they participate and communicate in the classroom to assess how they are progressing in English language proficiency and comprehending the curriculum. Formal assessments teachers may do would be homework sheets where students need to fill in the blank with the correct word or a spelling test. Teachers take the grades ELL students make in their class and assess if students need extra help like a tutor to better their English proficiency skills, (Miles, 2013). The way a school helps an ELL student achieve proficiency will vary depending on the requirements of the school district and state. Guthrie public schools is located in central Oklahoma. In the 2009-2010 Guthrie public schools had 108 English language learners out of 3,309 total students enrolled in the school district, (USA. com, 2011). They have adapted all of the state requirements which meet the federal No Child Left Behind act. Regardless, of the number of ELL students or location of the school, there school always be a way to identify, assess progress and proficiency level, keep teachers informed of ELL’s language proficiency and ensure ELL students have access to grade-level content and develop new language skills simultaneously. Schools should always be prepared to receive new students into their school and welcome them with a positive school spirit. REFERENCES Miles, S. (2013). Phone interview, Head of ELL department for Guthrie Public Schools. Oklahoma Department of Education. (2012). Identification and Exit Criteria for Oklahoma’s English Language Learners. Retrieved from: http://ok. gov/sde/sites/ok. gov. sde/files/Bilingual-ID-ExitCriteria. pdf.

Cultural Awareness Essay

The popular book Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice is a novel that is responsible for the revitalization of the vampire genre in popular fiction. The book itself tells an interesting story about three vampires: Lestat, Louis, and Claudia. The tale is told from the perspective of Louis, a Creole American plantation owner in pre-Civil War America who catches the eye of Lestat, a vampire who is roaming the world alone, in need of a companion. Louis is depressed because of losing his family and therefore is suceptible to Lestat’s eagerness to make him into a vampire, which he does. The plot of the book revolves around these two characters as they live together. Louis hates what he has become and loathes taking life but makes Claudia, a little five year old girl, into a vampire as well. The relationship between Lestat and Louis, and their shared love of Claudia, is depicted throughout the novel as Louis struggles with his immortality, Lestat faces the betrayal of Louis and Claudia, and Claudia matures mentally without every growing physically. Their struggles with each other and against each other becomes the driving force behind the novel. The setting of Interview with the Vampire is primarily Paris and New Orleans before and after the Civil War. The vampires live together in a flat, where much of the action takes place between all of the characters. The reader is led through the torment of the plague in Paris, the customs of the slaves in New Orleans, and the underbelly of these two cities where Lestat, Louis, and Claudia find the people that they feed off of each night for their sustenance and strength. The characters found within this book are Lestat, Louis, Claudia, and Armand. These main characters show themselves throughout the novel to be interesting and complex. The character of Claudia emerges as a young girl whose mother has died of the plague and who Louis feels extremely sickened about when he feeds off of her. Lestat then helps him create a vampire out of her. Armand is the leader of the coven in Paris and becomes a close companion of Louis after Lestat and he go their separate ways. Each character brings a new dimension to the story.

My Favorite Childhood Memory

As time goes by, there was this event which happened during my childhood keeps grinding in my brain. The one thing which I favor the most was to watch cartoon all day long. My childhood was so much influenced by Disney cartoons. The little girl would always have the thoughts of breaking the TV glass and get into it to join them. Me as the youngest in the family would let myself to play in a place of my own creation with the characters present in the cartoon. My parents were aware of my craze towards the fantasy land and the characters. In a splendid summer, my parents took my other siblings and me to somewhere really far from our home. My siblings and I rushed to the windows of the car to get the best position to view the beauty of newly existed city in our life. It was magnificently beautiful to look at the tall buildings out of the car windows. The pain in the neck was greatly ignored over the breathtaking city as we were had to look up in the air. After the hours of journey, my daddy stopped off the car at our favorite restaurant which has a star on it. Carls Jr. was the place we always yearn for. We had queued at the washroom door to take turn—empting the over filled bladder. Now, all the eyes are helping the brain to glance through the menu board to decide the meal for the hungry stomach. Jr. Meal set was the most appetizing menu for little kids. As usual my lovely elder sister had educated me over my ill table manners since I munched while my mouth opened wide and dinned. Belching sounds were heard among the family members who marked the filled stomach. Before, we jump into the car, mom instructed her kids to drain out the urine as it takes another couple of hours before we hit the destination. Silence was observed in the car except the fine classical music played to help us rest the strained eyes. Snoring and drooling had been part of the journey to a veiled land. The sun shone straight to face forcing us to open the long closed eyes. Eyes were trying to keep focus on a figure standing against the sun. It was mommy, waiting for her kids to awake from their sleeps. On by one, leaped out of the car while blocked by mom and dad from viewing the surrounding. Daddy urged us to close our eyes. Next, we heard mommy saying â€Å"darlings, you may disclose your eyes†. While sun shines happily to us, we hardly could see the place hid over the sun shine. Yet, we identified a great gateway and a castle which always appears at the beginning of any Disney cartoon or movies. It was Disney Land. My siblings and I were jumped freely in the summer warm sky as we were surged with happiness and so much joy. The heart could hardly believe the eyes.

Why corporate social responsibility matters Essay

Why corporate social responsibility matters - Essay Example Corporate companies are setting up fully fledged CSR departments focusing on the social issues of contemporary relevance. A complex chain of various stakeholders of the company including the community; vendors, customers, investors and the concerned government will be involved in a CSR decision of the company. In other words, a CSR decision of particular company will affect its varied range of stakeholders. The stakeholders will have either comply with the CSR decision or in cases, they will benefit from the CSR initiative of the company. Johnson & Johnson is a multinational company with its presence over 60 countries. It has more than 250 subsidiary companies with human resource strength of 116,000 people. Being a large company and having been using the governmental and natural resources for long years, it becomes the responsibility of Johnson & Johnson to be responsible to issues of social relevance. The objective of this essay is to critically analyze the Corporate Social Responsi bility initiatives of Johnson and Johnson. Managerial Structure of Corporate Social Responsibility Wing The company claims that CSR has been included in the mission statement of the company 60 years ago. Interestingly, in that period CSR was not a point of discussion as a responsibility to be fulfilled by Corporate Companies. The CSR initiatives of the company were started by General Robert Wood Johnson (CSR Globe, 2006) He was the Chairman of the Director Board of the company then. The first initiative taken up by the company in this regard has been claimed by the company to have taken up way back in 1906. The company supported the government to source medical supply for the victims of the earthquake that happened in San Francisco. The CSR representative for the company is the Executive Committee. This makes it clear that the CSR initiatives of Johnson & Johnson is planned and controlled by its top level management. The involvement of senior level management in thus ensured in the process of planning and implementation. The governance of Johnson & Johnson’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives is centrally based from its headquarters. This central approach in governance makes sure that the policy is oriented and focused on the central policies suggested by the Executive committee of the company. This further ensures the top management’s control over the CSR mechanism. The comprehensive Strategy Johnson and Johnson have developed a comprehensive strategy that clearly defines the limits of implementation of CSR. The CSR priorities of the company have been clearly defined to be limited to four sections. First of it is to cater to the company’s responsibility towards nurses, patients, doctors, mothers fathers and others who use the products of Johnson and Johnson. The second priority area is employees all across the world. The third is communities and the fourth one is stockholders. On careful analysis of these priority areas, it is cl early observable that the company has clearly defined the reach of its CSR initiatives. Interestingly, most of the beneficiaries from all the four priority areas belong to their customer base and direct dependents of the company. For instance when the patients who use their products refer to their customer base, the 116,000 people employees who are direct dependants of the company are included in within the limits of the activity. In conclusion, it can be observed that the CSR policy of Johnson and Johnson comprises of a comprehensive strategy clearly defining its limits to business development, human resource welfare, supply and sourcing chain wellbeing and community welfare. Specific CSR Programs The CSR programs of the company focus on three large areas including Environment, Social and Governance and Economic. The

Childbirth Education Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Childbirth Education Assignment - Essay Example You can locate a childbirth class by calling your local hospital or birthing center, and by going to www.lamaze.org   2. Talk to at least one woman in the class (in person or by phone) about their perceptions of the class, and their feelings as the birth of their baby approaches. Talk to them after the birth of their baby, if possible, and have them share the story of their baby’s birth.   One of the most pinnacle points for a wife or for any female is giving child birth. Child birth is one of the most wonderful experiences that a female can ever experience in her life. Females tend to have different perceptions of child birth because of the prevalent ambiguities that are present due to social and physical factors. Majority of the women understand that childbirth is excruciating and painful. However, many women often feel that it symbolizes their womanhood and their strength. For most women, the attitudes towards childbirth seem to be a scary matter. One woman in the class discussed her fears as she stated, â€Å"Childbirth always scared me. To make matters worse, the whole idea of getting an epidural really scared me. I mean, the fact that a huge needle will be injected in my spine was really daunting. However, it was good to understand that it would have facilitated my childbirth and I was determined to use it only if I needed it. I also have bad feeling that I might have to undergo C-section. When it came to actually delivering the baby, I did not have time to take the epidural. However, the childbirth itself was painful.† Consequently, another female had a different opinion as she stated, â€Å"I had a very easy labor. The pain was bearable and I delivered without any complication. I was induced to take an epidural because everyone said it was going to be awful. I really wanted an unmedicated birth but I felt that I needed to take precautions with my first birth.† 3. Explore www.lamaze.org and find the content for pregnant women. Si gn up for the week-by-week pregnancy emails and follow the Giving Birth with confidence blog. Compare what you are learning in class and observing in clinical with the content of on the website.   One of the most intriguing things that parents have to adapt is to a whole new lifestyle with a newborn. In essence, most parents have to be organized and be prepared for emergency. Moreover, most parents are unaware of the hygienic conditions that are associated with newborns. One of the key elements that adults take tend to engage in is being overprotective about their newborn. In essence, they are too quick to play â€Å"doctor† and diagnose with their baby with a mild cough. These aspects are related to the nurturing elements that are associated with parents. Another element that was associated with Giving Birth blog was the perceptions that were discussed in class and constraints that were linked to post conception. Undoubtedly it is vital that a woman will continue to have m ore children and her experiences with her previous childbirths shape her perceptions of reality. It is evident that most health educators take the issue of post birth very seriously and engrave these concepts in the minds of their students. Another element that was heavily discussed in class that was also prevalent in the blogs was the emotional mindset of the young mother about her physique. Post birth, many women tend to feel

Current State of Credit Card Industry in America Essay

Current State of Credit Card Industry in America - Essay Example This essay offers a thorough analysis of the state of the credit card market in the United states. Since the early eighties, the credit card industry in America have been controlled by the banking and financial associations, namely VISA and Master Card International. Over the years, several merchants have entered the credit markets and have strategically focused on expanding their market share which led to the flooding of credit cards in the US market. Looking at the rapid expansion of the credit card market; there are ominous signs for default in card payments which is the next most likely risk in the US economy after the mortgage crisis. This is due to the fact that the customers repayment capability of the credit card customers have declined after the economic crisis due to loss of jobs, fall of income, foreclosure of their homes, etc. The credit card risk in USA has serious consequences for the credit companies, financial sector and the economy of US. The payment default of the customers would result in the loss of return on investments for the banks and credit card companies. The personal finance schemes would prove to be a failure and the credit card companies would loose huge amounts lent in the US market. This loss would affect the liquidity of the companies and the investors would loose confidence on the company’s performance. The market information on the declining performance of the companies would result in erosion of shareholder’s wealth and the share prices in the market would fall. The overall decline in performance of the credit card industry would affect the market performance and the market index would plunge once more after the global financial crisis (Jickling 88). Proposed Solution The solutions to overcome the next most likely risk in the credit card markets of US have been proposed as follows. The increase in the credit card market risk is due to the intention of the market players to squeeze the borrowers to the fullest and restore their profit margins after receiving a setback from the losses of the mortgage market. The proposed solution includes intervention of the government to cut back the rising interest rates and the deceptive tactics employed by the credit card issues in charging the customers with more amount of repayment. Already the income level of the customers has lowered and a further rise in interest of the credit card companies would extract the entire liquidity from the economy and would raise the subsequent risk of credit card default . Thus government regulations on stabilization of the interest rates and reduction of the hidden costs would help to maintain a position of equilibrium in the credit card market. Secondly, the tightening of the eligibility criteria for credit cards is another solution proposed to avoid the future consequences. The credit cards in the US markets should be issued to worthy borrowers by estimating their income level and repayment capability. Customers like the students who have limitations in repaying the borrowed amounts should not be flooded with credit cards. These policies of the credit card companies are likely to resolve the situation of a likely future crisis in the credit card industry. Consequences of what happens if change is not made The future consequences are grave if changes in the credit card policies and the interest rates are implemented by the market players. The customers who have been facing a constraint in liquidity level would use the credit cards as their last re sort. If the ever rising interests rates initially from 10% to 15% and then to 20% in the subsequent stages are not cut back, this will increase the

