Separation of Commercial Banks and Investment Banks Essay Example for Free

Separation of Commercial Banks and Investment Banks Essay One of the key concerns growing out of the debate on whether to separate or merge retail banking and wholesale/investment banking activities has been the stability of a nation’s banking system. The experience of the US banking system has suggested that merge of commercial and investment banks is a better approach to achieving stability. After the global financial crisis, the American economy went into recession. The policy priority of American government was then to intervene into its banking system so as to mitigate the impact of the crisis. One advantage of the merger of banks is that it can improve the overall condition of the economy (Khan, 2012). The merger of banks unites small and weak unit banks which will then be able to provide diverse services and with time, to reduce costs and gain competitiveness and efficiency. As will be argued below, contrary to the view that the merge of banks was responsible for the financial crisis in 2008 and Great Depression in 1930s, universal banks constitute one of the key solutions to the underlying cause of the financial turmoil in history. First of all, in 1930s, the Great Depression in America triggered considerable debates on the primary cause of the stock market crash. Analysts in favour of separation of banks have observed that the fundamental reason was the â€Å"overproduction of securities† resulted from the combination of commercial and investment banks (Casserley, Harle, and Macdonald, 2011). Until 1902s, national banks had no authority to issue securities. However, â€Å"the Civil War had been an explosion of new securities issued to finance railroads leading to the western Unit States and the expansion in public fields† (Hendrickson, 2012). Many state-chartered banks captured this chance and were involved in securities underwriting. Historical data has shown that compared to a number of merely 205 banks engaging in securities underwriting in 1922, there were approximately 5 times more national banks that were involved in securities underwriting in 1926 (Hendrickson, 2012). This sharp increase in securities underwriting resulted in deterioration of the quality of new securities and the â€Å"overproduction of securities†. To the contrary, others have opposed the separation of banks, arguing that the Great Depression actually had much to do with small local â€Å"unit† banks which constituted the fatal weakness in the banking system (Casserley, Harle, and Macdonald, 2011). This argument, therefore, suggests that the cause of the Great Depression was not the merger of commercial and investment banks but the separation of banks. Accordingly, they have pointed out that the increasing number of small banks as a result of the separation of banks could exacerbate the vulnerability of the financial system (Casserley, Harle, and Macdonald, 2011). The enactment of the Glass-Steagall Act in 1930s seems to provide an indication that the views in support of the separation of banks had prevailed over those in favour of the merger of banks. However, it is submitted that the Glass-Steagall Act had failed to solve the underlying problem of the US financial system. For instance, in 1980s, despite the operation of the Act, a third of small specialist financial institutions failed during the saving and loan (SL) crisis (Casserley, Harle, and Macdonald, 2011). This indicates that the statutory requirement of bank separation is not the right solution to the underlying problems in the US financial system. Secondly, the merger of banks has the advantage of helping small banks to become more competitive in the market because merged banks are able to provide broader and cheaper services than small specialist financial institutions, and consequently, to achieve reduction of operating costs and increase in revenue (Krainer, 2000). However, proponents of the Glass-Steagall Act have maintained that the merger of banks could generate two critical problems – â€Å"conflict of interests† and â€Å"too big to fail† – which, in their view, were responsible for the Great Depression in 1930s and the financial crisis in 2007 (Casserley, Harle, and Macdonald, 2011). In our opinion, the fact that the Glass-Steagall Act was repealed in 1980 indicates that the need for statutory permission of the merger of banks in the US had prevailed over concerns about the problems associated with the merger of banks. This further suggests that since the Glass-Steagall Act had failed to address the underlying cause of the Great Depression which was the fragility of small financial institutions, the repeal of the Act and permission of bank merger seemed to have been considered to be the way toward the establishment of a healthy and strong financial system in the US. Therefore, despite these problems that might arise from the merger of banks, the permission of bank merger has been regarded as a better approach to achieving financial system stability than the statutory requirement of eparation of banks. Thirdly, another argument for separation concerns the moral hazard issue that may arise from universal banks. According to this argument, the merger of banks may be likely to create incentives for banks to make irresponsible investment decisions at the risk of depositors and investors due to the expectation of universal banks that governments will protect them from failure (Casserley, Harle, and Macdonald, 2011). However, it can be argued that this issue is not attributable to government policies on bank merger or bank separation but to those which bail out banks at the verge of bankruptcy. In other words, such a moral hazard issue may arise not only in the case of bank merger but also in the case of bank separation as long as governments choose to compensate banks for their damages resulted from irresponsible investment decisions. Therefore, the key to solving this moral hazard issue is not to turn a policy in favor of bank merger into a policy in favor of bank separation; rather, it is for the governments to cease to provide bail-out for irresponsible banks so as to prevent them from making investment decisions that are harmful to the entire financial system. Indeed, the merger of banks may give rise to problems. However, it is suggested that these problems can be tackled by stricter government policies. For instance, the excessive involvement of banks in the production of securities may give rise to conflict of interests, an issue concerning the possibility of banks selling securities to customers without disclosing their own interest in such transactions (Casserley, Harle, and Macdonald, 2011). This potential problem can be avoided by government regulations such as the Securities Act 1933 which provided for rules of disclosure on securities offerings and established the Securities Exchange Commission to enforce them (Casserley, Harle, and Macdonald, 2011). Moreover, the moral hazard issue may also be addressed by government regulations of the financial market such as by requirements that banks must retain sufficient capital on account to compensate for losses and liabilities. The examples above demonstrate that government interventions in the banking system may effectively solve these anticipated problems of bank merger. In short, compared to bank separation, bank merger provides a better approach to fostering a stable and healthy financial system which is essential for the economic recovery of the US (Casserley, Harle, and Macdonald, 2011). Although the merger of banks has its own disadvantages, these disadvantages are not the root causes of the 1930 financial crisis and can be remedied by stricter government regulations. Therefore, it is suggested that while universal banks should be duly regulated, they are more capable to withstand financial turmoil than small banks, thereby making the merge of banks a better government policy than the separation of banks.

