Role of Strategic Management in Planning

Role of Strategic Management in Planning INTRODUCTION While some firms adopt strategic opportunism as a strategic planning method used mainly by senior managers who use it to assess their firms capacity to recognize and respond to identified windows of opportunity (or threat) that may require strategic changes as it would be pointless identifying strategic opportunities that the firm lacks in the competencies and resources to take advantage of them, others firms use human judgment in making operational decision making, this could involve situation assessment, actions taken to gather additional information, generating plausible hypotheses and other alternatives which either depicts Strategy as science or art. This paper aims at analyzing certain terms and elements in strategic management that explain business strategy as an art or science, terms like design, rational, hypothesis, culture or creativity etc. It also explains situations where organisations are presented with either luck or opportunity and how to what extent judgment is exhibited in the strategic decision making. ANALYSIS Role of Strategic Management Elements in planning and decision making According to Constable (1980) Strategic Management addresses the management processes and decisions which determine the long-term structure and activities of the organisation. This further explains that strategy incorporates planning activities on Management Processes which encompasses both the formal structured process (prescriptive approach) and the informal structured processes (emergent strategy change). This provides the Managers the ability to spot opportunities for and threats to the organisation in its future plans and the changing environment in which it operates. As information is seen as input into an organisation process which produces decisions as the output, the strategy of an organisation e.g. avoiding a threat or exploiting an opportunity determines the Management Decisions that need to be taken that is expected to be a solution of apparent problems, the feasibility and the requisite resources for implementation. Beck (1987) argued that many British companies lack strategic clarity, this comprises of mainly three reasons: Thompson (1993) explains, The difficulties of forecasting in todays business environment; the lack of managerial competence in many companies; and above all, the frequent absence of strong leadership from the top. Other reason maybe the distinction between established views incompatible with the formal and elaborate strategic planning systems present in the 1960s and 1970s, however failed to work in most cases. Strategic Planning helps organizations answer series of questions about how well the company is doing and why, where it should seek to develop in the future. Thompson (1993) further argued that, Most successful companies strategically are likely to be those that are aware of where they are and of what lies ahead, those that understand their environment and those that seek to achieve and maintain competitive advantage. Also, Thompson (1993) asserted that whatever strategy exist in an organisation, organisations ace in strategic thinking are more distinguished from their less successful competitors by a common pattern of management which are highlighted below: Key success factors inherent in the economics of the business are effectively identified than their competitors. Markets are segmented to gain critical competitive advantage. The segmentation is based on competitive analysis conducted on the markets, thus, segments are separated according to its strengths and weaknesses of different competitors Successful companies base their strategies on the measurement and analysis of competitive advantage. Good strategic thinking implies an understanding of how situations will change over time, thus companies can anticipate their competitors responses. Companies are able to give investment priorities that promise competitive advantage While one may be agreeable that business strategy initiatives depend on a mixture of luck and judgment, opportunism and design to succeed, different views need to be analyzed as business strategy itself can be a combination of the aforementioned features. This is because a good business strategy will succeed irrespective of the factor of luck but a good business strategy has to be able to take advantage of opportunities, be planned with great insight and judgment without relying on the good wind of luck to see it through. Companies with superior business strategies who dominate their various industries are there because of their unique insights and capabilities in the formation and execution of their strategy. However luck seems to plays a role in performance of a companys strategy. Three broad scholastic perspectives exist for explaining the relationship between luck and business strategy; Kovenklioglu and Greenhaus, (1978) held the view that luck plays little or no role in the performance of a strategy, this is articulated by Day and Maltby, (2003) who held the view that a belief in luck is irrational. The last perspective believes that luck plays a substantial role in the long run by creating short-term success which then positively positions a company for superior performance in the long run or that luck may create a lasting success via a combination of lucky efforts. This is synonymous with Mintzbergs positioning school of thought which places a company within the context of its industry and tries to devise ways to improve its strategic position within that industry. A typical case study is the position of Microsoft in the software industry; which came about when by a stroke of luck, Paul Allen, saw a magazine in a grocery store with a picture of the new microcomputer , the Altair made by a company called MITS and decided to write a BASIC interpreter for it. This led to the formation of Microsoft which grew to become the biggest software company in the world. This position has enabled them to implement successfully their business strategy of copying the products of their competitors and making it better using the vast resources available to them, then bundling it with windows to force it down the throat of consumers in order to kill off the competition. Another illustration is the browser wars between Microsoft and Netscape in 1997, when incumbent king of browser, Netscape Navigator faced an unprecedented challenge from software king, Microsoft. Netscape navigator had the dominant market share (about 80%) which Microsoft wanted; it devised a business strategy which involved licensing Mosaic an existing browser as the platform for its internet explorer. Then it decided to give away internet explorer by bundling it with the Windows 95 plus. This was effective in stealing Netscapes market share because Netscape charged for its browser. It would have been impossible for Microsoft to keep its rigorous monopoly in the software industry if it werent for its strategic position which it had already attained through windows at a time when microcomputers was just been born. It has been said that the reason Microsoft became the biggest software company was bill gates being at the right place at the right time. Legend has it that it was Digital Researchs Gary kildall that was first contacted to supply the software for the new IBM PC but as matter of luck he turned it down preferring to fly in his airplane. This made IBM to contact bill gates who went on to supply PC DOS which was developed into windows. The table below represents the attributes of Strategy as design and Strategy Judgment, each of which exhibits the characteristics of Strategy as Science and Strategy as art respectively. STRATEGY AS ART OR SCIENCE..The concept of Strategic Thinking The term Problem Solving is most often scientific related which is an activity of finding the solution to a problem; this could also be defined with respect to strategic problems where the problem solving activity is finding a solution. Hitt explained, the concept of strategic thinking where Mintzberg also argued that Strategic Planning is an analytical process aimed at programming already identified strategies which exhibits strategy as a science, however, strategic thinking is believed to be a synthesizing process, utilizing intuition and creativity, whose outcome is an integrated perspective of the enterprise, this sees strategy as an art. Strategic Thinking denotes all thinking about strategy with specific characteristics. According to Nasi (1999) Strategic Thinking extends both to the formulation and execution of strategies by business leaders and to the strategic performance of the total enterprise and for Mintzberg (1994) who is one of the foremost advocates of strategic thinking, argued that, the term is not merely alternative nomenclature for everything falling under the umbrella of strategic management; rather it is a particular way of thinking with specific characteristics. On both two issues discussed on whether strategy is seen as a Science or an Art, a whole spectrum of views exists most of which are highlighted in the table below on the aforementioned two schools of thought on strategy. Business strategies are usually developed from a companys mission statement which is basically a statement of a companys dream and aspiration for its future based on its plans. The success of any strategy however depends on its implementation this is because strategy is more an art than a science. Science test for facts using established laws of physics whereas art deals with expressions of concepts, thoughts and ideas. In this way it mostly mimics the use of business strategies not as a way to test for the success or failure of a companys goals but rather a way to express the desire of its management for the future of the company. However, there are aspects of science in the way strategies are formed, planned and executed. The entrepreneurial school of thought sees strategy as a visionary process, it stresses the use of a cocktail of insight, judgment and intuition in the formation of strategies and this articulates the importance of judgment in business strategy For example in the decisive battle of the ball-point pen between Bic, Parker, Sheaffer and Waterman, Bics strategy that eventually won the battle was based on a very important judgment of the market need in devising a cheaper and better version of the biro pen. Bic realized that the cost of a Parker Pen which dominated the market at the time was exorbitant and it devised a strategy to reengineer its design to produce cheaper pens which could be sold for a few cents and this meant they were disposable and as such were widely adopted. Burnes (2004) wrote, Mintzberg views approach to strategy as a virtue, he compared art of strategic making to pottery and managers to potters who mould the clay with the shape of the object evolving in the hands, this can be reflected in Emergent Strategy, strategy that evolves according to need which is constantly adjusted and adapted and Crafting Strategy, developing strategy according to the needs of the organisation and environment, thus seeing strategy as an art. 205. Contrarily, Burnes further argued through the works of Hoskin (1990) who claimed Pennsylvannia Railwayss executives, Herman Haupt should be given credit for initiating a business strategy which made use of full interactive play of grammatocentrism and calculability, thus implying strategy to be a quantitatively-oriented discipline which focuses on numerical analysis for market forecast , thus portraying strategy as a science Mintzberg et al, (1998) developed in the early 1960s two schools of thought for strategy; Planning school and Design school. The Planning school was pioneered by Igor Ansoff (1965) which was based on formal procedures, formal training, formal analysis and quantification this was based more on abstract thinking. The Design school, pioneered by Chandler (1962) placed more emphasis on appraisal of organisations opportunities and threat. Mintzberg also laid out the five main interrelated definitions of strategy The Strategy as a perspective mentioned above sees strategy as an abstract concept, mainly existing in peoples mind, which characterizes strategy as an art. In addition, Mintzberg et al, Johnson (1987) further argued strategy as a social science through three views of business strategy JOHNSONS VIEWS OF STRATEGY Rationalistic view: sees strategy as an outcome of series of preplanned actions designed to achieve goals. Emphasizes strategy as a science i.e. systematic and rational attributes Adaptive or incremental view: sees strategy evolving through an accumulation of relatively small changes over time. Emphasizes strategy as art i.e. dynamic and creativity Interpretive view: sees strategy as product of individual and collective attempts to make sense of. Emphasizes strategy as a science i.e. interpreting, evidence, past events etc. Burnes (2004) continued the argument between strategy being an analytical stream (formulating strategy rather than prescribing) or prescriptive (controlled, prescriptive process on strategy based on rational model of decision making) through Mintzberg et al, Johnson work on whether strategy is a process or an a rational phenomenon but the classifications of various approach to strategy was absent which Whittongton emphasized in his four generic approaches to strategy. WHITTINGTONS GENERIC APPROACH TO LONDON Classical Approach: portrays strategy as a rational process based on analysis and quantification (strategy as science) Evolutionary approaches: uses analogy of biological evolution to describe strategy development through prediction. (Strategy as a science) Processual Approach: concentrates on nature of organisational and market processes (Strategy as art) Systemic Approach: sees strategy as a link to dominant