Discuss the use of sound in the film Psycho (1960 by Alfred Hitchcock) Essay

Discuss the use of sound in the film Psycho (1960 by Alfred Hitchcock) - Essay Example Hitchcock work was previously known to be filled with romantic elements. In psycho, Hitchcock tries to subvert these elements; in fact, romance is particularly elusive as the audience is denied clarity or fulfillment of romance throughout the film. In this work, the past of most characters is catching up with their present. Destructive histories of the main characters are the prelude of their ruin. For example, Marion one of the main characters skips town after stealing $ 40,000 from her realtor firm. This is catching up with her as an investigation is launched and she is a key suspect. Though the film had its share of controversy perhaps its biggest attribute is how sound and voice were used. This paper will review how Hitchcock uses sound to enhance key themes in the film Psycho. The shower scene is conceivably one of the most tantalizing in the film Psycho, it signaled the pivotal point of the movie. In 2013, it was voted as the best shower scene of all time. The US Library of Con gress has since selected the film Psycho for preservation at the NFR. Though Hitchcock had intended to have imagery as the imposing feature in this scene, Herrmann works his magic to bring out an authentic mise-en-scene by using sound. ... Ultimately, this score managed to bring out the abyss of human longing, regret, psyche, and fear. Though this sequence only run for three minutes, Hitchcock put a lot of work to come up with it. It has been alleged that the scene took about a week to shot and incorporated more that seventy different cameras. The sound track in this scene is made up of shrieking violins, cello, and violas that sound like birds (Hitchcock, Alfred, and Bill 262). The sounds that depict a knife entering human flesh, screams by Marion and the blood on the shower complete a captivating mise-en-scene. Hitchcock makes good use of sound effect to enhance specific themes. Both synchronous and asynchronous sound effects are evident throughout the film. In the sequence were Bates is chasing after Lila, on discovery of Mrs. Bates, she whispers â€Å"Mrs. Bates,† but mother does not respond. The silence that unfolds, then the swivel sound of her chair and finally screams by Lila on discovery of the desiccat ed body of mother is a classic example of use of synchronous sound effects. In this instance, Hitchcock uses synchronous sound effects to depict the theme of violence and grimness. Use of asynchronous sound effects is also evident in this work. In the scene where Arbogast is killed, though we do not get to see mother in this scene, we can hear her stumbling feet on the stairs as she chases Arbogast. The enhancement of the stumbling feet sounds underscores the danger that faces Arbogast. This sequence clearly accentuates themes such as dread and survival. Hitchcock makes good use of dialogue to characterize his plot. Throughout the film, the dialogue that unfolds bounces the viewer from one scene to the next. The tension between the conversation between

Story Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Story - Assignment Example He remembered clearly the summer day when the first case was reported – he was hanging out in his favorite rock bar with Tony, his best friend (in college, they used to dream of rock career, playing KISS and AC/DC covers) and a talented biology teacher at the local school. It was Sunday – and sun was literally scorching that day indeed – and they decided to get a refresh. An urgent phone call from the same guy, Jake, interrupted Jonathan’s leisure: a female body was found in the park, bearing traces of violent murder. Limbs covered with bruises, marks of stifling and†¦ a lily sticking up from her mouth. The town was staggered by this blatant and odd crime, yet the motives weren’t clear. Until the following cases of the same nature did arrange this horror into a logical sequence. Jonathan made a cup of cheap instant coffee – Iris always made delicious drip coffee, adding a drop of rum syrup into it, but he himself was too lazy and exhausted those days. Probably, he was reluctant to do that not only because of listlessness, but even more because of that overwhelming uneasy feeling that tortured him every time he thought of their â€Å"used-to-be† happy marriage and the way it all corrupted. Having slipped on Levi’s jeans and fished a clean shirt out of the wardrobe, Jonathan sat down on a couch and began looking through newspaper clippings arranged carefully in the chronological order. The first one, dated June, 11, said: Jonathan kept skimming through the clippings. The picture was daunting: once in ten days beginning with the 10th of June one young woman was violently murdered – either stifled or stubbed with a knife, and every time a flower was put into her mouth as if a murderer wanted to celebrate her beauty for the last time. Despite his experience, Blade hadn’t encountered anything like this before, yet he was rather decisive in his intention to clarify the case and bring the serial killer to

Cuba and China Essay Example for Free

Cuba and China Essay Democracy, or the power of people, is rather old form of rule. While the word â€Å"democracy† originated in the Ancient Greece in 5th century BC, this form of rule had existed even before this, found in ancient India republics before 6th century BC. However, it was the city-state of Athens in the Ancient Greece that presented this word in the sense which resembles, in some features, the modern vision of democracy. In Athens, people had the right to vote, to take the most important decisions, influencing the political situation of their state. Of course, not all the population could vote – women and children could not vote as well as disabled people. In fact, only one forth or one sixth of the citizens of Athens could vote and participate in a political life of their state. However, it was the first form of democracy and it had many aspects in common with today’s notion of democracy. For example, all the citizens of Athens, poor or rich, powerful or powerless, had the right to vote, they were equal in this right. The democracy, in the form in which it existed in Athens and in the Ancient Greece, was not preserved until our time. Moreover, great changes took place in Europe in 18-19th centuries, in the form of revolutions. The right to vote and to participate in the political life of a state directly is not the main factor characterizing democracy in the modern world. Democracy in the modern sense includes such basic postulates as the basic freedoms: of speech, of expression, of the press, of association et cetera. The democracy in the western world is much more associated with the notion of free market and free trade. However, these preconditions are not exactly true for some countries, for example for China, where free market and free trade can coexist with the lack of democracy, where there are no basic freedoms (for example, the freedom of association – the assembly of Falun Gong in China was violently dispersed by police and banished for practicing in China). Cuba which has made some steps toward the free market economy, opening some part of its economy for the US dollars, does allow the internationally recognized organization of the Red Cross to its prisons, where political prisoners are kept in big numbers. The rule of Communist Party as the only party in the country is observed both in Cuba and in China. And this excludes another characteristic feature of democracy – pluralism, the possibility of many political parties to take part in the political life of the state. Before we proceed to explain the lack of democracy in Cuba and China, it is necessary to understand what democracy means and why China and Cuba should become democratic. In the twentieth century, democracy has gained such popularity that most world rulers describe their rule as democratic. However, most countries were not democratic, and some even became totalitarian. Generally speaking, the term â€Å"democracy† is misused in two ways. First, democracy is expanded into a laundry list that contains almost all kinds of good things. Second, democracy is modified by adding an adjective to the term. Since Western bourgeois democracy is the prototype of modern democracy, modifications are made along two lines. Either rulers characterize their systems not as bourgeois democracies, but as â€Å"people’s democracies,† â€Å"proletarian democracies,† or â€Å"socialist democracies,† or they emphasize local characteristics of their system, such as â€Å"Burmese type of democracy† or â€Å"African type of democracy. † What is democracy? Etymologically, the term means rule by the people. Democracy originated in Athens more than 2,500 years ago, when Cleisthenes allowed all citizens of Attica to preside