Objectives For An E Business Strategy

Objectives For An E Business Strategy Investigation, critical analysis and formulation of e-business strategy for Under Study who manufacture, maintain, service and support scientific machinery and accessories.   (Jump to) Task A To generate research and formulate an e-business strategy for the company by means of applying five analytical tools in strategic management. Task B Discuss the challenges of adoption of e-business and evaluate the critical success factors for e-business in relation to the company Task C Critically review the process analysis in relation to operations with a view to improving performance. Executive Summary (Synopsis) The aim of the project is to investigate the current state of the company with a view to investment. The intention is to identify and set objectives for an e-business strategy. The company under study has a workforce with over 150 years of experience in manufacturing, maintaining, service and support of scientific machinery and accessories. It is part of a larger group of five privately owned companies. The company aspires to expand its operations into new countries and produce innovative products with exceptional quality however it currently operates with dated and obsolete equipment with no long term business to business agreements, minimal profit margins and no e-business strategy. The report will review a process analysis of the company in relation to expanding its operations into a new country with a view to improving performance. The first part of this report applies five analytical tools in strategic management concluding with an evaluation of a proposed approach. The second part of this report details the challenges of e-business adoption ending with an evaluation of the critical success factors. The third part of this report is a critical review of the process analysis. Task A The objective of this task is to formulate a suitable E-business strategy for the company. Competition has always been central to the agenda of companies. Strategic planning has now become widely accepted as the important task of charting a long term direction for a company. Strategies offer a frame work for understanding position and the underlying forces of competition (M Porter). Reviewing Information Systems (IS) and Information Technology (IT) are used in business to add value and achieve objectives (McKay and Marshall, 2004). Identifying internal and external forces is essential to understanding and defining strategic goals and objectives. The rate of change in both internal and external environments of manufacturing firms is increasing, which necessitates that increased attention be paid to strategic planning and strategy formulation. The approach for this task will mirror that suggested by McKay and Marshal who recommended that internal and external analysis can create an e-v ision. An appropriate devised e-business strategy can then be proposed. McFarlans Strategic Grid In 1993 McFarlan and McKenney provided a strategic grid to examine the strategic role of information technology. The tool is useful in balance decision making. Analysing and understanding the companys information technology and information systems will be vital in terms of how the company does its business currently and how its business model or e-business strategy is formulated for the future. Factory: High operational impact, low strategic impact, this quadrant is about operational improvements that affect large portions of the firm, and are aimed at improving performance or decreasing cost. Turnaround: low operational impact, high strategic impact. This quadrant is about exploiting new technologies to provide strategic opportunities. Strategic: High operational impact, high strategic impact. IT organisations that have most projects in this quadrant understand that IT can both improve core operations of the firm while simultaneously generating strategic options. Application of Model. Figure 1.0 Illustrates the companys position in the McFlaranss strategic grid as strategic quadrant. The company has identified that information technology and information systems are an important part of their future. This has been identified by the companys desire for an e-business strategy. If the company utilised IS IT more then the business will perform more efficiently and potentially gain a competitive advantage. Future investment in IT IS is a necessity for the companys growth. It can not be ignored that the company is positioned close to the turnaround quadrant but on analysis the company has identified its needs for growth thus strategic planning is of higher importance. Pest Analysis When analyzing the macro-environment, it is important to identify the factors that might in turn affect a number of vital variables that are likely to influence the organizations supply and demand levels and its costs (Kotter and Schlesinger, 1991; Johnson and Scholes, 1993). The radical and ongoing changes occurring in society create an uncertain environment and have an impact on the function of the whole organization (Tsiakkiros, 2002). Kotler (1998) claims that the PEST analysis is a useful tool for understanding market growth or decline, and as such the position, potential and direction for a business. A PEST analysis is a business measurement tool. PEST is an acronym for Political, Economic, Social and Technological factors, which are used to assess the market for a business or organisational unit. The PEST analysis headings are a framework for reviewing a situation, and can also, like SWOT analysis, and PorterHYPERLINK http://www.businessballs.com/portersfiveforcesofcompetition.htmHYPERLINK http://www.businessballs.com/portersfiveforcesofcompetition.htms Five Forces model, be used to review a strategy or position, direction of a company, a marketing proposition or a proposal. As PEST factors are essentially external, completing a PEST analysis is helpful prior to completing a SWOT analysis, a SWOT analysis Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats is based broadly on half internal and half external factors. PEST ensures that companys performance is aligned positively with the powerful forces of change that are affecting business environment (Porter, 1985). PEST is useful when a company decides to enter its business operations into new markets and new countries. The use of PEST, in this case, helps to break free of unconscious assumptions, and help to effectively adapt to the realities of the new environment. The results can be used to take advantage of opportunities and to make contingency plans for threats when preparing business and strategic plans (Byars, 1991; Cooper, 2000). Application of Model (P)olitical Factors The company opening in new countries must consider political factors such as regulations and legalities; for example an e-business may not be eligible to trade or have premises in a new territory. Chinese regulations for example have limited Googles search engine, excluding Googles You Tube. In March 2010 China banned Googles search engine only to lift the ban a day after. The company must monitor the new Countrys policies or regulations to ensure the way it conducts business is politically acceptable and thus not limiting any future strategies or goals. Ensuring the selected country has a stable political environment will aid company stability. Many countries have restrictive polices which are designed to protect local manufactures from larger organisations. Such policies often hinder foreign companies from entering into these markets. The company should form a strategic alliance with a local company to circumvent any limitations in opening in a new country. (E)conomic Factors The industry is in growth, this is indicated by the company wishing to expand and develop an e-business strategy. Funding in new countrys can be affected by monetary and fiscal rates. Changing inflation rates and currency fluctuation can determine the profitability of the company. A depressed economy will generally be a luxury which results in a number of organisations going out of business, it can provide opportunities for some (Robinson and et al., 1978; Thompson, 2002). If the company is restricted by political issues this would be considered if an alliance was required to set up operations in a new country. A depressed economy could also give an advantage on labour due to high unemployment. Energy availability and cost will require analysing for suitability in the new country. This could affect the e-business strategy in a negative or positive way. (S)ocio Cultural Factors Recruitment in a new country will have to consider technology limitations due to education. Higher educational standards will raise the probability of technology advancement thus having a competitive edge. Consumers attitudes towards online transactions may negatively influence the e-business strategy however if the new country is emerging as an online leader due to political influences such as investing in IT then this could gain a competitive advantage. Cultural attitudes towards e-business across the globe may affect the company objectives. (T)echnological Factors Safer online transactions will aid online communication thus improving business to business communications and orders. Internet accessibility can determine whether the companys e-business strategy will work. Some locations may have limited services or none at all. This can also be a competitive advantage if the area is in development or an internet provider is expanding. Technology advances could potentially aid the company in being more efficient and lean. Becoming a lean world class business will aid the company in being financially competitive. Government investment in technology and research will aid growth. SWOT Analysis SWOT has an extensive history as a model of strategic and marketing analysis. It has featured in strategy books since 1972. SWOT analysis is a strategic planning method used to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats in a project or in a business venture. It involves identifying the internal and external factors that are favourable and unfavourable to achieve that objective. The technique is credited to Albert Humphrey