Economic and financial markets Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Economic and financial markets - Case Study Example In 1992 Starbucks became a public limited company (www.mhhe.com) through an IPO. The coffee is supplied mainly through its own and franchised coffee-shop chains as well as through supermarkets. Starbucks’ main competitors in the speciality coffee-shop business are Costa Coffee, Barista and Coffee Bean. Though its mainstay remains its coffee brewing business, Starbucks also offers other hot and cold drinks, hot and cold sandwiches, ice cream, pastries and snacks. Many people have bought its mugs and tumblers to express their appreciation for the Starbucks brand. A more recently created Starbucks Entertainment Division and its Hear Music label also offers books, music and films. Clearly Starbucks has expanded from just a coffee label to a much larger enterprise (www.starbucks.com). Comments on Starbucks’ Pricing Strategy In the given assignment, we are asked to comment on the pricing strategy of Starbucks chain. We are told that at a local Starbucks, customers are offered a variety of alternatives with the following price list: Freshly brewed coffee ?1.55 Cafe Latte ?1.99 Capuccino ?1.99 Vanilla Latte ?2.29 Caramel Machiato ?2.65 Cafe Americano ?1.70 Expresso ?1.35 Cafe Mocha ?2.25 White Cafe Mocha ?2.65 The above prices are for the ‘tall’ size of the above beverages. ... tte, Cappuccino and Cafe Americano come in the price range ?1.70 to ?1.99, and the last or uppermost tier is for its fancier offerings such as Vanilla Latte, Cafe Mocha and White Cafe Mocha, costing between ?2.25 and ?2.65 respectively. It is also possible that the people ordering these beverages form different classes of customers for Starbucks. Quite possibly the cost of making these beverages and the additional labour and ingredients that are put in have also affected the final price charged by Starbucks. So we can see that there are three tiers of prices possibly indicating low, medium and high class customer preferences. Anyway as far as a cup of coffee goes, there is not much overall variation between the lowest price of ?1.35 and the highest price of ?2.65 a cup at Starbucks- indeed it is very reasonable and such a price difference will readily be accepted by a consumer (Kotler, 1990). Product pricing theory advises us that when setting the price of a product, we should take i nto account the price elasticity of demand for a product (McConnell & Brue, 2005). However one must regard a cup of coffee as a basic necessity especially in the winter season, so its price elasticity is relatively low. Its only real substitute is tea, but even that loses favour in the winter season. For avowed coffee fanatics, no other beverage will do. Starbucks’ pricing strategy will most likely also be impacted by the price charged by its competitors, whether it is entering into a new marketplace and is willing to offer price discounts in the beginning period, or whether it wants to place itself at the higher end of the market and charge higher prices, focusing only on a select group of high end customers having purchasing power. Obviously it is aided in this by its international

Corporate and interpersonal communication seminar paper Essay

Corporate and interpersonal communication seminar paper - Essay Example corporations, even as early as the 1980s when the term â€Å"greenwashing† gained popular usage as a neologism to describe seedy corporate tactics, to advertise products as â€Å"green†, exploiting corporate social responsibility and corporate ethics as a means of promoting one’s products and services as more altruistic (or ethical) than those of competitors. From the perspective of the corporation, greenwashing is advantageous for those in one’s target market because it gives an additional selling point. Even if the greenwash is an exaggeration, rather than an outright lie, the marketing of that product is able to create a short- and long-term benefit scheme with which to sell the product. However, a corporation facing the accusation of greenwashing can quickly find itself in a public relations feud with environmental groups that are increasingly loud and vocal with those sympathetic with what it is trying to achieve. Additionally, because of the prevalence of greenwashing in American industries, it is likely environmental marketing groups like TerraChoice and ENN are set on making an example of demonizing corporations accused of greenwashing their products and services, due to the prevalence of the practice among primary competitors in most industries. Therefore, responding to an accusation of greenwashing from consumer or envir onmental interest groups is a tricky situation no corporation should underestimate, especially given the increasing weight the value of environmental sustainability is being given in the new â€Å"green economy†. What defines the concept of a greenwash, however, might befuddle some in-house marketers, advertisers, and public relations people for a loop both in understanding the nature of acceptable practices in product promotion and in the proper response to an accusation of such fraud. Irrefutably, the best way of preventing an accusation of an act is no consciously avoid committing such an act in the first place; but, of course, it is

The principles and misconceptions in effective interpersonal Essay

The principles and misconceptions in effective interpersonal communications - Essay Example The principles and misconceptions in effective interpersonal communications The principles and misconceptions in effective interpersonal communications There are several principles that underlie effective interpersonal communication. These principles should be adhered to in order to enhance the success of any interpersonal communication endeavor. The principles of effective interpersonal communication have emanated from mediation, focusing on the quality and nature of interpersonal communication and relationships. One of the key principles of interpersonal communication demands that people should treat one another with a lot of respect. A couple should enjoy being together and present for one another during times of difficulty. Another principle of effective interpersonal communication is that people should not interrupt one another. This principle is essential as it helps a person to be listened to when he or she talks with another person. By not interrupting others, conversations will become useful, joyful, interesting, and worthwhile (Mayer, 2007). In int erpersonal communication, there is a vital principle, which demands that people should not volunteer others. This denotes that there should be the recognition of valuing the right of the other person to make their own choice. As such, there is no need to use one’s language in a manner suggesting we are choosing for the other party. The other principle of effective interpersonal communication is that everyone has the right to pass. This means that a person can make the choice not to do something, especially when he or she does not have the feeling to do it. With this principle in mind, everyone should take responsibility for their own actions and choices. Interpersonal communication also calls for the principle of speaking, but the speaking should not be for long or happen too often. Based on this principle, it can be deduced that talking for too long affects the reliance on communication as a way of connecting with others. Therefore, it is of considerable significance that we allow others to talk about ourselves. Interpersonal communication also holds the principle that we should challenge the behavior of the other person, as opposed to challenging the person. Therefore, complicated situations should be de-personalized from a personal battle to an opportunity for creativity and learning (Mayer, 2007). The other principle of effective interpersonal communication is that confidentiality should be respected. Therefore, one should develop a feeling of safety, trust, and intimacy by valuing what the other person regards as crucial to themselves. Effective interpersonal communication also has the principle that there may be nothing wrong in making mistakes. Thus, people in a relationship should acknowledge that either or both of them may make mistakes. Mistakes can be regarded as leaning opportunities, avenues for insight and connection instead of opportunities where people should blame each other (Mayer, 2007). Effective interpersonal is not without several misconceptions. One of the misconceptions in effective interpersonal communication encompasses the belief that it solves all problems. Although people may learn to communicate about a problem clearly through interpersonal communication, it may be easy to come with a solution to the problem. The other misconception about interpersonal communication entails the belief that it is always a desired thing. However, may communicate in ways that tend to be deceitful, racist, manipulative, and

Psychological and Ethical Egoism Essay Example for Free

Psychological and Ethical Egoism Essay Egoism is the teleological theory within the proximities of ethics which is allied to setting greatest good, pleasure and benefit for a single person. It comes as a contrast of altruism whose strictness is not self-centered. However altruism incorporates the interest of others in deriving absolute pleasure for a group of people or the contemporary society. Egoism can of necessity be viewed under different contexts with prevalence to the implication of drive into pleasure. Psychological egoism: This is the term that is taken to apply the aspect of human motivations as centered in self-interest. According to this view, any action despite its scores of altruism is governed by the motivations of personal desire that come from the psychological overview of the specific agent. This could incorporate aspects of desire by the agent such as avoiding the notion of been guilty, creating motives of desire for rewards or developing motives towards personal happiness. However, psychological egoism is developed as a synchronization effect of claiming the thresholds that define the scores of human nature. Since this claim in support of human nature is of necessity universal, it follows that the persuasion towards acting to a certain episode is driven by motives of personal desires and motivations (David, Jennifer, 2003, p. 58). Generally, psychological egoism underscores the phenomenological ascertainment of actions as founded on models of pure altruism. However, every action accrues some specific benefits to the fundamentals of an individual person. For example, helping a friend would yield personal happiness in the long run. The theory argues that the help that people give to the others is still motivated by personal interest and not purely aimed at creating happiness and satisfaction to the others. The principles of this theory are based on non-normative theoretical background that explains on the subjective phenomena of how things should primarily be. The basic provisions of psychological egoism is that the ultimate motive that ignites an individual towards making his/her voluntary actions is the in held desire of attaining personal pleasure as well as avoiding any possible effects and possibilities of pain (David, Jennifer, 2003, p. 3). In its proponents, psychological egoism argues that all altruistic actins are by themselves centered on parameters and motives of self interest and selfishness. These acts are only instrumental in having the aspects of motives towards self interest. The ultimate goal of egoism is therefore to achieve good feelings on personal pleasure which could consequently help in reducing and avoiding any probable scores of pain. Ethical egoism: It is the doctrine with its foundations based on the motives of selfishness as an acute score in the plain of human virtues. The theory has its propositions on the aspect that a person’s actions should ideally be modeled by personal interest. The foundations of ethical egoism are restoring the normative valuation of social phenomenon. Comparatively therefore, the truth value of ethical egoism outscores that of psychological egoism in that if it holds true, then psychological egoism would subjectively be untrue. It is a deviation from the principles inclined in altruism which propose on the ideals of the good for the contemporary society or group of people. According to the theory, when the societal resources are focused more precisely towards satisfying the interest of a person, greater efficiency and functionality of the existing social structures would therefore be felt. Consequently, the end results of this process are greater happiness in the contemporary society in the long run after each individual acts to create proximities of personal interests and happiness (David, Jennifer, 2003, p. 71). The principle code of ethical egoism is providing the rationale for a persons action in his/he own interest. This is however acceptable despite any controversial prospects in leading to conflicts between the parameters of interest and values of the others within the society. The basic difference that exists between ethical egoism and psychological egoism is that ethical egoism argues that an individual should presumably act in accordance to one’s self-interest. However, psychological egoism has its value that individuals can primarily act within the scores of their motives held in self-interests. Primarily therefore, ethical egoism governs persons in acting according to the requirements of their personal interests. Accordingly, its advancement conflicts with the basics and principles of ethical altruism when the latter presupposes the role of an individual in helping and serving the other people within the societal context (David, Jennifer, 2003, p. 71) . Conceptually however, ethical egoism is not founded on the disregard of the basic well being of the other people by the specific moral agent. Either, it does not disregard the rejection of the agent in refraining from the causal behavior that creates moral deliberation for the others. The basic creations and models of ethical egoism have been formulated on the basics of three scopes of understandings which are the universal, personal and individual. An individual egoist would proclaim that individuals should basically do that which creates benefits to them. A personal egoist would argue that their actions should be based on motives of their self-interest. Additionally, universal egoist would claim that all the people should act according to the principles that are by there on creating the aspect of own interest (David, Jennifer, 2003, p. 76).

