Cambridge City A Great Place To Visit Tourism Essay

Cambridge City A Great Place To Visit Tourism Essay As we used questionnaire in our research, and we asked different questions from 39 visitors in Cambridge city centre for observing their opinions. Pie charts are used to display results in visual form. All information gathered from visitors, converted in to pie charts and displayed above. Pie charts are showing opinions obtained from real visitors with the help of questionnaire. Very first question was about their general information. General information included nationality, age and occupation. Nationality asked from visitors. Among the 39 visitors, our sample, 44 percent were female and 56 percent were male. Age of 41 percent were in between 18 to 30 years and 26 percent were in between 31 to 40 years. 12 percent were in between 41 to 40 and remaining were above 41. Question about occupation, 36 percent visitors said that they are currently unemployed and 31 percent visitors were students. 10 percent were businessmen and outside the Cambridge and 21 percent are doing job anywhere. 13 visitors out of total 39 said that they are visiting very first time Cambridge and 9 visitors sad they have second trip. 6 visitors said they have third trip and 11 visitors are enjoying their fourth or more trip. In the question in which type were asked, 33 percent were enjoying their independent trip and just 18 percent said they were with their friends and family. Large portion of visitors, 31 percent, were on their educational trip, trip to Cambridge University, ant 13 percent visitors were on business trip. How long they stay here? 13 percent said just for half day and 26 percent said for full day. 38 percent were living more than 2 days in Cambridge and 8 percent answered, not yet decided. In the question, what they do in Cambridge, 8 percent said enjoying boat tour and 18 percent said they are enjoying weather by walk. 36 percent said they are here for train trip and 31 percent said on road. 2 percent use to spend time by horse carriage trip. What services they used in Cambridge? All visitors vote for sightseeing tour with 5 percent, local transportation with 20 percent, food and beverages with 31 percent, accommodation with 9 percent and 24 percent they consumed other facilities and services. Unique question, did they enjoy Cambridge? 92 percent, definitely, said yes. 8 percent respond with No, due to some reasons. Quality of services used, good response seen in Cambridges favour. 0 percent vote for low quality, 8 percent vote for fair and 39 percent visitors said quality of services was good in Cambridge. 20 percent said quality of service was very good and 8 percent vote for excellent. 25 percent give no answer to this question. In the last, simple question were asked and that is will they visit Cambridge again? 58 percent, more than half of total visitors said yes of course they will surely visit. 28 percent said it depends on future conditions, they are not sure yet and 21 percent said you way, they are now finding new better place for tour. With the help of questionnaire and other methods used in our research, Tourists motivation and experience towards Cambridge, different opinion collected from real visitors. Results showed that most of visitors are male, under 40 years age, students, employed and businessmen, and visiting Cambridge for more than 2 time and willing to revisit it again. Reasons behind these answers are somehow related to culture and nature of Cambridge. Cambridgeshire is famous for University initially and then city of technology. Students like to visit the university and more than 25,000 students are resident of Cambridge. University of Cambridge is included in worlds top five universities. Thats why major portion of visitors is consist of students in different area. Cambridge city is also famous for technology. Software and bioscience are core industries operated in Cambridge and thats the reason of business trips. All technology related organizations have offices and research centres in Cambridge. Meetings and convocations are being held in this city. Other reasons behind these results are games being held in Cambridge city. Cambridge city is famous for cricket, football, rugby, water sports and varsity sports. Varsity sports are sports play under Cambridge University against different universities and have lots of attractiveness for the visitors inside and outside the Cambridge city. Strawberry flavour music and art festival are also reason behind motivations for the visitors coming in Cambridge. Questions about services used in Cambridge and quality of used services indicate that visitors like the way they enjoy in Cambridge and they liked food, transportation system and accommodations in Cambridge and they selected these services and facilities as a good quality services. This is also reason behind the motivation of being visited Cambridge again and again and some visitors visited Cambridge for more than 4 times due to facilities provided here. Cambridge skyline, Quayside, Silver Street, Kings Parade and Trinity Street, places famous for trips in Cambridge and different festivals and events are also reasons behind the tours and trips in Cambridge. Conclusion From the questionnaire, what we collect from the real visitors and tourists is data of our research and. Conclusion can be easily drawn through or finding as reasons are simple and logical behind the motivation for tourism in Cambridge. Visitors are most likely, students, businessmen, sports lovers, independents, willing to stay here for longer period because of verity of services provide and quality of services used. Primarily there are some reasons visitors used for motivation to visit Cambridge. Results shown that visitors from different area have same characteristics and main factor forcing behind motivation is age and occupation of sample visitors. Under 40 years are in large quantity visiting Cambridge and by occupation, students and businessmen are large art of tourist. People who are free also visit more Cambridge. University of Cambridge and industry of technology is main source of motivation for tourists. City of sports, festivals and events are also motivation for visitors and people who like picnic and visiting different places used these motivations for Cambridge. Question asked from sample visitors, did they like trip in Cambridge, showed the density of likeness Cambridge and question, will they visit again, showed the attractiveness of tourists toward the Cambridge. Overall, research helped to indicate the source of motivations behind the visit to Cambridge. One finding is, friends and family tours are more preferable from the tourist because of nature and culture of Cambridge city. Results indicate that tourists are more willing to use this place again for their trips and visits. Due to technological city, business world compellingly need to have visit this place. Recommendations Cambridge city is a great place to visit for family tours, educational tours, sports and music lover. Cambridge is not place where you can find some historical places ad old thing. Cambridge is full of urban tourism and based on new beauty. As Cambridge city is famous for education and technology, government must take more steps to increase efficiency in these areas because people point of view about Cambridge is good and green. Events and festivals are another sources of motivation for tourists. Local authority should promote events in worldwide in order to increase the strength of visitors. Varsity sports can be used as another main source of motivation for tourists because varsity sports are included large numbers of games and there is need to launch them as a regional festival. From the evaluation of peoples opinion, most of them said that beside the spots, technology and educational motivation, there is also need to motivate children for tourism. Creating attractiveness for children and young generation can be great source of tourism. Improvement in facilities and supporting services can also help to increase the attractiveness of visitors. There is need to plan for vocations in order to grape more visitors time and money. With beginning of 20th century, economy was rapidly growing so managing Cambridge is quite easy in betterment of tourism. Use of different ideas in tourism plan, can influence in future. Entertainment companies can be used for attracting tourists.

