The Effects Of Technology On Childhood Obesity - 983 Words

The effects technology has on childhood obesity Twenty five percent of children in the US are overweight and a shocking eleven percent of them are obese (Dehghan, Akhtar-Danesh and Merchant). Child hood obesity is a forerunner to one of the United States greatest public health crisis. The growth of technology has had a major impact on childhood obesity. Obesity is a widespread epidemic and is getting incredibly worse as technology increases. The use of technology relates directly with childhood obesity because it has been proven that technology has made children live more sedentary lifestyles versus active lifestyles. Also, television commercials influence children to increase their food intake as well as advertise foods extremely high in sugar and fat. Childhood obesity is mainly caused because of personal lifestyle choices and environmental factors, such as where the child is living. (Dehghan, Akhtar-Danesh and Merchant). In this paper I will address why technology has a direct cor relation with the soaring childhood obesity rate in our society. In the fast past sedentary lifestyles we live today make technology such an efficient way to get things done. Although technology has it perks and has made a remarkable contribution to our society, it is often overlooked that it is negatively affecting our health. For parents, it seems easiest to just give your child a phone or computer to play on to keep them occupied. What parents aren’t realizing by doing so is that that is aShow MoreRelatedWhy has Childhood Obesity Become a Paramount Problem in the United States?1609 Words   |  7 Pages According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, â€Å"Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents in the past 30 years,† (â€Å"Childhood Obesity Facts†). The monumental question that researchers seem to be asking is why the increase now? Childhood obesity has become a paramount problem in the United States in recent years due to various social, biological and technological factors that ultimately requires immediate assistance in order to promote a healthierRead MoreChildhood Obesity : An Epidemic1036 Words   |  5 PagesRainsu Kumbhani All About Childhood Obesity Childhood obesity is an epidemic in U.S. In the year of 2012, about â€Å"one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese.† Also, percentages of childhood obesity have increased by over ten percent in the last thirty years in children and adolescents (Childhood Obesity Facts 2015). These statistics are shocking, and many people are concerned for the health of their children. This medical condition, as defined by Mayo Clinic, leads to seriousRead MoreObesity The Problem Of Children!. Are You Aware Of1662 Words   |  7 Pages Obesity the problem of children! Are you aware of that over million American children are struggling with obesity? Obesity is a serious medical and psychological condition that affects children, adult, and elderly people. According to WHO, People who are above the normal weight for their age and height are called obese. Being overweight an early age has been global problematic. As Cause, high number of obesity results from an abnormal intake of unhealthy food and drink and also unable toRead MoreCauses of Childhood Obesity630 Words   |  3 Pageshowever, can be a problem to many children. This is referred to as obesity, when it occurs among children between ages 2 and 8 it is called childhood referred. Childhood obesity has been on the rise for the past few decades and it is making the lives of children shorter. Childhood obesity can be the outcome of many influences. Economic factors, an unmonitored environment, and lack of activity, are some effects of childhood obesity. To start with, the first and major reason causing children to beRead MoreChildhood Obesity : A Epidemic Of Today s Youth1108 Words   |  5 PagesChildhood Obesity Have you ever been told to clean your plate because there are starving kids in Africa? This is a phrase you probably heard from your mother during childhood. With the difference ,in portion control, on the go meals, and lack of exercise in today,s youth, this question can cause a child to be a statistic of childhood obesity. Childhood obesity is one of the United States most leading medical epidemic of today’s youth. According to the Center for Disease Control, seventeen percentRead MoreVideo Mediums and Childhood Obesity971 Words   |  4 PagesVideo Mediums and Childhood Obesity Childhood Obesity has now reached a critical level. The main reason for the growing number of obese children is inactivity. With obesity in children being related to many health issues, it is important that we not only stop the rise in childhood obesity, but reverse it. With their health at risk, it is imperative that we assure our children are in good physical shape and at healthy weight levels. The stakes are quite high, according to the U.S. DepartmentRead MoreTechnology Is Making The Citizens Of The World1336 Words   |  6 PagesObesity has dramatically increased due to the progression of technology in the form of currency, entertainment, and the prosperity of our country causing humans to gain weight. As one goes through his or her life they constantly see people with their faces lodged into the screen of the technology they are using. They seem to be lost and oblivious to the outside world. The technology created seems to have a positive effect upon the lives of peo ple around the world, however these false visions overlookRead MoreMedia Influences on Childhood Obesity 1272 Words   |  6 Pagesbest pieces of technology in our world. Since then my brother’s free time outside running around has decreased drastically. His eyes and hands are glued to his IPhone 4s. Finding him playing basketball or throwing a football around in my yard when I go home on the weekends has become less and less. This is just one of thousands of children whose physical activity has suffered due to technology. Today our society has created the perception to children that without the latest technology they are notRead MoreThe Path to Success in Childhood Obesity Essay example679 Words   |  3 PagesThe current success of fad diets is most likely overestimated (Bombak, 2014). Most weight loss is attributed to the compound effects of both diet and exercise, but once the pattern is ceased most actually regains the weight that was lost. It is also determined that extreme weight loss is actually harmful. This rapid loss in weight causes the body to increase stress hormones, releases organic pollutants, and increases one risk of osteoporosis due to excess consumption of calcium from the bonesRead MoreThe Effects Of Advertising On Childhood Obesity Essay1042 Words   |  5 Pagesgrowing technology, has moved on to things such as radio, television and the internet. In this day and age, advertisement techniques can be considered almost predatory in nature targeting people who are interested in new forms of technology, gaming, clothing and even food. It has become easier for a products influence to make its way into people s homes. Even though television advertisements can be incredibly powerful tools, they cannot be held entirely accountable for childhood obesity because