Overview Of Ethical Dimension In Decision Making Process Commerce Essay

Overview Of Ethical Dimension In Decision Making Process Commerce Essay This piece of work explores the ethical dimension in decision making process and factors that influences managers behavior. It also explore conditions at which managers make decisions, how they access opportunities and why the needs to maintain sensitivity and be guided by their moral compass in reaching high ethical values in all their activities. The short fall of ethical issues shall also be address. Ethical misconduct has become a major issue in recent time that has led to the collapse of hitherto successful companies. Accounting fraud, inside trading of stock and bonds information, falsifying document, bribery, deceptive advertising, defective products employee theft, non punishable gross ethical misconducts, lack of proper governance are all problems cited as evidence of the decline ethical standards. Respectable business men and women, politicians have to resign disgracefully or imprisons for ethical indiscretions. Ethics in business has now taken a new centre stage in the cor porate world as Global businesses are now working closely together to establish standards of acceptable behavior. The benefit of ethics cannot be overemphasize, many organizations who uphold ethics are reaping its benefit such as employee commitment, customer satisfactions, investor loyalty and above all soaring profit. INTRODUCTION It is perceived that a cultural diversity in work place arises from upholding ethical values, which is linked to morals which in it self is linked to performance. One cannot talk about ethics without mentioning values, morals and principles. They are all interlinked and one explains the other. For example, Ethics- a moral principle or set of moral values held by an individual. Morals principles of behavior in accordance with standards of right and wrong. Values moral principles or accepted standards of a person or a group. Principles a standard or rule of personal conduct. Thus Business ethics is a set of moral principles for arriving at a decision within the values of the organization. Ethics is very controversial because of its discretional nature of it makes it open to different interpretations and applications, for this reason it can be manipulated to suit certain situations and many employees and managers have gone unscratched. For example an employee, who produces the best s ales results but continues to be racist after several warnings do you dismiss him and lose your best sales personnel? This situation does not only require honesty and courtesy. As controversial ethics may be, its importance has risen in modern times. So why is ethics so important? They are because, they are very the foundations on which a civilized society is base on and without them civilization may collapse; its purpose in business is to direct employees to abide by a code of conduct that maintains discipline and facilitates public confidence in that business. Ethics ought to be and must be taught, its values cannot be managed; its a personal thing and is about standards. Ethical values translated into management behaviors can make the difference between employee satisfaction and frustration. Making good ethical decisions requires sensitivity to ethical issues and a practiced method for exploring the ethical aspects of a decision and weighing the considerations that should impact on course of action. Having a method for ethical decision making is absolutely essential. It is only by carefully exploring a problem, aided by the insights, intuition and different perspectives, can managers make good ethical choices in pressing needs. Minor moral behavior is usually an outcome of a decision process Moral and ethical behaviors are used interchangeably; this is because ethical behaviors are usually base on morals. Morality is usually used to refer to a code of conduct put forward by any actual group. Ethical behavior is acting in ways that is consistent with one personal values and the commonly held values of the organization and society Naran (1992) .Aristotles view of some of the key elements of a moral character includes Courage, which allows managers to assume reasonable risks when in dilemma, its demonstrate initiative but are not foolhardy. Temperance, which allows managers to channel their drives and ambitions in creative ways without being excessive. Justice, which is associated with trying to find a balance between competing forces, and which is essential in balancing stakeholders claims in addition to honesty, integrity etc. Managers are perceived to be morally upright whose responsibility is to make decisions that seek common good. Even though they are perceived this way, yet they have a choice to follow either their own values or the company values enshrine in CSR, which according to Institute of Business Ethics is the core values and codes of ethical behaviors that underpin everything that the business does and how a company chooses to interact with its global and local communities in the light of its values and ethics. It is also the area where the agency problem arises (i.e. the conflict of interest between managers and owners, where managers could forgo the interest of shareholders and work in their own self fish interest). For example Enrons Kenneth Lay had the choice between honoring shareholders or himself and he chose the latter over the former. Albert Carr in 1968 referred a decision maker as game player who cannot be trusted to accommodate all stakeholders in his decision. Because a business should not seek to satisfy goals other than seeking profit by legal and acceptable means Friedman (1790). What is acceptable means is where ethical behaviors are traded off. For instance, will a shareholder prefer to have more profit unethically? Are they just interested in returns which most of them do or seek the good for all? E.g. Cadbury was taken over by Kraft, the shareholder knew there would be jobs losses yet because of returns, they went ahead, were they seeking good for many or themselves?). Both Carr and Friedman appear to support aggressive profit chasing style of management but differ in the approaches. Carr is of the view that, the morality of the poker player is what counts which means that, the morality of the company should be burnt to favor that game player. But the question is how moral can a manger be trusted to be? WorldComs Bernie Ebbers was trusted for that, occupying a reputable position in a reputable company but what did he do? This is where Friedman assert ion that profit should be chased within the parameters of decency and legality is of great value in business ethics, which is the application of ethical values to business behavior and applies to any and all aspects of business conduct, from boardroom strategies to treatment of suppliers to sales techniques and accounting practices. Ethics goes beyond the legal requirements for a company and is, therefore, discretionary. Business ethics applies to the conduct of individuals and to the conduct of the organization as a whole. It is about how a company does its business, how it behaves intrinsically. Most companies seek to do business ethically in order to make profit but an ethical business, on the other hand has a much broader agenda and focuses on making a positive contribution to the community. For example a mainstream bank may take ethics seriously by taking responsibility for its negative impacts on society and the environment and seeking to minimize those impacts. An ethical ban k, such as The Co-operative Bank, states that it seeks to make the world a better place by taking a different approach to banking. In the case of this type of business, ethics becomes at least as high a priority as profitability. Decision makers are constantly tested with a host of ethical issues such as bribery, conflicts of interest environmental protection, fairness, fraud, honesty in research and testing, public safety, utilitarianism etc. BAE systems recently pleaded guilty to bribery allegations. Where was their ethical code? It appears to suggest that, these companies have persuasive ethical codes but fall short of reflecting on their day to day activities and a deterrent to such unethical practices. The lack of legal enforcement of these ethical codes is belittling its impacts. Let consider the words of Kenneth Lay July 1 2000 As officers and Enron Corp, its subsidiaries, and its affiliated companies, we are responsible for conducting the business affairs of the companies in accordance with all applicable laws and in a moral and honest mannerWe want to be proud of Enron and to know that it enjoys a reputation for fairness and honesty and that it is respected. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Compliance with the law and ethical standards are conditions of employment and violations will result in disciplinary action, which may include terminationin addition to responding to the Act, we are adopting this Policy Statement to avoid even the appearance of improper conduct on the part of anyone employed by or associated with the CompanyWe have all worked hard over the years to establish our reputation for integrity and ethical conductà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ We cannot afford to have it damaged. Those were the words of Kenneth Lay yet he damaged and collapsed Enron and never obeyed any single word from the code of ethics he wrote. Ethical codes are increasingly becoming a norm for businesses and will soon become a white elephant except some actions be taken to address its lack of enfor cement and proper oversight. The absence of punishment essentially provides an opportunity for unethical behaviors. Managers may not be taught to have good morals but can be force to follow ethical codes. Corporate governance was created as a accountability, oversight and control with accountability referring to how closely the workplace decisions are aligned with the firms stated strategic direction and its compliance with ethical and legal considerations and oversight as a check and balances that limit an employees and managers opportunities to deviate from policies and strategies that prevent unethical and illegal activities and control to take charge of auditing and improvement. This was a brilliant idea with the board of directors as the officers in charge. These board of directors who have legal responsibility for the firms resources and decisions, appoint executives and assume fiduciary duties have used such positions to enrich themselves according to Ferrell, (2005) most boa rd of directors meet irregularly and spent less time to take the most complex decisions but spend more time in executive compensations. Most respondents in his survey agree that directors compensations are too. Unfortunately the people or the bodies who suppose to regulate, stress and point out unethical issues have become accomplices. For example Former head of Royal Bank of Scotland was accused of a host of wrong doings when he never acted alone. And most of his decisions were approved by the board of directors. As if that was not enough his successor defended feverishly the roar of the bonuses has brought huge debate in the public including a parliamentary committee. Arthur Andersen supposes to haven been the Accountants Accountant (Auditors) who suppose to have been the eyes for Enron and WorldCom shareholders, but what did they do? Were they honest and fair? Did they protect the shareholders and investors? Were they not partners in crime to immoral Kenneth lay and his allies to defraud the general public? So who can the public trust on ethical issues and utilitarianism, the very people who suppose to know better are worse off. To sum up: Ethics is not the same as feelings. But good morals triggers intuition which needs to be trusted sometimes in complex decisions making which help to steer moral compass. Ethics is not religion. Many people are not religious, but ethics applies to everyone. Most religions do advocate high ethical standards but sometimes do not address all the types of problems we face. Yet where ethics are tied to religious belief there has been less misconduct. Ethics is not following the law. A good system of law does incorporate many ethical standards, but law can deviate from what is ethical. Law can become ethically corrupt, as some totalitarian regimes have made it. Law can be a function of power alone and designed to serve the interests of narrow groups. But if only ethics can be enforced most of the corrupt practices shall reduce. Ethics is not following culturally accepted norms but where ethics becomes a way of life there has been much result. A decision is usually a choice among alternatives (McManus, 2009). It is the study of identifying and choosing alternatives based on the values and preferences of the decision maker. It is a cognitive process which consists of finding the best option from a feasible set. Many decision making processes, in the real world, take place in an environment of uncertainty in which managers some time rely on probabilities and gut feeling(intuition) beside rational to make decisions. Thus every decision involves certain amount of risk. Where there is no uncertainty, there is no risk and where there is certainty there is no decisions to be made. There are different types and levels of decisions with different input and outcome but whatever the decision might be the processes are the same though it differs in substance and in content. For example strategic decisions are long term heuristic control from board and top management is usually associated with high risk because of the uncertain future. Tactical decisions, medium term and qualitative with