features of the local systems, involving deliberate process, planning and predictability. (Strategy as science) An effective business strategy may include both strategic thinking and the essential elements of a strategic planning process, thus, strategic planning can drive out strategic thinking. Harrison (2003) mentioned that, Henry Mintzberg, a famous strategist defined strategic planning as an analytical process aimed at carrying out strategies that have already been identified and strategic thinking involves intuition and creativity, i.e. it is so rigid that it tend to drive-out the creative-thinking processes which accentuates strategy as an art, its way of synthesizing stimuli from the internal and external environments in creating and integrated perspective of an organisation, this displays the scientific base of strategy. Strategic thinking is seen as crafting strategic architecture thus characterized by essential elements highlighted in the below by Harrison (2003), Intent Focused: Built on managerial vision of where the firm is going and what it is trying to become. This is called strategic intent Comprehensive: A system perspective which envisions the firm as a part of a larger system of value creation. It, understands the linkages between the firm and the other parts of the system. Opportunistic: Seizes unanticipated opportunities presented to the firm Long-Term Oriented: Goes beyond the here and now. Looks several years into the future at what the firm will become, based on its strategic intent. Built on Past and Present: It doesnt ignore the past or present but instead, learns from the past and further builds on a foundation of realities of the present. Hypothesis Driven: A sequential process in which creative ideas are then critically evaluated. Is willing to take a risk STRATEGIC LUCK While some firms hope to yield above expected normal returns from implementing business strategies, they must however be consistently conversant with the future value of those strategies than other firms playing in the same market. Other firms gain advantage in strategy implementation which is either a manifestation of these special insights into the future value of strategies, or a manifestation of a firms good fortune and luck, as sometimes, the price of the strategic resource acquired may be based on expectations on the return potential of that strategy However, unexpected greater organisational profits can simply be unexpected, a surprise, and a manifestation of a firms good luck and possibly not its ability to accurately anticipate the future value of a strategy. Even well-informed firms can be lucky in this manner. Some organizations actual returns on strategies could be greater than the expected returns; this resulting difference is often regarded to be manifestation of a firms unexpected good fortune. Although most of the success of the company has been deliberate and designed, luck has also been part of it. Luck can also play a role in the formation of business strategy as was the case of the battle of the ball-point pen, when Chicago businessman Milton Reynolds, stumbled upon a new product on a business trip to Argentina, he then bought a few samples knowing that another company Eversharp had bought the patents for a million dollars and widely publicised it, devised a strategy to be first to market in order to take opportunity of the publicity already gained in the US. Reynolds then sold the Pens for hefty prices to anxiously waiting customers thereby making millions of profit. Strategic luck can be demonstrated in the success of the POST-IT Notes originally developed the firm 3M. The idea of Post -it notes came from Dr Spencer in 1968 but didnt emerge until 6 years later when it appears to be a solution for a problem of Art Fry (a colleague of Dr Spencer at 3M) in finding songs quickly in his Hymnal book. Even though Dr Spencer was talking to colleagues and anyone ready to listen about his discovery, no one really knew how to use it until Art Fry came up with the idea of using the post it note to retrieve quickly what he needed from his hymnal book. As a result post it notes became really popular and was used in almost every office. Had it not been the problem Art Fry that require a solution post it notes may not have known the success they had and still have. (Big success) The more accurate an organisations expectations about a potential strategys return are, the less luck plays in generating above normal returns but when the organisation has less than perfect expectations, luck can play a role in determining an organisations returns to implementing its strategies. Consequently, strategies yielding above normal returns may be as a result of a firms ability to uniquely implement a strategy which either reflects the competence of the firm to make accurate expectations, underestimating the true value of the strategy or it had no special expectations but the strategy still yielded above normal returns, these are real reflections of a firms good fortune and luck. Exxon recorded its fourth-straight year profits, enduring wild swings in oil prices and a worldwide drop in demand in 2008. Falling oil prices in the latter half of 2008 hurt its oil production arm (CNN Money.com, 2009). Thus, Barney (1985) explained, because luck is, by definition, out of a firms control, an important question for managers becomes, How can firms become consistently better informed about the value of strategies they are implementing than any other firms? Firms that are successful at doing this can, over time, expect to obtain higher returns from implementing strategies than less well-informed firms, although, as always, firms can be lucky. Another perspective of luck is that it only affects performance of strategy in a few instances but which when averaged out over a lengthy period of time appears to be insignificant. These two views are consistent with scientific inquirys assumption of causality. This perspective is most evident in sports, whereby a team like Manchester united may perform poorly in a few games due to some bad luck but will generally do better than the other teams over the course of the season due to their superior football strategy. STRATEGY AS DESIGN Johnson, Scholes, Whittington (2005) introduced the idea of strategic lenses[1] which design lens is part of, they explained the design lens as a strategy idea formulated through objective and careful analysis and planning which is implemented down throughout the organisation by the top management. Johnson et al stated, Strategy as design views strategy development as the deliberate positioning of the organisation through a rational, analytic, structured and direct process. Johnson et al (2008), argues that strategic design basically builds on two main principles; Managers are, or should be, rational decision makers. Managers should be taking decisions about how to optimise economic performance of their organisations. Although most strategies are by design or deliberate, some of them are however emergent. Porter (1990) was one of the proponents of deliberate strategy which argue for the creation of detailed plans on which a business can exert its full influence because market conditions will be relatively stable for the strategic planning period. Mintzberg, a Proponent of the emergent school of thought argued for the creation of objectives or goals for the future of the company but leaving the implementation to the flexibility of market forces. In order words Mintzberg advocates leaving the strategy open to changes in market conditions. These schools of thought make it inappropriate for me to agree with the statement that strategy is a mixture of design as this is not always the case. The success of Amazon can be attributed to the design of its strategy. Following the effervescence of online shopping, Amazon has successfully designed its strategy to meet customers requirements and needs in a way. It has allowed customers to shop from their homes, offices or any other locations without having to physically go in the shop. Amazon also appears to offer a wide range of products and services, and gives the chance to post any comments, rate the products their bought and offer review for products as well which helps buyers in their choice. Amazon has grown from strength to strength over the years as a result of this well design strategy. (Bokardo) Rational choice is being based on the consideration of the decision making consequences and thus be the anticipations of the future effects of possible actions. Invariably by implication, considerations would be given to the diverse benefits and limitations of different strategic options on the basis of evidence that informs on the likely outcomes of decisions made. As Johnson et al (2008) stated, the assumptions typically underpinning a design view of strategy are in two forms which are as follows: In terms of how strategic decisions are made: Systematic Analysis Strategic positioning, an analysis that provides basis for the comparing organisational strengths and resources with changes in its environment in order to be able to take full advantage of opportunities and circumvent threats. Analytic thinking precedes and governs action Objectives are clear and explicit and basis upon which options are evaluated. Making assumptions about the form and nature of organisations Organizations are hierarchies. Organisations are rational systems Organizations are mechanisms by which strategy can be put into effect. STRATEGIC OPPORTUNISM Just as in science field, strategic planning demonstrates the importance of the use of rigorous flexible methods, results and theories in order to take advantage of strategic opportunities with an impact by improving the direction of the knowledge thats been produced. The above expresses the term strategic opportunism an ability to remain focused on long-term objectives while staying flexible enough to solve day-to-day problems and recognize new opportunities. A managers most important role is to plan a long-term, strategic course for the company, keeping the company geared towards that direction. Given that goals are often static contrary to the business environment, success in this role could however elude managers as each day brings an incessant stream of surprises, new information and opportunities. It can be said that the difference between successful and failing companies is in their ability to sense and respond to opportunism in their business environments. Mintzberg Environmental school of thought sees strategy formation as a reactive process, in effect a response to the external environment. The importance of opportunism to the overall strategy of a company cannot be over emphasized be it technological or financial opportunism. Bernand stated, the challenge for managers, then, is to maintain both flexibility and direction. While no magic formula exists for balancing todays plan against a five-year plan, strategic opportunism can be an effective way to respond to immediate concerns while setting and pursuing long-term goals. This can be illustrated in the case of the Snapple Beverage Corporation, a drink company that was founded in 1972. Having known a good success in the 1990s in the cold channel dominated by small independent drinks distributors, Snapple was bought in 1992 for $143 million by a private firm (Thomas H. Lee) that sold it a year a later after taking in public for the $1.7 billion to a successful firm, Quaker Oats. However under the ownership of Quaker, Snapple was deficient, thus it was later sold in 1997 for the modest sum of $300 million to the Triarc Company. Triarc took this opportunity (of getting a company for a small price) and put back Snapple on track, using the niche market they were previously in, instead of following the mistakes of other firms that wanted Snapple to compete with big brand names. Triarc used the failure Quaker oats as an opportunity and made it as they sold Snapple in 2000 for the staggering sum of $1.4 billion to Cadbury Schweppes. Strategic opportunism focuses mainly on identifying and exploiting the immediate market opportunities at hand with a view to leverage the companys existing strategic assets and competencies and avoids commitment.Harrison (2003) argued that, although strategic thinking is based on strategic intent, it does exhibit a certain level of intelligent opportunism, which he defined as the ability of managers to take advantage of unanticipated opportunities to further intended strategy or redirect a strategy. Therefore, it can be concluded that Strategic Opportunism is characterized by the following according to Aaker (2004): Driven by a focus on the present. Premise that environment is so dynamic and uncertain that it is not feasible to aim at a future target. Strategic flexibility and willingness to respond to opportunities is necessary. Change is the norm. Minimizes risk of missing emerging opportunities. Reduces risk of strategic stubbornness. Requires decentralized structure. Needs entrepreneurial personnel. STRATEGIC JUDGMENT Judgement is usually what the decision makers add to uncertainties or ambiguities in any business strategy. Arguably, its believed that managers gain judgment through past experience and its the experience of specific situations and activities that gives specific types of judgment. Pettigrew (1973) argue that experience is the most important source of what managers call their personal development. Mumford (1980) and Stuart (1986) stated that, the process of acquiring the experience which shapes managerial judgment can also be facilitated by working with those who have already demonstrated ownership of the desired qualities of judgment. Conclusively, since strategic judgment has been attributed to experience acquired, thus, can be related to Strategy as experience which is one of the strategy lenses. According