Research proposal

Research proposal Introduction The research proposal you are about to read is constructed in order to describe the research project I will execute. I will execute this research project in order to finalize the educational program ICT in Business at Leiden University. In this proposal I will give the objective and explain the methodology of this research. First, I will start with an introduction of the topic and the theoretical background. The research will be hosted and supervised by Getronics Consulting and will be executed at the Business Unit Innovative Technology (BUIT). The time span of this research will be 24 weeks. Industry This research will be focused on the Dutch ICT consultancy industry. This industry suits my interests and the knowledge I gained during the educational program ICT in Business. Getronics Consulting Getronics Consulting is an ICT Consultancy firm which operates in various markets like financial, industrial, educational, public and healthcare. Getronics Consulting advises companies on their ICT-strategy and executes ICT reorganizations based on knowledge about current ICT-architectures. They streamline and integrate people, process and technology in order to create a reliable ICT-architecture which is accessible anywhere at any time. Getronics Consulting has already 20 years experience in IT Service Management and has a working force of 1400 experienced professionals. The ambition Getronics Consulting wants to be known as the opinion leader in the area of leading standards and advanced information and communication technologies. Business and ICT-trends are translated into concrete and usable products and services. They state that every business process needs another ICT approach and call themselves architects of the invisible. The approach In their approach in improving ICT-services, they consider all aspects of the organization: people, products, partners and processes. From that perspective, Getronics Consulting offers support in setting up and optimizing ICT organizations. The philosophy is to enable employees to do their work more efficient. Business Unit Innovative Technology The Business Unit Innovative Technology (BUIT) is a competence center in the field of Web Content Management and (collaboration) portals. The customer base includes diverse organizations throughout the Netherlands varying from government, energy, media and logistical service providers. The tools used by BUIT are SDL Tridion and Microsoft SharePoint. The execution of successful ICT projects is based on the collaboration between People, Process and Technology. These technologies used by BUIT support the customer needs in various ways and are part of Enterprise Content Management (ECM). Enterprise Content Management The Association for Information and Image Management (AIIM), also known as the ECM association defines ECM as: The strategies, methods and tools used to capture, manage, store, preserve, and deliver content and documents related to organizational processes. ECM tools and strategies allow the management of an organizations unstructured information, wherever that information exists (AIIM, 2008, What is ECM?, para.1.). The solutions offered by BUIT are within the manage category. This category has five traditional application areas (Kampffmeyer, 2004): Document Management (DM) Collaboration Web Content Management (WCM) Record Management (RM) Workflow/business process management (BPM) BUIT has the focus on two application areas: collaboration and WCM. The customer needs are supported with different solutions (Tridion SharePoint) around the latter mentioned application areas. The approach Getronics Consulting brought structure into the approach of their projects. They based this approach on the experiences of projects executed in the past. These experiences are bundled into best practices which are based on the eBusiness Development Cycle. The eBusiness Development Cycle consists of six phases. I will elaborate on these phases to give an explanation of the most important activities. Strategy Knowing the mission, vision and goals of the customer is important in order to determine in what direction that organization wants to move. A clear business case is delivered which describes the added-value of the desired solution. Secondly, a conceptual blueprint is created. This blueprint will describe the building blocks of the system in a functional as well as a technical manner. A flexible and modular architecture is the fundamental idea which enables functionalities to be added in the future with minimal adaptations. This blueprint will also function as a starting point of the second phase. Preparation During this phase, several analyses will be done. First, together with the customer, the sources of information which need to be opened up are identified. In other words, what kind of business content does the customer have and for what purpose. Secondly, a prioritized list of the desired functionalities is created. This document will describe the need-to-haves and the nice-to-haves. Also, a scan of the infrastructure is performed in order to compare the current infrastructure with the desired infrastructure. This scan will identify possible technical bottlenecks. After these analyses, the organization itself will be analyzed in order to get a general picture and to see how the new solution would fit in. The main purpose is to define which processes, responsibilities and tasks are related to the helpdesk, technical management and functional- or application management. Finally, all he information gained from the analyses will be the input of the project plan. This plan will be created based on the project management methodology Price2. Design During the design phase, several designs will be expanded in detail. These designs are the basic foundation of what should be built during realization. The designs to be delivered are: infrastructural design, graphical design, functional design and technical design. Acceptation criteria will be written down by the customer. These criteria will be used at a later stage in order to test if the delivered product matches the customers criteria. Every implementation needs its acceptation. Acceptation within the organization is a crucial factor of the success of an implementation. Therefore, an integration plan is created which describes the tasks, responsibilities and processes in such a way the customer understands how they should deal with them. Realization The designs of the latter phase are approved and BUIT will start with the implementation of the infrastructure and the development of custom components. External functionalities and connections will also be realized. Finally, all the realized functionalities will be tested according to the acceptation criteria before the actual implementation takes place. Implementation During this phase, existing content will be migrated to the new system according to the migration plan. The users of these new functionalities will be trained properly. Also, the implemented system will be tested in order see how it performs and what kind of influence it has on the environment. The users are the last ones testing the system. Again, this is based on the acceptation criteria. During this test, the users will investigate the usability and user interfaces of the system. Bugs, found during the tests will be fixed and last but not least: the system will go live including the communication to the end-users. Maintenance The maintenance phase is the operational situation after implementation of the complete system. The emphasis of this phase lies on proper documentation in order to simplify and support future developments and decisions. If necessary, backup- and monitoring processes can be arranged. In the end, an evaluation of the project and its output will be executed. Customer needs The customer requests received by BUIT are especially about online collaboration and the publication of business information (Web Content Management). Today, these processes are supported by internet technologies. The following sections will elaborate on these customer needs. Web Content Management Customers have the need to maintain business information in an easy and intuitive way and make it accessible for those who are authorized to see the content. Information should not be scattered around the organization accessible via different platforms, but via one central platform. Organizational members should also be able to add content to this platform. Adding and maintaining information is one thing, finding the information is another important feature. Organizations have the need to find information via one central search engine which mines different business information sources. Some information is confidential and should only be accessible via the intranet. Organizations can also have the need to share information with the outside world. Think about jobs, news etc. Collaboration Collaboration, essential for improving productivity, becomes more and more important as global market opportunities and competition increase (Soriano, Lizcano, CaÃÆ'Â ±as, Reyes, Hierro, 2007). Today, there are all kinds of collaboration platforms available. BUIT is specialized in Microsoft SharePoint. Microsoft SharePoint is an enterprise platform which supports organizations with collaboration. SharePoint enables people to access diverse resources of information via one platform regardless the devices they have available (Microsoft, 2009). Interest in new technologies BUIT notices the emergence of new technologies and is interested in how these new tools are able to support their current and near-future customer needs. With these new technologies I refer to Web 2.0 technologies. BUITs assumptions about Web 2.0 are not rare. Some researchers come up with statements which add even more question marks. According to Tedennick (2006) Web 2.0 technologies have the advantage of adaptability to the business environment and responsiveness to changing business information needs. He argues that Web 2.0 technologies may offer real benefits in business environments where information plays a vital role. Bughin and Manyika (2007) say that Web 2.0 technologies rely on user collaboration. For BUIT, this raises a couple of questions. What should we do with Web 2.0? Should we embrace Web 2.0, if yes, why? And what are the benefits of Web 2.0 when supporting our customers needs? Web 2.0 Nowadays, new technologies emerged under the label Web 2.0. Web 2.0 is a label coined by OReilly (2005) to describe new patterns which emerged due to the changes occurred by the use of internet. These patterns do not describe the technology but describe the way people share information, contribute to collective knowledge, collaborate and interact with each other. Although this explanation is not about technologies, technologies play a significant role in Web 2.0. As Shah et al. (2005) state in their essay about Web 2.0: The technologies behind Web 2.0 provide a richer user experience and make use of information in unique ways (Introduction, para.1). Theoretical background Like many researchers and organization the Association for Information and Image Management (AIIM) has also his own opinions about Web 2.0. They state that: Many organizations see value in using Web 2.0 tools or social software within their organizations for improved collaboration and innovation, and this is then often referred to as Enterprise 2.0 (AIIM, 2008, What is Web 2.0?, para.2). The AIIM (2008) defines Enterprise 2.0 as: a system of web-based technologies that provide rapid and agile collaboration, information sharing, emergence and integration capabilities in the extended enterprise (What is Web 2.0?, para.1). An important link with this study is that Web 2.0 seems to improve collaboration (AIIM, 2008). Organizations, mainly located in the US are planning to maintain and increase investments in technologies which encourages collaboration (Bughin Manyika, 2007). Unfortunately, the literature gives no evidence about the Dutch interests and investments in Web 2.0. Tredinnick (2006) has the most interesting statements regarding the interests of BUIT. He claims that The key to Web 2.0 is harnessing the ways in which users use information to add value to information (either through direct or indirect user-participation) in creating the information sources that they use (p.232). This is in relation with the current customer needs. As you could read in chapter 2, in the most abstract form, customers have the need to publish information and enable the access to multiple sources of information. Another conclusion of Tredinnick (2006) suggests a benefit for the customer needs: Web 2.0 technologies also allow a far greater degree of collaboration in the creation of content. (p.233) Not only Tedinnick talks about Web 2.0 benefits regarding collaboration. Soriano et al. (2007) says that: Enterprise 2.0 provides enterprises with new models and tools for emergent collaboration and co-creation (Introduction, para.1). Clearly, Web 2.0 has a relation to customer needs regarding WCM and collaboration. Unfortunately, we do not know which elements of Web 2.0 offer what kind of benefits. It would be interesting to know which specific Web 2.0 patterns can offer benefits in supporting the customer needs described in chapter 2. Web 2.0 design patterns OReilly described his ideas about Web 