moderate risk for middle and functional management and operational which is short term, day to day quantitative activities with l ow risk for lower management. These levels and types of decisions usually involve 6 main steps from identification of a need or problem which involves defining the underlying problem to be solved with clearly stated desired outcome or the goal, to developing alternatives which is exploring other ways or possible solution to achieve the stated goal, to evaluating alternative which is analyzing each alternative and its includes comparing alternative, weighting, rating and ranking alternatives to find out the best feasible option then selection which could be more than one option, to implementation which is a very crucial step because all the people involved in the implementation of a solution should know about the implications of making the decisions are, this is very essential to successful results and then monitoring which is watching over to make sure it reaches the goal. But there are various obstacles to good decisions, because the manager has to rely on others to input, it can s low decisions down or tilt it wrongly such as lack of information and the too much of it, lack of technical expertise, lack of constructive criticisms, noncommittal, over confidence, prejudgment, reliance of past experience, supply of wrong information, dominance individuals etc. In all of these processes managers are expected to behave in a certain way (ethically). Because a company cannot be a moral agent but they are however held to the same standard as individuals, a manager personal morality should not be separated from business morality. As the impact of a companys actions on society requires them to consider the whole social system in making a decision, as business doesnt operate in a vacuum. Whether a decision is reach base on rational or probability, the intuition (gut feeling) factor will always have the final say. Most managers make decisions that reflect on their persona, thus a morally corrupt mangers like WorldComs Bernie Ebbers, Adelphias John Rigas, Tycos Dennis Kozl owski, Livedoors Takafumi Horie, Samsung Group Lee Kun-hee, Daewoos Kim Woo-chaas etc made decisions that reflected on their morality. Ethical managers often back down on a decision when it doesnt feel right. Thus indeed a decision process is an outcome of moral behavior. A business situation occurs with a variety of threats and opportunities to goals and success Every problem or a need creates business opportunity with it associated risk. Managers ought to be sensitive to the dynamics of business environment with its rapid technological changes. Managers always scan their environment to spot opportunities, situations that they can take advantage of. They explore new ways of doing things, look to keep competitors at arms length, try to strengthen their competitive advantage and increase market share. They monitor their position and their products in the market place and also take advantage of a new market. Sometimes they diversify their portfolio to take a situational advantage. For example virgin airline spotted a business opportunity for space tourism because they saw a need which they thought they could provide. That was a massive ambition with huge risks and rewards, the aim is to provide tourist with an unforgettable experience in space flight, with the objective of provide sightseeing in aerospace. When its succeeds the benefit are very huge but the risk /threat of massive losses could scare them from such an adventure. This is where sound managers are called into action. First series of questions needs to be answered such as, is there a need for space tourism, what is the market size for such segment, who will be our primary targets, do we have the capacity in terms of funding and expertise, then a cost benefit analysis has to be done to ascertains the viability of it, A survey will be carried out as part of the strategies to test the market readiness for such adventure and when the space craft is ready a test flight has to carried out. In all of these, managers have to take a calculated risk not to overexpose the company. The threat of failure, being the first of its kind, safety and accidents issues will be a major concern. The target market would be the very elite the rich class. This could pave way to charging exorbitant prices that may lead to exploitation of such people, as a monopoly in the market. This is where mangers need to be guided by their moral fiber, to address the safety issues and setting fair prices to avoid exploitation. Opportunities do not come all the time and a proactive manager creates opportunities, but not all opportunities are advantageous. For example every business has its own risk threshold beyond it will be a disaster. There are some risk that can be passed on or diversify others can not be they are called systematic and non systematic risk. Some greedy managers would want to grab every opportunity and loose sight of systematic risk that cannot be mitigated by diversification such risk could collapse businesses. In accessing opportunities both risk takers and risk averse managers needs to take some level of risk (a calculated risk). Most managers access opportunities in light of PEST and SWOT especially if the opportunity is in abroad as these two analysis helps to uncover any hidden threat or risk. Political factors such as the type of government and its stability, the rule of law and levels of bureaucracy and corruption, Tax policy, and trade and tariff controls, environmental and consu mer-protection legislation. Economic factors such as stage of business cycle, economic growth, inflation and interest rates, unemployment , labor supply and cost, levels of disposable income and income distribution, the likely changes in the economic environment Socio-Cultural factors such as population growth rate and age profile, level of education and social mobility, employment patterns, job market freedom and attitudes to work. Technological Environment: Impact of emerging technologies, impact of internet, reduction in communications costs and increased remote working, research and development activity and impact of technology transfer. The effective use of PEST Analysis ensures that the business is aligned positively with the powerful forces of change that are affecting the business world. By taking advantage of change, the company is more likely to be successful than if its activities oppose it. PEST Analysis helps to avoid taking action that is doomed to failure from the outset, for reasons beyond the control of the manager and it also useful when the opportunity is in different country or region. This analysis should be done in conjunction with SWOT analysis STRENGHT WEAKNESS OPPORTUNITIES THREAT By access the internal factors (strength and weakness) such as the capacity expertise, funding etc some of the inherit risk or failure could be avoided before it takes off. Opportunities and threats are external factors such as new market, new product line diversification joint venture and acquisition, and threat such as new competitor, new taxation and tariffs. At the end of such analyses the manager would have all the options available to him to inform good choice or alternative move. But some times manager needs to acts quickly and cannot wait for these analyses, on that ground he must be guided by his expertise and his intuition to take a calculated risk to cease the opportunity if suit fit. A need to decide is recognized and alternatives must be evaluated and selected A need precede a decision. For a quality decision to be made, an unambiguous need must be identifies and recognized in the mind of the decision maker The decision maker has to understand the problem, the need and purpose of the decision, the criteria of the decision, subcriteria and who the stakeholders are. Quality decisions are mostly base on the quality of information available to the manager. Though more information doesnt guarantee better result and sometimes is as bad as little. Not all information is useful therefore; the manager will need to filter out which ones are necessary for the situation at hand. Alternatives must be carefully and objectively evaluated, prioritized, weighed, rated and ranked, their factual consequences explicitly determined and combined according to some predetermined utility function a choice is finally made to maximize utility. Harrison (1987) suggested five components in the decision-making function of comparing and evaluating alternatives: Analysis of the anticipated benefits and costs for each alternative. Estimation of the risk and uncertainties related to the like hood that given alternative will result in an outcome. Make closure on some one alternative i.e. eliminating or, probably some mixture of accessible alternatives Give reason for the choice of given alternative by fixed further on its attributes for attaining the objectives Determine and evaluate the outcomes expected to result from implementing the chosen alternative and where these are not feasible, the decision maker has to use his judgment. This is necessary because it is his responsibility to makes decision to salvage a situation or take advantage of, in all of these he must be guided by his personal values and the ethical code of the company, he will need to maintain his composure and allow his moral compass to guide him. A virtuous behavior usually extends from personal life into his business life. He will need to be sensitive to the environment and all the stakeholders. But sometimes they could be under pressure to take a stance or make a hasty move. For example President Bush went to war in Iraq when the September 11th was so fresh in the minds of Americans. The need to retaliate was so strong and the president was under enormous pressure to act and he acted under false pretence of weapons of mass destruction. Today many Americans wish they had not gone to war. Dialogue, sanctions and international pressure were options that he could have exercise, weighted ranked, instead he used his judgment which is usually base on feeling or an idea .Even though it came to light that the intelligent report on which he based his decisions on was wrong. This is how manger could make a bad decision with wrong information or little. Manager are tested every day with decision, they are being pressured all over because of the changing business environment, they have to think on their feet to make decisions with very little information, sometime they even have to gamble and hope that all goes well. This is where they have to trust their gut feeling to move forward. Time is generally short and at a premium. At this point, it is very easy for alternatives to be offered that require marginal moral behavior. This is when sensitivity to the moral compass is most needed. This is when objectionable moral behaviors can best be exposed and discarded. The right time is very important because businesses do not have much time to wait for a decision which is generally time consuming and uncomfortable and because of limitation in information collection and cumbersome processes, decision makers tends to settle for the first satisfactory solution which may be less than the ideal. Available time to business is determined by the gap between when a decision is to be made and when is actually made business. Between thos period profit can be made as losses. Businesses have strict times table some time and deadline must be met or never. For example, a competitive tender require specific date and time, if management are to make a bid they must meet it or loose the opportunity. Trading on the stock exchange is time bound; prices keep changing in a matter of seconds, a stock broker must make a move at the right time or loose out . Philip Kotler a marking authority believes the right product at the right time in the right place at the right price is very crucial to a successful business. Competitors could take advantage with the slighter delay. Businesses must strike at the right time or risk failure. Time value of money state that, money at the present time is worth more than the same amount in the future due to its potential earning capacity. Investment decision ought to be made at the right time if good returns are expected How can they adhere to personal and ethical values and their moral compass under these decision pressures? Strategic decisions set the tone for managerial decision making for all functional unit and individuals organization. If the decision making at the top of the organization is unproductive then the choices made at subordinate levels of management will be the similar. Likewise if top managements strategic choices tend to be successful, it permeates positively on choices made in other parts of the organization (Harrison 1987). According to Harrison (1987) argues that values are normative principles by which human beings are influenced by in their choices amongst alternative route of action. Values initiate principally at the level of the individual. It is also true, however, that groups have values, known as norms and organizations have values implied in their goals, objectives and their ethical codes. As a manager, decisions made should reflect the values of the whole organization REFRENCES Harrison E. (1987) the Managerial Decision-Making Process (3rd Edition) McManus J.(2010) Lecture 5, Managerial Decision Modelling, available Naran, F Your Role in Shaping Ethics, Executive Excellence, 9 (1992), 11 12 Ferrell,O.C Houghton Mifflin Company, USA 6th edition Carr A 1968. is business bluffing ethical Harvard Business review Friedman M. 1970 the social responsibility of business is to increase profit N.Y Time magazine John I have run out of time