Succubus Dreams CHAPTER 23 Free Essays

I couldn’t stay in my bedroom after that, not after seeing two angels die – one physically and one spiritually. I had to get out of there, out of the apartment. None of the others seemed to notice or care that I fled. We will write a custom essay sample on Succubus Dreams CHAPTER 23 or any similar topic only for you Order Now With Nyx captured, there were bigger things to worry about in the universe than one distraught succubus. I’d been driving in the car for about ten minutes before I realized where I was going. Dante’s. Vincent’s talk about the evil charm suddenly seemed unimportant. What I needed right now was to talk to someone about what I’d seen. Seth wouldn’t entirely understand, and besides, matters still weren’t fixed between us. Discussing serious things with the vampires was hard for me sometimes. I was still mad at Hugh. I wouldn’t bother Erik since he was still recovering. Dante was all I had left. He opened the door to his store after I banged on it for about five minutes. The messy hair and wrinkled clothing showed me that I’d woken him again. He looked annoyed, as usual, when I walked inside. â€Å"Didn’t it work? I told you – † He took a closer look at me. â€Å"What happened?† I staggered to one of the chairs and collapsed into it, hands resting on the side of my forehead. I could have been a mirror of Yasmine. I opened my mouth to speak, to explain what had happened†¦but no words came out. He knelt beside me. â€Å"Succubus. You’re freaking me out here. What happened?† I stared blankly at him for several seconds before finally focusing on his concerned face. â€Å"She fell.† â€Å"Huh? Nyx?† â€Å"No†¦Yasmine.† â€Å"Who?† My eyes went unfocused again as I remembered that black flame. The horrible sound. Blinking, I tried to shake it off and turn my attention to Dante. â€Å"She’s an angel. Was an angel. Maybe she still is. I don’t know. Fuck, I don’t know. I don’t know what she is.† He reached out and gripped my arms, shaking me slightly to get my attention again. â€Å"Look, you’re losing me. I don’t know how an angel falling ties into Nyx. If it ties into Nyx. You’ve gotta calm down and start from the beginning. Take a deep breath.† I did. â€Å"Now another.† I did. â€Å"Now talk.† I did. It was hard at first, and I had a few false starts. Finally, however, I was able to back up and explain the cast of angels to Dante. The story slowly spilled from my lips, and I told him all about what had happened: Nyx’s capture, Joel’s death, and Yasmine’s fall. He kept his hands on my arms when I finished, and I later realized it was to steady me. I was shaking. Several quiet minutes passed as we sat there. He exhaled at last and shook his head. â€Å"Fuck, succubus. That’s a lot for one night. Even for you.† He touched my chin with his hand and tilted my face up. â€Å"But you know angels fall. You know they still fall. All the time.† â€Å"But I’ve never seen it,† I whispered. â€Å"In all this time†¦ I’ve never known anyone who was an angel and then became a demon. All the demons I know†¦well, they’ve always been demons. I never saw them when they were angels.† â€Å"First time for everything.† I met his eyes. â€Å"But I liked her.† I expected some comment like, â€Å"Bad things happen to good people.† Instead, he just shook his head. â€Å"I’m sorry.† I swallowed back tears – I’d already cried enough tonight – and leaned forward, resting my head against his chest, just as I had the other night. He ran a hand down my hair and rocked me. â€Å"What hope is there?† I asked. â€Å"If even angels fall, what hope is there for the rest of us?† â€Å"There isn’t,† he said. â€Å"We’re on our own. And we have to make the choices we think are best for our own survival. If your angel friend had been thinking like that, she wouldn’t have fallen.† â€Å"But that’s the thing†¦angels don’t think about themselves, right? They’re selfless.† â€Å"Maybe,† he said doubtfully. â€Å"She let things get that far with the nephilim†¦that wasn’t really selfless. Now they’re both fucked, and we’ve got another member in the club.† â€Å"What club?† â€Å"The club. Our club. The one for people who make one mistake and are punished forever because of it.† He paused. â€Å"It’s a pretty big club.† I gently pulled out of the embrace. â€Å"What did you do?† â€Å"Hmm?† â€Å"Your one mistake. Vincent found the charm†¦he said it was horrible. Black magic. He said you had to have done something really bad to make it.† Dante’s eyes were sad as he regarded me. â€Å"You really want to know?† I nodded. â€Å"No. You don’t. Right now, for the first time, you’re talking to me like maybe I’m not the biggest asshole on earth. I tell you the truth†¦and you’ll lose all respect for me.† â€Å"I won’t. I’ll respect you more.† He rolled his eyes. â€Å"People always say noble things in hypothetical situations. ‘I’d never cheat on my spouse.’ ‘I’d return the million dollars that I found on the street.’ It’s bullshit.† â€Å"It’s not,† I argued. â€Å"I respect the truth.† â€Å"But you won’t like it. Why do you think I didn’t kiss you that day outside Erik’s? I joke about wanting to sleep with you – hell, I do want to sleep with you – but if we’d done it, you’d have felt how little energy I really have.† â€Å"I buy the low energy thing, but I still want to know the story behind it.† His eyes narrowed in frustration. â€Å"Look, succubus. I don’t even think I could tell the story if I wanted to. It’s too hard.† His comment about kissing suddenly inspired me. â€Å"Can you show me?† â€Å"What?† I moved toward him. â€Å"Kiss me. I can hardly get any energy from you, but if you open yourself to the memory, I should be able to feel pieces of it.† I hoped that was true, at least. While my lovers’ thoughts and feelings came through to me during sex, it wasn’t exactly a system we could control. I couldn’t summon up specific things. Usually what I felt was whatever the guy was thinking about just then. More often than not, it was amazement or perhaps a guilty conscience over the lover he was cheating on. But maybe†¦maybe if Dante was specifically thinking of whatever he had done, it would come through. It was worth a shot. I leaned closer to him. He didn’t move, so I went in all the way and kissed him. Initially, it was just a kiss – all physical. Gradually, I started to get a bit of his life force – but it was just like he’d said. His soul was too dark. The life energy that flowed into me was barely a trickle. It was only a few drops, like a leaking faucet. Then†¦once I’d assessed the energy, I felt something else. I felt his soul – felt why it was so black, so devoid of the shining life most humans had. That blackness began pouring into me, that sickening and oozing evil†¦and there, behind it, was despair and anger and hopelessness and frustration. It was nauseating. Blackness and blood. I wanted to pull away, but I had to see what he was hiding. The memory came through to me in disjointed images, but I was able to piece them together and form a narrative. I saw a sister. Older than him by ten years. She’d taken care of him throughout his childhood – both in a motherly way and as an instructor. She was a psychic too. She’d taught him how to harness his power, to tap the magic of the world that was unseen to most humans. She had been powerful, but he