over the affairs of the city. Athenian democracy took the form of direct democracy. Citizens, which excluded women, slaves, and resident aliens, participated directly in making laws. Moreover, regardless of their properties and talents, rulers were selected not by ballot but by lot. Not surprisingly, virtually all famous Greek scholars were no fans of democracy, regarding tyranny, oligarchy, and democracy as corrupt forms of government. Democracy includes two forms: popular sovereignty and individual liberty. This paper defines democracy in terms of political freedom, which involves both positive and negative aspects. Positive freedom refers to a situation in which people have the ability to participate in government; negative freedom means a situation in which people are free from arbitrary interference from government. Modern democracy adheres to the dual principles of popular sovereignty and individual liberty, but has its own distinctive features. Ideal as the principle of popular sovereignty may be, it is technically impossible to let the people in a nation-state decide everything. As a result, modern democracies are representative, not participatory (or direct). The principle of popular sovereignty in modern times hinges on two major mechanisms: the separation of powers and the competitive election. While the ruled choose their rulers during an election, rulers are mutually checked and balanced before and after the election. In determining the nature of a particular political system, the competitive election is more important than the separation of powers. A division of labor is employed in any government, particularly a modern one. Despite the importance of liberalism for modern democracy, popular sovereignty precedes individual liberty. Popular sovereignty talks about the purpose of government; individual liberty comprises the notion of government. The term that means â€Å"people† has undergone great changes in terms of class, education, gender, race, and age. Besides, individual liberty is historically and culturally specific. In the twentieth century, democracy and totalitarianism are regarded as two ends of the political spectrum. To put it in terms of ideal types, a government respecting both popular sovereignty and individual liberty is democratic; a government violating them is totalitarian. Falling somewhere in between, most systems are neither democratic nor totalitarian in the strictest sense of the terms. Some may respect popular sovereignty but violate individual liberty; others may violate popular sovereignty but respect individual liberty. Today’s Islamic Republic of Iran and eighteenth-century Britain are cited as respective examples of these two types. Throughout human history, not many regimes have ever been totalitarian and most have been authoritarian. Compared with totalitarian regimes, authoritarian regimes are less willing and less able to damage people’s rights and interests. The United States of America when compared to China or Cuba, presents the example of â€Å"democratic† democracy towards which China or Cuba should strive. Because now, when we took a closer look at the notion of democracy in the modern world, we are going to analyze the kind of democratic situation and democratic changes that took place in two of the most controversial countries in the world: China and Cuba. To reach conclusions as to the qualitative aspects of Cuban politics in the post-transition era, we will examine aspects of political culture as they relate to the formation and practices of civil society in democracy. From this angle one can interpret some key dimensions of politics in particular settings. Transition to democracy (and its consolidation) depends on a multiplicity of factors, including elite decisions, institutional arrangements, pacts between competing social actors, a constitution and organizations typical of liberal democracies, a favorable moment in world history, supportive international structures, and a measure of good luck. Political and economic factors also impinge on the likelihood of democratic transitions and survival. But political and economic factors determine neither transition to democracy nor democratic stability. The impact of the economy on democracy is not automatic, unidirectional, or necessarily predictable. According to Mattiace and Camp (1996), democracy is the product of multiple causes working together. In contexts where the system confronts unresolved foundational issues and consensus is elusive – on such matters as how the political community is defined, who has authority, what the rules of the game are – political questions become an affair of the heart, lending themselves less to compromise and pragmatism. As a result, democracy tends to be endangered, particularly in places where institutional democratic norms are weak and personalism is high. This is likely to occur in Cuba after Fidel Castro (as it has before and during the socialist years). Though democracy will be established in Cuba sometime in the future, Cuban democracy will not conform to normative models of liberal democracy. Democracy in the way it is in Cuba will be characterized by features of incivility in civil society. The democracy that is most likely to emerge on the island will be far from perfect, will share striking continuities with the past, and will dash the hopes of many who dream of democracy. The cynicism about democracy also has a long genealogy in Cuban intellectual history. As far back as the nineteenth century cultural pessimists on the island have remarked on the frustration that has followed modern projects of independence, nationalism, republicanism, and democracy. Democratic aspirations have a long history on the island, as long as the trajectory of their frustration. The notion is not as alien to Cuban soil as many believe (Dealy, 1996)

IKEA Franchising Strategy

IKEA Franchising Strategy IKEA is an international home furniture company that selling the wide ranges of well-designed and functional products which packed in form of ready-to-assemble. According to IKEA (2012), its business is founded in 1943 by 17 years old Ingvar Kamprad in Sweden. The headquarter company of IKEA is placed in Delft, Netherlands. With the time turned, furniture retailer IKEA becomes one of successful companies around the world and has ability to take advantage of globalization. Therefore, now IKEA has 325 stores in 38 countries in which 287 stores in 26 countries is wholly owned INGKA Holding (non-for-profit corporation) and the remaining 38 stores are run by franchisees which under Dutch company (for-profit corporation) (n.a, 2012). INGKA Holding is parent company of Dutch company. The largest stores around the world are placed in China, German and Sweden (IKEA, 2012). The IKEA business is developed starting with home selling and then turn to become international nowadays. Originally, IKEA only sold small home accessories and trinkets products in its home, Sweden. Until 1948, IKEA began to design its own furniture products and sold in low price with high quality (Ellis, 2010). The process of business development is from home selling the products, open a retail store in Almhult town, Sweden (1958), then develop a larger retail outlet in Norway (1963). In 2012, IKEA committees plan to develop a wholly-own subsidiary corporate in India countries after did the market investigation. Currently, majority of IKEA stores are wholly owned and managed by INGKA Holding (also known as Stichting INGKA Foundation). The wholly owned subsidiary strategy explain that majority of stores operations, management, its furniture design and manufacture are overseen by INGKA Holding. For the case, IKEA has long eyed the retail market in India, now plan to invest  Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬900 million to create a wholly own subsidiary in India (Kinetz, 2012). On the other hand, IKEA also implements the franchising strategy in some countries to manage minority stores. The franchisees who allowed using IKEAs concept and trademark to run business have to pay 3% of revenue back. Since the culture and value is different in every country, IKEA committees evaluate the countrys local market and its future expansion opportunities before go in. For the future expansion, we suggest that IKEA should take joint venture strategy as business expansion strategy in India country. Joint venture is a good strategy to assist a company enters into a different cultural market. As an example, Wal-Mart knew nothing about Asian retail market, they choose entered into Hong Kong via joint venture with Thai conglomerate (Neelima Mahajan-Bansal, 2012). Second recommendation we suggest to IKEA is using wholly owned subsidiary to enter Brazil. The reason we choose Brazil as another target market because it has stability of political economy environment which can reduce various risk of business (n.a., 2011). IKEA also can take the advantage of Brazil since there has full of high quality woods as the resource for business (n.a., 2011). 