2.0 through seven design patterns: 1) the web as a platform; 2) harnessing collective intelligence; 3) data is the next Intel inside; 4) end of the software release cycle; 5) lightweight programming models; 6) software above the level of a single device and, 7) rich user experience. The web as platform The internet can be seen as a platform through which the users are connected and collaborating with each other. The platform can be seen as the core which binds the elements of Web 2.0 together. Facebook implemented the pattern: the web as a platform. Facebook, an online social network enables people to connect with each other and share and access information. Their mission is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected (Facebook, 2010). Facebook (2010) also provides the programmatic interfaces that make it easy, quick, and efficient to share and access information. Harnessing Collective Intelligence Today, the web connects 1.7 billion users with each other (Internet World Stats, 2010). The web enables these users to add content to the web and collaborate with each other. This means users are collectively participating. They bring structure to information by tagging the information (OReilly, 2005). Arguing about topics in their blogs (short for Web Log) and sharing their knowledge trough online encyclopedia like Wikipedia (OReilly, 2005). Data is the next Intel inside The web is all about finding, sharing and enriching information. Amazon, the online store for books and electronics gets his information about books from ISBN registry provider R.R. Bowker. Amazon and its users enrich this information by adding covers, previews, comments and reviews about the books. The ISBN registry is also available to the competitors of Amazon, but the value added by amazon and their users is hard to copy by competitors. The enriched information is therefore Amazons Intel inside. End of the software release cycle Normally, software is released when totally finished and tested. When this is not the case, it gets labeled as Beta which indicates that the software is not totally finished and needs some testing. In the world of Web 2.0, users are the testers and provide the vendor with feedback, or even help improve the software by co-development. This beta version gets updated regularly but never becomes a final version. Vendors use real time monitoring to track user behavior in order to make changes in their software (OReilly, 2005). Lightweight programming models This pattern could also be explained by Web Services and RSS (Really Simple Syndication). Web Services are protocols which make it easier for different systems to communicate with one another automatically in order to pass information or conduct transactions. For example, a retailer and supplier use Web Services to communicate over the internet and update each others inventory systems (Bughin Manyika, How Business Are Using Web 2.0: A McKinsey Global Survey, 2007).These Web Services are lightweight and could be used to pull or push information between systems. RSS enables users to aggregate information from various sources. Users can subscribe to websites and blogs or other information sources. The content gets separated from its design and can be used anywhere. Software above the level of a single device In the Web 1.0 paradigm, the web was only accessible via a single device. Nowadays, the web is accessible via a wide range of devices e.g.: mobile phones, televisions, game consoles, MP3-playes, PDAs etc. These devices are connected to the platform which enables users to stay in touch virtually anywhere at any time. Rich user experience Last but not the least the rich user experience pattern is about the richness of an internet application. These applications are also called: Rich Internet Application (RIA). A RIA is an internet application, viewed via the web browser where the user experiences a richer environment which is comparable to a desktop application. Research objective The objective of this research is to investigate the benefits of Web 2.0 regarding WCM and Collaboration activities. In other words, what is the benefit for an organization to have Web 2.0 support their Web Content Management and collaboration activities? In order to see the benefits I will need to compare the old situation with the new Web 2.0 situation. With the old situation I refer to how the WCM and Collaboration activities are supported today. The new situation refers to a situation where an organization implemented one or more Web 2.0 design patterns in order to support their activities. Measuring the difference between the two situations requires a measurement instrument. Having the validation in mind, this should be the same instrument for both the situations in order to make a valid comparison. Therefore, I will use the conceptual framework described in chapter 5. The first step of this research is to find out which processes are demanding what kind of information properties and with what degree (e.g. high accuracy of information). The second step is to look at new technologies referred to as Web 2.0 and investigate how they support WCM and Collaboration. The focus is on the level of information properties. So, how do Web 2.0 design patterns perform regarding the demanded information properties. It could be that a design pattern causes information to be better accessible. Managerial relevance This research will be relevant because ICT Consultancy companies like Getronics Consulting gain insight in the benefits Web 2.0 might offer when supporting their customers processes related to Web Content Management and Collaboration. Due to the abstract approach of this research, near-future processes which require certain information properties could be matched with Web 2.0 design patterns. Academic relevance Nowadays, Web 2.0 is a hot research topic. Researchers are trying to find out how businesses are using Web 2.0 (Bughin Manyika, How Business Are Using Web 2.0: A McKinsey Global Survey, 2007); what impact Web 2.0 has on enterprise applications (Adobe, 2007) and Web 2.0 Business A pointer to the intranets of the future? (Tredinnick, 2006). The survey done by Bughin and Manyika tells us that the corporate world has a clear interest in Web 2.0 technologies. Respondents of their survey say they are using Web 2.0 technologies to: communicate with customers and business partners; help manage knowledge internally; share and gather ideas and for automation and collaboration. (Tredinnick, 2006) explored the application of Web 2.0 technologies to business intranets, and their potential use in managing and developing business information and knowledge assets. The latter mentioned authors lack to describe information properties required by the processes of the organizations and how Web 2.0 affected these properties. New knowledge could be created by finding out which and how Web 2.0 patterns affect the information properties. Another issue from the latter mentioned papers is that they mainly surveyed the US and only some European countries like: Germany, France and the U.K. Since this research will be executed inside the Netherlands based on organizational needs from Dutch companies, new knowledge could be created. Information requirements Organizations have all kind of processes which need to be supported. Today, many of those processes are supported with IT solutions. Davenport (1993) defines a business process as: A structured, measured set of activities designed to produce a specific output for a particular customer or market (p. 5). In short, the core of a process could be explained as: Figure 1: Core principle of a process. Depending on what kind of activity needs to be supported, emphasis is placed on different requirements of information (Davis, 1982). One business process could require high accuracy of information while another process would require less accurate but timelier information. When these requirements or properties of information are known, a suitable solution for supporting the business process could be selected. But how do we analyze which information requirements are demanded? Conceptual framework Wang and Strong (1996) conducted research in order to develop a hierarchical framework for organizing data quality dimensions. This framework contains several information requirements grouped into four categories. Wang and Strong (1996) conclude that the framework could be useful as a checklist during data requirement analysis (p. 23). This particular statement is interesting since one objective of this research is to analyze which requirements of information are demanded by WCM and Collaboration activities. As you may have noticed, the words data and information are used interchangeably. The word data is a Latin noun, datum, meaning something that is given (Bovee et al., 2002). For information the definition that information is, or contains, input or pieces of information (data) organized to some purpose will be used (Davenport Prusak, Stonie, as cited in Bovee et al., 2002 ,p4). Therefore, data and information will be treated synonymously throughout this proposal. The perspective from which the requirements of information will be measured is an organizational perspective. Other researchers (Bovee et al, 2002 and Katerattanakul Siau, 1999) used this model to measure the quality of information based on a user perspective. Within the context of this research, the organization can also be seen as the user who requires information to be: e.g. accurate or timely. Again, this framework proves to be a relevant tool required by this research. The framework contains 15 requirements grouped into 4 categories. Wang and Strong (1996) stated that this framework provides a basis for deciding which aspects of data quality to use in any research study (p. 22). Regarding this statement, I will have to determine the relevance of each information requirement. For the case studies (proposed in chapter 7) the data quality metrics: accuracy, relevancy, timeliness, interpretability and accessibility will be used. The latter metrics are the most commonly used metrics according to the reviewed literature (Bovee et al., 2002 and Kahn et al., 2002 and Lee et al., 2001 and Griffiths, 2005). Figure 2: A conceptual framework of data quality (Wang Strong, 1996) Research questions Main research question What is the benefit for an organization to have Web 2.0 support their WCM and Collaboration activities? Sub questions Some sub questions are posed in order to answer the main research question. These sub questions will gain more insight about the separate components of the main research question. Which properties of information are important regarding the processes which are currently supported by WCM and Collaboration? Which properties of information are offered by each Web 2.0 design pattern? How do the information properties offered by Web 2.0 patterns match with the information properties demanded by WCM and Collaboration activities? Research methodology Obviously, the main research question as well as the sub-questions cannot be answered without justified sources of evidence. You can imagine that a certain starting point is needed. Therefore, the methodology for this research will be an explanatory multiple-case study within Getronics Consulting and KPN. Herriott Firestone (as cited by Yin, 2003, p.46) say that the evidence from multiple cases is often considered more compelling, and the overall study is therefore regarded as being more robust. According to Yin (2003) a case study is best used when asking questions such as how and why. Since the sub-questions one and two are not how or why questions, these questions are operationalized. The data collection methods will be face-to-face interviews, documentation and archival records (system data). Case description As stated in the introduction, two case studies will be conducted within two different companies. First the Knowledge Sharing Expertise Building project within Getronics Consulting will be studied. Secondly, the social media platform KPN1 Connect within KPN will be studied. Knowledge Sharing Expertise Building (KSEB) Getronics Consulting recently initiated the KSEB project. Getronics Consulting has the need to capture and preserve knowledge gained by its employees. When an employee is working on a project and wants to know more about a particular subject, he should be able to find the right colleague(s) with the right expertise for addressing this particular subject. The KSEB platform will consist of different portals: Personal; Communities; and Knowledge Base. The personal portal will contain a public profile and a blog with posts. The communities portal will contain a community wiki and a community team site. News, a forum and shared documents will be present on the team site. The last portal, the knowledge base will contain a category site with documents. KPN1 Connect The project KPN1 Connect is initiated because of a specific need. KPN had the need to foster communication between all employees across the entire organization. They wanted communication to happen in an organic manner rather than a horizontal/vertical manner which is based on the employees hierarchical status. Therefore, a social media platform was launched earlier this year. This platform is an extension to their original intranet and enables employees to communicate with one another via weblogs (blogs) and