was even stronger. It hadn’t been enough, though. He’d wanted more than to simply control his power – he’d wanted to enhance it. But as Hugh and Vincent had told me, few humans were born with the magnitude of power that he’d craved. So, he’d taken it. Ripped it out. From her. I saw his face when he killed her, felt his pain as the dagger touched her throat. She was half-mother and half-sister to him, but he stole her life anyway. And with that act, his power had grown by magnitudes – both because he’d gained hers and because of the spell involved. The blood of the innocent always brings power, and the black magic intertwined in this death brought it in spades. It had left him feeling like a god. And wishing he were dead. He’d damned himself. He still loved the power, still loved wielding it†¦but after killing his sister, he’d hated himself. He’d withdrawn from the world, trying to bury his memories in drugs and alcohol, only occasionally using his powers for small, nickel-and-dime con jobs. I broke the kiss, not wanting to see or feel anymore. If we went further, I’d probably see what he had to do to make the charm. It wouldn’t be as bad as what he’d done to his sister, but I was through with all this. Wide-eyed, I scooted away from him on the floor. â€Å"She was Erik’s lover,† I said softly. I’d had a brief glimpse of Tanya – that was her name – and Erik together. â€Å"She was the woman in the picture. That’s why he hates you.† Dante nodded. â€Å"The three of us†¦we were going to do great things. We were all so fucking talented, you know?† He rested a hand on his head, eyes full of grief. â€Å"Unsurprisingly, Erik chose to end our friendship after this. He wanted to kill me†¦he should have. He really should have. But, well. He’s not that kind of guy.† â€Å"No,† I agreed, voice cold. â€Å"He’s not.† I stood up and backed away from Dante, who was still sitting on the floor. He looked up and realized what I was doing. The miserable face turned angry. â€Å"Leaving so soon?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Well. Thanks for stopping by. And thanks for proving me right.† â€Å"About†¦?† He threw his hands in the air. â€Å"This. I told you you’d hate me.† â€Å"I don’t – † I stopped. I did hate him. I couldn’t help it, not after seeing how much he and his sister had loved each other. Not after realizing how much this must have hurt Erik. â€Å"Dante†¦what you did†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Was a mistake. One I would take back if I could. One mistake to damn me forever. Just like your angel friend. Just like you.† â€Å"No,† I said. â€Å"It’s not the same. Yasmine fell because of love.† â€Å"She fell because of selfishness,† he argued. â€Å"But I won’t challenge that point. Tell me about you. Did you fall because of love?† I didn’t say anything. I’d fallen because of lust. I’d cheated on my husband because I was hurt and lonely and bored and†¦well, because I could. Dante regarded me sharply. â€Å"You see? I get it. You fucked up too. I understand you – you’re not going to find too many people who do. I bet your boyfriend doesn’t.† â€Å"He accepts me.† â€Å"But does he understand? Have you ever told him in painstaking detail what you did?† â€Å"No, but it doesn’t matter.† Dante stood up and approached me. â€Å"It does matter! Being with him is a joke. It can’t work. I’m not saying you have some great romantic future with me either, but at the very least, you should stick with people who know where you’ve come from.† â€Å"Right. Hanging out with you means I’d just drink and hate life.† â€Å"Your point?† â€Å"Seth makes me hope for better things. Makes me want to be better.† â€Å"But there’s no point!† exclaimed Dante. â€Å"Why don’t you get that? Things can’t change for you. Even your own fucking palms say so.† â€Å"No†¦Nyx said†¦Nyx said the dream could come true. The man in the dream – â€Å" † – was her scamming you. You would have fallen for it, too, if your angel hadn’t fallen first.† I clenched my teeth. â€Å"Her dreams are true. Seth and I – â€Å" † – are going to get married? Run off into the sunset? Have babies? Succubus! Wake up!† Dante was shouting, his face inches from mine. â€Å"It can’t happen. Not for you. Maybe it can for him – but not with you. Every day you spend with him just ensures his life is going to be as empty and meaningless as yours.† â€Å"That’s not true!† I screamed. â€Å"We’re happy. We’re going to be happy together, and I don’t care if you don’t believe me. I’m never going to see or speak to you again. I know why Erik hates you, and I hate you too.† I kicked the door open. â€Å"You deserve to burn in Hell.† I left him, but I still couldn’t make myself go home. With nothing else to do, I simply found a twenty-four-hour diner and drank coffee, pointedly ignoring anyone who talked to me. I watched the sun come up over the Olympic Mountains and finally went to work when the bookstore opened. I helped out with the last-minute Christmas rush, doing mindless and mechanical tasks. We were closing early that day, and everyone was finishing up their shopping. It was hectic and crazy, but it gave my zombie-like body something to do. When we closed, it was nearly time for me to take Maddie to the airport. She needed a few more Christmas purchases herself and asked if I’d swing downtown with her. After witnessing the death of an angel, shopping seemed like the most trivial thing in the world. Still†¦I had nothing else to do, so I agreed. I probably would have agreed to anything. Downtown Seattle was decked out in its Christmas finery, with lights and wreaths strung along the shopping nexus that centered around Fourth Avenue. At four in the afternoon, it was already dark outside. Rain pounded down on the pavement, the kind of torrential downpour most people believed we had year-round. Really, it only rained in the winter, and that was usually a drizzly type. This heavy stuff was a rare event, as though perhaps the heavens mourned Joel’s passing. Through a window, I watched the rain and pedestrians fighting with umbrellas while Maddie searched in Banana Republic for something for her sister. I’d half-heartedly looked for a present for Seth, but my motivation eventually faded, and anyway, there was no way to compete with the ring. I still wore it around my neck. It felt heavy today. Along with my grief over what had happened to Yasmine, I still kept thinking about Nyx. In particular, I kept thinking about what she’d said to me. The man in the dream. Who was the man in the dream? The question consumed me, as futile as it was. I kept repeating Dante’s words, trying to tell myself it didn’t matter – that the whole thing had been a hoax. But that dark silhouette still haunted my mind’s eye, and some part of me believed that if I knew his identity, then maybe it could all be real. â€Å"Georgina?† I turned from the rainy street and saw Vincent standing in front of me. Beyond him, a preoccupied Maddie flipped through a rack of cardigans. I’d thought he looked grief-stricken in my apartment, but that was nothing compared to what I saw now. His face was pinched and pale. His eyes were glassy and red, but whether from crying or lack of sleep, I couldn’t say. Probably both. He handed me my apartment key. â€Å"Just wanted to give this back.