Salem Witch Craft Hysteria History Essay

Salem Witch Craft Hysteria History Essay The age old question Was the Salem witchcraft hysteria a product of womens search for power? is debated that it whether it was or wasnt a product of their search for power. There are many different examples that it was, but if you think about it most of those are not conclusive, because you could easily have many reasons to why those events happened and were caused. The examples that women were do witch craft because they did unexplained activities such as assume odd postures, writher in agony, necks cracked, and more are not true, because those actions are easily explained. For example cracking your neck is common to people who had a sore neck. More of these action like the ones I name have no logic to it if you think about it. Some people will say yes to this question, due to the fact that when Tituba confessed she was a witch, she also said there were others out there, but no one really confessed to being a witch. Most of the accused were either related to some else who was accused or victims of paranoia that enveloped that community. Also some people will say that they were looking for power because most of the accused were women, but most were being accused due to their gender because most women did not have right back then. When the accused had been accused it was due to the fact that they did something thats was uncommon or unheard of. I say no they were not looking for power, because if they were they would not have been living in fear of being accused and would not wait to be accused, but admit that they were witches without fear. You may say that some women like Tituba, did confessed for more power to women, but they probably only said they were because they did not have an explanation to why those acts of witch craft accrued due to the fact that most of those actions were uncommon back then, but did some accepted the accusation just to rebel a little. Also most women probably only did confess like Tituba so they will not have been subjected to harsher punishments. The fits and rampages that had happened out of nowhere were factors in being accused in this time, but the thing is that these rampages were widely spread to not only the humans, but the livestock too. Even some people said that witch craft were the only explanations to these unexplained actions. People mostly only probably said this because back then people were scared of what they did not know and this was the only way they would know this in this time period. In later years similar events had swept Europe, as time went one all the unknown questions and unexplained event were becoming more and more known, so it would not have made sense that women did those things to gain and show power in their lives. If you look back to what was considered as witchery to now you would see it was fear of the unknown and paranoia that made it seem as womens act of gaining power and not conrisidents. Back to being accusers, they had many problems in their social lives and believe and accusing other was the only way to restore their problems in life and their self-worth. Accusers had gained more power from the witch accusation then the accused women did. With fear from the unknown and uncommon was established unknowingly the only way they became unfearful was to accuse others from these seemingly mysterious actions. Some of the accused were either different or untraditional and that was considered another trait of witchery. You may say that the untraditional women and fee-spirited women were only looking for power, but in reality it was the unconscious start for women to be able to have a little more freedom. Some of the witches like Susannah Roots were also accused for entertaining people late at night or adultery, but just because they did those kinds of things did not mean they were looking for power or attention from the whole town, but from the people they did it with. What we know now that did not know then is that the accused must have had been sick in some way or form. We can conclude this with the fact that the symptoms of witchery are the same symptoms as the Encephalitis Epidemic that accrued in the early 1900s to the mid-1900s. For example the bites made by witches were really red marks that bleed thru the skin. The visions they had were really hallucinations that accrued from ant diseases that they endured. More of the symptom that were cause back then would be perfect examples of the epidemic that will have swept Europe. With no proper heat back then the cold worsened the symptoms that were considered witchery symptoms. The illnesses that cussed these were from insects that might have infected the so called witches in the past. As the years went on less and less accusations stopped probably due to the weather change in which the insects could not live and in return not infect the people. Women had not really wanted to have power because they would have found some way or pretended to have done witchery actions to continue their search of power instead of letting it become only something in the past. We can also conclude that it was not really the womens idea of gaining power because if the events were becoming part of that past most things will not change, but be the same and they will have had continued the search of power. Many more insects had been spread all over Europe witch caused the diseases that were the causes of the witch accusations. If the diseases did not spread people would not have been infected and jugged. Another idea to consider is if the disease causing insects were not common and had not infected the accused will they still be considered witches. That is a question that you should ask yourself and think about. Some of the accused witches were women were highly esteemed members of their church and community. Even their daughters as young as four were accused, from the hysteria. If you think about it, it wound not make sense that the witches were doing godly things. Also this will be no way of trying to gain more power because otherwise they would not be as highly esteemed as they are. Even though women protested against being witches or having family being accused they still were not looking for power. The women were only trying to convince the accusers that they were wrong and that they were indecent the only way they could think of. Sure they got attention and some power, but so did the male members of the community who protested with them. As hysterias spread and more were accused the punishments got worse and so did the deaths. Even though women wanted to get more power they probably would not have gone as far as death, because they most would want to live for their families and not chose power.as time went on with these more and more people were trying to help them from being wrongfully accused like many did. If you were to face death like these wrongly accused women were would you accept death or would you beg to be spared? These women had to decide this question their selves, and they said they will beg because they were not looking for power they were just subjected peoples fear in that time period. with not accepting being witches and begging it will naturally cause less power and the argument that women wanted more power that they had made the witch trials a big deal would be false. Not all the accused were being murdered for being witches. If they had confessed even if they were innocent they will be spared. The women who were confessing to their crime were only doing it to save their lives and ant gain power like some people think. Many were trying to get set free and not die so they did anything to get found not guilty. Women did not want power they wanted to go back to their lives without free of dyeing. Most of the time when women were accused they were not given a fair chance to prove they were not witches which means they did not want the power people said they wanted. So as I we think about the question thats been asked for ages we also should think about how and why the women were accused and why they said and did what they did. There may be people still out there believing that it was womens act to gain power, but it was not because they tried to get free and prove they were not lying. Also they action they did can always have an explanation to them because of what we know today. Even though the accused were trying to prove they were innocent and that they wanted to be free, they were strong and just trying to survive and live their lives no matter what other will think. Soon the trials had become part of the past and an important part that no one will forget.