short (micro blog) messages. Employees have their own profile which contains: name; function; professional expertise; professional interests; hobbies; and product expertise. In short, they can post blogs; short messages; photos; videos and reactions based on content posted by others. The platform also recommends other employees based on the content of the employees profile. And, last but not least, a sophisticated search function enables employee to find other employees and content posted by others. Case studies propositions The propositions of a case study are important in order to direct the attention into the right direction within the scope of the study (Yin, 2003). For both the case studies the same propositions are posed. The propositions are: Getronics Consulting is using Knowledge Sharing Expertise Building in order to support WCM and Collaboration activities. KPN is using KPN1 Connect in order to support Collaboration activities. Getronics Consulting implemented at least one Web 2.0 design pattern into Knowledge Sharing Expertise Building. KPN implemented at least one Web 2.0 design pattern into KPN1 Connect. Web 2.0 design patterns have an effect on the properties of information. Operational questions With the case studies I hope to answer the sub-questions stated in chapter 6. The following table presents how the sub-questions will be operationalized in a larger set of questions, and how they will be answered by each method. Question q1 will be answered with three operational questions. By answering the first, evidence should point out which processes the company wants to support and why with the use of this particular system. The second question is about the analysis of the content. The analysis should indicate what kind of information is stored and processed by the system, and how this information is tagged and related with each other. The purpose of the third question is to investigate what kinds of properties of information are demanded by the organization. This is regarding the processes and the kind of content stored and processed by the system. Question q2 will be answered with two operational questions. The first question will explore what kind of Web 2.0 design patterns are implemented and with what intentions. The second question will measure how the implemented Web 2.0 design patterns score according to the properties of information. Analyzing the results During the case studies, the data quality will be measured twice. First according to what the organization is demanding. For example: organization x has the activity of publishing content and ranks the accuracy of the information most important. Secondly the data quality is measured according to what the Web 2.0 design pattern can offer. For example: design pattern rich user experience causes information to be better interpretable. By analyzing both results the last sub-question will be answered: (q3) How do the information properties offered by Web 2.0 patterns match with the information properties demanded by WCM and Collaboration activities? References Adobe. (2007). The Impact of Web 2.0 on Enterprise Applications A strategy to improve business performance through software that works the way people work. CIO Custom Solution Group. AIIM. (2008). AIIM What is Web 2.0? Retrieved April 13, 2010, from AIIM: http://www.aiim.org/What-is-Web-2.0.aspx AIIM. (2008, Januari). What is ECM? Retrieved April 2010, from AIIM: http://www.aiim.org/What-is-ECM-Enterprise-Content-Management.aspx Baarde, B., Goede, M. d. (1995). Methoden en Technieken (2nd ed.). Houten: Educatieve Partners Nederland BV. Bouman, E. (2008). SmarTEST: slim testen van informatiesystemen. Den Haag: Sdu Uitgevers bv. Bovee, M., Srivasta

College Admissions Essay: Dilemma of the Deserted Island :: College Admissions Essays

Dilemma of the Deserted Island    The following question has been asked: What three things I would take with me if I were forced to live on a deserted island? Here are my thoughts:-    1. A YOUNG JACK RUSSELL TERRIER - Training him might keep me occupied for a while and he could guard the camp at night (Hey, there might be large animals prowling the night. Which reminds me of my neighbor, Colin.) My main reason though, is to provide companionship.    My first thought was to bring a human companion, (me Jane, you Tarzan), but I don't know anyone who would want to be stranded with me and I wouldn't want to live alone with someone I had brought against their will. Catch 22.    2. A MACHETE - It can act as a knife, ax, sword and if desperate, it could be used as a hot plate over a fire.    No one told me what sort of island it would be, so I've tried to think of the most versatile tool to bring. With a machete I should be able to make a shelter, fashion other tools and spend many hours learning to whittle. But I really think I would feel more secure with one in my hand if I was attacked by say, a hungry lion. You might be surprised what a sharp machete is capable of and I hope the lion would be too.    3. A MEDIUM SIZED COOKING POT - I've done enough camping to know how difficult things can get without an easy way of cooking.    It would also come in handy for rendering animal fat for my home made lanterns, distilling salt water if there is no running water, (Most Australian islands are dry), it would catch the drips from the mandatory leak in my man-made shelter and finally I could use it to make monotonous music to amuse the dog.

Essay --

I asked about the changes in Lily’s body that has affected her daily activities with her age and she answered that her vision and hearing continue to decline. Each sense becomes slower and less sharp as the person gets older (Berger, Technological Compensation: The Senses, pg. 510). At her age of 74, it is evident that the deterioration of her senses is linked with old age that played a major influenced her current lifestyle. She encountered difficulty in communicating with people and enjoying some activities that she loved to do. Only 10 percent of people above the age of 65 can see well without glasses (Berger, Technological Compensation: The Senses, pg. 510). Lily uses glasses to manage the changes in her eyesight. Wearing glasses assist her every time she reads and watches television, but she is not yet using any hearing aid since her hearing problem is still bearable. I have noticed that Lily knew how to take care of her body. When I asked several questions about health topics, she said that she exercises 30 minutes a day, take vitamins daily and eats only healthy food. She does not have any serious health concerns, but her right knee is giving her some worries. Good health habits delay aging but do not stop it. (Berger, Ongoing Senescence, pg. 505). Lily is trying her best to have a healthy way of life however, her body will still go through the process of senescence. The parts of the body of every human being wear out, after years of usage, as explained by the wear and tear theory (Berger, Theories of Aging, pg. 505). I asked Lily if she smoked or drink alcohol and said that she does not smoke, but she drinks red wine in moderation. In the textbook, it states that alcohol can be advantageous because it does not only ... ...ives. Developing healthy habits such as regular exercise, good nutrition and social interaction with friends and family are crucial to life as you age. As we get older, our bodies will continue to deteriorate and we cannot stop it. The aging process is a natural occurrence in one’s life, and we should not feel bad about it. We should think of it as a new beginning and look forward to the changes that will take place. I feel glad that I was able to do this interview with Lily because she let me gain a deeper perspective about late adulthood. Reaching this stage is a special time in one’s life because it means that the person is a lot more knowledgeable and wiser based on all the learning and experiences she went through, which then, can be shared to the younger generations. I hope that I can use the knowledge that I obtain from Lily to be able to age successfully. Essay -- I asked about the changes in Lily’s body that has affected her daily activities with her age and she answered that her vision and hearing continue to decline. Each sense becomes slower and less sharp as the person gets older (Berger, Technological Compensation: The Senses, pg. 510). At her age of 74, it is evident that the deterioration of her senses is linked with old age that played a major influenced her current lifestyle. She encountered difficulty in communicating with people and enjoying some activities that she loved to do. Only 10 percent of people above the age of 65 can see well without glasses (Berger, Technological Compensation: The Senses, pg. 510). Lily uses glasses to manage the changes in her eyesight. Wearing glasses assist her every time she reads and watches television, but she is not yet using any hearing aid since her hearing problem is still bearable. I have noticed that Lily knew how to take care of her body. When I asked several questions about health topics, she said that she exercises 30 minutes a day, take vitamins daily and eats only healthy food. She does not have any serious health concerns, but her right knee is giving her some worries. Good health habits delay aging but do not stop it. (Berger, Ongoing Senescence, pg. 505). Lily is trying her best to have a healthy way of life however, her body will still go through the process of senescence. The parts of the body of every human being wear out, after years of usage, as explained by the wear and tear theory (Berger, Theories of Aging, pg. 505). I asked Lily if she smoked or drink alcohol and said that she does not smoke, but she drinks red wine in moderation. In the textbook, it states that alcohol can be advantageous because it does not only ... ...ives. Developing healthy habits such as regular exercise, good nutrition and social interaction with friends and family are crucial to life as you age. As we get older, our bodies will continue to deteriorate and we cannot stop it. The aging process is a natural occurrence in one’s life, and we should not feel bad about it. We should think of it as a new beginning and look forward to the changes that will take place. I feel glad that I was able to do this interview with Lily because she let me gain a deeper perspective about late adulthood. Reaching this stage is a special time in one’s life because it means that the person is a lot more knowledgeable and wiser based on all the learning and experiences she went through, which then, can be shared to the younger generations. I hope that I can use the knowledge that I obtain from Lily to be able to age successfully.

F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby Essay -- Fitzgerald Great Gatsb

F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby In F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby, there is a constant feeling of movement and the desire to get away. Nick, Gatsby, Wilson, Tom and Daisy all move, or have the intention of moving. Not only does this movement seem to foreshadow events in the book, but it also seems to lead to the conclusion that society as a whole in the 1920's was rather unstable and was undergoing constant change. Not all the characters move in the same way, and this shows how different their backgrounds and lifestyles are. The main movement seems to be from west to east. Throughout the decades man is said to be progressing through the steps of evolution and toward the setting sun, or east to west. The characters move in opposite direction from which the sun sets, which seems significant to the physical and psychological patterns of the characters. The two main characters that movement affects are Nick and Gatsby. The movement of Nick and Gatsby in this direction shows us how their personalities and feelings change as the sun goes down. There are also the various meanings that the sun has, that seems to map out, or affect their near future. The sun foreshadows Nick and Gatsby's actions and emotions, which in turn are affected by the many representations the sun has. Jay Gatsby is a character that the sun affects in such a way that it becomes a symbol of his ability to direct his will and, when put together with his dream, this gives him a sense of purpose. Jimmie Gatz was born in a town in Minnesota. After changing his name to Jay Gatsby, he moved to West Egg, Long Island in order to start a new life revolved around impressing Daisy. Here the sun represents a psychological belie... ...nd that they, "had never, all along, intended doing anything at all. But it was done now. It was too late."(139) Just as the colors begin to bloom in the dazzling night sky they fade and disappear out of sight, just as Nick moves away. The rising sun has been used to describe progress and evolution, but as the sun travels backwards, it shows people for who they really are. The light is shone hard on the characters, so much so that they have nothing to hide behind. This minor action seems to set and change the entire novel at the same time. It also fits in perfectly with the flow or plot of the book. It shows how the characters are slowly opening up to their surroundings, and how much the sun, metaphorically, affects them. Throughout the novel, the sun has shone light on certain characters to show the power and hidden creativity of the unconscious mind.

