Economic Situation Malaysians Attitudes Towards Private Label Brands Marketing Essay

Economic Situation Malaysians Attitudes Towards Private Label Brands Marketing Essay The term of Globalisation is a very common word in business world. Many businessmen are trying hard to market their product to other countries. Globalisation becomes an important issue in the world today and eventually it leads to the increasing number of competitors among retailers by doing trade globally. In order to become an outstanding firm from other retailers, established a competitive advantage is an important criterion for any competitive strategy (Walsh and Mitchell, 2010). Retailers use different methods to achieve competitive advantage. The most important elements of retails branding is private label brands (Glynn and Chen, 2009). According to Levy (2009), it is easy to find out that private label brands available in almost every retail product category and it is one of the competitive strategies that retailers used to achieve competitive advantage. Private label brands have reached another level in the appearance of many products categories such as grocery, household che micals, clothing and cosmetics (Veloutsou et al., 2004). Private label brands can be a crucial component of competitive advantage especially in an economic recession (Walsh and Mitchell, 2010). Economic downturn will lead to the changes in shopping patterns. Private label brands are products that are produced by retailers and sold under the retailers own name through their own retail outlets (Baltas, 1997). Private label brands have grown in many countries and product categories in the last few decades (Connor et al., 1996). According to Lupton et al. (2010), private label brands have established their market in the United Stated and Europe in the past few decades. The consumers tend to perceive private label brands as a substitute or choices to the national brands (Lupton et al., 2010). Private label brands have built their own markets and becoming more popular among the consumers in the world (AC Nielsen, 2006). According to Morris (2002), the most successful retailer has more private label branding strategies and the retailer is normally the stronger firm. Retailers with strong private label brands will have better financial results (Morris, 2002). Malaysia, as a middle income country and one of the most developed in the developing countries, has transformed itself from a producer of raw materials into a multi-sector economy (Economy Watch, 2011). According to Economy Watch (2011), the population of Malaysia is 28.713 Million. In the following year, 2012, population of Malaysia will be 29.20 Million, which is more than the figure in year 2011 (Economy Watch, 2011). The increasing of population in Malaysia will encourage the development of retailing and will boost up the purchasing power of goods. Yelkur (2000) found that the success of private label brands is varied from different nations, such as in the United Kingdom, private label brands have successfully gain a large portion of grocery sales, but in the United States the proportion of purchasing private label brands is relatively low if compare to branded products. Developing countries are being exposed to private label brands and are becoming more aware of their benefits ( Collins and Bone, 2008). According to Collins and Bone (2008), the growth of private label brands in developing countries, such as Malaysia, is still remaining low. Private label brands continue to steadily increase their share in the marketplace. According to A.C. Nielsen (2005), the private label share of refrigerated food is 32%, paper plastic is 31%, frozen food is 25%, cosmetics is 23%, pet food is 21%, health care is 14%, non-Alcoholic beverages is 12%, snack is 9%, personal care is 3% and others. There are few hypermarkets in Malaysia selling their private label product, such as Giant, Carrefour, Tesco and Tesco Extra (A.C. Nielsen, 2010). These hypermarkets provide their private label brands in many product categories. For example, Tesco offers Tesco Finest as their private label brands (Morris, 2004). This Tesco Finest private label brands has include the product category of non-Alcoholic beverages. Morris (2004) mentioned that the strong private label brands in Tesco have became the key elements of Tescos success. Tescos private label brands generate 55% of the total sales in year 2004 (Morris, 2004). Apart than that, even though there is an amount of studies on private label brands, there is no specific research based on the Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands. Nowadays, retailers own brand becomes an alternative of consumers. According to Veloutsou et al. (2004), consumers have their own perception on different brand of products, each of the products has its special features or characteristics and it will affect the purchasing behaviour of consumers. Retailers need to understand what are the main factors affecting Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands in order to attract and convince more customers stick to the own brands (Goldsmith et al., 2010). The factors affecting Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands include consumers perceived benefits (Chaniotakis, 2010), price (Walsh and Mitchell, 2010), social influences (Nelson and McLeod, 2005) and economic situation (Chaniotakis, 2010). In a recent study of private label brands (Richardson et al., 1996), some influences such as economic and psychological factors bring the effect to the purchasing rate of private label brands. Malaysian is a country comprises of many races. The three major races in Malaysia are Malay, Chinese, and Indian. Different culture will cause different people have different perception towards private label brands. This research is focusing on the factors