Johnson et al (2005), The Strategy experience lens views strategy development as the outcome of individual and collective experience of individuals and their taken-for-granted assumptions most often represented by cultural influences. Thus, an apparently coherent strategy of an organisation may develop on the basis of a series of strategic moves of which make sense in terms of previous moves. Its being discussed that strategic judgment most often influenced by experience, which can be further broken down into various forms. Managerial judgment in strategy planning or formulation could be as a result of certain circumstances, development and experience. Furthermore, Johnson et al (2005) discussed the elements that act as influence on judgment: Individual Experience and Bias Individual experience could be in terms of the mental (cognitive) models people build over time to help make sense of their situation. It exhibits certain characteristics; Cognitive bias is inevitable The future is dependent and related to in terms of the past experience Bargaining and negotiation between high-ranking individuals in terms of how issues are being understood Collective experience and organisational culture Johnson et al (2005) defined Organisational culture as, the basic assumptions and beliefs that are shared by members of an organisation, that operate unconsciously and define in a basic taken-for-granted fashion an organisations view of itself and its environment. Its also depicted in these characteristics; Managers understanding of the strategic position of their organisation Likelihood of strategic drift[2] Innovation requiring the questioning and challenge of basic assumptions The taken-for-grantedness of a firm may include its strengths which may provide bases for competitive advantage. CONCLUSION In summary, Strategy as design describes the strategic management process which is really the steps and sub-processes of an organisations strategy needed to maintain or improve the organisations performance. Its also been argued that business strategy requires judgment. Though, judgment is most often a personal evaluation and analysis which each individual is committed to, firms and managers captured by their past have higher resistance to change and low in innovation. Conclusively, some innovative business strategies are determined by culture of managers and organisations with their personal judgment, expectations and adequate design methodologies planning, others are simply a variation of luck owning to the fact that some firms just happened to be in the right place at the right time, by taking full advantage of some opportunities that may arise in the global market place, thus, realising it and then developing it into a successful strategy. REFERENCES Aaker, D (2004) Strategic Market Management (7th Edition) England: John Wiley Sons, Inc Burnes, B (2004), Managing Change (4th Edition) England: Pearson Education De Wit, B Meyer, R (1998) STRATEGY: Process, Content, Context (2nd Edition) London: Thompson Learning Fifield P. (1998), Marketing Strategy, 2nd Edition Butterworth: Heinemann. Harrison, J (2003), Strategic Management of Resources and Relationships: Concepts and Cases USA: John Wiley Sons Hitt, M.A; Freeman, R.E and Harrison, J.S (2001), The Blackwell Handbook of Strategic Management, Oxford: Blackwell Publishers

Economic Situation Malaysians Attitudes Towards Private Label Brands Marketing Essay

Economic Situation Malaysians Attitudes Towards Private Label Brands Marketing Essay The term of Globalisation is a very common word in business world. Many businessmen are trying hard to market their product to other countries. Globalisation becomes an important issue in the world today and eventually it leads to the increasing number of competitors among retailers by doing trade globally. In order to become an outstanding firm from other retailers, established a competitive advantage is an important criterion for any competitive strategy (Walsh and Mitchell, 2010). Retailers use different methods to achieve competitive advantage. The most important elements of retails branding is private label brands (Glynn and Chen, 2009). According to Levy (2009), it is easy to find out that private label brands available in almost every retail product category and it is one of the competitive strategies that retailers used to achieve competitive advantage. Private label brands have reached another level in the appearance of many products categories such as grocery, household che micals, clothing and cosmetics (Veloutsou et al., 2004). Private label brands can be a crucial component of competitive advantage especially in an economic recession (Walsh and Mitchell, 2010). Economic downturn will lead to the changes in shopping patterns. Private label brands are products that are produced by retailers and sold under the retailers own name through their own retail outlets (Baltas, 1997). Private label brands have grown in many countries and product categories in the last few decades (Connor et al., 1996). According to Lupton et al. (2010), private label brands have established their market in the United Stated and Europe in the past few decades. The consumers tend to perceive private label brands as a substitute or choices to the national brands (Lupton et al., 2010). Private label brands have built their own markets and becoming more popular among the consumers in the world (AC Nielsen, 2006). According to Morris (2002), the most successful retailer has more private label branding strategies and the retailer is normally the stronger firm. Retailers with strong private label brands will have better financial results (Morris, 2002). Malaysia, as a middle income country and one of the most developed in the developing countries, has transformed itself from a producer of raw materials into a multi-sector economy (Economy Watch, 2011). According to Economy Watch (2011), the population of Malaysia is 28.713 Million. In the following year, 2012, population of Malaysia will be 29.20 Million, which is more than the figure in year 2011 (Economy Watch, 2011). The increasing of population in Malaysia will encourage the development of retailing and will boost up the purchasing power of goods. Yelkur (2000) found that the success of private label brands is varied from different nations, such as in the United Kingdom, private label brands have successfully gain a large portion of grocery sales, but in the United States the proportion of purchasing private label brands is relatively low if compare to branded products. Developing countries are being exposed to private label brands and are becoming more aware of their benefits ( Collins and Bone, 2008). According to Collins and Bone (2008), the growth of private label brands in developing countries, such as Malaysia, is still remaining low. Private label brands continue to steadily increase their share in the marketplace. According to A.C. Nielsen (2005), the private label share of refrigerated food is 32%, paper plastic is 31%, frozen food is 25%, cosmetics is 23%, pet food is 21%, health care is 14%, non-Alcoholic beverages is 12%, snack is 9%, personal care is 3% and others. There are few hypermarkets in Malaysia selling their private label product, such as Giant, Carrefour, Tesco and Tesco Extra (A.C. Nielsen, 2010). These hypermarkets provide their private label brands in many product categories. For example, Tesco offers Tesco Finest as their private label brands (Morris, 2004). This Tesco Finest private label brands has include the product category of non-Alcoholic beverages. Morris (2004) mentioned that the strong private label brands in Tesco have became the key elements of Tescos success. Tescos private label brands generate 55% of the total sales in year 2004 (Morris, 2004). Apart than that, even though there is an amount of studies on private label brands, there is no specific research based on the Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands. Nowadays, retailers own brand becomes an alternative of consumers. According to Veloutsou et al. (2004), consumers have their own perception on different brand of products, each of the products has its special features or characteristics and it will affect the purchasing behaviour of consumers. Retailers need to understand what are the main factors affecting Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands in order to attract and convince more customers stick to the own brands (Goldsmith et al., 2010). The factors affecting Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands include consumers perceived benefits (Chaniotakis, 2010), price (Walsh and Mitchell, 2010), social influences (Nelson and McLeod, 2005) and economic situation (Chaniotakis, 2010). In a recent study of private label brands (Richardson et al., 1996), some influences such as economic and psychological factors bring the effect to the purchasing rate of private label brands. Malaysian is a country comprises of many races. The three major races in Malaysia are Malay, Chinese, and Indian. Different culture will cause different people have different perception towards private label brands. This research is focusing on the factors affecting Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands. The factors that will be look into are consumers perceived benefits, price, social influences and economic situation. Last but not least, it can lead us to have a better understanding toward the issue of private label brands in Malaysia. The Background of Study There are a few previous studies that focusing on the topic of private label brands in many countries, such as a scale for measuring attitude towards private label products and examination of its psychological and behavioural correlates (Burton et al., 1998), an investigation of the new generic consumer (Herstein and Tifferet, 2007), consumer behaviour towards own label monitoring the Greek experience (Boutsouki et al., 2008) and consumers perception of generic products a Mexican study (Yelkur, 2000). The definition of attitudes towards private label brands is a predisposition to respond in a positive way to private label brands and the consumer will purchase the private label brands in a more favourable way. (Burton et al., 1998) The Theory of Planned Behaviour (Ajzen, 1991) which focusing on the research of attitude-behaviour consistency can explain the positive attitude of consumers who has good perception towards the brands when they are making their decision on purchase. The rate of adoption of private label brands is not the same in all the nations (Veloutsou et al., 2004). According to A.C. Nielsen (2010), the private label brands are still not famous in all Asian markets, but only Hong Kong having a share above 5%. Private label brands of sales increased in a few countries in year 2009 compared to year 2008, but it still remains less than 5%, except of Hong Kong (A.C. Nielsen, 2010). In a recent study of retail and shopper trends, A.C. Nielsen (2010) mentioned that Malaysia has only a share of 2.3% in private label brands, Singapore has only a share of 2.8% and Thailand has a share of 1.8%. The growing of private label brands in Asian markets has to depend on how much the retailers are willing to invest in the private label brands. Retailers have to focus on the development of products and also the quality of products in order to gain a better position in the current market (A.C. Nielsen, 2010). According to the Private Label Manufacturers Association (2010), it showed that 91% of the respondents will still buying private label brands after the economic downturn and they believe that the private label brands are just good and same quality with the branded products. The promotion and packaging of the private label brands is often similar to the branded products (Putsis and Dhar, 2001). Problem Statement According to Hernon and Metoyer-Duran (1993), problem statement must be precise and it contains the need for the study. The problem statement for this research is the factor that will affect Malaysians attitudes on buying branded products or private label brands. There are some researches being conducted to find out the factors that affect the consumers intention to buy private label brands (Walsh and Mitchell, 2010), the attribute that affect the consumers intentions of buying own-label premium food products (Chaniotakis et al., 2010) and consumer attitudes and loyalty towards private brands ( Goldsmith et al., 2010). The globalization of business creates a lot of opportunities to the retailers and it also brings a lot of competitors to them. In this emerging world, establishing a competitive advantage is the main purpose of every competitive strategy while doing the business globally (Walsh and Mitchell, 2010). Some retailers have low store-operating cost, some have efficient supply chain management and some have a large number of loyal customers (Walsh and Mitchell, 2010). Therefore, hypermarkets tend to make some changes in order to attract new customers or to meet their existing customers needs. To become outstanding among all the other competitors, retailers must have some unique products or services to attract more customers. Furthermore, the technology advancement has altered the media habits from the traditional advertising method, such as billboard, to some new advertising techniques, such as product placement, in order to reach younger generation (Nelson and McLeod, 2005). Those hypermarkets required to catch up with all these changes on media habits in order to attract more customers. Besides, due to the advance technologies, people prefer to go online shopping rather than shopping in the hypermarkets. They can purchase anything online through some website, such as amazon.com. This research not only expects that the price will be the major factor that affect Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands, but