Worldview Essay

Worldview Essay Essay Below is a free essay on â€Å"Worldview Essay† from Anti Essays, your source for free research papers, essays, and term paper examples. In his well-written and informative book, The Universe Next Door, James W. Sire, provides an introduction to a world of difference. The implications of his work bring one to seriously reflect on his own personal views and those of society.To quote Sire, a world view is, â€Å"a commitment, a fundamental orientation of the heart, that can be expressed as a story or in a set of presuppositions (assumptions which may be true, partially true or entirely false) which we hold (consciously or subconsciously, consistently or inconsistently) about the basic constitution of reality, and that provides the foundation on which we live and move and have our being. † Simply put, a worldview is one’s perspective, whether right or wrong, on reality which can be shaped by his personal beliefs and environment.I will attempt t o answer those seven fundamental questions provided by Sire based on my experiences, values, and personal knowledge. Have you ever wondered why the sky is blue? Why the grass is green? What makes day and night? Why is light called day and dark called night? What is light and dark? Have you ever wondered why the sun shines so brightly or why the moon shines at night? Beyond this thinking, what or who made the sky blue and the grass green? Who made the days and the nights? What about the sun and moon? This is the evidence that God exists. I believe in God.He is the almighty Creator of everything in this universe and beyond. It is impossible to comprehend the awesomeness of God. He is uncaused by anything else. The prime characteristic of God is that He is absolutely holy. In His nature, God is separated from everything else. God is eternal. He has no beginning or end. God was not created. God is transcendent: above and beyond everything in the entire universe. God is unequaled and tot ally unique. He is infinite or beyond limitation. God is self-existent. As all-powerful, God is omni-present (everywhere at the same time).

Spirit Bound Chapter Twenty-Five

I DIDN'T WANT TO SEE anyone after that. I trekked back to my room as quickly as I could, hardly noticing the obstacles and people in my path. Over and over, Dimitri's words played in my head: Love fades. Mine has. Somehow, that was the worst thing he could have said. Don't get me wrong: The rest wasn't easy either. Having him tell me he was going to avoid me and ignore our past relationship made me feel awful too. Yet, within that, no matter how much it hurt, was the tiny hope that there was still some spark of love between us. That he still loved me. But†¦ love fades. That was something else altogether. It meant that what we had would die, going pale until it crumbled and drifted away like dried up leaves in the wind. The thought of it caused a pain in my chest and stomach, and I curled up on my bed, wrapping my arms around myself as though that might lessen the hurt. I couldn't accept what he had said. I couldn't accept that somehow, after his ordeal, his love for me had gone away. I wanted to stay in my room for the rest of the day, curled up in the darkness of my covers. I forgot about Sydney's conversation and my earlier concerns about Lissa's dad. I even let go of Lissa herself. She had a few errands today, but every so often, a message would flit to me through the bond: Come join me? When I didn't contact her, she began to grow worried. I was suddenly afraid that she–or someone else–might come seeking me in my room. So I decided to leave. I had no real destination; I just had to keep moving. I walked around the Court, scouting places I'd never seen before. It was filled with more statues and fountains than I'd realized. Their beauty was lost on me, though, and when I returned to my room hours later, I was exhausted from all the walking. Oh well. At least I'd dodged having to talk to anyone. Or had I? It was late, past my usual bedtime, when a knock came at my door. I was hesitant to answer. Who would be coming by so late? Did I want the distraction or did I want to keep my solitude? I had no idea who it could be, save that it wasn't Lissa. God. For all I knew, it was Hans, demanding to know why I hadn't been showing up for my work detail. After much thinking (and more persistent knocking), I decided to open it. It was Adrian. â€Å"Little dhampir,† he said with a small, weary smile. â€Å"You look like you've seen a ghost.† Not a ghost, exactly. Believe me, I knew ghosts when I saw them. â€Å"I just†¦ I just didn't really expect to see you after this morning†¦.† He entered and sat down on my bed, and I was glad to see he'd cleaned up since our earlier talk. He wore fresh clothes, and his hair was back to its normal perfection. I still caught the lingering scent of cloves, but after what I'd put him through, he was entitled to his vices. â€Å"Yeah, well, I didn't expect to come by either,† he admitted. â€Å"But you†¦ well†¦ you got me thinking about something.† I sat down beside him, keeping a healthy distance. â€Å"Us?† â€Å"No. Lissa.† â€Å"Oh.† I'd accused Dimitri of being egotistic, but here I was, naturally assuming love for me was all that could have driven Adrian over. His green eyes turned speculative. â€Å"I kept thinking about what you'd said, about her dad. And you were right–right about the gambling thing. He'd have the money to pay off any debt. He wouldn't have had to keep it a secret. So I went and asked my mom.† â€Å"What?† I exclaimed. â€Å"No one's supposed to know that–â€Å" â€Å"Yeah, yeah, I figured your information had been top secret. Don't worry. I told her that when we were in Vegas, we heard some people talking about it–about Lissa's dad making secret deposits.† â€Å"What'd she say?† â€Å"The same thing I did. Well, actually, she snapped at me first. She said Eric Dragomir was a good man and that I shouldn't spread rumors about the dead. She suggested that maybe he had a gambling problem, but if so, people shouldn't focus on that, when he did so many great things. After the Death Watch, I think she's afraid of me causing more public scenes.† â€Å"She's right. About Eric,† I said. Maybe someone had stolen those records as some part of a slander campaign. Admittedly, spreading rumors about the dead was pointless, but maybe someone wanted to blacken the Dragomir reputation and get rid of any chance of the voting law being changed for Lissa? I was about to say as much to Adrian when he interrupted with something even more shocking. â€Å"And then my dad overheard us, and he was like, ‘He was probably funding some mistress. You're right–he was a nice guy. But he liked to flirt. And he liked the ladies.'† Adrian rolled his eyes. â€Å"That's a direct quote: ‘He liked the ladies.' My dad is such an ass. He sounds twice his age.† I gripped Adrian's arm without realizing it. â€Å"What did he say after that?† Adrian shrugged but left my hand where it was. â€Å"Nothing. My mom got mad and said the same thing to him that she said to me, that it was cruel to spread stories no one could prove.† â€Å"Do you think it's true? Do you think Lissa's dad had a mistress? Was that what he was paying out for?† â€Å"Don't know, little dhampir. Honestly? My dad's the type who would jump on any rumor he could. Or make one up. I mean, we know Lissa's dad liked to party. It's easy to jump to conclusions from there. Probably he had some dirty secret. Hell, we all do. Maybe whoever stole those files just wanted to exploit that.† I told him my theory about it being used against Lissa. â€Å"Or,† I said, reconsidering, â€Å"maybe someone who supports her took it. So that it wouldn't get out.† Adrian nodded. â€Å"Either way, I don't think Lissa's in mortal danger.† He started to rise, and I pulled him back. â€Å"Adrian, wait†¦ I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I swallowed. â€Å"I wanted to apologize. The way I've been treating you, what I've been doing†¦ it wasn't fair to you. I'm sorry.† He looked away from me, eyes focused on the ground. â€Å"You can't help the way you feel.† â€Å"The thing is†¦ I don't know how I feel. And that sounds stupid, but it's the truth. I care about Dimitri. I was stupid to think I'd be unaffected by him being back. But I realize now†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Love fades. Mine has. â€Å"I realize now that it's over with him. I'm not saying that's easy to get past. It'll take a while, and I'd be lying to both of us if I said it wouldn't.† â€Å"That makes sense,† Adrian said. â€Å"It does?† He glanced at me, a flicker of amusement in his eyes. â€Å"Yes, little dhampir. Sometimes you make sense. Go on.† â€Å"I†¦ well, like I said†¦ I've got to heal from him. But I do care about you†¦. I think I even love you a little.† That got a small smile. â€Å"I want to try again. I really do. I like having you in my life, but I may have jumped into things too soon before. You don't have any reason to want me after the way I've dragged you around, but if you want to get together again, then I want to.† He studied me for a long time, and my breath caught. I'd meant what I said: He had every right to end things with us†¦ and yet, the thought that he might terrified me. At last, he pulled me against him and lay back against the bed. â€Å"Rose, I have all sorts of reasons to want you. I haven't been able to stay away from you since I saw you at the ski lodge.† I shifted closer to Adrian on the bed and pressed my head against his chest. â€Å"We can make this work. I know we can. If I screw up again, you can leave.† â€Å"If only it were that easy,† he laughed. â€Å"You forget: I have an addictive personality. I'm addicted to you. Somehow I think you could do all sorts of bad things to me, and I'd still come back to you. Just keep things honest, okay? Tell me what you're feeling. If you're feeling something for Dimitri that's confusing you, tell me. We'll work it out.