affecting Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands. The factors that will be look into are consumers perceived benefits, price, social influences and economic situation. Last but not least, it can lead us to have a better understanding toward the issue of private label brands in Malaysia. The Background of Study There are a few previous studies that focusing on the topic of private label brands in many countries, such as a scale for measuring attitude towards private label products and examination of its psychological and behavioural correlates (Burton et al., 1998), an investigation of the new generic consumer (Herstein and Tifferet, 2007), consumer behaviour towards own label monitoring the Greek experience (Boutsouki et al., 2008) and consumers perception of generic products a Mexican study (Yelkur, 2000). The definition of attitudes towards private label brands is a predisposition to respond in a positive way to private label brands and the consumer will purchase the private label brands in a more favourable way. (Burton et al., 1998) The Theory of Planned Behaviour (Ajzen, 1991) which focusing on the research of attitude-behaviour consistency can explain the positive attitude of consumers who has good perception towards the brands when they are making their decision on purchase. The rate of adoption of private label brands is not the same in all the nations (Veloutsou et al., 2004). According to A.C. Nielsen (2010), the private label brands are still not famous in all Asian markets, but only Hong Kong having a share above 5%. Private label brands of sales increased in a few countries in year 2009 compared to year 2008, but it still remains less than 5%, except of Hong Kong (A.C. Nielsen, 2010). In a recent study of retail and shopper trends, A.C. Nielsen (2010) mentioned that Malaysia has only a share of 2.3% in private label brands, Singapore has only a share of 2.8% and Thailand has a share of 1.8%. The growing of private label brands in Asian markets has to depend on how much the retailers are willing to invest in the private label brands. Retailers have to focus on the development of products and also the quality of products in order to gain a better position in the current market (A.C. Nielsen, 2010). According to the Private Label Manufacturers Association (2010), it showed that 91% of the respondents will still buying private label brands after the economic downturn and they believe that the private label brands are just good and same quality with the branded products. The promotion and packaging of the private label brands is often similar to the branded products (Putsis and Dhar, 2001). Problem Statement According to Hernon and Metoyer-Duran (1993), problem statement must be precise and it contains the need for the study. The problem statement for this research is the factor that will affect Malaysians attitudes on buying branded products or private label brands. There are some researches being conducted to find out the factors that affect the consumers intention to buy private label brands (Walsh and Mitchell, 2010), the attribute that affect the consumers intentions of buying own-label premium food products (Chaniotakis et al., 2010) and consumer attitudes and loyalty towards private brands ( Goldsmith et al., 2010). The globalization of business creates a lot of opportunities to the retailers and it also brings a lot of competitors to them. In this emerging world, establishing a competitive advantage is the main purpose of every competitive strategy while doing the business globally (Walsh and Mitchell, 2010). Some retailers have low store-operating cost, some have efficient supply chain management and some have a large number of loyal customers (Walsh and Mitchell, 2010). Therefore, hypermarkets tend to make some changes in order to attract new customers or to meet their existing customers needs. To become outstanding among all the other competitors, retailers must have some unique products or services to attract more customers. Furthermore, the technology advancement has altered the media habits from the traditional advertising method, such as billboard, to some new advertising techniques, such as product placement, in order to reach younger generation (Nelson and McLeod, 2005). Those hypermarkets required to catch up with all these changes on media habits in order to attract more customers. Besides, due to the advance technologies, people prefer to go online shopping rather than shopping in the hypermarkets. They can purchase anything online through some website, such as amazon.com. This research not only expects that the price will be the major factor that affect Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands, but also some other factors that will bring effect on the attitudes of consumer in Malaysia towards private label brands. Some of the consumers are willing to pay more for a branded product in order to obtain higher quality than paying a less money for a private label brand (Tse, 2001). So, it is very important for this study to find out what are the major factors that determine the attitudes of Malaysian towards private label brands. Objectives of Study The objectives of the research are: To examine the relationship between consumers perceived benefits and Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands. To identify the relationship between price and Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands. To examine the relationship between social influences and Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands. To identify the relationship between economic situation and Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands. The Scope of Study In every research, there are independent variables and dependent variable. The dependent variable in this research is Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands. The