Comparative Study Of The Professional Courier Commerce Essay

Comparative Study Of The Professional Courier Commerce Essay The objectives of the research study was to know, to what extent the company is aware about their service effectiveness and also to know to what extend the customers are satisfaction with the company service, it was also to know whether the customers are satisfied with the company policies, and if they are satisfied then to what extent, and if they are dissatisfied why so. and accordingly to identify strengths of company and weaknesses where they lack in serving their customers. It was also to know which are the area where the company has to put more of its attention and to serve those areas in a better ways,. And also to identify the problem of the company and to recommend suggestion on the basis of that and finally to take the necessary measures on problem identified for the company resulting in the research study. The survey carried out was random sample survey and the procedure followed for conducting survey was questionnaire method that is personally explaining the customer about questionnaire and getting them filled, targeting to total of 120 customers of both THE PROFESSIONAL COURIER and FIRST FLIGHT COURIER 6O of each company in three different location Mapusa Siolim, Arambol, Thivim, Pernem, Colvale and Panjim, survey was conducted with random customers of the companys. Questionnaires were filled personally by the employees also personal interaction was made and views about those questions was taken, which gave idea about customer service effectiveness of both the companies. Customer Service Effectiveness Customer Service Effectiveness is the process by which your organization delivers its services or products in a way that allows the customer to access them in the most efficient, fair, cost effective, and humanly satisfying and pleasurable manner possible. Customer service is a process, not a set of actions that might include greeting the customer, smiling, asking if you can help, etc. Effective customer service is all about delivering the answers customers are seeking. How information is stored, augmented and organized will determine how effective any organizations customer service efforts will be. The best knowledgebase technology allows the customer to guide the content, and structure of the knowledgebase, improve the level of service, and decrease the customer service representatives workload.   It recognize that different customers want to be treated in different ways. Not all customers are treated equal, and by going customer-by-customer, region-by-region and country-by-country, we build a custom suit that trades off efficiency and effectiveness, recognizing that we may actually eliminate customers. COMPANYS BACKGROUND THE PROFESSIONAL COURIER The beginning :  was founded in 1987 by Mr .A Braham M r.SAhamed Meeran , Mr. Oommen C. Chacko Late. Mrs. V.Padmavathi Mr. Ronny George Mr. Sumit Batabyal Mr. Suresh Bharathan Mr. Thomas John A year of glory for the Directors of this company because it was the year in which they were united and ventured in to Courier Business was incorporated on 1st November 1987. PROFESSIONAL COURIER gives employment to thousands of people. It has turned hundreds of ambitious aspiring youngsters to be the proud Managers of an elite company. Much more, it is today a Courier organization which is being looked upon by the others as a role model of what a courier should be. Today PROFESSIONAL COURIER in India has 20 Regional Offices, over 2485 Offices, over 5000 Collection Centers and easily well over 25,000 destinations, where delivery is possible, by far, the biggest Courier Network in India. FIRST FLIGHT COURIER First Flight Couriers came into being on Monday, 17th November 1986. It all began with the setting up of three offices at Kolkata, Mumbai and Delhi. The overwhelming response from customers, was not just a dream come true, but the fruits of an early realization and recognition of the tremendous potential that the Indian subcontinent offered in terms of market size. It was the foresight and dynamism of the Founder Chairman and Managing Director, O.P.Saboo which created a spring board for the organization to catapult into what it is today   Indias Largest Domestic Courier Company. 930 First Flight Offices across India 2208 Authorized Collection Centers 452 Franchisee Locations Serving over 5000 Pin code Destinations across India Dedicated Workforce of over 10000 plus employees Strategically located 8 own International Offices Serving over 220 countries globally As a natural corollary to its growth endeavor, First Flight is in the process of setting up a large scale integrated Logistics Division to offer an entire gamut of Warehousing, Inventory Management, Supply Chain Services and Distribution Channels, thereby providing total end-to-end solutions to customers. In keeping with times, First Flight continues to invest substantial effort in building a State-of-the-Art Super Information Technology highway. First Flights commitment to corporate excellence and its yearning for making it a common household name opens floodgates of opportunities and challenges and to meet it head on, shall be the corner stone of its philosophy. METHODOLOGY RESEARCH EXPLORATION Qualitative design The method used to measure customer service effectiveness was firstly I meet customers of both companies asked them open ended questions verbally personal interaction as doing pilot study the responses from all the customers was taken which resulted in the final questionnaire and the data was collected from the company employees, the result of study will contribute knowledge about service proved by the company and to known how far it is effective. Pilot test: The qualitative research test was done with small sample size of 40 customers 20 of each courier service providing company. The questions were then framed based on their responses. Research Plan: Once the problem was identified, I prepare structured questionnaire for collecting the information needed for the research. And then to analysis the data collected before making a conclusion. OBJECTIVES Was to know how effective is the companies service. It was also to know the level at which the company customers are satisfied with the service provided by the company. Source of data: Primary data Questionnaire Personal interaction with the customers. Observation. Secondary data Internet Company reports Data collection: The personal interaction with the customers and questioning them with the help of structured questionnaires and which is filled by the customers personally in my presence. Sampling size: The total sample size is 120 for both companies 60 for each of a service providing company. Sample plan: Random Sampling Target audience: service taking customers of both companies THE PROFESSIONAL COURIER and FIRST FLIGHT. NEED FOR STUDY The main reason behind doing customer service effectiveness survey was to know how much the company is able to satisfy its customer as it was founded on discussing with the management of the professional courier and the first flight courier that the performance of the companies was coming down. The reason for doing customer service effectiveness surveys was also to know as to what are those services which the customers Are accepting from the company and due to which the customers are not satisfied with the company service as a result the market share of the company is decreasing. As an external consultant, my purpose in conducting survey with customers was to share information for the common good. It will be confidentiality and I will use the information to assist the company to make positive progress SCOPE FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE EFFECTIVENESS SURVEY Surveys will help company to measure and understand their customers attitude, opinions, motivation, and satisfaction. Surveys and focus groups help the company to identify areas of customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction. It is the terminology used to describe whether customers are happy and contented and fulfilling their desires and needs at work. Surveys will help the company to measure and understand their training needs for the employees, and also if necessary to put more focused in a particular area were company lake in serving customers. CUSTOMER SERVICE EFFECTIVENESS FOR THE PROFESSIONALCOURIER(PROFESSIONAL COURIER) AND FIRST FLIGHT COURUIER (FIRST FLIGHT) Q1) HOW OFTEN YOU TAKE SERVICE FROM THIS COMPANY (PROFESSIONAL COURIER) (FIRST FLIGHT) The above graphs tells us the users of both the service and how orphan they use the service we can see that customers of PROFESSIONAL COURIER uses service more time than FIRST FLIGHT courier. 