† I wanted to tell him that–regardless of my feelings–he had nothing to worry about with Dimitri because Dimitri had rejected me a number of times now. I could chase after Dimitri all I wanted, and it wouldn't do any good. Love fades. Those words still stung, and I couldn't bear to give voice to that pain. But as Adrian held me and I thought about how understanding he was about all of this, some wounded part of me acknowledged that the opposite was true as well: Love grows. I would try with him. I really would. I sighed. â€Å"You're not supposed to be this wise. You're supposed to be shallow and unreasonable and†¦ and†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He pressed a kiss to my forehead. â€Å"And?† â€Å"Mmm†¦ ridiculous.† â€Å"Ridiculous I can manage. And the others†¦ but only on special occasions.† We were wrapped close together now, and I tilted my head to study him, the high cheekbones and artfully messy hair that made him so gorgeous. I remembered his mother's words, that regardless of what we wanted, he and I would eventually have to part ways. Maybe this was how my life was going to be. I'd always lose the men I loved. I pulled him hard against me, kissing his mouth with a force that caught even him by surprise. If I had learned anything about life and love, it was that they were tenuous things that could end at any moment. Caution was essential–but not at the cost of wasting your life. I decided I wasn't going to waste it now. My hands were already tugging at Adrian's shirt before that thought was fully formed. He didn't question it or hesitate in taking my clothes off in return. He might have moments of profoundness and understanding, but he was still†¦ well, Adrian. Adrian lived his life in the now, doing the things he wanted without much second-guessing. And he had wanted me for a very long time. He was also very good at this sort of thing, which was why my clothes came off faster than his. His lips were hot and eager against my throat, but he was careful to never once let his fangs brush my skin. I was a little less gentle, surprising myself when I dug my nails into the bare skin of his back. His lips moved lower, tracing the line of my collarbone while he deftly took off my bra one-handed. I was a little astonished at my body's reaction as we both fought to get the other's jeans off first. I'd convinced myself that I'd never want sex again after Dimitri, but right now? Oh, I wanted it. Maybe it was some psychological reaction to Dimitri's rejection. Maybe it was an impulse to live for the moment. Maybe it was love for Adrian. Or maybe it was just lust. Whatever it was, it made me powerless beneath his hands and mouth, which seemed intent on exploring every part of me. The only time he paused was when all my clothes were finally off and I lay there naked with him. He was almost naked too, but I hadn't quite gotten to his boxers yet. (They were silk because, honestly, what else would Adrian wear?). He cupped my face in his hands, his eyes filled with intensity and desire–and a bit of wonder. â€Å"What are you, Rose Hathaway? Are you real? You're a dream within a dream. I'm afraid touching you will make me wake up. You'll disappear.† I recognized a little of the poetic trance he sometimes fell into, the spells that made me wonder if he was catching a little of the spirit-induced madness. â€Å"Touch me and find out,† I said, drawing him to me. He didn't hesitate again. The last of his clothes came off, and my whole body heated at the feel of his skin and the way his hands slid over me. My physical needs were rapidly trampling over any logic and reason. There was no thought, just us, and the fierce urgency bringing us together. I was all burning need and desire and sensation and– â€Å"Oh, shit.† It came out as kind of a mumble since we'd been kissing, our lips eagerly seeking out the other's. With guardian reflexes, I barely managed to shift away, just as our hips started to come together. Losing the feel of him was shocking to me, more so for him. He was stunned, simply staring in astonishment as I wriggled further from him and finally managed a sitting position on the bed. â€Å"What†¦ what's wrong? Did you change your mind?† â€Å"We need protection first,† I said. â€Å"Do you have any condoms?† He processed this for a few seconds and then sighed. â€Å"Rose, only you would pick this instant to remember that.† That was a fair point. My timing kind of sucked. Still, it was better than remembering it afterward. In spite of my body's rampant desire–and it was still there, believe me–I suddenly had a startling, vivid image of Dimitri's sister Karolina. I'd met her in Siberia, and she'd had a baby that was about six months old. The baby was adorable, as babies often are, but by God, she had been so much work. Karolina had a waitressing job, and as soon as she was home from that, her attention went to the baby. When she was at work, Dimitri's mother took care of the baby. And the baby always needed something: food, changing, rescue from choking on a small object. His sister Sonya had been on the verge of having a baby too, and with the way I'd left things with his youngest sister, Viktoria, I wouldn't be surprised to find she was pregnant before long. Huge life changes made from small, careless actions. So I was pretty confident I didn't want a baby in my life right now, not this young. With Dimitri, it hadn't been a concern, thanks to dhampir infertility. With Adrian? It was an issue, as was the fact that while disease was rare among both our races, I wasn't the first girl Adrian had been with. Or the second. Or the third†¦ â€Å"So do you have any?† I asked impatiently. Just because I was in responsible mode, it didn't mean I wanted sex any less. â€Å"Yes,† said Adrian, sitting up as well. â€Å"Back in my bedroom.† We stared at each other. His bedroom was far away, over in the Moroi section of Court. He slid nearer, putting his arm around me and nibbling my earlobe. â€Å"The odds of anything bad happening are pretty low.† I closed my eyes and tipped my head back against him. He wrapped his hands around my hips and stroked my skin. â€Å"What are you, a doctor?† I asked. He laughed softly, his mouth kissing the spot just behind my ear. â€Å"No. I'm just someone willing to take a risk. You can't tell me you don't want this.† I opened my eyes and pulled away so that I could look at him directly. He was right. I did want this. Very, very badly. And the part of me–which was pretty much all of me–that burned with lust was attempting to win me over. The odds probably were low, right? Weren't there people who tried forever to get pregnant and couldn't? My desire had an okay argument, so it was kind of a surprise when my logic won. â€Å"I can't take the risk,† I said. Now Adrian studied me, and at last, he nodded. â€Å"Okay. Another time then. Tonight we'll be†¦ responsible.† â€Å"That's all you're going to say?† He frowned. â€Å"What else would I say? You said no.† â€Å"But you†¦ you could have compelled me.† Now he was really astonished. â€Å"Do you want me to compel you?† â€Å"No. Of course not. It just occurred to me that†¦ well, that you could have.† Adrian cupped my face in his hands. â€Å"Rose, I cheat at cards and buy liquor for minors. But I would never, ever force you into something you don't want. Certainly not this–â€Å" His words were cut off because I'd pressed myself against him and started kissing him again. Surprise must have kept him from doing anything right away, but soon, he pushed me away with what seemed like great reluctance. â€Å"Little dhampir,† he said dryly, â€Å"if you want to be responsible, this is not a good way to do it.† â€Å"We don't have to let this go. And we can be responsible.† â€Å"All of those stories are–â€Å" He came screeching to a halt when I tossed my hair out of the way and offered my neck to him. I managed to turn slightly so that I could meet his eyes, but I said nothing. I didn't have to. The invitation was obvious. â€Å"Rose†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he said uncertainly–though I could see the longing spring up in his face. Drinking blood wasn't the same as sex, but it was a yearning all vampires had, and doing it while aroused–so I'd heard–was a mind-blowing experience. It was also taboo and hardly ever done, so people claimed. It was where the definition of blood whore had originated: dhampirs who gave their blood during sex. The idea of dhampirs yielding blood at all was considered disgraceful, but I'd done it before: with Lissa when she needed food and with Dimitri when he'd been Strigoi. And it had been glorious. He tried again, his voice steadier this time. â€Å"Rose, do you know what you're asking?† â€Å"Yes,† I said firmly. I gently ran a finger along his lips and then slipped in to touch his fangs. I threw his own words back at him. â€Å"You can't tell me you don't want this.† He did want it. In a heartbeat, his mouth was at my neck and his fangs were piercing my skin. I cried out at the sudden pain, a sound that softened to a moan as the endorphins that came with every vampire bite flooded into me. An exquisite bliss consumed me. He pulled me hard against him as he drank, almost onto his lap, pressing my back against his chest. I was distantly aware of his hands all over me again, of his lips upon my throat. Mostly, all I knew was that I was drowning in pure, ecstatic sweetness. The perfect high. When he pulled away, it was like losing part of myself. Like being incomplete. Confused, needing him back, I reached for him. He gently pushed my hand away, smiling as he licked his lips. â€Å"Careful, little dhampir. I went longer than I should have. You could probably grow wings and fly off right now.† It actually didn't sound like a bad idea. In a few more moments, though, the intense, crazy part of the high faded, and I settled back to myself. I still felt wonderful and dizzy; the endorphins had fed my body's desire. My reasoning slowly came back to me, allowing (kind of) coherent thought to penetrate that happy haze. When Adrian was convinced I was sober enough, he relaxed and lay down on the bed. I joined him a moment later, curling up against his side. He seemed as content as I was. â€Å"That,† he mused, â€Å"was the best not-sex ever.