attitude of Malaysian is important as they are contributing the response in this research. The independent variables in this study are consumers perceived benefits, price, social influences and economic situation. The coverage of this research is on Malaysian. This is because there already have a few studies that focusing on other nations but there are no research are doing based on the Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands. Besides, Malaysian seems to be likely increased their purchasing rate of private label brands in hypermarkets in these few years. Grocery sales in private label brands in Malaysia are rising. The respondents who participate in this survey are those who used or bought any private label brands before. Only 150 Malaysian will be selected to contribute their response to this research. The author will develop a questionnaire with the different types and forms of questions, such as closed questions and negatively worded questions. By using the method of questionnaires, the attitude of the respondents will be shown. Hence, after finding out the relationship between the major factors and Malaysians attitude towards private label brands, it will give us a better understanding about the current consumer trend of buying private label brands in Malaysia. It helps the retailers to know which of the factor has the major influence on the peoples intentions of purchasing private label brands. Furthermore, the retailers can help them to find out what factors affecting them from losing their market share, so that they can do some analysis based on the results and make some improvement and changes. Respondents can also benefits from this research too. They can broaden their knowledge toward the topic of private label brands. They can also know better about the current market trends and the main factor that determines their attitude towards private label brands. Then, by knowing the factors that affecting Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands, the government can earn more income due to the increasing sell of private label brands. Besides, the government should implement some policy to help the private label brands in order to protect them from the competition of branded and national products. Lastly, it will make contribution to the Malaysias economy because it will help the local retailers to know which factors affecting their customer on choosing private label brands, therefore, they can make slightly changes and it will lead to the increasing number of sales. By the increasing number of sales, it will definitely lead to a rise in GDP. Definition for the Key Terms Attributes Definition Sources Private Label Brands Products that are produced by retailers and sold under the retailers own name through their own retail outlets Baltas (1997) Perceived benefits The degree to which a fulfilment of expectations when choosing private label brands. Veloutsou, Gioulistanis and Moutinho (2004) Price A monetary value when the consumer wants to exchange it with the goods or services provided by the sellers or producers. Nagle and Holden (2002) Social Influences The degree to which learning the skills, knowledge and attitudes relevant for consumption from media, parents and peers. Nelson and Mcleod (2005) Economic Situation The economic conditions that will lead the retailers to enrich the range of private label offerings. Chaniotakis, Lymperopoulos and Soureli (2010) Organization Structure There are total five chapters in this research. The structure of the study is organized as following. Chapter 1 is about the introduction, the author will start by the background of this study. Besides, the author will briefly explain why this research is important, what factors will affect the Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands, history of private label brands, rules and regulations towards private label brands in Malaysia, problem statements, research objectives and contribution of this study. This part will have an overview of the research. Chapter 2 is literature review that discusses the factors that affect the attitudes of Malaysian towards private label brands. In the beginning, the definition of the theory and interest of study are introduces. Then, the author will explain each of the variables that affecting Malaysians attitudes towards private label brands. The author was reviewed the previous study to make the analysis of each variables. Chapter 3 is research methodology. In this part, it describes how the author collects information and finalizes the data. It will also explain what method will be used to conduct this research. The author defines the research framework, develops hypothesis, develops questionnaires, explain how the author undergo pilot study, chooses convenient sampling as the sampling method, and introduces the target size. Furthermore, data collection method and data analysis will be presented. Conclusion This chapter will give us some briefing about this research. Let us know about why this research is important and why this research is needed to be conducted. One of the reasons is that we can know the consumer purchasing trend in the current market after the completion of this research. Then, this study will make a huge contribution to the retailer who are selling or planning to sell private label brands. They can further know about how the consumers think and their attitudes towards private label brands in Malaysia. We can also know which variable has more powerful to affect the Malaysians intention to buy private label brands. This will have an impact on the economy of Malaysia too. Last but not least, we can also have better understanding towards the key terms that affect the Malaysians attitudes on private label brands. Besides, it will give us a clear picture for the structure of this research.

