Nine Characteristics Of Policy Making Social Work Essay

Nine Characteristics Of Policy Making Social Work Essay Introduction Ever since the report of Sir William Beveridge The Social Insurance and Allied Services report was published at the end of 1942 has been seen as the cornerstone of the Welfare State as it indentified that national insurance contributions would insure that the state would provided social security so that the population would be protected from the cradle to the grave. This was the ideological aim by Beveridge to improve productivity our standing in the global market at a time when the world had be financially damaged by the conflict that occurred during World War 2. This report was the basis of welfare support by the state and the end of the poor law This essay will be looking at the Welfare Reform act introduced by the coalition government and the implied changes of the reform in which the transition of the population being protected by the state from cradle to grave towards a change the under the statement on the DWP website to make the benefits and tax credit systems fairer and simpler by: Creating the right incentives to get more people into work Protecting the most vulnerable in our society Delivering fairness to those claiming benefit and to the taxpayer. This essay will examine as to whether or not these changes to the welfare act has signalled a change in the direction for anti-poverty policies or whether these changes have already been coming and if the reform has highlighted and presented a change of direction in anti poverty polices in a more public light. It can be said that the impact of the global credit crunch and subsequent recession has played a contributory part in the changes that are taking place and has possibly garnered more public support in light of the squeeze that the recession has caused on the purses of working households. Seventy years ago, with Britain locked in battle against the armies of Nazi Germany, one of the most brilliant public servants of his generation was hard at work on a report that would change our national life for ever. Invited by Churchills government to consider the issue of welfare once victory was won, Sir William Beveridge set out to slay the five giants of Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor and Idleness. When his report was published at the end of 1942, it became the cornerstone of a welfare state that supported its citizens from cradle to grave, banishing the poverty and starvation of the Depression, and laying the foundations for the great post-war boom. For years the welfare state was one of the glories of Britains democratic landscape, a monument to the generosity and decency of human nature, offering a hand up to those unlucky enough to be born at the bottom. Nine characteristics of Policy Making FORWARD LOOKING The policy-making process clearly defines outcomes that the policy is designed to achieve and, where appropriate, takes a long-term view based on statistical trends and informed predictions of social, political, economic and cultural trends, for at least five years into the future of the likely effect and impact of the policy. The following points demonstrate a forward looking approach: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A statement of intended outcomes is prepared at an early stage à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Contingency or scenario planning à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Taking into account the Governments long term strategy à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Use of DTIs Foresight programme and/or other forecasting work OUTWARD LOOKING The policy-making process takes account of influencing factors in the national, European and international situation; draws on experience in other countries; considers how policy will be communicated with the public. The following points demonstrate an outward looking approach: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Makes use of OECD, EU mechanisms etc à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Looks at how other countries dealt with the issue à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Recognises regional variation within England à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Communications/presentation strategy prepared and implemented INNOVATIVE, FLEXIBLE AND CREATIVE The policy-making process is flexible and innovative, questioning established ways of dealing with things, encouraging new and creative ideas; and where appropriate, making established ways work better. Wherever possible, the process is open to comments and suggestions of others. Risks are identified and actively managed. The following points demonstrate an innovative, flexible and creative approach: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Uses alternatives to the usual ways of working (brainstorming sessions etc) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Defines success in terms of outcomes already identified à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Consciously assesses and manages risk à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Takes steps to create management structures which promote new ideas and effective team working à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Brings in people from outside into policy team EVIDENCE-BASED The advice and decisions of policy makers are based upon the best available evidence from a wide range of sources; all key stakeholders are involved at an early stage and throughout the policys development. All relevant evidence, including that from specialists, is available in an accessible and meaningful form to policy makers. Key points of an evidence based approach to policy-making include: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Reviews existing research à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Commissions new research à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Consults relevant experts and/or used internal and external consultants à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Considers a range of properly costed and appraised options INCLUSIVE The policy-making process takes account of the impact on and/or meets the needs of all people directly or indirectly affected by the policy; and involves key stakeholders directly. An inclusive approach may include the following aspects: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Consults those responsible for service delivery/implementation à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Consults those at the receiving end or otherwise affected by the policy à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Carries out an impact assessment à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Seeks feedback on policy from recipients and front line deliverers JOINED UP The process takes a holistic view; looking beyond institutional boundaries to the governments strategic objectives and seeks to establish the ethical, moral and legal base for policy. There is consideration of the appropriate management and organisational structures needed to deliver cross-cutting objectives. The following points demonstrate a joined-up approach to policy-making: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Cross cutting objectives clearly defined at the outset à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Joint working arrangements with other departments clearly defined and well understood à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Barriers to effective joined up clearly identified with a strategy to overcome them à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Implementation considered part of the policy making process REVIEW Existing/established policy is constantly reviewed to ensure it is really dealing with problems it was designed to solve, taking account of associated effects elsewhere. Aspects of a reviewing approach to policy-making include: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Ongoing review programme in place with a range of meaningful performance measures à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Mechanisms to allow service deliverers /customers to provide feedback direct to policy makers set up à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Redundant or failing policies scrapped EVALUATION Systematic evaluation of the effectiveness of policy is built into the policy making