2.0 Current Expansion Strategy Wholly owned Subsidiaries IKEA use wholly owned subsidiary as their main expansion. The IKEA corporate structure is divided in to two parts which are operating and franchising. Most of the IKEAs operations practices are overseen and managed by INGKA Holding B.V. INGKA Holding B.V is wholly owned by Stichting INGKA Foundation, a non-profit registered in Leiden in the Netherlands which is controlled by the Kamprad family (IKEAFANS, 2009). In year 2011, there are IKEA stores in 38 countries operating around the world such as United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Netherland, France, Russia, Saudi Arabia, China, Malaysia, Australia, and etc. There are 287 stores run by the INGKA Holding B.V and the remaining 38 stores are run by franchisees (Inter IKEA Group, n.d.). IKEA can either set up new operation in the country or can acquire an established firm in the host nation and use that firm to promote its promote its product as long as IKEA own 100 percent ownership of the stock. Habitat Retail Ltd. is a household furnishings retailer in the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Spain and in the year of 1992, IKEA acquired Habitats UK and French chain with about pound 55m to expand their business (Moore. J, 1992). IKEA own all of their buildings and land, and stores are custom built and designed for efficiency and sales potential. In order to do that, IKEA do not cut back investment in retail stores. (Deniz, Marco Art, 2012) The main purpose of the IKEA use this expansion strategies is to ensure operational control, standardization, and provide a smooth entry into to a new market. The attractive way to use wholly owned subsidiaries is where IKEA can reduces the risk of losing control over their core competence and its concept. This expansion strategies give IKEA have the full control over operation practices such as marketing, logistics and decision in different countries to meet their standard. In addition, all the profits will go to IKEA due to having full control on every operation. It is necessary for them engaging in global strategic coordination. Wholly owned subsidiaries also required IKEA to realize location and experience curve economies (Hill et. al., 2011). This which means, IKEA able to achieve economic of scale by manufacture more products and reduce the average cost of products (Hill et. al., 2011). Indirectly, this also fulfill the IKEA porter generic strategies which is cost leadership. However, wholly owned subsidiary strategy is highly expensive choice for company that would lead to severe financial risk if not successful. IKEA have to bear the full costs and high risk by themselves of setting up the factories, stores and retail shops operations in other nations (Hill, et. al., 2011). Japan was the first country in Asia that IKEA considered to enter in 1970s during their expansion to the international market. Their first entry to Japan market was in 1974 (n.a, 2008). Due to the differences between culture, lifestyle and behavior lead to IKEA face the failure and they had to withdraw their store out of Japan. However, IKEA decided to re-enter the market in 2002. This time IKEA conducted a thorough study of the markets and understand their requirement (Alexandra, 2009). At present, there are five IKEA stores in Japan, last of which was opened in year 2011(Inter IKEA Group, n.d.). Besides that, there are political risks of entering in to the market wholly in the form of nationalisation threats or corruption and bribery (Back et. al., 2010).   Recently in year 2009, there have been issues about corruption in the opening of retail store in Russia (n.a., 2011). It has been held by safely officials requests for payments and IKEA is refusing to so. Thus, IKEA has ended up by would not build more stores outside the Moscow region until Russian officials stop withholding permission and freeze expansions on Russia (n.a., 2011). Franchising Strategy The IKEA concept which bring IKEA franchise worldwide is belong to the Inter IKEA System B.V in Netherlands. Inter IKEA Systems B.V is the franchisor and it is the owner of the IKEA concept and trademark (IKEAFANS, 2009). The franchisees have the right to operate IKEA store under the franchise agreements in accordance with franchisors systems and methods to use IKEA trademarks establish by Inter IKEA Systems B.V(Inter IKEA Group, n.d.). Besides, IKEA franchisees able to access to the product range of IKEA and opportunity to continuously take part in IKEA concept development in their own stores. (Inter IKEA Group, n.d.). Then, IKEA franchisee has its own responsibilities to manage, develop and run their local market business with efforts after granting the rights of IKEA concept. The main concept of IKEA want to expand its market by implement franchising is due to the objective of Inter IKEA Systems B.V.. According to the objective of Inter IKEA Systems B.V., its objective is to increase the availability of IKEA products through world-wide franchising the IEKA concept (IKEAFANS, 2009). So, this encourages the IKEA wanted to create infinity for IKEA through franchising. Besides, the decisive factors for IKEA to franchise for long-term approach are due to its ownership structure and total independence in furniture market (Inter IKEA Group, n.d.). Thus, IKEA bring out the franchising method so that it can secure an infinite life for the IKEA concept when the different companies in different countries able to build the resources needed to expand global under IKEA concept (Inter IKEA Group, n.d.). Moreover, the franchisor, Inter IKEA Systems B.V. acts role to perform some important tasks such as expand IKEA business, improve and develop IKEA concepts, transfer know-how of IKEA to its retailers, monitor IKEA concept implementation and protect IKEA concept (Inter IKEA Group, n.d.). Currently, total of 38 IKEA franchisees are located over 11 countries. The countries with IKEA franchisee included 2 stores in United Arab Emirates, one stores in Kuwait, 3 stores in Saudi Arabia, 2 stores in Australia, 7 stores in China Taiwan, one stores in Cyprus, 5 stores in Greece, 3 stores in Malaysia and Singapore, 5 stores in Turkey, one stores in Iceland, 2 stores in Israel, 1 stores in Dominican Republic and 4 stores in Spain (Inter IKEA Group, n.d.). Franchises strategy not only provide the firm with high control of brand and strategy, but it is also a low financial investment risk and enabling the company to benefit from local knowledge (Back, Andrew Sparapani, 2010). Furthermore, some benefits can be able to gain through franchising by IKEA. For instance, it can earn extra source of income in term of loyalty and franchise fees since it franchises its retail stores located over 38 countries. The franchisees who allowed to use the concept and trademarks of IKEA is necessary to pay 3% of revenue earn to Inter IKEA Systems B.V annually (IKEAFANS, 2009). So, this intentionally provides other cash inflow for the IKEA. Although by using franchising strategy, IKEA can relief of many of the cost and risk of opening a foreign market (Hill Hernà ¡ndez-Requejo, 2011). However, this could make IKEA difficult to control the standards and quality where some franchisees may not concerned about these issues. This could be happened and hard to detect due to the geographic distance between franchisees and main franchisor. This might lead to affect consumer views of IKEAs product if the standards of products are not standardize in its own country compare with the IKEA main stores. 3.0 Future Expansion Strategy Joint Venture to Enter into India Market Joint venture is suitable for IKEA to enter into India Market. It refers to the set up of a new company that is jointly owned by two or more participants (Hill Hernà ¡ndez-Requejo 2011). Each partner must have something special and important such as knowledge, skill, and capital to offer the venture and simultaneously provide a source of gain to the other participants.  