Angels Demons Chapter 49-50

49 Langdon and Vittoria stood alone now outside the double doors that led to the inner sanctum of the Secret Archives. The decor in the colonnade was an incongruous mix of wall-to-wall carpets over marble floors and wireless security cameras gazing down from beside carved cherubs in the ceiling. Langdon dubbed it Sterile Renaissance. Beside the arched ingress hung a small bronze plaque. ARCHIVIO VATICANO Curatore: Padre Jaqui Tomaso Father Jaqui Tomaso. Langdon recognized the curator's name from the rejection letters at home in his desk. Dear Mr. Langdon, It is with regret that I am writing to deny†¦ Regret. Bullshit. Since Jaqui Tomaso's reign had begun, Langdon had never met a single non-Catholic American scholar who had been given access to the Secret Vatican Archives. Il gaurdiano, historians called him. Jaqui Tomaso was the toughest librarian on earth. As Langdon pushed the doors open and stepped through the vaulted portal into the inner sanctum, he half expected to see Father Jaqui in full military fatigues and helmet standing guard with a bazooka. The space, however, was deserted. Silence. Soft lighting. Archivio Vaticano. One of his life dreams. As Langdon's eyes took in the sacred chamber, his first reaction was one of embarrassment. He realized what a callow romantic he was. The images he had held for so many years of this room could not have been more inaccurate. He had imagined dusty bookshelves piled high with tattered volumes, priests cataloging by the light of candles and stained-glass windows, monks poring over scrolls†¦ Not even close. At first glance the room appeared to be a darkened airline hangar in which someone had built a dozen free-standing racquetball courts. Langdon knew of course what the glass-walled enclosures were. He was not surprised to see them; humidity and heat eroded ancient vellums and parchments, and proper preservation required hermitic vaults like these – airtight cubicles that kept out humidity and natural acids in the air. Langdon had been inside hermetic vaults many times, but it was always an unsettling experience†¦ something about entering an airtight container where the oxygen was regulated by a reference librarian. The vaults were dark, ghostly even, faintly outlined by tiny dome lights at the end of each stack. In the blackness of each cell, Langdon sensed the phantom giants, row upon row of towering stacks, laden with history. This was one hell of a collection. Vittoria also seemed dazzled. She stood beside him staring mutely at the giant transparent cubes. Time was short, and Langdon wasted none of it scanning the dimly lit room for a book catalog – a bound encyclopedia that cataloged the library's collection. All he saw was the glow of a handful of computer terminals dotting the room. â€Å"Looks like they've got a Biblion. Their index is computerized.† Vittoria looked hopeful. â€Å"That should speed things up.† Langdon wished he shared her enthusiasm, but he sensed this was bad news. He walked to a terminal and began typing. His fears were instantly confirmed. â€Å"The old-fashioned method would have been better.† â€Å"Why?† He stepped back from the monitor. â€Å"Because real books don't have password protection. I don't suppose physicists are natural born hackers?† Vittoria shook her head. â€Å"I can open oysters, that's about it.† Langdon took a deep breath and turned to face the eerie collection of diaphanous vaults. He walked to the nearest one and squinted into the dim interior. Inside the glass were amorphous shapes Langdon recognized as the usual bookshelves, parchment bins, and examination tables. He looked up at the indicator tabs glowing at the end of each stack. As in all libraries, the tabs indicated the contents of that row. He read the headings as he moved down the transparent barrier. Pietro Il Erimito†¦ Le Crociate†¦ Urbano II†¦ Levant†¦ â€Å"They're labeled,† he said, still walking. â€Å"But it's not alpha-author.† He wasn't surprised. Ancient archives were almost never cataloged alphabetically because so many of the authors were unknown. Titles didn't work either because many historical documents were untitled letters or parchment fragments. Most cataloging was done chronologically. Disconcertingly, however, this arrangement did not appear to be chronological. Langdon felt precious time already slipping away. â€Å"Looks like the Vatican has its own system.† â€Å"What a surprise.† He examined the labels again. The documents spanned centuries, but all the keywords, he realized, were interrelated. â€Å"I think it's a thematic classification.† â€Å"Thematic?† Vittoria said, sounding like a disapproving scientist. â€Å"Sounds inefficient.† Actually†¦ Langdon thought, considering it more closely. This may be the shrewdest cataloging I've ever seen. He had always urged his students to understand the overall tones and motifs of an artistic period rather than getting lost in the minutia of dates and specific works. The Vatican Archives, it seemed, were cataloged on a similar philosophy. Broad strokes†¦ â€Å"Everything in this vault,† Langdon said, feeling more confident now, â€Å"centuries of material, has to do with the Crusades. That's this vault's theme.