2)THE SERVICE DELIVERY DONE BY THE COMPANY VS (PROFESSIONAL COURIER) (FIRST FLIGHT) In the above graph we can clearly see that compared to first flight courier the service delivery of the professional courier is better as more number of customers say its always no time were as no customers of professional courier say its never on time but some customers of first flight courier says its never on time. 3) PLEASE RATE US IN THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES outstanding above average average below average poor cannot rate professionalism responsiveness support and assistance follow- up overall satisfaction (FOR THE PROFESSIONAL COURIER) 3) PLEASE RATE US IN THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES outstanding above average average below average poor cannot rate professionalism responsiveness support and assistance follow- up overall satisfaction (FOR THE FIRST FLIGHT COURIER) 4) CONSIDER THE OVERALL KEY AREAS BELOW TELL US HOW IMPORTANT YOU COSIDER EACH AREA TO BE better customer service variety of available services speed and ease of order placement pickup and delivery quality price CRITERIA very important important somewhat important not as important (FOR THE PROFESSIONAL COURIER) 4) CONSIDER THE OVERALL KEY AREAS BELOW TELL US HOW IMPORTANT YOU COSIDER EACH AREA TO BE better customer service variety of available services speed and ease of order placement pickup and delivery quality price CRITERIA very important important somewhat important not as important (FOR THE FIRST FLIGHT COURIER) 5) THE LEVEL AT WHICH COMPANY TACKLE YOUR PROBLEM VS (PROFESSIONAL COURIER) (FIRST FLIGHT) If we see in the above graph first flight courier is better than professional courier in term of tackling the problems faced by the customers. Professional courier is also not too bad. As 38 people say its good at tacking. So can conclude looking at graph that the both companies are equally good in tackling your problem. 6) FEES CHARGED BY THE COMPANY VS (PROFESSIONAL COURIER) (FIRST FLIGHT) With regards to the charges charged for the service given by the companies more customers of both the companies feels that it is charged at reasonable price. There in comparison both the companies are in a same position. 7) IS COMPANY ABLE TO MEET YOUR REQUESTED COMPLITION TIME VS (PROFESSIONAL COURIER) (FIRST FLIGHT) When it was question of whether the company is able to meet your requested time there were very few customers of both the companies who said its done always but were majority said rarely, sometimes, occasionally. But here while comparing we can say that professional courier is better because there are only 1 customer who said its not at all done on time but with the first flight courier 5customer said its not at all done on time. 8) SERVICE GIVEN WORTH THE MONEY YOU PAY VS (PROFESSIONAL COURIER) (FIRST FLIGHT) When it was said that the service given by both the companies is worth the money you pay there was only 1 customer of PROFESSIONAL COURIER who was strongly along with 37 agreed but 7 customers of FIRST FLIGHT was strongly agree followed by 30 agree. Where we can conclude first flight courier is better than professional courier. 9) WHAT IS THE LEVEL OF EFFORTS YOU HAV TO PUT IN GETTING YOUR SERVICE DELIVERED VS (PROFESSIONAL COURIER) (FIRST FLIGHT) In terms of efforts to be put in getting your service delivered the customers of both the companies have to put in more efforts as maximum of the customers of both the companies said they have to put more and lots of effort. So here we can conclude both the companies are week here. 10)SERVICE GIVEN TO YOU IS AS PER YOUR ACCEPTATION VS (PROFESSIONAL COURIER) (FIRST FLIGHT) when it was said that the service is given to the customers as per their acceptation 44 customers of PROFESSIONAL COURIER was strongly agree and agree were else 37 customers of FIRST FLIGHT was strongly agree and agree. From this we can say that in comparison to FIRST FLIGHT the PROFESSIONAL COURIER is better in meeting the acceptation of the customers. 11) YOUR ORDER IS DELIVERED WHERE AND WHEN YOU REQUESTED IT VS (PROFESSIONAL COURIER) (FIRST FLIGHT) In terms of order to be delivered where and when it is asked customers of both the companies looks like customers are satisfied with the this service of the company. But if you see gain many take a neutral stand. Where they are not included neither in agree situation nor disagree situation. Therefore compared to FIRST FLIGHT, the PROFESSIONAL COURIER is little bit in better position in term of accurate delivery. 12) HOW IS PROFESSIONAL COURIER SERVICE COMPARED WITH OTHER COURIER VS (PROFESSIONAL COURIER) (FIRST FLIGHT) First it was whether the customers have used other courier service than what they are using now. All the customers said YES they have used. Were 30 customers of PROFESSIONAL COURIER and 31 customers of FIRST FLIGHT said its same. Where else 28 felt better and only 2 said worse of PROFESSIONAL COURIER. But of FIRST FLIGHT 25 said its same and 4 said its worse. Here again we can conclude to some extent professional courier is better than first flight 13) HOW MANY TIMES IN LAST 6 MONTHS HAVE YOU USED THE PROFESSIONAL COURIER SERVICE VS (PROFESSIONAL COURIER) (FIRST FLIGHT) In the above graph we can see how many times the customers have used the service in last 6 months. But there are not much customers who have used this service for 30 or more than 30 in last 6 month for both companies. 14) WOULD YOU RECOMMEND USING THE SERVICE OF THIS COURIER IN FUTHURE VS (PROFESSIONAL COURIER) (FIRST FLIGHT) When it was asked whether the customer of the company will use the service in future again almost equal number of customer of both the companies said definitely would. But there were some of both the companies who said probably not and definitely not. And also with the reasons as the common answers are written down as positive once and negative once. For the professional courier user it was asked why would you recommend using the service and the answers were in positive as well as in negative POSITIVE (yes) Due to better quality of service. They reach on time always. Good at handling problem faced. Have good safety delivery. Delivery is always done on time. Parcel is accurately delivered were it is asked. Easy in using. It is faster. NEGATIVE (no) Late in delivery. Not very good service in terms of quality. Few collection centre in Goa. For the first flight courier user it was asked why would you recommend using the service and the answers were in positive as well as in negative POSITIVE (yes) Quick service Good Quality service Delivery is done timely and to the place Good at handling customer problems Because of reasonable price NEGATIVE (no) Delay in delivery Not good at handling situation No pick up service. Less collection centre what you have to say about the delivery done by the company PROFESSIONAL COURIER Positive Good quality delivery Make customer satisfied Dont have to face much difficulties Deliver parcel to the concern person Have good delivery boys for on field service. Negative Not done on time (sometimes). Poor delivery in north India. lack of delivery boys in north Goa. FIRST FLIGHT Positive More trusty and more faster Punctual in their delivery Its delivered when its asked Easy and comfortable Negative Dont provide service on time. Average delivery Parcel damage delivery (These are some of the common answers given by all the customers) Here are some of the suggestions to The Professional Courier. They should concentrate more on timely delivery They should put more attention in solving the queries of the customers should also focused on pick up documents from the customers. Try to be more faster and accurate in giving the delivery. Improve parcel packaging. Try and come up with the possible collection centers across Goa. Add the delivery boys in doing the delivery so that it can be done faster. Here are some of the suggestions to First Flight Courier. Put more efforts in doing delivery on time Try and put more time solving customers problem so that all customers are satisfied with this service. See that they put more focus on doing delivery on the within requested time. Company should add up more employees on field doing service delivery, so that it can be done faster and documents will not be pending. ANALYSIS FINDINGS Customers have to put more efforts for getting their services to be delivered. Both the companies lack in providing timely delivery the delivery is done late. The reasons identified is that they have less delivery boys on field doing delivery and because of which document is left undelivered and is done late later. Bad service providers are not only losing their valuable external customers but also their internal customers who are not willing to be associated with the organization for a longer duration. Retaining the loyalties of the customers, both internal as well as external is very critical for the future of the company. The Professional Courier has Lack of collection centre in Goa which make quit difficult for people in getting their document or parcel to the company office or the. When the question comes of solving problems face by the customers both the companies lack in doing so as they cannot service their 100% to the customers therefore not all the customers are satisfied with this service of the company, which is not profitable for the company as they can lose their customers. On surveying the customers it was founded that 35 respondent of TPC i.e the maximum said the give more preference to BETTER CUSTOMER SERVICE and of FF 45 respondent said so which again maximum therefore we can conclude that the customer wants good quality service which include timely, accurate, safe