It advocates say that it can be used to gauge the degree of fit between the organisations strategies and its environment, and to suggest ways in which the organisation can profit from strengths and opportunities and shield itself against weaknesses and threats (Adams, 2005). The tool is relatively simple to use but its impact if used academically could be influential in a new business strategy. A weakness is that SWOT, having been conceived in simpler times means it does not cope very well with some of the subtler aspects of modern strategic theory, such as trade-offs (De Witt and Meyer, 1998). Strengths: characteristics of the business or team that give it an advantage over others in the industry. Weaknesses: are characteristics that place the firm at a disadvantage relative to others. Opportunities: external chances to make greater sales or profits in the environment. Threats: external elements in the environment that could cause difficulty for the business. Application of Tool The tool has been applied to the company to establish the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. (S)trengths 150 Years workforce experience. Good company name. High quality production and service. Constantly lowering costs to compete. Informative website Desire to grow the business into new territory. Competent workforce Strategic growth into new country / territory Supply directly to customer After sales service Privately owned International customer base Service and support is world wide (W)eaknesses Limited resources. Website is designed for marketing, no transactions. Limited investment. Bricks and mortar organisation no web transactions Skills shortage or little innovation. Weak marketing with no e-commerce or e- business strategy. Dated processing of supply chain management, lack of information technology and information systems. Profit margins are set to compete for business Still using some dated equipment (O)pportunities Competition is unwilling to take on less important projects. Mergers or strategic alliances in new country IS and IT improvements for competitive advantage enhancing a professional company image. Website sales developing market. International market LTA (long term agreements) with suppliers and customers. Educated general manager. Logistics / transportation. Diversification Up to date technology manufacturing. Potential to open new site. Development of new technology, processes and materials. Faster manufacturing with less power (competitive pricing) Environmental leader Unsaturated market IT director with 20 years experience in e-business (T)hreats Language barriers in potential new country Competitive rivalry in global market for larger contracts. Fluctuation in global monetary policy fiscal/interest rates could leave the company exposed (supply chain). Cheap labour abroad. Fierce competition from larger companies. Possibility of a competitor developing new technology. Porters Five Forces Model of Competition The Porters Five Forces model is a simple tool that supports strategic understanding where power lies in a business situation. It also helps to understand both the strength of a firms current competitive position, and the strength of a position a company is looking to move into. Despite the fact that the Five Force framework focuses on business concerns rather than public policy, it also emphasizes extended competition for value rather than just competition among existing rivals, and the simpleness of its application inspired numerous companies as well as business schools to adopt its use (Wheelen and Hunger, 1998). The original competitive forces model, as proposed by Porter, identified five forces which would impact on an organizations behaviour in a competitive market. These include the following: The rivalry between existing sellers in the market. The power exerted by the customers in the market. The impact of the suppliers on the sellers. The potential threat of new sellers entering the market. The threat of substitute products becoming available in the market. Understanding the nature of each of these forces gives organizations the necessary insights to enable them to formulate the appropriate strategies to be successful in their market (Thurlby, 1998). Application of Tool Rivalry Amongst Existing Firms Strong amount of rivalry within the companys chosen products/industry. Rivalry is evident by the presence of larger businesses in the same industry. Competitive pricing indicates fierce competition. Bargaining Power of Buyers Buyers can approach the company and the competition (larger companies) thus creating competition and fierce pricing strategies. Long term agreements are essential to long term stability. The company accepting minimal profit demonstrates the bargaining power of buyers. The company doesnt hold a niche product thus the cost of a buyer switching supply will be minimal. Bargaining Power of Suppliers Suppliers could strategically integrate forward for example assemble the product and sell direct to customer. The World Wide Web (www.) reduces the possibility of suppliers rates being overpriced and uncompetitive. The company can access the www to research suppliers and costs to ensure the right price is being paid thus forcing the supplier to have less bargaining power. If the cost of switching supplier is high e.g. switching from one component supplier to another though there is no evidence of this to the company, it shouldnt be overlooked. Threat of New Entrants The high set up costs and technology reduce the risk of new entrants. This is indicated by larger organisations as competition. The desire to develop the business into a new country indicates that competition is minimal. Competitors could retaliate when made aware of the company establishing itself in a new country. Threat of Substitute Products The threat of a substitute product is high. The company are manufacturing dated products. New technology could eliminate the need for the dated product thus ending the majority of the companys revenue. The threat of the customer not needing the dated part, designed out of the end product. There is no evidence to support the threat but choosing to ignore it could be costly. McKinsey 7S Model The McKinsey 7S model was developed in the late 1970s and named after a consulting company, McKinsey and Company, which has conducted applied research in business and industry (Pascale Athos, 1981; Peters Waterman, 1982). The 7-S model is a tool for managerial analysis and action that provides a structure with which to consider a company as a whole, so that the organisations problems may be diagnosed and a strategy may be developed and implemented. The 7-S diagram illustrates the multiplicity interconnectedness of elements that define an organisations ability to change. The Seven-Ss is a framework for analyzing organizations and their effectiveness. It looks at the seven key elements that make the organisations successful, or not: Strategy plan of action Structure dictates way the company operates and performs (Waterman, 1980) Systems user friendly as possible (Lynch, 2005) Style important in the performance of strategy (Martins and Terblanche 2003) Skill to maintain competitive edge in technology advancement Staff people make a business successful Shared values common goals working together to achieve them Application of Tool Strategy The company has a desire for growth by entering in to a new country and establishing an e-business strategy. Realisation of companys business strategy and the groups corporate goals requires substantial capital investment in the near future. Structure The structure of the company often dictates the way it operates and performs (waterman et al 1980). No formal alliances. Privately owned. Systems Customer satisfaction the website offers a feedback mechanism Local area network provides administration a range of functional applications. The wider area network enables access to email and the World Wide Web. The company utilises computer aided design (CAD) and has a new stock control system which will drive forward control and the desire for efficiency. Style The company prides itself on quality of products and services satisfying customers has a grate deal of focus. Over engineering a product to achieve superior quality may hinder effectiveness to compete in pricing. Utilising a competitive prising strategy to establish sales. Skill Over 150 years experience. Develops machinery from design to manufacturing with the use of computer aided design (CAD). Educated and enthusiastic general manager Appears to be a lack of creativity/innovation amongst the companys workforce. In house training offered to customers in all aspects of machinery and instrumentation demonstrates a high skill level. Staff New general manager has ethicised the need for a flexible work force and working environment. A new recruitment policy has been recognized as a driver for development. Shared values Service support contracts with emphasis on creating quality products and services. Good relationships with a number of organisations, sector manufacturers and developers. E- Business Strategy Objectives Strategy is designed to transform the firm from the present position to the new position described by objectives, subject to constraints of the capabilities or the potential (Ansoff, 1965). The author recommends the following objectives for the companys e-business strategy supported by the data provided from the analytical tools used; SWOT, Porters Five Forces, Mckinseys 7S, PEST and McFarlans Strategic Grid. To innovate new technology and efficiency through strategic investment, employee motivation and empowerment. Increase efficiency and effectiveness e-procurement Increase revenue from global markets Establish an long term agreement (LTA) E-Business Strategy Evaluation and Alignment with Business Objectives To remain competitive in todays global economy, the company must decide what methods, processes, and technologies will best optimize their operations. They have to weigh the company analysis and take action quickly in this ultra-competitive environment. Innovations and faster product development can also often create a barrier for potential new entrants (Porter, 2004) .The