The reason for enter into India market is India furniture retail market has been classified by CSIL Milano as one of the 14 largest furniture markets in the world with the worth of US$8 billion and is growing at 30% annually (n.a., 2012). The second reason is that the furniture industry in India is highly unorganized. Nearly 85% of the home furnishing industry is in the unorganized sector and remaining 15% is in the organized sector which included domestic players and also imports (n.a., 2009). The reason to use joint venture is due to the government policy in inviting foreign company to invest in India. According to past policy in India, foreign firms can only own up to 51 percent of joint venture (Sharma Hansegard, 2012). The policy has changed last year by allows some retailers to own 100% of their Indian units. After the change of policy, IKEA have applied for permission to invest into India. However, the result of permission still has not come out. IKEA should not realize on the permission of the wholly own subsidiary given by the local government. If government reject its application, is it IKEA will not enter into the one of the 14 largest furniture markets in the world? There are many successful example of joint venture or cooperative between foreign furniture companies with local company in India today. Arrital Cucine, an Italian furniture company sells its products in India through its Indian partner, Overseas Connexions while the Germany company, Wilhelm Bolt C o. has a technical agreement with Arvind furniture to produce furniture at India (Mukherjee Patel, 2005). There is no time for IKEA to waste as they should quickly enter into India market through joint venture with local company to set up its manufacturing plants and also sell its product around the India. Culture is an important aspect that multinational company should consider before take an action to enter into a specific country (Hill et. al, 2011). Indian culture and their home decoration style are different from western country. Consumers may not accept the western design furniture as they are used to purchase traditional design of furniture which suit to their culture. Thus, set up a joint venture with local firm is a better way to doing business in India and hence can reduce the risk of failure. The difference of culture can directly affect the way how a business operates in that country. The experience of IKEA in China should be take note. Although there is a rapid increase in the number of visitors and sales volume in China, IKEA had yet to make a profit in China. IKEA showed local consumers new home decoration concepts using its various products but Chinese consumers do not accept it (Li Xu, 2007). IKEA have 25 years of procurement experience in China but yet still cannot understand deeply about the Chinese culture and consumers living style, preferences and taste. Thus, before set up its own retail store in India, they should make a deeply study on the local market. Joint venture with local company can bring more valuable information and knowledge for IKEA. IKEA can build relationship with local suppliers, distributors, and media. They can get the data and information form the joint venture firm. Besides that, cooperation with local branded company can quickly promote its brand name into consumers mind. Who should IKEA select to cooperative is crucial. Durian, Furniturewala, Zuari, Renaissance, Furniture Concepts, Millenium Lifestyles, are some of the key players in Indian furniture industry. Local company who can provide marketing expertise, local knowledge, have strong relationship with government, suppliers and distributors should be consider as they can provide many benefit to IKEA for their future operating its own subsidiary in India (Hill et. al, 2011). Besides that, good reputation and image of the local company also is one of the aspects to be considered for cooperative. Company with good reputation can bring IKEA into local market and also consumers mind easily. In contrast, cooperative with company possess bad reputation will straightly harm IKEA brand name and thus being bookmark as poor image company in consumers mind. Thus, companies mentioned above are the best local company for cooperation. According to IKEA Company, the requirement of purchase at least 30% of goods from local small and medium size enterprise under the new policy will remain a challenge for the company (Sharma etc. 2012). Thus, direct investment may not be a best strategy as they are not familiar with local business and industry. Until now, they still cannot truly build the supply chain network in India, so how are they going to set up its own retail store and run the business by themselves. Thus, when should they enter into India? If they do seriously consider the joint venture strategy, they should enter into India 1 or 2 year ago. With joint venture with local firm, IKEA can quickly access to local suppliers through the network of the local company and operate its business smoothly. The growing of furniture industry in India is due to two reasons, Indias large size and Indian tastes have started changed and Indian people are looking for more western furniture style (n.a., 2010). The market attractiv eness is not a problem and it is a chance to take the advantage for establishes its own retail store in coming year. As conclusion, due to local government policy, cultural difference, and also local business network, IKEA should use joint venture as entry mode to enter into India. This action enables them to build up a strong base for future expansion. Wholly Owned Subsidiary to Enter into Brazil IKEA needs to expand the business by entering into new foreign markets in order to ensure the companys future growth. We recommend IKEA can enter into Brazil in South America by considering the wholly owned subsidiary strategy. IKEA have entered into Europe, Asia, North America, Middle East and Caribbean but have yet entered into South America (IKEA, 2012). Two of the mandatory requirements for IKEA to move into Brazil are that the host country must be a member of the World Trade Organisation and a signatory to the agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) (Back et.al., 2011). The reason we choose to enter into Brazilian market because of the stable political economy factors. Political factors, economic factors, demand factors are factors that will influenced the potential attractiveness of a foreign markets (Hill et al., 2011). The Brazilian economys entered into a stable growth stage after the recovery form financial crisis in 2008. Besides that, Brazil estimated to grow 4.0% in 2012 and the economy is expected will rises from the seventh worlds largest to the fifth within next few years (n.a., 2011). Comparing with other countries in South America, Brazil has the highest Market Potential Index (MPI) (n.a., 2011). As a result, Brazils economy is the best that all of other countries in South America (CIA, 2012). Since domestic savings are not sufficient to sustain long-term growth rates, Brazil is currently encourages foreign direct investment (FDI) and it is the largest recipient of foreign direct investment in South America (n.a., 2011). The entry of IK EA can increase the employment rate of Brazil and increase the revenue of government. Furthermore, IKEA may exploit the market of South America by grabbing this opportunity. Furthermore, the furniture and furnishings sales in Brazil has grown by 5% in 2009 to reach over R$18 billion (U$ 555,435,224.08) and expected continue to grow in the next few years (Ong, Ng and Wu, 2010). This indicated that the demands of consumers are increasing and providing the opportunity for business to grow. IKEA expand into the Brazil market would form early market entry because it enters first into South America markets before other foreign firms. According to Lieberman and Montgomery (1988), the advantages of first mover are the ability to pre-empt rivals, capture demand by building s strong brand name, rides the learning curve ahead of rivals and the ability to create switching costs that tied customers into their products and services. For example, Walmart entered into the China market as early mover, which gained the ability to pre-empt rivals and capture early demand and still dominating the market over the late over Tesco (Waldmeir, 2010). IKEA has experienced as an early mover into the markets in the past. The company has entry into Canada markets in 1976, USA in 1985 and China in 1998 (IKEA, 2012). Thus, IKEA have the advantages of pre-empt rivals and riding the learning curve ahead of its rivals. However, IKEA also suffered from the pioneering costs when they realised of the need for localisation of its American product range (Back et al., 2011). The reasons IKEA failed in the Japanese markets was because IKEA lack of readiness for the Japanese market and lack of readiness of Japanese consumers for IKEAs do-it-yourself concept  (Wijers-Hasegawa 2006). Consequently, IKEA need to beware that riding the learning curve can be a long ride if the market is not ready to adapt the products. We suggest IKEA use wholly owned subsidiary because there are around 16,000 furniture companies in Brazil and most are family owned companies. There are few key domestic players included Florense, Brazil Furniture Group, and others. The furniture market is keep growing and there is yet well known and large furniture company emerge in the market. (Evans, 2012). Thus, the furniture market in Brazil is still unexplored by multinational furniture company. Thus, a well known brand name is easily discover by the market and the consumer when