etc. In terms of money or charges charged by both the companies in providing the service is worth the service they provide the maximum respondent of both the companies i.e. 36 of TPC and 38 of FF said its reasonable. So can conclude from this that they are charging fair amount for providing the service. Limitation of the survey: The survey was conducted in a limited duration of six weeks only. No customers are loyal customers they change their service provider whenever they wants so was quit tough to get these companies customers which has taken service from them for quit many times . Many competitors in the market and it was difficult to get the the customer of these both companies. My target audience was the cooperate people and the business people which made it even more difficult to gather information. PROBLEMS IDENTIFIED Communication chain:- the communication system of the company is not in properly form. As the information regarding the company customer any query or any other help required are not directly communicated to the management it takes time due to absent of communication chain. Employee Relation:- Employee relation with the companys customers is not friendly, due to which companies are losing on their business and If you dont have a good relation with your customers it becomes very difficult for you to get business from that person to the company. Responsibilities to employees:- the employees are not much responsible it is said because the customers of both the companies had to put in more efforts in getting their service delivered Lack of collection centre for (TPC):- the customers of colvale, pernem (Tuem industrial estate) has to face difficulties in sending their courier because they have come all the way to mapusa. Delivery:- not all the time delivery by both the companies is done on time. it is not reach as per the customer requested time. SOLUTION In the interest of building a relationship of honesty, integrity, and trust, with the company customer, the results should be communicated effectively to the customers and the company customers should receive information in a timely manner when it is asked. Also company managers need to track progress and communicate implementation successes and failures to the employees so that they can accordingly work on field improving the same. Company should constantly strive to provide necessary information to their customer when ever asked that will increase their awareness of the larger scope of the operation and provide them a sense of satisfaction so that they will continue using your service. Company should also put more focus on talking to the customers could be personally or online how they wants and knowing their quires or problem face by them at any point of time while taking service so that it will gave them a sense of concern for them thinking yes company cares their customers which will help them to retain the customers. Company should try to improve relationship within the company customers. They can do this by constantly keeping in touch with the customers. This will lead to better interaction with the customers and the company employees and this will lead to improved relation which will future give company a good business. Successful Deliveries:- A successful delivery is directly tied into a timely one. Success is more than just getting the goods to their destination on time. It also means a safe delivery, parcel reaching the customer without damage and accurately to the pace where it has been asked. Recommendation / Suggestions to company Add more service delivery boys to improve customer service standards:- This is the most common method that most organizations firmly believe in. They tend to add up the numbers of people in the service delivery chain improving systems and processes which provides a positive result and further improves the process and service experience for the customers. It will also motivates the employees to increase their performance levels and improve the service delivery experience for their customers which ultimately benefits the company. Provide service training to the company employees:-Training the employees goes a long way in ensuring the effectiveness of service delivery of the organization. Training not only helps the employees in learning new techniques and tricks but also helps them in realizing that the company is concerned about their future in the organization and it is taking necessary steps to ensure its growth in the firm. It motivates the employees to increase their performance levels and improve the service delivery experience for their customers. Training and involving the employees in various decisions or discussions of organization. Apart from their routine activities makes them feel good as if they take ownership of the company and could improve the service that they provide to their customers. There is an increase in the willingness to satisfy the customers especially when there is customer complaint in order to ensure that the customer goes back satisfied and his loyalty is retained by the organization the training is very important. Cost saving option:- if you have goods to be delivered that are large and take up a lot of space and weight, a sea freight option likely would make more sense than air freight if the destination is across the country, if the destination is just a few miles away i.e. within the country or in the neighboring states, than some type of road service would likely be the best option in order to minimize the cost CONCLUSION AND LEARNING To conclude I would like to say it was of a great experience conducting my summer internship on comparative study on The Professional Courier and first flight courier. Working on my study I came to know many things about the service industry as how its work. I gained much more knowledge in marketing field as how its function, and as how to out approaching the customer along with the customer acceptation as to what customers wants and what they dont want. flow of proper communication from top to bottom and bottom to top plays a very important role in any organization as timely providing information regarding the customers if any quires is there by the employees to the company helps them to contribute to the success of the company, as company can makes necessary changes where ever required and also to come up with a solution to their quires . Also came to know how the employees deal with the customers of the company as to what is their needs and wants and how they are meet also not meet and how the customers reacts to it later.

Issues of the Human Genome Project :: Genetics Genes Science Papers

Issues of the Human Genome Project The history of the human race has been filled with curiosity and discovery about our abilities and limitations. As an egotistical creature with a seemingly unstoppable desire for new accomplishments, we attempt feats with emotion and tenacity. People worldwide raced to be the first to discover the secrets and the ability of flight. Enormous amounts of monies were spent on sending people into space and the race to land on the moon. With the rapid growth of scientific knowledge and experimental methods, humans have begun to unravel and challenge another mystery, the discovery of the entire genetic make-up of the human body. This endeavor, the Human Genome Project (HGP), has created hopes and expectations about better health care. It has also brought forth serious social issues. To understand the potential positive and negative issues, we must first understand the history and technical aspects of the HGP. History of the Human Genome Project The HGP has an ultimate goal of identifying and locating the positions of all genes in the human body. A researcher named Renato Dulbecco first suggested the idea of such a project while the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) was also considering the same project because issues related to radiation and chemical exposure were being raised. Military and civilian populations were being exposed to radiation and possible carcinogenic chemicals through atomic testing, the use of Agent Orange in Vietnam, and possible nuclear power facility accidents. Genetic knowledge was needed to determine the resiliency of the human genome (1). Worldwide discussion about a HGP began in 1985. In 1986, the DOE announced its' Human Genome Initiative which emphasized the development of resources and technologies for genome mapping, sequencing, computation, and infrastructure support that would lead to the entire human genome map (3). United States involvement began in October 1990 and was coordinated by the DOE and the National Institute of Health (NIH). With an estimated cost of 3 billion dollars, sources of funding also include the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). Because of the involvement of the NIH, DOE, and NSF who receive U.S. Congressional funding, the HGP is partly funded through federal tax dollars (1). Expected to last 15 years, technological advancements have accelerated the expected date of completion to the year 2003. This completion date would coincide with the 50th anniversary of Watson and Crick's description of the structure of DNA molecule (3).