† It was all here, he realized. Historical accounts, letters, artwork, socio-political data, modern analyses. All in one place†¦ encouraging a deeper understanding of a topic. Brilliant. Vittoria frowned. â€Å"But data can relate to multiple themes simultaneously.† â€Å"Which is why they cross-reference with proxy markers.† Langdon pointed through the glass to the colorful plastic tabs inserted among the documents. â€Å"Those indicate secondary documents located elsewhere with their primary themes.† â€Å"Sure,† she said, apparently letting it go. She put her hands on her hips and surveyed the enormous space. Then she looked at Langdon. â€Å"So, Professor, what's the name of this Galileo thing we're looking for?† Langdon couldn't help but smile. He still couldn't fathom that he was standing in this room. It's in here, he thought. Somewhere in the dark, it's waiting. â€Å"Follow me,† Langdon said. He started briskly down the first aisle, examining the indicator tabs of each vault. â€Å"Remember how I told you about the Path of Illumination? How the Illuminati recruited new members using an elaborate test?† â€Å"The treasure hunt,† Vittoria said, following closely. â€Å"The challenge the Illuminati had was that after they placed the markers, they needed some way to tell the scientific community the path existed.† â€Å"Logical,† Vittoria said. â€Å"Otherwise nobody would know to look for it.† â€Å"Yes, and even if they knew the path existed, scientists would have no way of knowing where the path began. Rome is huge.† â€Å"Okay.† Langdon proceeded down the next aisle, scanning the tabs as he talked. â€Å"About fifteen years ago, some historians at the Sorbonne and I uncovered a series of Illuminati letters filled with references to the segno.† â€Å"The sign. The announcement about the path and where it began.† â€Å"Yes. And since then, plenty of Illuminati academics, myself included, have uncovered other references to the segno. It is accepted theory now that the clue exists and that Galileo mass distributed it to the scientific community without the Vatican ever knowing.† â€Å"How?† â€Å"We're not sure, but most likely printed publications. He published many books and newsletters over the years.† â€Å"That the Vatican no doubt saw. Sounds dangerous.† â€Å"True. Nonetheless the segno was distributed.† â€Å"But nobody has ever actually found it?† â€Å"No. Oddly though, wherever allusions to the segno appear – Masonic diaries, ancient scientific journals, Illuminati letters – it is often referred to by a number.† â€Å"666?† Langdon smiled. â€Å"Actually it's 503.† â€Å"Meaning?† â€Å"None of us could ever figure it out. I became fascinated with 503, trying everything to find meaning in the number – numerology, map references, latitudes.† Langdon reached the end of the aisle, turned the corner, and hurried to scan the next row of tabs as he spoke. â€Å"For many years the only clue seemed to be that 503 began with the number five†¦ one of the sacred Illuminati digits.† He paused. â€Å"Something tells me you recently figured it out, and that's why we're here.† â€Å"Correct,† Langdon said, allowing himself a rare moment of pride in his work. â€Å"Are you familiar with a book by Galileo called Dialogo?† â€Å"Of course. Famous among scientists as the ultimate scientific sellout.† Sellout wasn't quite the word Langdon would have used, but he knew what Vittoria meant. In the early 1630s, Galileo had wanted to publish a book endorsing the Copernican heliocentric model of the solar system, but the Vatican would not permit the book's release unless Galileo included equally persuasive evidence for the church's geo centric model – a model Galileo knew to be dead wrong. Galileo had no choice but to acquiesce to the church's demands and publish a book giving equal time to both the accurate and inaccurate models. â€Å"As you probably know,† Langdon said, â€Å"despite Galileo's compromise, Dialogo was still seen as heretical, and the Vatican placed him under house arrest.† â€Å"No good deed goes unpunished.† Langdon smiled. â€Å"So true. And yet Galileo was persistent. While under house arrest, he secretly wrote a lesser-known manuscript that scholars often confuse with Dialogo. That book is called Discorsi.† Vittoria nodded. â€Å"I've heard of it. Discourses on the Tides.† Langdon stopped short, amazed she had heard of the obscure publication about planetary motion and its effect on the tides. â€Å"Hey,† she said, â€Å"you're talking to an Italian marine physicist whose father worshiped Galileo.† Langdon laughed. Discorsi however was not what they were looking for. Langdon explained that Discorsi had not been Galileo's only work while under house arrest. Historians believed he had also written an obscure booklet called Diagramma. â€Å"Diagramma della Verita,† Langdon said. â€Å"Diagram of Truth.† â€Å"Never heard of it.† â€Å"I'm not surprised. Diagramma was Galileo's most secretive work – supposedly some sort of treatise on scientific facts he held to be true but was not allowed to share. Like some of Galileo's previous manuscripts, Diagramma was smuggled out of Rome by a friend and quietly published in Holland. The booklet became wildly popular in the European scientific underground. Then the Vatican caught wind of it and went on a book-burning campaign.† Vittoria now looked intrigued. â€Å"And you think Diagramma contained the clue? The segno. The information about the Path of Illumination.