process. Approaches to policy making that demonstrate a commitment to evaluation include: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Clearly defined purpose for the evaluation set at outset à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Success criteria defined à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Means of evaluation built into the policy making process from the outset à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Use of pilots to influence final outcomes LEARNS LESSONS Learns from experience of what works and what does not. A learning approach to policy development includes the following aspects: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Information on lessons learned and good practice disseminated à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Account available of what was done by policy-makers as a result of lessons learned à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Clear distinction drawn between failure of the policy to impact on the problem it was intended to resolve and managerial/operational failures of implementation. Conservative Thatcher Era It can be said that characteristics of the Labour and Conservative party remain constant, wherein there is a greater focus for Conservative government to reduce State dependency and a culture in the view of Thatcherism I think we have gone through a period when too many children and people have been given to understand I have a problem, it is the Governments job to cope with it! or I have a problem, I will go and get a grant to cope with it! I am homeless, the Government must house me! and so they are casting their problems on society and who is society? There is no such thing! There are individual men and women and there are families and no government can do anything except through people and people look to themselves first. It is our duty to look after ourselves and then also to help look after our neighbour and life is a reciprocal business and people have got the entitlements too much in mind without the obligations. (^  Interview for Womans Own (no such thing as society) with journalist Douglas Keay. Margaret Thatcher Foundation. 23  September 1987. Retrieved 10  April 2007.) This ideology is represented with policy changes such as the introduction of poll tax in which everyone was expected to contribute the same amount of tax regardless of income or wealth and is seen as a poverty creating policy. It could be said that the era of Tory power between 1979 and 1997 was a period when actions were being implemented to deal with the crisis of welfare within the UK. It had been suggested that between 1951 and 1979, levels of controversy over anti-poverty policies were, arguably, not particularly high. Conservative ideologists however had much to say about the case for bringing market conditions more effectively to bear on distribution of social services, but only in the housing field had Conservative governments taken steps that represented major responses to this viewpoint. Labour disappointed many of its supporters, who closely identified the party with the advancement of the Welfare State. A succession of economic crises limited the money available for new a nti-poverty polices. Yet both parties, even before the Thatcher government came into power had considerably advanced public expenditure particularly on social policies, to the point where some economists argued that this kind of expenditure had become inflationary force, limiting the scope for new wealth creating private investment. This is a view politicians began to take seriously by the 1970s, with the most staggering growth in seen in public employment and social security transfer payments. Although it is tempting to attribute the change in climate for social policy in the UK to the Conservative led government of 1979, the changes had been gradually emerging before that date, and those changes were rooted as much in economics as in ideology. Keynesian economic management techniques involving manipulation of levels of government expenditure and taxation were employed to try to retain full employment without inflation. This however was not possible with monetarists school of thought being that the government must control the money supply and let economic forces bring the system under control (Friedman, 1962, 1977). The government at the time when Thatcher took office were undoubtedly hostile to state social policy. This hostility was rooted in a commitment to privatization, the curbing of public services and attacking trade unions. The government was untroubled by the evidence that such an approach was generating increased poverty. Despite the aims to control social polic y expenditure, it nevertheless grew as a whole, with spending on the National Health Services and Welfare continually increasing. See Glennerster and Hills (1998) for a detailed analysis of those trends. It was during that era that they changed supplementary benefit which  was a means-tested benefit in the United Kingdom, paid to people on low incomes, whether or not they were classed as unemployed such as pensioners, the sick and single-parents. Introduced in November 1966, it replaced the earlier system of discretionary National Assistance payments and was intended to top-up other benefits, hence its name. It was paid weekly by the  DHSS, through  giro  cheques and  order books, or fortnightly by the Unemployment Benefit Office by giro and cashed at local  post offices. This was subsequently abolished and replaced by income support and housing benefit by the Thatcher government and also signalled the change for the provision of sickness absence for the first 28 weeks from National Insurance to a Statutory Sick Pay scheme run by employers. The 1986 Social Security Act extended the scope for contracting out from the SERP (State Earnings Related Pension Scheme) which is now the basic state pension allowing the growth of private pension plans. The family income supplement was replaced by family credit which went onto evolve into tax credits under the New Labour government. Under the Thatcher government was a total restructure of the benefits system, which included, along the ones mentioned previously that change of unemployment benefit to job seekers allowance to emphasise the behaviour required and make allowance tested means after the first six months. Other changes made by the government at that time included the transformation of the invalidity benefit to incapacity benefit, aiming to force all but severely handicapped, below pension age, to become job seekers. One of the most complex pieces of legislation was the state support for single parent families, which was designed to secure increased contributions from absent parents (normally fathers) through the Child Support Act of 1991. Labour The Blair government when it came to Welfare declared themselves as the government for Welfare Reform with a commitment to a stable public expenditure programme, but the tendency of social security costs to rise regardless of policy change which is a problem also faced by the Thatcher government, which in turn limited New labours room to manoeuvre. Labour saw the solution to this dilemma by increasing employment; the stimulation of labour-market participation by single parents and the disabled as well as the unemployed is central to their social security policy strategy This is seen trough the introduction of working tax credit and their welfare to work programmes for young people under 25. The most significant aim of New Labour was to eradicate child poverty and this was done with schemes such as child tax credit, but possibly the biggest change introduced to tackle poverty was the National Minimum wage, which was transcending and ensured that everyone was entitled to a basic pay regardless of job role and prevented employers from exploiting employees, there has now however been greater argument for the introduction of a living wage, which is something that the present labour party actively support, with current opposition leader Ed Milliband and former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone supporters of a national living wage. It is worth remembering that when Tony Blair came to power in 1997, he claimed that we had reached the limits of the publics willingness simply to fund an unreformed welfare system through ever higher taxes and spending. Urgent welfare reforms, he said, would cut the bills of social