large company entering into that industry. IKEA, a world famous furniture company, have the competency to entering into furniture industry in Brazil and create strong brand image to the entire furniture market easily. As there are many small furniture companies, it is easily for IKEA to enter and dominate the Brazils market. The worlds largest rainforest, The Amazon, is located in Brazil. Thus, Brazil has abundance of high quality woods as the raw material for IKEA produce high quality furniture to consumers. This is the main reason for IKEA to use the wholly owned subsidiary to entry into Brazil. Besides that, the labour cost in Brazil is cheap compared to Europe and America (n.a., 2011). In other words, Brazil has significant comparative advantages compared to others exporting countries because it has excellent quality of raw materials at low costs and flexible labor (n.a., 2004). Wholly owned subsidiary can enable IKEA gain full control over the businesss operations which will also lower the brand risk in the same time (Back et.al., 2011). By wholly owned subsidiary, IKEA can get 100 percent profits that generated in Brazil. Besides that, by adapting wholly owned subsidiary, IKEA can gain the ability to realize location and experience economics as the company is adopting transnational strategy (Hill et. at., 2011). Thus, IKEA can make full decisions to produce products that are customized to the local customer wants and needs. In the South America Context, Brazil is the most preferred country for investment. Entering into South America market is an imported step of the IKEAs globalization strategy. 4.0 Conclusion In conclusion, we knew that IKEA is a very successful worldwide home furniture company. But, they are also facing franchising control management problem due to geographic distance. If franchises do not operate well in the current market, this will affect IKEAs reputation. They tend to reduce this problem by using wholly owned subsidiaries for expansion. This strategy also not very well for IKEA because full control over their competence and its concepts but instead increasing the risks for entry the market due to cultural conflict. We can see that IKEA was failure to entry in Japan before due to diff culture, lifestyle and purchasing behavior. So, we recommended that joint venture is suitable for IKEA to further expand. This strategy can reduce risk for entry and for better handle the market culture and policy. The joint venture that enable IKEA cooperative with those company that fulfill marketing expertise, local knowledge and skill and the most important factor is have strong relationship with government. These benefits encourage IKEA enable to operating well in the specific country. A successful company should analyze all the variables that will lead to failure before enter into a specific market. Although this strategy has occurs some problem and risk but compare to previous strategies, this strategy is better for IKEA sustainable development. Furthermore, cooperative with well known company will also increase IKEA reputation and influence local consumer purchasing behavior. Finally, a very successful company will not stop growing their business and finding the ways that lead to further expansion. They must know well their limit and beat all the deadlines. IKEA has put a lot of efforts on developing their business that strengthen capacity for further expansion. Consequently, they should use joint venture strategy to expand in other countries. The more understanding other countries culture, lifestyle and behavior, the closer the gaps for success.

Of Mice And Men: Mini-critique :: essays research papers fc

Of Mice and Men: Mini-Critique John Steinbeck was born in Salinas California on February 27, 1902. His mother was a school teacher in the public school in Salinas. Steinbeck grew up in the beautiful Salinas Valley which furnished most of the material for his novels. His mother read to him, at an early age, famous literature of the world which planted a seed in his imagination. He entered Stanford in 1920, remaining there until 1925 but never graduating. In 1930 Steinbeck married Carol Henning. Steinbeck died in 1968. After college, Steinbeck moved to New York, where he worked briefly for the old New York American newspaper and helped with the construction of Madison Square Garden. His first book, Cup of Gold (1929), appeared two months before the stock market crash and sold about fifteen hundred copies. Steinbeck returned to California, living in migrant worker camps to furnish inspiration for writing novels that described the problems and stresses of the times. Of Mice and Men takes place during the great depression in the Salinas Valley, California. It is a story about two farm-hands, George Milton and his large retarded friend, Lennie Small. George and Lennie are on their way to a farm that has harvesting jobs available. While camped along side a river George and Lennie talk about their dreams of someday owning a farm with rabbits for Lennie to take care of. The next day George convinces the farm boss to hire Lennie and him. Lennie's Love for feeling soft things becomes a problem when he is playing with a puppy and accidentally kills it. The wife of Curley, the boss's son, comes into the barn to talk to Lennie. The climax comes when Curley's wife lets Lennie feel her hair, but he strokes it too hard and she becomes scared. Lennie holds her tightly to keep her from screaming and ends up breaking her neck. The resolution of the story happens when George shoots Lennie through the back of the head. George does this for Lennie's own good. The main theme of the story is that, no matter how lowly on the social scale, everyone has the unalienable right to pursue their individual dreams. While the value of friendship is another strong point that comes through in the book. Magill, Frank N. "Of Mice and Men" Masterpieces of American Literature. Harper Collins Publishers, 1993. "[Of Mice and Men] is perhaps the finest expression of the writers lifelong sympathy for abused common people." Roberts, James L. Cliffs Notes on Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. Lincon, Nebraska: Cliffs Notes Inc., 1966.

Montage in Films and Music Videos Essay -- Film Review, Montage

In the 1920s, artist like Sergei Eisenstein, Dziga Vertov and Vsevolod Pudovkin started experimenting with the new technique in their abstractfilms which is known as montage. Montage which is a synonym for Editing is a technique where two or more shots are juxtaposed which create a new meaning thatis not existent looking at the shots individually (Manovich, 2001). Few of the early examples of films using this technique are The Battleship Potemkin(1925) by Eisenstein and Man with a Movie Camera(1929) by Vertov.Montages are widely used in many other TV production areas like Advertisement, Dramas, News Programs and Music Videos. The Music Videos make excessive use of montages for the imagery in theirsongs; one of the examples is The Buggles- Video Killed the Radio Star (1971) which was the first music video to be shown on television at launch of MTV in 1981. Both Films and Music Videos use different approach towards editing of their shots, which plays a major role in maintaining balance between audio and visual information. The main difference between Hollywood classical films is that they are narrative while Music Videos are non-narrative in nature. Films present series of events in different ways that imply connection between one event and the next. It basically follows the cause-and-effect relationship where one action is the result of another (Manchel, 1990). Editing in films binds the narrative by assembling sequences, layers of imagery, the story, music, effects and the pace to shape the story into a final product.Editing in music videos is done to setup a mood, feeling and emotional state which disconnects the audience from the traditional narrative. There may be or may not be a story, but the main focus of music videos is ... ...have already begun to see – more as a means to playful firing visual fascination. The opposition of realistic film visual culture and non-narrative montage tradition has begun to breakdown. It is leading towards hybridization of realistic and stylized editing. Thus at one extreme there is a montage phenomenon of music video and on the other hand the editing technique of traditional cinema comes together. Montage is no longer a dominant aesthetic according to the new computer culture, as it was throughout the twentieth century, from the avant-garde of the 1920s up until postmodernism of the 1980s. New editing techniques like composting has emerged which combines different spaces into a single environment seamlessly creating a virtual space. Compositing is an example of the alternative aesthetics of continuity and it is considered counterpart of montage aesthetics.