Companys dependence on obsolete products and lack of innovation has been analysed as a threat in Mckinseys 7S analysis and SWOT. The workforce has a wealth of over 150 years experience yet the business relays on obsolete components as its main revenue. It is essential to form strategic alliances with suitable organisations across the globe. Collaboration between the businesses will form the foundation for the development of new products. To aid the process of managing the change the author would recommend a well chosen project management technique or tool be applied especially in the planning stage. A suitable tool would be Critical Path Analysis which was originally created to benefit large defence projects. Two models, SWOT and Mckinseys 7S identified a lack of creativity/innovation amongst the companys workforce. It is important for the organisation to instil confidence among the employees about their future in the organisation and future career growth as an incentive for hard work (Purcell and Boxal, 2003) Emphasis is needed on hiring the best staff, providing them with rigorous training and mentoring support, and pushing personnel to their limits to achieve professional excellence. Creating professional excellence will gain competitive advantage over competitors. Empowered employees become more proactive with ideas and solutions. To overcome pockets of reluctance to change, the companys vision for change must provide an atmosphere of communication where concerns about transformation are not seen negatively but rather welcomed. Achieving empowerment and employee motivation requires continuous articulation and communication of reporting results and monitoring each individuals contribut ion and accountability to the overall companys objective. Leading others to think innovatively and promoting the continual discovery of new solutions and technologies is essential for the company to achieve its goal. Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it (Dwight Eisenhower) In order to maximise efficiencies across the supply chain the company needs to invest in information technology and information systems, the SWOT analysis has identified efficiency gains in e-procurement. IS and IT efficiencies will offer a competitive advantage also enhancing professionalism of the company and its overall image thus being more attractive to potential customers. Information systems and information technology are used in business to add value and achieve objectives (McKay and Marshall, 2004) The data from SWOT and PEST indicate the companys weakness of not utilising e-commerce thus missing an opportunity. The analysis demonstrates that the website is non transactional and therefore does not generate revenue from new or existing customers. To achieve an increase in revenue from global markets the company must form an e-commerce facility on its already established website. Search engine optimisation and key word density will ensure the company websites place on the World Wide Web. A recommendation would be for an external company to monitor the company website and scan competitors sites, frequently reporting results. Recruiting a specialist company would guarantee the site is in the top 10 results for the companys sector. Engaging in e-commerce will positively reduce risk of falling behind the competition. To address complexities of change, each component must be aligned, along with the enabling technology, (Statoils Data Quality Manager; Hesterbrink, 1999). Product suitab ility will need to be established during the planning stage. The company needs to be cable of adapting its business to thrive in this ever-changing world of e-business. In order to recoup costly investments in new production technologies the company needs to be assured that there will be income in the future to pay for the investment, as a way of reducing the risk in the investment decision. Establishing positive relationships and service are extremely important in winning business. It would be clear with an LTA (long term agreement) that customer is committed to the company. The technology advanced product would be key to a successful business to business (B2B) relationship. The company vision shows the company is committed to delivering to the customer a high quality product, on time and at a competitive price which in its self and with the SWOT analysis shows the need to invest. Securing long term agreements will create a competitive advantage. Task B The objective of this task is to discuss the challenges of adoption of e-business and evaluate the critical success factors (CFSs) for e-business in relation to the company. Critical success factors are the essential areas of activity that must be performed well if you are to achieve the objectives. The concept was developed by D. Ronald 1961 and refined by John F Rockart 1981. The company faces various challenges in implementing e-business. Critical success factors can typically be identified for each individual objective. Financial implications The initial test is financing the change process. The company has previously restricted investment due to the unavailability of resources and the absence of commercial awareness of innovation. Positive changes have been put into operation to overcome the obstacles such as employing an enthusiastic, educated general manager and a IT director with over 20 years experience. Initial costs of implementing e-business are: Preparation or project management and communicating the strategy Consultancy fees for Information systems and Information technology Recruitment is costly when advertising for specialists Equipment and software installation including maintenance / service costs Reorganisation of business to ensure world class lean principles are applied Human implications Implementing an e-business strategy will raise numerous issues within the workforce and business. Essential training will need time allocating. The company will have to capacity plan the impact on the business. Training the workforce to operate the new equipment / tools Creation of new procedures is time consuming Support, emotional and stress often employees dislike change If an alliance is formed will both sites be utilised potential redundancies A formal approach for managing change, beginning with the leadership team and then engaging key stakeholders and leaders should be developed early and adapted often as change moves through the organization the leaders themselves must embrace the new approaches first, both to challenge and to motivate the rest of the organisation. They must speak with one voice and model the desired behaviors. Data Protection Security is a prime concern for the successful adoption of e-business (Chaffey, 2007). Data utilized by the company requires safeguarding against: Fire Fraud or theft Failures in the system data recovery and backups on or off site Electronic espionage Customer information Strategic Alliances Firstly a suitable company needs to be identified for its qualities and business presence. The alliance company will need to compliment the company regards to vision and objectives. Organisational differences will need aligning for example one company may have a strong environmental stance when the other chooses to ignore the issues thus causing friction and possibly undermining already implemented procedures. Once the organisations have formed realignment or restructuring will need to be completed for example in lean world class manufacturing both sites would not require a human resource executive. The alliance formed must be mutually beneficial to both sides thus creating harmony between the two businesses. Long Term Agreements It would be clear with an LTA (long term agreement) that the customer is committed to the company. Developing innovative technology would be required to approach potential new and old customers with the objective of securing an LTA. The technology advanced product or products would be key to a successful business to business (B2B) relationship and long term agreement. The company vision and the acknowledgment of a required investment demonstrates the company is committed to delivering to the customer a technology advanced high quality product, on time and at a competitive price which in its self and with the SWOT analysis shows the need to invest. Securing long term agreements will create a competitive advantage and a secure future. Worldwide Business Worldwide trading is a competitive market with numerous challenges. E-business will encounter cultural variances which will need to be overcome if the implementation is to be fully successful. Operating in a worldwide market will create a fiercely competitive environment. The United Kingdom is known for technology development but not mass production. Technology development is suggested to be skills related. Mass production is suggested to be low cost labour operating with proven processes if a suitable product is developed then a consideration must be applied for outsourcing production to a low cost labour facility which will allow the company to compete in the worldwide market. Technology Small and medium sized businesses are often reluctant to develop into e-business due to resource. The company will have to commit to resourcing the e-business strategy. Implementation of the software will be challenging, adapting the workforce to an automated business process will be difficult. Employees are often reluctant to change. A transformational management style would be beneficial in impleme

The Nature Of Kingship In Hamlet English Literature Essay