† â€Å"Diagramma is how Galileo got the word out. That I'm sure of.† Langdon entered the third row of vaults and continued surveying the indicator tabs. â€Å"Archivists have been looking for a copy of Diagramma for years. But between the Vatican burnings and the booklet's low permanence rating, the booklet has disappeared off the face of the earth.† â€Å"Permanence rating?† â€Å"Durability. Archivists rate documents one through ten for their structural integrity. Diagramma was printed on sedge papyrus. It's like tissue paper. Life span of no more than a century.† â€Å"Why not something stronger?† â€Å"Galileo's behest. To protect his followers. This way any scientists caught with a copy could simply drop it in water and the booklet would dissolve. It was great for destruction of evidence, but terrible for archivists. It is believed that only one copy of Diagramma survived beyond the eighteenth century.† â€Å"One?† Vittoria looked momentarily starstruck as she glanced around the room. â€Å"And it's here?† â€Å"Confiscated from the Netherlands by the Vatican shortly after Galileo's death. I've been petitioning to see it for years now. Ever since I realized what was in it.† As if reading Langdon's mind, Vittoria moved across the aisle and began scanning the adjacent bay of vaults, doubling their pace. â€Å"Thanks,† he said. â€Å"Look for reference tabs that have anything to do with Galileo, science, scientists. You'll know it when you see it.† â€Å"Okay, but you still haven't told me how you figured out Diagramma contained the clue. It had something to do with the number you kept seeing in Illuminati letters? 503?† Langdon smiled. â€Å"Yes. It took some time, but I finally figured out that 503 is a simple code. It clearly points to Diagramma.† For an instant Langdon relived his moment of unexpected revelation: August 16. Two years ago. He was standing lakeside at the wedding of the son of a colleague. Bagpipes droned on the water as the wedding party made their unique entrance†¦ across the lake on a barge. The craft was festooned with flowers and wreaths. It carried a Roman numeral painted proudly on the hull – DCII. Puzzled by the marking Langdon asked the father of the bride, â€Å"What's with 602?† â€Å"602?† Langdon pointed to the barge. â€Å"DCII is the Roman numeral for 602.† The man laughed. â€Å"That's not a Roman numeral. That's the name of the barge.† â€Å"The DCII?† The man nodded. â€Å"The Dick and Connie II.† Langdon felt sheepish. Dick and Connie were the wedding couple. The barge obviously had been named in their honor. â€Å"What happened to the DCI?† The man groaned. â€Å"It sank yesterday during the rehearsal luncheon.† Langdon laughed. â€Å"Sorry to hear that.† He looked back out at the barge. The DCII, he thought. Like a miniature QEII. A second later, it had hit him. Now Langdon turned to Vittoria. â€Å"503,† he said, â€Å"as I mentioned, is a code. It's an Illuminati trick for concealing what was actually intended as a Roman numeral. The number 503 in Roman numerals is – â€Å" â€Å"DIII.† Langdon glanced up. â€Å"That was fast. Please don't tell me you're an Illuminata.† She laughed. â€Å"I use Roman numerals to codify pelagic strata.† Of course, Langdon thought. Don't we all. Vittoria looked over. â€Å"So what is the meaning of DIII?† â€Å"DI and DII and DIII are very old abbreviations. They were used by ancient scientists to distinguish between the three Galilean documents most commonly confused. Vittoria drew a quick breath. â€Å"Dialogo†¦ Discorsi†¦ Diagramma.† â€Å"D-one. D-two. D-three. All scientific. All controversial. 503 is DIII. Diagramma. The third of his books.† Vittoria looked troubled. â€Å"But one thing still doesn't make sense. If this segno, this clue, this advertisement about the Path of Illumination was really in Galileo's Diagramma, why didn't the Vatican see it when they repossessed all the copies?† â€Å"They may have seen it and not noticed. Remember the Illuminati markers? Hiding things in plain view? Dissimulation? The segno apparently was hidden the same way – in plain view. Invisible to those who were not looking for it. And also invisible to those who didn't understand it.† â€Å"Meaning?† â€Å"Meaning Galileo hid it well. According to historic record, the segno was revealed in a mode the Illuminati called lingua pura.† â€Å"The pure language?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Mathematics?† â€Å"That's my guess. Seems pretty obvious. Galileo was a scientist after all, and he was writing for scientists. Math would be a logical language in which to lay out the clue. The booklet is called Diagramma, so mathematical diagrams may also be part of the code.† Vittoria sounded only slightly more hopeful. â€Å"I suppose Galileo could have created some sort of mathematical code that went unnoticed by the clergy.† â€Å"You don't sound sold,† Langdon said, moving down the row. â€Å"I'm not. Mainly because you aren't. If you were so sure about DIII, why didn't you publish? Then someone who did have access to the Vatican Archives could have come in here and checked out Diagramma a long time ago.† â€Å"I didn't want to publish,† Langdon said. â€Å"I had worked hard to find the information and – † He stopped himself, embarrassed. â€Å"You wanted the glory.