failure, releasing money for schools and hospitals. Welfare Reform 2012 The Policy Agenda The main elements of the welfare reform act are The introduction of Universal Credit to provide a single streamlined payment that will improve work incentives A stronger approach to reducing fraud and error with tougher penalties for the most serious offences A new claimant commitment showing clearly what is expected of claimants while giving protection to those with the greatest needs Reforms to Disability Living Allowance, through the introduction of the Personal Independence Payment to meet the needs of disabled people today Creating a fairer approach to Housing Benefit to bring stability to the market and improve incentives to work Driving out abuse of the Social Fund system by giving greater power to local authorities Reforming Employment and Support Allowance to make the benefit fairer and to ensure that help goes to those with the greatest need Changes to support a new system of child support which puts the interest of the child first. This changes signal possibly the hugest shake up to the welfare act in one fell swoop, it can be argued however that New Labour were already implementing changes to reduce the welfare bill, but not in a way as direct as the coalition government, with one of the main focus being to reduce poverty and eradicate child poverty which is something that this essay will touch on further on in the essay. Britain now spends  7.2 per cent of GDP on its welfare system, and the costs of supporting the, supposedly, needy continue to rise.  As the Whitehall empire grows, drowning the noble intentions of welfare in red tape, so too do the number who chose to abuse the system. the turn against welfare is unprecedented. In previous times of austerity, public attitudes have always remained remarkably generous. Even in the straitened late Seventies, for example, seven out of ten people told pollsters they would like to see higher taxes to pay for higher social spending. The truth is that we have reached a watershed. To look after the weak is the first duty of any decent government; to abandon them would be unconscionable. Embarrassingly, Britain now has the highest proportion of working-age people on disability benefit in the developed world. And while just 3à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ °per cent of Japanese people and 5à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ °per cent of Americans live in households where no one works, the figure in Britain is 13à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ °per cent.   The people who really lose from this, incidentally, are those who are genuinely disabled. They deserve boundless public sympathy; instead, thanks to the abuse of the system, they are too often treated with scepticism. But behind all this lies a deeper issue. Beveridge designed the welfare state for a tightly knit, deeply patriotic and overwhelmingly working-class society, dominated by the nuclear family. Though millions of people had grown up in intense poverty, they were steeped in a culture of working-class respectability and driven by an almost Victorian work ethic. In the world of the narrow terrace back streets, deliberate idleness would have been virtually unthinkable. It could be said that the welfare reform might not necessarily be a change in direction for anti-poverty policies, but a policy implemented to change the mind set of a nation that has transformed from one where people thought about what they could contribute towards their own nation especially at a time of war, to a nation where certain individuals, bearing in mind a small minority of people believe they deserve more from the state without having to earn it. The key factors of welfare reform is universal credit which will be an all encompassing payment that incorporates vast majority of out-of-work and housing benefits that households can receive. Poverty Relative and Absolute Child poverty Prominent reduction target. Major tax benefit reforms benefiting low-income families with children. Working-age poverty Policy focus on worklessness, not poverty in itself. Policies aimed at employment and income at work. Employment Clearest initial priority. Action through New Deals and active policy towards unemployed. Political participation Some aspects of constitutional reform and parts of Social Exclusion Unit (SEU) agenda for neighbourhood renewal. Participation requirements embedded in nearly all policy areas. Targets for volunteering and confidence in institutions. Poor neighbourhoods Major focus of SEU, with ambitious overall target. Policies both area-based and for mainstream services. Children and early years Has moved up the agenda with reviews in 1998 and 2004. Large increase in resources. Older people services and long-term incomes Royal Commission on Long Term Care but divided report and responses in England and Scotland. State Second Pension and Pension Credit reforms. The making of Anti-Poverty Policies Anti poverty policies Tax credits (Child and working tax credits), Child benefit, housing benefit, council tax benefit, income based JSA and ESA (Job seekers allowance and Employment Support Allowance), Income Support, Universal Credit Anti-poverty policy making Joseph Rowntree Foundation Prior to the Welfare Reform act the focus of policies was that the state help its citizens from the cradle to the grave with welfare support polices introduced throughout which coincided with the introduction of the national health service has been the mainstay and direction of a lot of anti-poverty polices that have been introduced in which the state takes care of those unable to take care of themselves. Countless policies have been introduced in that time that have provided assistance to the elderly, disabled, women, children, unemployed and those with long-term sickness are some of the groups that polices introduce since Beveridges report in 1942 have focused on assisting and helping. Although its not a surprise that ever since the coalition came into government, bearing in mind that the party is dominated by the Tories as the majority party, there manifesto ever since 1979 and the era of Thatcherism has always been to reduce the role of the state and give individuals greater pow er and responsibility over their own lives. The question has to whether the welfare reform act 2012 has signalled a change in direction for anti-poverty policies is not a straight forward question, with a straight forward answer, it can be suggested that it is important to look at the changes that have been taking place, with the welfare bill spiralling out of control, which was something noticed by New Labour when they came into power. Conclusion The welfare reform act can be seen as change in direction from the description of a nanny state into state that helps those who want to help themselves

Issues Responsible for Failure of Doha Talks and Possible Solutions.

Title: Issues responsible for failure of Doha talks and possible solutions. Name: Course: Sunderland ID: EThames Students ID: Intake: Introduction: Current Doha round has been one of the most eventful round but its irony that members couldn’t reach to condenses. This research paper concentrates on reasons that caused friction among the nations and possible solutions that can be used to resolve these issues or reasons. Agricultural issues and industrial goods market issues, talks has been suspended without any further notice of next round. At the end all the hard work after years of negotiation wasn’t successful ad differences among the participating nations proved insurmountable. Pascal Lamy, the Director General of the WTO, tried really hard for the success of these talks but all the sides didn’t show the flexibility that was required for the success of these talks. Failure of Doha round talks also highlight the lack of global leadership at least in some quarters, and this fact is pretty difficult to perceive and there are various reasons for that. Only bright thing emerged from this summit is the talk only need one final push as finishing line is insight. Lot has been already achieved but critical issues need consensus. Success to these talks can bring much needed global stimulus for global economy of hundreds of billions of dollars annually. Both developed and developing countries can gain something out of it, in fact it is a great opportunity for developed nations to address complaints of developing