The Nature Of Kingship In Hamlet English Literature Essay You will never say that Shakespeares plays are only mundane waste of ink. The manner in which Shakespeare treats the nature of kingship in Hamlet reflects the essential tone and themes of these works. I am going to illustrate this through this paper. Shakespeares plays are always influence on people, they are fascinating and truthfully, sincere and touching. Each of his tragedies shows us pure evil or eternal love: different humans relationships that are why Shakespeares works are famous throughout the centuries. Time changes and people change with it, but main problems and questions are still the same. It can generally be said that this great author shows many-sided peoples relations and feelings, contradictory or high-minded actions. The purpose of the essay is to prove the thesis basic statement and analyze Hamlets reaction to the appearance of his fathers ghost. The paper contains such requirements as thesis, argument and content that demonstrate an awareness of complexity and co ntradiction in approach to the text; writing shows evidence of abstract, critical and careful original thought; thesis provides a strong, coherent critical argument that is developed through the course of the essay. Main question To understand the plot and context of this play Hamlet clearly we should mention the period when it was written and events, which accompanied that period. According to Atchley, Hamlet expects his audience to perceive the Ghost for what it is, a diabolical manifestation on a mission to trick Hamlet into forfeiting his soul the plays devastating/destructive conclusion supports this interpretation. In exhorting Hamlet to commit murder through an act of revenge, the Ghost plays most foully for Hamlets soul. The piteous action that the Ghost makes is directed [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] at Hamlet, to wring his emotions and drive him to distraction to make Gertrude think him mad. And it succeeds (2002, pg 12-14, 18). As far as I am concerned, Shakespeare is said not to be publisher of any of his plays and thus none of the original manuscripts has survived. However, during his lifetime eighteen unauthorized versions of his various plays were published in some editions by different publishers (in addi tion, during era of Elizabeth there were not any copyright norms or laws that could protect Shakespeares various works). Henry Fuseli depicted the Hamlet, who is under his fathers ghost control: In Hamlet, a play in no small part pervaded by abstractions and conscious role playing, we find that the kingship is shown in terms of abstractions, contradictions and the self-conscious playing of the king. Hamlet lost his father, who was killed by the king. Moreover, his mother was dishonored by the same man. Thus, for the reasons given above, Hamlets heart was full of revenge lust. After the king was unmasked, Hamlet was betrayed and send far away, nevertheless, he returned to find the truth. At the end many people died, unfortunately, Hamlet too. This story takes your breath and a part of your heart as Shakespeares works usually do. But in spite of all the things with which Hamlet professes dissatisfaction, it is said that Hamlet and heir apparent of Denmark should think about such problems in philosophical and personal terms. Because of his own carelessness he forgets about the problems of the country and the threats to its stability from within. Unfortunately, blindness and truth will never be divided without the eruption of chaos. This picture illustrates the Hamlets meeting his fathers ghost. According to Atchley, the religious atmosphere in Elizabethan England and how this may have affected Shakespeares audience are considered, particularly the differing Catholic and Protestant beliefs concerning ghosts and the supernatural. Instead of defining the true nature of ghosts for his audiences, Shakespeare incorporates within his play both Catholic and Protestant views of the Ghost and also presents a third perspective on the Ghost, one steeped in folkloric tradition (2002, pg 5-20). Hamlet thought and supposed that his father was killed by his uncle. Talking about the Hamlets reaction to the ghost that he met, I must mention that after Hamlet met his fathers ghost, his thought was to revenge. The most awful and terrifying thing for Hamlet was even not the treat of his uncle (when he killed Hamlets father), but the fact that mother married to his uncle. When Hamlet saw his fathers ghost he was worried, surprised and it evoked in Hamlet so many contradictory thoughts. The fathers ghost appeared in Act I Scenes I, IV, and V, and Act III Scene IV in the play. The ghost appeared always at night. Hamlet was really scared and terrified when he met his fathers ghost and he had doubts: is it his fathers ghost or devil. The fathers ghost told Hamlet that he was murdered by his uncle. Thus, Hamlet decided to revenge, because his fathers ghost asked him. However, Hamlet suspected his uncle in murder even before the fathers ghost appeared. Hamlet does not have any doubts. Hamlet and Goracio are the most reasonable and clever persons, whose words and thoughts are based on logical arguments and reasons. Goracio was really good and faithful friend, who helped Hamlet during all his life. In consequence, they paid for it, unfortunately. According to Atchleys words, the question becomes, once the Ghost has accomplished his goal by motivating Hamlet to commit revenge (and, hence, to loose his soul), why does it appear later in the closet scene and in its nightgown? The answer is to perform two functions: first, to prevent Hamlets convincing of Gertrude to repent; the Ghosts appearing only to Hamlet intensifies Hamlets apparent madness such that Gertrude attributes Hamlets accusations to his insanity. Her moment of grace has passed (2002, pg 16). The theme about the reaction of Hamlet on the meeting his fathers ghost is very specific. It is obvious that Hamlet was scared and worried when he met the ghost of his murdered father. He just evoked in Hamlet feeling of confidence in that his uncle was evil and bad person (who had to be punished evidently). In addition, Hamlet was definitely embarrassed in the reason of his mother and his uncle marriage. Definitely, it can be said that Hamlet is complicated and mysterious wor ld, which contains of pure love, evil and jealousy that makes people mad and obsessed. Does this play teach us something? Without any doubts, it does. It can definitely be said. This play is a mysterious world, it can be judged or understood, but never wiped off. Creations of their authors, plays include feelings, words, and dearest moments. Any way, each of us has to choose its own way, its own ending of the story and love. Conclusion According to Atchley, the counter argument is that the Ghost tells the truth surrounding the circumstances of old Hamlets death, as corroborated by Claudius private confession of guilt; but a devil is capable of telling the truth if it enables him to achieve his goal (2002, pg 5-20). Shakespeares plays touch human feelings and relationships, first, friendship and love. That is why people are looking for the answers for their questions in Shakespeares creations. That is why this man is known by each of us. That is why his works leave some trace in our minds and hearts. It can generally be said that this great author shows many-sided peoples relations and feelings, contradictory or high-minded actions. His plays are heart touching, overwhelming and breathtaking. People look for answers in his plays and sonnets, because he illustrates different relationships between us, and each of it shows how people face problems and difficult questions. Therefore, Shakespeare is a great writer who cr eated many masterpieces. He showed how cruel and liberal, evil and worrying can be our world. Moreover, I can claim that you will not be disappointed after reading his works. The entity struggle between love and betray, good and bad, life and death worries the brightest minds of humanity, including Shakespeare. Each of us eventually spends a good deal of time thinking about such problems, sooner or later our thoughts become older and more serious. Thus, we turn to great people words and works to be helped. Of course, thoughts can be different, but one fact is beyond doubts.

Holocaust vs. Native American Genocide Essay -- nazis, weapon, european

The term genocide brings awful things to mind. For most, it probably directs their attention towards the Holocaust; this was definitely a gruesome and obvious example of genocide, but there are many others with great similarities that are not very well known. One of these is the decimation of the Native American population by the European settlers and the atrocious things that were done to them such as the trail of tears following the Indian Removal Act of 1830 during the settling of North America. The Holocaust might be the most well known but there have been many other incidents in history just as abhorrent. The Holocaust and Native American Genocide are different in weapons used and the motives for killing but similar in intent, effects and selection of the persecuted. The weapons used by the Nazis and European Settlers were very different. The Nazis directly stated the outcome they thought necessary, which was what they called the â€Å"final solution† (â€Å"Holocaust†). This was the termination of all of the races they believed inferior to themselves. This â€Å"final solution† was administered through concentration camps, extermination camps and â€Å"Einsatzgruppen† which were military units sent to mass exterminate groups of people persecuted under the Nazi Regime (â€Å"Holocaust†). The soldiers of these camps and extermination groups used firearms and other weaponry to do their jobs, while European settlers were usually more indirect in the way they killed Native Americans. The largest contribution to the deaths of the natives is known as a â€Å"virgin soil epidemic†, where a disease spreads especially quickly the first time it is introduced to an area (Lewy). One of the diseases that clai med the most lives was small pox, which was distri... ...locaust." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, 10 June 2013. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. . "Victims of the Nazi Era: Nazi Racial Ideology." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, 10 June 2013. Web. 05 May 2014. Lewy, Guenter. "Were American Indians the Victims of Genocide?" History News Network. History News Network, Sept. 2004. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. . Stanton, Gregory H. "Genocides and Conflicts." World Without Genocide. World Without Genocide, 7 May 2013. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. . "Settlement." Settlement. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2014.