also some other factors that will bring effect on the attitudes of consumer in Malaysia towards private label brands. Some of the consumers are willing to pay more for a branded product in order to obtain higher quality than paying a less money for a private label brand (Tse, 2001). So, it is very important for this study to find out what are the major factors that determine the attitudes of Malaysian towards private label brands. Objectives of Study The objectives of the research are: To examine the relationship between consumers perceived benefits and Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands. To identify the relationship between price and Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands. To examine the relationship between social influences and Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands. To identify the relationship between economic situation and Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands. The Scope of Study In every research, there are independent variables and dependent variable. The dependent variable in this research is Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands. The attitude of Malaysian is important as they are contributing the response in this research. The independent variables in this study are consumers perceived benefits, price, social influences and economic situation. The coverage of this research is on Malaysian. This is because there already have a few studies that focusing on other nations but there are no research are doing based on the Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands. Besides, Malaysian seems to be likely increased their purchasing rate of private label brands in hypermarkets in these few years. Grocery sales in private label brands in Malaysia are rising. The respondents who participate in this survey are those who used or bought any private label brands before. Only 150 Malaysian will be selected to contribute their response to this research. The author will develop a questionnaire with the different types and forms of questions, such as closed questions and negatively worded questions. By using the method of questionnaires, the attitude of the respondents will be shown. Hence, after finding out the relationship between the major factors and Malaysians attitude towards private label brands, it will give us a better understanding about the current consumer trend of buying private label brands in Malaysia. It helps the retailers to know which of the factor has the major influence on the peoples intentions of purchasing private label brands. Furthermore, the retailers can help them to find out what factors affecting them from losing their market share, so that they can do some analysis based on the results and make some improvement and changes. Respondents can also benefits from this research too. They can broaden their knowledge toward the topic of private label brands. They can also know better about the current market trends and the main factor that determines their attitude towards private label brands. Then, by knowing the factors that affecting Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands, the government can earn more income due to the increasing sell of private label brands. Besides, the government should implement some policy to help the private label brands in order to protect them from the competition of branded and national products. Lastly, it will make contribution to the Malaysias economy because it will help the local retailers to know which factors affecting their customer on choosing private label brands, therefore, they can make slightly changes and it will lead to the increasing number of sales. By the increasing number of sales, it will definitely lead to a rise in GDP. Definition for the Key Terms Attributes Definition Sources Private Label Brands Products that are produced by retailers and sold under the retailers own name through their own retail outlets Baltas (1997) Perceived benefits The degree to which a fulfilment of expectations when choosing private label brands. Veloutsou, Gioulistanis and Moutinho (2004) Price A monetary value when the consumer wants to exchange it with the goods or services provided by the sellers or producers. Nagle and Holden (2002) Social Influences The degree to which learning the skills, knowledge and attitudes relevant for consumption from media, parents and peers. Nelson and Mcleod (2005) Economic Situation The economic conditions that will lead the retailers to enrich the range of private label offerings. Chaniotakis, Lymperopoulos and Soureli (2010) Organization Structure There are total five chapters in this research. The structure of the study is organized as following. Chapter 1 is about the introduction, the author will start by the background of this study. Besides, the author will briefly explain why this research is important, what factors will affect the Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands, history of private label brands, rules and regulations towards private label brands in Malaysia, problem statements, research objectives and contribution of this study. This part will have an overview of the research. Chapter 2 is literature review that discusses the factors that affect the attitudes of Malaysian towards private label brands. In the beginning, the definition of the theory and interest of study are introduces. Then, the author will explain each of the variables that affecting Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands. The author was reviewed the previous study to make the analysis of each variables. Chapter 3 is research methodology. In this part, it describes how the author collects information and finalizes the data. It will also explain what method will be used to conduct this research. The author defines the research framework, develops hypothesis, develops questionnaires, explain how the author undergo pilot study, chooses convenient sampling as the sampling method, and introduces the target size. Furthermore, data collection method and data analysis will be presented. Conclusion This chapter will give us some briefing about this research. Let us know about why this research is important and why this research is needed to be conducted. One of the reasons is that we can know the consumer purchasing trend in the current market after the completion of this research. Then, this study will make a huge contribution to the retailer who are selling or planning to sell private label brands. They can further know about how the consumers think and their attitudes towards private label brands in Malaysia. We can also know which variable has more powerful to affect the Malaysians intention to buy private label brands. This will have an impact on the economy of Malaysia too. Last but not least, we can also have better understanding towards the key terms that affect the Malaysians attitudes on private label brands. Besides, it will give us a clear picture for the structure of this research.

The Romance Of Lace :: essays research papers

The Romance of Lace   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Perhaps it's the touch of romance it adds. Or the way light filters through it, suffused and softened. For others, it reminds them of the home of a beloved grandmother or a gentler time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The delicate threads, twisted and knotted, become a work of art, whether they are draped over a table or hanging in a window.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In its broadest definition, lace actually refers to any openwork techniques that could include weaving, crochet or knitting. However, there are some needlework techniques that create only openwork. These are needle lace and bobbin lace. Needle lace is a single thread worked by looping, twisting and knotting.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bobbin lace is created by multiple threads wound on a hand-held bobbin and affixed to a pillow with pins. (This is also referred to as pillow lace by some.) Bobbin lace is more like weaving while needle lace is more like sewing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  'There has always been an interest in lace but in the past few years, it has gained popularity,'; said Judy Tackett, owner and manager of Attic Delights, an Orange-based antique shop that specializes in vintage lace and linens.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Today, Tackett sees laces for a variety of uses: doilies, tablecloths, pillow cases, collars, gloves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  'People are once again beginning to appreciate the intricacy and workmanship of lace,'; said Tackett.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The ways lace is used today might surprise some of its creators. Lace hankies are used as curtains hanging from a ribbon or clothesline. Or they're used as decorative elements on pillows…or sewed together to form quilts or coverlets. Some use them to trim cabinets, adding a touch or elegance or softness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Even items of clothing, particularly baby clothes, have found a second life as design elements.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  'A lot of people like baby clothes to hang in nurseries or to add a touch of softness or whimsy to a room,'; Tackett said. 'There's something comforting about a delicate gown or bonnet hanging near a window or on a hook.';   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In one instance, a woman came into Tackett's shop and spotted a pinafore that was almost an exact copy of a dress her sister had worn as a child. The woman bought it and displayed it in a shadow box along with an old snapshot taken of her sister wearing the pinafore.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Unfortunately, lace making may quite possibly become a lost art.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  'It's a very exacting and time-consuming process,'; said Tackett. 'Unfortunately, many of us don't have the time or patience.';   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Fortunately, there are still many pieces of fine quality lace available.

History of Andersonville Prison Essay -- Andersonville Prison Civil Wa

History of Andersonville Prison When one turns on the television today they are made witness to all the crimes that are present in society. It is impossible to sit through thirty-five minutes of news without anger and rage becoming aroused. This is because society is bothered by infinitesimal paraphernalia. Society also believes in human rights and punishment for those who violate such rights. Yet what constitutes humanity? Ever sit there and watch the news and wonder just how far humanity reaches? When is it time to say this is a human rights violation? Every wonder when someone’s morals and ethics begin to effect their ability to do their job? Ever wonder why in every news story the â€Å"bad guy† always become caught? Ever wonder how many people on death row might not be guilt? Some of them could have even been used as scapegoats. Yet how does one become a scapegoat? Could someone out there have that much hatred and anger to blame one person for the faults of many? Is the need for blame significant ? Does desire lead to more hatred and evil? What does it feel like to be blamed for something that might not be wrong, and to be put on trial knowing that the jury wants to blame someone? In society and in the United States since its founding, there has been a need to place blame. Imagine how the person being blamed would feel. Henry Wirz did not have to image it; he lived through it and died for it. Someone is always to be blamed, even if they were just following orders. Orders which can only go so far until humanity takes effect. Henry Wirz was used as a scapegoat for war crimes committed during the Civil War at Andersonville Prison, however that does not justify his acts or make him an American hero. Ever take a midnight train to Georgia? No, well ever drive through Georgia? When driving through Georgia on State Road 49, there is a little town called Andersonville that is very easy to miss. To many it is just another town. Yet this town has its own trail. The Andersonville Trail is a small brown dirt road that leads visitors to the Andersonville National Historic Site (Roberts xi). This National Historic Site looks like a â€Å"well- tended† national cemetery. On closer examination, this cemetery is nothing like Arlington (Roberts xi). â€Å"In this national cemetery, the marble headstones are so close together, they almost touch. The markers appear to be one long head... ... Confederacy should face the truth as did Eliza Frances Andrews, who wrote of Andersonville: â€Å"it is horrible, and a blot on the fair name of our Confederacy† (Futch 122). That is exactly it, Andersonville was a blot on the Confederacy not on just Wirz, yet Wirz was blamed. Does this seam fair? Hardly. What happened at Andersonville was a repercussion of the Confederacy’s inability, not on the inability of Henry Wirz. Bibliography Denny, Robert. Civil War Prisons and Escapes. New York, New York: Sterling Publishing Company, 1993. Futch, Ovid. History of Andersonville Prison. Indiantown, Florida: University of Florida Press, 1968. Hillstrom, Kevin. American Civil War Biographies. Michigan: The Gale Group, 2000 Levitt, Saul. The Andersonville Trial. New York, New York: Random House, 1960. Murphy, Richard. The Nation Reunited. Canada: Time-Life Books, Inc. 1987 Roberts, Edward. Andersonville Journey. Shippensburg, PA: Burd Street Press, 1998 Robertson, James: Tenting Tonight: A Soldier’s Life. Canada: The Time-Life, Inc. 1984. Shaw, William B., et al. A Photographic History of the Civil War. Six Volumes. New York, New York: The Blue and Grey Press, 1987.