The Creation of God in Apocalypse Now in Relation to Frazers The Golde

The Creation of God in Apocalypse Now in Relation to Frazer's The Golden Bough      Ã‚  Ã‚   Very rarely do filmmakers intend to create cinematic masterpieces which integrate and draw upon lush literary qualities and leave the viewer with a deeper feeling of life and death than he or she had before viewing the film. Even if some filmmakers do attempt to create a masterpiece, symbolic and complex, many fall short. However, when Francis Coppola created Apocalypse Now, he succeeded in creating a masterpiece, drawing upon the complicated story within Conrad's Heart of Darkness and the savage observations within Frazer's The Golden Bough. The character of Colonel Kurtz in both Conrad's and Coppola's works, is one of a complicated, volatile renaissance man; he is at the same time a ruthless, body collecting warrior and a artistic philosopher. Kurtz's "divinity is like fire, which under proper restraints, confers endless blessings, but if rashly touched, burns and destroys what it touches" (Frazer 13). Kurtz, as a savage icon, is capable of greatness and is brutally ma licious at the same time. Where Coppola strays from Conrad, he does so to show Kurtz's deliberate choice to become a god-like figure and be destroyed in the tradition of the savages. Through the savage beliefs of tabooed head and hair, the slaying of the divine king, and sympathetic magic, Coppola creates a more savagely realistic character in Kurtz.    Perhaps one of Col. KurtzÕs most prominent physical features in Apocalypse Now is his shaven head. Frazer explains that, to the savages, the head and hair of their divine king is tabooed, and "to touch the top of the head, or anything which had been on his head was sacrilege" (Frazer 812). To the savages, their king ra... ...in Cambodia after he slays Kurtz because either Chef had ordered the air strike, or because Willard, eventhough he is mesmerized by the culture, is a unwavering part of the western world. Just because Willard is portrayed by Coppola as a unconventional man and can slay Kurtz in accordance with savage customs, doesn't make him a savage. Eventhough Frazer is an Englishman, Coppola believes his observations of savages are precise, and so he chooses to create his born again savage god-king, Kurtz, accordingly.       Works Cited Frazer, James. The Golden Bough. 1922. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1951. Vickery, James B., The Literary Aspect of 'The Golden Bough'. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1973. Wittgenstein, Ludwig. Remarks on Frazer's 'Golden Bough'. Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey: Human Press, Inc., 1979.      

Everything about architecture Essay

Everything about architecture is interesting, so is our class in Arch103. I have always been interested to learn new things about this subject and our class discussions have provided me valuable insights in many ways. However, I could have learned more if there was a healthy relationship between the teacher and the students. In classrooms, students usually encounter situations that encourage or impede participation and learning. One factor is the harmonious liaison of a teacher to the students. This healthy connection usually comes in when the teacher shows fair treatment among the students. It is the right of the students to be treated equally in all aspects: classroom discussions, projects and assignments, and grades. Fair treatment builds the students’ trust and confidence for their teacher. In our Arch103 class, the teacher fails to show equal treatment to his students. This is especially true in the way he gives grades. In the submission of projects, those who submitted late sometimes get higher grades than those who did it before the deadline. Deadlines, as we all know, are vitally important in assigned works. The teacher should have at least explained to us why this has happened. With the conflicting opinions of the teacher and the teacher’s assistant, we find it hard to understand and learn what they teach. Teachers are authoritative transmitters of knowledge (Brody & Wallace, 1994, p. 5). It is therefore important that they coherently explain the topics so the students can get most of the ideas. Contradicting explanations only cause students to be more confused and having nothing understood. Overall, the class was challenging and exciting despite some of the above-mentioned lapses. Evaluation 2 Brody, C. M. & Wallace, J. (1994). Ethical and Social Issues in Professional Education. New York: State University of New York Press

Succubus Heat CHAPTER 13

Hearing Cedric assure me I couldn't die lifted a huge weight off my shoulders. I left the Cellar with much less anxiety, though I still had no intention of doing anything that might test how exactly we'd heal from decapitation. So, while I still operated with caution, I no longer felt suffocated or threatened by every aspect of the world. Rather than go home, I drove down to Dante's shop. His store/apartment was in Rainier Valley, on the southeast side of Seattle. He had no regularly posted hours for his assorted â€Å"psychic† services, but he would usually hang around there at night if he had nothing else to do. It tended to be the time drunk people or couples out on dates (or high teens) would wander in looking for fun and novelty. Daytime business hours didn't generally bring out that many who were seeking help from the divine unless, perhaps, it was someone seeking advice on stock trading. Dante had no customers tonight, however. The shop and its flickering neon sign seemed sad and lonely. I pushed through the unlocked door and found him leaning against the checkout counter, leafing through a copy of Maxim . â€Å"What gives?† I asked. â€Å"Your subscription to Frauds and Scams Weekly run out?† He glanced up at me with a smile, flipping black hair out of his face. â€Å"Just needed something pretty to look at since I didn't know when I'd be seeing you again.† I planted a kiss on his cheek. â€Å"Holy shit. That's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me.† â€Å"Yeah, well, I can make some filthy sexual suggestions to you if you'd prefer.† â€Å"What, and ruin foreplay for next time?† This made his grin grow, and he shut the magazine. â€Å"To what do I owe the pleasure? Shouldn't you be visiting our neighbors to the north? Or is that done? I honestly can't keep track.† â€Å"Well. About that.† God, how I was going to explain what had happened? Had all of this seriously happened in just one day? It felt like a year had gone by since I got woozy in the car. â€Å"Something strange happened today.† â€Å"Strange like you sold out of Jane Austen books at the store or strange like the rules of time and space as we know them are about to be ripped apart?† â€Å"Mmm†¦more like that last one.† â€Å"Shit.† I took a deep breath, figuring I should just get the big stuff out of the way. â€Å"There's no easy way to put this, but†¦I'm not a succubus anymore.† â€Å"I never believed you were a succubus.† I groaned. That had been an old joke between us when we'd first met. Oh, the irony. â€Å"I'm serious,† I said. â€Å"No more succubus. And Jerome's disappeared too, possibly opening up Seattle to a new demonic reign.† Dante stared at me, eyes speculative as he assessed me for the truth. He was speechless for the first time I'd known him. Not waiting for more witty commentary, I plunged forward. I explained about the summoning, what it had done to all of us lesser immortals, how demons everywhere were now sizing up Seattle, and why I needed to find Jerome as soon as possible. When I finally finished, it took Dante several moments to gather his thoughts. â€Å"So†¦you've seriously lost your succubus powers?† â€Å"Abilities,† I corrected. â€Å"And yes, I have. Are you saying that after all that other stuff I just told you about the balance of power in Seattle, my succubus status is what caught your attention the most?† He shrugged. â€Å"You gotta admit it's weird. Besides, that other stuff doesn't affect me. You do.† His eyes narrowed. â€Å"Am I going to have to use a condom now?† â€Å"What? No. Of course not.† â€Å"You sure?† â€Å"You've never batted an eye over me stealing pieces of your soul these last few months, but the nonexistent threat of child support suddenly scares you?† â€Å"Well, yeah, seeing as my bank account's got more in it than my soul.