Fractal Geometry :: essays papers

Fractal Geometry The world of mathematics usually tends to be thought of as abstract. Complex and imaginary numbers, real numbers, logarithms, functions, some tangible and others imperceivable. But these abstract numbers, simply symbols that conjure an image, a quantity, in our mind, and complex equations, take on a new meaning with fractals - a concrete one. Fractals go from being very simple equations on a piece of paper to colorful, extraordinary images, and most of all, offer an explanation to things. The importance of fractal geometry is that it provides an answer, a comprehension, to nature, the world, and the universe. Fractals occur in swirls of scum on the surface of moving water, the jagged edges of mountains, ferns, tree trunks, and canyons. They can be used to model the growth of cities, detail medical procedures and parts of the human body, create amazing computer graphics, and compress digital images. Fractals are about us, and our existence, and they are present in every mathematical law that governs the universe. Thus, fractal geometry can be applied to a diverse palette of subjects in life, and science - the physical, the abstract, and the natural. We were all astounded by the sudden revelation that the output of a very simple, two-line generating formula does not have to be a dry and cold abstraction. When the output was what is now called a fractal, no one called it artificial... Fractals suddenly broadened the realm in which understanding can be based on a plain physical basis. (McGuire, Foreword by Benoit Mandelbrot) A fractal is a geometric shape that is complex and detailed at every level of magnification, as well as self-similar. Self-similarity is something looking the same over all ranges of scale, meaning a small portion of a fractal can be viewed as a microcosm of the larger fractal. One of the simplest examples of a fractal is the snowflake. It is constructed by taking an equilateral triangle, and after many iterations of adding smaller triangles to increasingly smaller sizes, resulting in a "snowflake" pattern, sometimes called the von Koch snowflake. The theoretical result of multiple iterations is the creation of a finite area with an infinite perimeter, meaning the dimension is incomprehensible. Fractals, before that word was coined, were simply considered above mathematical understanding, until experiments were done in the 1970's by Benoit Mandelbrot, the "father of fractal geometry". Mandelbrot developed a method that treated fractals as a part of standard Euclidean geometry, with the dimension of a fractal being an exponent. Fractals pack an infinity into "a grain of sand". This infinity appears when one tries to measure them.

The Persons Responsible for Health and Safety in the Workplace Essay

The Persons Responsible for Health and Safety in the Workplace Identify the persons responsible for health and safety in the workplace. Roles are Responsibilities of Employers. Every employer should ensure, the health, safety and welfare at work of all their employees. Bellow are the areas the employer should protect the employees from, without prejudice: * To provide and maintain areas of work that are, safe and without risks to health; * To ensure, minimal risk when, handling and transporting objects; * To provide the necessary information, instruction, training and supervision to ensure, the health and safety of their employees at work; * And to insure the place of work is maintained in a condition that is safe. Every employer needs to prepare and keep an up-to-date written statement of health and safety at work. They should also make sure all employees note the statement and, any revision of it. Roles are Responsibilities of Employees. Every employee while at work shall: * Take care for the health and safety of them self and of other persons who may be affected by their acts or actions at work; and * Co-operate with their employer or any other person in charge, to see that the requirement to be performed are meet with. Roles and Responsibilities of Management. The management’s main responsibility is to ensure the health and safety of workers and to reduce risks caused by work activities, to employees ...

International Trade Law

Law chosen to govern a transactions is clearly state the legal consequences of their contractual activities for example the right, obligation, and remedies for involve parties, and they can choose the law of particular country or international law to govern their contract. International trade law (CISG) includes the appropriate rules and customs for handling trade between states and it forms part of domestic law if the involve parties are from the contracting state of CISG.With assistance from Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT) for filling gap in the coverage of issues by the CISG which is the validity of contract, effect of contract on property and goods, exclusively or non-sale aspects for distribution agreement, and inability of sell for death or personal injury cause by the goods on any person. The domestic law that governs the transactions in Malaysia is the Contract Act 1950 and supplement from Sale of Goods Act (SOGA) 1957 (revised 1989) which is based on the English Sales of Goods Act.As a Malaysian lawyer, I recommend you choose the Contract Act 1950 and SOGA as the governing law because the business you based is on Malaysia home soil and it creates a familiar factor to you. Besides that, Contract Act 1950 and SOGA already govern the basic contract of goods and contract of insurance but they did not cover the contract of carriage. However, because of Malaysia still practices the Hague Rules by virtue of the Carriage of Goods By Sea Act 1950 (Revised 1994), you have to choose the Hague Rules to govern your contract of carriage even though there are prominent weaknesses.For contract of carriage, there is standard term used on trading call as International Commercial Terms (INCOTERMS), and Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF) and Free On Board (FOB) are the generally used term in the trade. So, I recommend you to practice FOB even through your product price will slightly lower due to bargain from buyer, but the cost will reflect on save at the transport o f the products. Besides, the main benefit is you do not need to make arrangement on carriage and thus this will reduced the burden to you as a seller’s responsibilities.Policies and regulations have the very close relationship because regulations are come under the policies. The policies and regulations at Malaysia are based on an open and encourage motive, so, normally you can smoothly doing your business on export the product out of Malaysia to foreign countries. This is see through the durian is one of the fruits that identifies by the Third National Agricultural Policy (1998-2010) (NAP3) as important role in creating competitiveness of the Malaysia fruit and vegetable industry in the ASEAN.However, you need to take care about different policies and regulations of your dealing countries which are ASEAN countries and China in order to gain the benefits from all your dealing exporter countries which are actually on the free trade area as ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) and also ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA). Firstly, other than the list of preferential tariffs products that under the Common Effective Preferential Tariff (CEPT) scheme , the 40% rules of origin are also one regulation that need to comply with in able to benefit from preferential market access.So, you need to obtain a different certificate of origin from Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) to trade at both free trade areas. Besides certificate of origin, there are regulations for the quality of trading goods on AFTA and ACFTA. Start from sign of AFTA and ACFTA, the ASEAN countries and China fruits market move to more open market as can see through the fruits quality control have been replace to which is more harmonize and standardize call as Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measurers (SPS).This is to prevent countries to protect their domestic agricultural producers from imports with stringent phytosanitary measures which are non-science based, discriminatory and non-transpar ent. So, you now can be more efficiently and effectively on export your product to these particular countries. ? Answer 2: International agreement different to domestic contract that only contracting within the familiar home country itself, it is more complicated in contracting with various countries and sometimes may be in unfamiliar countries.So in contracting International agreement, there normally required for more trade documents that covers wider range that classified under four main groups which is Financial, Commercial, official, and Transport and insurance documents. Compared to International agreement, domestic contract normally required fewer types of documents especially only commercial and insurance type. This is because domestic contract only contracting the