† I took it. â€Å"You didn’t need to find me for that. You could have left it.† â€Å"Yeah.† He stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked at the ground. â€Å"I guess I just†¦wanted to talk to someone.† â€Å"Have you, um, seen Yasmine?† He shook his head. â€Å"Nope. I don’t know what happened to her. I mean, I know†¦she’s off somewhere in Hell. Maybe they have orientation or something. I don’t know. Whatever it is, it must be awful. And it’s my fault.† â€Å"It’s not,† I said automatically. â€Å"It was her choice.† â€Å"She did it for me, though.† â€Å"It doesn’t matter why. The point is that she did it willingly. It isn’t your place to question the decisions she makes.† As the words left my mouth, I had a total holy shit moment. I was saying exactly what everyone had been telling me about Seth. I was saying exactly what Seth himself had been telling me for so long. â€Å"I guess. I don’t know.† He sighed. â€Å"It’s so fucking stupid too. All these years, we’ve been so cautious to stay at arm’s length, so she wouldn’t fall. We were so good – holding back from what we wanted. And then, we get the same results from a stupid moment of confusion and passion. It just happened so fast, you know? I acted to protect her, she acted to protect me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He trailed off and looked as though he might weep. I kind of felt like that myself. It’s a pretty big club, Dante had said. â€Å"But†¦if she’s already fallen†¦well. Maybe you guys can be together now.† Vincent shook his head and gave me a small smile that made him look sadder than when he hadn’t been smiling. â€Å"I don’t know. I don’t even know if she’ll meet with me now. Something tells me she won’t want me to see her like that.† â€Å"And how do you feel?† â€Å"I love her unconditionally†¦or, well, at least†¦I loved Yasmine the angel unconditionally. She’s not that woman anymore. I mean, she may hate what’s happened†¦she may be miserable. But eventually, she’ll settle in. They always do. And then she’ll be one of them. She won’t be the same Yasmine, and I don’t know if I can love her or if she can love me. Part of what made her such a great person was that she resisted that temptation†¦and I think she felt the same about me.† I forgot Vincent for a moment as my attention turned inward, toward my own situation. Again, it was like Seth and me, I realized. The continual tension in our arrangement was a pain, yet the morals it was based on were part of what attracted us. He might have said he was okay with us not having sex, but I think some part of him loved me because of my continual refusal to give in to that. Likewise, I loved his stead-fastness – not only in abstaining from me but from other lovers as well. It was part of what had made the fight so shocking. I didn’t expect him to be weak. And yet†¦even if we admired each other for our principles, was it worth it? And had that really been weakness on his part? Vincent and Yasmine had been together much longer than Seth and I had, torturing themselves in the same way. In the end, it had done them no good. Things had unfolded as they had. â€Å"Star-crossed love isn’t as glamorous as it seems,† Vincent said, perhaps guessing my thoughts. â€Å"I never believed it was.† â€Å"Sometimes I think†¦well, maybe it would have been better if she and I had never been together at all. These years have been wonderful†¦but well, she’d still be the woman I loved if I’d never gotten involved.† I didn’t know about that. Surely, brief moments of joy were worth the pain that might follow? Wasn’t that why I was with Seth, despite knowing he’d eventually die? Maybe Seth had been right about taking chances. Life was short. Maybe you needed to seize what good you could. It was all so confusing, and all of a sudden, I wanted to talk to Seth about all of this – about living life and taking risks, about what made us love one another, and about what made our relationship worth fighting for. I didn’t want to make the mistakes Yasmine and Vincent had. Seth and I needed to sit down with open minds and make this thing with us work. â€Å"What are you going to do now?† I asked Vincent. I didn’t think now was the best time to argue relationship philosophy with him. He gestured vaguely behind him. â€Å"Leave town. Even being masked, I know they’re looking for me. I need to hide out somewhere.† I nodded. I was sad to see him go, but I knew what the other angels and demons would do if they found him. So, I wished him well and shared a brief hug before he departed. As I watched him leave, I again pondered the cautionary tale he represented. Growing anxious, I hoped this airport trip would go quickly so that I could call Seth. Wandering to the other side of the store, I found Maddie paying for her purchases. â€Å"Who was that guy?† she asked me, handing over her credit card. â€Å"He was cute. Bedraggled†¦but cute.† â€Å"He’s had a long day,† I told her. And a long eternity to go. â€Å"He’s just a friend.† â€Å"Is he single?† I thought about it. â€Å"Yeah, I guess he is.† While I waited for her, I looked over at a nearby mirror. Maddie was still going strong with her new cute and stylish self. She’d gotten a haircut too, the layering of which made her face appear delicate and lovely. The slacks and sweater, though simple, looked sleek and elegant on her. By contrast, I looked kind of like the ugly stepsister. Oh, I still had the nice figure and pretty face born of shape-shifting, but I’d thrown on jeans and an old coat, not really concerned with high fashion today. I also hadn’t bothered to shape-shift my hair. I’d simply brushed it into a high ponytail. Most telling of all was my face. I wore as much grief as Vincent. There was a hollowness to my eyes that startled me. It counteracted all the other beauty of my features. Glancing back at Maddie, I realized she was the hot one today. When we finally hit the road to the airport, traffic was as horrible as I’d expected. I-5 was at a standstill, and with my luck lately, there was probably an accident up ahead to compound the rush hour and holiday mess. Sighing, I settled back into my seat. â€Å"Okay,† I told Maddie, desperately needing distraction. â€Å"What’s the report? What adventurous things have you done? I’m pretty sure you’ve more than met your quota.† â€Å"Well,† she began. â€Å"There’s the new clothes, of course. You’ve seen a lot of them, and I own more lingerie than I ever have in my life. I was always kind of afraid of it, but there’s so much cute stuff out there, you know?† â€Å"Yup. I sure do.† â€Å"I got a bunch of high heels too. I’m still kind of learning to walk in them, but I’m doing okay, I think.† She groaned and looked like the snarky feminist writer she was. â€Å"I feel like†¦well, like a girl.† I smiled and looked at the cars ahead of me. All the variables were in place for an accident, so I had to be careful. In this kind of stop and go, people tended to cease paying attention and fall into a lull. That was how cars got rear-ended. It was also an oddity that Seattle drivers had trouble driving in the rain. â€Å"You seemed fine in the heels to me. What else have you done? Other than shopping?† â€Å"I signed up for a judo class.† â€Å"You did not.† â€Å"I so did,† she said, laughing. â€Å"It was the craziest class I could think of. Besides, I can finally get back at Doug after all those years he used to pull my hair.