† I glanced around the shabby room. â€Å"Debatable.† â€Å"Cute,† he conceded. â€Å"But I'd be asking a few more questions about all of this if I were you. Like, can you die?† â€Å"I already asked that one,† I said smugly. â€Å"And the answer is no. Our immortal bodies are still essentially the same. We're just cut off from all the perks.† I hoped he didn't ask about decapitation because I honestly wasn't in the mood to debate that. â€Å"Okay, so what do you want from me?† he asked. â€Å"What makes you think I want anything?† He looked at me. â€Å"Okay, maybe I do want something. But come on, who else would know more about this stuff than you?† â€Å"Who knows more about demons? Hmm, let me think. I know. How about the demons you work for , the ones who are all-powerful and have been around since the beginning of time?† â€Å"They're not all-powerful. Otherwise they wouldn't need a human for the summoning-or end up getting summoned in the first place. And that's what I need you for. There can't be that many humans in the area capable of doing this, are there? You have to know who they are.† Dante opened his mouth, no doubt with a snappy reply ready, and then abruptly closed it. â€Å"I don't know,† he said slowly. â€Å"I don't keep track of those things.† I leaned toward him, incredulous. â€Å"Of course you do! Do you not want to tell me? Why?† He sighed, his hesitant expression turning typically annoyed. â€Å"Because those kinds of people get pissed off if you start advertising their names.† â€Å"What, you're afraid they're going to come beat you up?† â€Å"No. Not exactly. But there's sort of†¦a professional courtesy in these circles.† â€Å"I'll be discreet. I won't tell them where I got the information.† â€Å"Most of them already know we're together. They'd figure it out. They keep an eye on those kinds of things.† He turned considering. â€Å"Of course, in that same vein, a lot of them know you as a succubus and might just think you knew through your own connections.† He still seemed hesitant, so I played a mean card. â€Å"Well, I can always go ask Erik if you're too nervous about it.† Erik was another mortal in town who dealt with the occult and paranormal. Unlike Dante, who was a practitioner, Erik simply studied and built up knowledge of the magical undercurrents in the city. He had a psychic's gifts and was attuned to what most human eyes didn't see. Sometimes he could even see what immortals couldn't. He and Dante had an old, old grudge and didn't enjoy being around each other, to put it mildly. My attempt to bait Dante didn't work, though. â€Å"Don't even try it, succubus. Making me jealous of the old man won't make me help you.† I looked up at him pleadingly. â€Å"What will make you help me?† He traced the outline of my lips with his fingertip, gray eyes wicked and thoughtful. â€Å"Not sure it's anything you can do while cut off from your super-secret powers. You're not a sex goddess anymore.† â€Å"Hey, I don't need super-secret powers to be a sex goddess.† Just then, three twentysomethings stumbled in, staring wide-eyed at the shop as they tried to stifle nervous giggles. They undoubtedly had the same kind of potential that high teens did. I gave Dante one last frantic plea. â€Å"Please? Just give me the names. You don't have to do anything else. And I won't say anything. I swear it.† Dante scowled, glanced at me, at the potential customers, and then back at me. He told them he'd be with them in a minute and then hastily jotted four names down on a scrap of paper. Two of them I recognized. â€Å"Thank you,† I said. I beamed, and to my surprise, something in his cynical expression softened a little. â€Å"God, that smile,† he muttered. â€Å"You might just be right.† â€Å"About what?† â€Å"You really don't need any powers to be a sex goddess. Your hair's a little messy, though.† He walked around the counter and gave me a quick half-hug. â€Å"Be safe, succubus. Don't test the limits of that not-dying thing.† â€Å"And buy some condoms?† I teased. He shrugged. â€Å"You're the one who was having prophetic dreams about having kids a little while ago.† Turning away from me, he put on his jovial con-man persona and beckoned the group over with pitches about palms and Tarot. He'd spoken the words in a light, off-hand kind of way, but as I slowly walked back to my car, they slapped me in the face. Prophetic dreams†¦ Nyx's dreams. The things she'd shown me during that time had been so vivid that they seemed almost more real than my own life. The thing is, by almost all accounts, Nyx had a grasp on the future and could show people things that would happen to them. That was how she spread chaos in the world, by showing people these visions and making them think they knew how their futures would unfold. Unfortunately, while the visions came true, they never came true the way their victims thought they would. She'd led a lot of people to their deaths that way. Nonetheless, it seemed fairly clear that the dreams she'd sent to me had been distractions, not destructive images of what would come. In my visions, she'd shown me-over and over-with a daughter, waiting for a man I loved to come home. The dreams had consumed me, almost making me want to sleep and have my energy taken each night. As I'd noted while holding Kayla, there was no way any piece of the vision could ever happen to me. I couldn't have any sort of relationship like that. And I certainly couldn't have a daughter, not of my own blood. Immortals didn't reproduce. When I'd sold my soul for immortality and shape-shifting, I'd given up certain aspects of my humanity. There could be no child for me. Not ever. And yet†¦ I came to a stop on the sidewalk, still about a block away from my car. What if Dante had inadvertently stumbled onto something? What if being in this stasis had altered that piece of me that had lost the ability to conceive? Cedric had said I was still technically immortal, but he'd also said my body would respond and heal like a human's. What all did that entail? Would unprotected sex lead to conception? Is that what Nyx's visions had been pointing to? She'd sworn she'd shown me the truth. Had she? I was breathing fast again, though at least this time, I knew I didn't have to worry about giving myself a heart attack. Okay. I needed to calm down. This pregnancy possibility was as distracting as the hooking-up-with-Seth possibility. I'd never get anything accomplished if I lost myself in fantasies. With a sigh, I glanced down at Dante's piece of paper, now crumpled in my hand. I'd clenched it into a ball without even realizing it as I walked. I'd been too preoccupied to even notice†¦ Babies and Seth. The things I wanted most. I forced myself to keep moving toward my car. But as I unlocked the door, I had to wonder ruefully if maybe I shouldn't be so quick to get Jerome back after all. I started following up on Dante's leads the next morning. Leaving my place was a little harder than I'd expected, though. Despite the fact I got ready plenty of mornings without shape-shifting, my closet seemed terribly small. And while my hair seemed fine when I finished it, I had a feeling it'd be frizzy the next time I checked the mirror. The only bright part was when I found Dante's watch under the bed. I thought I'd lost it yesterday, so at least my accessories collection was still respectable. Nonetheless, I had a feeling I was soon going to discover just how much I'd come to rely on my abilities. Locating addresses from Dante's list of names required a little sleuthing here and there, but for the most part, I didn't have much difficulty finding them. Unfortunately, once found, these magicians weren't exactly helpful. One of the ones I visited knew me. She was familiar with Hell's local servants, and while she gave me a small degree of respect, she was as hesitant to answer questions as Dante had insinuated. Two of the other names were people who didn't know me, and that immediately created a problem. With my succubus powers shut off, I had no immortal signature, and both of these people were the types who could sense that. Me coming in and claiming to be a succubus was met with scorn and disbelief. I managed to glean some information from them but nothing of any use. Equally difficult was that not only could they not sense me, I couldn't sense them. Admittedly, a succubus didn't have the same ability to gauge human power the way a full-fledged demon could, but I could occasionally sense magic around a person or object. Today, I was completely blind. I had to rely on my strength to read people, but these dark magicians were as good at cons as Dante. They were well-versed in the art of concealing the truth. It was almost noon by the time I visited the last name, a guy named Greg. I felt pretty discouraged by this point and even cracked and had a cigarette along the way. Greg had no storefront like Dante and mostly worked his spells out of his house, a small bungalow in Wallingford. When he answered the door, his disheveled state told me I'd woken him up. On the bright side, he recognized me, which meant I wouldn't have to convince him I was a succubus. â€Å"What do you want?