environment is under constant threat as a result of modernisation

environment is under constant threat as a result of modernisation The environment is under constant threat as a result of modernisation, business activities, constant growth and development. All these are human activities that affect the immediate environment. The depletion in natural resources especially by the oil and gas companies such as the Pipeline Product Marketing Company (PPMC) has resulted in serious environmental impacts. Therefore, the need for sustainability and sustainable development cannot be overemphasized as it has become more important over the last two decades (Micheal Lan, 2000; Carbon Trust, 2008; Hahn, 2001; Cunningham et al., 2005). These accounts for the increasing pressure on governments to develop a response to a variety of problems which range from the use of natural resources to pollution control. In response, variety of environmental protection legislation and regulations were formulated with the aim of protecting the environment (Powley, 2004; IEMA 2005). The increase in natural resources consumption between 1961 and 1990 by 25% every 10 years resulted in serious environmental impacts in the form of acid rain. This leads to raising acidity in the soil and water thereby causing damage to forest crops, and freshwater fish and wildlife. Methane emission and mining waste, oil spills, air pollution by sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide as a result of burnt coal, oil or gas including climate change are also causes of environmental impacts (Micheal Lan, 2000; Edwards, 2000; Jaccard, 2005). PPMC is a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation owned by the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The company is involved in oil processing, production and marketing. PPMC was established to offer excellent customer services by transporting crude oil to the Nigerian three refineries as well as moving white petroleum products to existing markets. Its main objective is to profitably and efficiently market refined petroleum and petrochemical products in the domestic market as well as in the ECOWAS sub region and also provide marine services (PPMC, 2009). INVESTMENT PROJECT The PPMCs monitory and inspection department has 36 vehicles, a vehicle in each of the 36 states of Nigeria. The vehicles are used as official cars by staff in order to move in-between their offices, depot and filling stations and monitor and inspect their daily operational activities. Each car covers hundreds of kilometres daily due to the long distance between their office, filling stations as well as depots which are located far out of the city for environmental purpose. Every car consumes approximately 50 litres of petrol per day. However, it is environmentally unfriendly as they pollute the environment with carbon emissions. The company has set a target to drastically reduce or if possible to stop polluting the environment. Therefore, the senior management wants to accomplish a viable project with a length of 4 years, to improve their environmental performance and upgrade its corporate social responsibility. This project is expected to be a non-profit project that could bring ma ny savings to the company and return the initial investment in 3 years in order to avoid risk. The decision of expecting the payback period of 3 years was made by the senior management after careful consideration of the companys payback criteria which is 5yrs. PPMC has a standard of judging all its investments objectively, so as to determine whether the payback period is good or bad thereby passing an objective judgement as to know if the investment is worthy to be taken or not. Reducing or stopping the amount of petrol that is used during their daily activities, will support the company to obtain good corporate image and cost savings as each litre of petrol is N65 (Naira). In addition the company spends an average of N25, 000 monthly for maintenance on every car. PPMC is experiencing a great loss of resources as a result of this high petrol consumption every day there by polluting the natural environment. The vehicles have been used for approximately 6 years which has exceeded its guarantee period of 1 year. They are being used at maximum level as PPMC operates everyday including weekends and public holidays due to their nature of work and huge demand for their supply. The company is currently spending N52, 920,000 annually trying to main tain and fuel the old vehicles. The breakdown of these expenses is shown below: Annual cost of fuel and maintenance (Running cost). This includes running cost of fuel, repairs and monthly checks. Monthly cost of fuel = 50 x 36 x 30 x 65 = N3, 510,000 Annual cost of fuel = N3, 510,000 x 12 = N42, 120,000 Monthly cost of maintenance = N25, 000 x 36 = N900, 000 Annual cost of maintenance = N900, 000 x 12 = N10, 800, 000 Total Annual Expenditure = N42, 120,000 + N10, 800, 000 = N52, 920,000 In order to solve the above mentioned issues, PPMC management have decided to replace the old vehicles with brand new electric cars. These electric cars use neither petrol nor diesel, they have zero emission and their only by product is water. The car is known as Honda FCX Clarity, it is a Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV). This vehicle has worn the world green car award, during the 2009 World Cars Awards in Newyork. This award has upgraded Hondas corporate image by exposing its commitment towards a green environment. In addition, Honda already has an excellent history of environmental leadership as they are known to be manufactures of low emission vehicles under an improved regulatory requirement (Honda, 2009). It is rated by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) as the greenest auto maker for four different times in a row (UCS, 2007). The car generates electricity through the V flow fuel cell stack and stores it by the use of its highly efficient lithium ion battery, which helps recover energy. It also monitors electrical flow through its power drive unit and propels the vehicle (Honda, 2009). Honda FCX Clarity has an improved safety measures such as the Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), six air bags and a unit body structure that is well reinforced. It also has a visual and audio alert which alert the driver in case of any potential collision. Another safety precaution programmed in the vehicle is the prompting of the driver by the automatic tug of the seat belt in case of an unavoidable accident it minimises the speed by breaking force to reduce the impact of collision. Furthermore, it has a very strong electric motor as well as groundbreaking new fuel cell stack. These safety measures have been tested by the United States Federal Safety Standards and it was a success story (Honda, 2009). The purchase of Honda FCX Clarity by PPMC will demonstrate the companys commitment towards the reduction of Co2 emission thereby protecting the environment. The company will also be recognised as the first to introduce zero emission cars to Nige ria and it will serve as a solution that could bring cost savings. Total cost of investment Number of cars to be purchased = 36 cars Cost of each car = N3, 000,000 Total amount to be spent on cars = N3, 00,000 x 36 = N108, 000,000 Cost of delivery (Shipping) = N300, 000 x 36 = N10, 800,000 Total cost of investment = N108, 000,000 + N10, 800,000 = N118, 800,000 Annual savings The investment is expected to save the annual cost of fuel and maintenance; N42, 120,000 + N10, 800, 000 = N52, 920,000 Since the vehicle also comes with a free maintenance package including running cost for 3years 6months in form of a guarantee, as it is a newly introduced vehicle. Honda Company is trying to advertise this environmentally friendly vehicle to the world and attracting customers by covering maintenance and running cost. This is better compared to the guarantee of the old vehicles which is only 1 year. N52, 920,000 will be saved in the first year, while in the subsequent years N1 per litre will be added due to the projected annual oil product price increment. Therefore the total cost of investment will save the annual cost of fuel and maintenance. It is important to note that N65 is the current price of the petrol in Nigeria. Investment appraisal is a technique used by managers to achieve their target. It is the duty of the manager to determine and prove the importance of the project (Akalu, 2001; Mulholland et al., 2003). Therefore, it is important in the planning of this particular environmental project. PAYBACK PERIOD The duration of time for the PPMC to gain its initiated investment of N118, 800,000 on implementation is known as the payback period (Layard Glaister, 1994). The period of time that cash inflows will become the same with cash outflows is also known as the payback period (ACCA, 2008). However, it does not consider time value for money which expresses that, amount saved today is much more valuable than the same amount saved in 2 years. This is considered as one of the greatest setback (Dury, 1997). Initial investment Annual savings Table 1 Payback period   Ã‚                                                            Cash flow                                              Cumulative cash flow Initial Investment                     (118,800,000)                                                (118,800,000) Savings Year 1                                                   52,920,000                                                      (65,880,000) Year 2                                                   42,768,000                                                      (23,112,000) Year 3                                                   43,416,000                                                       20,304,000 Year 4                                                   44,064,000                                                       44,064,000 Total savings                           N183, 168,000 Initial Investment = N118, 800,000 Year 1 and Year 2 savings            =         52,920,000 + 42,768,000 = N95, 688,000 Year 3 = N43, 416,000 In order to calculate the payback period with precision and accuracy, the year 3 savings should be broken down to monthly by dividing it by 12 and then the cumulative savings for year 1 and 2 should be subtracted from the initial investment. The result should then be divided by the monthly savings of year 3 to have the actual number of months (Mclaney, 1994). This is calculated below: Savings per month for year 3 = N43, 416,000/12 = N3, 618,000 N118, 800,000 N95, 688,000 = N23, 112,000/N3, 618,000 = 6.38 Approximately 6 months. Payback period is 2years 6 months   NET PRESENT VALUE (NPV) NPV is realised by using a discount rate to determine the current value of future savings and subtracting the capital cost (Hannagan, 2008). This method accepts with projects that have positive NPV. The method also makes comparison between present value of cash outflows and inflows from an investment (ACCA, 2008). The table below shows the number of years (4), future value (FV), cash flow, discount factor (DF) 15% and the present value (PV). The first step in calculating NPV is to multiply the cash inflow (savings) by the DF of each year to get the PV. Then, sum up the PV and deduct the initial investment from the total PV to arrive at the NPV (Mclaney, 1994). 15% DF was selected not to make profit but to avoid risk; it was selected after considering the current base rate of the Central Bank Nigeria which is 13.2% as the base rate keeps appreciating every year (CBN, 2009). Inflation rate in Nigeria increases, therefore oil product price will also appreciate. Table 2 NPV calculation   Ã‚                                                        CF in Naira (N)                DF (15%)                PV in Naira (N) Initial investment                      (118,800,000)             1.000                            (118,800,000) Savings Year 1                                                    52,920,000                                    0.870                               46,040,000 Year2                                                      42,768,000                                  0.756                               32,333,000 Year 3                                                    43,416,000                                  0.658                               28,568,000 Year 4                                                    44,064,000                                    0.572                            25,205,000 Total savings                                 183,168,000                                                                            132,146,000 NPV = Total PV of savings PV of investment N132, 146,000 N118, 800,000 = 13,346,000 The project has a positive NPV as such it should be undertaken. INTERNAL RATE OF RETURN (IRR) IRR is a very important technique that influences the decision making as to whether or not an investment should be approved. It is interested in projects whose IRR are greater than the target rate of return. It also considers time value for money (ACCA, 2008). In order to have precision in calculating the IRR similar steps will be taken as how the NPV was sorted. However, it will require calculations at two different stages (NPV1 and NPV2) with two different DFs and normally both DFs should be greater than the DF used to determine the NPV. Finally the IRR formula will then be applied. IRR = NPV1 x (B A) + A NPV1 NPV2 Table 3: IRR calculation Years                           Cash Flows                DF (at 18%)                   PV Year 0                           (118,800,000)                      1.000                         (N118, 800 Initial investme-+nt) Year 1                               52,920,000                            0.847                                     44,823,000 Year 2                               42,768,000                              0.718                               30,707,000 Year 3                            43,416,000                            0.609                                     26,440,000 Year 4                               44,064,000                              0.516                               22,737,000 Total savings             183,168,000                                                                      124,707,000 NPV1 = 124, 707,000 118, 800,000 = + 5, 907,000 Table 4:  Ã‚                                 Years Cash flow                               DF (at23%)          PV Year 0                  (118,800,000)                                     1.000                                     (118,800,000) Year 1                                             52,920,000                                          0.813                                        43,024,000 Year 2                                             42,768,000                                          0.661                                          28,270,000 Year 3                                             43,416,000                                          0.537                                          23,314,000 Year 4                                             44,064,000                                          0.437                                          19,256,000 Total savings                         183,168,000                                                                                              113,864,000 NPV2 =      113,864,000 118,800,000 = 4,936,000 IRR calculation:                           Ã‚   5907  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  x (23 18) + 18   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5907 (- 4936)   Ã‚                                                                                   IRR=20.7% NON FINANCIAL FACTORS The key purpose of an environmental initiative according to Sheldon and Yoxon (2003) is to reduce environmental impacts of an organisation in ways which makes business sense. The direct result of this provides organisations with benefits which include the use of alternative source of energy to increase in an organisations efficiency, thus providing the organisation with a competitive edge. In addition, it ensures compliance with environmental regulations and increases organisation understands of how its activities impact the environment (Brady, 2006). PPMC has a lot to benefit apart from the financial savings. The organisation will be contributing its own quota towards achieving sustainability. This will result in environmental performance improvement through the initiative of purchasing brand new cars to reduce or stop carbon emissions. The initiative will reduce pollution, minimise waste, protect the natural environment and provide better corporate social responsibility as well as good corporate image to the organisation. Furthermore, status of the companys reputation will be upgraded as it is encouraging green environment and legal compliance (Aslaksen Synnedstvedt, 2003). It will also assists in the implementation of environmental policy, while improving compliance with legislation and corporate image (Sheldon Yoxon, 2003). Moreover, PPMC will demonstrate good operations within a safe and clean environment thereby creating a friendly environment for staff and the public (Edward, 2004). This will help sort out social matters and improve health and safety. Since, the electric cars have a highly improved safety measures that could provide ways of pollution control to protect the people and their environment (Edward, 2004). The company could also benefit from changes within the organisation, by delivering this environmental initiative that deals with environmental impacts such as climate change and global warming caused by their emissions (Murray, 2003). In addition, it will support the company to identify and minimise its impacts on the environment so as to enhance its corporate social responsibilities through the use of an alternative source of energy. This will not only promote their business environment but will promote the global environment at large. Purchasing the zero emission vehicles will pave way for the organisation to achieve sustainable development since it is a strategy that could consider maximum utility of resources. In addition, the project is not aimed at profit making but returning of initial investment. SUGGESTIONS/DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSION. The rate of interest at which the investment cost leads to investment benefit is known as the IRR. This means that, all investment gains are with the time value for money and at the interest rate, the investment has a zero NPV (ACCA, 2008). This investment appraisal has demonstrated the use of IRR to value the cash flow and raise it as a consequence of the investment while determining it with inflation (ACCA, 2008). For example, a higher target rate of return was chosen, so that even in a situation where the inflation rate rises the company will still save cost. Interest rate may rise to 15% during the life time of the project due to the increasing inflation rate in Nigeria, as history has shown that Nigerian base rate rises up to 0.45 every year. Therefore, risk is incorporated and the project is considered less risky. The IRR is 20.7%, this has shown a very good risk margin considering the Nigerian economic instability. Furthermore, the advantage of the IRR being 20.7% is that, eve n if the interest rate increases the project will still be economically good. Base rate of the Central Bank of Nigeria was used to determine the cost of capital and calculate the initial NPV. The base rate was also used to incorporate inflation by discounting cash flows to get the future value. Inflation changes value for money, this is the main reason for using the base rate in determining the discount factor for the NPV calculation. Two discount rates were used to solve the equation of IRR which assumes that NPV changes with discount rate but this is not the case in reality. The positive result of the NPV means that the project should be accepted and the chosen discount rate of 15% helped identify the actual value of the savings to be made, based on the fact that the project is anticipated to make an overall savings. However, the actual value of IRR is more important as it considers the current economic climate and the future interest rate of Nigeria. The result has shown that the IRR is higher than the target rate of return. It is important to note that, ba se rate is used to determine NPV not IRR while IRR assumes that NPV is zero. The savings to be realised by PPMC as a result of the new initiative as well as the indication of an attractive Payback period upon investment is clearly exposed. Payback period 2 years 6 months is a good payback period since, the criteria requires payback of the initial investment in 5yrs. Hence, it would have been a bad payback period if it exceeds 5years. Furthermore, PBP was used to support other data because it is not enough to serve as criteria for investment. The company will continue to benefit from the project for years even after returning the initial investment. PPMC could consider using a different discount rate for this project since it is aimed at executing an environmental project and not profit making. This appraisal has been thoroughly evaluated and has proven that the investment is reasonable (Mclaney, 1994). Since, the company will spend only N65, 880,000 more on the annual maintenance cost (52, 920,000) and save N52, 920,000 in the first year and more in the subse quent years at the same time stopping the carbon emissions from the old cars. In addition, it is a mandatory for the company to meet up the governments requirement to reduce environmental impact and comply with the prevailing legislation. If the organisation was not to invest in this project the money would have been channelled to the federation account and budgeted to execute other projects in other sectors or Nigerian ministries. However, PPMC has the authority to use any reasonable amount to improve its environmental performance or execute any viable project that will be beneficial to the organisation. Finally, the calculation resulted in a less discount rate where NPV1 became positive and a greater discount rate where NPV2 remain negative and IRR fell in between the two discount factors (ACCA, 2008). The 3 investment appraisal techniques were fully utilised to determine the projects viability. This has proven that the project is economically viable (Mclaney, 1994). In view of this, the investment appraisal is affordable and worthy of acceptance. Moreover, the purchase of the electric cars is the best option, as it will not only reduce carbon emissions but will stop the emissions from the old vehicles completely, thereby upgrading the companys image as well as enhancing its overall environmental performance.