† â€Å"Well-deserved,† I said. I moved over to the farthest lane, with the futile hope that it might move a fraction faster. â€Å"Anything else?† â€Å"Mmm†¦well. I started looking for my own place.† â€Å"That’s a good idea.† â€Å"And checking out flights to some places I’ve always wanted to see.† â€Å"Another good idea.† â€Å"And I slept with Seth.† I nearly drove into the median. â€Å"What?† I said, jerking the wheel back to my own lane. Maddie had her hands stretched out protectively. â€Å"Did you say Seth?† â€Å"Yeah†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Seth Mortensen?† She sounded incredulous. â€Å"Of course. Who else?† It was one of those things that was so ludicrous, I couldn’t even fully react. It was like saying, â€Å"Hey, did you notice the earth just exploded?† It wasn’t real because all the rest of the data in your known world said it was impossible. My brain wasn’t going to bother processing it yet. Wasted cells. â€Å"How†¦I mean, what†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I shook my head. â€Å"Explain.† I could see by her face that she was dying to. This was what had been bursting in her in my office yesterday. â€Å"Well, two nights ago, I ran back to the bookstore after closing because I’d left something. I saw Seth out in the parking lot. He’d been out somewhere and was coming back to get his car.† â€Å"Somewhere† was my apartment. That had been the night of the fight. â€Å"Anyway,† she continued. â€Å"He looked kind of down, and I remembered what you’d said about taking risks. Plus, he still owed me the date, right? So, I asked him out for a drink, and he said sure.† I tried not to drive into the median again. â€Å"He didn’t drink, did he?† â€Å"No, not alcohol. But we stayed out really late, and we had a great time. You can’t even imagine how great he is to talk to. He comes across as shy, but once you get to know him†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She sighed happily. â€Å"He thinks like I do too†¦wants to do all sorts of things, go places†¦Anyway, the place finally closed, and he asked if I wanted to go hang out at his place for a while.† I couldn’t even look at her now. â€Å"Seth†¦asked you back to his place?† â€Å"Well, if we went back to mine, we’d have to hang out with Doug, and we just wanted to talk more. And we did†¦except, well, after a while†¦we stopped talking. And one thing kind of led to another.† She exhaled, like she still couldn’t believe it herself. â€Å"I never do things like that. Not so soon. But, well, he’s a nice guy, you know? And I wanted to do something adventurous†¦Ã¢â‚¬  No, no, no. This really wasn’t happening. This was a dream. This was Nyx getting back at me for not helping her. She was sending me a nightmare, one I hoped I’d wake up from soon. I didn’t realize how long I’d been quiet until Maddie hesitantly asked, â€Å"Georgina? You still with me? You don’t think†¦you don’t think I was too easy, do you?† There was fear in her voice, fear of my disappointment and disapproval. â€Å"Huh? No†¦no†¦of course not.† I took a deep breath. â€Å"So, um, it was good?† â€Å"Oh, yeah!† She gave a nervous giggle. â€Å"I can’t believe I’m even talking about this. But, yeah, Seth’s a great lover. He’s really attentive.† â€Å"Yeah, I imagine he would be.† â€Å"God, I can’t believe this happened.† That made two of us. â€Å"What’s going to happen now? Was it†¦a fling?† After all, what else could it be? Seth was with me, right? I had no reason to be upset. I’d given him the go-ahead to get sex elsewhere. In fact†¦I had told him to that night. If he wanted to sleep with her, that was fine. But obviously, it meant nothing. It had to be a fling, right? Right? â€Å"I don’t know,† she admitted. â€Å"I hope not. I really like him†¦and it was so great. I feel like we really connected†¦like the auction hadn’t just been because he felt sorry for me. He said he would call and we’d go out again sometime.† Once more, she turned timid and unsure. â€Å"You don’t think†¦you don’t think he’s the kind of guy who’d just say something like that and not mean it, do you?† She was the Maddie I’d known before, the one who looked up to me and wanted my guidance. The one who didn’t trust men. I stared ahead and decided maybe the heavens were weeping for me now. After several moments, I finally said, â€Å"No, Maddie. If he says he wants to go out, he means it. That’s the kind of guy he is.† How to cite Succubus Dreams CHAPTER 23, Essay examples

Analysis Oraganization Structure And Nature Of Business - Free Sample

Question-Choose any one of the CHINESE MNCs and analyse its organizational structure and nature of business operation. Are there any lessons to be learned from Chinese MNC business experience? INTRODUCTION China continues to be the worlds most emerging top most multinationals that seek to set up the existence and expand their footstep in the 2nd largest economy of the world (aicpa.org 2008). The Chinese multinationals play a key role. In any case China has advanced rapidly, as have Chinese homegrown businesses. It is an aggressive environment and Chinese household players are currently raising the stakes, with worldwide yearnings for their own particular brands. Since China opened its ways to the West 30years back, there has been a sensational change in China's financial fortune. The advancement of Chinese organizations from shut entryway seclusion to internationalization, and even worldwide mix for a few, has been emotional and quick. As these firms developed, there have been real shifts in talent management, human resources, technology management and also corporate strategy which are giving a competitive edge to the Chinese firms. European and American have started to fear and notice the shifts that the Chinese MNCs are taking (kpmg.com 2013). Does The Intricacy of The Topic Intimidate You? Tame Your Fear with Unmatched Assignment Help Services from Professional Writers. This essay will examine the key success factors of the Lenovo, the Chinas leading computer technology organization. The essay focuses on discussing the strategies that had made Lenovo successfully globalized. The essay describes the evolution of the company, the structure of the organization and also the drivers that has lead the organization to head towards the success. OVERVIEW OF LENOVO Lenovo is one of the biggest well known PC creators on the planet. Today, Lenovo strives to be the worldwide piece of the overall industry pioneer in each of the business they serve. On September 24, in 2004, Lenovo obtained the individual machine business and the brand "Thinkpad" popular machine IBM in the IT business everywhere throughout the world. This historic point transaction is taken as its most paramount phase of the worldwide procedure in the machine business (lenovo.com 2012). This marks the trinity Lenovo's internationalization system has climbed to another stage, which shows that Lenovo officially in the United States built a brand-name picture confinement. Presently, the Lenovo has turned into the worldwide application organization (deals) that have their bundle plants in additional than 7 nations and collaboration plants in numerous nations and make the neighborhood ventures business permit and circulation contract. Lenovo is likewise one of the major worldwide organiz ations (deals), and it has it generation plants in 7 nations, its items are showcasing in about 160 nations (China Hands 2014). ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE Headquarter of Lenovo is located in Hong Kong. It has around 66 branches with sales and distribution in around 50 different countries. The organization has research centers in Japan, China, Yamato, Beijing and Shanghai. Lenovo operates assembly and manufacturing facilities in Mexico, India, US and China. The founder of the organization is Liu Chuanzhi who has transformed the overall organization. Under his leadership, the organization had set up an incentive mechanism and option plan that has helped many people go aboard in their initial position of leadership itself. Presently the organization is run under the leadership of Yang Yuanqing who is the present CEO of the organization. Under his leadership the organization continues to have a robust business impetus, profitability in their earnings and also delivering trace revenue. To maintain this momentum, there are other leadership positions like CFO, CTO, COO and other positions based on the different functions of the organization w ho support the CEO to make Lenovo more profitable and the global player in the computer technology market (Lenovo.com 2014). STRATEGIES TO SUSTAIN IN COMPETITIVENESS To sustain in this competitive world, the organization has developed four different business groups in the year 2014; Cloud and Ecosystem Services that is led by George He, who is the CTO of the organization his main responsibility is to build up an ecosystem that drives the strategy for expanding the ecosystem and also for monetization. Next is the Enterprise that is led by Gerry Smith. The main aim is to forcefully fabricate another, quickly developing benefit motor in big business, where we as of now have a strong establishment. Another one is the Mobile Business Group led by Liu Jun. This business group is centered on making Lenovo a productive worldwide player in the quickly developing cell phone and tablet and creating our brilliant TV business. Lastly is the PC Business Group led by Gianfranco Lanci. This business group will guarantee that the organization keep on innovating, drive benefits and stretch our lead in our center PC business around the world (News.lenovo.com 2014). Lenovo has three different products in the international market that occupies the first three positions in the industry of computers. The main aim of the organization is to become the first manufacturer of personal computer in the world in the upcoming future. The PC shipment of Lenovo rose by 21%. In China the organization accounts for 46% in its overall revenue (Luk 2014). Lenovo has turned into a ""wonder"" in the Chinese data engineering (IT) industry today due to its interesting managerial methodology and individuals first system. Lenovo Group consumes ''making room to create representatives, updating their quality, and enhancing their working and living quality'' as its mission; thusly workers subordinate their individual interest to Lenovo's long haul improvement. Today, Lenovo is China's biggest and the world's fourth-biggest PC maker, after Acer of Taiwan, Dell of the U.S. and HewlettPackard Co. Lenovo has centered its degree, and as of now produces desktop and note pad PCs, workstations, servers, stockpiling drives, IT administrations and IT administration programming (Fletcher 2014). BUSINESS PROCESS OF LENOVO The business operation of Lenovo, mainly focuses on the developing an efficient marketing activities that help the organization to have a competitive edge in this competitive environment. Lenovo focuses on three factors before choosing their target market: Created rustic market, those customers have solid brand mindfulness. This swarm has structured piece of buying power, Moreover, Lenovo early did the demonstration of the "free movies for countryside" to create the provincial market, the exercises have brought the brand affect, so picking this some piece of the swarm as the target customer bunch, obviously can rapidly enter the country market; Urban communities customers who have the abnormal state of training, higher on affirmation, and are matured underneath 45. Lenovo called this swarm high-end crowd, the swarm is helpful for high-end items deals; Solid brand mindfulness, city customers who have progressed ideas. In the PC market, the effect of Lenovo brand is near preference, so picking such target customers can indulge the needs of such customers (Chu). Expanding upon its past triumphs and concentrating on conveying productive development, Lenovo is re-verbalized its responsibility to five vital pillars; Pursuing excellence in their operations, enhancing the intimacy of the customers, wining in the core businesses, gaining profitability and then building a strong brand(lenovo.com 2008). OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE Lenovo drives its operational efficiency by emphasizing on the main keys areas that help the organization to add efficiency to their process. First is to complete the footstep of global manufacturing expansion and then operates its expertise according to the customer base in different regions. Second Lenovo follows the Lean Six Sigma application in their supply chain process that helps them forecast their accuracy, the process of material management, transition process of the product and also the logistic networks (Ladd 2013). This makes sure that the business management is in place and helps every business process to invest in their core capabilities and also drives the organizational growth. CUSTOMER INTIMACY Lenovo delivers unique customer experience by offering innovative and distinct feature products. This deepens the loyalty of the customer. They also delight the customers experience by designing the high quality PCs and also backing up with the best quality service. In China, Lenovo is additionally well-known for its quality administrations also has won eight recompenses from CCID Consulting for customer fulfillment in the administration and backing nature. To measure and enhance customer fulfillment, Lenovo started the Lenovo Customer Support Review in the 2007/08 financial year as the metric in its administration framework. Lenovo has additionally outlined and actualized a set of markers that empower it to concentrate on customer particular execution and other more extensive zones to enhance general customer experience (lenovo.com 2007). WINNING PRIORITY Apart from delivering the best service, Lenovo also puts their effort in research and development which ensures that the organization understands the pain points of the customers and also makes sure that the product quality is retained as per the need of the customers. The customer service process of the business focuses on the ISO 9001 standard that helps the organization to retain the high quality of the products. Lenovo also has the best designing team that mainly focuses on designing and developing world-class products for the consumers in the market like ThinkPad X300, IdeaPad U110 etc. Thus the main priority of Lenovo to run the business is to augment and maintain the designing capability and also have an edge