nations where they feel that economic linearization is highly tilted in favor of developed nations. But failure of these talks can bring some serious consequences; it will seriously damage the reputation of WTO and more importantly multilateralism for which everyone is working hard for will be damaged permanently. Most of the representatives were worried about what could be perceived from their stance i. e. compromising on their stance might appear as compromising on national interest. (Deardorff, 2008) Reasons for failure of Doha round: Failure of Doha round talks have put temporary pause on further negotiations, this is not the first time that talks has been failed and further discussion has been suspended. This has happened before also ministerial talks in Seattle in 1997 and in Cancun in 2003 also have met the dead end though there were different reasons and different out come for each of the failure. Exception in case of Doha round is for the first time talks has been suspended officially. Official announcement of suspension of talks came after 14 hour long last meeting for overcoming farm subsidies and tariff cut of G6 members yielded no result. Members of G6 group came together to come to consensus on support for domestic farms, agricultural market access and non agricultural market access were the core points of the discussion. Agricultural issues and Outcome of G6 meeting: Pascal Lamy, the Director General of the WTO called this meeting as a last attempt for consensus. This meeting had ministers from India, Japan, Australia, Brazil, unites states and 25 members from European Union. Main aim of this meeting was to reduce or remove hurdles in the way of free trade in the agricultural sector and goods manufacturing. There were many other factors that were needed to be addressed but entire discussion revolved round these issues. Each side remained firm on it stance and more emphasis was put on precondition before further negations. (Bhagwati & Sutherland, 2011) It was necessary for all the participating nations to meet the deadlines and to achieve that it was necessary to agree on figures and formulae for the tariff cut and subsidy cut in context of industrial goods and agriculture modalities but talk couldn’t move forward in positive direction because irreconcilable differences between participating ministers representing their nations. Failure in the talks was more unfortunate on the background of fresh hopes which were raised in G8 meeting of worlds most powerful and industry oriented nations. Then president of United States and European commission president assured flexibility. Even heads of developing countries like India and Brazil participating in G8 meeting showed their interest in pushing for the breakthrough. (Bhagwati & Sutherland, 2011) G6 minister headed for Geneva after St. Petersburg meeting where they were prepared to transform their promises of flexibility into concrete deals. Pascal Lamy, the Director General of the WTO convinced these nations to discuss these issues. Lamy was pushing for USA to reduce domestic farm support and European Union for increasing access for domestic agricultural market and at the same time developing nations like India and Brazil will be convince for reducing their industrial tariffs. Problem here was each group was expecting other group to give in first. In these triangle of issues main hurdle in the talks were issues in agricultural sector which has been mentioned above. The third issue of convincing of India and Brazil for reducing their industrial tariffs didn’t even make it to the discussion because there wasn’t any result from the discussion of first two issues. In the negotiations USA and European Union were expected to cut the subsidy they were providing to domestic farms at the same time developed nations were expecting India and Brazil, to open their domestic market for agriculture and agricultural goods. Negotiations had the first jolt when far from removing subsidy to agricultural sector USA proposed to increase it. With this development Lamy realized that there wont be any consensus and gap was widening and thus before situation deteriorates any further he suspended the talks. He didn’t give any indications when next round of negotiation will begin he hinted that instead of deadlocking on same issues again participating countries should carry out their respective work internally regarding these issues and then participate in the discussion. (Chimni, Chantal, Thomas & Trachtman, 2009) Major reasons From above information it is pretty clear that agricultural issues are the main reason for breaking down of talk. Members had heated discussion on this issue and USA offered to cut farm subsidies which proved trade distorting by 53% that is USA proposed to slash the subsidy amount from $48. 2 billion to $22. 5 billion but issue here was this amount of $22. 5 billion was much higher than their last year subsidy, which was $19. 7 billion thus by proposing slash of 53% they were indirectly trying to increase the subsidy on their agricultural sector where all the nations were gathered together to discuss subsidy cut on the agricultural sector by developed nations. This offer from United States didn’t satisfy any of the G6 members as well as any of the diplomatic delegations from other nations. (Bhagwati & Sutherland, 2011) To add to it in the exchange United States expected tariff cut from European nations up to 66% where European Union offered 51% increasing from original proposed position of 39% this offer of 51% was quite close to demand of developing nations where they expected tariff cut from European nations up to 51%. But on the contrary USA stated that European nations only were willing for 48% of tariff cut and they were expecting at least of 54%. Both India and Brazil appreciated this movement from European Nations their representatives also suggested that it was approach from united status which blocked the progress of talk and that resulted in suspension of the talks. Other reasons behind failure of talks: Some issues other than agricultural issues also played their part in the failure of the talks in Doha round. The president’s administration in USA was under severe pressure from congress and it had to give in because of pressure of protecting domestic interests. Delegates from Special interest groups such as National Association of Manufacturers and American Farm Bureau from United States were present at the summit they monitored as well as instructed representatives of United States. Pressure applied by these groups reduced space of negotiation for United States delegation. There was deep rooted North South tension it combined with many other adverse factors to undermine success of the talks. (Chimni, Chantal, Thomas & Trachtman, 2009) Many scholars and commentator stated that current situation in major negotiating parties like United States, India and European Union wasn’t quite in the favor of trade concessions; political leadership everywhere was not willing to concede much. Key elections were due in United Status and it was expected that administration won’t go for any risky compromise on their position which might appear as compromise on national interest. To add fuel to the fire economic crisis emerged from Wall Street had huge repercussions and it got converted in global slow down. (Deardorff, 2008) There were oppositions for European Union offer of 51% tariff cut from European nations from European Union according to French president Nicolas Sarcozy 51% tariff cut would result in destruction of European agriculture and would reduce more than 100000 jobs. Absence of fast track authority (trade promotion authority) also didn’t go to well with other delegations. Without passing of trade promotion authority it wouldn’t have been possible to get passing of congress even if participating nations would have managed to reach some kind of consensus. After effects of talk failure: India, Brazil, Japan, Australia, USA and European were involved in 14 hours long meeting to make consensus but unfortunately the meeting ended without any results on lowering tariff and slashing farm subsidies. This failure in talks gave birth to inhibited blame game in the participating countries. EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said that â€Å"What they’re saying is that for every dollar that they strip out of their trade-distorting farm subsidies, they want to be given a dollar’s worth of market