Political Analysis of Qatar

POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT Qatar also known as state of Qatar is a sovereign Arab state, located in western Asia. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its territory surrounded by the Persian Gulf. A strait of the Persian Gulf separates Qatar from nearby island state of Bahrain. Qatar has been ruled absolutely by Al-Thani family since the mid 19th century. Formerly a British protectorate noted for pearl hunting, it became independent in 1971.Since, then it has become one of the region’s wealthiest states because of its enormous oil and natural gas revenues. The most important positioning Qatar are held by the members of the al Thani family, or close confidants of the al – Thani family in 1992 Qatar built a strong military ties with united states of America and Qatar is now location of U. S. central command’s forward headquarters and the combined air operations center. Qatar has the world’s highest GDP per capita and proven res erves of oil and natural gas.Qatar tops the list world’s richest countries by Forbes in 2010. Qatar did not emerge as a separate political entity until the mid 19th century when the British recognized sheikh Mohamed bin Thani. This recognition came in the aftermath of maritime Qatari Bahrain war of 1867 – 1868, prior to which the British saw Qatar as a Bahraini dependency of al – Khalifa. In march 1893, at the battle of Wajbah (10 miles west of Doha), Sheikh Jassim defeated the ottomans and forced a treaty that would later form the basis of Qatar emerging as a separate country.The reach of British Empire diminished after World War 2, especially following Indian independence in 1947. Pressure increased on British government in 1950s and British welcomed Kuwait’s declaration of independence in 1961. In 1968 Qatar joined Bahrain and seven other states in a federation, but regional dispute forced Qatar to resign from coalition. Qatar became independent sovere ign state on 3 September 1971. In 1991 Qatar played a significant role in Persian Gulf War against Iraqi army. They supported Saudi Arab National Guard units.In 1995 emir Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani seized control of the country from his father Khalifa bin Hamad al Thani while his father was enjoying vacation in Switzerland. Under emir Hamad Qatar has showed notable change like women’s right to vote, drafting a new constitution, and launch of Al Jazeera. Qatar served as headquarter and one of the main launching sites of U. S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. In December 2010, Qatar was selected to host the 2022 FIFA world cup and thus Qatar will be the first country of Middle East to host the tournament.Qataris celebrate their national day on 18th December. On this day the people of Qatar remembers Sheikh Jassim Bin Mohammad al Thani as a leader in 1878 and the force which supported Sheikh Jassim. Executive Branch In Qatar, the ruling Al Thani family continued to hold power following the declaration of independence in 1971. The head of state is the Emir, and the right to rule Qatar is passed on within the Al Thani family. Politically, Qatar is evolving from a traditional society into a modern welfare state.Government departments have been established to meet the requirements of social and economic progress. The Basic Law of Qatar 1970 institutionalized local customs rooted in Qatar’s conservative Islamic heritage, granting the Emir preeminent power. There is no electoral system. Political parties are banned. The influx of expatriate Arabs has introduced ideas that call into question the tenets of Qatar’s traditional society, but there has been no serious challenge to Al Thani rule.In February 1972, the Deputy Ruler and Prime Minister, Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad, deposed his cousin, Emir Ahmed, and assumed power. This move was supported by the key members of Al Thani and took place without violence or signs of political unrest. On June 27, 1995, the Deputy Ruler, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa deposed his father, Emir Khalifa, in a bloodless coup. Emir Hamad and his father reconciled in 1996. Constitutional Authorities: His highness the Emir is the head of the constitutional authorities, holding both legislative and executive powers.The Council of ministers assists in implementing the general policies of the state and the Advisory Council gives recommendations and advice on public matters referred to it by the Council of ministers. Emir: The Emir is the ruler of the state. Ruler in Qatar is hereditarily within the family of Al-Thani, whereby, power is transferred from father to son. In case no son is available, power is transferred to the person whom the Emir chooses within the family of Al-Thani in accordance with the Emiri Decision No (3) for 1995 amending some provisions of the Amended ProvisionalConstitution on hereditary transfer of power. The Heir Apparent is appointed in accordance with the manner stipulated in the Article No (21) of the Constitution and carries the title of His Highness the Heir Apparent. Article (17) of the Amended Provisional Constitution authorizes the Emir to issue decrees based on the advice of the Council of Ministers and in the consultation with the Advisory Council. Article (18) gives powers to the Emir assisted by the Council of ministers. The Emir thus holds both legislative and executive powers with the assistance of Council of Ministers and the Advisory Council.The Emir’s role is influenced by continuing traditions of consultation, rule by consensus, and the citizen’s right to appeal personally to the Emir. The Emir, while directly accountable to one, cannot violate the Sharia (Islamic law) and, in practice, must consider the opinions of leading notables and the religious establishment. Council of Ministers The supreme chancellor has the exclusive power to appoint and remove the prime minister and cabinet ministers who, together, comprise the Council of Ministe rs, which is the supreme executive authority in the country.The Council of Ministers also initiates legislation. Laws and decrees proposed by the Council of Ministers are referred to the Advisory Council (Majilis Al Shura) for discussion after which they are submitted to the Emir for ratification Political parties and elections Qatar held a constitutional referendum in 2003, which was overwhelmingly supported. The first municipal elections with men and women voters and candidates were held in 2007 and 2011. The first legislative council’s 45 seats are planned for 2013.Suffrage is currently limited to municipal elections and two thirds of the seats in the legislative council, with the voting age number of residents who are prevented from applying for citizenship. The selected municipal Council has no executive powers but may offer advice to the ministers. Administrative divisions Map of the municipalities of Qatar, since 2004 Before 2004, Qatar was divided into ten municipalit ies, also occasionally or rarely translated as governorates or provinces: 1. Doha (Ad Dawhah) 2. Al Ghuwariyah 3. Al Jumaliyah 4. Al Khawr 5. Al Wakrah 6. Ar Rayyan 7.Jariyan al Batnah 8. Madinat ash Shamal 9. Umm Salal 10. Mesaieed Since 2004, Qatar has been divided into seven municipalities. A new municipality, Al Daayen, was created under Resolution No. 13, formed from parts of Umm Salal and Al  Khawr; at the same time, Al Ghuwariyah was merged with Al Khawr; Al  Jumaliyah was merged with Ar Rayyan; Jarayan al Batnah was split between Ar Rayyan and Al  Wakrah; and Mesaieed was merged with Al Wakrah. For statistical purposes, the municipalities are further subdivided into zones (87 in number as of 2004), which are in turn subdivided into blocks.The constitutional development in Qatar graduated from one phase to another, keeping pace with the development of the country and it's economic growth. The first provisional constitution was issued in 1970 before independence and it w as amended in 1972 after independence, in order to cope with the requirements and responsibilities of the new phase. Since that time the objectives and features of the state policy and its Gulf, Arab and Islamic affiliations were determined.The State's authorities and apparatus acquired their experience from actually practicing these authorities in the internal and external domains. Amendments were made on some provisions of the provisional basic statute in regard to the executive authority and hereditary rule so as to conclude the constitutional arrangements in the country. The judiciary act and other basic laws, which were enacted to regulate civil and commercial interactions, were other steps on the way to build up the government apparatus and lay down the foundation for the rule of institutions and the law.To reach that goal, an Emiri Decree was issued in July 1999 to form a high level committee to draft a new, permanent constitution for the country, one of the main provisions o f which would be to cope with the achievements of the State of Qatar and to meet the aspirations and hopes of the 21st century. At the end of June 1999, the Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Khalifa Al-Thani issued a decision to form a ministerial committee mandated to study the planning of future economic and industrial development in the country in the light of current global trends. In December 1999 H.H. the Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani issued an Emiri Decree to form the â€Å"High Committee for Coordination and Follow Up†, chaired by H. H. the Heir Apparent Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al-Thani. The Committee is mandated to study the projects proposed by the ministries of public utilities and services sector and work to explore the means to improve coordination among these ministries with a view to enhance cooperation and optimize the implementation of projects. In 1999, free elections were held to form the Central Municipal Council for the first time in the history of Qatar.The historic event marked the country's first step towards democracy in its civic sense. In a pioneering move, women were allowed both to vote and run as candidates in this initial step towards popular participation in decision making in the country. Human rights To western eyes, the Qatari authorities seem to keep a relatively tight rein freedom of expansion and moves for equality. The Freedom in the World 2010 report by Freedom House lists Qatar as â€Å"Not Free† and on a 1-7 scale rates the country a 6 for political rights and 5 for civil liberties.As of 2011, the Democracy Index describes Qatar an â€Å"authoritarian regime† with the source of 3. 