Ancient Romes Contribution to Western Civilization Essay -- essays re

Ancient Rome has contributed to the development of Western Civilisation. Ancient Rome was a sophisticated country that helped us build up this society that we now live in ? Western Civilisation by lending attributes that have made our world into what it has become. The government of Ancient Rome was (one of) the first to be created. If Romulus had not set down laws and chosen people to govern Rome, we would probably be all living in a very different way now. Also, Ancient Roman architecture has influenced buildings being built today. Lastly, the Ancient Roman language of Latin is the base of most English words. Government is extremely important in a country, because without it, all hell would break loose, and wrong doers would receive no punishment. Romulus was one of the first to make rules and laws and to make up government. Even though laws have changed a lot since then, in terms of equal rights etc., Romulus created the fundamentals in running a peaceful country. Ancient Rome was mainly either a democracy or a republic in its existence. Today, the majority of Western countries...

journeyhod Journey Motif in Heart of Darkness and Jasmine Essay

Journey Motif in Heart of Darkness and Jasmine  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      In Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness and Bharati Mukherjee's Jasmine, the physical journey represents the setting for the psychological journey that both main characters undergo. Each stage of the journey is correlated to an emotional insight, and the implications are great enough to incur a change in the protagonists' lives. Through the discovery of distant lands and foreign ideas, Marlow and Jasmine are prompted to look internally to find the answers to their questions. Their struggles are personal, and they are driven by different guiding forces, yet both experience a greater sense of self-awareness by the end of their journey. Initially, Marlow and Jasmine embark on physical journeys involving movement over water. Marlow's fascination with the Congo River drives him to set out in search of the unknown, to fulfill his longing to explore the "blank spaces" of the map (Conrad 5). Marlow first crosses the English Channel to Brussels, a city that elicits an image of a "whited sepulcher" (7), which serves as an omen of the events that are about to unfold. The city, and the operation of the trading company, appear on the surface to be benevolent, but hidden at the very core are darkness and corruption. Jasmine's journey begins under quite different circumstances. She also crosses the ocean in search of a new and mysterious land, but for a very unique reason. Leaving Jyoti behind, Jasmine travels a long and indirect route to Florida where she intends to throw herself onto a funeral pyre in the custom of a traditional Indian widow. The further from home Marlow and Jasmine travel, the more alienated they feel from the world and the people around them. Viewing the coas... ...e face in life. Both novels address influences that guide us through our spiritual lives, and how they potentially affect our decisions and choices. Marlow does not reach this understanding until he leaves a place of modernity and travels "back to the earliest beginnings of the world" (30), returning to Europe at the end of his journey a changed man. Conversely, Jasmine is able to progress emotionally and achieve personal fulfillment once she leaves the antiquated society of India for the United States. The ambiguity of Heart of Darkness and Jasmine accurately reflects the fluid and unpredictable nature of our own existence, and the adversity we must surmount in our journey through life. Works Cited Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. 1902. New York: Dover Publications Inc., 1990. Mukherjee, Bharati. Jasmine. 1989. New York: Ballantine Books, 1991.   

Economics Internal Assessment

Alison Nathanson Chapter 17 Internal Assessment http://www. nytimes. com/2010/04/05/business/media/05screen. html? scp=10&sq=movies&st=Search Branding Comes Early in Filmmaking Process By STEPHANIE CLIFFORD 717 words Monopolistic Competition is a market structure in which many firms sell products that are similar but not identical. It is a mixture between monopoly, which is a firm that is the sole seller of a product without close substitutes, and perfect competition, which is a market with many buyers and sellers trading identical products so that each buyer and seller is a price taker.The movie industry is monopolistically competitive as there are many firms competing for the same group of customers, there is product differentiation, and free entry and exit. Anyone can make a movie, yet it is the differentiations of each that allow for moviegoers to decide which ones they want to see, and therefore which ones will gross the most money. In the long run, monopolistically competitive firms have zero profit equilibrium. [pic]If one movie is making a lot of money, more movies are put into theatres to try and even out competition, or if one company is producing a lot of movies, writers sell to other companies (new firms enter) and the demand curve shifts to the left. If no one is watching the movies, firms loose money and the demand curve shifts to the right. Due to these shifts, zero profit equilibrium occurs, as shown above, where price equals average total cost. In movies today, and always, companies have made deals with movies in rder to be included in a film. This is all part of marketing, as for example; companies think that if Brad Pitt is eating a Twix in a movie, the movie watchers are more likely to buy a Twix after the movie than to buy Snickers. The author stated that â€Å"Now, having Campbell’s Soup or Chrysler associated with your project can be nearly as important to your pitch as signing Tom Cruise. † Having these name brands with you r movie also comes with a lot of added benefits.The writer and director of the film â€Å"Up in the Air† got the hotel mogul Hilton to sponsor his film for exchange of putting Hilton hotels in the movie. Thus, the movie got the added benefits from Hilton, such as the crew getting free lodging. In order to maximize profit, marginal revenue must equal marginal cost. If you look above, you can see that at this point on the graph (MR=MC) price exceeds marginal cost. This is because price equals average total cost, and the downward sloping demand curve makes it so that at the profit-maximizing quantity of MR=MC, price (atc) is greater than marginal cost.For example, the marginal cost to the company of lodging for the crew is taken care of through Hilton, yet there are other expenses that the company must purchase as well so that the average total cost is equal to the price and zero profit equilibrium occurs. â€Å"The cost of movies is going up, and that really drives almost ever ything,† said Jack Epps. In monopolistic competition, the long run always has zero profit equilibrium. So, if one firm kept the price of movies low, then their price would be below average total cost and they would have losses.In order to have a profit, price must be above average total cost, yet in monopolistically competitive firms price equals average total cost so this is not possible in the long run. Unlike monopolies, monopolistically competitive firms do not have the ability to price discriminate, which is the business practice of selling the same good at different prices to different customers. They must charge the same price per movie to everyone. Therefore, they all need to produce where MR=MC in order to profit maximize, which actually creates zero profit equilibrium.The author stated that â€Å"If you want to catch an executive’s attention right now, it’s not just selling the script, but you’re showing them how to create a brand. † Movie producers want to have a name for them, so that they will have an advantage over the many other firms out there. Due to the large number of sellers, and free entry and exit, firms that are monopolistically competitive will do anything it takes to differentiate themselves to their competition†¦ let’s just hope the differentiation produces some good film!