access in developing country markets. That is not acceptable to developing countries and it’s a principle that I, on Europe’s behalf, certainly couldn’t sign up to either. This is not my definition of leadership† In reply to this statement from EU Trade Commissioner, Susan Schwab from USTR alleged that statement by the EU alleging that the US failed to show flexibility and attempting to divert the blame for the stalemate is false and misleading. The countries that have tended to be finger-pointing at this point are the ones that are reluctant to act in terms of market access. We are deeply disappointed that the EU failed to exhibit similar restraint and hope this will not jeopardize the few chances we have left to save the Doha round. † EU and US kept pointing fingers at each other after suspension of Doha round each party blaming other party for failure of Doha round. As usual India also blamed developed nations for not removing subsidies those were proved a trade distorting. India’s industry and commerce minister Kamal Nath said that â€Å"It is best we tell the world that the talks have failed, and the negotiating process is suspended. Now, there is no roadmap for the future,† according to him United State’s approach of refusing to cut subsidy regarding agricultural sector has been solely responsible for failure of talks at Doha summit. European Union also openly blamed Unites status for suspension of negotiation. EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson stated that it was disappointing to see lack of flexibility in USA’s approach after promising the same in G8 summit. To take the blame game further US officials blamed other trading partners for failure of process to bridge the differences on other important issues such as import duties on tariff related to agricultural sector. US officials further alleged that they were prepared to remove subsidies related to agricultural sector those were proved a trade distorting but they could not do so because India and European Union did not present any substantial proposal on global agricultural market access. Pascal Lamy, the Director General of the WTO preferred to stay away from the blame game; he was more intended on how to resume talks. Lamy urged all the participating nations to avoid megaphone diplomacy and do some introspection in order to avoid such situation in the future. Lamy also requested all participating nations to think positively to arrive at any acceptable solution. Chances of resolving the differences: Doha round has been disappointing and talks has been moved to deep freezing state since then. There is very little positivity around these talks very few people are still in belief of revival, though Brazil and United States have promised to work hard in positive direction for revival f the talks chances are looking really thin about it. Most experts believed that there are little hopes for revival of talks ahead of Doha round. Breakdown at that juncture meant that there is very little hope for revival of talk before end of presidency tenure of then president of United States. As mentioned above, fast track authority or trade promotion authority thinks that congress must show green or red signal otherwise opponent might take advantage of such situation. Political climate in United States during that time was not very conducive for any compromise because of mid term elections current trade deficit in US economy also played negative role extension of fast track authority and even if it would have happened, in case of opposition win in the election would lead to weakening of fast track authority. Hoekman, 2003) It is believed that France who is strongly opposing for 51% tariff cut in agricultural sector has forced Lamy to suspend the talks indefinitely. In fact many say that France made it sure that talks get suspended that if discussion is highly concentrated on agricultural issues. Wall street journal quotes French agricultural minister saying that â€Å"I would prefer the negotiations fail rather than raise questions about agriculture†. Because of t his situation promises by USA and Brazil of reviving talks appear unrealistic. Successful round and preconditions: Political capitals should be mobilized in order to have any hope for success in breaking the deadlock this has to be done domestically as well as internationally. This will require monumental leadership globally. With new president United State certainly has position to do this. Morally also United State has to take responsibility because they are the most influential and powerful nation in the world to add to it they are responsible for current economic crisis. Other major trading nations like Canada, Japan and European nations also should join United States in these initiatives of bold economic reforms and liberalization. Meaning of economic liberalization itself is to save public money and removing of wasteful economic programs. It is true that current financial status of United Status might complicate things for that country still United States can afford to act little proactively. Road ahead: There is growing concern about global economic recession and it’s after effects and because of mounting fear world leaders are requesting businesses to consult their respective governments, to think successful solution regarding failure of talks in Doha because if that doesn’t happen there is constant risk of developing other barriers in world trade. Peter Mandelson feels that it better to act quickly and it consensus are not reached immediately, chances are pretty slim that it will be done in future. Trade talks were working on stop start basis from last six years but after Doha talks are on halt. A constructive seminar was held at Davos where subject was â€Å"Threats to the Global Trading System† some progress was registered on some technical issues in this summit but no party still is close enough for any sort of formal agreement because of high degree of skepticism. Developing countries are concerned about interests of their farmers; they feel that lowering the tariff might expose farmers especially poor farmers to global competition for which they might not be prepared for, and this situation will have its adverse effects on growth and will result in slowdown of entire economy. Minister of Commerce and Industry of India Kamal Nath insisted that India, Africa and Asia pacific are the most productive markets for developed nations and if they want to take advantage of these markets it has to be made sure that India, Africa and Asia pacific have healthy economy. Deardorff, 2008) At the same time financial scholars feel that cost of failure of Doha talks is already taking its toll on participating nations and if solution is not obtained in near future most of the countries might opt for protectionism and this will be bad news for free trade as it will be the roll back what ever progress that has bee made in the direction of free global trade. Pascal Lamy, the Director General of the WTO has mentioned his concern may time according to him effects of global economic slow down might be having their exaggerated side effects on global economy due to Doha failure. Minister of foreign affairs in Brazil Celso Amorim is also worried about current situation he feels that though all the negotiating parties are adamant on their position they all have to face the consequences in near future for their stance. (Das, 2009) Because of increasing delay companies are loosing their faith in negotiators and voters though they have lot more o gain from what ever negotiations carried out at Doha though lot more still left to be achieved and because of this companies and powerful and influential corporate houses all over the world should consider the fact that stalling of talks will result in loss of opportunities for them thus as mentioned above they should use their might to convince their respective government and if they succeed to do so, it will be a terrific achievement. Conclusion: The longest trade round ever was held in Doha. It could have been termed as constitutional moment for trading systems across the world. Structure of trade between the member nations is largely dependent on future of Doha talks how it ends and what shape does it take. Having said this, this round will exist without any positive response or developmental challenges. For Doha to succeed and for better future for WTO in the context of its credibility it is important that