goods move within country territory and did not cross over he national boarder, so documents like certificated of origin in Official group of documents, bill of landing (BOL) or airway bills (AWB) in Transport grou p of documents are not needed. Term of payment decide on International agreement is more complicated than for domestic contract in reasons of more person involve in the payment process for International agreement. This process can explained though the general example of payment term which is letter of credit (LC) that involve bank parties assistance by act as a middle man in the payment process.The next main difference between both is the risk face by each other. International agreement is exposed to a number of risks such as buyer’s risk, transport risk and transfer risk that may be also faced by domestic contract. However, these similar risks faced by the domestic contract will be lower in term of cost factor and some other risks such as exchange rate risk and country or sovereign risk will exclude to domestic contract that only contracting at local currency and local policies.Besides that, the transportation and delivery aspect must follow the international standard for ex ample the standardized dimensions of shipping pallets for International agreement, but this requirement is not so strict for the domestic contract. Product packaging and labeling aspect is also not so concern by domestic contract because it normally travels across short distance. However, for International agreement that the goods travel at long distance, export packaging must be suitable for the particular mode of transport in order to provide maximum protection.There are four different types of contracting methods available which is negotiating a complete contract, choosing international law to govern the contract, agree on standard form or terms, and standard industry contracts. Negotiating a complete contract is not suitable to you because your business was just at the beginning stages of entering the new market, so there are many ‘unknown’ on the others’ domestic law that will cause unfair situation in the contracting, thus this will also incurred even more time in making the final agreement.For your situation that deals with many countries, standard industry contracts seem more suitable to you but there are still not any single association that published the standard contracts of durian even though there are already mature grow of durian industry in ASEAN. Then, Standard terms contracting method is suitable to you not only because it is a speedy and convenient way of contracting, but it also benefit to you as an fferor that has priority in the ‘last shot doctrine’ in the courts. Besides, the objective of choosing international law to govern the contract is to provide more comfortably for other parties to enter the contracts, rather than selecting particular domestic law. So, as I recommend you to choose the Malaysia law as governing law, this method is clearly not suitable because it controversy to governing law that you chosen.The object clauses can create legal and practical problems to you in term of quality and specif ication of the goods you export. Certificate of origin is basic requirement for export goods to other countries, and as discussed before, you needs to obtain a certificate of origin ‘Form D’ from Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) for trade on AFTA, and ‘Form E’ for trade on ACFTA in order to fulfill the CEPT scheme.In other simply meaning, you must to obtain the certificate of origin in order to enjoy the benefit of tariff in the free trade area and simply act as a ‘passport’ that show approval to entering particular market. The packing aspect of goods’ specification creates the problem on the transport of durian to other countries by the strong odour of durian leaking out from the poor packaging.So you need to practice the suitable packaging method for your export durian especially your fresh durian that exported by air shipment. Besides that, you must prepare for the future of sustainable packaging that reflect in the designed in a holistic way and be made from responsibly sourced materials that are safe and effective throughout its lifecycle, meet criteria for performance and cost, meet consumers’ choice and expectations and, finally, it has to be recovered efficiently after use.For the price clauses, you better determine the price that can change over time subject to review and modification because there are fluctuate in the currency exchange among all the different countries that will cause huge lost if there are big differences between the current currency and the currency that agree on the fixed price agreement. Payment clauses also need to be aware because the method of payment will affect your receivable ability, and letter of credit seem more suitable for you because it emphasis more on the seller side through the process that provide more insure on receiving of payment for seller side.Penalty for late payment in this clauses will not only provide extra insure to you through the c harges gain for the late payment, but it also help in your financial arrangement due to the on-time payment and assurance of creditability of the buyer through the slightly higher of penalty being set. Delivery and shipment clauses will also raise problem through period time that involve in transport the perishable durian product.So, in order to maintained the product freshness especially when transport at long distance like to China, the date and also time must specify in detail referred to the time of harvest and the available of transportation to prevent any extra days or hours it incurred to transport the product. Besides that, port of shipment is also a critical element in this clause because the distance between the choosing port and the distribution centre determine the product freshness also.For example in China, you can choose the port of Guangzhou because it is considering being a centre for exporting Malaysian durian to China. As I suggest you to choose Malaysian law as t he governing law, you need to state this clearly in the clause of governing law. Besides, after state of the governing law is Malaysian law, follow by the jurisdiction will state Malaysia court is the place to resolve dispute. If this never state in the contract, it will depend on court to decide which law apply.The clause of passing of title and risk is also a vital term to consider when there are accidents happen to the goods on the carrier stage or incident of unpaid seller. ? Bibliography 1. AB Teoh. 2008. Exporting and International Trade [access on 15 July 2010] 2. Essential international trade law by Michelle Sanson. 2002 by Cavendish Publishing (Australia) Pty Limited. Available www. cavendishpublish. com. [access on 15 July 2010]

A Game of Thrones Chapter Sixty-one

Daenerys When the battle was done, Dany rode her silver through the fields of the dead. Her handmaids and the men of her khas came after, smiling and jesting among themselves. Dothraki hooves had torn the earth and trampled the rye and lentils into the ground, while arakhs and arrows had sown a terrible new crop and watered it with blood. Dying horses lifted their heads and screamed at her as she rode past. Wounded men moaned and prayed. Jaqqa rhan moved among them, the mercy men with their heavy axes, taking a harvest of heads from the dead and dying alike. After them would scurry a flock of small girls, pulling arrows from the corpses to fill their baskets. Last of all the dogs would come sniffing, lean and hungry, the feral pack that was never far behind the khalasar. The sheep had been dead longest. There seemed to be thousands of them, black with flies, arrow shafts bristling from each carcass. Khal Ogo's riders had done that, Dany knew; no man of Drogo's khalasar would be such a fool as to waste his arrows on sheep when there were shepherds yet to kill. The town was afire, black plumes of smoke roiling and tumbling as they rose into a hard blue sky. Beneath broken walls of dried mud, riders galloped back and forth, swinging their long whips as they herded the survivors from the smoking rubble. The women and children of Ogo's khalasar walked with a sullen pride, even in defeat and bondage; they were slaves now, but they seemed not to fear it. It was different with the townsfolk. Dany pitied them; she remembered what terror felt like. Mothers stumbled along with blank, dead faces, pulling sobbing children by the hand. There were only a few men among them, cripples and cowards and grandfathers. Ser Jorah said the people of this country named themselves the Lhazareen, but the Dothraki called them haesh rakhi, the Lamb Men. Once Dany might have taken them for Dothraki, for they had the same copper skin and almond-shaped eyes. Now they looked alien to her, squat and flat-faced, their black hair cropped unnaturally short. They were herders of sheep and eaters of vegetables, and Khal Drogo said they belonged south of the river bend. The grass of the Dothraki sea was not meant for sheep. Dany saw one boy bolt and run for the river. A rider cut him off and turned him, and the others boxed him in, cracking their whips in his face, running him this way and that. One galloped behind him, lashing him across the buttocks until his thighs ran red with blood. Another snared his ankle with a lash and sent him sprawling. Finally, when the boy could only crawl, they grew bored of the sport and put an arrow through his back. Ser Jorah met her outside the shattered gate. He wore a dark green surcoat over his mail. His gauntlets, greaves, and greathelm were dark grey steel. The Dothraki had mocked him for a coward when he donned his armor, but the knight had spit insults right back in their teeth, tempers had flared, longsword had clashed with arakh, and the rider whose taunts had been loudest had been left behind to bleed to death. Ser Jorah lifted the visor of his flat-topped greathelm as he rode up. â€Å"Your lord husband awaits you within the town.