Succubus Dreams CHAPTER 5

Peter, Cody, and Hugh already had a table when I arrived at the Cellar. Tawny sat with them, much to my dismay. I'd completely forgotten about my apprentice. At least she didn't have Niphon in tow. I hoped that meant she'd finally bagged a guy, though her lack of a post-sex succubus glow suggested otherwise. Neither Carter nor Jerome had deigned to show. I recalled that Jerome was out of town and figured the angel was out with his colleagues. They could all still be at my apartment for all I knew. â€Å"Hey,† Cody called in greeting, making room for me beside him. â€Å"I thought you said you were busy.† â€Å"Yeah, well, plans change,† I grumbled. I gestured to Hugh. â€Å"Got a cigarette?† He tsked me. â€Å"No smoking in public places anymore, sweetie.† Groaning, I flagged down a waitress. Smoking was an ugly habit I'd given up for the sake of the mortals around me. Still, after smoking for over a century, I found I craved the occasional hit during stressful times. The city smoking ban was good for Seattle but damned inconvenient for me and my bad mood. Cody couldn't let my vague answer go. â€Å"How'd your plans change? Weren't you and Seth going out?† Hugh laughed when I didn't answer. â€Å"Uh-oh, trouble in paradise.† â€Å"He had things to do,† I replied stiffly. â€Å"Things or people?† asked Peter. â€Å"Didn't you give him the go-ahead to sleep around if he wanted?† â€Å"He's not doing that.† â€Å"Tell yourself that if it makes you feel better,† teased Hugh. â€Å"No one can write as much as he claims to.† Since my friends apparently had no lives of their own, I had to endure a number of other pokes and jibes. They probably didn't mean to do any real damage, but their words hurt anyway. Seth had already upset me enough without their help. Anger simmered within me, and I tried to channel it into my rate of gimlet consumption rather than my friends. The only person who looked more miserable than me was Tawny. She wore a strapless red dress, almost identical in cut to the satin sheath I still had on from the ballet. Unlike mine, hers was made of spandex – what was it with her and that fabric anyway? – and about six inches shorter. Mine also fit. â€Å"Why so glum?† I asked, hoping the others would find someone else to obsess on. Her lower lip trembled, either from sadness or an inability to hold its own massive collagen-filled weight. â€Å"I still haven't, you know†¦Ã¢â‚¬  It was enough to allay my own distress. It also meant Niphon was still in town, as I'd suspected upon seeing her. â€Å"How? How is that possible?† She shrugged and leaned forward wretchedly, her elbows resting on knees that were spread open guy-style. With grace like that, no wonder she couldn't get laid. I waved my hand around us. â€Å"Well, go out there, young succubus. This place is a buffet. Grab a plate and take your pick.† â€Å"Oh, yeah, like it's that easy.† â€Å"It is that easy. You might not be up to scoring a priest or anything, but you can definitely get some sort of fix.† â€Å"Maybe you can. I don't†¦I don't really know what to say to them.† I honestly couldn't believe this conversation was happening. It was weirder than me trying to convince Dante I was a succubus. Maddie had trouble talking to guys too, but a giant, crazily proportioned blonde throwing herself at men could get someone to sleep with her. It was a basic law of the universe. â€Å"Well†¦if you really don't know what to say, just try going up and asking them if they want to have sex. Crass, but it'll probably work for someone.† She scoffed. â€Å"Right. That's all there is to it.† â€Å"That is all there is to it,† I said. Hugh returned from the bathroom, and I glanced over at him. â€Å"You want to go have sex?† He didn't even blink. â€Å"Sure. Let me pay my bill.† I turned back to Tawny. â€Å"See?† â€Å"Wait,† said Hugh, one hand on his coat. â€Å"Was that a joke?† â€Å"You were an instructive example,† Peter explained. â€Å"Fuck.† Tawny shook her head, tousled blond curls fluttering. â€Å"I can't do that.† â€Å"Oh my God.† I resisted rubbing my eyes, lest I muss the makeup. â€Å"Tawny, this isn't rocket science.† â€Å"Weren't you telling us how hard it was to do your job, back when your incubus buddy was around?† asked Peter. My friend Bastien's recent visit had elicited a veritable cheerleading squad of admirers for him and what my male friends deemed â€Å"the hardest job ever.† â€Å"Shut up,† I snapped. â€Å"You're ruining my mentoring.† â€Å"I don't want a bad one,† Tawny said petulantly. â€Å"I want to corrupt a good one. One that'll give me lots of energy.† â€Å"Start small. Don't worry about the good ones when you probably can't even pick them out in the first place.† â€Å"How do you find one?† â€Å"It's an art. One you'll learn. I'm telling you, though, just start small.† I did give her a few pointers, recalling my alleged role as mentor. We studied some of the men in the bar, spotting wedding rings and one bachelor party. A guy about to get married was a really nice hit. I also advised on demeanor, how a quiet man was often (but certainly not always) a better bet than a loud, obnoxious one – if you were going for good ones. Of course, serial killers tended to be quiet too. Really, it came down to reading people, which wasn't a skill she could learn overnight. Keeping this in mind, I tried to reiterate how she should just try easy fixes for now. â€Å"I really like how you've got the entire male population pegged,† said Peter when I'd finished lecturing. â€Å"I'm glad you don't believe in stereotyping or anything.† I shrugged. â€Å"I've been doing this for a while.† â€Å"Okay, prove it,† said Hugh. He and I were at about equal levels of intoxication now. â€Å"Find three decent souls in here.† I grinned. Imps could gauge the strength and goodness of a person's soul with a glance. Accepting the challenge, I scanned for a long time. When I picked my three, he shook his head. â€Å"You got two out of three. The two that are right are really good. The one you got wrong is pretty bad. At least you're dealing in extremes.† Tawny moaned. â€Å"You see? This is hard.† â€Å"For Christ's sake,† I exclaimed, finishing another gimlet. â€Å"It's not. Not in the rookie leagues you're playing in. Look, you want a tip? Go get a job that gives you easy access.† â€Å"I am not going to go stand on a corner,† she said huffily. â€Å"Then go†¦I don't know. Go to Hugh's date auction.† The imp glared at me. â€Å"Or go work at a strip club. It's about the easiest thing a succubus can do. Hang out at the bar after your number, and they'll come to you. A stripper's a hot commodity, particularly when a lot of those guys'll think you're a prostitute anyway.† â€Å"I don't know. It still sounds degrading.† â€Å"You're going to be fucking to sustain your existence for the rest of eternity! Get off your high horse. You wait much longer, and your first-one's-free energy stash will dry up. Stripping's easy. And fun. And you get to wear pretty costumes. Trust me, it's a good racket.† â€Å"I guess,† she said at last. She exhaled heavily, the motion pushing her breasts out even further than usual. â€Å"Georgina's a pro,† said Hugh, reaching over to give her a comforting pat. Considering he really wasn't a warm and fuzzy kind of guy, I suspected he just wanted to brush her breasts. â€Å"Or so I hear. I guess I'll never find out.† He gave me a bitter glance. â€Å"If that's true,† Tawny said, â€Å"then how come her own boyfriend blew her off?