focus of the talks shifts from mere commercial bargain that is controlled by major negotiating parties to a process of public interests who’s success will be beneficial for all. Commercial bargains of the member nations of WTO have been primarily responsible for jeopardizing of the talks. Although some members think for alternative way for controversial points they won’t be as productive as successful Doha round nor do they will be able to survey larger public good. For dispassionate involvement in the negotiations highlights lack of leadership from USA. It is responsibility of trading partners of United States be its developing or developed nation to prevent that nation from becoming a stumbling block in the talks. At the end of the day it must be remembered that world in which every one has enough food to eat and good enough work to do; only such world can derive peace and security for global citizens which can be provided by successful trade. References: Deardorff, A. , 2008 â€Å"International Provision of Trade Services, Trade and Fragmentation. † Review of International Economics, Vol 9 No. 2. pp. 233-48. The Economist, 2003 â€Å"The WTO Under Fire. † September 18 Available on the Internet at http://www. economist. com. /PrinterFriendly. cfm? Story_ID=2071855 Hoekman, B. 2003. Cancun: Crisis or Catharsis†. Paper presented at the joint roundtable of the Brookings Institution and George Washington University held on 20 September, in Washington DC. Pr Jagdish Bhagwati and Peter Sutherland KCMG, (January 2011) THE DOHA ROUND: SETTING A DEADLINE, DEFINING A FINAL DEAL Interim report B. S. Chimni, Chantal Thomas & Joel P. Trachtman eds. , (2009 ) Some Reflections on the Idea of Free Trade and Doha Round Trade Negotiations, in DEVELOPING COUNTRIES IN THE WTO LEGAL SYSTEM 21, at 27–28 A key year ahead for Doha trade talks, available at: http://www. weforum. rg/node/65945 Accessed on: 9-7-11 DAS, supra note 151, at 105. There is also a collective benefit from trade liberalization: developing countries should open their markets among one another to fully achieve â€Å"export-market diversification. † Id. at 106. Dilip K. Das. 2009a. ,Financial Globalization and the Emerging Market Economies. Routledge, London and New York. 2009. Lamy, P. , 2003 â€Å"Can the Doha Development Agenda Live up to its Name? † Available on the Internet at http://europa. eu. int/comm/commissioners/lamy/speeches_articles/spla188_en. htm September 10, 2008

Blood Promise Chapter Twenty-Eight

Lissa didn't have to say anything to express her shock. The feelings of utter astonishment pouring into me said more than any words could have. I, however, had one important word for her: Duck! I think it was her surprise that made her respond so quickly. She dropped to the floor. The movement was clumsy, but it removed her body from Reed's direct attack and put her (mostly) out of range of the window. He still collided with her shoulder and the side of her head, but it only bumped her and caused a little pain. Of course, â€Å"a little pain† meant totally different things to us. Lissa had been tortured a couple of times, but most of her battles were mental. She'd never been in a one-on-one physical confrontation. Getting thrown against walls was an average occurrence for me, but for her, a small swipe to the head was monumental. Crawl away, I ordered. Get away from him and the window. Head for the door if possible. Lissa started moving on her hands and feet, but she was too slow. Reed caught hold of her hair. I kind of felt like we were playing a game of telephone. With the delay in me giving direction and her figuring out how to respond, I might as well have been passing the message through five people before it got to her. I wished I could control her body like a puppeteer, but I was no spirit user. It's going to hurt, but turn around as best you can and hit him. Oh, it did hurt. Trying to turn her body meant his hold on her hair tugged that much more painfully. She managed it reasonably well, though, and flailed out at Reed. Her hits weren't that coordinated, but they surprised him enough that he let go of her hair and tried to fend her off. That's when I noticed he wasn't overly coordinated either. He was stronger than her, true, but he obviously had no combat training short of basic hits and throwing his weight around. He hadn't come here for a true fight; he'd come to just push her out the window and be done with it. Get away if you can; get away if you can. She scrambled across the floor, but unfortunately her escape path didn't give her access to the door. Instead, she backed further into the room until her back hit a rolling desk chair. Grab it. Hit him with it. Easier said than done. He was right there, still trying to grab her and jerk her to her feet. She caught hold of the chair and tried to roll it into him. I'd wanted her to pick it up and hit him with it, but that wasn't quite so easy for her. She did, however, manage to get to her feet and get the chair between them. I directed her to keep hitting him with it in an effort to get him to retreat. It worked a little, but she didn't quite have the force to truly damage him. Meanwhile, I half expected Avery to join in the fight. It wouldn't have taken much effort to assist Reed in subduing Lissa. Instead, out of the corner of Lissa's eye, I saw Avery sitting perfectly still, her eyes unfocused and slightly glazed over. Okay. That was weird, but I had no complaints about her being out of the conflict. As it was, Lissa and Reed were in a stalemate, one I had to get her out of. You're on the defensive, I said. You need to take the attack to him. I finally got a direct answer back. What? I can't do anything like that! I have no clue how! I'll show you. Kick him-preferably between the legs. That'll take down most guys. Without words, I tried to send the feelings into her, teaching her the right way to tense muscles and strike out. Steeling herself, she pushed the chair away so that there was nothing between her and Reed. It caught him by surprise, giving her a brief opening. Her leg struck out. It missed the golden spot, but it did hit his knee. That was almost as good. He stumbled back as his leg collapsed underneath him and just managed to grab the chair for support. It tried to roll, which didn't help him any. Lissa didn't need any urging to sprint for the door at that point-except it was blocked. Simon had just entered. For a moment, both Lissa and I felt relief. A guardian! Guardians were safe. Guardians protected us. The thing was, this guardian worked for Avery, and it soon became clear his services went beyond merely keeping Strigoi away from her. He strode in, and with no hesitation grabbed Lissa and dragged her harshly back to the window. My direction faltered at that moment. I'd been an okay coach at showing her how to fend off a surly teenage boy. But a guardian? And that surly teenage boy had recovered himself and joined Simon to finish the job. Compel him! It was my last desperate bid. That was Lissa's strength. Unfortunately, while her earlier drinking had metabolized enough to improve her coordination, it was still affecting her control of spirit. She could touch the power-but not very much of it. Her control was clumsy too. Nonetheless, her resolve was strong. She drew as much of the spirit as she could, channeling it into compulsion. Nothing happened. Then, I felt that weird tickling in my head. At first I thought Avery was back on the scene, only rather than someone reaching into me, it was like they reached through me. The power in Lissa surged, and I realized what had happened. Oksana was still there, somewhere in the background, and she was lending her strength again, channeling it through me and into Lissa. Simon froze, and it was almost amusing. He twitched slightly, rocking back and forth as he tried to advance on her and finish the lethal task. It was like he was suspended in Jell-O. Lissa was hesitant to move, for fear of breaking her control. There was also the issue that Reed was not being compelled, but for the moment, he seemed too confused about what was happening to Simon to react. â€Å"You can't just kill me!† Lissa blurted out. â€Å"Don't you think people are going to ask questions when they find my body shoved out a window? â€Å"They won't notice,† said Simon stiffly. Even the words required effort. â€Å"Not when you're resurrected. And if you can't be, then it was just a tragic accident that befell a troubled girl.