over its competitors(lenovo.com 2008) According to the business trend or the demand of the market, the organization has developed various strategies that have identified the demand of PC, servers and workstations. Other than further extending its authority position in PC market of China, Lenovo additionally recorded great development in its buyer business in ASEAN nations and India with viable showcasing strategies. In the meantime, Lenovo was in full quality to kick off its worldwide buyer business upon the creation of the purchaser specialty unit. In January 2008, Lenovo declared its official section into the worldwide shopper market with the dispatch of another line of buyer situated and IdeaCentre desktops and IdeaPad notebooks. Lenovo's demonstrated plan of action will empower it to catch the opportunities in the rising nations on the whole topographies. The take off of the transaction plan of action outside China has laid imperative preparation for Lenovo to further expansion in Mexico, India, Russia, Turkey, Brazi l and Middle East(lenovo.com 2008). PROFITABILITY Lenovo had shown a drastic growth every year. This they have done by strengthening their local market that is market position of China, product leadership, and also by accelerating their margin. Lenovo's China PC business and overall substantial undertaking business still speak to a vast parcel of its business and will keep on being basic in its future achievement, even as the Group makes headway with new market opportunities. In the 2008/09 monetary year, Lenovo arrangements to reinforce its position by concentrating on the fast growing record book showcase in China and drive market request by leveraging its remarkable showcasing open door at the Olympic Games in Beijing. Emulating smooth moves of worldwide deals backing and item brand name; Lenovo has assumed full liability of its huge undertaking business. It will expand on its qualities in different sections, for example, the open part, mid-market for development and in the meantime quicken client procurement. BUILDING BRAND A key vital activity for Lenovo is building a worldwide brand. In the 2007/08 monetary year, Lenovo had various victories in its showcasing and marking deliberations. The Bunch's sponsorships of the Olympic Games, the ATT Williams Formula One dashing group and the National B-ball Association (NBA), and also air terminal and train station publicizing, fabricated brand mindfulness and picture. Two significant item affirmations were additionally instrumental in building the Lenovo brand; the presentation of the ultra-slim Thinkpad X300 was emphasized on the spread of Business Week and the Ideapad U110 won three significant grants at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show. As an aftereffect of these deliberations, Lenovo's brand mindfulness has climbed 28, thought rate has gone up 15% and Lenovo's picture expanded 13% throughout the last 16 months (Calkins 2013). Lenovo's present key center is on developing markets, development in shopper markets, and extending its record book business, alongside preceded with advancement of peripherals and administrations. By 2007, Lenovo had rebuilt its worldwide production network and accomplished its objective of outpacing industry development around the world. Business was good to the point that the organization quit utilizing the IBM brand, to which it still held the rights, and started advertising just Lenovo machines. The strategy of Lenovo mainly focuses on two things one is the distribution channel and the other is manufacturing base. The PC strategy of Lenovo mainly emphasizes on localizing its products based on the needs of the consumers. There are various firms that brought customization in the PC processes but Lenovo focused on bringing in localized solutions to their potential end users related to internet connectivity and local software (Holstein 2014). CURRENT STRATEGY The present strategy of Lenovo mainly focused on strengthening the corporate business which helped the organization to gain and stabilize the brand recognition in the market of America. The organization faced loss in the year 2008-09 but it had not applied any new strategies to improve its condition instead it emphasized on strengthening its success areas. In the year 2011-2012, the organization had adopted attack/protect strategy to for expanding its business of PC in China and also increases its share with the workstations and servers. This strategy helped the organization to expand using the retail or SMB channels. Using this strategy the organization grew the presence of its mobile globally and drove the convergence with attractive apps, cloud services and also emerged in the emerging markets by 10% share through emphasis on consumers or SMB. In the year 2012-13, the organization decided to operate its business using the same strategy and supplementing the strategy with PC+ strat egy which means to expand its business focus from its key business areas to different technology areas like digital home and mobile internet(csis.org 2013). COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES The organization is performing very well in the market with continuous rise in the sales growth even though it has faced loss in the year 2008-09. International acquisition has become one of the most growing trends in the MNCs of China. This process is supported positively by the government of China. However this process sometimes creates cultural issues that end in business failure. Due to such disadvantages Lenovo emphasized on following conservative and cautious approach while absorbing the PC business of IBM. Other advantages like building a strong market base in China, its capability to enter the emerging market, cost-innovation strategy and its strong process in the mature markets and cost-innovative business strategy. There is negligible role of Government in the competitiveness of strategy of Lenovo. However the organization still enjoys positive treatment from the government of China due to their success stories in Chinese Market. Other advantage that the organization faced in the competitive market is their cost-innovative strategy. As per the opinion of Zeng and Williamson, the cost-innovation is referred to selling products with high technology at low-cost (Zeng and Williamson 2003). Lenovo emphasizes on RD and Low-cost design and manufacturing utilizing their contract and own manufacturers and also low-cost administration and engineering. The proximity and cost-innovation of Lenovo in manufacturing allowed the organization to emphasize on adaptive and incremental innovation. Adaptive and customization innovation goes well with the organization. When other organizations emphasized on developing the international market, Lenovo focused on their RD process on China (Biedeger 2005). This helped the organization to come up with new innovation according to the preferences of Chinese consumers. Another main advantage is the labor cost in China which includes both the designers and the RD engineers. As per the opinion of Yang Yuanqing, CEO of Lenovo, the labor cost is 2-3% of the overall business cot and the components of computer is 60-70% (Xing 2010). In the year 2010, the organization came up with new plans