† My only response was a sleepy smile. It was late, and the more I crashed down from the endorphin rush, the drowsier I felt. Some tiny part of me said that even though I'd wanted this and cared about Adrian, the whole act had been wrong. I hadn't done it for the right reasons, instead letting myself get carried away by my own grief and confusion. The rest of me decided that wasn't true, and the nagging voice soon faded into exhaustion. I fell asleep against Adrian, getting the best night of sleep I'd had in a long time. I wasn't entirely surprised that I was able to get out of bed, shower, get dressed, and even blow-dry my hair without Adrian waking up. My friends and I had spent many a morning trying to drag him out of bed in the past. Hungover or sober, he was a heavy sleeper. I spent more time on my hair than I had in a while. The telltale mark of a vampire bite was fresh on my neck. So I wore my hair down, careful to style it with a part so that the long waves hung heavy on the bite side. Satisfied the bruise would stay camouflaged, I pondered what to do next. In an hour or so, the Council was going to listen to arguments from factions with varying ideas on the new age decree, Moroi fighting, and the Dragomir vote. Provided they let me in the hall, I had no intention of missing the debates on the hottest issues in our world right now. I didn't want to wake up Adrian, though. He was tangled up in my sheets and slept peacefully. If I woke him up, I'd feel obligated to stick around while he got ready. Through the bond, I felt Lissa sitting alone at a cafe table. I wanted to see her and have breakfast, so I decided Adrian could fend for himself. I left him a note about where I was, told him the door would lock on his way out, and drew lots of x's and o's. When I was halfway to the cafe, though, I sensed something that ruined my breakfast plan. Christian had sat down with Lissa. â€Å"Well, well,† I muttered. With everything else going on, I hadn't paid much attention to Lissa's personal life. After what had happened at the warehouse, I wasn't entirely surprised to see them together, though her feelings told me there had been no romantic reconciliation†¦ yet. This was an uneasy attempt at friendship, a chance to get over their constant jealousy and distrust. Far be it from me to intrude on love at work. I knew another place near the guardians' buildings that also had coffee and doughnuts. It would do, provided no one there remembered that I was technically still on probation and had made a scene in a royal hall. The odds on that probably weren't good. Still, I decided to give it a try and headed over, eyeing the overcast sky uneasily. Rain wouldn't help my mood any. When I got to the cafe, I discovered I didn't have to worry about anyone paying attention to me. There was a bigger draw: Dimitri. He was out with his personal guard, and even though I was glad he had some freedom, the attitude that he needed close watching still angered me. At least there was no giant crowd today. People who came in for breakfast couldn't help but stare, but few lingered. He had five guardians with him this time, which was a significant reduction. That was a good sign. He sat alone at a table, coffee and a half-eaten glazed doughnut in front of him. He was reading a paperback novel that I would have bet my life was a Western. No one sat with him. His escort simply maintained a ring of protection, a couple near the walls, one at the entrance, and two at nearby tables. The security seemed pointless. Dimitri was completely engrossed in his book, oblivious to the guards and occasional spectators–or he was simply making a good show of not caring. He seemed very harmless, but Adrian's words came back to me. Was there any Strigoi left in him? Some dark part? Dimitri himself claimed he still carried the piece that prevented him from ever truly loving anyone. He and I had always had this uncanny awareness of each other. In a crowded room, I could always find him. And in spite of his preoccupation with the book, he looked up when I walked toward the cafe's counter. Our eyes met for a millisecond. There was no expression on his face†¦ and yet, I had the feeling he was waiting for something. Me, I realized with a start. Despite everything, despite our fight in the church†¦ he still thought I would pursue and make some pledge of my love. Why? Did he just expect me to be that unreasonable? Or was it possible†¦ was it possible he wanted me to approach him? Well, whatever the reason, I decided I wouldn't give it to him. He'd hurt me too many times already. He'd told me to stay away, and if that was all part of some elaborate game to toy with my feelings, I wasn't going to play. I gave him a haughty look and turned away sharply as I walked up to the counter. I ordered chai and a chocolate eclair. After a moment's consideration, I ordered a second eclair. I had a feeling it was going to be one of those days. My plan had been to eat outside, but as I glanced toward the tinted windows, I could just barely make out the pattern of raindrops hitting the panes. Damn. I briefly considered fighting the weather and going somewhere else with my food, but I decided I wasn't going to let Dimitri scare me off. Spying a table far from him, I headed toward it, going out of my way not to look at or acknowledge him. â€Å"Hey Rose. Are you going to the Council today?† I came to a halt. One of Dimitri's guardians had spoken, giving me a friendly smile as he did. I couldn't recall the guy's name, but he'd seemed nice whenever we passed each other. I didn't want to be rude, and so, reluctantly, I answered back–even though it meant staying near Dimitri. â€Å"Yup,† I said, making sure my attention was only on the guardian. â€Å"Just grabbing a bite before I do.† â€Å"Are they going to let you in?† asked another of the guardians. He too was smiling. For a moment, I thought they were mocking my last outburst. But no†¦ that wasn't it. Their faces showed approval. â€Å"That's an excellent question,† I admitted. I took a bite of my eclair. â€Å"But I figure I should give it a try. I'll also try to be on good behavior.† The first guardian chuckled. â€Å"I certainly hope not. That group deserves all the grief you can give them over that stupid age law.† The other guardians nodded. â€Å"What age law?† asked Dimitri. Reluctantly, I looked over at him. As always, he swept my breath away. Stop it, Rose, I scolded myself. You're mad at him, remember? And now you've chosen Adrian. â€Å"The decree where royals think sending sixteen-year-old dhampirs out to fight Strigoi is the same as sending eighteen-year-olds,† I said. I took another bite. Dimitri's head shot up so quickly, I nearly choked on my food. â€Å"Which sixteen-year-olds are fighting Strigoi?† His guardians tensed but did nothing else. It took me a moment to get the bite of eclair down. When I could finally speak, I was almost afraid to. â€Å"That's the decree. Dhampirs graduate when they're sixteen now.† â€Å"When did this happen?† he demanded. â€Å"Just the other day. No one told you?† I glanced over at the other guardians. One of them shrugged. I had the impression that they might believe Dimitri was truly a dhampir but that they weren't ready to get chatty with him. His only other social contact would have been Lissa and his interrogators. â€Å"No.† Dimitri's brow furrowed as he pondered the news. I ate my eclair in silence, hoping it would push him to talk more. It did. â€Å"That's insane,† he said. â€Å"Morality aside, they aren't ready that young. It's suicide.† â€Å"I know. Tasha gave a really good argument against it. I did too.† Dimitri gave me a suspicious look at that last part, particularly when a couple of his guardians smiled. â€Å"Was it a close vote?† he asked. He spoke to me interrogation style, in the serious and focused way that had so defined him as a guardian. It was a lot better than depression, I decided. It was also better than him telling me to go away. â€Å"Very close. If Lissa could have voted, it wouldn't have passed.† â€Å"Ah,† he said, playing with the edges of his coffee cup. â€Å"The quorum.† â€Å"You know about that?† I asked in surprise. â€Å"It's an old Moroi law.† â€Å"So I hear.† â€Å"What's the opposition trying to do? Sway the Council back or get Lissa the Dragomir vote?† â€Å"Both. And other things.† He shook his head, tucking some hair behind his ear. â€Å"They can't do that. They need to pick one cause and throw their weight behind it. Lissa's the smartest choice. The Council needs the Dragomirs back, and I've seen the way people look at her when they put me on display.† Only the slightest edge of bitterness laced his words, indicating how he felt about that. Then it was back to business. â€Å"It wouldn't be hard to get support for that–if they don't divide their efforts.† I started in on my second eclair, forgetting about my earlier resolution to ignore him. I didn't want to distract him from the topic. It was the first thing that had brought the old fire back to his eyes, the only thing he seemed truly interested in–well, aside from pledging lifelong devotion to Lissa and telling me to stay out of his life. I liked this Dimitri. It was the same Dimitri from long ago, the fierce one who was willing to risk his life for what was right. I almost wished he'd go back to being annoying, distant Dimitri, the one who told me to stay away. Seeing him now brought back too many memories–not to mention the attraction I thought I'd smashed. Now, with that passion all over him, he seemed sexier than ever. He'd worn that same intensity when we'd fought together. Even when we'd had sex. This was the way Dimitri was supposed to be: powerful and in charge. I was glad and yet†¦ seeing him the way I loved only made my heart feel that much worse. He was lost to me. If Dimitri guessed my feelings, he didn't show it. He looked squarely at me, and, like always, the power of that gaze wrapped around me. â€Å"The next time you see Tasha, will you send her to me? We need to talk about this.