† he asked suspiciously. He was built big and could have had an impressive physique if he'd ever gone to the gym. It was obvious he hadn't. â€Å"I wanted to talk to you about demon summoning.† â€Å"I don't know anything about it.† He started to shut the door. I stuck my foot out to block it. â€Å"Wait. Do you know anyone who would?† â€Å"No. And even if I did, what makes you think I'd tell you?† He tried to close the door again, then paused. He narrowed his already too-small eyes at me. â€Å"There's something weird about you. No aura.† I didn't answer right away. â€Å"Maybe you're losing your touch.† This actually brought a small smile. â€Å"Not likely. What happened? Who got summoned?† â€Å"No one. And even if they did, what makes you think I'd tell you?† I mimicked. He laughed, a guttural sound that came from low in his throat. When the laughter faded, he studied me for several long seconds, face cunning and speculative. â€Å"Okay. I'll talk to you.† He pushed the door open. â€Å"Come on in.† I gingerly stepped into his living room. The place was a disaster. Dirty dishes were piled on the coffee table, the remains of food hardened and crusty. Dust coated every piece of furniture, and the wood floor looked like it hadn't been swept since the last century. Uneasily, I wondered if my new humanlike body was susceptible to germs. Several books were piled on the couch, their covers meant to look sinister in shades of black and red with drawings of pentagrams. It put me in mind of Evan's faux Satanic accoutrements, though as hard as it was to believe, Evan had a thousand times more class than this guy. Greg offered me neither a chair nor refreshments, which was fine by me. He stood in front of me, arms crossed. â€Å"Well? What do you want to know?† â€Å"I want to know if you've done any demon summoning lately.† â€Å"Not that any demons have been summoned, of course.† â€Å"This is speculative,† I replied with a simpering smile. I studied as much of his home as I could while I spoke. Beyond him, I could see an equally messy kitchen with a gas stove and magnet-covered refrigerator. â€Å"You think if I'd summoned a demon, I'd be living like this? Fuck, I'd have plasma-screen TVs and concubines.† I recalled the discussion with my friends, noting that any human who'd summoned Jerome would simply keep the demon hidden and not use it for personal gain and errands. Still, if Greg had summoned Jerome on behalf of another demon, there would have been some reward involved. Maybe it wouldn't entail TVs or concubines, but it seemed like there'd be some sign of a windfall here. Maybe he'd gotten a Swiss bank account. â€Å"Okay. You know anyone who recently acquired concubines?† â€Å"Nope. But I can give you some names of people who'd be more likely.† He listed two of the magicians I'd already visited. â€Å"I've talked to them.† â€Å"Sorry. Not my problem.† My eyes returned to the books on the couch. I stepped toward them. â€Å"May I?† â€Å"Knock yourself out.† I picked up one of the books, skimming through it in hopes of finding information about summoning. Nope. It was fluffy â€Å"evil† stuff, exactly like the Army of Darkness' propaganda. The second book proved the same. The third, however, was a legitimate spell book, filled with the kind of dark rites Dante practiced. Hopeful, I flipped through the pages one by one. It had some vile contents, but there was nothing about summoning. Greg's willingness to let me browse the books should have been a tip-off that they contained nothing of use. â€Å"All done?† I jerked around. Greg's voice was close to me-too close. I'd had my back to him while checking out the books, but now he was right behind me. I took a few steps back and bumped the couch. â€Å"Yeah,† I said nervously. â€Å"Thanks for the help. I should leave now.† â€Å"Not yet,† he said, moving closer. â€Å"You just got here.† I tried to wriggle off to the side, but his hands suddenly reached out and grabbed a hold of my arms, pinning me into place. â€Å"What are you doing?† I demanded. There went my heart rate again. â€Å"I don't know what's going on with all this summoning stuff, but I do know there's a succubus here who doesn't feel like a succubus anymore, which probably means you can't fight like one.† I tried to break from his grasp, but his hands were like steel. â€Å"You're crazy. Of course I'm a succubus. You know I am.† â€Å"Yeah? Then shape-shift away from me. Turn into a bird. Turn into a bodybuilder.† I clenched my teeth and tried to shake his hold again. â€Å"Let me go, you son of a bitch. You hurt me, and a whole host of demons are going to show up and rip you limb from limb.† â€Å"Not so sure about that,† he chuckled. â€Å"This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. You think any succubus would fuck someone like me?† He shoved me down onto the couch, one strong arm pinning me in place while the other hand fumbled awkwardly under my shirt and grabbed a hold of my breast. Moving his head close, he tried to press his lips against mine, but I turned my head just in time. â€Å"Let me go!† I screamed. I managed to wriggle a leg free and knee him in the gut. It wasn't enough to free me, but it made him scowl. I'd worried about getting hit by cars, meteors, and structurally unsound overpasses. Never, never had I thought about being raped. It hadn't been a fear of mine for centuries, not since I realized I could shape-shift into someone larger and stronger, someone capable of throwing off any assailant. Maybe it shouldn't have bothered me so much. I'd had sex with plenty of people I didn't like over the years. I'd always grimaced and waited it out. But there was something about this that was different. It wasn't my choice, and compounding it all was the feeling of helplessness I had. I hated not having options. I hated not being able to think my way out of something. There was nothing to be done, though. Not this time. The most I could do was keep struggling and flailing. I did have some self-defense training, after all. I'd learned to use weapons and punch over the years. I'd nailed Niphon pretty good at Christmas. Unfortunately, what I could do now was limited with Greg on me like this. He simply outweighed me. Still, my efforts must have proven annoying because Greg growled and grabbed both my arms in an attempt to flip me over. I yelled profanities at him and got another knee-jab in, close to his groin but not close enough. And that's when it happened. The smell hit me first. An overwhelming and suffocating odor of natural gas. I stopped struggling for half a second. I didn't need to be human to know that meant trouble. Before I could process that further, the kitchen exploded into flames. Fire expanded out into the living room. It didn't quite reach us, but I think Greg must have still gotten burned because he screamed in pain and released his hold on me. His body had shielded the worst from me, and mostly all I felt was a rolling wave of heat and air. I didn't bother to think or question anything. Greg had released me in his confusion, and I bolted. I scrambled from the couch and ran out the front door, away from the fire. Away from Greg. I drove off as fast as I could, my Passat's tires squealing on the pavement. Sweat poured off me, and my hands could barely grip the steering wheel through their shaking. About a mile away, I heard the singing of sirens, but I couldn't spare a thought for what had happened. I couldn't think about whether Greg had made it out or not. I couldn't think about how a gas leak had miraculously saved me. The only thing I could think about now was getting away and getting to safety.