† Slowly, slowly, he began breaking out of her compulsion. Her power, while still there, was weakening a little-there was a leak somewhere, and it was dripping out. I suspected it might be Avery's influence or simply Lissa's mental fatigue. Maybe both. A supreme look of satisfaction crossed Simon's features as he lunged forward, and then. He froze again. A blazing gold aura lit up in Lissa's periphery. She glanced over just enough to see Adrian in the doorway. The look on his face was comical, but shocked or not, he'd picked up enough to target Simon. It was Adrian's compulsion holding the guardian in place now. Lissa squirmed away, yet again trying to keep out of that damned window's opening. â€Å"Hold him!† Lissa cried. Adrian grimaced. â€Å"I†¦ can't. What the hell? It's like there's someone else there†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Avery,† said Lissa, sparing a brief glance at the other girl. Avery's face had gone pale even for a Moroi. Her breathing was heavy, and her sweating had increased. She was fighting Adrian's compulsion. A few seconds later, Simon broke free yet again. He advanced on Lissa and Adrian, though his movements seemed sluggish. Son of a bitch, I thought. Now what? demanded Lissa. Reed. Go for Reed. Get him out of the picture. Reed had been frozen during the struggle with Simon, watching with fascination. And like those of the guardian, Reed's actions seemed a little sluggish. Still, he was moving toward Lissa again. Simon had apparently decided Adrian was the immediate threat and was heading that way. Time to see if dividing and conquering would work. What about Adrian? Lissa asked. We're going to have to leave him on his own for a minute. Get to Reed. Knock him out. What But she advanced on him anyway, moving with a determination that warmed me with pride. His face curled into a snarl. He was frantic and overconfident, though-not thinking clearly and still moving in an ungainly way. Once more, I attempted to teach Lissa without words. I couldn't make her do anything, but I tried to make her feel what it was like to punch someone. How to draw back her arm, curl her fingers in the proper way, build up the strength. After what I'd seen her do earlier, the best I could hope for was a decent approximation of a punch, enough to keep him off her and create further delay. And that's when something truly beautiful happened. Lissa socked him in the nose. And I mean, socked. We both heard the impact, heard the nose break. Blood came out. He flew backward, both he and Lissa staring wide-eyed. Never, never would I have thought Lissa capable of something like that. Not sweet, delicate, beautiful Lissa. I wanted to whoop and dance with joy. But this wasn't over yet. Don't stop! Hit him again. You've got to knock him out! I did! she cried, horrified at what she'd done. Her fist was also in agonizing pain. I hadn't really mentioned that part during my coaching. No, you've got to incapacitate him, I told her. I think he and Avery are bonded, and I think she's taking her strength from him. It made sense now, why he'd frozen when Avery drew power to use compulsion, why he'd known to show up when he had. She'd used their bond to summon him. And so Lissa went after Reed again. She got in two more punches, one of which knocked his head against the wall. His lips parted and his features went slack. He dropped to the floor, eyes staring vacantly. I wasn't sure if he was entirely unconscious, but he was out of this for the moment. Off to the side, I heard a small cry from Avery. Lissa turned to Adrian and Simon. Adrian had ceased any attempts at compulsion, because Simon was engaged in a full-on attack. Adrian's face showed he'd taken a few hits of his own, and I figured that, like Lissa, he'd never engaged in this kind of physical combat. Without any need for direction from me, Lissa strode over and turned on her compulsion. Simon jerked in surprise, not stopping his attack, but caught off guard. Lissa was still weak, but the walls around him had dropped a little, just as I'd suspected they would. â€Å"Help me!† cried Lissa. With the momentary lapse on Simon's part, Adrian tried to wield his spirit too. Lissa felt and saw the change in his aura as the magic flowed through him. She felt him join her in their psychic attack on Simon, and a moment later, I sensed Oksana joining the fray. I wanted to play general and shout orders, but this wasn't my battle anymore. Simon's eyes went wide, and he fell to his knees. Lissa could sense the other two spirit users-and was a bit surprised by Oksana's presence-and had the vague impression that they were all doing slightly different things to Simon. Lissa was trying to compel him to stop his attack, to simply sit still. Her brief brush with Adrian's magic told her he was trying to make the guardian sleep, and Oksana was attempting to get Simon to run out of the room. The conflicting messages and all that power were too much. The last of Simon's defenses fell as all those mixed messages blasted into him, creating a tidal wave of spirit. He collapsed to the floor. With all of their magic combined, the spirit users had knocked him unconscious. Lissa and Adrian turned to Avery, bracing themselves, but there was no need. As soon as all that spirit had blasted into Simon, Avery had begun screaming. And screaming and screaming. She gripped the sides of her head, the sound of her voice horrible and grating. Lissa and Adrian exchanged glances, unsure how to handle this new development. â€Å"For God's sake,† gasped Adrian, exhausted. â€Å"How do we shut her up?† Lissa didn't know. She considered approaching Avery and trying to help her, in spite of all that had happened. But a few seconds later, Avery grew quiet. She didn't pass out like her companions had. She just sat there, staring. Her expression no longer resembled the dazed look she'd had while wielding spirit. It was just†¦ blank. Like there was nothing in her at all. â€Å"Wh-what happened?† asked Lissa. I had the answer. The spirit flooded from Simon into her. It fried her. Lissa was startled. How could it go from Simon to her? Because they're bonded. You said she was bonded to Reed! She is. She's bonded to both of them. Lissa had been too distracted while fighting for her life, but I'd been able to notice everyone's auras through her eyes. Avery-no longer masking hers-had possessed a gold one, just like Adrian and Lissa. Simon and Reed had had nearly identical ones, with ordinary colors-ringed in black. They were shadow-kissed, both having been brought back from the dead by Avery. Lissa asked no more questions and simply collapsed into Adrian's arms. There was nothing romantic about it, just a desperate need on both their parts to be close to a friend. â€Å"Why did you come?† she asked him. â€Å"Are you kidding? How could I not? You guys were like a bonfire with all the spirit you were wielding. I felt it all the way across campus.† He glanced around. â€Å"Man, I have a lot of questions.† â€Å"You and me both,† she muttered. I have to go, I told Lissa. I felt a little wistful at having to leave them. I miss you. When will you be back? Soon. Thank you. Thank you for being there for me. Always. I suspected I was smiling back in my own body. Oh, and Lissa? Tell Adrian I'm proud of him. The Academy room faded. I was once more sitting on a bed halfway around the world. Abe was looking at me with concern. Mark also was concerned, but he had eyes only for Oksana, who lay down beside me. She looked a little like Avery, pale and sweating. Mark clasped her hand frantically, fear all over him. â€Å"Are you okay?† She smiled. â€Å"Just tired. I'll be all right.† I wanted to hug her. â€Å"Thank you,† I breathed. â€Å"Thank you so much.† â€Å"I'm glad to have helped,† she said. â€Å"But I hope I don't have to do it again. It was†¦ strange. I'm not sure what role I played there.† â€Å"Me either.† It had been weird. Sometimes it was like Oksana had actually been there, fighting right along with Lissa and the rest. Other times, I'd felt as though Oksana had merged with me. I shuddered. Too many minds linked together. â€Å"Next time, you have to be by her side,† Oksana said. â€Å"In the real world.† I looked down at my hands, confused and unsure what to think. The silver ring gleamed up at me. I took it off and handed it to her. â€Å"This ring saved me. Can it heal you even though you made it?† She held it in her hand for a moment and then gave it back. â€Å"No, but like I said, I'll recover. I heal quickly on my own.