† The guys let out a collective â€Å"ooh† and glanced eagerly between the two of us, apparently in anticipation of the catfight they'd long predicted. All of my earlier fury resurfaced, fueled now by alcohol and Tawny's incompetence. Grabbing my glass, I strode up to the bar to get a refill in person. Hanging out with my friends was rapidly losing its charm. A newbie succubus didn't have any right to mock me about my dating difficulties, particularly when she couldn't land one guy. I could have landed a dozen if I'd wanted to tonight. At the same time. And, glancing over beside me, I realized I might very well have an easy score right here. The guy from the bookstore, the one with the fetish books, stood at the bar, talking to the bartender. He didn't appear to be with a group. Hastily, I turned away so he wouldn't recognize me. After I got my drink, I set it on my friends' table and retreated to the bathroom without another word to them. I'd had to use bathrooms as shape-shifting hideouts for years, but there was nothing to be done for it in these situations. Inside a stall, I changed into a long, graceful body with flowing gold hair – not unlike some of the ballerinas I'd seen tonight. I'd show Tawny how to do blond right. Walking back out, I caught Cody's eye. My friends could recognize me in any shape, of course, and he gave me a puzzled look as I strode back to the bar. Standing beside the guy from the bookstore again, I ordered another drink. This time, he turned and caught sight of me. I smiled. â€Å"That any good?† I asked, nodding to the red concoction he was drinking. â€Å"I guess.† He lifted up the glass and peered at it. â€Å"It's a pomegranate cosmo. I think. Kind of girly, honestly – no offense.† â€Å"None taken.† The bartender slid my whiskey on the rocks to me. The guy beside me laughed. â€Å"I suddenly feel emasculated,† he said. I grinned and extended my hand, speaking the first name that came to mind. â€Å"I'm Clara.† â€Å"Jude.† â€Å"Hey, Jude.† He sighed. â€Å"Sorry,† I said. â€Å"Couldn't resist.† â€Å"You and everyone else.† â€Å"You here alone?† I asked. He looked embarrassed and absentmindedly rubbed the empty finger his wedding ring had been on the last time I saw him. â€Å"Yeah.† â€Å"Me too.† He looked me over, attempting covertness and not doing a good job. â€Å"I find that hard to believe.† â€Å"Well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I looked down at my drink, playing with its edge. â€Å"It's kind of a long story†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And slowly, skillfully, I crafted a tale about how I'd come here to meet a guy and how he'd stood me up. He was supposed to go to a sex club with me, though I didn't come right out and say that immediately. That would have been too much for someone like Jude, someone who was intrigued but still nervous about the whole idea of exotic sexuality. So, I spoke vaguely at first, using innuendoes, hinting at my own interest in exhibitionism, how I just wanted to go see what a place like that was all about. As I concluded, I used the same line he'd used in the bookstore. â€Å"I feel like such a pervert. Honestly†¦I don't know why I'm telling you this. I don't even know you. It's just†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I looked up at him with big blue eyes. â€Å"You're easy to talk to.† A long silence followed as Jude held my gaze. â€Å"I don't think†¦I don't think there's anything wrong with what you're saying†¦what you want†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Snick! I started reeling in the line. â€Å"Really?† â€Å"Yeah†¦I mean, sometimes†¦I've kind of†¦you know, wanted†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Really?† He nodded. I allowed a five-second hesitation. â€Å"You want to go with me? Just to, you know, watch?† After a bit of rumination, Jude agreed. Unsurprisingly, he didn't know where any sex clubs were in the city. Also unsurprisingly, I did. I didn't even look back at my friends as Jude and I left the bar. I hadn't clocked it or anything, but I was pretty sure my solicitation had been accomplished in record time. That'd teach the gang to question my pro status. The club we went to was one I'd visited a number of times before. I'd been to better ones in my day, but I liked this one simply because of its name: Insolence. Establishments that catered to sex and fetishism all operated in different ways. In places where everyone expected to participate – like swingers' clubs – admission was strictly regulated. Single girls always got into places like that, and couples usually only had a few requirements. Single guys had a harder time. In a place like Insolence that was focused primarily on watching, admission was more lax. We simply had to pay our cover, and we were in. Mine was still cheaper, though. The place was packed and had a dance club kind of feel. Techno music pulsed through the darkened room, the only illumination coming from recessed lights that shone blue and purple. Most of this light focused down on roped off areas that were reserved for those who wanted to â€Å"perform.† They were like small stages that the club-goers could gather around. Some of the stages were themed – one with a doctor's office and operating table setup – while most were couches and beds. There appeared to be no system about who could use them. It was a first-come, first-served system, and since about half the platforms were empty, there didn't seem to be too much urgency. But the spectators eagerly crowded around those areas that were occupied, people craning their necks to get a better view. â€Å"There sure are a lot of guys here,† Jude told me as we pressed our way through the people. â€Å"It's the way of the world,† I told him. â€Å"You think guys are more interested in this stuff than women?† â€Å"To a certain extent, yeah. Guys tend to be more visual, so stuff like this is about as good as it gets. Plenty of girls are into it too – just harder to get them to come out to something like this.† I promptly shut up, immediately realizing I sounded a bit too knowledgeable for a shy novice. We finally made our way up to the edge of a roped-off area. There, we watched a man thrusting eagerly into a woman bent over an elegantly set dining room table. Jude and I studied them for a while, neither of us saying a word. We then moved on to the next couple, a man and woman going at it on an ordinary bed. She wore a shiny leather bustier and hiked-up skirt. After the third couple – pressed up against a wall – Jude finally spoke. â€Å"These people aren't what I expected.† â€Å"How so?† I asked. â€Å"They just look†¦ordinary.† I laughed. â€Å"Because they are. What'd you expect, porn star couples coming in off the streets?† â€Å"Well, no.† I suspected he was blushing in the darkness. â€Å"Everyone's entitled to do what's sexy to them. And really, when you see how they're getting into it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  My gaze drifted to the couple going at it against the wall. Their eye contact was so powerful, so intense†¦you could totally see how much they aroused each other. I shivered. â€Å"Yeah, this is all sexy, even if it's not airbrushed. This is real. That's what gives it its edge.† He didn't answer but glanced around as though he was reassessing it all. As he did, I studied his profile. He wasn't quite six-foot, but he had a nice upper body and neatly styled, sandy blond hair. He turned toward me, sensing my scrutiny. â€Å"You know,† I said, â€Å"if you're so concerned about raising the bar around here†¦well, we're pretty attractive.† He didn't get it at first. â€Å"Yeah, I suppose we – oh. Oh.† His brown eyes went wide. I looked back at the wall couple. â€Å"We're already here. We could really give these people something to watch.† His eyes grew wider still, like they might pop out. â€Å"I†¦I couldn't. I mean. God. Not in front of all these people. And what if someone I know is here†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I doubt it. Besides, what are they going to do? If they tell anyone, they'd have to acknowledge that they were here too.† I caught hold of his hand. â€Å"Come on, I know you're interested.† â€Å"Yeah,† he admitted. â€Å"But I've never†¦I don't think I could†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I tugged him toward one of the stages. â€Å"You gotta start sometime. It's easy.† Jude looked terrified but let me drag him. â€Å"You act like you've done this before. I thought it was all new.† â€Å"It is.† â€Å"You sure? Maybe you just play innocent and then seduce random men into crazy sexual acts.† I scoffed. â€Å"That's ridiculous.