18 out of 10, and ranks 138th out of 167 countries covered. The citizens of Qatar enjoy equal civil rights and responsibilities without discrimination on grounds of race, origin or religion. Laws cannot be applied retroactively and no sentence may be passed except under the terms of existing law. A suspect is in nocent until is proven guilty and is entitled to a fair trial. The civil liberties guaranteed by the state include the right of residence, freedom of press and publication and private ownership.These rights cannot be circumscribed except where the practice of such rights contravenes the law or the public interest. The basic statute requires all those residing in the state to observe public order and respect public customs and morals. On its part, the state is responsible for providing public jobs for all residents. Legislative Branch The advisory Council can draft and approve laws, but final say is in the hands of Emir. The council has 45 members, 30 of whom are elected by direct, general secret ballot, and 15 of whom are appointed by the Emir.An Advisory Council or Majlis Al-Shura has limited legislative authority to draft and approve laws, but the Emir has final say on all matters. No legislative elections have been held since 1970 when there were partial elections to the body In 2003, Qatar adopted a new constitution that provided for the direct election of 30 of the 45  members of Advisory Council. As of 2012, the Council is composed entirely of members appointed by the Emir. Elections to the Majlis Al-Shura have been announced, and then postponed, several times.In 2011 the emir announced that elections to the council would be held in the second half of 2013. An elected 29-member Central Municipal Council (CMC) has limited consultative authority aimed at improving municipal services. The CMC makes recommendations to the Ministry for Municipal Affairs and Agriculture. Disagreement between the CMC and the Ministry can be brought to the Council of Ministers for resolution. Municipal elections are scheduled for every four years. The most recent elections for the council were in May 2011. Before 1999, members of the CMC were appointed by the government. Judicial BranchIn 2007, an Administrative Court, a constitutional Court, and Courts of First instances, App eal and Cassation were established. All judges are appointed by Amiri degree, on the recommendation of the Supreme Judiciary Council. Terms are for three years. The legal system is based on Islamic and civil law codes, and a discretionary system of law controlled by the Emir. Islamic law dominates family and personal issues. In May 2011, Qatar held nationwide elections for a 29-member Central Municipal Corporation (CMC), which has limited consultative powers aimed at improving the provision of municipal services.Male and female Qataris aged 18 and older are able to vote, and run as candidates for election. There are no political parties in Qatar. Consultative Assembly The Consultative Assembly has 35 appointed members with only consultative tasks. However, the 2003 Constitution of Qatar calls for a 45 member elected Legislature, which is to be made up of 30 elected representatives and 15 appointed by the Emir. In 2006, Prime Minister Al Thani-then the Deputy PM- announced that elect ions would be held in 2007. However, only a legislative council to review the subject was created that year.The actual elections have been postponed three times; most recently in June 2010, when the Emir extended the Consultative Assembly’s tenure until 2013. Foreign Policy H. H. Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Emir of the state of Qatar is considered a highly competent politician and a great contributor to the enrichment of international and regional political practice. The manifestations of that contribution are reflected in the boosting of the economic and political cooperation between Qatar and the Gulf Arab States in particular and between Qatar and the rest of the world in general.Such contributions emanate from a strategic vision, which is marked by courage, objectivity and comprehensiveness. The personalities Doha received during the last five years and the official visits paid by H. H. the Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani to the three old continents in addit ion to North America, all were positively reflected in Qatar’s high standing amongst the states of the world which qualified it to play a positive and influential role marked by reality, transparency, clarity of vision and the adoption of moderate political approach.On October 10, 2005, for the first time, Qatar was elected to a two-year term on the UN Security Council for 2006-2007. According to BBC, in April 2006 Qatar announced that it will give US$50 million to the new Hamas-1ed Palestinian government. Hamas, an ally of Iran and Hezbollah, is considered by the US and the EU to be a terrorist organization. In May 2006, Qatar pledged more than $100 million to Hurricane Katrina relief to colleges and universities in Louisiana affected by the hurricane.Some of this money was also distributed to families looking to repair damaged homes by Neighborhood Housing Services of New Orleans, Inc. Qatar is member of ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, International Maritime organization, Intelsat Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, and WTO. Most of the developed countries are exempt from visa requirements.Citizens of exempted countries can also request a joint visa that allows them to travel to Oman as well Israeli passport holders however are forbidden to enter Qatar. The Qatari government is the primary benefactor of the Al Jazeera television network. Accused of biased reporting against some governments, the network has been banned in Kuwait. This has led to strained relations between Qatar and some government in the region who see the Qatari government as responsible for Al Jazeera’s purportedly incendiary reporting. International RelationsQatar is very keen to participate actively in the efforts to deal with all the concerns and the challenges that the Gulf region encounters. It places increasing emphasis on support ing the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and spares no effort to bring about solidarity and strengthen ties of mutual trust and communication between Arab countries, propagates the wisdom of resorting to peaceful means in resolving all the disputes among the countries, approves the United Nations efforts to uphold peace and security and works to maintain good relations with all peace-loving people and countries.Qatar rejects and denounces all forms and manifestations of terrorism, regardless of its causes, objectives and means. It, however, differentiates between terrorism and the people’s struggle and legitimate rights of freedom and self-determination in accordance with the provisions of International Laws. Qatar in all regional and international occasions, expresses its grave concerns over the escalation of conflicts, ethnic cleansing and denial of the rights of minorities in some countries of Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa and other continents.Qatar welcomes all international agreements concluded with a view to resolving such problems and pledges support for the efforts exerted by regional and international organizations to achieve peace and stability in some states and regions of the world. In the International Arena Qatar works very hard to establish close ties of cooperation with all peace-loving countries and people, extends generous financial aid to many developing countries in Asia and Africa and contributes to various regional and international aid funds to create the widest possible avenue of international cooperation.Qatar has always been a staunch supporter of liberation movement and has constantly denounced all kinds of racial discrimination wherever it exists. In May 1994, Qatar hosted the meetings of the Regional Security and Arms Limitations General Committee. Qatar adopts a set of principles as a basis for peace and security in the Middle East and the world at large.At the top of those principles comes the abstention from using or threate ning to use force against territorial integrity of other countries, and seeking to resolve disputes by peaceful means such as regional or international arbitration, and dialogue. In recognition of Qatar’s vital role and contribution in the efforts to uphold peace, the special work group of the Regional Security and Arms Limitations General Committee for the Middle East decided in December 1994 to establish a regional center for the group in Doha to act as a front line dispute prevention and resolution facility.And as an expression of appreciation from the international community of the policies adopted by Qatar in the regional and the international spheres, Qatar was elected in March 1995 deputy chairman for the international social development Summit Conference, in the context of the UN regional groups representation. U. S. -Qatari Relations A U. S. embassy was established in Doha in 1973, but U. S. relations with Qatar did not blossom until the 1991 Gulf War. The United Sta tes promptly recognized the assumptions of power by Sheikh Hamad in June 1995. Qatar’s articipation in Arab-Israeli peace process accord with U. S. ’ efforts to foster and expanding dialogue between Israel and Arab States. The two governments differ to some degree in their positions regarding Iran and Iraq. Qatar favors a policy of constructive engagement with these two states. By contrast, the United States favors isolating them through the policy of ‘Dual Containment’ Trade between United States and Qatar has increased after the Gulf war. U. S. exports to Qatar amounted to $354. 11 million in 1998, consisting mainly of machinery and transport equipment.U. S. imports from Qatar, mainly textiles and fertilizers, totaled $220. 36 million in 1998. Over the past five years, the level of bilateral trade has more than doubled. Although the bulk of Qatar’s trade continues to be with a few European countries and Japan, several U. S. firms, including Mobil, Occidental, Pennzoil, Enron, and Bechtel are active in the exploitation of Qatar’s oil and gas resources. Despite the presence of U. S. firms in the Qatari hydrocarbon industry, the U. S. imports virtually no oil from Qatar.Bilateral defense and security cooperation has expanded since the Gulf war. On June 23, 1992, the United States and Qatar concluded a Defense Cooperation agreement that provided for U. S. access to Qatari bases, pre-positioning of United States material, and combined military exercises. Since the agreement, the United States and Qatar have begun to implement plans for pre-positioning U. S. military equipment for a use in a future contingency in the Gulf, including enough tanks and associated equipment for an armored brigade. A warehouse for U. S.Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Henry Shelton stated that the pre-positioning station â€Å"is right on schedule at this time and will be a great enhancement to our capabilities as well as, I think, provide a great capability that we would not have had otherwise† Qatar has also expressed a willingness to host a forward presence for U. S. Central Command and it has begun allowing U. S. P-3 maritime patrols originating from Qatar. On several occasions, Qatar has hosted temporary deployments of U. S. Air Expeditionary Forces that enhance U. S. aircraft carrier coverage of the Gulf 10 Qatar has held informal iscussions about purchasing the U. S. built MI A2 tank and Patriot PAC ill air defense system, but no U. S. sales are anticipated at this time. The U. S. has been supportive of Qatar’s recent moves toward political liberalization. In March 1999, Rep. Sue Kelly and Rep. Carolyn Maloney headed a congressional delegation that observed Qatar’s election for a Central Municipal Council. In the election’s aftermath, Congress passed a resolution congratulating the state of Qatar and its citizens for their commitment to democratic ideals and women’s su ffrage (S. Con. Res. 14, March 4, 1999, and H. Con Res. 35, April 13, 1999)