† It was true. I'd seen Lissa heal remarkably fast in the past. It was part of always having spirit in you. I stared at the ring, and something troubling came to mind. It was a thought that had struck me while riding with the old couple to Novosibirsk, when I'd moved in and out of consciousness. â€Å"Oksana†¦ a Strigoi touched this ring. And for a few moments-while he did-it was like†¦ well, he was still Strigoi, no question. But while he held it, he was almost like his old self too.† Oksana didn't answer right away. She looked up at Mark, and they held each other's gazes for a long time. He bit his lip and shook his head. â€Å"Don't,† he said. â€Å"It's a fairy tale.† â€Å"What?† I exclaimed. I looked back and forth between him. â€Å"If you know something about this-about Strigoi-you have to tell me!† Mark spoke sharply in Russian, a warning in his voice. Oksana looked equally determined. â€Å"It's not our place to withhold information,† she replied. She turned to me, face grave. â€Å"Mark told you about the Moroi we met long ago†¦ the other spirit user?† I nodded. â€Å"Yeah.† â€Å"He used to tell a lot of stories-most of which I don't think were true. But one of them†¦ well, he claimed he restored a Strigoi to life.† Abe, silent thus far, scoffed. â€Å"That is a fairy tale.† â€Å"What?† My whole world reeled. â€Å"How?† â€Å"I don't know. He never elaborated much, and the details often changed. His mind was going, and I think half of what he said was imaginary,† she explained. â€Å"He's crazy,† said Mark. â€Å"It wasn't true. Don't get caught up in an insane man's fantasy. Don't fixate on this. Don't let it become your next vigilante quest. You need to go back to your bondmate.† I swallowed, every emotion in the world churning in my stomach. Was it true? Had a spirit user restored a Strigoi to life? Theoretically†¦ well, if spirit users could heal and bring back the dead, why not the undead? And Dimitri†¦ Dimitri had definitely seemed altered while holding the ring. Had spirit affected him and touched some piece of his old self? At the time, I'd just assumed it was fond memories of his family affecting him†¦ â€Å"I need to talk to this guy,† I murmured. Not that I knew why. Fairy tale or not, it was too late. I'd done it. I'd killed Dimitri. Nothing would bring him back now, no miracle of spirit. My heart rate increased, and I could hardly breathe. In my mind's eye, I saw him falling, falling†¦ falling forever with the stake in his chest. Would he have said he loved me? I would ask myself that for the rest of my life. Agony and grief flooded me, though at the same time, relief was there too. I had freed Dimitri from a state of evil. I had brought him peace, sending him on to happiness. Maybe he and Mason were together in heaven somewhere, practicing some guardian moves. I had done the right thing. There should be no regret here. Oblivious to my emotions, Oksana addressed my last statement. â€Å"Mark wasn't kidding. This man is crazy-if he's even still alive. The last time we saw him, he could barely hold up a conversation or even use his magic. He ran off into hiding. No one knows where he is-except maybe his brother.† â€Å"Enough,† warned Mark. Abe's attention was piqued, however. He leaned forward, shrewd as ever. â€Å"What's this man's name?† â€Å"Robert Doru,† said Mark after a few hesitant moments. It was no one I knew, and I realized how pointless this all was. This guy was a lost cause and had likely imagined the whole idea of saving a Strigoi in a fit of insanity. Dimitri was gone. This part of my life was over. I needed to get back to Lissa. Then I noticed that Abe had gone very still. â€Å"Do you know him?† I asked. â€Å"No. Do you?† â€Å"No.† I scrutinized Abe's face. â€Å"You sure look like you know something, Zmey.† â€Å"I know of him,† Abe clarified. â€Å"He's an illegitimate royal. His father had an affair, and Robert was the result. His father actually included him as part of the family. Robert and his half-brother grew quite close, though few knew about it.† Of course Abe would know about it, though. â€Å"Doru is Robert's mother's last name.† No surprise. Doru wasn't a royal name. â€Å"What's his father's last name?† â€Å"Dashkov. Trenton Dashkov.† â€Å"That,† I told him, â€Å"is a name I know.† I had met Trenton Dashkov years ago while accompanying Lissa and her family to a royal holiday party. Trenton had been an old, stooped man then, kind but on the brink of death. Moroi often lived to be over a hundred, but he'd been pushing a hundred and twenty-which was ancient even by their standards. There had been no sign or whisper of him having an illegitimate son, but Trenton's legitimate son had been there. That son had even danced with me, showing a great courtesy to a lowly dhampir girl. â€Å"Trenton is Victor Dashkov's father,† I said. â€Å"You're saying Robert Doru is Victor Dashkov's half-brother.† Abe nodded, still watching me closely. Abe, as I'd noted, knew everything. He likely knew my history with Victor. Oksana frowned. â€Å"Victor Dashkov is someone important, isn't he?† Out in their Siberian cottage, she was removed from the turmoil of Moroi politics, unaware that the man who would have been king had been locked away in prison. I started laughing-but not because I found any humor in the situation. This whole thing was unbelievable, and my hysteria was the only way to let out all the crazy feelings within me. Exasperation. Resignation. Irony. â€Å"What's so funny?† asked Mark, startled. â€Å"Nothing,† I said, knowing if I didn't stop laughing, I'd probably start crying. â€Å"That's the thing. It's not funny at all.† What a wonderful twist to my life. The only person alive who might know something about saving Strigoi was the half-brother of my greatest living enemy, Victor Dashkov. And the only person who might know where Robert was was Victor himself. Victor had known a lot about spirit, and now I had a good idea where he'd first learned about it. Not that it mattered. None of this mattered anymore. Victor himself could have been able to convert Strigoi for all the good it would have done me. Dimitri was dead by my hand. He was gone, saved in the only way I knew how. I'd had to choose between him and Lissa once before, and I'd chosen him. Now there could be no question. I'd chosen her. She was real. She was alive. Dimitri was the past. I'd been staring absentmindedly at the wall, and now I looked up and met Abe squarely in the eyes. â€Å"All right, old man,† I said. â€Å"Pack me up and send me home.†

Essay on Leadership and Management - 1347 Words

The terms leadership and management are often used interchangeably. While some writers argue that there is a clear distinction between leadership and management, others argue that leadership is simply a function of management. Which view do you feel is the most relevant in the context of your industry and why? According to Ricketts (2009) in today’s world effective leadership and management is essential in order to archive success. Terms of leadership and management are being seen as synonyms and often used interchangeably. Some writers such as Zeleznik, Kotter think that there is no close relationship between leadership and management, while others persuade us that leadership is simply one of the characteristic of the manager. This†¦show more content†¦According to Drucker (2006, as cited by Mullins 2007) management is about making people capable of working toward a common goal. He states that management is the fundamental part of organisation. As it is with leadership management had many interpretations. Zeleznik believes (1989, as cited by McCrimmon 2006) managers are task orientated, cold, lacking of empathy. Furthermore, Armstrong (2008) says that management is to achieve goals using all available resources such as people, money, information, knowledge etc. On the oth er hand Mullins (2007) tries to answer the question whether managers are born or made. According to him neither is an answer, it is rather combination of both, he explains that even though there are certain innate characteristics of good manager they must be encourage, developed and trained. One of the key characteristic of the manager is that they are to ensure that the job gets done. They are also responsible for planning, introducing new policies, resolving problem. Airline and airport industry is very changeable, where profits are marginal and losses are common. 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