† Langdon felt himself flush. â€Å"In a manner of speaking. It's just that – â€Å" â€Å"Don't look so embarrassed. You're talking to a scientist. Publish or perish. At CERN we call it ‘Substantiate or suffocate.' â€Å" â€Å"It wasn't only wanting to be the first. I was also concerned that if the wrong people found out about the information in Diagramma, it might disappear.† â€Å"The wrong people being the Vatican?† â€Å"Not that they are wrong, per se, but the church has always downplayed the Illuminati threat. In the early 1900s the Vatican went so far as to say the Illuminati were a figment of overactive imaginations. The clergy felt, and perhaps rightly so, that the last thing Christians needed to know was that there was a very powerful anti-Christian movement infiltrating their banks, politics, and universities.† Present tense, Robert, he reminded himself. There IS a powerful anti-Christian force infiltrating their banks, politics, and universities. â€Å"So you think the Vatican would have buried any evidence corroborating the Illuminati threat?† â€Å"Quite possibly. Any threat, real or imagined, weakens faith in the church's power.† â€Å"One more question.† Vittoria stopped short and looked at him like he was an alien. â€Å"Are you serious?† Langdon stopped. â€Å"What do you mean?† â€Å"I mean is this really your plan to save the day?† Langdon wasn't sure whether he saw amused pity or sheer terror in her eyes. â€Å"You mean finding Diagramma?† â€Å"No, I mean finding Diagramma, locating a four-hundred-year-old segno, deciphering some mathematical code, and following an ancient trail of art that only the most brilliant scientists in history have ever been able to follow†¦ all in the next four hours.† Langdon shrugged. â€Å"I'm open to other suggestions.† 50 Robert Langdon stood outside Archive Vault 9 and read the labels on the stacks. Brahe†¦ Clavius†¦ Copernicus†¦ Kepler†¦ Newton†¦ As he read the names again, he felt a sudden uneasiness. Here are the scientists†¦ but where is Galileo? He turned to Vittoria, who was checking the contents of a nearby vault. â€Å"I found the right theme, but Galileo's missing.† â€Å"No he isn't,† she said, frowning as she motioned to the next vault. â€Å"He's over here. But I hope you brought your reading glasses, because this entire vault is his.† Langdon ran over. Vittoria was right. Every indictor tab in Vault 10 carried the same keyword. Il Proceso Galileano Langdon let out a low whistle, now realizing why Galileo had his own vault. â€Å"The Galileo Affair,† he marveled, peering through the glass at the dark outlines of the stacks. â€Å"The longest and most expensive legal proceeding in Vatican history. Fourteen years and six hundred million lire. It's all here.† â€Å"Have a few legal documents.† â€Å"I guess lawyers haven't evolved much over the centuries.† â€Å"Neither have sharks.† Langdon strode to a large yellow button on the side of the vault. He pressed it, and a bank of overhead lights hummed on inside. The lights were deep red, turning the cube into a glowing crimson cell†¦ a maze of towering shelves. â€Å"My God,† Vittoria said, looking spooked. â€Å"Are we tanning or working?† â€Å"Parchment and vellum fades, so vault lighting is always done with dark lights.† â€Å"You could go mad in here.† Or worse, Langdon thought, moving toward the vault's sole entrance. â€Å"A quick word of warning. Oxygen is an oxidant, so hermetic vaults contain very little of it. It's a partial vacuum inside. Your breathing will feel strained.† â€Å"Hey, if old cardinals can survive it.† True, Langdon thought. May we be as lucky. The vault entrance was a single electronic revolving door. Langdon noted the common arrangement of four access buttons on the door's inner shaft, one accessible from each compartment. When a button was pressed, the motorized door would kick into gear and make the conventional half rotation before grinding to a halt – a standard procedure to preserve the integrity of the inner atmosphere. â€Å"After I'm in,† Langdon said, â€Å"just press the button and follow me through. There's only eight percent humidity inside, so be prepared to feel some dry mouth.† Langdon stepped into the rotating compartment and pressed the button. The door buzzed loudly and began to rotate. As he followed its motion, Langdon prepared his body for the physical shock that always accompanied the first few seconds in a hermetic vault. Entering a sealed archive was like going from sea level to 20,000 feet in an instant. Nausea and light-headedness were not uncommon. Double vision, double over, he reminded himself, quoting the archivist's mantra. Langdon felt his ears pop. There was a hiss of air, and the door spun to a stop. He was in. Langdon's first realization was that the air inside was thinner than he had anticipated. The Vatican, it seemed, took their archives a bit more seriously than most. Langdon fought the gag reflex and relaxed his chest while his pulmonary capillaries dilated. The tightness passed quickly. Enter the Dolphin, he mused, gratified his fifty laps a day were good for something. Breathing more normally now, he looked around the vault. Despite the transparent outer walls, he felt a familiar anxiety. I'm in a box, he thought. A blood red box. The door buzzed behind him, and Langdon turned to watch Vittoria enter. When she arrived inside, her eyes immediately began watering, and she started breathing heavily. â€Å"Give it a minute,† Langdon said. â€Å"If you get light-headed, bend over.