Last Sacrifice Chapter Twenty-three

THE FEW SECONDS OF SILENCE that followed seemed to stretch out to eternity. Everyone was confused, each for totally different reasons. Jill's initial surprise had been laced with excitement, but as she stared around from face to face, her smile faded and faded until she looked as bewildered as the rest of us. â€Å"What's going on?' asked a new voice. Moments later, Emily Mastrano appeared beside her daughter. Emily glanced at me and Sydney with curiosity and then gasped when she saw the third member of our group. â€Å"Sonya!' Emily jerked Jill back, her face filled with panic. Emily wasn't guardian-fast, but I admired her responsiveness. â€Å"Emily †¦ ?' Sonya's voice was very small, on the verge of cracking. â€Å"It †¦ it's me †¦ really me †¦' Emily tried to tug the man inside as well but stopped when she got a good look at Sonya. Like anyone else, Emily had to acknowledge the obvious. Sonya had no Strigoi features. Plus, she was out in broad daylight. Emily faltered and opened her mouth to speak, but her lips couldn't quite manage it. She finally turned to me. â€Å"Rose †¦ what's going on?' I was surprised that she would regard me as an authority, both because we'd only met once and because I honestly wasn't sure what was going on either. It took me a few attempts to find my voice. â€Å"I think †¦ I think we should come inside †¦' Emily's gaze fell back on Sonya. Jill tried to push forward to see what all the drama was about, but Emily continued blocking the door, still not totally convinced it was safe. I couldn't blame her. At last, she gave a slow nod and stepped away to give us access. Sydney's eyes flicked toward the car, where Victor, Robert, and Dimitri were waiting. â€Å"What about them?' she asked me. I hesitated. I wanted Dimitri to be with me to drop the bombshell, but Emily might only be able to handle one thing at a time here. Moroi didn't have to run in royal circles to know who Victor Dashkov was or what he looked like. Our trip to Las Vegas had been proof of that. I shook my head at Sydney. â€Å"They can wait.' We settled into the family's living room and learned the guy who'd answered the door was Emily's husband, John Mastrano. Emily went through the motions of offering us beverages, like this was a perfectly ordinary visit, but the look on her face confirmed she was still in shock. She handed us glasses of water like a robot, her face so pale she might have been Strigoi. John rested his hand on Emily's once she sat down. He kept giving us wary looks, but for her, he was all affection and concern. â€Å"What's going on?' Emily's eyes were still dazed. â€Å"I †¦ don't know. My cousin is here †¦ but I don't understand how †¦' She looked back and forth at me, Sydney, and Sonya. â€Å"How is this possible?' Her voice shook. â€Å"It was Lissa, wasn't it?' exclaimed Jill, who undoubtedly knew this relative's sordid history. She was understandably shocked–and a little nervous–but excitement was beginning to stir. â€Å"I heard what happened with Dimitri. It's true, isn't it? Lissa can heal Strigoi. She saved him. She saved †¦' Jill turned toward Sonya, enthusiasm wavering a little. I wondered what kind of stories she'd heard about Sonya. â€Å"She saved you.' â€Å"Lissa didn't do it,' I said. â€Å"Another, uh, spirit user did.' Jill's face lit up. â€Å"Adrian?' I'd forgotten about her crush on him. â€Å"No †¦ someone else. It's not important,' I added hastily. â€Å"Sonya's †¦ well, she's Moroi again. Confused, though. Not quite herself.' Sonya had been drinking in the sight of her cousin but now turned to me with a wry, knowing smile. â€Å"I can speak for myself, Rose.' â€Å"Sorry,' I said. Emily turned to Sydney and frowned. They'd been introduced, but no more. â€Å"Why are you here?' Emily didn't have to say what she really meant. She wanted to know why a human was here. â€Å"Are you a feeder?' â€Å"No!' exclaimed Sydney, jumping up from her spot beside me on the loveseat. I had never seen her filled with such outrage and disgust. â€Å"Say that again, and I'll walk right out of here! I'm an Alchemist.' She was met with blank stares, and I pulled Sydney back down. â€Å"Easy, girl. I don't think they don't know what Alchemists are.' Secretly, I was glad. When I'd first discovered the Alchemists, I'd felt like I was the last person in the world to find out. It was nice to know others were out of the loop too. Keeping things simple for now, I explained to Emily, â€Å"Sydney's been helping us.' Tears brimmed in Emily's blue eyes as she turned back to her cousin. Emily Mastrano was one of the most stunning women I'd ever met. Even tears were beautiful on her. â€Å"It's really you, isn't it? They brought you back to me. Oh God.' Emily rose and walked over to hold her cousin in a deep embrace. â€Å"I've missed you so much. I can't believe this.' I almost felt like crying, too, but sternly reminded myself that we had come with a mission. I knew how startling this all was. We had just turned the Mastrano family's world upside down †¦ and I was about to complicate things even more. I hated to do it. I wished they could have the time they needed to adjust, to celebrate the miracle of having Sonya back. But the clock at Court–and on my life–was ticking. â€Å"We brought her †¦' I said at last. â€Å"But there's another reason we're here.' I don't know what tone my voice conveyed, but Emily stiffened and stepped back from Sonya, sitting down beside her husband. Somehow, in that moment, I think she knew why we were here. I could see in her eyes that she was afraid–as if she'd been dreading this type of visit for years, as if she'd imagined it a hundred times. I pushed forward. â€Å"We know †¦ we know about Eric Dragomir.' â€Å"No,' said Emily, her voice an odd mixture of harshness and desperateness. Her obstinate manner was remarkably similar to Sonya's initial refusal to aid us. â€Å"No. We are not doing this.' The instant I'd seen Jill, the instant I'd recognized those eyes, I'd known we had the right place. Emily's words–more importantly, her lack of a denial–confirmed it. â€Å"We have to,' I said. â€Å"This is serious.' Emily turned to Sonya. â€Å"You promised! You promised you wouldn't tell!' â€Å"I didn't,' said Sonya, but her face wore its earlier doubt. â€Å"She didn't,' I said firmly, hoping to reassure them both. â€Å"It's hard to explain †¦ but she kept her promise.' â€Å"No,' repeated Emily. â€Å"This isn't happening. We cannot talk about this.' â€Å"What †¦ what's going on?' demanded John. Anger kindled in his eyes. He didn't like seeing strangers upset his wife. I directed my words to Emily. â€Å"We have to talk about this. Please. We need your help. We need her help.' I gestured to Jill. â€Å"What do you mean?' asked Jill. That earlier eager spark was gone, cooled by her mother's reaction. â€Å"It's about your–‘ I came to a stop. I'd rushed into this, ready to find Lissa's sibling– her sister, we now knew–with little thought of the implications. I should have known this would be a secret from everyone–including the child in question. I hadn't considered what a shock this would be to her. And this wasn't just some random stranger. This was Jill. Jill. My friend. The girl who was like a little sister to all of us, the one we looked out for. What was I about to do to her? Looking at John, I realized things were worse still. Did Jill think he was her father? This family was about to be shaken to its core– and I was responsible. â€Å"Don't!' cried Emily, jumping up again. â€Å"Get out! All of you! I don't want you here!' â€Å"Mrs. Mastrano †¦' I began. â€Å"You can't pretend this isn't real. You have to face it.' â€Å"No!' she pointed to the door. â€Å"Get out! Get out, or I'll †¦ I'll call the police! Or the guardians! You †¦' Realization flashed over her now that the initial shock of seeing Sonya had faded. Victor wasn't the only criminal Moroi would be on guard for. â€Å"You're a fugitive! A murderer!' â€Å"She is not!' said Jill, leaning forward. â€Å"I told you, Mom. I told you before it was a mistake–‘ â€Å"Get out,' repeated Emily. â€Å"Sending us away won't change the truth,' I said, forcing myself to stay calm. â€Å"Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?' John's face was flushed red, angry and defensive. â€Å"If I don't have an answer within thirty seconds, I'm calling the guardians and the police.' I looked over at Jill and couldn't speak. I didn't know how to say what I needed to, at least not tactfully. Sydney, however, didn't have that problem. â€Å"He's not your father,' she said bluntly, pointing at John. There was a slight pause in the room. Jill almost looked disappointed, like she'd hoped for more exciting news. â€Å"I know that. He's my stepdad. Or, well, my dad as far as I'm concerned.' Emily sank back on the couch, burying her face in her hands. She seemed to be crying, but I was pretty sure she could jump up at any moment and call the authorities. We had to get through this fast, no matter how painful. â€Å"Right. He's not your biological father,' I said, looking steadily at Jill. The eyes. How had I never noticed the eyes? ‘Eric Dragomir is.' Emily made a low keening sound. â€Å"No,' she begged. â€Å"Please don't do this.' John's anger morphed back to the confusion that seemed to be so in fashion in this room. â€Å"What?' â€Å"That †¦ no.' Jill slowly shook her head. â€Å"That's impossible. My father was just †¦ just some guy who ran out on us.' In some ways, that wasn't far from the truth, I supposed. â€Å"It was Eric Dragomir,' I said. â€Å"You're part of their family. Lissa's sister. You're †¦' I startled myself, realizing I had to look at Jill in a whole new way. â€Å"You're royalty.' Jill was always full of energy and optimism, operating in the world with a naive hope and charm. But now her face was grim and sober, making her look older than her fifteen years. â€Å"No. This is a joke. My dad was a lowlife. I'm not †¦ no. Rose, stop.' â€Å"Emily.' I flinched at the sound of Sonya's voice, surprised to hear her speak. I was more surprised at her expression. Authoritative. Serious. Determined. Sonya was younger than Emily by–what? Ten years, if I had to guess. But Sonya had fixed her cousin with a stare that made Emily look like a naughty child. â€Å"Emily, it's time to give this up. You have to tell her. For God's sake, you have to tell John. You can't keep this buried anymore.' Emily looked up and met Sonya's eyes. â€Å"I can't tell. You know what will happen †¦ I can't do that to her.' â€Å"None of us know what will happen,' said Sonya. â€Å"But things will get worse if you don't take control now.' After a long moment, Emily finally looked away, staring at the floor. The sad, sad look on her face broke my heart. And not just mine. â€Å"Mom?' asked Jill, voice trembling. â€Å"What's happening? This is all a big mix-up, right?' Emily sighed and looked up at her daughter. â€Å"No. You are Eric Dragomir's daughter. Rose is right.' John made a small, strangled sound but didn't interrupt his wife. She squeezed his hand again. â€Å"What I told you both over the years †¦ it was true. Mostly. We did just have a brief †¦ relationship. Not a cheap