Prom Nights from Hell Chapter Six

â€Å"Sheba,† she said, her dark eyes widening. â€Å"Sheba†¦ Smith.† â€Å"Well, would you like to dance then, Sheba Smith? If you feel well enough.† â€Å"Yes,† she breathed, half to herself. â€Å"Yes, why not?† Her eyes never left his. Not moving from where they were, Gabe and Sheba began swaying to the rhythm of yet another wretched song. This time, the horrid music didn't offend Gabe as much. Gabe put it together then. New girl. Amazing dress. Sheba. This was Logan's date, the one who'd asked him to the prom and then wanted nothing more to do with him. For a half second, Gabe worried if it was wrong for him to infringe on his friend's date. But the worry passed quickly. For one thing, Logan was happy with Libby. There was no sense in interrupting something that was clearly meant to be. For another, Sheba and Logan were clearly not meant to be. Gabe had always had a good instinct for that-for the personalities that belonged together, for compatible natures that would pull together harmoniously. He'd been the butt of many jokes about matchmaking, but he didn't mind. Gabe liked people to be happy. And this intense girl with the deep pools in her eyes-Sheba-did not belong with Logan. That desperate sense of need had calmed when he'd touched her. Gabe felt much better with her in his arms-holding her seemed to soothe the strange call. She was safe here, no longer drowning, no longer lost. Gabe was afraid to let her go, worried that the burning need would return. It was an odd first for Gabe, this feeling of being in exactly the right place, of being the only one that belonged here. It wasn't that he'd never had a girlfriend before-girls liked Gabe, and he'd had many casual relationships. But they never lasted. There was always someone else they belonged with. None of them really needed Gabe, except as a friend. And they'd always stayed good friends. It had never been like this. Was this where Gabe belonged? Shielding this slender girl, holding her safe in his arms? It was silly to think so fatalistically. Gabe tried hard to act normal. â€Å"You're new at Reed River, aren't you?† he asked her. â€Å"I've only been here a few weeks,† she confirmed. â€Å"I don't think we have any classes together.† â€Å"No, I would have remembered if I'd been close to you before.† It was an odd way of phrasing it. She stared into his eyes, her hands clinging gently to his shoulders. Instinctively, he pulled her a little closer. â€Å"Are you having a good time tonight?† he asked. She sighed, a deep sigh from the center of her being. â€Å"I am now,† she said, oddly rueful. â€Å"A very good time.† Trapped! Like an idiot, like a new-spawned whelp, a novice, a rookie! Sheba leaned into Gabe, unable to resist. Unable to want to resist. She stared into his heavenly eyes and had the most ridiculous urge to sigh. How had she not seen the signs? The way goodness itself surrounded him like a shield. The way her suggestions bounced right off him harmlessly. The way the only ones safe from her evil tonight-those little bubbles of happiness outside of her control-were the people he'd touched and interacted with, his friends. The eyes alone should have been warning enough! Celeste was smarter than Sheba. At least her instincts had kept her away from this dangerous boy. Once she was free of his piercing gaze, she'd kept a safe distance between them. Why hadn't Sheba understood the reason behind this? And the reason Gabe had chosen Celeste in the first place. Of course he'd been drawn to Celeste! It all made sense now. Sheba swayed to the beat that rumbled through the air, feeling the security of his body around her, protecting her. Tiny, unfamiliar tendrils of happiness twisted their way through her empty core. No-not that! Not happiness! If she was already feeling happy, then better things couldn't be too far behind. Was there no way to avoid the horrible wonder of love? That wasn't very likely when you were in an angel's arms. Not a true angel. Gabe didn't have wings, he'd never had them-he wasn't one of those sappy birdbrains who'd traded feathers and eternity for human love. But one of his parents had done just that. Gabe was fully half-angel-though he didn't have a clue about his nature. If he'd had any idea, Sheba would have heard that in his mind and escaped this divine horror. Now it was only too obvious to Sheba-this close, she could smell the scent of asphodel clinging to his skin. And, clearly, he'd inherited his angel-parent's eyes. The heaven-blue eyes that should have been a dead giveaway, if Sheba hadn't been so wrapped up in her evil plotting. There was a reason even experienced demons like Jezebel were wary of angels. If it was hazardous for a human to stare into a demon's eyes, it was doubly so for a demon to get locked into an angel's. If ever a demon met an angel's gaze for too long, pfffffft! – out went the fires of hell and the demon was trapped until the angel gave up on saving him. Because that's what angels did. They saved. Sheba was an eternal being, and she was trapped for however long Gabe decided to keep her. A full angel would have known what Sheba was at once, and driven her out if he were strong enough, or given her a wide berth if he wasn't. But Sheba could imagine what her presence would feel like to someone with Gabe's instinct to save. Innocent of the knowledge he needed to understand, Sheba's damned state must have been like a siren's call. She stared helplessly into Gabe's beautiful face, her body filling with happiness, and wondered how long the torture would last. Already too long to save her perfect prom. Without her hellfire, Sheba had no influence over the mortals here. But she was still fully aware, watching helpless and disgustingly blissful, as it all fell apart. Cooper Silverdale gasped in horror as he looked at the gun glistening in his shaking hand. What was he thinking? He shoved the weapon back into its hiding place and half ran to the bathroom, where he violently vomited the punch into the sink. Cooper's stomach problems interrupted Matt and Derek's fistfight, which was just warming up in the men's room. The two friends squinted through their swollen eyes at each other. Why were they fighting? Over a girl that neither of them even liked? How stupid! Suddenly, they were interrupting each other in their urgent need to apologize. With smiles on split lips and arms around shoulders, they headed back to the ballroom. David Alvarado had given up his plans to jump Heath after the dance, because Evie had forgiven him for disappearing with Celeste. Her cheek was soft and warm against his now as they swayed to the slow music, and there was no way he would hurt her by disappearing again, not for any reason. David was not the only one who felt that way. As if the new song was magical rather than insipid, the dancers in the big ballroom each moved instinctively toward the person they should have come with in the first place, the one that would transform the night's misery into happiness. Coach Lauder, lonely and depressed, looked up from the unappetizing cookies straight into Vice Principal Finkle's sad eyes. She looked lonely, too. The coach walked toward her, smiling hesitantly. Shaking her head and blinking her eyes like someone trying to escape a nightmare, Melissa Harris pulled away from Tyson and ran for the exit. She would find the concierge and get a cab†¦ Like a rubber band that had been stretched too far, the atmosphere at Reed River's prom now snapped back with a vengeance. If Sheba had been herself, she would have pulled that rubber band until it exploded into pieces. But now all the misery and wrath and hate vanished. The human minds had been stuck in their grip too long. With relief, everyone at the prom relaxed into happiness, grasped at love with two hands. Even Celeste was tired of the mayhem. She stayed in Rob's arms, shuddering slightly at the memory of those perfect blue eyes, as one slow song melted into the next. Neither Sheba nor Gabe even noticed the song change. All her delicious pain and misery destroyed! Even if she did get free, Sheba was destined for middle school now. Where was the injustice?! And Jezebel! Had she planned this? Tried to distract Sheba from the fact that a dangerous half-angel was here tonight? Or would she be disappointed? Was she really there in encouragement? Sheba had no way to find out. She wouldn't even be able to see Jezebel now-whether the horned demoness was laughing or chagrined-with her fires extinguished. Disgusted with herself, Sheba sighed in happiness. Gabe was just so good. And, in his arms, she felt good, too. She felt wonderful. Sheba simply had to get free before happiness and love ruined her! Would she be trapped with some feather-back's heavenly offspring forever? Gabe smiled at her, and she sighed again. Sheba knew what Gabe would be feeling now. Angels were never happier than when they were making someone else happy, and the bigger the lift in that other person's spirit, the more ecstatic the angel. As perfectly miserable and damned as Sheba had been, Gabe must be flying now-it would be almost as good as having wings. He would never want to let her go. There was just one chance left for Sheba, just one way back to her wretched, miserable, burning, stinking home. Gabe had to order her there. Thinking of this chance, Sheba felt much worse, felt a welcome wave of her former misery. Gabe tightened his hold on her as he sensed her slipping down, and the misery was drowned in contentment, but Sheba remained hopeful. She stared up into his love-filled angel-eyes and smiled dreamily. You're evil incarnate, Sheba told herself. You have a true talent for misery. You know suffering inside and out. You can get yourself out of this trap and everything will be like it used to be. After all, with as much pain and havoc as Sheba was capable of causing, how hard could it possibly be to get this angelic boy to tell her to go to hell? Prom Nights from Hell Chapter Six â€Å"Put them up,† Glasses Geek said. â€Å"I mean your arms. Miranda did what he said because his hands were shaking so much she was afraid he'd shoot her by accident. â€Å"Who are you? What are you doing here?† he demanded in a voice that shook almost as much as his hands. â€Å"I just wanted to get a glimpse of Her,† she said, hoping she made it sound right. He narrowed his eyes. â€Å"How did you know She was here?† â€Å"The Gardener told me, but I didn't know where She was being kept so I climbed up that tree to look.† â€Å"Which affiliate are you with?† I knew this would end in tears. What now, smarty pants? Miranda raised an eyebrow and said, â€Å"Which affiliate are you with?† Adding for good measure, â€Å"I mean, I would remember a guy like you if I'd seen you before.† It worked! She saw him swallow hard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. She would never doubt How to Get-And Kiss-Your Guy again! He said, â€Å"I'd remember you, too.† She hit him with a dose of Winsome Smile and saw the Adam's apple do some more moving. She said, â€Å"If I give you my hand to shake, will you shoot me?† He chortled and put down the gun. â€Å"No,† still chortling. Holding out his hand now. â€Å"I'm Craig.† â€Å"Hi, Craig, I'm Miranda,† she said, taking it. Then flipped him onto his back and knocked him out cold in a single silent move. She looked at her hand for a second in shock. She'd definitely never done that before. That had been very cool. If you're going to be an idiot and risk everything, you might as well do what you came for. You know, instead of just staring at the guy you knocked out? She bent to whisper, â€Å"Sorry. Take three aspirin for your head when you wake up and you'll feel better,† in his ear, and moved around the edge of the safe house. There must have been an open window because she could hear voices here, the man who had been outside before now saying to someone, â€Å"Are you comfortable?† And Sibby answering, â€Å"No. I don't like this couch. I can't believe this is the nicest room in the house. It looks like a place for a grandma.† Heh! Miranda followed the sound of Sibby's voice and found herself standing in front of one of the street-facing plate-glass windows, looking through a gap in dark blue drapes into a living room. There was a spindly-looking couch, chair, and coffee table. Sibby was in the chair, her profile to Miranda, with a plate of Oreos in front of her. She looked fine. The man was perched on the couch, smiling at Sibby, saying, â€Å"So, where are we supposed to drop you?† Sibby took the top cookie off the Oreo and ate it. â€Å"I'll tell you later.† The man kept smiling. â€Å"I'd like to know so I can plan the route. We can't be too careful.† â€Å"Oh my gods, there's like hours before we go. I want to watch some TV.† Miranda heard the man's heart speed up and saw his hand flex but he kept his tone light when he said, â€Å"Of course.† Then added, â€Å"As soon as you tell me where we're taking you.† Sibby frowned at him. â€Å"Are you deaf or something? I said I'd tell you later.† â€Å"It's in your best interest to talk to me. Otherwise I'm afraid I'll have to bring in someone else. Someone a bit more†¦ forceful.† â€Å"Fine. But while I'm waiting, can I please watch TV? Tell me you get cable. Oh gods, if you don't have MTV, I'm going to be really pissed.† The man stood up with an expression on his face like he wanted to break something, then abruptly turned to face the door. Miranda heard footsteps coming toward the room from the hallway, and with them a familiar cha-cha heartbeat. Two seconds later Deputy Sergeant Caleb Reynolds burst through the door. See? Sibby's in no danger. The police are here. Scram. Deputy Reynolds said to the man, â€Å"What's taking so long?† â€Å"She won't talk.† â€Å"I'm sure she'll change her mind.† His heartbeat picked up. Sibby glanced at him. â€Å"Who are you?† Caleb said, â€Å"I'm the Gardener.† This was extremely not good, Miranda decided. â€Å"I wasn't very impressed with the front lawn,† Sibby told him. â€Å"I'm not that kind of Gardener. It's a nickname. They call me that because-â€Å" â€Å"Actually, I'm not even vaguely interested. I don't know what you're planning, Plant Boy-â€Å" â€Å"Gardener,† he corrected, going a touch red. † – but if you need to know where I'm supposed to be picked up by the Overseer, then you have to keep me alive, right? So you can't exactly threaten me with death.† â€Å"Not death, no. But pain.† He addressed the man. â€Å"Go get me my tools, Byron.† As the man left the room, Sibby said, â€Å"I'm not going to tell you anything.† Deputy Reynolds circled around so he was leaning over her chair, his back to the window. â€Å"Listen to me-† he said, his heartbeat slowing down suddenly. Miranda did a round-off, smashing through the window feet first, then knocked him unconscious with a side kick to the neck before he could turn around. She bent to whisper, â€Å"Sorry,† in his ear, decided as punishment not to tell him about the aspirins, grabbed Sibby, sprinted to the car, and stepped on the gas. Prom Nights from Hell Chapter Six Yun Sun's voice grew sharp. â€Å"Frankie, no!† â€Å"I'm such an idiot-why didn't I think of it before?† â€Å"Wait. Don't do it, don't make the-† She broke off. I heard a â€Å"whoops,† followed by drunken apologies and someone saying, â€Å"Oh, I love your dress!† It sounded like everyone was having fun. I'd soon be having fun with them. I made it to the den and approached the bookshelf where I'd left the corsage. I patted the tops of the books and then the space behind them. My fingers found softness, like petals of skin. â€Å"I'm back,† Yun Sun said. The background sounds had diminished, suggesting she'd stepped outside. â€Å"And, Frankie, I know you're hurting. I know that. But what happened to Will was just a coincidence. A terrible, terrible coincidence.† â€Å"Call it what you want,† I said. â€Å"I'm making my second wish.† I plucked the corsage from behind the books. Yun Sun's anxiety intensified. â€Å"Frankie, no, you can't!† â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"He fell from three hundred feet! His body was†¦ they said he was mangled beyond†¦ that's why they had a closed casket, remember?† â€Å"So?† â€Å"He's been rotting in a coffin for thirteen days!† she cried. â€Å"Yun Sun, that is a tasteless thing to say. Honestly, if it were Jeremy being brought back to life, would we even be having this conversation?† I drew the flowers to my face, lightly touching the petals with my lips. â€Å"Listen, I've got to go. But save some punch for me! And Will! Ooo, make that lots of punch for Will-I bet he'll be absolutely crazed with thirst!† I flipped my phone shut. I held the corsage aloft. â€Å"I wish for Will to be alive again!