† â€Å"So, Tasha can be your friend, but not me?† The sharp words were out before I could stop them. I flushed, embarrassed that I'd lapsed in front of the other guardians. Dimitri apparently didn't want an audience either. He looked up at the one who had initially addressed me. â€Å"Is there any way we could have some privacy?† His escort exchanged looks, and then, almost as one being, they stepped back. It wasn't a considerable distance, and they still maintained a ring around Dimitri. Nonetheless, it was enough that all of our conversation wouldn't be overheard. Dimitri turned back to me. I sat down. â€Å"You and Tasha have completely different situations. She can safely be in my life. You can't.† â€Å"And yet,† I said with an angry toss of my hair, â€Å"it's apparently okay for me to be in your life when it's convenient–say, like, running errands or passing messages.† â€Å"It doesn't really seem like you need me in your life,† he noted dryly, inclining his head slightly toward my right shoulder. It took me a moment to grasp what had happened. In tossing my hair, I'd exposed my neck–and the bite. I tried not to blush again, knowing I had nothing to feel embarrassed about. I pushed the hair back. â€Å"That's none of your business,† I hissed, hoping the other guardians hadn't seen. â€Å"Exactly.† He sounded triumphant. â€Å"Because you need to live your own life, far away from me.† â€Å"Oh, for God's sake,† I exclaimed. â€Å"Will you stop with the–â€Å" My eyes lifted from his face because an army suddenly descended upon us. Okay, it wasn't exactly an army, but it might as well have been. One minute it was just Dimitri, me, and his security, and then suddenly–the room was swarming with guardians. And not just any guardians. They wore the black-and-white outfits guardians often did for formal occasions, but a small red button on their collars marked them as guardians specifically attached to the queen's guard. There had to be at least twenty of them. They were lethal and deadly, the best of the best. Throughout history, assassins who had attacked monarchs had found themselves quickly taken down by the royal guard. They were walking death–and they were all gathering around us. Dimitri and I both shot up, unsure what was happening but certain the threat here was directed at us. His table and its chairs were between us, but we still immediately fell into the standard fighting stance when surrounded by enemies: Go back-to-back. Dimitri's security wore ordinary clothing and seemed a bit astonished to see their brethren, but with guardian efficiency, the escort promptly joined the advancing queen's guard. There were no more smiles or jokes. I wanted to throw myself in front of Dimitri, but in this situation, it was kind of difficult. â€Å"You need to come with us right now,† one of the queen's guards said. â€Å"If you resist, we'll take you by force.† â€Å"Leave him alone!† I yelled, looking from face to face. That angry darkness exploded within me. How could they still not believe? Why were they still coming after him? â€Å"He hasn't done anything! Why can't you guys accept that he's really a dhampir now?† The man who'd spoken arched an eyebrow. â€Å"I wasn't talking to him.† â€Å"You're†¦ you're here for me?† I asked. I tried to think of any new spectacles I might have caused recently. I considered the crazy idea that the queen had found out I'd spent the night with Adrian and was pissed off about it. That was hardly enough to send the palace guard for me, though†¦ or was it? Had I really gone too far with my antics? â€Å"What for?† demanded Dimitri. That tall, wonderful body of his–the one that could be so sensual sometimes–was filled with tension and menace now. The man kept his gaze on me, ignoring Dimitri. â€Å"Don't make me repeat myself: Come with us quietly, or we will make you.† The glimmer of handcuffs showed in his hands. My eyes went wide. â€Å"That's crazy! I'm not going anywhere until you tell me how the hell this–â€Å" That was the point at which they apparently decided I wasn't coming quietly. Two of the royal guardians lunged for me, and even though we technically worked for the same side, my instincts kicked in. I didn't understand anything here except that I would not be dragged away like some kind of master criminal. I shoved the chair I'd been sitting in earlier at one of the guardians and aimed a punch at the other. It was a sloppy throw, made worse because he was taller than me. That height difference allowed me to dodge his next grab, and when I kicked hard at his legs, a small grunt told me I'd hit home. I heard a few scattered screams. The people working at the cafe ducked behind their counter like they expected automatic weapons to come out. The other patrons who'd been eating breakfast hurriedly sprang from their tables, heedlessly knocking over food and dishes. They ran for the exits–exits that were blocked by still more guardians. This brought more screams, even though the exits were being cut off because of me. Meanwhile, other guardians were joining the fray. Although I got a couple of good punches in, I knew the numbers were too overwhelming. One guardian caught hold of my arm and began trying to put the cuffs on me. He stopped when another set of hands grabbed me from the other side and jerked me away. Dimitri. â€Å"Don't touch her,† he growled. There was a note in his voice that would have scared me if it had been directed toward me. He shoved me behind him, putting his body protectively in front of mine with my back to the table. Guardians came at us from all directions, and Dimitri began dispatching them with the same deadly grace that had once made people call him a god. He didn't kill any of the ones he fought, but he made sure they were out of action. If anyone thought his ordeals as a Strigoi or being locked up had diminished his fighting ability, they were terribly mistaken. Dimitri was a force of nature, managing to take on both impossible odds and stop me each time I tried to join the fight. The queen's guards might have been the best of the best, but Dimitri†¦ well, my former lover and instructor was in a category all his own. His fighting skills were beyond anyone else's, and he was using them all in defense of me. â€Å"Stay back,† he ordered me. â€Å"They aren't laying a hand on you.† At first, I was overwhelmed by his protectiveness–even though I hated not being part of a fight. Watching him fight again was also entrancing. He made it look beautiful and lethal at the same time. He was a one-man army, the kind of warrior that protected his loved ones and brought terror to his enemies– And that's when a horrible revelation hit me. â€Å"Stop!† I suddenly yelled. â€Å"I'll come! I'll come with you!† No one heard me at first. They were too involved with the fight. Guardians kept trying to sneak behind Dimitri, but he seemed to sense them and would shove chairs or anything else he could get a hold of at them–while still managing to kick and punch those coming at us head-on. Who knew? Maybe he really could have taken on an army by himself. But I couldn't let him. I shook Dimitri's arm. â€Å"Stop,† I repeated. â€Å"Don't fight anymore.† â€Å"Rose–â€Å" â€Å"Stop!† I was pretty sure I'd never screamed any word so loudly in my life. It rang through the room. For all I knew, it rang through the entire Court. It didn't exactly make everyone come to a halt, but many of the guardians slowed down. A few of the cowering cafe workers peered over the counter at us. Dimitri was still in motion, still ready to take everyone on, and I had to practically throw myself at him to get him to notice me. â€Å"Stop.† This time, my voice was a whisper. An uneasy silence had fallen over everyone. â€Å"Don't fight them anymore. I'm going to go with them.† â€Å"No. I won't let them take you.† â€Å"You have to,† I begged. He was breathing hard, every part of him braced and ready to attack. We locked gazes, and a thousand messages seemed to flow between us as the old electricity crackled in the air. I just hoped he got the right message. One of the guardians tentatively stepped forward–having to go around the unconscious body of his colleague–and Dimitri's tension snapped. He started to block the guardian and defend me again, but I instead put myself between them, clasping Dimitri's hand and still looking into his eyes. His skin was warm and felt so, so right touching mine. â€Å"Please. No more.† I saw then that he finally understood what I was trying to say. People were still afraid of him. No one knew what he was. Lissa had said him behaving calmly and normally would soothe fears. But this? Him taking on an army of guardians? That was not going to get him points for good behavior. For all I knew, it was already too late after this, but I had to attempt damage control. I couldn't let them lock him up again–not because of me. As he looked at me, he seemed to send a message of his own: that he would still fight for me, that he would fight until he collapsed to keep them from taking me. I shook my head and gave his hand a parting squeeze. His fingers were exactly as I remembered, long and graceful, with calluses built up from years of training. I let go and turned to face the guy who had originally spoken. I assumed he was some sort of leader. I held out my hands and slowly stepped forward. â€Å"I'll go quietly. But, please†¦ don't lock him back up. He just thought†¦ he just thought I was in trouble.† The thing was, as the handcuffs were clamped onto my wrists, I was starting to think I was in trouble too. As the guardians helped each other up, their leader took a deep breath and made the proclamation he'd been trying to make since entering. I swallowed, waiting to hear Victor's name. â€Å"Rose Hathaway, you are under arrest for high treason.† Not quite what I'd expected. Hoping my submission had earned me points, I asked, â€Å"What kind of high treason?† â€Å"The murder of Her Royal Majesty, Queen Tatiana.†