† â€Å"Drogo took no harm?† â€Å"A few cuts,† Ser Jorah answered, â€Å"nothing of consequence. He slew two khals this day. Khal Ogo first, and then the son, Fogo, who became khal when Ogo fell. His bloodriders cut the bells from their hair, and now Khal Drogo's every step rings louder than before.† Ogo and his son had shared the high bench with her lord husband at the naming feast where Viserys had been crowned, but that was in Vaes Dothrak, beneath the Mother of Mountains, where every rider was a brother and all quarrels were put aside. It was different out in the grass. Ogo's khalasar had been attacking the town when Khal Drogo caught him. She wondered what the Lamb Men had thought, when they first saw the dust of their horses from atop those cracked-mud walls. Perhaps a few, the younger and more foolish who still believed that the gods heard the prayers of desperate men, took it for deliverance. Across the road, a girl no older than Dany was sobbing in a high thin voice as a rider shoved her over a pile of corpses, facedown, and thrust himself inside her. Other riders dismounted to take their turns. That was the sort of deliverance the Dothraki brought the Lamb Men. I am the blood of the dragon, Daenerys Targaryen reminded herself as she turned her face away. She pressed her lips together and hardened her heart and rode on toward the gate. â€Å"Most of Ogo's riders fled,† Ser Jorah was saying. â€Å"Still, there may be as many as ten thousand captives.† Slaves, Dany thought. Khal Drogo would drive them downriver to one of the towns on Slaver's Bay. She wanted to cry, but she told herself that she must be strong. This is war, this is what it looks like, this is the price of the Iron Throne. â€Å"I've told the khal he ought to make for Meereen,† Ser Jorah said. â€Å"They'll pay a better price than he'd get from a slaving caravan. Illyrio writes that they had a plague last year, so the brothels are paying double for healthy young girls, and triple for boys under ten. If enough children survive the journey, the gold will buy us all the ships we need, and hire men to sail them.† Behind them, the girl being raped made a heartrending sound, a long sobbing wail that went on and on and on. Dany's hand clenched hard around the reins, and she turned the silver's head. â€Å"Make them stop,† she commanded Ser Jorah. â€Å"Khaleesi?† The knight sounded perplexed. â€Å"You heard my words,† she said. â€Å"Stop them.† She spoke to her khas in the harsh accents of Dothraki. â€Å"Jhogo, Quaro, you will aid Ser Jorah. I want no rape.† The warriors exchanged a baffled look. Jorah Mormont spurred his horse closer. â€Å"Princess,† he said, â€Å"you have a gentle heart, but you do not understand. This is how it has always been. Those men have shed blood for the khal. Now they claim their reward.† Across the road, the girl was still crying, her high singsong tongue strange to Dany's ears. The first man was done with her now, and a second had taken his place. â€Å"She is a lamb girl,† Quaro said in Dothraki. â€Å"She is nothing, Khaleesi. The riders do her honor. The Lamb Men lay with sheep, it is known.† â€Å"It is known,† her handmaid Irri echoed. â€Å"It is known,† agreed Jhogo, astride the tall grey stallion that Drogo had given him. â€Å"If her wailing offends your ears, Khaleesi, Jhogo will bring you her tongue.† He drew his arakh. â€Å"I will not have her harmed,† Dany said. â€Å"I claim her. Do as I command you, or Khal Drogo will know the reason why.† â€Å"Ai, Khaleesi,† Jhogo replied, kicking his horse. Quaro and the others followed his lead, the bells in their hair chiming. â€Å"Go with them,† she commanded Ser Jorah. â€Å"As you command.† The knight gave her a curious look. â€Å"You are your brother's sister, in truth.† â€Å"Viserys?† She did not understand. â€Å"No,† he answered. â€Å"Rhaegar.† He galloped off. Dany heard Jhogo shout. The rapers laughed at him. One man shouted back. Jhogo's arakh flashed, and the man's head went tumbling from his shoulders. Laughter turned to curses as the horsemen reached for weapons, but by then Quaro and Aggo and Rakharo were there. She saw Aggo point across the road to where she sat upon her silver. The riders looked at her with cold black eyes. One spat. The others scattered to their mounts, muttering. All the while the man atop the lamb girl continued to plunge in and out of her, so intent on his pleasure that he seemed unaware of what was going on around him. Ser Jorah dismounted and wrenched him off with a mailed hand. The Dothraki went sprawling in the mud, bounced up with a knife in hand, and died with Aggo's arrow through his throat. Mormont pulled the girl off the pile of corpses and wrapped her in his blood-spattered cloak. He led her across the road to Dany. â€Å"What do you want done with her?† The girl was trembling, her eyes wide and vague. Her hair was matted with blood. â€Å"Doreah, see to her hurts. You do not have a rider's look, perhaps she will not fear you. The rest, with me.† She urged the silver through the broken wooden gate. It was worse inside the town. Many of the houses were afire, and the jaqqa rhan had been about their grisly work. Headless corpses filled the narrow, twisty lanes. They passed other women being raped. Each time Dany reined up, sent her khas to make an end to it, and claimed the victim as slave. One of them, a thick-bodied, flat-nosed woman of forty years, blessed Dany haltingly in the Common Tongue, but from the others she got only flat black stares. They were suspicious of her, she realized with sadness; afraid that she had saved them for some worse fate. â€Å"You cannot claim them all, child,† Ser Jorah said, the fourth time they stopped, while the warriors of her khas herded her new slaves behind her. â€Å"I am khaleesi, heir to the Seven Kingdoms, the blood of the dragon,† Dany reminded him. â€Å"It is not for you to tell me what I cannot do.† Across the city, a building collapsed in a great gout of fire and smoke, and she heard distant screams and the wailing of frightened children. They found Khal Drogo seated before a square windowless temple with thick mud walls and a bulbous dome like some immense brown onion. Beside him was a pile of heads taller than he was. One of the short arrows of the Lamb Men stuck through the meat of his upper arm, and blood covered the left side of his bare chest like a splash of paint. His three bloodriders were with him. Jhiqui helped Dany dismount; she had grown clumsy as her belly grew larger and heavier. She knelt before the khal. â€Å"My sun-and-stars is wounded.† The arakh cut was wide but shallow; his left nipple was gone, and a flap of bloody flesh and skin dangled from his chest like a wet rag. â€Å"Is scratch, moon of life, from arakh of one bloodrider to Khal Ogo,† Khal Drogo said in the Common Tongue. â€Å"I kill him for it, and Ogo too.† He turned his head, the bells in his braid ringing softly. â€Å"Is Ogo you hear, and Fogo his khalakka, who was khal when I slew him.† â€Å"No man can stand before the sun of my life,† Dany said, â€Å"the father of the stallion who mounts the world.† A mounted warrior rode up and vaulted from his saddle. He spoke to Haggo, a stream of angry Dothraki too fast for Dany to understand. The huge bloodrider gave her a heavy look before he turned to his khal â€Å"This one is Mago, who rides in the khas of Ko Jhaqo. He says the khaleesi has taken his spoils, a daughter of the lambs who was his to mount.† Khal Drogo's face was still and hard, but his black eyes were curious as they went to Dany. â€Å"Tell me the truth of this, moon of my life,† he commanded in Dothraki. Dany told him what she had done, in his own tongue so the khal would understand her better, her words simple and direct. When she was done, Drogo was frowning. â€Å"This is the way of war. These women are our slaves now, to do with as we please.† â€Å"It pleases me to hold them safe,† Dany said, wondering if she had dared too much. â€Å"If your warriors would mount these women, let them take them gently and keep them for wives. Give them places in the khalasar and let them bear you sons.† Qotho was ever the cruelest of the bloodriders. It was he who laughed. â€Å"Does the horse breed with the sheep?