one, exactly. But brief.' She paused and glanced over at John this time, her expression softening. â€Å"I told you †¦' He nodded. â€Å"And I told you the past didn't matter to me. Never affected how I felt about you, about Jill. But I never imagined †¦' â€Å"Me neither,' she agreed. â€Å"I didn't even know who he was when we first met. It was back when I lived in Las Vegas and had my first job, dancing in a show at the Witching Hour.' I felt my eyes go wide. No one seemed to notice. The Witching Hour. My friends and I had been to that casino while hunting for Robert, and a man there had made a joke about Lissa's father being interested in showgirls. I knew Emily worked in a Detroit ballet company now; it was why they lived in Michigan. Never would I have guessed that she'd started as a feather-and-sequin-clad dancer in a Las Vegas show. But why not? She would have had to start somewhere, and her tall, graceful frame would lend itself well to any type of dancing. â€Å"He was so sweet †¦ and so sad,' Emily continued. â€Å"His father had just died, and he'd come to sort of drown his sorrows. I understood how a death would devastate him, but now †¦ well, I really understand. It was another loss to his family. The numbers were dropping.' She frowned thoughtfully and then shrugged. â€Å"He was a good man, and I think he truly loved his wife. But he was in a dark, low place. I don't think he was using me. He cared about me, though I doubt what happened between us would have in other circumstances. Anyway, I was fine with the way things ended and was content to move on with my life †¦ until Jill came along. I contacted Eric because I thought he should know–though I made it clear I didn't expect anything from him. And at that point, knowing who he was, I didn't want anything. If I'd let him, I think he would have acknowledged you, had a role in your life.' Emily's eyes were on Jill now. â€Å"But I've seen what that world is like. Court life is politics and lies and backstabbing. In the end, the only thing I'd accept from him was money. I still didn't want that. I didn't want to feel like I was blackmailing him–but I did want to make sure your future was secure.' I spoke without thinking. â€Å"You don't really live like you're using that money.' I regretted the words as soon as they were out. Their home was perfectly nice, hardly the depths of poverty. But it also didn't match the funds I'd seen moved around in those bank accounts. â€Å"I'm not,' said Emily. â€Å"It's on hand for emergencies, of course, but mostly I set it all aside for Jill, for her future. To do whatever she wants.' â€Å"What do you mean?' asked Jill, aghast. â€Å"What kind of money are you talking about?' â€Å"You're an heiress,' I said. â€Å"And royalty.' â€Å"I'm not any of those things,' she said. She was frantic now, looking around at all of us. She reminded me of a deer, ready to bolt. â€Å"There's a mistake. You've all made some mistake.' Emily stood up and walked over to Jill's chair, kneeling on the floor before it. Emily clasped her daughter's hand. â€Å"It is all true. And I'm sorry you have to find out like this. But it doesn't change anything. Our lives aren't going to change. We'll go on just like we have before.' A range of emotions raced over Jill's features–especially fear and confusion–but she leaned down and buried her face against her mother's shoulder in acceptance. â€Å"Okay.' It was a touching moment, and again, I almost felt like crying. I'd had my own share of family drama and parental issues. Like before, I wanted the Mastranos to have this moment–but they couldn't. â€Å"You can't,' I told them. â€Å"You can't go on like before. Jill †¦ Jill has to go to Court.' Emily jerked away from Jill and stared at me. Only a second ago, Emily had been full of grief and distress. Now, I saw intense anger and ferocity. Her blue eyes were stormy, fixing me with a sharp glare. â€Å"No. She is not going there. She is never going there.' Jill had already visited Court before, but both Emily and I knew that I wasn't referring to some casual sightseeing trip. Jill had to go with her true identity. Well– maybe true wasn't the right word. Illicit royalty wasn't part of her nature, at least not yet. She was who she'd always been, but her name had changed. That change had to be acknowledged, and the Moroi Court would be shaken. â€Å"She has to,' I urged. â€Å"The Court's getting corrupted, and the Dragomir family has to play its part to help fix things. Lissa has no power alone, not without a family quorum. All the other royals †¦ they're trampling her. They're going to push laws that won't help any of us.' Emily still knelt by the chair, as though shielding Jill from my words. â€Å"And that's exactly why Jill can't go. It's why I wouldn't let Eric acknowledge her. I don't want Jill involved. That place is poison. Tatiana's murder is proof.' Emily paused and gave me a sharp look, reminding me that I was the chief suspect. Apparently we weren't past that yet. â€Å"All those royals †¦ they're vicious. I don't want Jill turning into one of them. I won't let her turn into one of them.' â€Å"Not all royals are like that,' I argued. â€Å"Lissa's not. She's trying to change the system.' Emily gave me a bitter smile. â€Å"And how do you think the others feel about her reform? I'm sure there are royals who are happy to see her silenced–royals who wouldn't like to see her family reemerge. I told you: Eric was a good man. Sometimes I don't think it's a coincidence their family has died out.' I gaped. â€Å"That's ridiculous.' But I suddenly wasn't so sure. â€Å"Is it?' Emily's eyes were on me, as though guessing my doubts. â€Å"What do you think they'd do if another Dragomir came forward? The people who oppose Vasilisa? What do you think they'd do if only one person stood between them and her family's power?' Her implications were shocking †¦ yet, I knew they weren't impossible. Glancing over at Jill, I felt an empty, sinking feeling in my stomach. What would I be subjecting her to? Sweet, innocent Jill. Jill wanted adventure out of life and could still barely talk to guys without blushing. Her desire to learn to fight was half-youthful impulse and half-instinct to defend her people. Stepping into the royal world could technically help her people too–though not in a way she'd ever expected. And it would mean getting involved with the dark and sinister nature that sometimes filled the Court. Emily seemed to read my silence as agreement. A mix of triumph and relief crossed her face, all of which vanished when Jill suddenly spoke up. â€Å"I'll do it.' We all turned to stare. Thus far, I'd been regarding her with pity, thinking of her as a victim. Now, I was startled at how brave and resolved she looked. Her expression was still underscored with a little fear and shock, but there was a steel in her I'd never seen before. â€Å"What?' exclaimed Emily. â€Å"I'll do it,' said Jill, voice steadier. â€Å"I'll help Lissa and †¦ and the Dragomirs. I'll go with Rose back to Court.' I decided mentioning the myriad difficulties of me getting anywhere near Court wasn't important just then. Honestly, I had reached a point where I was playing all of this by ear, though it was a relief to see Emily's fury shifted away from me. â€Å"You will not! I'm not letting you near there.' â€Å"You can't make this choice for me!' cried Jill. â€Å"I'm not a child.' â€Å"And you're certainly not an adult,' retorted Emily. The two began arguing back and forth, and soon John jumped in to support his wife. In the midst of the family bickering, Sydney leaned toward me and murmured, â€Å"I bet you never thought the hardest part of finding your â€Å"savior' would be getting her mom to let her stay out past curfew.' The unfortunate part about her joke was that it was kind of true. We needed Jill, and I certainly hadn't envisioned this complication. What if Emily refused? Clearly, keeping Jill's heritage a secret was something she'd been pretty adamant about for a while– say, like, fifteen years. I had a feeling Jill wouldn't be beyond running away to Court if it came down to that. And I wouldn't be beyond helping her. Once more, Sonya jumped into the conversation unexpectedly. â€Å"Emily, didn't you hear me? This is all going to happen eventually, with or without your consent. If you don't let Jill go now, she'll go next week. Or next year. Or in five years. The point is, it will happen.' Emily sank back against the chair, face crumpling. â€Å"No. I don't want this.' Sonya's pretty face turned bitter. â€Å"Life, unfortunately, doesn't seem to care what we want. Act now while you can actually stop it from being a disaster.' â€Å"Please, Mom,' begged Jill. Her jade Dragomir eyes regarded Emily with affection. I knew Jill might indeed disobey and run off–but she didn't want to, not if she didn't have to. Emily stared into the distance, long-lashed eyes vacant and defeated. And although she was standing in the way of my plans, I knew she did it out of legitimate love and concern–traits that had probably drawn Eric to her. â€Å"Okay,' said Emily at last. She sighed. â€Å"Jill can go–but I'm going too. You aren't facing that place without me.' â€Å"Or me,' said John. He still seemed bewildered but was determined to support his wife and stepdaughter. Jill regarded them both with gratitude, reminding me again that I'd just turned a functional family dysfunctional. Emily and John coming with us hadn't been part of my plans, but I couldn't blame them and didn't see what harm they'd cause. We'd need Emily anyway to tell everyone about Eric. â€Å"Thank you,' I said. â€Å"Thank you so much.' John eyed me. â€Å"We still haven't dealt with the fact that there's a fugitive in our home.' â€Å"Rose didn't do it!' That fierceness was still in Jill. â€Å"It was a setup.' â€Å"It was.' I hesitated to speak my next words. â€Å"Probably by the people opposing Lissa.' Emily paled, but I felt the need for honesty, even if it reaffirmed her fears. She took a steadying breath. â€Å"I believe you. Believe that you didn't do it. I don't know why †¦ but I do.' She almost smiled. â€Å"No, I do know why. It's because of what I said before, about those vipers at Court. They're the ones who do this kind of thing. Not you.' â€Å"Are you sure?' asked John uneasily. â€Å"This mess with Jill is bad enough without us housing a criminal.' â€Å"I'm certain,' said Emily. â€Å"Sonya and Jill trust Rose, and so I do. You're all welcome to stay here tonight since we can hardly head out to Court right now.' I opened my mouth to say we most certainly could leave right now, but Sydney elbowed me sharply. â€Å"Thank you, Mrs. Mastrano,' she said, summoning up that Alchemist diplomacy. â€Å"That would be great.' I repressed a scowl. Time was still pressing on me, but I knew the Mastranos were entitled to make some preparations. It was probably better to travel in the daytime too. A rough check of my mental map made me think we could do the whole drive back to Court in one day. I nodded in agreement with Sydney, resigning myself to a sleepover at the Mastrano house. â€Å"Thanks. We appreciate it.' Suddenly, something occurred to me, summoning back John's words. This mess with Jill is bad enough without us housing a criminal. I gave Emily as convincing and reassuring a smile as I could muster. â€Å"We, um, also have some friends with us waiting out in the car †¦'