† We'd barely ducked under the stage's ropes when a mob suddenly swarmed around us. I doubted this had as much to do with us in particular – yet – as it did the fact that we were a new couple. Ah, variety. The spice of life. Jude still looked terrified, but I didn't have the patience for his hesitancy anymore. The performer in me had clicked on. All those people were waiting and watching, and I had to deliver. One of our props was a chaise lounge covered in white velvet that glowed blue under the lights. White, I decided, probably hid certain stains better than other colors. â€Å"Come on,† I said, pushing Jude toward the chaise. â€Å"Lie down.† He did, but still looked panicked. â€Å"Clara – â€Å" â€Å"You're already here,† I said sharply. â€Å"What are you going to do? You going to slink off in front of all these people? You didn't strike me as a coward when I first met you.† I'd become someone else now, someone commanding and terrifying. He shook his head. I climbed onto the chaise with him, straddling his hips with my legs. The lack of energy within me suddenly burned and ached, and I didn't want to be gentle. Leaning down, I kissed him hard, my teeth scraping his lips as I thrust my tongue into his mouth. He let out a small sound of surprise that was lost in the kiss. Meanwhile, my hands were already frantically unfastening the buttons of his shirt. I think I ripped one of them off. Jude lay there limply, still in shock. It didn't matter to me, though, so long as he didn't fight me. And from the feel of him underneath my hips, not all of him was limp. I ran my fingers down his chest, digging my nails into the flesh there. A kindly part of me wondered how he'd explain scratch marks to his wife. The rest of me didn't care. I'd given â€Å"Clara† a black tank top and gray skirt – simple but sexy. I yanked the top off over my head, shaking my hair out afterwards like a golden veil. I contemplated taking off the black lace bra underneath but decided to leave it on. My mouth moved down from his lips, traveling to his neck and chest, pausing to tease one of his nipples. Then I kept going, down to the edge of his khakis. While there, I undid his belt and unfastened his pants in one swift motion. I pushed them and his underwear down to his knees, just enough to give me access to the erection underneath. I took it into my mouth, letting its long shaft glide into me, almost to the back of my throat. He gasped, a noise echoed by some of the appreciative spectators. I felt the early twinges of his life force. It twinkled like starlight, seeping into me. As it did, I got a taste of his thoughts and emotions, as well as his strength and character. When I'd gleaned enough of his energy to assess its quality, I almost laughed. This wasn't the first time he'd done anything like this with a strange woman. He'd actually done it twice before. He was still shy about it all, but some of his innocence had been faked, a lure for dominant women like me. Hugh had been right – I couldn't always gauge a soul. But, infidelity still didn't sit right with Jude, so he had enough goodness and life force to fill the void that the dream had left inside me. My mouth moved with more urgency, sucking and teasing. He groaned as my lips slid back and forth. His back arched, and I pulled away, fearing this might end right now if I wasn't careful. Climbing off him, I stood up and pulled my skirt off, letting it fall in a crumpled pile on the floor. Jude looked at me with pleading eyes, not proactive yet, but definitely wanting more. An ornate wooden chair stood near the chaise. I moved over to it and knelt on its cushioned seat, pressing my breasts up against its carved slats. I peered back at Jude over my shoulder. â€Å"Showtime,† I said. I expected hesitation or reluctance, but Jude had apparently overcome his initial reticence. Good. I didn't want to feel like I was raping him or anything. He clambered off the chaise and walked over to me. I had pushed his pants to his knees earlier, and now he finished the job, kicking the khakis off. Positioning himself behind me, he ran his hands along the sides of my hips, letting his fingers slide along the edges of the black panties I still wore. I shifted, pressing my ass up closer to him. He sighed. â€Å"You are so sexy.† â€Å"I know,† I told him impatiently. He pulled the panties down, letting them rest near my knees. I ground against him even more and felt him push into me, the penetration forceful and deep. Gripping my hips, he began moving in and out, shoving me into the chair's hard back with each thrust. I moaned loudly, but whether it was for his benefit or the crowd's, I couldn't say. And speaking of the crowd, I was now literally in a position to look at them, at the faces and eyes all directed toward me. I'd shed most of my self-consciousness over the years, and God only knew this wasn't the first time I'd had sex in public. Sometimes, I appreciated privacy, but tonight I loved being the center of attention. Maybe it was simply my longing for more life energy. I would have taken it under any conditions right now. Whatever the cause, I found myself getting turned on by making eye contact with different guys in the audience while Jude continued pumping away at me. As I'd noted earlier, eye contact was a powerful thing. It took you away from the realm of superficial study and moved you into something deeper and more intimate. I favored the guys watching me with a heavy, sultry look – the look of a woman being fucked within an inch of her life and who wanted nothing more than to do it with them next. It thrilled me to think of all the men I was arousing, of all of them aching for sex – of all of them aching for me. In meeting the gazes of my admirers, I almost forgot that it was Jude who was behind me. It could be any of these men, and their expressions clearly showed that they'd be happy to trade places with him. I looked from face to face, imagining what each man would feel like, how each one would fuck differently. The thrill of it was so arousing that my wandering mind soon fantasized about having more than one at the same time. One in back, one in front†¦ One of Jude's hands gripped my hair and jerked my head back while the other hand still steadied itself on my hip. The rough maneuver pulled me out of my daydreams, but I was so turned on now that I welcomed his aggression. He thrust harder, driving me painfully into the chair, and I hoped it wouldn't fall over. The sweetness of his life energy coming into me continued building, and I felt his thoughts stream into me as well. So good, so good, so good. And it was good. The voyeurs around us and him fucking me on my knees had aroused me to dizzying heights. The whole act was dirty and exciting and thrilling. â€Å"So good, so good,† I cried, echoing his thoughts. â€Å"Don't stop, don't stop, don't – oh.† Talk about irony. The trick I'd used on Bryce or Bruce or whatever his name was had worked here too. Only, I hadn't actually wanted it to end this time. Maybe this was Jude's normal style – short and sweet – and not actually my doing. Regardless, it was done, and I hadn't even come. Damn it. But I'd gotten my energy fix, a burst of life and wonder that had exploded into me with his orgasm. Ecstasy or no, he'd felt a pang of guilt at the last minute, regret over this continued desire to cheat on his wife. That guilt had been a bonus for me. Sin was subjective, and often, the magnitude of a sin was in the eye of the beholder. I'd gotten him to sin – which Hell always liked and gave me bonus points for – and I'd cracked his morals, giving me more energy than I would have stolen if he were completely corrupt. I felt that life reinvigorate my essence, fueling my immortality and ability to shape-shift. He pulled out. I stood up from the chair, catching his hand as he started to stagger. A few people whistled and clapped. Jude wore a look of wonder – and exhaustion. I handed him his pants. â€Å"Wow,† he gasped. â€Å"That was†¦wow.† â€Å"Yeah,† I said with a grin. â€Å"I know.†