† Something in his tone reminded her of Viserys. Dany turned on him angrily. â€Å"The dragon feeds on horse and sheep alike.† Khal Drogo smiled. â€Å"See how fierce she grows!† he said. â€Å"It is my son inside her, the stallion who mounts the world, filling her with his fire. Ride slowly, Qotho . . . if the mother does not burn you where you sit, the son will trample you into the mud. And you, Mago, hold your tongue and find another lamb to mount. These belong to my khaleesi.† He started to reach out a hand to Daenerys, but as he lifted his arm Drogo grimaced in sudden pain and turned his head. Dany could almost feel his agony. The wounds were worse than Ser Jorah had led her to believe. â€Å"Where are the healers?† she demanded. The khalasar had two sorts: barren women and eunuch slaves. The herbwomen dealt in potions and spells, the eunuchs in knife, needle, and fire. â€Å"Why do they not attend the khal?† â€Å"The khal sent the hairless men away, Khaleesi,† old Cohollo assured her. Dany saw the bloodrider had taken a wound himself; a deep gash in his left shoulder. â€Å"Many riders are hurt,† Khal Drogo said stubbornly. â€Å"Let them be healed first. This arrow is no more than the bite of a fly, this little cut only a new scar to boast of to my son.† Dany could see the muscles in his chest where the skin had been cut away. A trickle of blood ran from the arrow that pierced his arm. â€Å"It is not for Khal Drogo to wait,† she proclaimed. â€Å"Jhogo, seek out these eunuchs and bring them here at once.† â€Å"Silver Lady,† a woman's voice said behind her, â€Å"I can help the Great Rider with his hurts.† Dany turned her head. The speaker was one of the slaves she had claimed, the heavy, flat-nosed woman who had blessed her. â€Å"The khal needs no help from women who lie with sheep,† barked Qotho. â€Å"Aggo, cut out her tongue.† Aggo grabbed her hair and pressed a knife to her throat. Dany lifted a hand. â€Å"No. She is mine. Let her speak.† Aggo looked from her to Qotho. He lowered his knife. â€Å"I meant no wrong, fierce riders.† The woman spoke Dothraki well. The robes she wore had once been the lightest and finest of woolens, rich with embroidery, but now they were mud-caked and bloody and ripped. She clutched the torn cloth of her bodice to her heavy breasts. â€Å"I have some small skill in the healing arts.† â€Å"Who are you?† Dany asked her. â€Å"I am named Mirri Maz Duur. I am godswife of this temple.† â€Å"Maegi,† grunted Haggo, fingering his arakh. His look was dark. Dany remembered the word from a terrifying story that Jhiqui had told her one night by the cookfire. A maegi was a woman who lay with demons and practiced the blackest of sorceries, a vile thing, evil and soulless, who came to men in the dark of night and sucked life and strength from their bodies. â€Å"I am a healer,† Mirri Maz Duur said. â€Å"A healer of sheeps,† sneered Qotho. â€Å"Blood of my blood, I say kill this maegi and wait for the hairless men.† Dany ignored the bloodrider's outburst. This old, homely, thickbodied woman did not look like a maegi to her. â€Å"Where did you learn your healing, Mirri Maz Duur?† â€Å"My mother was godswife before me, and taught me all the songs and spells most pleasing to the Great Shepherd, and how to make the sacred smokes and ointments from leaf and root and berry. When I was younger and more fair, I went in caravan to Asshai by the Shadow, to learn from their mages. Ships from many lands come to Asshai, so I lingered long to study the healing ways of distant peoples. A moonsinger of the Jogos Nhai gifted me with her birthing songs, a woman of your own riding people taught me the magics of grass and corn and horse, and a maester from the Sunset Lands opened a body for me and showed me all the secrets that hide beneath the skin.† Ser Jorah Mormont spoke up. â€Å"A maester?† â€Å"Marwyn, he named himself,† the woman replied in the Common Tongue. â€Å"From the sea. Beyond the sea. The Seven Lands, he said. Sunset Lands. Where men are iron and dragons rule. He taught me this speech.† â€Å"A maester in Asshai,† Ser Jorah mused. â€Å"Tell me, Godswife, what did this Marwyn wear about his neck?† â€Å"A chain so tight it was like to choke him, Iron Lord, with links of many metals.† The knight looked at Dany. â€Å"Only a man trained in the Citadel of Oldtown wears such a chain,† he said, â€Å"and such men do know much of healing.† â€Å"Why should you want to help my khal?† â€Å"All men are one flock, or so we are taught,† replied Mirri Maz Duur. â€Å"The Great Shepherd sent me to earth to heal his lambs, wherever I might find them.† Qotho gave her a stinging slap. â€Å"We are no sheep, maegi.† â€Å"Stop it,† Dany said angrily. â€Å"She is mine. I will not have her harmed.† Khal Drogo grunted. â€Å"The arrow must come out, Qotho.† â€Å"Yes, Great Rider,† Mirri Maz Duur answered, touching her bruised face. â€Å"And your breast must be washed and sewn, lest the wound fester.† â€Å"Do it, then,† Khal Drogo commanded. â€Å"Great Rider,† the woman said, â€Å"my tools and potions are inside the god's house, where the healing powers are strongest.† â€Å"I will carry you, blood of my blood,† Haggo offered. Khal Drogo waved him away. â€Å"I need no man's help,† he said, in a voice proud and hard. He stood, unaided, towering over them all. A fresh wave of blood ran down his breast, from where Ogo's arakh had cut off his nipple. Dany moved quickly to his side. â€Å"I am no man,† she whispered, â€Å"so you may lean on me.† Drogo put a huge hand on her shoulder. She took some of his weight as they walked toward the great mud temple. The three bloodriders followed. Dany commanded Ser Jorah and the warriors of her khas to guard the entrance and make certain no one set the building afire while they were still inside. They passed through a series of anterooms, into the high central chamber under the onion. Faint light shone down through hidden windows above. A few torches burnt smokily from sconces on the walls. Sheepskins were scattered across the mud floor. â€Å"There,† Mirri Maz Duur said, pointing to the altar, a massive blue-veined stone carved with images of shepherds and their flocks. Khal Drogo lay upon it. The old woman threw a handful of dried leaves onto a brazier, filling the chamber with fragrant smoke. â€Å"Best if you wait outside,† she told the rest of them. â€Å"We are blood of his blood,† Cohollo said. â€Å"Here we wait.† Qotho stepped close to Mirri Maz Duur. â€Å"Know this, wife of the Lamb God. Harm the khal and you suffer the same.† He drew his skinning knife and showed her the blade. â€Å"She will do no harm.† Dany felt she could trust this old, plainfaced woman with her flat nose; she had saved her from the hard hands of her rapers, after all. â€Å"If you must stay, then help,† Mirri told the bloodriders. â€Å"The Great Rider is too strong for me. Hold him still while I draw the arrow from his flesh.† She let the rags of her gown fall to her waist as she opened a carved chest, and busied herself with bottles and boxes, knives and needles. When she was ready, she broke off the barbed arrowhead and pulled out the shaft, chanting in the singsong tongue of the Lhazareen. She heated a flagon of wine to boiling on the brazier, and poured it over his wounds. Khal Drogo cursed her, but he did not move. She bound the arrow wound with a plaster of wet leaves and turned to the gash on his breast, smearing it with a pale green paste before she pulled the flap of skin back in place. The khal ground his teeth together and swallowed a scream. The godswife took out a silver needle and a bobbin of silk thread and began to close the flesh. When she was done she painted the skin with red ointment, covered it with more leaves, and bound the breast in a ragged piece of lambskin. â€Å"You must say the prayers I give you and keep the lambskin in place for ten days and ten nights,† she said. â€Å"There will be fever, and itching, and a great scar when the healing is done.† Khal Drogo sat, bells ringing. â€Å"I sing of my scars, sheep woman.† He flexed his arm and scowled. â€Å"Drink neither wine nor the milk of the poppy,† she cautioned him. â€Å"Pain you will have, but you must keep your body strong to fight the poison spirits.† â€Å"I am khal,† Drogo said. â€Å"I spit on pain and drink what I like. Cohollo, bring my vest.† The older man hastened off. â€Å"Before,† Dany said to the ugly Lhazareen woman, â€Å"I heard you speak of birthing songs . . . â€Å" â€Å"I know every secret of the bloody bed, Silver Lady, nor have I ever lost a babe,† Mirri Maz Duur replied. â€Å"My time is near,† Dany said. â€Å"I would have you attend me when he comes, if you would.† Khal Drogo laughed. â€Å"Moon of my life, you do not ask a slave, you tell her. She will do as you command.† He jumped down from the altar. â€Å"Come, my blood. The stallions call, this place is ashes. It is time to ride.† Haggo followed the khal from the temple, but Qotho lingered long enough to favor Mirri Maz Duur with a stare. â€Å"Remember, maegi, as the khal fares, so shall you.† â€Å"As you say, rider,† the woman answered him, gathering up her jars and bottles. â€Å"The Great Shepherd guards the flock.†