† â€Å"I†¦ feel†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Vittoria choked, â€Å"like I'm†¦ scuba diving†¦ with the wrong†¦ mixture.† Langdon waited for her to acclimatize. He knew she would be fine. Vittoria Vetra was obviously in terrific shape, nothing like the doddering ancient Radcliffe alumnae Langdon had once squired through Widener Library's hermetic vault. The tour had ended with Langdon giving mouth-to-mouth to an old woman who'd almost aspirated her false teeth. â€Å"Feeling better?† he asked. Vittoria nodded. â€Å"I rode your damn space plane, so I thought I owed you.† This brought a smile. â€Å"Touche.† Langdon reached into the box beside the door and extracted some white cotton gloves. â€Å"Formal affair?† Vittoria asked. â€Å"Finger acid. We can't handle the documents without them. You'll need a pair.† Vittoria donned some gloves. â€Å"How long do we have?† Langdon checked his Mickey Mouse watch. â€Å"It's just past seven.† â€Å"We have to find this thing within the hour.† â€Å"Actually,† Langdon said, â€Å"we don't have that kind of time.† He pointed overhead to a filtered duct. â€Å"Normally the curator would turn on a reoxygenation system when someone is inside the vault. Not today. Twenty minutes, we'll both be sucking wind.† Vittoria blanched noticeably in the reddish glow. Langdon smiled and smoothed his gloves. â€Å"Substantiate or suffocate, Ms. Vetra. Mickey's ticking.†

Coach Carter s Conflict Resolution Methods - 931 Words

Coach Carter’s Conflict Resolution Methods Introduction Bargaining to resolve conflict is a never ending story throughout the history of mankind. There are certain people who are truly inspirational due to their ability to stand firm on their morals. The movie Coach Carter (2005), exemplifies one such person, who is able to take a stand against the established culture of losing. The movie is focused on inner-city basketball, but it showcases several conflict resolution methods employed by a dedicated coach who wants to change the culture of accepting counterproductive behavior. There are several bargaining lessons that can be learned from this movie, which include good faith bargaining, negotiating with people who do not share the†¦show more content†¦Kolb and Williams (2003), state that crafting agreements involves advocacy and connection. This suggests that bargainers need to not only advocate their need, but to also build a relationship with the other side. Coach Carter did indeed negotiate in good faith because he pro ved that he meant what he said from the beginning. Conflicting Individual Values Obviously, Coach Carter and the community as a whole held different values. Nevertheless, the community was made up of individuals with free will. Therefore, tolerating certain bad behaviors was an individual choice. Coach Carter advocated personal accountability, which was the opposite from what the community members desired. Sadly and ironically, even some of the school administrators were against teaching accountability. For whatever reason, this is also common in real life inner city schools. This was lesson was learned while assigned as a recruiter in some of San Diego’s inner city high schools. It was shocking to hear some of the things that some school administrators would say and do, which were counterproductive to their mission of providing an education. Schools, especially inner city schools need more people like Coach Carter who simply value doing the right thing. Bargaining with individuals who do not see value in doing the right thing is almost impossible . Kolb and Williams, suggest that engaging and appreciative moves are also necessary in order buildShow MoreRelatedStrategies to Enchance Team Cohesiveness in an Organizational Setting4285 Words   |  18 PagesDynamics and Conflict within a Team The team concept is not an unfamiliar one. We are surrounded by teams from the time we take our first breath until the time we leave this Earth. Doctors, nurses, aides, dieticians, housekeeping, and others all exhibited a collaborative effort to ensure our arrival into the world was a safe and successful journey. Our adventures throughout grade school were also brought about by teamwork. 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Failed Farm and Labor Organizations in the Late 19th Century

In the period of 1870-1900, labor unions and organizations were rarely successful in achieving their goals primarily because of problems with being able to organize large numbers of American Workers. The rare victories for labor were isolated incidents because there were no labor organizations on a national or even state-wide basis. The problems with organization arose because of five major factors - differences in union leadership, divisions between skilled and unskilled workers, ethnic and racial tensions, and employer, and government and public hostility. The leader of the Knights of Labor, Terence Powderly, believed that the best means of organization was pooling a mass membership from unskilled and skilled workers. He stated, The†¦show more content†¦When strikes would occur, the government took an anti-labor stance in response to the public outcry against the labor-based extremism and violence. 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