† I cried exultantly. The stench of decay thickened the air. The corsage curled, as if the petals were shrinking in on themselves. I flung it away on autopilot, just as I'd shake off an earwig that chanced to light on my hand. But whatever. The corsage wasn't important. What was important was Will. Where was he? I glanced around, ridiculously expecting him to be sitting on the sofa, looking at me like You're scared of a bunch of dried flowers? Pitiful! The sofa was empty, a gloomy, looming shape by the wall. I darted to the window and peered out. Nothing. Just the wind, fluttering the leaves on the trees. â€Å"Will?† I said. Again nothing. A tremendous well of disappointment opened inside me, and I sank into my father's leather armchair. Stupid Frankie. Stupid, foolish, pathetic me. Time passed. Cicadas chirped. Stupid cicadas. And then, so faint, a thud. And then another. I straightened my spine. Gravel popped on the road†¦ or maybe the driveway? The thuds came closer. They were labored and with the odd offbeat of a limp, or of something being dragged. I strained to hear. There-a thump, ten feet away on the porch. A thump that was distinctly inhuman. My throat closed as Yun Sun's words wormed back to me. Mangled, she'd said. Rotting. I wasn't paying attention before. Now it was too late. What had I done? I jumped out of the chair and fled to the entry hall, safe from the eyes of anyone-or anything-who might choose to peer through the den's wide windows. What, exactly, had I brought back to life? A knock echoed through the house. I whimpered, then clapped my hand over my mouth. â€Å"Frankie?† a voice called. â€Å"I'm, uh†¦ yikes. I'm kind of a mess.† He laughed his self-deprecating laugh. â€Å"But I'm here. That's the important thing. I'm here to take you to prom!† â€Å"We don't have to go to prom,† I said. Was that me sounding so shrill? â€Å"Who needs prom? I mean, seriously!† â€Å"Yeah, sure, this from the girl who would kill for the perfect romantic evening.† The knob rattled. â€Å"Aren't you going to let me in?† I hyperventilated. There was a series of plops, like overripe strawberries being dropped into the trash, and then, â€Å"Aw, dude. Not good.† â€Å"Will?† I whispered. â€Å"This is so uncool†¦ but do you have any stain remover?† Holy crap. Holy, holy, holy crap. â€Å"You're not mad, are you?† Will asked. He sounded worried. â€Å"I came as fast as I could. But it was so frickin' weird, Frankie. Because, like†¦Ã¢â‚¬  My mind flew to airless caskets, deep in the ground. Please, no, I thought. â€Å"Forget it. It was weird-let's leave it at that.† He tried to lighten things up. â€Å"Now are you going to let me in, or what? I'm falling to pieces out here!† I pressed my body against the hall wall. My knees buckled, I wasn't doing too well with muscle control, but I reminded myself that I was safe behind the solid front door. Whatever else he was, Will was still flesh and bones. Well, partially. But not yet a ghost who could move through walls. â€Å"Will, you've got to go,† I said. â€Å"I made a mistake, okay?† â€Å"A mistake? What do you mean?† His confusion broke my heart. â€Å"It's just†¦ oh God.† I started crying. â€Å"We're not right for each other anymore. You understand, don't you?† â€Å"No, I don't. You wanted me to ask you to prom, so I asked you to prom. And now for no good reason†¦ ohhh! I get it!† â€Å"You do?† â€Å"You don't want me to see you! That's it, isn't it? You're nervous about how you look!† â€Å"Um†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Should I run with this? Should I say yes just so he would leave? â€Å"Frankie. Dude. You have nothing to worry about.† He laughed. â€Å"One, you're beautiful; and two, compared to me, there's no way you won't look like†¦ I don't know, an angel from heaven.† He sounded relieved, as if he'd had a niggling sense of something being off, but couldn't quite place his finger on it. But now he knew: It was Frankie having self-esteem issues, that's all! Silly Frankie! I heard a shuffling, and then the bump of a small wooden lid. My body tensed, because I knew that bump. The milk box-crap. He'd remembered the key in the milk box. â€Å"I'm letting myself in,† he called, slump-thumping back to the front door.† ‘Kay, Franks? ‘Cause all of a sudden I'm, like, dying to see you!† He laughed, jubilant. â€Å"I mean, wait, that came out wrong†¦ but, heck, guess that's the theme of the night. Everything's coming out wrong-and I do mean everything!† I fled to the den, where I got on my hands and knees and frantically patted the floor. If only it weren't so dark! The deadbolt stuck, and Will jangled the key. His breathing was clotted. â€Å"I'm coming, Frankie!† he called. Jangle, jangle. â€Å"I'm coming as fast as I can!† My fear ratcheted so high that I was thrown into an altered state of reality. I was gasping and crying out, I could hear myself, and my hands were blind feelers, pawing and slapping as I crawled. With a thunk, the bolt slid home. â€Å"Yes,† Will crowed. The door swished over the frayed carpet at the exact instant my fingers closed on the crumbling corsage. â€Å"Frankie? Why is it so dark? And why aren't you-â€Å" I squeezed my eyes shut and spoke my final wish. All sounds ceased, save for the rustle of wind in the leaves. The door, continuing its slow trajectory, bumped against the doorjamb. I stayed where I was on the floor. I sobbed, because my heart was breaking. No, my heart was broken. After several moments, the cicadas once again took up their yearning chorus. I rose to my feet, stumbled across the room, and stood, shivering, in the open doorway. Outside, a pale shaft of moonlight shone on the deserted road. Prom Nights from Hell Chapter Six I'm too stunned to do anything to stop him, really. Well, okay, as the initial shock of it is wearing off, I find I don't want to stop him. I'm stunned to realize that†¦ well, I like how it feels, being in Adam's arms. It feels good. It feels safe. It feels warm. It feels†¦ well, almost as if I were a normal girl, for a change. Not the new girl. Not the exterminator's daughter. Just†¦ me. Mary. It's a feeling I could get used to. â€Å"Mary,† Adam says. He's so much taller than me that his breath tickles the tendrils that have fallen from the updo that I've twisted my hair into. I don't mind, though, because his breath smells good. I look up at him dreamily. I can't believe I never noticed-really noticed-how handsome he is before now. Well, last night, actually. Or maybe I noticed, but it never really registered, because what would a guy like him ever see in a girl like me? In a million years, I never thought I'd end up at the prom with Adam Blum†¦ And okay, sure, he only asked me because he obviously feels sorry for me, on account of my mother being a vampire and all. But still. â€Å"Hmmm?† I say, smiling up at him. â€Å"Uh.† Adam seems uncomfortable, for some reason. â€Å"I was wondering if-you know, when this is all over, and you've dusted Drake, and Lila and Ted are back together-you'd want to, um†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Oh God. What's happening? Is he†¦ is he about to ask me out?. Like on a real date? One that doesn't include sharp, pointy objects? No. This isn't happening. This is a dream or something. In a minute, I'm going to wake up, and it's all going to go away. Because how could such a thing even be possible? I can't breathe, I'm so sure I'll break whatever spell we're both under if I do†¦ â€Å"Yes, Adam?† I ask. â€Å"Well.† He can't seem to make eye contact anymore. â€Å"Just if you'd want to, you know, maybe hang out-â€Å" â€Å"Excuse me.† The deep voice that interrupts Adam then is all too familiar. â€Å"But may I have this dance?† I close my eyes in frustration. I cannot believe this. I am never going to get a guy I actually like to ask me out at this rate. Never. Never. Never. I am going to stay a freak-the product of similar freaks-for the rest of my life. Why would a guy like Adam Blum ever want to go out with me in the first place? The child of a vampire and a mad scientist? Let's face it. Not going to happen. And I've had it. I've had it up to here. â€Å"Listen, you,† I say, whirling around to face Sebastian Drake, whose blue eyes widen a little at the fire in mine. â€Å"How dare you come oozing around†¦Ã¢â‚¬  But then my voice trails off. Because suddenly all I can see are those eyes†¦ †¦ those hypnotically blue eyes, which suddenly make me feel like I could dive into them, letting their warmth wash over me in sweet, soft waves†¦ It's true he's no Adam Blum. But he's looking at me in a way that makes it clear he knows that, and that he's sorry for it, and that he's going to do everything he can to make it up to me†¦ more than make it up to me, even†¦ And the next thing I know, Sebastian Drake is taking me into his arms-gently, so gently-and leading me from the dance floor toward a set of French doors through which I can see a night-darkened garden, bathed in twinkling fairy lights and moonlight†¦ just the kind of place to which you'd expect to be led by the golden-haired descendant of a Transylvanian count. â€Å"I'm so glad we finally have the chance to meet,† Sebastian is saying to me in a voice that seems to caress me like a feather-soft touch. Everyone and everything we've left behind us-the other couples; Adam; a stunned Lila, staring after us jealously; Ted, staring jealously at her; even the streamers and rosettes-seems to melt away as if all that exists in the world is me, the garden that I find myself in, and Sebastian Drake. Who is reaching up to smooth some loose tendrils away from my face. In a dim, inner recess of my mind, I remember that I'm supposed to be afraid of him†¦ to hate him, even. Only I can't think why. How could I possibly hate someone as handsome and sweet and gentle as he is? He wants to make me feel better. He wants to help me. â€Å"You see?† Sebastian Drake is saying, as he lifts one of my hands and presses it, softly, against his lips. â€Å"I'm not so terrifying, am I? I'm just like you, actually. Just the child of-let's face it-a very formidable person, who's trying to figure out his own place in the world. We have our burdens, do we not, you and I, Mary? Your mother says hello, by the way.† â€Å"M-my mother?† My brain seems to be as filled with fog as this garden we're standing in. Because while I can picture my mother's face, I can't remember how Sebastian Drake could possibly know her. â€Å"Yes,† Sebastian says, his lips now moving from my hand and up toward the crook of my elbow. His mouth feels like liquid fire against my skin. â€Å"She misses you, you know. She doesn't understand why you won't join her. She's so happy now†¦ she doesn't know the pain of illness†¦ or the indignity of aging†¦ or the heartbreak of loneliness.† His lips are on my bare shoulder now. I'm having trouble breathing. But in a good way. â€Å"She is surrounded by beauty and love†¦ just like you could be, Mary.† His lips are by my throat. His breath, so warm, has seemed to cause my spine to go limp. But it's all right, because one of his strong arms has gone around my waist, and he's holding me up, even as my body, as if of its own volition, is arching backward, allowing him an unobstructed view of my bare throat. â€Å"Mary,† he whispers against my neck. And I feel so peaceful, so serene-something I haven't felt in years, not since Mom left-that my eyelids drift closed†¦ And the next thing I know, something cold and wet hits me in the neck. â€Å"Ow,† I say, opening my eyes and slapping a hand there†¦ then pulling it away to find my fingers slick with some kind of clear moisture. â€Å"Sorry,† Adam calls from where he's standing a few feet away, his arms stretched out in front of him, the mouth of his Beretta 9mm water pistol aimed right at me. â€Å"I missed.† A second later, I am gasping for air as a thick cloud of acrid, burning smoke hits me in the face. Coughing, I stagger away from the man who, just seconds before, had been holding me so tenderly, but is now clutching at his smoldering chest. â€Å"Wha-† Sebastian Drake gasps, pounding at the flames leaping from his chest. â€Å"What is this?† â€Å"Just a little holy water, dude,† Adam says, as he continues pumping away at Drake's chest. â€Å"Shouldn't bother you. Unless, of course, you're a member of the undead. Which, unfortunately for you, it appears you are.† And a second later, I've come back to my senses and am reaching beneath my skirt for my stake. â€Å"Sebastian Drake,† I hiss, as he sinks to his knees before me, howling in pain. And rage. â€Å"This is for my mother.† And I plunge the hand-carved piece of ash deep into the place where his heart would have been. If he'd had one. â€Å"Ted,† Lila says, in a syrupy voice, as her boyfriend lies across the contoured plastic bench with his head in her lap. â€Å"Yes?† Ted asks, looking up at her adoringly. â€Å"No,† Lila says. â€Å"That's what I'm getting for my tattoo next time I'm in Cancn. Across the small of my back. The word Ted. So from now on, everyone will know I belong to you.† â€Å"Oh, honey,† Ted says. And pulls her head down so he can stick his tongue in her mouth. â€Å"Oh my God,† I say, looking away. â€Å"I know.† Adam's returned from throwing a glow-in-the-dark twelve-pound bowling ball down the disco-lit lane. â€Å"I almost liked her better when she was under Drake's spell. But I guess it works out better this way. Ted'll hurt a lot less than Sebastian. That was a strike, by the way. In case you missed it.† He slides onto the bench beside me and looks down at the scoring sheet in the glow of the lamp just above my head. â€Å"Well, what do you know? I'm winning.† â€Å"Don't get cocky,† I say. Although I have to admit, he has a lot to brag about. Not just winning at Night Strike bowling, either. â€Å"Just tell me,† I say as he reaches up and finally pulls off his bow tie. Even in the weird disco lights of Bowlmor Lanes-the bowling alley where we'd retreated for our post-prom activities, a mere nine-dollar cab ride from the Waldorf-Adam still looks obscenely handsome. â€Å"Where'd you get the holy water?† â€Å"You gave a bunch of it to Ted,† Adam says, looking down at me in some surprise. â€Å"Remember?† â€Å"But how'd you get the idea to put it in the water gun?† I demand. I'm still reeling from the evening's earlier activities. Midnight bowling is fun and all. But nothing can really compare with slaying a two-hundred-year-old vampire at the prom. Too bad he'd fizzled into ash out in the garden, where no one but Adam and I could see it. We'd have been voted prom king and queen for sure, instead of Lila and Ted, who are both still wearing their crowns†¦ although they've tilted a little rakishly, due to all the kissing. â€Å"I don't know, Mare,† Adam says, filling in his own score. â€Å"It just seemed like a good idea at the time.† Mare. No one has ever called me Mare before. â€Å"But how did you know?† I ask. â€Å"I mean, that Drake had-well, whatever? I mean, how could you tell that I wasn't faking it? To lull him into a false sense of security?† â€Å"You mean besides the fact that he was about to bite you on the neck?† Adam raises a single dark brow. â€Å"And that you weren't doing a damned thing to stop him? Yeah, I had a pretty good idea of what was going on.† â€Å"I'd have snapped out of it,† I assure him, with a confidence I most definitely do not feel, â€Å"as soon as I felt his teeth.† â€Å"No,† Adam says. Now he's grinning down at me, his face illuminated by the light from the scoring desk's single lamp. The rest of the bowling alley is in darkness, except for the balls and pins, which glow with an eerie fluorescence. â€Å"You wouldn't have. Admit it, Mary. You needed me back there.† His face is so close to mine-closer than Sebastian Drake's ever got. Only instead of feeling as if I could dive into his gaze, I feel as if I'm about to melt under it. My heartbeat staggers. â€Å"Yeah,† I say, unable to keep my gaze from drifting toward his lips. â€Å"I guess I kinda did.† â€Å"We make a good team,† Adam says. His own gaze, I can't help noticing, isn't straying far from my mouth, either. â€Å"Wouldn't you say? I mean, especially in light of the coming apocalyptic event? When Drake's dad finds out what we did tonight?† I can't help gasping a little at that. â€Å"That's right,† I cry. â€Å"Oh, Adam! He's not just going to come after me. He's going to come after you, too!† â€Å"You know,† Adam says. And now his gaze has drifted from my mouth, and downward. â€Å"I really do like that dress. It goes great with bowling shoes.† â€Å"Adam,† I say. â€Å"This is serious! Dracula could be getting ready to descend upon Manhattan at any moment, and we're wasting time bowling! We've got to start getting ready! We need to prepare a counterattack. We need to-â€Å" â€Å"Mary,† Adam says. â€Å"Dracula can wait.† â€Å"But-â€Å" â€Å"Mary,† Adam says. â€Å"Shut up.† And I do. Because I'm too busy kissing him back to do anything else. Besides, he's right. Dracula can wait.