of building inland factors due to the rising labor costs in west China. The operation center of Lenovo in the Hi-tech zone of Chengdu developed jobs for around 1000 people in the South and Central Asia, Western China and also Europe (prg.asia 2010). LEARNINGS FROM CHINESE ORGANIZATION The production modularization has extraordinarily profited Chinese organizations. Being arranged in the heart of the worldwide processing plant permits the Chinese organizations to get to and produce parts at to a great degree high volumes furthermore takes into account customization at scale. For different organizations that likewise have predominant piece of the overall industry in China the consolidation of economies of scale in assembling and solid local deals brings about the establishment of the firm for assaulting the worldwide business (kpmg.com 2012). An acceptable procedure that adjusts conveying solid transient results with arriving at long haul targets: The Chinese MNCs keep on ensuring that their core business markets in China and worldwide business deals, while assaulting to receive better share in the developing markets, purchaser deals also portable web gadget deals. Surprisingly, Lenovo attacks business like developing markets, mobile and consumers markets conveyed about 50% of their aggregate income and these organizations likewise conveyed enhanced benefit in just about every section. This acceptable method drove solid execution around the world. Their dedication and interest in innovating different products: Lenovo's interests in advancements kept on paying off, both in PCs and in products of PC+. These advancements lead to separation that is grasped by clients. For illustration, Lenovo was the agreeable pioneer in characterizing the new "convertible" PC space. Items like Yoga showcased advancement in consolidating the best of PC what's more tablet structure variables to benefit from the dispatch of Windows 8. They likewise made another classification with their Horizon table PC. This not just caught consideration and numerous prestigious awards, however it exhibits the capacity to drive noteworthy advancement in PCs and make new markets where they can create development and make an authority position. A diverse and strong worldwide team that outfits the top abilities at both a global level and in key markets helps the Chinese MNCs guarantee that they have an agreeable, profound comprehension of the industry they are in and their clients. For Example, the worldwide local team of Lenovo group is united by the Lenovo Path towards their duty and proprietorship. This imparted set of qualities helps the organization to work with much more prominent velocity, making a reasonable preference. The productive, end-to-end model of Business: Lenovo has an exceptional, double plan of action, one that serves worldwide, extensive undertaking clients through our relationship model and little to-medium organizations and purchasers through our transaction model. This shows that the Chinese Organization are able to meet the needs of customers accentuating customization and premium quality in relationship, while conveying velocity, focused estimating and an offset of development and productivity in transactional business process. From the case of Lenovo described above showed had the it has bolstered it capabilities and credibility by acquisitions, it can also be stated that developing effective distribution strategies help the international vendors with low-cost assembly/manufacturing, sales and also have access to updated technologies that can meet the needs of the customers. With innovative international strategy using the localization process proved that the Chinese MNCs are can even develop strong brand recognition in the mature market. An alternate lesson that can be learnt is that the association can be inventive without leap forward advances; Lenovo does not rely on upon achievement innovations but instead on affectability to the right advances for the business sector. In spite of the fact that the Chinese organizations are frequently censured for being versatile instead of imaginative, this course has functioned admirably for the Lenovo. Versatile and Incremental advancement implies that Lenovo has not made the essential erroneous conclusion that development needs to mean expanded complexity. CONCLUSION In conclusion, it can said that the business environment of the Chinese companies have changed a lot. The use of local-knowledge for developing international strategies is helping the organizations to build up better brand awareness and also increase the loyalty base of the customers. The strong focus on the R D of the local market to meet the needs of the local people also makes the MNCs of Chine more creative and competitive. The support of government and also the tax authorities have given the organization to invest and develop their own technologies and also conduct better RD to preserve intangible assets and also line up with the needs of the Chinese customers. The report has analyzed the organization structure and business process of Lenovo to understand the Chinese MNCs strategies in the competitive market. It is observed that use of innovative and adaptive strategies makes the Chinese MNCs more competitive. Even the support from the government creates the companies stronger. It is found that Lenovo's constant exertions to improve scope of SMB also purchaser sections empowered it to further grow its lead in China. Through better utilization of its business administration framework for relationship business, the Group enhanced client account advancement and had the capacity extend its impart of the extensive undertaking section. REFERENCES aicpa.org,. 2008. 'Global Trends 2025: A Transformed World'. Biedeger, Jerry. 2005. 'Strategic Action At Lenovo'. Organizational Dynamics 34 (1): 93. Calkins, Jonathan. 2013. 'The Switch: Lenovo's Strategy For The PC-Plus Era'. CKGSB Knowledge. China Hands,. 2014. 'DonT Say YouRe A Chinese Company: How Lenovo Grew As A Global Brand'. Chu, Ying Chien. 'The Strategic Marketing Management Analysis Of Lenovo Group'. csis.org,. 2013. 'China's Competitiveness: Lenovo'. Fletcher, Owen. 2014. 'Lenovo: Lepad Tablet To Launch In U.S. Next Year'. WSJ. Holstein, William. 2014. 'Lenovo Goes Global'. Strategy+Business. kpmg.com,. 2012. 'The Future For Mncs In China A KPMG Study'. kpmg.com,. 2013. 'The Emergence Of Chinese Multinational Corporations (Mncs): Local And Global Implications'. Ladd, Brittain Cliff. 2013. 'Supply Chain Management And Lean Six Sigma In A Retail Environment'. lenovo.com,. 2012. 'Sustainability Report'. lenovo.com,. 2008. 'IDEAS EVERYWHERE Lenovo Group Limited Annual Report 2007/08'. lenovo.com,. 2007. 'Lenovo Sustainability Report 2007/08'. Lenovo.com,. 2014. 'About Lenovo - Philippines | Management'. Luk, Lorraine. 2014. 'Lenovo's Profit Rises 44%'. WSJ. News.lenovo.com,. 2014. 'Lenovo Newsroom | Lenovo Statement On January 2014 Reorganization'. prg.asia,. 2010. 'SEEKING TO BETTER SATISFY GROWING GLOBAL DEMAND, LENOVO TO OPEN OPERATIONS CENTER IN CHENGDU'. Xing, Wang. 2010. 'Labor Costs No Sweat For Lenovo'. Usa.Chinadaily.Com.Cn. Zeng, Ming, and Peter J Williamson. 2003. 'The Hidden Dragons'. Harvard Business Review 81 (10): 92--103.